"Can you get in there?" Kokichi asked, as he stood on the bed and tried hoisting Himiko into the vent. 

   "Nyeh...yup, I think so," Himiko replied, grunting. Finally, she crawled through. "Got it!"

   "Nice! Now, pull me up, Monkey Buns!" Himiko grabbed a hold of Kokichi's hands. He pressed his feet against the wall and pulled himself up and into the vent. 

   "Nyeh....you're heavy!" Himiko exclaimed. 

   "Nee-heehee...are you fat-shaming me, HimiCocoa Bean?" Kokichi joked. 

   "No...I'm obese-warning you," Himiko replied with a smirk. Kokichi laughed and kissed her cheek. Himiko turned around and led the way through the vent until they crept over to Kaede and Shuichi's room. Kokichi squeezed in between Himiko and the wall of the duct, looking through the ventilation grille with Himiko. Kaede and Shuichi were standing in front of each other with nervous expressions. 

   "A-Are you sure you're ready for this, Shuichi?" Kaede asked.

   "Yeah...I think I can handle it," Shuichi replied with a firm nod. "Besides, there's nobody around here but us, and...to be honest, I think this is going to be fun!"

   "I'm glad you think so, Shuichi, because I really need this!" Kaede said. Kokichi and Himiko raised their eyebrows in shock at each other. It's as if Kaede was desperate! "Ready, Shuichi?"

   "Ready," Shuichi assured confidently. Kaede then reached into her backpack and pulled out two bundles of papers, handing one to Shuichi. Kokichi and Himiko exchanged quizzical glances. Suddenly, Kaede thrusted the back of her hand against her forehead and began speaking in a dramatic voice. 

   "Kento, please! I may be just a gardener, always digging through dirt and worms, but...I'm more than that!" she said. "If you would just give me the chance to show you, you'd see that...that...we were meant for each other!" Kokichi and Himiko's eyes bugged out of their skulls.

   "What the hell is going on here?" Kokichi whispered in Himiko's ear. 

   "I don't know," Himiko whispered back. "It's like they lost their minds, or something!"

   "I'm sorry, Shizuka...it's too late!" Shuichi replied, turning away from Kaede. "It was...a mistake to meet up with you here. I'm already in a relationship!"

   "What is this, some kinky roleplay shit?!" Kokichi whispered incredulously. 

   "Forget about her, Kento!" Kaede continued. "She isn't good for you!" Kaede placed her hand on Shuichi's shoulder. "She hurts you...I can tell." Shuichi turned to her with a pained expression. "When you're around her, the smile that I always see on your face vanishes. Can't you see, Kento? You need to get away from her! Forget about Nanako! Come with me!"

   "I...I don't know," Shuichi said, running his hand through his hair. Kaede stared into Shuichi's eyes.

   "Do you want to know how I know we were made for each other?" she asked. She inched closer to Shuichi. "Kiss me."

   "Shizuka!" Shuichi exclaimed. 

   "Kiss me, Kento," Kaede pleaded. "It's the only way...for you to see. For you to...forget about her." Kaede placed her hands on Shuichi's chest. "Kiss me, Kento. Please! " Shuichi leaned in closer to Kaede, who closed her eyes, waiting to swept away by Shuichi's kiss. Kokichi and Himiko craned their necks with excitement, wondering what was going to happen next. Himiko felt tiny tapping on her arm. She squinted through the darkness to see a spider skittering across her arm.

   "SPIDER!!!" she screamed, bursting right through the grille and startling Shuichi and Kaede. Himiko fell out from the vent and onto the bed, followed by Kokichi. "KOKICHI!!! GET IT OFF OF ME!!!" she screamed in terror as she wildly flailed her arms. 

   "Bad spider!!" Kokichi said, brushing the spider off of her back, where it had skittered to in fear. "Leave Himiko alone!!" Then, Kokichi crushed it with his foot. He then checked to see if Himiko was okay. She was shaking violently as if an earthquake were happening inside her. 

   "You okay, Monkey Buns?" Kokichi asked, holding the trembling Himiko in his arms.

   "N-Nyeh...s-s-spider...s-scary..." Himiko stammered in a small, shaky voice.

   "What are you two doing here?!" Kaede demanded angrily. Kokichi and Himiko turned their attention to Kaede and Shuichi. 

   "Well...we happened to catch you two sneaking out, so we decided to follow you," Kokichi replied. "Now, I think it's our turn to ask what you two are doing here."

   "Ugh! That's none of your business, Kokichi," Shuichi replied in annoyance. 

   "Yeeeaaahhh...you're right," Kokichi replied as a devious grin grew across his face. "It's about to be everyone else's business pretty soon! Nee-heehee!" Shuichi and Kaede's mouths hung agape.

   "You're seriously going to tell everyone that we're here?!" Kaede exclaimed. 

  "You came here just to blackmail us?!" Shuichi cried.

    "N-No!" Himiko said. "We're here because...because...we're trying to stop you from making a big mistake!" Kaede and Shuichi exchanged puzzled glances.

   "Mistake? What are you talking about, Himiko?" Shuichi asked. 

   "Um...well, when we saw you come to this hotel, we knew you were coming here to do...the Electrical Waltz! So we had to stop you!" Himiko explained.

   "'The Electrical Waltz?! ' " Kaede repeated with a strange smile. 

