Archive of Our Own ^beta

  Being the Ultimate Seamstress, I was great at creating unique, stylish clothing and mending damaged clothes; however, no one seemed to care about the state of their clothing. My classmates were too busy wondering when they would meet their end, which was understandable -- they had more important things to worry about. Regardless, I informed everyone that they could drop off their clothing in my ultimate room if they wanted it fixed, or they could request me to make anything. Sadly, no one ever came. I knew that clothing wasn’t a priority in the killing game, but I was desperately hoping for someone to give me a task that would activate my creative drive -- a piece of clothing that I could pour my heart into and distract me from the harsh reality. I had hopes someone would come to me eventually, but I never imagined it would be him.

        One night, I returned to my dorm room after stopping by my ultimate room. Yet again, no one had left any clothing in need of repair. I would have been lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. When I walked into my room, I immediately noticed a familiar shirt messily thrown upon my bed. I placed a finger to my chin, smiling lightly. So, the Ultimate Supreme Leader of Evil is the first to ask for my assistance? I was happy to mend his clothes, but I was a bit confused as to why he left the clothing in my room instead of my Ultimate room. Maybe he didn’t want the others to know? However, the thing that confused me most, and made me a bit concerned, was how he managed to break into my room.

        Despite my confusion and concern, I happily mended the boy’s clothes. I fixed all the rips and tears in the clothing and even replaced some of the loose, tacky buttons that adorned his shirt. By the time I was finished, his tattered, unkempt clothes had become rather nice. To be honest, I actually adored the boy’s outfit -- but, of course I would never admit that to him. I neatly folded the shirt, placing it on the chair near my bed. I pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil, placing the eraser to my lip as I thought about what to write. I was debating how to write a letter to the supreme leader -- should it be formal or should I just be myself?

        “Hm,” I said, pressing the pencil against the paper. I began to write:

"Dear Kokichi,

I hope you are happy with the shirt. I’m happy that you decided to trust me with mending it. I am a bit confused as to why you left it in my room instead of my Ultimate room, but it’s not really a problem. Just know that you can come to me anytime you want something fixed or made. I’ll put my heart and soul into it.

Sincerely, The Ultimate Seamstress"

        After I finished the letter, I plopped down onto my bed and nestled in. Unlike the others, I couldn’t bring myself to hate Kokichi. I felt like I didn’t know enough about him to make a decision. It was true that he had said some horrible things, but sometimes his words were kind. I found myself wondering which side of him was the truthful side. The boy was undoubtedly a master at lying, but he had to have some sort of reason for it, didn’t he? He claimed that he wanted to end the killing game -- that he wanted to expose the mastermind. If he actually liked the killing game like he also claimed, he wouldn’t want it to end, would he? If he was truly the leader of an evil organization, then he would have no trouble surviving to the end, right? I bit my lip in frustration, realizing that I couldn’t solve the mystery of “Kokichi Ouma” just by wracking my own brain; I’d have to actually get to know him as a person. I knew that he could be dangerous, but honestly, what did I have to lose at this point?

        The next morning, I exited my room and saw Kokichi pacing back and forth in the hallway. He noticed me, but didn’t say anything. I shot him a light smile before heading towards the dining hall. Once I was there, I noticed that I was the first to arrive. I shrugged my shoulders, taking a seat and lightly tapping my fingers against the table. As I sat there, the others began to flood in as well. Before long, everyone seemed to be present -- except him.

        “Everyone’s here except Kokichi,” Shuichi mentioned, shifting his eyes. “That’s-”

        “Heh, I bet you guys thought I died.” Kokichi said with a smirk as he entered the room. “Like that would happen.”

        I eyed the boy, noticing that he had retrieved the shirt I had mended. Something seemed to be missing though. I eyed him carefully, finally realizing that his scarf was missing. I placed a finger to my chin.

        “Where’s your scarf?” I suddenly asked, catching the attention of the others.

        During my short time at the school, I had kept to myself most of the time. The only time I remember even speaking with Kokichi was during the class trials. I’m sure everyone was confused as to why I had taken any interest in the boy at all -- or maybe I was just overthinking things?

        “You’ll find out soon enough,” he said, placing his hands behind his head. “Miss Ultimate Seamstress.”

        “...Strange,” Shuichi finally finished, looking rather confused.

        “Welp.” Kokichi stretched his arms out. “I just stopped by to let you guys know I’m not dead. I’m so considerate, right?”

        With that, the Ultimate Supreme Leader darted out of the dining hall. I raised an eyebrow as I lazily rested my head against my hand. Just what was that boy up to? I quickly scanned the room, noticing that everyone had began eating breakfast. I picked at the food on the plate in front of me, unable to concentrate on my meal.

