Mikan's POV:

It was a few days after Kokichi and I ate sundaes together. While life had changed a bit within the school in the wake of the changed security rules, everyone mostly kept their spirits up. It was a little odd, actually. For how real it had felt when we first heard of the murder, now it had become a popular topic of discussion among students- Sonia especially has been happy to have others to talk to about her hobby, however it feels like she misses the actual tone of the conversations she inserts herself into.

Personally, my routine hadn't changed much at all. Having finally had a break between treating patients, I had decided to work on some of the paperwork that I had to do for the school and personal records. I was in the middle of doing so when the door swung open, a strong bang accompanying it. As I turn around in my chair, startled, I see it was Kokichi who had made such a dramatic entrance- he does seem to like doing that, doesn't he?

"Ah- K-Kokichi, you startled me! Um, what is it that you need?" I ask, quickly collecting myself. In the amount of times we've hung out, I suppose I've grown less and less nervous in his company, so my initial panic quickly dissipates.

"Hmph, you're awfully calm for being in the presence of the supreme leader of evil!" he exclaims with folded arms. Knowing him by this point, I take a small gamble and laugh off that last remark- hopefully it wasn't actually serious.

"It's a little difficult to be afraid of a leader of evil when you've seen th-them smelling flowers and eating a sundae like that" I explain, to which he gives a second huff before shrugging it off and coming into the room further. "So, um, do you need anything, or are you here to chat again?" I ask once again.

"Actually, I'm here to deliver a U.O.Me." he states, leaning against a counter. Confused, I cock my head to the side. "A... U.O.Me...? Um... wh-what is it that I owe you, exactly?" I ask, a twinge of nerves in my voice. While I was fairly sure at this point that Kokichi wasn't as bad as he pretends to be, I couldn't help but be a little nervous at the thought that I owed him something- mostly because I couldn't think of what exactly he could mean. I had a few ideas that came to mind, but if those were right then I once again would have to re-evaluate how I viewed his actions.

"Ah, did you seriously forget so fast? I'm hurt! You obviously owe me and Gonta both another day at the mall! Although I guess we kinda owe you that too, don't we, nishishi." he giggles, sitting himself on the counter.

Pleasantly surprised, my eyes widen and my mouth curls up into a smile. "You b-both really want to hang out there again?" I ask, part of me not believing this right away. Sure we had all stated at the time that we wanted to do this again, however I wasn't sure if the both of them were serious in those statements at the time- much less if they would actually remember it.

"Well duh. It was way too much fun dominating you nerds at the arcade last time- although I guess Gonta didn't really care about it that much, so I guess he just really likes hanging out with us or something" Kokichi observes, looking at his fingers. "I mean I can't blame him, I'd like to think we're pretty good company" he exclaims, now smiling in my direction.

Not sure how to take the out of nowhere compliment, I clutch at my skirt hem, my instincts wanting to deny being included in that. But before I can protest his assertion, Kokichi pushes himself off the counter and walks towards me. "So, what do you think? You wanna come?" he asks, a little less aggressively than his previous statements.

Almost immediately, I nod. "Of course! Last time... it was truly fun, even with... w-with..." I trail off, thinking about Daiki and Genzo. The sudden reminder of my current issue hit like- well... like they did. I must have been silent for too long though, as Kokichi's waving hand soon fills my vision.

"Hellooooo, earth to Mikaaaan. You there?" he calls, snapping me back to the here and now. "Don't worry about them, kay? Gonta's joined my super secret superhero team! If those two show up again we'll just beat em' up for you, alright?" He exclaims with a grin.

I hesitantly smile myself. "H-How can you be a superhero, and a s-supreme leader of evil at the same time?" I ask, the jovial mood of before beginning to return to me. With a giggle, Kokichi responds with a coy "I think you know by now that you'll have to figure that out for yourself."

Recognizing those words to be true, I heave a small sigh as I return to the sore subject. "Really though, please don't beat them up... w-what you did before... that's... that's more than enough" I say, awkwardly tugging at one of my bandages. For a moment it looked like he wasn't satisfied with that answer, but it was for such a split second that I couldn't be sure.

"I guess that can be arranged. Being a supreme leader of evil I do have a mind control ray I can use that'll do the trick" he, very obviously, bluffs. Appreciative of the sentiment though, I play along. "That sounds perfect" I exclaim, doing my best to put on a joking tone.

