"Heyyy Gonta..."

"Hello (Y/N)! Gonta assumes you are not disrupting the school's peace. You are not, right?"

"Right, right! You can totally trust me." You gave him the most innocent smile that you could muster, which honestly took a lot of effort. "Look, first things first, I wanted to apologize about what I said earlier. We will all eventually get used to living here, and I, uh...bet that Atua could grant us long lives so that maybe we can all die...together...?"

Gonta's eyes widened. "You right...! Gonta must ask Angie if Atua can do that!" He turned away, prepared to go find the cult leader.

"A-Ah, wait!" you called out. Gonta turned back around to face you, a look of confusion on his face. "I...wanted to ask a favor of you... Would you mind uncovering the manhole for me?"

"Wh-What?? N-No! No! G-Gonta can't do that! It would be against student council rules!"

"Something was left down there and I thought I should go get it." You looked down at the scarf around your neck as you picked at it.

"Oh...! That is very nice of you! But let Gonta get it, just in case."

"No, no!" you blurted out. "You really don't want to go get it. It's...something that Miu had brought down there to test on herself alone...and forgot to clean everything up. Trust me here, Gonta. You don't want to scar your eyes..."

"...O-Oh." The male blushed and awkwardly averted his gaze. "W-Well then... Gonta go and uncover manhole for you."

"Thank you for being so understanding."

Gonta stayed silent as he took the lead in heading towards the boiler room. All the while, he still had a blush in his face. I bet he still remembers seeing Miu walking around at night in her... you cut your thought off. Before you even knew it, you were inside the boiler room standing beside the manhole. There was one main rock and then some other, smaller rocks on top of it as well.

"Gonta will remove rocks. Do you want him to wait for you out here or?"

"Nah, you're fine, Gonta. I'll just find the thing and...cover it back up again."

"Okay! Gonta gonna uncover manhole and leave you to it!" Gonta did as he said while you were quietly thanking him for not realizing the excuses you had just made. Geez, Gonta is so gullible... I almost feel bad for lying to him. "See you later!" He waved at you.

"Yeah. Thanks." You waved back and he stomped away.

You looked down into the manhole. You could already feel the cold air rising up. Shivering slightly, you descended down the ladder leading into the dark room. "..." It was entirely silent except for your quiet breaths. You gulped before biting your lip. This place...it brings back old memories. I wish I could just go back...go back to when everyone was still alive, and they were all trying to make it through the tunnel.

You shakily let out a heavy breath as you looked around. Your grey eyes landed on the tunnel entrance. You slowly walked towards it, your footsteps ringing out in echos in the underground room. Could an exit really be on the other side...? I'll only know if I can make it through. The last time that I did this, I failed...miserably. But I have hope that this run will be different.

This run will be different, this run will be different... You kept telling yourself that as you walked inside the tunnel. You saw the same things ahead of you—moving platforms, bombs, cages, and any and all other traps imaginable. I have to do this. I can't turn back now. You felt no determination. You were forcing yourself to go through this...torture.

You ran, legs pounding against the ground. Already, you got too close to a flame that had sprung from beneath you, ever so slightly burning you. Your breathing hitched, and you hesitated for a moment out of shock. The floor beneath you immediately threatened to give out, so you immediately knocked back into your senses and started running again.

You noticed that you were running slower than you had the first time you tried going through the tunnel. It must be because of my lack of sleep... You suddenly lost your footing, stumbling into a hole you didn't see in the dark.

.
.
.

"Ugh, not again..." You groaned and sat up. You rose up from the ground and marched over to the tunnel again. "This son of a..."

You made it past the flames, past the bombs, past the cages, past the hole you had previously fell in. There... I made it this far now... I just have to—You tripped and fell face first onto the ground, scraping and also probably bruising yourself in the process. You pulled yourself back up, feeling some blood trying to come out of your nose. You ignored it and continued, running until you jumped down to a different floor—next thing you knew, you were stuck in a cage. No...NO! You were helpless as you were lifted up and everything soon faded to darkness.

.
.
.
.

"I...I-I was close...! So...so close!" you panted. You only then realized how much pain you were in...but you felt that you needed to keep going.