        “Weirdo,” I murmured under my breath, a small smirk making its way onto my lips.

        After breakfast, I hastily made my way back to my room. I had suspicions that I wanted to confirm.  When I entered my room, my suspicions were proven to be correct; Kokichi had left his scarf in my room. I walked over to my bed, eyeing the piece of clothing. This time, he had neatly folded it and placed a large, folded piece of paper on top. I immediately grabbed the paper, then I began reading it aloud:

"Why do you have to be so formal? Ugh.

Buuuuttt, I guess I do have to say thanks, ____. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy with the

results.

Soooo, since you like sewing so much you can go ahead and do me another favor!

By the way, I’ll get my organization involved if you ruin my scarf.

See ya around!"

        A smile tugged at my lips as I finished the note, my expression softening. Somehow, the note was….cute. I’m sure any of the others would have been thrown off by his threat, but to me it was obviously a joke -- or a lie. Despite his wording, it was clear to me that he was happy with the work I had done -- which in return made me extremely happy.

        When I was about to start working on his scarf, I noticed that I didn’t have many supplies left in my room. I decided that I needed to head to my ultimate room and pick up a few things. I eagerly threw my door open and lunged forwards. Without warning, my body collided into something--- or rather, someone. I stumbled backwards from the impact, barely able to stay on my feet. I shook my head slightly, letting my vision adjust. My eyes widened as I saw the Ultimate Supreme Leader on the floor, rubbing the side of his head.

        “Ugh, damn it…” the boy mumbled under his breath.

        “Kokichi?” I asked in surprise. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

        I immediately leaned forward, offering him my hand. I shot him a concerned look, which caused him to snap out of his daze. He smirked lightly as he grabbed onto my hand. His hand was warm, and surprisingly soft. I pulled him to his feet as I proceeded to eye him curiously.

        “I would have never thought a sewing girl would be able to pack such a punch,” he laughed his signature laugh, placing his arms behind his head. “Soooo, are you going to tell me why you’re in such a hurry?”

        “I was headed to my ultimate room for supplies.”

        “Awwe, how nice!” A cheeky smile crawled onto his face. “You must have some important businessy stuff to do.”

        “Yeah,” I said bluntly, not taking my eyes off him.

        “Is it for what I think it is?” His voice became drastically lower, almost sounding threatening -- or oddly sexual? “It wouldn’t have anything to do with little ol’ me, would it,” he paused, his gaze fixated upon me, never faltering, “____?”

        I was a bit caught off guard by his words, but instead of getting upset I just giggled. He was only teasing a little, wasn’t he? It’s not like he was doing anything harmful. I knew that if I acted as if his antics affected me, then I would just be falling into his trap. I couldn’t solve the mystery of Kokichi Ouma if I let him win, now could I?

        “You got me, Kokichi,” I said, shooting him a quick, small smile. “I need to fix up your scarf.”

        He seemed a bit confused by my lack of reaction. He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side. His smile faded for a moment, but returned rather quickly -- this time larger than before. He rested his hand against his cheek.

        “So, you’re pretty honest then,” he said. He took a step forward, now merely a foot or so away from me. He continued to eye me with his large, violet orbs. I stared back blankly, standing my ground. “I’m not sure how I feel about that,” he finished.

        Kokichi’s expression suddenly fell, morphing into a blank stare as he seemed to be searching my eyes for some sort of weakness-- I refused to give that to him.

        “Do you want to come with me?” I finally asked.

        “Do you really want the others to see you with someone like me?” He spoke in a low, stern voice. He smirked, placing his index finger to his cheek. “Should you really be alone with someone as dangerous as me?”

        “I don’t see the harm in it,” I said, stretching my arms lazily. “Besides, the strength of an evil leader will come in handy when it comes to carrying all that crap.”

        “Who said I would help you carry anything?” he raised an eyebrow. “Who said I even want to be seen with you?”

        “It would be a shame if something happened to your scarf, wouldn’t it?” I threw my arms into the air dramatically. “Truly tragic!”

        “Fine,” he huffed, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms. “I’ll go or whatever.”

        The boy stepped back, rolling his eyes in annoyance. I smirked, finding his pouting rather adorable. No way he was evil, right? Seeing him in this state made me feel a bit more comfortable -- a bit more confident. He seemed...vulnerable. I gently grabbed onto the boy’s hand, causing his eyes to widen and his cheeks to be dusted with pink. I thought he may snatch his hand away, or get mad at me, but he didn’t. He didn’t do anything but stare. We both silently began heading towards my ultimate room. Did I have him in my web?

