Chapter Text
Kazuichi couldn’t believe how lucky he was. It was his first school trip AND he got to look inside a plane!? Hope’s Peak Academy was really everything it was hyped up to be. He felt light and airy, and he couldn’t stop smiling.
He peered into the metal machine, tilting his head to get a good look at every angle. His mind tangled with each part, metal and wire mixing with neuron and synapse. It’s not like he had the tools to fully dismantle it, as much as he wanted to, but that wouldn’t stop him from getting a look inside. Aircraft engines were a whole different league than automotive engines! He had read plenty about planes, but he’d never had the chance to be so close to one before. He’d never even been on one. He knew the diagrams and processes, but being able to actually see and feel the parts was a different experience. He could only hope to get his hands on this material for his own projects someday. When he had run into the airport, starry-eyed, that pink rabbit girl had popped up and told him he could do whatever he pleased, so long as he cleaned up after himself. It was all great—except that the plane was missing the best part: the engine.
He was disappointed, but, oddly, not that surprised. Those kinds of engines could be dangerous in the wrong hands, and that rabbit teacher thing seemed hellbent on keeping this trip safe. Still, he would’ve loved to see the engine.. Maybe at the end of their trip he could convince her to let him put the engines back in? They had to be somewhere, and surely nobody was better qualified than him to handle them. The mere thought was enough to make him ecstatic. He could already see how he could put the engine back in, how it would connect to the other parts. He turned over ideas as he pieced the plane back together.
So lost in his thoughts, he was startled to hear a voice.
“Heh.. my interest is piqued. What is this metal beast you so clearly desire?”
Kazuichi paused, his attention stuck on his task. Whenever he worked on a machine he found that he fell into a trance. He felt far off, disconnected from everything else. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed or even how long this person had been here for. He couldn’t care about anything other than this plane right now. His hands were busy, his brain buzzing with energy. He let words fall out of his mouth, knowing that it’d be rude to stay silent.
“I was checking out the inside of this plane. It’s seriously cool, but there’s no engine!”He sighed. “A vehicle without an engine is just sad, y’know?”
“Is it now?”
“Yeah! Man, I bet I could’ve made it faster, too,” Kazuichi said, trying to pull his thoughts out of the plane and into the world around him.
“Why don’t you summon your own? You have the will to do so.”
“Nah, engines are too specific, they’re way too hard to make.” He felt his senses come back into focus. He couldn’t tell if the guy he was talking to was being genuine or sarcastic. It made him feel a bit jittery. He wanted to make a good impression on his classmates—he didn’t want to come off as some weak nerdy mechanic. He shouldn’t have gotten so absorbed in the plane, even if it was really cool.. He definitely looked so lame right now. It was fine, he could still recover this. He finished putting the pieces back and proceeded to give the metal a satisfying bang with his fist. “Agh, whatever! It’s not a big deal.”
He spun around, wiping his hands on his coveralls. He instinctively held out his hand, artificial grin plastered to his face. “Well, let me introduce myself properly,” Kazuichi began, but froze as he saw the person before him. He was clad in darkness, a stark contrast to Kazuichi’s own palette. He wore a long black coat that looked like it was full of secrets. Kazuichi couldn’t decide if this guy looked really cool or just plain weird. Whatever it was, he felt pretty lame in comparison. The other boy was glaring down at Kazuichi’s hand as though it had offended him. He had a scar over his eye as well as bandages around his arm. Kazuichi instinctively tensed, becoming uncomfortably aware of his own body. What the hell? Did this guy get into fights a lot? He straightened and put his shoulders back, trying to appear more confident than he felt. He couldn’t let himself seem weak in front of someone like that.
“Huh.. I’m Kazuichi Soda! I’m the ultimate mechanic,” he finished, warily eying the other. He tried to keep a polite smile on his face, but he was so nervous that it probably looked more like he was on the verge of tears.
“Very well.. You may call me Gundham Tanaka! May you never forget it for as long as you live,” he replied with a flourish. Seeing that he wasn’t going to reciprocate his handshake, Kazuichi awkwardly slid it into his pocket. Gundham Tanaka.. “Someday I shall rule over this realm as the Supreme Overlord of Ice!”
“Oh! So you’re, like, the.. Um,” Kazuichi paused, confusion wracking his head. His way of talking was hard to make sense of. “Ultimate.. overlord?” Was that really a thing? Geez, he really needed to be careful if so.
“Fuahaha! I like the sound of that. However, a mortal could never understand someone such as I.”
“S-Seriously? Did I get it wrong?”
“Do you value your life so little? I’ve told you who I am, fiend!” Somehow, as if on cue, hamsters crawled out of his scarf and perched themselves on Gundham’s shoulders. Kazuichi flinched at their sudden appearance. “The Tanaka Empire won’t forgive your ignorance!”
