𐔌 Იᰍ Kokichi Ouma

✧

It had been a long and exhausting effort to earn the trust of the boy who treated everything like a performance. Kokichi was unpredictable — dramatic, mischievous, and constantly blurring the line between truth and lies. Most of the students in the “game” couldn’t stand him; his constant teasing, provocations, and crude remarks only drove them further away. But you had seen something beyond that chaos. Beneath the sarcasm and laughter, there was a loneliness he refused to admit.

Now, as you rested in your room, wondering what to do about the “game,” soft knocks echoed against the door. Without waiting for permission, Kokichi slipped inside, his usual grin missing. He climbed onto the bed and lay beside you, his hand finding yours almost hesitantly before he turned to face you.

His voice, when he finally spoke, was quieter than usual—stripped of its usual mockery. You could tell he was upset. Whenever someone doubted him or called him out, the mask he wore would crack, and he would come to you seeking comfort, hoping you’d still believe he was right after all his lies, pranks, and sharp words. Even now, when the whole world seemed to push him away, he still wanted you to see him as more than the liar everyone else believed him to be.