Kokichi seems caught off guard for a moment, however quickly smiles at my playing along. "Oh if you think that's cool, wait until you see the other gadgets that I have in my secret layer! Or I guess, not. Not that much of a secret layer if I show it to other people, yknow?" He jokes. I laugh along, and was about to respond when I hear a soft knock at the door, drawing my attention.

"Apologies for intruding on what appears to be an engaging conversation, however I require your services, miss Tsumiki" spoke the familiarly eerie voice of Korekiyo Shinguji. His eyes wander over to Kokichi for a moment, curiosity in his gaze, before returning it to me. "I would recommend your guest not come with. I would not be surprised if it would be poor for his health" he exclaims.

Tensing up a bit at his almost occult presence, I timidly nod. "Um, w-what exactly is the situation?" I ask, unintentionally clutching at my skirt once again. Why... why was he so terrifying to me?

"It would appear that an ill intentioned prank has left one of my classmates unconscious. It would be best to hurry along" he explains, his tone of voice never raising above a near whisper.

My eyes widen, as my terror is momentarily overridden by my nursing instinct. "U-Unconscious?! This is serious- g-give me a moment to gather a few things, and tell me everything on the way!" I exclaim, grabbing a bag and carefully placing the possible medical supplies I may need within.

"There is no physical injury as far as I am aware, however he was out for more than a few seconds. I didn't stay long enough to see if it was to a damaging length." he explains. "You see, our Kaito is very weak to even the idea of the occult. So you can imagine that when paper cutouts of ghosts popped out of the top of his desk unexpectedly, he didn't take it too well" Korekiyo continues, glaring at Kokichi as if accusing him, who in turn looked away as if he was offended by the idea.

"W-we must hurry! Can you please lead me to where he is?" I ask, walking up to Korekiyo and zipping up my bag. "But of course" he responds, turning his back to me and walking out of the room. I take one last passing glance back at Kokichi, who waves at me, before I follow.

The walk to the classroom was silent. Tense. And where my nursing instincts had kicked in earlier, they were once more beginning to give way to the subtle terror that Korekiyo instilled in me. He only looked back once during the entire time, but his piercing yellow eyes were so intense that they made me turn away immediately.

For a moment, I questioned whether or not Korekiyo's story was true- but Kokichi had acted like he knew about the situation Korekiyo was talking about, so it must be true right? I'm just being paranoid, aren't I. Korekiyo hasn't actually done anything to warrant my suspicion of him. I'm just... overreacting.

In three minutes time, we make our way across the large school building and to the classroom in question. As soon as we open the door, I rush in and head to where a crowd of people had formed around two others. Kaito, the person who had fainted, was still in the arms of...
"Maki?" I whisper to myself. It was odd to see someone so cold and, quite frankly, intimidating, even by other peoples standards, caring for someone like this. But putting that out of my mind, I immediately refocus onto Kaito, who was conscious. I kneel down beside him, getting a closer look. "You're pale as a gh-"

"Don't finish that sentence." Maki glares, startling me. I wondered what I did, before I remembered what apparently led to this situation. "R-Right, sorry-" I respond, before going back to checking Kaito.

"Do you have an estimate for how long he was out? And did he hurt any part of his body in the fall?" I ask, beginning to unpack my bag. "N-Nah. Luckily Maki-roll here caught me" Kaito says in a weak voice. "I told you not to call me that, idiot." she hisses, looking away. "And why are you even still in my lap, you can sit up by now." she states, promptly letting go of Kaito and moving out of the way.

"Awwww don't be so cold, Maki-roll." he says, slowly sitting up. It looked like some color was starting to return to his face. Which was good and all, but I still had my worries.

"Um, so... how long was he out?" I repeat, brows furrowed in concern and slight frustration. "About 20 seconds. Shouldn't have lasting damage as far as I'm concerned." Maki responds coldly, still refusing to look at Kaito.

"Right... well, th-that's good! I'm going to do a quick checkup here, however when it's done I would like you to f-follow me back to the nurse's office, okay? Even if you feel alright after I'd still like to keep an eye on you, and you should get some rest anyway" I explain, before I begin performing a routine checkup, alongside some other tests to check for any possible brain damage.

"Well... I don't see anything immediately wrong..." I say rhetorically. "I think... I think he's alright. Can you stand up?" I ask Kaito, standing up myself. With a slight nod and a bit of effort, Kaito gets on his feet, wobbling a bit but regaining balance.