    "Nee-heehee...that's Himiko's way of saying that you two were gonna get it on!" Kokichi said. Shuichi and Kaede's faces turned beet red.

   "N-No! That's wrong!" Shuichi stammered.

   "We didn't come here for that!" Kaede said. 

   "Well, what else would you come here for?" Kokichi asked, raising a brow. Kaede and Shuichi sighed.

   "Looks like we have to tell them, Shuichi," Kaede said. Shuichi nodded reluctantly.

   "Okay," he said. "But, you two better keep this a secret, okay?"

   "Fiiine! Just tell us already!" Kokichi sighed impatiently, rolling his eyes.

   "I needed Shuichi to help me with a scene from a play at school that I'm auditioning for," Kaede explained, holding up her bundle of paper, which Kokichi and Himiko could now see was a script. Kokichi and Himiko exchanged incredulous glances.

   "Seriously?! " Kokichi exclaimed. 

   "Yeah, the play is called, 'Green Thumbs and Cold feet,' " Kaede continued. "It's about a gardener who falls madly in love with a shy boy, who has a hard time standing up to his abusive girlfriend. I need this part in the play because a well-renowned Broadway actor is going to see the performance, and, if I win the role of Shizuka, I might have a shot at an acting career!"

   "But, you're the Ultimate Pianist," Himiko said. "Don't you wanna be a world-famous piano player?" Kaede sighed.

   "Yeah, but...I dunno, I wanted to try out acting, in case...for some reason my piano career doesn't pan out," she said. 

   "Okay, but why come here to act out a scene from a play?" Kokichi asked.

   "Well, this scene that Shuichi and I are currently working on takes place in a hotel," Kaede replied.

   "And, I didn't feel comfortable acting out a scene back at home," Shuichi said, his cheeks light pink with embarrassment. "It was just too weird for me to act in front of Kaito, Miu, and everyone else, basically. So, we came here for privacy, and hoping that it would make the whole scene more authentic."

   "Sooo...you two aren't gonna do it, then?" Kokichi asked.

   "No!" Kaede said.

   "Welp, Himiko and I will, then!" Kokichi said.

   "NO, WE'RE NOT!!!" Himiko cried, her face bright red. 

   "Hahahahahaaa! That's the face I love to see, Monkey Buns!" Kokichi laughed, playfully pinching Himiko's cheek. 

   "Speaking of buns...I love your hair, Himiko!" Kaede said, finally noticing Himiko's hair. "And your outfit! You look really cute!"

   "Nyeh...thanks," Himiko said. "Kokichi did my hair!" Kaede's eyes widened.

   "Really?!" she exclaimed. Himiko nodded. "Think you could do my hair, too, Kokichi?"

   "Pffft...isn't that what Shuichi is for," Kokichi scoffed. "My hands are only available for the Supreme Lady!"

    "But, I don't even know how to do hair," Shuichi said.

   "Well, learn! Or you'll end up like that wishy-washy Kento in that dumb play," Kokichi said. "You'll have a girlfriend who'll abuse you just because you didn't braid her hair!"

   "That's not gonna happen," Kaede assured, smiling at Shuichi. "I'll love Shuichi, no matter what!"

   "Well, how nice for you," Kokichi said sarcastically. "Aaanyhoo, I guess we'll leave you to your stupid play. C'mon, Himiko, let's go."

   "Nyeh...sorry for spying on you guys, and barging in," Himiko said apologetically. Kaede and Shuichi smiled at her.

   "It's okay," Kaede said. 

   "We know you guys meant well," Shuichi added. "Well...maybe just you, Himiko."

   "Heeey! I meant well, too!" Kokichi said. "I kept your future baby from having to be raised by you two saps!"

   "Whatever you say, Kokichi," Shuichi and Kaede muttered simultaneously. With a cheeky grin, Kokichi led Himiko out of Shuichi and Kaede's room, and back to their own. 

   "Welp, since we paid for a room, we might as well spend the night here," he said to Himiko.

   "Okay, but...we're really not going to do the Electrical Waltz, are we?" Himiko asked. 

   "Naaah," Kokichi replied. "And, you know what? Since you won't agree to satisfy me, you'll be the one sleeping on the couch!"

   "What?!" Himiko screeched. "No fair!!"

   "Hahahaha...I was just kidding, Himiko," Kokichi said. Himiko sighed.

   "Nyeh...sometimes it's so hard to tell when you're joking," she said.

   "That's okay, babe," Kokichi said, then kissed her lips. "Your reactions make it all worthwhile. I'll take the couch, and you can take the giant-ass bed, 'kay?"

   "Okay. Are you sure you'll be okay on the couch?" Himiko asked. 

   "Yuppers!" Kokichi said. "Unless you wanna sleep on the couch instead?" Himiko warily looked at the bed, which was underneath a vent. She shuddered, thinking back on the spider.

   "Nyeh...actually, Kokichi...can we both sleep on the couch?" she asked. Kokichi shrugged.

    "Yeah, I guess that's okay," he replied. He pulled the blanket from the bed. Himiko sat down on the couch, pulling her shoes off. Kokichi grabbed the remote for the TV and sat down next to Himiko. He laid down with Himiko on top of him, then pulled the blanket over both of them and turned the TV on, watching until they fell asleep peacefully.