“Woah! What are those!?” He tried to move closer, but Gundham countered and moved back.
“Keep your distance, fiend. I haven’t finished assessing your power, so I can’t guarantee your safety. My four dark devas of destruction aren’t nearly as forgiving as I am,” Gundham said. Kazuichi sighed, not liking the large gap between them. Did he not want to be near him? He searched his face for an answer, but he only saw that same serious look he always seemed to have. God, they were just some hamsters, why was he acting like Kazuichi was so fragile!? Hadn’t he just watched him put half a plane back together?
Gundham was naturally confident in both his words and posture. He didn’t hesitate at all. It was frustrating, how easy he made it look. Seriously, he made it look almost normal, but Kazuichi was sure it wasn’t real. Nobody was honest about who they really were. He didn’t really care, honestly. It only frustrated him, or maybe it confused him? How could someone be so confident and weird, and why couldn’t Kazuichi be? Whatever! He wasn’t going to turn tail and run just because he was using some fancy words!
“Yeah, I guess it’s for the best. You’re right.” He leaned back, crossing his arms, trying to seem unbothered. “I could crush those little guys easily. I’m wayyyy powerful, more than you, I’m sure.”
“You-!” Gundham replied, exasperated. Kazuichi grinned smugly. “Hmph. Fine. Approach and offer your hand.”
Kazuichi walked over to him and put his hand out once more. He couldn’t believe how easily he had changed his mind. Gundham extended his hand, palm facing upwards. Before he had the chance to wonder if this guy knew what a handshake was, one of Gundham’s hamsters skittered down his arm and onto his palm. It sniffed Kazuichi’s hand, its face twitching with judgement. He watched in bewilderment, afraid to move. He could feel its cold nose graze his skin. After a few moments, it spun around to look at Gundham and squeaked. Gundham nodded thoughtfully, as though this made perfect sense to him. It ran back up his arm and he changed his pose to a less defensive one.
“Supernova Silver Fox San-D deems you competent! Kehehe.. Be grateful!”
Silver fox? Kazuichi examined his hand, trying to figure out what exactly had just happened. Gundham seemed pleased, so it must be a good thing? He wasn’t sure what ‘competent’ meant, but it must be a compliment of some kind. Who cared about what any of those words meant—a good thing was still a good thing!
“Must be pretty smart then,” he beamed. As seemingly odd as this guy was, he found he was enjoying his banter, especially now that he was starting to understand how to play along. Kazuichi didn’t care much for small talk, so he actually liked this weird dialogue they were having. He didn’t make fun of Kazuichi’s mechanical interests earlier either, which gave him bonus points. He was still slightly nervous he would somehow get on his bad side and get murdered in his sleep or something, but, for the most part, he began to feel at ease.
“My devas possess a superior intelligence,” Gundham agreed.
“Heh-heh.. Say, what even is a deva?”
Before Gundham could reply, voices drifted closer. Kazuichi turned at the sound, wanting to be more prepared than he was earlier. He couldn’t let himself get caught off guard again. He saw two boys walking towards them. One was a spiky brunette who seemed to be turning red from the sun. He was eying the planes suspiciously, mumbling something to the boy beside him. The other boy had wispy white hair and a light smile, and he softly replied to the other. He couldn’t hear what either of them were saying.
“Yo!” Kazuichi called with a wave. They both turned to look at him, picking up their pace until they were close enough to be heard.
“These airplanes.. Don’t you agree, we could use them to escape this island?” The brunette asked without pause. Kazuichi blinked slowly, unsure as to why none of his classmates could greet him normally. At least they all seemed to share an interest in these planes.
“Nah, they don’t have their engines. But hey, it’s not that big of a deal,” he shrugged. He still got to dismantle part of an airplane, so he couldn’t complain.
“If the ultimate mechanic says so, then it must be true. You should try to stop thinking so negatively, Hajime.”
“Woah! How’d you know my talent? You must be seriously good at guessing!”
“Ah.. I guess you could say I’m lucky,” his smile remained the same the whole time he spoke. Unlike Kazuichi, he made no show of trying to hide any awkwardness. He openly fidgeted with his hands, and his eyes darted around, unable to linger on one object for too long. “I did some research before coming to this school. This is a once in a lifetime experience, after all.” Kazuichi didn’t know you could research the student body so easily at this school. Although, he was going to one of the most prestigious academies, so of course that was possible. That was.. kinda cool. Was he going to be some kind of celebrity when he got back home? “If I were to take a guess, I’d say you must be the ultimate breeder.” The boy pointed at Gundham, his movement light.
“Hey, wait! So you’re not the ultimate overlord!?” Kazuichi turned and also pointed, much more accusingly, at Gundham, who was laughing beside him.
“Fuahaha! Excellent.. You already know of the great Gundham Tanaka! Now, cower with fear!”
