And They Were Moots! (Soon to be lovers)

Kaito the Detective

Shuichi looked around, suspicious of everyone around him. He fidgets with his nails as he sits at his desk, still wondering who it could be. Maki must've noticed how anxious he looked, because as soon as the bell rang, she was at his desk.
"Are you okay? You look really pale, do you need to use the bathroom?", she asks in her monotone voice, not really showing any concern, but Shuichi knows she means it.
"Uh, yeah im fine.. don't worry."
"Okay, well me and Kaito are gonna go to the library to finish our work in a bit, do you have any plans? You could come along." He thinks for a bit, but decides it'd be nice to get out of his room every once in a while. Though he's still nervous, and would be much more put to ease if he just avoided everyone (not really sure who alien overlord could be), he's known Maki for a long time and knows she doesn't go on sites pretty often, so he's made up his mind.
"Yeah, i'd love to. I have nothing better to do anyways", he says. Which isn't just a formality, he really doesn't have anything to do besides sit in his anxiety.
"Let's go then. We shouldn't waste time, Kaito shouldn't wait long." (okay kaito the princess, so high maintenance.)

The library is quiet, but you can hear whispers from around the shelves. It's muffled, and yet still overwhelming for Shuichi. (stupid sensitive pussy)
By the time the sun starts to set, they've already finished all their homework, and gone out of the library. Kaito and Maki are considering cafes to stop at to get drinks, and Shuichi is listening, but he isn't quite there. He thought the library would get his mind off of things, but he would keep spacing out, worried about the great alien overlord dude, worried that if anything happens, his online presence would be known to all of his classmates, worried about his reputation. Not that anybody would care, he doesn't really talk or make himself known much, but he'd prefer to be seen as quiet than the weird kid who writes Fall Out Boy fanfics.
"What do you wanna get, Shuichi?"
They ended up opting for a little coffee shop, cozy and warm with some band he doesn't recognize playing softly. After they all decided, Maki went up to the front counter to order. Just Shuichi and Kaito sat at the booth they picked out, the second one from the window. Shuichi, now alone with his thoughts, since him and Kaito weren't very close. They only spoke if Maki was around. Not that they didn't like each other, they just never had the chance. They both led two very different lives, only connected through the brunette relaying the twos orders to the very tired-looking barista. He starts playing with his fingers, picking at his fingernails on habit, the black nail polish flaking off every time he brushes a thumb over a nail.
"Hey man, are you doing okay? You look like a ghost, it's freaky."
Shuichi may not know Kaito very well, but when they went to the theater on the day before Maki's birthday, he took note of the way he screamed from his gut and thrashed around every time something resembling an apparition popped onto screen.
"I'm doing fine, i just have a lot on my mind.. it's not important, sorry."
"No, go ahead and say it. If you tell somebody, it'll be a lighter load to carry, y'know? Lay it on me, bro!", he exclaims a bit louder than a sane person would, especially in a quiet cafe, Maki eyeing him from the counter as she waits for the drinks. "U-um.. so, me and my friend from elementary have a chat room server with friends, and stuff", (people he's never met in his life*), "And recently one of my 'friends' got doxxed and I noticed that we go to the same school and stuff and I can't stop thinking about it. I mean it could be literally anyone. I feel so out of control, I don't know what to do or how to go about figuring out who it is."
"Oh! Well dude, I've got an idea! Why don't you just tell everyone about your problem and then when it's the person they'd be like, 'Bro! No way that's me! Oh my gosh!' And then you'll know who it is and you can stop worrying about it. Problem solved!" Kaito exclaimed, seemingly proud of himself for coming up with a solution to Shuichi's dilemma.
"Uh wow. That's definitely something... thanks for the input.
AHH WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF AN IDEA IS THAT?!?! That's it. I'm finished. Done for! The whole schools gonna find out about my 'hobbies'.
Shuichi, once again, felt hopeless. Now reminded of how uneasy he's been feeling since the night before, Shuichi began to fidget once again.
"Here." The abrupt clinking sound of a large coffee mug being placed on the table brought Shuichi back to his senses.
Quickly looking around to analyze his surroundings he noticed Kaito rambling on about galaxies colliding or something of the sort.
Maki was now back at the table with the drinks that she insisted on getting by herself.
She places a hand on Shuichi's shoulder, her expressionless eyes locked on him.
"You look really upset. I know I already asked before but I'll ask again anyways. Are you sure you feel alright?"
"Hey, he kinda looks constipated, right Maki roll?" Kaito chimed in.
"W-what? What does that even mean?" Shuichi said.
"Are you constipated, Shuichi? If you are then-"
Shuichi cut Maki off before she could continue.
"No, I'm not! Anyways, I was wondering why you insisted on getting the drinks by yourself I could've helped, you know?
"I didn't want to make you get up, you looked constipated, so I assumed you'd want to stay seated-"
"Let's just stop talking." Shuichi buried his face into his hands. "Which ones mine?" He lifted his head again and looked at the cups Maki had placed on the table. Two mugs filled to the brim with coffee, one with milk the other without. He reached for the black coffee, grabbing a hold of its handle and pulling it closer to him. He looked over at Kaito cup, despite it being the middle of January, he ordered an iced coffee.
"Shuichi, what you got there?" Kaito turned his attention to Shuichi's beverage. "Ew! No way is that black coffee!" he said, in an uncomfortably loud tone. "I can't believe you can stomach that stuff."
Shuichi, who wasn't about to let the guy drinking iced coffee in Winter diss one of his favorite drinks, quickly shot back a counter argument. "Okay well first of all how dare you. Black coffee is the best. It doesn't make you feel bloated, It's cheap, rich with flavor, and is usually zero calories. What's not to like?"
"What's not to like? It tastes like shit water!"