"Um- c-could someone help me bring him to the office with me? Just in case he loses balance-" I ask, looking around. Shuichi steps forward timidly. "I'll go with" he states, standing next to Kaito.

"Bwa-ha-ha- whatcha gonna do? Be a pillow for him to fall on if he tips over?!" Miu the inventor laughs, startling me a bit with how loudly she does so. Shuichi looks at the floor for a moment, before taking a deep breath and turning towards Miu. "I've been working out! If... if he falls I'm sure I'll be able to catch him!" He asserts, making Miu cower at the sudden confidence.

"Hah, that's my sidekick! That training's really paying off!" Kaito exclaims, wrapping an arm around Shuichi and clapping him on the back. "A-ah it's... it's nothing" he mumbles, looking towards the ground. "It's not nothing! It's- oogh... um... nevermind. Lets just get me to the nurse's office" Kaito says, starting to look woozy.

As we exit the door, I catch Maki, who had been avoiding looking at Kaito, steal a passing glance before looking away. I suppose... she really does have her soft spots, doesn't she?

When we finally make it to the Nurse's office, Shuichi helps Kaito into bed as I grab a few things to help make him comfortable. Kokichi, who probably predicted I'd come back with Kaito, had left in the time I had been gone. It was still hard to believe that someone who could play such a prank could be the same person who had been so kind to me up until now. Given how he was around me, I always thought there was something off about the way people talked about him but... he clearly did this. And it's... really obvious how hard Kaito is hit by this sort of thing. Was the person who did this, and the person I knew one and the same? He... truly is full of contradictions...

But what am I doing- My mind should be on Kaito, who is still a little paler than seems healthy. I should put any thoughts of Kokichi out of my mind at the moment and focus on him. I thank Shuichi for helping bring Kaito to the office, who then asks if I need anything else. I decline, and he heads back to class after checking up on Kaito one last time.

And now my work continues.

Kokichi's POV:

Figuring I'd actually need the nurse's office this time if I stayed there long enough for Kaito to get back, I head to my dorm. It was almost time for my chat with my second in command anyways, so I'd have to leave soon anyways.

I pull out my laptop and open up the website we've been using to chat together. They've been a bit busy with planning so it's been a few days since we've actually spoken to each other, and I was intrigued by what they may have come up with.

CrEpyCln is Online

Me: Status report? I'd like to see what my subordinates have come up with for their first big heist alone.

CrEpyCln: Oh we've got tons of stuff! I actually gathered the whole group together to explain it to you. You in a place where you can do a video chat?

Me: Yeah lol. Go ahead.

CrEpyCln is Calling

I adjust my posture a bit, leaning the top part of my laptop back a bit so the camera would frame my face better. I hit accept, and my screen gets filled with almost all of my organizations members squashed together in an attempt to all be in frame. Hit with a sudden wave of joy, I couldn't help but have a bit of a softer expression than I may usually put on. Geeze, how long had it been since I actually saw their faces?

"Hiiiiii!" they call out in a messy, but friendly and energetic chorus. Some of them are waving, others are just standing there smiling. I wave back and then lean forward. "Soooo what's this super epic plan that you just had to video call to explain it" I ask, a smug smirk on my face.

"Okay okay so, we found the specs of the guys mansion right? Well it turns out that the idiot has all his security camera feed fed through a pretty unsecure wifi network. We're thinking seven here can hack into the server and mess with the camera feed" explains 2, my the second one to join the group after me, and my second in command. It was nice to see that he didn't change that stupid emo haircut that I hated so much- though his strawberry blond hair was starting to show signs of black at the roots again. Wonder when he was going to get it dyed again.

"I don't actually know how to explain it past that, actually- that's more The 7's domain, yknow?" he laughs nervously. At mentioning her name, I notice that the gloomy, petite, long haired girl wasn't actually there. And, noticing that, I saw that a few others weren't there either.

"Speaking of which, where is she? And 5 and 3 for that matter" I ask, intrigued. "Oh, them? 5 was feeling hungry, so they decided that since we'd probably do this again at some point that they'd go and get something to eat. You know how he gets." he grins, brushing off the question.

"Makes sense! Anyways, so what else do you have so far?" I ask, curious to see just how far ahead they had planned.

"Ah... about that... that's about it, heh. We're still studying the actual property itself for entry points since he hires a lot of physical help" 2 says sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. I give an annoyed huff. "And here I thought you had so much you couldn't possibly type all of it in chat! Don't tell me you" I gasp, "Lied to me!" I exclaim.

