What if it Repeated? (Oumasai/Saiouma)

Chapter 17- Off

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"Is this some kind of heist?" The boy asked excitedly as he pranced behind Shuuichi. "What are we stealing? Money, jewels, treasure?" Shuuichi continued to walk steadily across the courtyard, jumping down the concrete steps two at a time. "Don't you think we're kind of unprepared for a heist, I mean I haven't got any tools or anything." The boy followed him down quickly, only just keeping pace with Shuuichi's strides. Shuuichi didn't respond, but when they had reached the entrance to Miu's lab he stopped, breathing heavily to catch his breath. Kokichi was also taking in abnormally large gulps of air.

"...just don't do anything stupid, alright?" Kokichi looked completely offended, his jaw dropped to its full extent,
"Stupid? I have never done anything stupid in my life, meanie."
"Keep telling yourself that." Shuuichi smiled and pushed the door open.

When he walked in, Miu was already busying herself with something in the middle of the room, a small portable desk positioned next to her with a number of tools laid out on it. She didn't even look up, but did when Kokichi gasped obnoxiously loud.
"This bitch?!" Kokichi groaned as he caught sight of Miu, his eyes flicking to Shuuichi in disgust, "if you had said she would be here I wouldn't have come." Miu shrieked and dropped the screwdriver she had been holding and let it ricochet off the table and clatter noisily to the floor.

"Why did you bring this nasty brat! If you ever want this thing done, you better get him out of here." Shuuichi surveyed the pair sourly and crossed his arms,
"He won't do anything. I just wanted to stay here while I talk to Kokichi about something."
"What! so I have to suffer because you want to talk to that bastard?" Miu complained crossing her arms and taking a swig from a bottle perched on a desk to her right.
"I'm not too chuffed about it either, you skank. I thought we were gonna raid this place, but I guess not..." he pouted childishly which didn't help Shuuichi's serious composure he was hoping on keeping.

He coughed slightly and tore his eyes away from Kokichi's small stature and sank into a small chair in the corner of the room. When Kokichi noticed he was no longer with him, he strode over and sat opposite him his eyes wide with wonder.
"Soooo if we're not raiding this shack then what did you want to say that couldn't be said anywhere else, hmm?"
"You rat! If you touch anything here I will make sure you don't see tomorrow!"
"You gonna kill me? I'd like to see you try." He smirked, his grin wide, too wide. "Anyway so what was it?" He asked Shuuichi, ignoring the angry cries and outbursts from Miu.

"What do you know about multiverses?"
"Huh? What is this, a job interview?" Kokichi tilted his head, raising an eyebrow, "sorry sir, I wasn't ready to be interviewed when I came in here today, I didn't even practise."
"Just wing it, I guarantee you'll want this job." He half smiled, he could still hear grumbling from Miu, but it seemed to be a lot quieter once he had asked the question. Kokichi nodded thoughtfully and finally fixed Shuuichi with a steady gaze that made him shift in his seat.
"You've sold it so well detective, so I'll comply~... I actually know quite a bit thanks to 'Sliders'." There were a few moments where he simply stared at the boy in front of him. What the hell did that mean? Even Miu was completely silent now. Did it make any sense to her? Was this some kind of terminology he didn't know?
"Huh?"

"Sliders. You know that old American TV show?"
"What! A TV show?!" Miu practically spat out the drink she had been sipping and sprang to her feet in exasperation, "you've got to be fucking kidding me!" Kokichi stood up as well, matching Miu's stance and composure.
"Not just any TV show you dimwit, Sliders! The whole show practically revolves around what you're obviously trying to make. " Kokichi pointed back, shaking his head slightly as though Miu was an idiot for doubting his statement. "And the guys on the show were WAY smarter than you, so don't go making assumptions."
Miu laughed coldly, her face resembling something that could be compared to that of someone who had just stepped in a large pile of dog shit on the side of the road.