Kazuichi couldn’t believe that he had been wrong about his ultimate this entire time. He felt his face redden with embarrassment. He should’ve known, why else would he have hamsters? Although, what was even the point in not telling him in the first place!?
“..Huh?” The brunette, Hajime, squinted at Gundham. His confusion was so plain that it made Kazuichi feel ridiculous for taking Gundham serious earlier.
“I’ve heard he can speak to animals, so you shouldn’t take him too lightly,” the other boy whispered, giggling. Was that even possible!?
“Why would I cower?” Hajime asked. He looked back at Gundham, face drawn in confusion. He seemed seriously stressed for someone on an awesome school trip. “I’m.. Hajime Hinata?”
“Your spirit is weak. Best to count your blessings before they’re gone,” Gundham replied vaguely.
“Don’t say something so creepy!” Kazuichi grimaced. He quickly regained his composure. “Name’s Kazuichi Soda! Who’s your friend?”
“..I can’t believe you’re curious about someone like me,” he muttered. “I’m Nagito Komaeda.” Kazuichi slotted all of their names into his mind, trying to commit them to memory. Was everyone going to be so.. strange? Hajime let out a long sigh.
“Don’t you find it weird at all that we’re suddenly here?”
“I mean, this is probably normal for Hope’s Peak, yeah?” Kazuichi answered. “You might as well try to enjoy yourself, man!”
“I agree.”
“See, Hajime? I told you there’s nothing to worry about,” Nagito said. Hajime looked like he wanted to say something, but decided against it. He relaxed.. slightly.
“This dark lord’s divas will keep you safe,” Kazuichi reaffirmed, eying the little creatures. They were pretty adorable, but he’d never admit that out loud.
“They’re devas, not divas. Watch your tongue,” Gundham hissed back. Kazuichi awkwardly laughed, hoping that would absolve him of his mistake. “I am not some dark lord I am the Overlord of Ice. From Hell I came and to Hell I shall return, and I will drag you down there if you dare misspeak again!”
“W-what! No way, c’mon man! I’ll buy you a soda if you forgive me?”
“Hmph.. what a foolish notion. However, this time, I’ll allow it.”
“Awesome! You won’t regret it!” Kazuichi pumped his fists in the air.
“It’s nice you guys are getting along so well,” Nagito said. “Hajime and I need to meet the others, still..” He seemed a bit nervous, but he turned to Hajime. “Are you good to keep going?”
“..Yeah.“
They said brief goodbyes before they departed, Hajime leading the way. Then, it was only Gundham and Kazuichi left in the airport. Going around to greet everyone, huh? It was a nice idea, but seemed a little too tedious for his liking. He was sure he wasn’t going to end up making any friends. Plus, he was gonna be stuck with these people for the next four years, so he was in no rush. There was plenty of time.
He might need to get a start on looking at the girls, though. ..Yeah, his dad would definitely ask him about that when he got back from this trip. Well, it couldn’t be that hard to convince someone to be your girlfriend, could it? He wanted to be in love—it always looked exciting, at least from the outside. And high school was where people got their first taste of it! He crossed his arms, feeling a wave of nausea. This trip would last a while, hopefully. He could figure out girls later. It’d be easier when everyone was together, he could get a better look at all of his options that way.
His eyes drifted over to his one true love. Girls were really nothing compared to machinery. He itched to take one of the planes apart again. There was still so many different parts he wanted to take a closer look at. He’d only disassembled one side so far! He couldn’t let himself get carried away again though, not right now at least. He’d have to come back another time. He still had to watch his behavior. He still had company.
He laughed nervously.
“Those guys seemed cool, dontcha think?”
“Their ranking appears even lower than yours,” Gundham replied.
“Seriously?” He shifted his gaze back over to him, feeling a bit starry-eyed. He didn’t think he was totally lame, then. “Heh.. Well, this trip will be fun either way! I wonder what else is on this island.. Wanna go find out?”
“I shall entertain your foolish plans.” Was that a yes? He stared, trying to figure it out. The more he talked with him, the more this strange gnawing feeling grew. It was such a bundle of different emotions, all mixing and blending. It was hard to place any one of them. There were still only ideas, after all, not fully developed in the slightest. “Well? Must I lead you like a dog? Hmph.. Let the great Gundham Tanaka be your guide, then!” Shit, had he been spacing out that noticeably?
Gundham marched towards the doors, with Kazuichi stumbling behind. They both paused as that pink rabbit appeared on a monitor in the room. She gave an announcement about everyone collecting hope fragments (whatever those were), and told them to gather at the beach. Guess they’d have to explore another time.
“Dang.. Hey, I need to do something before I head over, so I’ll see you there!” Kazuichi said, a plan already formulating in his head. He couldn’t show up to the beach empty handed..