"T-Third...third time's the ch-charm, huh...?" You made your way to the tunnel again. You thought you could hear another voice but it was probably just you being delusional.

You kept running. Why? Well...you didn't know anymore, but it was too late to turn back. You just barely managed to grab hold of the edge of a moving platform. Flying bombs whizzed by and exploded near you, causing you to feel dizzy. Using what strength you had left, you pulled yourself up and leapt off the platform.

You jumped down and weakly scrambled away before a cage could fall on top of you. You paused for a moment to catch your breath before going on. Adrenaline ran through you, pushing you on, until...

"Ack!" You were holding onto another ledge, but ahead of you, you thought you could see something. It almost seemed like a big door. "Is this...the end?" Your eyes practically lit up. You got up, running forward with hope running through your veins...until you started thinking. Will the others have to stay here while I go free? Would I be able to bring them, or maybe only one? When you hesitated, you lost your footing and slipped, hitting your head. And all went black.
~~~

"Puhuhu... And so the mysterious side character tries to be entertaining again... It would be a waste if we didn't try to do anything with them, considering they've lived too long to die..."

"Oh? Monokuma?"

The black and white bear was dragging a body out of the underground passage. Kokichi panicked when he saw that the person Monokuma was dragging out was (Y/N).

Monokuma instantly turned around...and he was still bald. "..." He dropped the body from his tiny paws, causing Kokichi to flinch. The bear then waddled over to the darkness, seeming to disappear.

Strange... the boy thought. He then kneeled down on the ground. "(Y/N)...!" They had a few bruises, a small bit of blood was visible from their nose, and there was a thin layer of sweat on their forehead—overall, they looked really beat up. Kokichi held the other teen's upper body in his arms. So light...unnaturally light. He bit his lip and just stayed in that position...

. . .

***

.
.
.

My head... Ugh, my head, my head, my head! you screamed in your thoughts. Somehow, it felt like even that wasn't helping the massive headache that you woke up to. Your eyes opened up a little, spotting the ceiling of the underground room. So I didn't make it. Why didn't I make it...!? You began to thrash around, irritated in yourself.

"Stop it!"

It was only then that you noticed that your movements were being restricted.

"H-Hah..." Your breathing was heavy. You could still feel the sweat on your forehead. You opened your eyes all the way, immediately looking at him. Kokichi. "Why don't you stop it...and let me go?" Your voice was quivering as you spoke.

"Why are you being so resistant!?"

"Sorry, SORRY! I'm just mad and embarrassed about not being able to make it through that damned tunnel—!!"

"So my suspicions were correct about all this being about the tunnel... (Y/N). Not one of us could make it to the end, even when we had fifteen people. You are only one person...! I'm p*ssed that you're even trying to do this, not to mention by yourself! The only thing you should be embarrassed about right now if how you are acting!" Kokichi looked at you dead in the eyes.

It was as if his words physically knocked the sense back into you. You instantly broke down, trying to hide your face in your scarf. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell, I didn't mean it! I'm sorry, I-I'm so...rry.." You were shaking violently in Kokichi's arms.

You felt Kokichi hastily pulled a hand up to your heart. Even you could feel how fast it was beating. Maybe if I keep going on like this, I can pass out...and forget everything that happened...

Only a coward would want that.

"Calm down, c-calm down!" Kokichi tried to tell you while in his own state of stress. "Please calm down... Breathe! Yeah, do that! Remember this?" He kept his hand on your heart. "You'll be fine since I'm here."

"Yeah. Be thankful that I'm here...you crying b*tch."

"Wh-What??" you whispered, confused.

"How about I take you outta here so I can make you feel better, hm?" Kokichi offered.

"Y-Yes...please..." You wrapped your arms around his neck as if your life depended on it, and buried your face in his neck.

"Wow, you act so nice when you're in need..."

"Sorry...should I let go?" you asked, voice barely above a whisper.

"You're fine, now let's go." When Kokichi stood up, you could feel him try to pick you up but you refused. You got out of his arms, but still hugged him from the back with your face in his scarf. You thought you could hear him let out a soft chuckle, but perhaps you were still delusional.

With legs as weak as a newborn animal's, you followed the small leader wherever he walked. You were so weak and vulnerable... You were honestly surprised that Kokichi didn't try to trick you by leading you into some sort of trap, or possibly even worse.

Kokichi finally stopped, and you looked up to find yourself in a dorm room.

"I'm gonna see if I have anything that can patch you up, okay? Stay right there!" He walked into the bathroom cheerfully.

