𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 | 𝐨𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐚

✫・𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜・✫

Chapter 4: Platonic

"Momo-channnnn! I can't find Saihara-chan!" Ouma whines.

"Have you looked in his room, maybe?" Kaito asks, trying to be helpful to his new sidekick.

"I don't think I wanna go in there... Y'know..." Ouma mumbles, an uncomfortable look spread across his face. Kaito nods, immediately understanding what Ouma meant. Not even Kaito really wanted to be in there.

"True." Kaito mumbles. "Here- How about I knock on his door and you can like... Uh... Hide behind me?" Kaito suggests, Ouma being a bit mad about the hiding thing. 

"I'm not scared! I'll-... I'll just- Here-" Ouma stutters awkwardly, getting beside Kaito and standing very close to him. It was a bit awkward, but Kaito didn't mind.

Kaito already knew his way around the place, and knew where the rooms were.

They stop just right outside of his door, Kaito raising his fist and knocking a few times, a bit harshly. 

"Hey, sidekick! You there?" Kaito yells. Ouma shifts beside Kaito for a minute.

"Hm. No answer. He might be somewhere else." Kaito muses.

"You think?" Ouma spits sarcastically. Kaito shrugs, looking down. Ouma was still wearing his jacket. Kaito smiles internally. It looked good on him. 

"Hey... Where the hell is Shingucci and Yoshi?" Ouma suddenly questions, tilting his head to the side. Huh... Kaito suddenly remembered that. He hadn't seen Hoshi nor Shinguji. Come to speak of it; Ever since anyone had woken up there were a few missing.

Not to mention some side effects that were beginning to surface. 

Saihara's growing anxiety, slightly masked by his obsessive personality. Yumeno being more tired than usual; Chabashira having occasional back pains... All of the other's mental health seemed to be falling apart as well. And physical.

Kaito knew his anxiety was a little higher than usual as well. He had no idea about Ouma, though; He hid everything pretty well. 

Really, the more Kaito thought about it, the more it made less sense than just telling himself: "it was a simulation! You're fine! Everyone's alive!" Was there something else than just the explanation of being in a simulation?

Ouma pulled Kaito out of his thoughts with a question.

"Are you okay, Momo-chan?" Ouma asks, his big purple eyes looking into Kaito's magenta ones.

"Huh-? Yeah! I'm alright. Thank you, Ouma." Kaito replies, giving Ouma a warm smile. It felt weird to smile at the little gremlin, but he was getting used to it.

☆━━☆

The more Kokichi thought about it, the more it kept him confused. It couldn't have been just a simulation; everything felt so... Real. Everything. Especially his death.

Nothing could explain how or why he was experiencing full-body aches as well, or why Momota or anyone else suffered. The mental health problems that followed definitely were explainable; trauma.

Kokichi furrows his eyebrows, confused and in pain, small aches racking his body. They ranged from annoying to completely body-rendering to where he could barely move. 

Yes, Kokichi had already checked his body for maybe even a mark of what had happened, but nothing. Nothing to even resemble anything that happened during the game. Even the wound on his arm had disappeared without a trace. Momota's sickness, as well. 

Kokichi wasn't stupid.

Some were gone, presumably being kept in a safer place due to specific types of trauma or reactions, most likely. It was only logical.

Logical.

Kokichi laughs, feeling the word logic wouldn't even begin to fit into any of this scenario. Kokichi's laughter slowly turned into crying, curling up on himself and abandoning his "research", which was basically just horribly written notes, drawings, scenarios and thoughts on everything. Mainly the fact nobody else was here but them.

Was this some form of afterlife? Sure, Kokichi was open to these kinds of things and normally didn't care, but this didn't exactly seem like the kind of thing that would be associated with after dying. Even Yonaga, who used to be all about Atua, had quieted down about him and even started using first person speech. 

The game really affected everyone. Even Kokichi. The once nervous wreck yet brave leader turned an obnoxious dick, then turned yet again into another wreck but still kind of a dick.

That was funny, and got Kokichi into yet another laughing fit as he cried. It sounded like he was half-way between coughing and choking, which only fueled his laughter as it sounded like the most hilarious thing he'd ever heard.

He eventually calmed down, holding a pillow tight to his waist as it seemed to help the pain a bit. He sniffles, getting back up while still holding said pillow. 

He makes his way to the bathroom, washing his face, avoiding the mirror. 

He walks back out, feeling a bit better now that he had stopped having a stroke. His mind slowly started working again, being able to process his thoughts. He began to hum to fill the quiet room with some form of sound, not being able to get anything to really do that with.

The only way out is through, right? Kokichi had been told that too many times to count. But really, sometimes he didn't believe it. 

He felt as if his brain had been split in half; one side thinking logically about where they are and how to get out, the other wanting to break down and quit. But now wasn't the time to quit, per say. Even though they felt safe, and nothing particularly bad has happened, it should be fine.

There wasn't even a trace of Monokuma or the Kubs anywhere, either. Which was amazing, in Kokichi's opinion. No trace of the killing game, besides the sixteen students and the remaining memories of it which still plagued his thoughts and dreams. 

Kokichi begins to scribble down his thoughts, adding possible clues as to where they are. He noticed he wrote a lot about Momota, more than anyone else. Kokichi frowns. Why, though? 

Kokichi lets out a long, deep breath, frustrated.