        Once we had gathered all of the materials, he helped me carry all of them back to my room. Even though he had been reluctant at first, he was a big help. I set the supplies down on my bed, plopping down next to them. Kokichi just stood there, seeming to be lost in thought.

        “Do you mind if I ask why this scarf is so important to you?” I asked, taking a needle from the stack of supplies.

        “Everyone in my evil organization has one,” he said, placing his hand on his hip. He smiled smugly, seeming to be out of his daze. “It’s the most important part of our uniforms!”

        “I see,” I said with a smile, beginning to stitch the piece of clothing. I could feel his eyes on me as I focused on sewing. “I’ll treat it with care then.”

“Thank you,” he said softly.

        I stopped sewing for a moment, then looked up at the boy standing before me. He had a small, genuine smile upon his face -- it was unlike anything I had seen from Kokichi. My gaze softened as I returned my attention back to the scarf.

        After that day, Kokichi and I continued exchanging notes. We would also hang out together rather often. He didn’t seem like he wanted to admit that he liked having someone to talk to, but it was apparent to me that he did. Even supreme leaders of evil get lonely, don’t they? The more he told me about his organization, the more holes I found in his lies. From what I could tell, they appeared to be a group of harmless pranksters. Even though he was a fantastic liar, I slowly became better at reading him -- better at distinguishing between his lies and truths. I didn’t know why he felt the need to lie, but I knew that he had to have a reason for doing so. I was hopeful that one day he would feel comfortable enough to tell me what has been on his mind all this time.

        One day, I decided that I would make something special for Kokichi. As much as I loved mending clothes, creating them was an entirely different thing--- it was a thousand times better. I had been hoping for a project to pour my heart into, and I had finally found it. I quickly began working on the cloak and crown. I was so focused on creating the perfect clothing for him, that I had spent all day and a majority of the night working on it. Once I was finished, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and admired what I had created. I had made a large, purple and black cloak and crown for the Ultimate Supreme Leader. What was a leader without a cloak and crown?

        The next morning, I hurriedly began heading towards the dining hall. I had woken up a bit late that morning since I had been working on his clothing for a majority of the night. When I entered the dining hall, I could feel heavy gazes upon me. Each of my classmates’ eyes were on me, a bit of disdain in their gazes.

        “Good morning?” I asked. I tilted my head to the side, confusion evident on my face.

        “We’ve all noticed you hanging around Kokichi,” Mui said, pointing her finger towards me threateningly. “Just what the hell are you planning with him?”

        “So what if I have?” I said bluntly, letting a breath escape my lips. “Just because we have been hanging around each other doesn’t mean we’re plotting anything.”

        “I call BS!” Mui yelled. “Why else would you be around someone like him?”

        “Miu, now calm d-” Shuichi started to say.

        “Kokichi isn’t evil,” I said, cutting off Shuichi’s words. I took a deep breath, then exhaled. I couldn’t let them get to me. I knew that getting too upset would only make matters worse. “You guys just don’t understand him.” I stood my ground, not letting their disapproving gazes get to me. “He’s my friend.”

        “The degenerate male has brainwashed her!” Tenko shouted, grabbing onto Himiko. “I won’t let you influence Himiko!”

        Instead of getting mad, I just sighed softly and shook my head. I knew that no words would be able to convince them at the moment -- they wouldn’t even hear me out. When I turned to walk away, I noticed a familiar leader enter the dining hall. He was wearing the cloak and crown I had made for him, which immediately brought a smile to my face.

        “Friend?” He laughed loudly, throwing his arms behind his head-- a wide grin spread across his face. “Pffft! As if.”

        “What?” I questioned, my smile disappearing.

        I took a few steps forward, my eyes meeting his deep, violet ones. He immediately averted his eyes, looking off in another direction. I raised an eyebrow, searching his face for answers. Something about the way he was acting seemed off.

        “Isn’t it obvious, ___?” he laughed his signature laugh, placing his index finger to his cheek. “I manipulated you into fixing all those things for me,” he paused for a moment. “I. Used. You,” he emphasized.

        I couldn’t believe the words that left his lips. At this point, I had spent quite a lot of time talking with him. I felt like I was beginning to understand him better. I knew in my heart that none of that was fake-- there’s no way it could be. The bond we had formed was very real to me, and I believed that it was real to him too. There was no way I was going to let one of his silly lies change the time we had spent together.

        “You’re lying,” I said bluntly. I wore a blank, bland expression.

