(Shuichi Harem) Oops...

Chapter 17

"Kokichi's back!!" Shuichi exclaimed with a sigh of relief following shortly after.

"Unfortunately, yeah," Kaito muttered, saying it like it was a bad thing. "He's over there."

Shuichi looked at where Kaito's finger was pointing, and his eyes widened in both shock and excitement. He hadn't realized how long it had been since he had seen Kokichi until he saw the purple-haired dictator for himself.

As if on cue, Kokichi glanced up, and their eyes met. "Shuichi! It's so good to see you!" Without a second thought, Kokichi ran up to the detective and gave him a hug.

"Ah— u-um, you're squeezing me too hard, Kokichi..." Shuichi managed to say before Kaito had to separate the two himself.

"Geez, Kokichi. Not everyone is ready for that type of physical contact!" Kaito exclaimed. Shuichi had to agree he wasn't expecting Kokichi's hug. But it wasn't that he didn't like it either.

"Well, I am!" Kokichi said, replying to Kaito. As if to prove a point, the shorter one hugged Kaito as well. "See!~"

"Get off me! Shuichi, help!" Kaito continued to complain, but to no avail. Shuichi watched the two and laughed. He hadn't realized that he had missed that feeling too.

"Looks like you two are having fun," Rantaro said as he arrived, standing next to Shuichi with a smile on his face.

"We are not!" Kaito yelled. Kaede soon arrived as well, her giggles prevalent in the conversation. Soon the bell rang, and the long drawl of school began.

Shuichi, however, felt a bliss of adrenaline course through him. He could finally ask Kokichi what he'd been wondering. Was his uncle right? Was Kokichi... well... Was he who he thought he was?

As Shuichi walked into his first period class and sat next to Byakuya like usual, he found himself turning to his left constantly. He kept on turning to the table right next to him with Kokichi sitting. Shuichi kept eyeing him, getting an annoyed glance from his table mate.

It was obvious that soon enough Kokichi and Shuichi's eyes would meet. Halfway through class, Kokichi noticed Shuichi's constant glances. "Whatcha doing?"

Shuichi's cheeks flushed a shade of pink. "Uh..."

"Nishishi, what a cute detective," Kokichi grinned as he spoke.

"Oh—" Shuichi hadn't expected that as the answer. "Also, I had a question about—"

"I'll tell you later," the shorter one interrupted. He seemed to know what Shuichi wanted. Answers.

Shuichi couldn't say much after that. Though he also had his second period class with Kokichi, he was suspecting that whatever he wanted to talk about was more private. But this is school. Where are they supposed to find a private place? Unless Kokichi was talking about after school.

"Shuichi, do you know how to do this problem?" the teacher asked him.

Shuichi started blankly at the board. He was overthinking this, and was now facing the consequences. Turning in both directions, he was only met with similar blank stares at the teacher from Kokichi and Kaito, while on his right, a hint of a smirk crossed Byakuya's face.
"Ah... u-um... I don't know..." he said. All he could feel was the utter disappointment for himself.

"Geez, so gloomy," Kokichi whispered as the class discussion continued. "Get over it."

"That's..." Shuichi started. "You're right."

Kokichi laughed, getting a smile out of Shuichi, but a loud groan from Kaito, which then prompted an even louder shush from the teacher.

Shuichi's next class, World History, was next. He had it with Kokichi, who was his only friend in the class. As the bell rang, Shuichi quickly rushed to his locker on the way and headed to the history classroom.

Quickly sitting next to Kokichi, he asked breathlessly, "Can I ask you now?"

"No," Kokichi stated simply.

Shuichi just sighed in frustration. "Why not?"

"Oh, just because I don't feel like telling you now~" Kokichi laughed.

"I—" Shuichi stammered. When will Kokichi ever tire from his jokes? He didn't like this endless tease.

—

Finally, the first half of the school day was over. Shuichi rushed to the cafeteria, but Kokichi was nowhere to be found. Rantaro and Kaito were, however.

"You're here earlier than usual, Shuichi," Rantaro noted.

"Y-Yeah... I was in a hurry," Shuichi remarked as he took a seat at their usual table.

"Is it because you're helping me study again!?" Kaito exclaimed in surprise. "I have a Physics quiz, but I never listened to the teacher, so I have no idea what it's about."

Before Shuichi could reply, Rantaro spoke. "I— Kaito, how are you going to be an astronaut if you don't even pay attention in your science class?"

"That's a good question," Kaito considered, as if he didn't realize that. "But Shuichi, can you help me? You're my sidekick!"

"Sidekick...?" Rantaro's eyebrows raised up in confusion.

"Ah... yeah. Kaito... I'd like to help you but I'm not taking Physics this year."

"You're not!?" Kaito exclaimed.

"No, I'm taking chemistry. It fits better, ah... with being a detective and all."

"Aw man! Well, that makes sense," Kaito said sadly. "What about you Rantaro?"

"Oh... well... I took Physics last year. But I guess I can help." Rantaro got a piece of paper from his binder. "Here you go."

"What's this?" Kaito stared at what was written on the paper. "How'd you get the quiz answers!?"

"These aren't quiz answers. This is the quiz I took last year when I took Physics," Rantaro replied. "So... I guess you can use them."

"Why do you still have that?" Shuichi asked Rantaro in surprise.

"Good point. I dunno." Rantaro laughed, but Shuichi and Kaito were dumbfounded.

Shortly after that, Kaede and Kokichi arrived. "Oh— Kokichi! You're finally here!" Shuichi said, with a bit more excitement then usual.

"Wow, someone's excited to see me!" Kokichi said with delight. "Don't tell me... do you like me?"

"Of course!" Shuichi exclaimed, but then realized his wording. "Well, as a friend of course. I-I'm not like... gay or anything like that!"

"Nishishi... that's what I said at first too. But little did I know..."

"Can y-you just let me ask you what I need to ask?" Shuichi questioned.

"Alrighty... fineee..." Kokichi pouted. "Just follow me."

"I— okay."

Kokichi grabbed Shuichi's arm and walked quickly outside the cafeteria. The two walked into the boy's bathroom.

"Kokichi, why are you going here? What are you—"

"Oh, haven't you figured it out by now? What a dumb detective," Kokichi sighed. "I guess. I guess I'll explain everything!"
—
a/n

ok yeah this chapter done 😎😎 hope you liked it?? i didn't intend for this to turn into a somewhat mystery story but it did, but that makes it more interesting lol 😼👍

i'll try to update every few weeks, but i just started high school myself and it really sucks. like free time is now something i rarely have, and even if i do have free time, i don't feel like writing. hope you guys understand. thank you for reading!