"Angie, where's Himiko?" Kokichi asked through the phone. "Why isn't she answering her phone?"
"Well, she's upstairs in her room," Angie replied. "Um...she's not doing so well."
"Awww, does she miss me?" Kokichi asked.
"Yes, yes, she does, but-" Angie began.
"What's he saying, Angie?" Tsumugi whispered.
"Oh, he's wondering if Himiko misses him," Angie responded to Tsumugi.
"What?" Kokichi asked.
"Oh, I was just talking to Tsumugi! Nyahahaha!" Angie replied cheerfully. "She wanted to know what you were saying."
"Angie, put Kokichi on speakerphone," Kaito said. Angie nodded and clicked the speakerphone button.
"Kokichi, you are now on speakerphone," Angie informed him.
"Heeeeyyy, everyoooone!" Kokichi said. Though the others were always annoyed by Kokichi, they couldn't help but feel a bit happy to hear his voice at the moment.
"Um...Kokichi, I never thought I'd say this, but, we need your help," Kaito said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Do you, now?" Kokichi asked, his curiosity piqued. The others could practically hear Kokichi smirking.
"Yeah, it's about Himiko," Kaede said. "She tells us that she keeps seeing this girl, but whenever she tries to show us, the girl never shows up."
"Yes, and now, Himiko is upstairs suffering from a nervous breakdown, and we are unsure what to do about it," Keebo said.
"We were wondering if you could somehow help Himiko, since you are the closest one to her," Kirumi added.
"Tenko, aren't YOU the one closest to her?" Kokichi asked. Tenko hung her head in guilt.
"Well...yes, but, um, the thing is...Himiko is obviously distressed, but I just don't know if...I don't know how..." Tenko struggled to find the right words.
"You don't believe that whatever person Himiko claims to see is real, do you?" Kokichi asked with a smug tone in his voice. "I thought you always believed in Himiko, no matter what."
"I know!! I know, okay?!" Tenko began to cry. "I know I'm her best friend, and I want to believe her, but...but...I've just never seen or heard the girl she's talking about before! I wanted to make her feel better, but she knows I don't believe her, and now she wants me to leave her alone! I know you're a lying degenerate, and all, but just please help Himiko, Kokichi!!"
"Alrighty, I'll see what I can do!" Kokichi replied cheerfully. "Angie could you take me off speakerphone, please. Then take the phone to Himiko."
"Okie-dokie!" Angie said, then took Kokichi off speakerphone. She then went upstairs and knocked on the door to Himiko and Tenko's bedroom. "Himiko, may I come in?" There was no answer, so Angie slowly let herself in. The room was mostly dark, but light from the moon came pouring in through the open window. A cool breeze entered the room, making it feel empty and lonely. Angie could see Himiko's phone on the ground; the screen was black and it had been cracked. Angie saw a lump on Himiko's bed under a heap of blankets. She went over to Himiko's bed to remove the blankets until she found Himiko laying there miserably. Her eyes were red from crying, her hair was a mess, but most of all, the fear in her eyes made her look as if she'd never experience a moment of happiness ever again. Angie put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Himiko, Kokichi is on the phone," she said in a quiet voice. Though Himiko felt exhausted, she found herself lunging for Angie's phone.
"Kokichi!!! Kokichi!!! Is that really you?" Himiko asked in desperation. Angie sat down next to Himiko to provide extra company.
"Hey, Stinky Butt!!" Kokichi responded cheerfully. Himiko began to cry. Hearing his voice made her feel a wave of relief wash over her. Angie put a comforting arm around Himiko as Kokichi went on. "I hear you're kinda stuck in the Twilight Zone at the moment. Wanna tell me about it?" Kokichi asked. Through her sob, Himiko couldn't help but laugh at his joke.
"Um...well, there's this girl, she k-keeps following me, and I d-don't know how to get her to l-leave me alone," Himiko choked through her sob. "And n-nobody else will believe me, Kokichi! Everyone, thinks I'm CRAZY, and I just...UGGHHHH!!! *sniff* You believe me, right, Kokichi?"
"Of course!" Kokichi lied.
"D-Do you really?" Himiko asked doubtfully, feeling her heart drop.