You quietly sat down on the bed, tracing along different patterns and shapes on its covers. I can't believe I got myself in trouble again. I should have learned my lesson from last time... You sighed, starting to kick your legs back and forth. Only then did you realize your scraped knee; the pink made you feel even more sick than you already felt.

"Dun, duh-duh-DA!" Kokichi jumped dramatically into the doorframe of the bathroom. "It is I, Kokichi Ouma, your personal nurse!"

"Eh...?" You looked at the boy up and down. The only thing different was that he had taken his scarf off to where he was wearing mostly white, like a nurse's outfit. Is... Is he... What is he doing...??

"Ooh, is my sweetheart (Y/N) checking me out~?" A faint pink dusted his cheeks. "I've been waiting for this moment longer than you could ever imagine!"

"No, no, it's not like that—"

"Ah, of course it isn't. After all, you just say that we're friends after all..." Kokichi looked to the side, playing around with his hair for a moment while biting his lip until he finally turned back to you. "Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be taking care of you...!"

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" you asked.

"Well that obviously isn't the case now!" the boy said in a sassy tone and snapping. He took a step back inside the bathroom before coming out once more with some bandaids, this time actually approaching you. He looked down at your scraped knee, and in a serious tone he told you, "You know...I really hate the color pink, now."

"...Er..." You didn't know how to respond, but luckily Kokichi was already moving on.

"Alright, so how do these work..." Kokichi pulled out a bandaid which got stuck to his fingers. "I had one job...!" he growled.

You chuckled quietly. "And you called yourself a nurse."

"Well I'm not a real nurse, obviously!!" the boy whined. "Don't judge me!"

"See? I should be taking care of you... I can also help myself."

"Maybe...we can both take care of each other!" Kokichi beamed. "Yeah...! We can take care of each other...as if we were in a long, healthy relationship!"

"Suuure, Kokichi...whateeever you say." You gave him a small smile before applying a bandaid onto the scrape on your knee. "Agh, geez... I guess I was rougher on myself than I thought I was," you spoke, referring to the bruises all over your body. Your tone grew lower and more serious. "I'm...sorry you had to see me like that. You're right—that's what I should be embarrassed about."

Kokichi hopped onto the bed next to you. "Just don't do that again, okay? You'll only end up hurting yourself more, and besides, I don't want my sweetheart—...my very dear friend's body to get beaten up. You're too pr..." He sighed and looked away. "...Never mind."

"No, please keep going."

"It was nothing important, okay!?" The boy quickly covered up his cheeks...for some odd reason. "H-Hey! I think it's getting a bit late... If you think that you're better now, how about we run around a bit after the nighttime announcement plays just so we can p*ss off the student council!?"

"Childish as ever," you responded while rolling your eyes at him.

"What, is childish not your romantic preference?" Kokichi exaggerated a sad expression. He suddenly took your shoulders and started shaking you. "WHAT IS YOUR TYPE!?"

"S-St-o-op...!" you called out, but he kept going. You just growled at this and tried to stop the movement.

"Wait, do you need me to stop shaking you so you can talk properly? Oh... Sorry~!" Kokichi took his hands away from your shoulders.

You raised a brow at him. "Are you actually serious about this question?"

"Yes!"

"Why would you even be asking about this...??"

"Don't question me when you already have a question waiting to be answered!"

You let out a sigh of defeat. "I don't really..." 'I don't really know what love is'? That just sounds dumb... "Um...I haven't liked anyone like that so I don't have 'romantic preferences'...but I guess I do know the type of people that I like more."

"Tell me, tell me!" Kokichi encouraged. There were practically stars in his eyes as he leaned closer to you in interest.

"Smart... They can be very childish or outgoing, but they need to know when to calm down..." You felt your face flush—you hadn't ever really thought or talked about this kind of stuff before. "And, uh... I guess I want them to keep me on my toes."

"Huuuuh?" Kokichi asked, tilting his head. "Did you really say that? Oh my, I wouldn't have thought that the cold and quiet (Y/N) would actually like a chase...!"

"Sh...Shut up. Talking about this is weird...and embarrassing..."

"Nishishi... But you never did answer my question!" He began to pout.

"You've asked so many questions that I can't keep count... Refresh my mind."

"Do you wanna run around with me after the nighttime announcement played just so we can p*ss off the student council?"

"I don't know... I mean, I'll do it if you really want to."

"Ugh, don't be so vague like that! I don't wanna feel guilty about possibly forcing you into something."

Why can't I pick up a lie in that statement...?? you asked yourself quizzically. You awkwardly cleared your throat. "Ah, um...sorry if that came out wrong. I'll go with you."

