A Mastermind's Mind

Saihara Shuichi (Log 1, Chapter 2)

"Kiiboy, are you suuure you can't rocket-boost us out of here?"

"Ou-Ouma-kun, for the last time, I do not have such a function! Please, this is the thirty-fourth time you've asked me this!"

"Aww, am I hurting Kiiboy's nonexistent feeelings?"

" No!"

"Nishishi.."

"Ouma-kun." The leader turned his attention to the robot's more serious tone of voice. "Are..are we really friends..?"

Kokichi paused, considering the question. "Hmm, why do you ask?"

"It's- it's just..." The robot raised a fist, clenched it for a moment, and left it to swing idly by his side. "You tease me all the time. And while observations say that friends often tease each other..I can't help but feel as if you mean what you say."

Kokichi considered it for a moment. Stop teasing Kiibo? Never in a million years. Kiibo being overwhelmingly suspicious? No doubt about that. On the other hand..? Being a friend with a robot? Cool.

"That's what lies are about, hmm?"

The robot startles, looking surprised. Ouma snickered, enjoying the robot's confusion. "If you believe it, my lies must be flawless!"

Kiibo's ahoge curls into a question mark. He almost swears he's seen the exact same thing on Shuichi. No one really reacted to any ahoge movements, so he was halfway convinced he was just becoming delusional.

That.. that was off topic, wasn't it?

"Ah,,I see now." Kokichi looked at Kiibo's face,which looked pleasantly happy, holding a shy blush as he fiddled with his fingers. "So..we are friends. That's...a nice development."

Kokichi was caught off guard for a moment. Kiibo actually liked being friends with him? The mini dictator with a hobby of spilling paint into everyone's clothes? Whose talent was pissing off literally every human within a five-mile radius?

A little smile of his colors his face a light pink as he looks away in slight embarrassment. Friends, huh? "..Yeah, guess we are friends then." He clears his throat and looks up; Kiiboy's staring at him with yet another surprised expression, the robot's face lighted with a more prominent pink, becoming red.

"You..you smiled."

He stared back at Kiiboy, smiling as he moved his arms behind his head. "I smile all the time! I have no idea what you're talking about, Kiibs!" He begins to walk off into the direction of the school. Kiibo keeps his pace, attempting desperately to explain what was so great about a simple smile.

"W-well, you see-"

Miu slumped past the two, looking like hell. "What happened to you, pig?" Kokichi calls after her, only to receive no answer besides a tired grunt. Kiibo tried asking the same question, and on their prompting, she finally answers, voice low and heavy with fatigue. "This is why I don't fucking stop working at.." she yawned. "..night. Whenever I fucking crash.." another yawn, and she stretched far enough for Kiibo to wince. "A'm always soo buzzed..to continue.."

She looks about ready to collapse. Kiibo drags Kokichi and pesters him to help the robot carry her to the dorms.

"Where's your super strength when we need it, Kiiboy..?"

"I don't have that function..either..!"

Miu is honestly dead weight in their hands. Kokichi waved his hand in front of her face once or twice, and receiving no answer, he tries asking her what she had to eat the last few days. On the sixteenth try, she answers. "..ffff..all I haad.. was some fff.. Boba..tea..still g'tta mod things..ta' hell n'..."