"Yes, Himiko, I really do believe you," Kokichi replied with a firm, reassuring tone in his voice. It's not that he didn't believe that something was wrong, but in order to get Himiko to calm down and tell him the full story, he had to make her believe that he believed every word she said. "Just take deep breath, okay? And tell me exactly what happened," he said in a soothing voice. Himiko took a couple deep breaths, relaxed a little, then began to tell Kokichi the story.
"So...there's this girl I met in the bathroom. Her name is Guki, and she says she's the Ultimate Thespian. Have you heard of her?" Himiko began.
"Nope, I haven't," Kokichi replied. "And what the heck kinda name is 'GUKI?!'"
"I don't know...everyone agreed it was a weird name," Himiko replied between sniffs. She then went to tell Kokichi everything else. She mentioned how Guki started off as a nice girl and then became an insane person who was trying to get rid of her for some reason. She spoke about how she kept trying to introduce Guki to Tenko and Angie before she had run off. She also told him about the locker incident during Biology and how Himiko had to stay after school for disrupting class. She also mentioned the frightening incident she had experienced during detention, as well as the grocery store fiasco, and Guki delivering pizza to their house until she finally caught up to the present.
"And that's what happened," Himiko finished. She didn't hear a response. She instinctively grabbed Angie's hand out of fear. "Kokichi?" she asked. "Are you there?"
"I'm here, Monkey Buns," Kokichi answered. Himiko sighed in relief. "Sorry about that. I was just thinking. But, wooow, that's some ordeal you're going through, Himiko! Now...you say that Guki keeps following you wherever you go, right?"
"Nyeh...yeah, like, she knew when I was going to the grocery store with Tenko and Angie, and she even knew we were getting pizza from 'You Wanna Pizza Me?'" Himiko explained. "I don't know how she knew I was going to the bathroom because when I went, I saw that my locker had been vandalized. And when I went to tell the others, she must have somehow made it look normal again. It's just...it's as if she knows my every move. I dunno. I just hope I'm not going crazy."
"Hmmm...nooo, I don't think you're going crazy, HimiCozy Blanket," Kokichi responded.
"You mean...you really, REALLY believe me?!" Himiko asked with hope in her heart. "And you don't think I'm crazy?"
"Nee-heehee, well, I believe you NOW, now that I've heard the whole story," Kokichi replied.
"But...you said that you already did believe me before I told you the whole story," Himiko said, confused.
"That was a lie," Kokichi replied. "I just said that I believed you so I could get you to tell me the whole story. If I had told you that I didn't believe you, you would have hung up on me, and I wouldn't have been able to try and help you." Himiko sighed, knowing he was right.
"Well...do you think you can actually help me?" she asked.
"Hm...I don't know what this Guki girl has against you," Kokichi said. "And I'm not exactly sure why nobody else has seen her. Buuuut...I think I may at least have an idea about HOW she knows your every move. And if it's the way I think it is, we can probably catch this Guki girl in the act!" Himiko looked at Angie and gave a smile of relief. Angie couldn't hear what was being said, so she was confused about what Himiko was smiling about, but she nevertheless smiled back at her. Himiko wiped her eye and took a deep breath.
"Nyeh...so, what's your pla-" Himiko was about to ask.
"Wait!" Kokichi interrupted urgently.
"Y-Yes?" Himiko asked worriedly. Kokichi paused for a moment.
"Himiko...listen to me carefully," Kokichi said, lowering his voice a bit. "I'm going to ask you a series of questions to which you will only respond with either 'yes,' or 'no,' do you understand?"
"Yes," Himiko replied, catching on quickly.
"Good girl," Kokichi replied, impressed. Himiko could hear him smiling with pride which made her want to smile. "Okay...now, Himiko, are you alone?"
"No," Himiko replied, looking at Angie next to her. Kokichi hesitated for a brief moment in confusion, but then he remembered that because Himiko was using Angie's phone that Angie must be in the room with her. But he wanted to confirm it.
"Okay," he said. "Angie's with you, right?"
"Yes," Himiko said.
"Nobody else is there?"
"No."
"Okay, good," Kokichi said. "Are the door and window in your room locked?" Himiko shivered as the cool breeze from outside brushed against her. She hadn't realized it had been open this whole time.
"No."
"Lock 'em, and close the curtains, too, if they're open," Kokichi instructed. "Just in case. And when you're done, just say 'yes.'" Himiko didn't know what was going through Kokichi's mind right now, but she did as she was told.