"Awww c'mon, we just wanted to see you real bad. It's only been you and me in these chats so far, and even then I don't get to see you. We miss your face" 2 whines.

"Yeah! We all miss you too, boss! We never get to see you anymore, and you don't visit" pouts the twin tailed head of 9, energetic as ever. "The least you can do is give us a video call like this every once in a while!" she scolds, her pout turning slightly irritated.

I chuckle, happy to see my subordinates as loyal as ever. "Well, I suppose such a thing can be arranged. After all, I must make sure that my subjects first project without me goes well, right? What kind of an evil mentor would I be if I just left you dangling like that." I state, touching a hand to my chest in a noble manor.

"Ya mean it, boss?" asks the blond, spiky haired 4. Looks like he may have gotten into another scrap. Gonna have to talk to him about that later.

"Well duh! Don't you know you can trust my word by now" I shoot back with a coy wink. Responses vary from eyerolls to knowing smiles, and I swear I heard a laugh in there too.

"Anyways, your first heist without me aside, it has been a while. What have you guys been up to?" I ask, placing my laptop in front of me and laying down in a more causal position. Everyone starts speaking at the same time, each apparently having a story to tell. Once they realize this, they go quiet for a moment, looking at each other, before 2 speaks up first.

"Well, we were able to cop one of those new gaming consoles, alongside a shitload of controllers! We've been playing super brawl 10 nonstop! And I keep beating the shit outta everyone" he laughs, to the annoyance of others. "Hey come on! I've been kicking your ass pretty often!" Protests 9. A small bout of arguing ensues, but everyone ends up laughing in the end.

"Dang, sucks I'm missing out on that- you better bring that thing over when we hang out at some point!" I laugh, before continuing. "So, anything else?" I ask, scooching my body a bit closer to the laptop.

"Ah, well, I've been getting slightly better sleep recently" says 10, the newest member. "It's been a little easier, and I've been waking up in the middle of the night a lot less" he exclaims. "Yeah, we're all really proud of him!" shouts 9, wrapping an arm around him in a half hug.

"That's great to hear! The better you sleep the easier it'll be for you to help me take over the world" I say with a wink, prompting laughs from everyone there.

"What about you boss? What have you been up to at that fancy school? Good vantage point for world domination?" 2 asks coyly. "Wellll" I start, before telling them all about my recent escapades as the ultimate supreme leader at hopes peak.

Before I know it, mid-afternoon light turns into sunset, as I spend hours talking to my members. The ones who had gone out to eat even made it to chat towards the end. Honestly I could have talked to them late into the night, but...

"Ah geeze, look at the time. We should probably go get some dinner. At least for those of us who didn't go out to eat" sighs two, chuckling a bit at the end. When I look at the time and see that it's 7 pm. Reluctantly, I agree.

"Can we do this again next time, boss?" Asks 9. "We never get to see you anymore, and this made me realize how much I miss ya" she says. There's a murmur of consensus throughout everyone else, which ends in 2 speaking up. "It just ain't the same without you around, y'know?"

"Aw geeze, can't say no to you guys. Alriiiiiight, I guess I can take time out of my busy schedule to chat with you for a few hours." I drawl, rolling my eyes before smiling. "Same time next week?" I ask. A chorus of "Yup!" and "sounds good!" Follows.

"Welp, see ya, boss!" 2 says with a cheerful wave, before the both of us hit the end call button. It was nice to see them in good spirits without me. Not that I had any doubt that'd be the case, but it was nice either way.

I... wonder what fun times I was missing while being here.

Nope. Not going down that road of thought. It's too late now to change my mind about being here now, and thinking that way is only going to make being here hell. Besides, it's not like I'm totally isolated here anyways. There's tons of people to prank- and their reactions are probably a million times more hilarious than anyone else I've pranked before. Besides, I've started to make more friends.

More friends... huh? Is that really the case...? I thought that'd stop at 10 but if that's genuinely something I can call Mikan and Gonta...

What am I even thinking. Seriously, it's not like me to be this sentimental.

I wonder where Kiibo is. I could go for a good prank right about now.

Okay so like, ahahah guess who promised themselves they weren't going to take another year long hiatus only to do just that in the wake of like... l i f e. And on the life part, for a little bit of context, let's just say I'm posting this during the start of one of my college classes. Art school lol. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the fluffier chapters that are coming up, as well as the fluff of this chapter! Here's hoping it doesn't take another year to get the next one out.