        The dining hall had fallen completely silent. I searched his eyes for answers, but he wouldn’t dare look at me. The smile upon his lips was quivering, destined to fall in due time. There’s no way what he had just said reflected his true feelings-- I refused to believe that. This wasn’t the Kokichi that I had come to know -- this was the mask that he wore around the others; the mask that I was so close to tearing down.

        Moments later, he and the others were still silent. I knew that the conversation had reached its end, so I opted to walk away. I glanced back at Kokichi one last time before I exited the dining hall. I could feel eyes piercing through my back, but I didn’t care. Walking away seemed to be my only option.

        I arrived at my door, carefully turning the door knob. When I entered the room, I was rather surprised by what was placed on my bed. A pair of light, violet colored underwear was messily thrown onto my bed. There was a large tear in the side of them, but it looked like they had been cut with scissors. They seemed to be pretty wrinkled, almost as if they had-- no way. I noticed a note folded next to them. I eagerly grabbed the note, then began reading it aloud:

"Hi there!
It’s been a while since I’ve asked you to fix something for me, huh?

Well, I’ve got something really special for you this time, Miss Ultimate Seamstress!
Oh, and thank you for the cloak and crown. I actually…

I like them a lot, kay?
Anyway, just so you know, these haven’t been washed.

I mean, I could have washed them first, but that would just make the tear worse, right?

Eh, I don’t know. You’re the expert, right?

….Or maybe I didn’t wash them for another reason…"

        When I finished reading the letter, I immediately placed my hands to my cheeks. They were pretty warm. No way I was flustered, right? Nope. No. Way.

        I swallowed roughly as I just stared at the underwear before me. I couldn’t believe he had done something as bold as this--- well, on second thought, maybe it wasn’t too bold for the leader of an evil organization. I bit my lip, then I slowly reached my hand towards the undergarments.

        “Oooo, kinky, aren’t you?”

        I heard a familiar voice behind me. I immediately turned around, only to come face to face with the owner of the underwear. My face darkened as he smirked at me. He placed his hand to his cheek, eyeing me carefully.

        “W-what? No!” I stuttered, putting my hands up and trying to dispute his claim.

        Kokichi was silent for a moment. Eventually, his smile faded and his expression turned more serious. He sighed softly, his eyes staring into mine. My face was still rather flustered, but I couldn't seem to look away from him. He took a step forward, gently placing his hands on my shoulders. His gaze never faltered.

        “I love you,” he said. His expression was serious, and his cheeks were dusted with a pale, pink color. His eyes were swirling with something I couldn’t quite interpret.

        “Ko-”

        He placed his finger to my lips, causing me to fall silent. He stood there for a moment, just staring into my eyes. I wasn’t sure what to do at this point. I usually tried to stay calm and collected, but my breathing had become quicker, and much louder. My heart was beating so fast that I’m sure he probably noticed it-- I was vulnerable. He had me caught in his web.

        “I was lying earlier in the dining hall,” he said. “That was a test.”

        “I-” My words trailed off. I found myself unable to form sentences. Why did he have this effect on me? I couldn’t free myself from his web. I knew in my heart that his words in the dining hall weren’t truthful, but what did he mean by test? ...Did he actually mean the ‘I love you’ that just escaped his lips?

        “I had a theory that you had learned to decipher between my lies and truths,” he said, a small smile appearing on his lips. “I was right.”

        “Do you really love me?” I suddenly asked, my voice quivering slightly.

        “What do you think?” He asked, removing his hands from my shoulders. He gently grabbed my hands, our fingers interlacing. “A Lie or the truth?”

        I slowly leaned forwards, moving in towards him. His gaze softened as I moved closer-- the pink dusting his cheeks turned crimson. Eventually, our lips met-- soft, sweet, and playful. Once we pulled apart, a bright smile stretched across my face.

        “Truth,” I said, tightening my grip on his hands. After a few seconds, my smile faded and was replaced with a scowl. He tilted his head to the side, looking confused. “Now, why did you think it was a good idea to leave...those in here?” I narrowed my eyes, glancing at the underwear, then back at him.

        “I finally got a reaction out of you, didn’t I?” He smirked, unfazed by my angry expression. “It really pisses me off when my teasing doesn’t work.”

        “Get out and take your underwear with you,” I bluntly said, playfully pushing the boy a bit.

        The leader did as he was told and retrieved his undergarments. Just as he was about to exit, I cleared my throat. By this point, my anger was completely gone. A small, shy smile appeared on my lips.

        “Hm?” he asked, a blank expression on his face.

        “I love you too,” I muttered. Even though I didn’t say it loudly, the large smile smeared across his face proved that he had heard me. He narrowed his eyes, then gave me a quick wink before exiting the room.