When Sonia knocked on the door, nobody answered.
"Gundam-san! Hello? Is anyone there?...That's strange..."
That's strange, Souda thought. Maybe he was sleeping...Gundam was a strange guy, buy he was a good person in heart and he would never do something like ignoring one of his friends, which was one of the other reasons Souda hated Gundam so much.
It felt pathetic that he was the only one getting angry and shouting like an idiot every single time while Gundam tried his best to take care of him...to take care of everyone, by sacrificing himself.
It made Souda look so stupid, that he would hate somebody so kind just because Sonia liked him...
"Let me try, Sonia-san. Maybe he's sleeping and you aren't knocking hard enough...a good bang with my hammer will probably do the trick."
"Um, Souda-kun, I really don't think banging on the hospital door with a hammer is a good idea..."
Too late. Souda had just took out his hammer, and... bang!
"There's no way he won't wake up hearing THAT..."
Truly, it seemed so, as the two Super High School Levels finally got an answer from the door. Subdued growling and hissing could be heard from...wait, what?
"Did I just...hear a hiss?"
"I- I think it's just the four whatsoever Devas, Sonia-san..."
"Well, certainly they're the only animals Tanaka-san had on himself, but they sure don't hiss..."
"It's just a trick of the ears, haha! Maybe you need some rest, fatigue can cause hallucinations...Hey...wait. The door's not even locked!"
Souda grabbed the doorknob and turned it around. Yes, the door wasn't locked, judging from the smoothness when it turned.
"Even if it's not locked, knocking is a necessary manner."
"I know that, Sonia-san, but that guy's never gonna answer to knocks! Just leave it to me!"
Just when Souda pushed the door open...that happened.
The first thing Souda noticed was the strong scent of animal fur. Two snakes, both of them the color of withering grass, slithered among the floors right towards Souda and Sonia. On the back, there were the four Dark Devas of Destruction, resting in a scarf, watching them intently...then there was Tanaka.
His whole body was tied up, restraining his now frail body-no wonder, when he was sleeping for a year and all he got were essential nutrients in liquid form-and firmly securing it onto the bedpost. His hair was in a tangled mess, and his eyes...
No...those weren't his eyes.
The Gundam Tanaka sitting in front of them had different-coloured eyes, a black coat, black hair with strands of gray, and a scar on his eyes. Yet he certainly wasn't Gundam Tanaka. His eyes had a strange look, almost like a madman, full of...
...despair.
That was a word Souda hated with all his heart. Despair, hope, future...anything that was even remotely related with that killing school trip pissed Souda off. Especially despair. He'd rather use any kind of word that wasn't despair.
But he had to admit, the eyes were different. They had lost their light. While the Gundam they knew about in the school trip was just somebody normal with a very...strange way of talking,...but this...the man bound up in front of them, he couldn't imagine him sulking with his hamsters or pulling up his scarf to hide his embarrassed face like the Gundam they knew all too well about.
It was almost like Tsumiki when she got the "Remembering Disease."
"So- Souda-kun...kyaah!"
"Ah! Sonia san!"
Souda had almost forgotten about those snakes making their way toward. Souda quickly raised the spanner he had with him (Not that it was going to be much help against snakes) when he heard the familiar low, growling voice.
"Stop."
It was almost as if the snakes were obeying his words. They quietly slithered back next to the four Devas—how could that guy leave snakes next to hamsters—and rested themselves next to the scarf.
"A-ah, Gundam! Um, oh, long time...no see?"
"Tanaka-san! I'm-I'm so glad you woke up!"
"Hey, but what's up with those bondages? Maybe somebody actually believed your crap about the fires of hell and got scared you'll kill them in your sleep? Haha..."
"You didn't have to surprise us like that, Tanaka-san...
Both of them started small talk at once, but both of them knew that wasn't it. There was something strange about Gundam, but something was also familiar, and it certainly wasn't because he was half-angel and half-devil like his claims. But rather...
His state was similar of that when they first met, not in the field trip...but when they met in the Future Foundation under Enoshima Junko's orders to infiltrate. Similar to the days of "Super-High School Level Ultimate Despair"...
"What are you lowlifes talking about?"
