Liar, Liar, the Mage's Desire Vol. 1 (A New Oumeno)

Kazuichi Gets Scooped (3)

      At 5:00 sharp, the doorbell to Casa V3 rang. Himiko, who had been waiting by the door the entire time, immediately answered it. She grabbed the ends of her Supreme Lady dress, and curtsied politely for Kazuichi. 

   "Follow me, please," Himiko said promptly. Before Kazuichi could question her, Himiko began walking away in a swift and graceful manner, as if she had been a Supreme Lady her whole life. Stunned into silence by Himiko's unusual behavior, Kazuichi followed her into the hallway where the boys' bedrooms were. Himiko stopped in front of Kokichi and Gonta's bedroom door, and put a hand up to stop Kazuichi. "Wait here, please," she said. Without another word, she entered the room, and closed it shut. Kazuichi waited anxiously in silence as he started to fiddle with his jumpsuit. About 30 seconds later, Himiko opened the bedroom door, and stood politely in front of him. "The Supreme Leader is ready to see you, now." She spoke with a clear voice that didn't match the quiet and monotonous voice that Kazuichi was used to hearing from her. She opened the door, and walked inside, gesturing to Kazuichi to follow her.

   When Kazuichi entered the room, the first thing he noticed was Gonta's side, which was well lit despite the only light source being the late afternoon glow shining in through the large, open window in the center of the back wall. When he looked at Kokichi's side of the room, however, he felt as if he were staring deep into the night sky. Kazuichi couldn't understand how Gonta's side of the room was perfectly visible, while Kokichi's was drenched in shadows as dark as ink. Kazuichi followed Himiko halfway into the room, until she expertly turned at a 90-degree angle, and curtsied, just like she did before.

   "Kazuichi is here to see you, my Supreme Leader," Himiko said as she curtsied. Kazuichi looked at her in confusion, wondering who she was talking to. Then, he looked in the direction she was facing, and focused his eyes into the darkness. Once they had adjusted, he noticed Kokichi sitting nonchalantly in a large, cushy sofa chair with a desk in front of him. His elbows were propped on either arm of the chair, and his fingers were entwined together under his chin. He was wearing his Supreme Leader hat and cape. His lips were twisted into a sinister smirk. But what Kazuichi noticed most of all was the impish twinkle in Kokichi's purple eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness.  Kazuichi couldn't see further into Kokichi's side of the room, making the situation a bit more unsettling. 

   "Thank you, my beloved," Kokichi replied in a low and eerily sweet-sounding voice. Himiko took her place next to Kokichi's chair in dignified silence. Kokichi clasped Himiko's hand in his and gently kissed the back of it. Once he let go, Himiko folded her hands obediently in front of her, and remained silent. 

   "Haha, wow...you two sure act differently here than you do at school," Kazuichi said with an apprehensive chuckle. Himiko gasped, and brought her hands up to her mouth in fear.

   "DID I ASK YOU TO SPEAK?!" Kokichi demanded, rising from his chair. Kazuichi's legs felt like noodles under Kokichi's intense glare. 

   "N-No," he replied in a quivery voice.

   "No...what?" Kokichi asked in a low, threatening voice.

   "N-No, s-sir," Kazuichi corrected himself with a gulp that showed his trembling Adam's apple. 

   "That's better," Kokichi scoffed, sitting back down. He took a deep breath and regained his composure. "So...my Supreme Lady tells me that you're interested in joining my organization, correct?"