"HOORAY!" As if on cue, the nighttime announcement played. "Ooh! OOH! Right on time! Let's gooo...!" Kokichi grabbed your hand, pulling you up off the bed. He led you out of the room and outside.

The land was completely silent, with the exception of the sound of you and Kokichi running around. Moonlight flooded everywhere, leaving a mysterious glow. There were a few other stars visible, lazily scattered around in the sky. A cool breeze was blowing.

"How beautiful..." you whispered while looking up at the sky.

Kokichi stopped in his tracks, looking up as well. "..." After a few moments he looked back at you. "Sure, this all might be beautiful, but it will never be as beautiful as you~!"

"Tch... Oh please, stop lying." You let out a pitiful sigh and crossed your arms.

"Don't think like that...!" The small boy bopped you on the head before grabbing your hand and intertwining his fingers with yours. "Please... Please don't think like that!" He began rubbing circles on the back of your hand.

"I'll try."

"Liar..." Kokichi pulled up his free hand to his one of his own eyes.

Yeah... You don't need to point it out. I felt them change color... "I'm sorry... Don't trust me. I'd feel bad if I accidentally screwed up on something..."

Kokichi shifted uncomfortably in his spot, staying silent for a moment before looking back up at you with a grin. "Well...too bad. Now come on, dance with me."

"H-Huh...? Kokichi, where did this come from...?"

"...Nowhere!" Still having a hold on your hand, he pulled you in closer to him and placed a hand on your back. "Just follow my lead, alright?"

Why are we doing this? That's the thought you kept repeating your mind until Kokichi took the first step. Side step, side step, rotate, spin, dip, pull... The both of you were a bit clunky in your moves, but yet it all seemed to flow...

A dance of lies and mystery.

You dared to look up at Kokichi, for you had been looking everywhere but at him since the dance started. Kokichi actually had his eyes closed—he seemed like he was fully focused on the movement. He may have been this serious before, but if he has then I can't remember the last time. It somehow felt that you two had briefly merged together to become one.

"GONTA SEE! GONTA ALERT!!"

Kokichi's eyes darted open, and the both of you immediately looked over to the source of noise. A giant shadow was growing, seeming to get closer. "Gonta!?" you both exclaimed at the same time. Upon remembering how your situation with Kokichi could look, you instantly pushed him off.

"How mean..." the small leader said, tears in his eyes.

"It is against student council rules to be outside after nighttime!" Gonta yelled at the two of you once he was close enough. "Gonta was doing sweep of area to make sure no one was out when he saw you two! Gonta bring you back to dormitory now before anything bad can happen...!"

Gonta picked up Kokichi, who just crawled on his arm to sit on top of the giant's shoulders. "Woo-hoooooo! Finally I'm tall...! And I didn't even have to get the disgusting wh*re Miu's boots for it, either!"

"Aww, how cute," you deadpanned.

Kokichi gasped. "Did my sweetheart—ahem...friend...call me cute!?" He put a hand over his heart. "(Y/N) called me cuuu~uute, (Y/N) called me cuuu~uute!"

Why not play along? "It's even more cute considering the heights, you shorty."

"Gonta pick up (Y/N), now, too! To make sure they can't leave."

"Wait, no, please, Gonta no—" Gonta picked you up in one of his arms. It felt like you were being crushed.

"Aww, no fair...!" Kokichi spoke, starting to pout. "Gonta gets to hold you in his arms? Geez, I really want you all to myself...~"

"Yeah, well...Gonta is pretty strong, s-so..."

"Ah, I get it...! You want more petite arms, right?"

"What kind of question is that?? Well...I guess I do?"

Kokichi raised his arms in the air. "WELP! I'm here when you need me~"

"Umm...Gonta is still here," Gonta spoke up. "S-Sorry! Is Gonta holding you too hard?"

"You're...fine," you stammered. "Let's just get to the dorms as quickly as possible, okay?"

"Yes! That would be best!" He started to march over to the dormitory. He apologized once more for coming out so suddenly before gently placing the both of you down on the ground once more. He went to his own dorm after that, leaving both you and Kokichi alone in the center.

"..."

"..."

"We should really get going to bed now." Kokichi stretched for a second while yawning. "Goodnight!"

"G...Goodnight." You turned around, ready to walk up the staircase to your room.

"...Oh, wait!" Hm? You turned back around when all of a sudden the boy's arms wrapped around you.

"A-Ah, um... What is this for...?"

"Uhm...nooothing? I just felt like it, okay!?"

"O...kay?" You still felt a bit awkward about the situation until you hugged back. Judging by Kokichi's reaction, he wasn't expecting you to do that. You swore that you could feel his heart beat faster than normal.

"...Nishishi! Ah~ Now you better have some nice sleep, because only then can you dream, and then we can meet up in the world of dreams and have even more fun!!"

"Sure," you humored him. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, my...dearest friend!"
~~~

