Brats & Brains (Shuichi x Kokichi)

7 - The Truth Behind The Liar

~ Shuichi

Kokichi leaves my room at around midnight and I go to sleep with a stupid smile on my face. The feeling of his lips against my skin lingers in my mind and sneaks into my dreams that night.

The next morning, I head down to the dining hall, where Kaito is desperately trying to make pancakes in the kitchen. With Kirumi gone, we don't have anyone to make us exquisite meals anymore, so it seems Kaito has taken it upon himself to make everyone breakfast. I appreciate his effort, but it doesn't seem to be going well considering the kitchen is smokey and he's spilling batter on his feet.

"Fuck!" Kaito exclaims. Maki, hearing his yelps, hurries to the kitchen to assist him. Considering the current state of the kitchen, it's safe to assume breakfast won't be ready for a while, so I head back to my dorm to get some more sleep.

Before I'm able to make it far, Kokichi enters the dining hall, yawning like a sleepy cat. When he sees me, he flashes me a flirtatious smirk before walking past me and into the kitchen, where Maki is fanning the smoke out of the kitchen with a towel.

"Holy shit!" Kokichi gasps, laughing afterwards. "What the hell happened here?"

"What do you want, you lying little fool?" Maki asks, coughing from the thick smoke. The smoke alarm starts blaring and Miu is summoned to fix it as Maki continues fanning away the smoke. Kaito is just standing in the corner, wiping off his clothes from the batter he spilt.

"Who are you calling a liar?" Kokichi giggles. Miu stops the alarm from beeping and most of the smoke has cleared, but the kitchen is an absolute mess; pancake batter is splattered on every surface and wall, burnt sausage links are scattered on the floor, and the overcooked bacon is in a pan full of sizzling, popping grease that is flying about the kitchen. How is Kaito this bad at cooking?

"What are you talking about?" Maki asks, shoving Kokichi out of the way to exit the kitchen.

Kokichi snickers evilly. "You're a hypocrite for calling me a liar, you know that?"

Maki doesn't say anything—does Kokichi know something about her that we don't?

Kokichi wears a truly malicious grin on his face—one that I've never seen before... It scares me. "I received your motive video, Maki," he says, his voice deeper than normal. He sounds more his age now rather than a whiny child.

Before anyone can say anything or react, Maki grasps Kokichi's throat with full strength and lifts him off his feet. I want to intervene and help Kokichi, but I'm paralyzed in fear like I have been several times before. I can't move, but I'm able to shout, "Let go of him!"

Kokichi lets out a staggered breath of defeat. "You're really... gonna... kill me... in front of everyone?" he gasps. He starts wiggling his feet in an attempt to break free from Maki's grasp, but all she does is grip him harder. Sweat starts pouring down his face as he struggles more and more to release himself from Maki's strong hand.

"Maki!" I shout. "Stop!"

She doesn't listen to me, but Kokichi keeps talking, "That's... not really your style... is it? You'd prefer... to... attack... from the shadows..."

He lets out a desperate whine as Maki tightens her grip on his neck yet again, causing his face to turn blue. I finally grasp my bearings and I'm able to move, so I bolt towards Maki and grab her wrist, twisting it in an attempt to make her let go of Kokichi. She uses her free arm to push me off and I stumble to the ground, stunned. How is she so strong?

"Aren't I right," Kokichi gasps, "Miss... Ultimate Assassin?"

That explains her sudden violent behaviors... So she's not a child caregiver after all—she lied to all of us. She likely hid her true talent so people don't suspect her as the killer every time someone dies, which is a wise decision on her part. But why would Kokichi reveal her secret to everyone?