tbh Kokichi + DICE brainworms can't leave my head cause I really believe that Kokichi around DICE is him at his best. It's him with people who willingly support and follow him, knows him well enough to trust him in spite of his lies, and idk I always have this sense that some of the DICE members knew Kokichi before like, whatever happened that made him tell Kaito that they're different people/people you trust backstab you and all that. Like they knew Kokichi before he became the supreme leader. They /made/ Kokichi their Supreme Leader (im projecting Phantom Troupe+Kuroro/8 Generals+Sinbad so damn hard on DICE+Kokichi smh). The Kokichi they know is the Kokichi of ch 1-3 where yes he's a lying sack of shit, but is mostly a harmless nuisance and says shit you don't want to hear to you to genuinely help you.

And then comes the Kokichi of ch 4. Someone nobody trusted. Someone isolated. He wasn't supposed to be like this. He was supposed to have people who trust him and understand him in spite of his antics and are willing to work with him at all times. And then he got the damn key card and found out that DICE is dead. And then the person he's been working the most closely with on his plan to get the hell out plans to murder him.

Like hot take? I think Kokichi's used to being trusted. It feels super contradictory with the fact that he's a liar but I think that all 9 DICE members are so used to his bullshit that they couldn't care less about what he said and rides or dies with him either way. And so I honestly think that knowing that the 9 people who trusted him is dead, and then realising that the person he's literally asking to draft anti-monokuma anarchy weapons does not give a shit about his plan, probably snapped something in him and convinced him that he can't take trust for granted anymore in this game. He have to get in people's head and exploit their weaknesses. He has to honest to god manipulate them.

THUS!!!!! (flips open my whiteboard) is my DICE-and-Momota-kinda-gets along agend-- /JOKES i'm kidding i just really like DICE & Kokichi but I genuinely think DICE will have some respect for Kaito for trusting in Kokichi's plan. I love the hc that postgame Kaito wakes up earlier than Kokichi and takes turns w/ some of the DICE members to look after Kokichi before he wakes up and when he stabilises they all pulled one super elaborate prank on him as a welcome gift. (this is the peak of my self-indulgence)