"...My beloved sweetheart," he corrected himself in a whisper as he was leaving to his dorm.

Word Count: 3721
~~~

Whoop, it's 2:21 am on a Friday morning. The chapter was kinda done before Friday, but then I added some things to the end.

By the way, I was wondering about something. To all you readers who follow my story...how would it be if I were to take a break from writing/publishing? I'm not saying that I'm going on any sort of break right now, but considering that I'm getting math homework every night that takes at least an hour, plus any other homework, and then I need to take time to shower...yeah, the only time I have is basically late at night/early in the morning as in 1-2 am.
If I took a break from writing altogether, I'd probably get more stressed out knowing that I need stuff that I need to make up. If I take a break from publishing then I could work on some chapters when I wanted to, and maybe stockpile some of them for any really bad weeks concerning homework n' stuff. But I also don't wanna force the end to be late. I already guessed on when this story will end, and it's already pretty late in this year.
So please, please please please at least consider giving me your opinion on this.

Also, I did get two things for the celebration from the last chapter.
__
@KittyFox_OmaSai
I have a quessstttiiioooonnnn!!!

What gave you the idea to write this book?
—

A simple concept, and uhh, I guess it built itself from there...?? I thought it'd be cool if the reader's eyes changed color depending on if they were lying or telling the truth—to be honest, though, if I had known that there were already so many Kokichi x Reader's and not as many for other characters, I'm not sure if I'd go straight for his character. But then again, the popularity I've gained from this book might help me get the (shot put) ball rolling for other stories I'll write in the future.

__
Wolfinahowl

Idea for a story!!

Im not good with plots and stuff sooo, ill just do what Au it is, and the reader x the person of choice ahem

Shy!Male!Florist!Reader x Gonta
High school Au where there is no killing, just normal olde school
Also I will try for a plot!!!!
(Y/N) meets Gonta at the park while planting some flowers for a garden. Gonta stumbles across (Y/N) while trying to catch a bug.
(Y/N) and Gonta can both talk easily to each other as they both have a love for nature! What will happen when Gonta finds out that (Y/N) is the new transfer student from Norway? Will they love each other to the end of time, or will someone try and stop them?

Rest is up to you my friend! If you choose to use the idea that is!!
—

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll consider it for the future!