"Saihara, get this child out of here, he knows fuck all." She scoffed with a side glance towards Shuuichi.
"What are you, actually 70?! Why are you calling me a kid? Thanks for the interview Saihara, but I'm gonna have to say no to the job." Shuuichi quickly jumped to catch Kokichi's retreating hand as he made to leave and only just making it. Kokichi stopped to stare at him. He could see that Kokichi's hands were balled into fists and didn't make any attempt to unloosen them.
"Miu can you just listen, you haven't even given him a chance to say anything."

"You're seriously sticking up for him?! He just said that we should take advice from a TV show that just happened to dabble in multiverses!"
"It may be more helpful than you think, just hear him out." The hand finally pulled out of his grip and returned to its owner.
"Nishishi~ suck it Miu!" He giggled cruelly, then turning to Shuuichi, "But I don't need you fighting my battles for me Saihara," He simpered with narrowed eyes at Shuuichi. Shuuichi felt something pang horribly inside him... Kokichi's eyes were cold. A chill spread through his body to the very tips of his fingers. He had felt like this only one time before.

"Fine! Tell us then. What do you know about multiverses?" Miu's question cracked through the air. Kokichi turned his attention to Miu, his face losing its harsh composition.
"The real question is 'what don't I know'! Ask me something, come on do it~" Miu furrowed her brow and thought for a second before opening her mouth,
"How would you theoretically be able to travel to these parallel universes?" Kokichi giggled, placing his hands on his hips.

"Easy! These universes are always around us, so we just have to have a way to see them, right? That saying, we would need a huge amount of energy to be able to see them, like ginormous." Kokichi stretched his arms out as far as he could in a way to express the magnitude of what he was saying.
"Do you mean..." Miu began,
"Essentially something like breaking the speed of light or a black hole, yes."
"Wait a black hole?!" Shuuichi burst out, was that seriously the only way to accomplish this? "Aren't they extremely dangerous?" Kokichi hummed in acknowledgment,

"Yup! It's basically suicide to enter one, you'd be sucked in and stretched to death pretty quickly." He clicked his fingers, "and you'd be gone, poof! Just like that."
"So how would you create one..." Shuuichi said hesitantly,
"Good question, although I don't know anything about that area I do know that it would be basically impossible. As I said, ginormous energy." Miu seemed to be deep in thought and wasn't looking at either of them. He was glad he had asked Kokichi. He hadn't been sure if he knew anymore than what he had said in the other reality, but he was glad he took the chance. It was actually surprising...

"And you know this all because of some TV show?" Shuuichi asked curiously,
"Sort of, I got interested in the idea that I could find the best approach to situations and I got kinda wrapped up in it. But anyways I should get to ask a question now!" Shuuichi didn't answer. "Why are you making this? What do you want to achieve?"
"Wait why didn't I ask that?!" Miu gasped and dropped her tools for the second time, her eyes now on Shuuichi.

He couldn't tell the truth. The truth only led to more questions and made everything worse. He knew that from experience. If he said that it was to stop the killing game, it would most likely bring his plan further into the light and would cause the mastermind to intervene. He had to keep this on the down low for as long as possible. If he could pretend this was all for a joke or fun there was a good chance the mastermind would let it slide.
"For fun." He shrugged, staring at the scattered objects Miu had dropped in mock interest.
"What the fuck? I thought this was supposed to be important!" Miu cried with an incredulous shake of the head.
"It is." Shuuichi said shortly, but looked up at Miu trying to express to her that this wasn't for petty reasons.

Kokichi let out a laugh and slunk back into the chair he had recently departed from and stretched out like he owned it.
"Now you're talking Saihara, count me in! If this brain dead whore ever does succeed I wanna have a go!" For a second he thought he had actually convinced Kokichi, but it that would be too good to be true. Those magenta eyes ran over him again, lingering over his face. And then it happened. He felt the chill he had felt before as the stare cut through him like a knife. He blinked and it was gone. Kokichi was looking at him as he always had, a smile on his lips and his eyes shining brightly. Was he just imagining it?