His ways of talking had also changed; the normal Tanaka probably would have said, "Kneel, humans, in front of the fearsome powers of my guardian dragons!"...or something of that sort. Apparently Sonia had also noticed something strange. She took a step forward, when the snakes hissed menacingly from their position.
"What-what are YOU talking about? Don't you remember us? I-I'll whack you over the head with a spanner if you dare forgot somebody as refined and beautiful as Sonia-san!...not that it's okay to forget me, the great mechanic..."
"...Of course, I cannot expect anything from things that talk...so it seems...our plan has failed."
"Huh...? Plan? What plan?"
Gundam raised his face slightly. His face was never friendly, but the dark circles and the bones protruding from his face... it made him look downright frightening. Messy hair and chains wrapped around him certainly did NOT help.
"I see...the future foundation has fascinating brainwashing abilities...It seems the end has come for me."
"Wha-"
"I pity you two... for not being able to experience this utmost despair of execution... of helplessly watching while fellow despairs turn to hope,...fuhahahahahahaha!"
"...Huh? Despair? Brainwashing? What the-"
"Silence! I will hear nothing from traitors! Now if you do not want my heavenly Devas to get mad—for they are not as generous as I—I suggest you leave!"
"Okay...wait, I mean, hell no! You were a shitty guy from the start, but I never thought you were this outrageous-besides, I'm not even afraid of your hamst—your heavenly Devas or something like that!"
"Sou-Souda kun, I think it's best if we leave him for now...?"
Sonia tugged at Souda's clothes softly. She seemed afraid, as if she had something on her mind—something that might explain this ridiculous situation, but something she didn't like that much. Souda looked at her, than back at Gundam.
"If this is a new concept or-or a sick joke of yours, you better stop it right now..."
"..."
Gundam didn't answer, as if he suddenly lost all interest to the "traitors" in front of him. He aimlessly squeaked and hissed at his animals. The sounds he were making were so strange Souda almost thought he went berserk for a second time...until he noticed the hamsters squeaking back at him.
"Come on, Sonia-san...nothing's gonna come out of this. Naegi was right, he is a bit unstable...it's probably from the shock, you know. I mean, when Peko woke up and saw Kuzuryuu she was crying for five full hours because she thought Kuzuryuu died and followed her into hell...it must be pretty hard to wake up when you thought you were dead, I'm sure he'll get over it."
"Yes, I sure hope...ah, Naegi-san!"
Just as they left the hospital room, they bumped into Naegi, who was hurrying somewhere with a bunch of documents in his hand.
"Oh, it's you two. So...how's Tanaka-san?"
"Are you fucking kidding us? You let us go into a room with A SUPER HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL BREEDER WHO'S MENTALLY UNSTABLE plus poisonous snakes?! Is this some kind of sick scheme of the Future Foundation to, what, secretly root out all past Super High School Level Despairs?!"
The one that seemed most surprised to hear that, however, was Naegi.
"He...he has SNAKES with him? No-but...I, I'm sure he had no animals beside him save for the hamsters..."
"Since when did hamsters slither around hissing?"
"God... Sorry, I gotta go now! Seriously, snakes...snakes in future foundation...gotta tell this to Togami-kun..."
Naegi mumbled as he got out of sight, murmuring and grumbling to himself while Souda and Sonia just stared at each other.
"What the heck even happened to Gundam...? Sonia-san, do you have any ideas?"
"I have a hunch...but...I'd rather I was wrong about this. You must have noticed it too, since you share the same past...Forgive me if I don't want to say it out loud..."
Yes, he did have a hunch. But he didn't want to believe it.
Souda never actually liked the guy, of course. Sometimes he actually wished he never woke up from his long sleep. But this...this was just wrong. This was even worse than being in a comma.
Those empty eyes of his reflected nothing at all...the chains, the mad look on his face, and rambling on and on about how Souda and Sonia were "traitors" and "brainwashed by the future foundation" and worst of all...that frightening, masochistic smile playing on his lips while he talked about execution and utmost despair...when he, himself said just before his execution that life is something to be cherished...
It wasn't just a hunch. Souda knew. No matter how much he tried to look away from the truth, the truth would still be there, tugging at him.
.
.
.
.
.
Super High School Level Despair was back.