"No way you're judging me for my taste in coffee. You're drinking an iced coffee, do you even now how cold it is outside right now?"

"Bro you have no clue what you're talking about. Iced coffee is way better! It gives me like crazy energy and it tastes amaze."

Maki's stern voice interrupts Shuichi and Kaito's argument "Both of you stop fighting. You're not 9. Kaito aren't you supposed to be going to a friends house soon? Finish your drink and leave."

"Oh shit, you're right! I completely forgot about that." Kaito shot up from his seat and chugged his coffee, ice and all. Like a freak of nature.

"Bye Maki Roll. Bye Shuichi. Hope we can all hang out together again soon!" And just like that Kaito was out the door.

Kaito never really wears anything heavy, deeming it too much of a chore to reach in the depths of his closet and grab his winter coat, buried under random objects that he's never cleaned out. As he walks down the streets leading into a neighborhood, he really regrets ever thinking he'd be fine without an outer layer, and definitely second guessing that iced coffee as well. Kaito and Kokichi have been friends for what seems like forever, bonded together like brothers. Their moms are friends, and they've both slept over at each other's houses millions of times. So it's no surprise that Kokichi invited him over to hang out today, and it's no surprise that Kaito already has a key and is unlocking Oma's door without knocking or letting Kokichi know he's there. He takes off his shoes, and begins walking down the hall to Kokichi's room, Oma's house layout engraved in his memory.
"Hey dude, what's up."
"Ew Kaito, knock. You know i need time to get my air freshener ready for when you walk in. Coming in unannounced is just rude."
"Shut up, you told me to come over! Four words in, and you're already on my case, jeez!"
"Surprised you know how to count to four, apeboy. Come sit down, you're making the floor cave in."
Kaito makes his way over Kokichi's hoard of clutter, and sits down on his bed next to Oma, who's hanging off the side like an autistic radioactive purple vampire. With his iron-deficient pale complexion, he looks like he could pass as a skinwalker in a cursed media video. Kaito internally laughs at that thought.
"What are you doing on your phone?", he asks, looking down at Kokichi whose nose is close enough to his screen to smell the radiation. "Just defending my honor on virtual fighting grounds. Old men shouldn't be in political positions of power, they're too ancient to make good decisions, but nobody seems to get it!"
"Uhh, you mean you're fighting with randos online?"
"Yup! Sadly, some people get reeeally pressed about childish stuff, and i got doxxed yesterday on discord. Got my name and address wrong though, it was my mom's house", Kokichi says with a shrug, like it isn't a big deal. weirdo. "Sooooo, what'd u and Maki do that took you so long to get here? I deserve to know, since u made me wait 4 hours for you", he says, pulling himself up and turning his phone off.
"You didn't wait 4 hours, you had stuff to do too! Stop lying, everytime you do, it takes an inch off your height", Kaito retorts, "That's fucking insane though, what'd you even do? I get you're annoying, but some people really take it to extremes, huh? Anyway, Maki invited her friend to hang with us, and after we all finished our work, we went to get coffee."
"Ew. Can't believe you drink that stuff. It must be why you smell so bad, it's seeping into your body sweat. Yuck, Kaito, are you trying to make my room a mini Chernobyl?!!" He yells dramatically, tears spilling out of his giant fucking bug eyes.
"The abandoned pizza is already making your room a warzone, don't pin that shit on me. And don't cut me off either, i wasn't finished!", he exclaims, like the bigmouth he is. "But your situation reminds me, when Makiroll went to wait for our drinks, I asked why Shuichi looked so stressed. Apparently somebody got doxxed in his chatroom, just like you, and he was worried that they lived on the same town or something. The internet is really scary, right? How do people even do that? Weird as shit."
"Oh. Shuichi, you said? Is he in Maki's classroom?" Kokichi asks, suddenly way more interested. Reasonably so, because though Kaito is too dense to piece it together, Oma has a brain and can actually connect logical dots, instead of constellations.
"Yeah, they're like best friends. Why? Have you seen him before?", Kaito shifts his weight to look forward at Kokichi.
"Nothing, just wondering. Does he go on social media a lot? Like twitter and stuff?"
"I dunno, I don't talk to him, why are you asking me? I just told you Maki's his best friend, call her or something, im not a detective, man."
"No shit."
"You're fucking annoying, I'm going home.", Momota snaps as he gets up and grabs his bag.
"Okay, call me when you get home, gas giant!!", Kokichi calls out before his bedroom door is slammed shut.