"Yes," she said when she finished.
"And is your light turned off?"
"Yes."
"Great! You're doing great, Himiko!" Kokichi assured her, trying lo lift her spirits up a bit. Himiko smiled. "Now...you've never invited Guki to your room, right? She's never been inside our house, right?"
"No," Himiko replied.
"M'kay...um, has she stolen clothes from you? Or have you, um...ever given her an article of your clothing, for some reason?" Kokichi went on. Himiko's felt her heart stop, and she froze.
"Y-Yes," she said, wondering how Kokichi knew to ask that.
"Okay, okay," Kokichi said. "And did she give them back to you later that day?"
"Yes."
"Was it your hat that you gave her?"
"No."
"Hm...your jacket?"
"Yes!" Himiko said. She couldn't help concealing her excitement. Kokichi heard her excited voice and chuckled through the phone.
"Haha, okay, okay," he said. He mumbled something to himself that Himiko couldn't quite hear. "Okay, Himiko, this next part is very important! I need you to do exactly what I tell you to, understand?"
"Yes," Himiko replied. Her heart began to beat faster.
"M'kay, Monkey Buns, I want you to thoroughly search your jacket, okay? And if you see ANYTHING that seems out of the ordinary, just tell me 'yes.' Understand?" Kokichi instructed.
"Yes," Himiko replied.
"'Kay, go ahead, babe," Kokichi said. Himiko opened her bedside drawer to get a small flashlight. Then, she removed her jacket and began searching for anything weird, just as Kokichi had told her. Angie looked at her with a puzzled expression. Himiko just put her finger up to her lips to let Angie know that they should stay quiet. Angie understood. Himiko searched her jacket pockets, the insides, the hem. So far, nothing out of the ordinary...that is, until she checked under the collar of her jacket right above the crest of her previous school. When she flipped up the collar, she found a small, black, round electronic device that blended in with her jacket. Himiko looked at Angie with a mix between horror and excitement. She also felt really impressed by Kokichi. Angie returned Himiko's excitement with a gaped mouth curved into a smile. Himiko hurriedly reached for Angie's phone.
"Yes!" Himiko said.
"Nee-heehee, I thought so," Kokichi replied, clearly pleased with himself. "Okay, Himiko. Put your jacket back on, and let me know when it's back on." Himiko did as she was told.
"Yes," she said.
"Good! Good! Now, I want you to repeat what I'm about to say back to me, understand?"
"Yes."
"'Kay, I want you to go to Sunakku tomorrow after school and get me some chips, okay?" Kokichi said. Himiko didn't know what he was talking about, but she didn't question him.
"You want me to go to Sunakku tomorrow after school and get you some chips?" Himiko repeated. She wasn't intending for it to sound like a question, but Kokichi's instruction seemed so random to her that she couldn't help herself. Kokichi, however, didn't seem to mind it.
"Good!" Kokichi said. "Okay, do NOT repeat this next part. Just listen. I want you to go...alone. No matter what anyone says, make sure you go alone, understand? You do that, and I'll take care of the rest, understand?" Himiko felt her blood run cold, and she gulped. She wanted to protest, but she trusted Kokichi.
"Y-Yes," she replied in a shaky voice.
"Don't worry, Himiko, you'll be okay," Kokichi assured her after hearing how scared she was. "I won't let anything happen to you, understand?"
"Yes," she said, feeling somewhat relieved.
"'Kay, and DON'T remove that thing you found from your jacket just yet," Kokichi instructed. "It could be used as evidence. M'kay?"
"'Kay..." Himiko replied, forgetting to say "yes." However, Kokichi didn't seem to mind as he only let out a chuckle.
"Awesome, Himiko...you can do this, okay? I'm proud of you," Kokichi said.
"Okay," she said, tears coming back as they neared the end of their conversation.
"I'll talk to you later, 'kay?"
"'Kay."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
"M'kay, bye, Monkey Buns."
"Bye," Himiko replied softly. She heard Kokichi hang up and gave Angie's phone back to her. Himiko felt sad not hearing Kokichi's voice anymore, but she strangely felt unafraid knowing that Kokichi had her back. Angie looked at her expectantly, but Himiko shook her head at her, indicating that now was not the time to say anymore else.