Liar, Liar, the Mage's Desire Vol. 1 (A New Oumeno)

Kokichi and Himiko's "Switchuation" (4)

   "Nyeh...I'm not doing THAT, again," she muttered to herself quietly in her regular voice as the bell to start school rang. She put on her Kokichi persona again and sauntered off to her first class.

***

   TENKO: Himiko, I have to tell you something. Can you meet me in the girls' bathroom in a few minutes? 

   Kokichi looked at Himiko's phone that she had given him. Because they were "switched," Kokichi and Himiko gave each other their phones. 

   HIMIKO: Sure. I'll meet you there in a sec.

   Kokichi texted Tenko back. On the way to school that morning, Tenko had been oddly quiet and looked remorseful. Kokichi was wondering himself why she was acting that way. A few minutes before texting him just now, Tenko had asked if she could go to the bathroom. Now it was Kokichi's turn. He asked the teacher if he could be excused as well, and the teacher allowed him to leave. Kokichi stopped in front of the girls' bathroom, hesitant to step inside. Nobody was around to see him, so he cautiously entered. 

   "Nyeh...Tenko, are you in here?" he asked, looking around. The girls' bathroom was basically the same as the boys' except it was pink and it didn't have urinals. Tenko emerged from a stall, her eyes red as if she had been crying. "What's wrong, Tenko?" Kokichi asked.

  "Himiko, I...have to tell you something, and..." Tenko began, trying to stifle a sob. "...and I think you're going to be mad at me." She sat down against the stall, looking distraught.

   "What happened?" Kokichi asked, kneeling next to her and putting his hand on her shoulder. His affectionate gesture made him feel a bit awkward. He had just gotten used to showing affection towards Himiko, so showing affection for anyone else was proving to be rather difficult. But he knew it was something Himiko would have done, so he brushed his awkward feelings aside. Tenko looked up at him with tears in her eyes. 

  "Kokichi...saw the thing in your closet!" Tenko cried. "I...I didn't mean for him to see it! I swear, Himiko! Please don't be mad at me!" Kokichi had no idea what she was talking about, but whatever it was, it must have been something important.

  "Tenko, what exactly happened?" Kokichi asked, grabbing Tenko by her shoulders firmly. 

   "Well...I went in your closet to get your clothes out for Kokichi," Tenko went on, trying to keep herself from sobbing. "I told him not to look, but that degenerate just burst open your closet door, and...he...saw your Kokichi shrine!" she began to sob. Kokichi stared at her as she sobbed. He wasn't all that surprised to hear about Himiko having a shrine of him in her closet, since he was already aware of her crush on him. In fact, he found it kind of amusing. What he did find surprising, however, was how hard Tenko was taking all of this. 

   "Tenko..." Kokichi began, but she cut him off.

  "Himiko, I'm so, so sorry!" she cried. "I know how much he means to you, and...and...even though I think he's a degenerate, I still want you to grow old and have a good life with him! And now I... might have just ruined that for you!" Tenko began to sob even harder. "He probably thinks you're some freak, and he won't want to be your girlfriend, and it's all my fault! I'm so sorry! I'm a horrible friend!" Kokichi felt oddly sympathetic towards Tenko. 

   "Listen, Tenko," Kokichi said, gripping her shoulders again. "I'm not mad at you."

  "Y-You're not?" Tenko asked, her face wet with tears and snot. 

  "No," Kokichi replied. "I know Kokichi can be a pain, sometimes. And I know you didn't mean for him to see my...shrine. It's not your fault, and...I'm not mad. And I don't think Kokichi would be upset about it, either." 

   "Wh-What?" Tenko asked. "H-How can you be so sure, Himiko?" Kokichi thought to himself for a moment, then sighed. Seeing Tenko this hurt made him want to ease her pain. He thought it was endearing for Tenko to want to be a great friend to Himiko. He also felt a bit guilty for making Tenko think she had revealed a secret that was important to Himiko to him, even though that was Himiko's doing initially.

  "Because I'm not Himiko," he finally said in his regular voice. "It's actually me, Kokichi."