Gundham remembered the day that he met her like it had just happened yesterday. It was the first day of class for Hope's Peak Academy, and he was part of the newest batch of students that were scouted for their outstanding skill in certain fields.
He himself was chosen for his ability to interpret the emotions felt by the mortals on this earthly plane, and create ballads that shake the very planet, causing him to be worshipped as a god by the lowly beings that populated most of the forsaken land.
Or in English, he was a really popular punk rock musician worldwide and so Hope's Peak scouted him as the Ultimate Musician.
He had decided to camoflauge his appearance as that of an everyday student by wearing the uniform the school had provided him, although he wasn't very fond of the color; It was much too plain for his tastes. Despite that, his hair was still dyed black and white, and his bangs covered his right eye, making people focus on the eye that he wore a red contact on. He had elected to bring his guitar with him, since his expertise with it was what the school seemed to be interested in.
As he walked in the hallways to get to his class, people gazed at him in fear of their very lives. Or maybe they were just staring because of how much he stood out.
When he entered the classroom, there were only two other people inside the room besides himself. They seemed to have been chatting before he had shown up, and paused their conversation when they saw him.
One of them stood up and walked towards Gundham. He was a pretty short guy with blonde hair and a standard white eyepatch over his left eye. He also carried a camera on a sling over his shoulder.
"So, you a student here too?"
"Heh, you are indeed correct. But do not let my appearance fool you, foolish mortal, for I am not of this realm, I-"
"Yeah, yeah, I don't give a shit about where you came from. Just give me a name, dumbass."
Gundham raised an eyebrow at his boldness, before letting out a small chuckle.
"Very well then, I deem you worthy of hearing my mortal name. My name is Gundham Tanaka! Let the very mention of it shake the earth!"
The boy shook his head at the eccentric introduction.
"Whatever, man. Name's Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu."
"And what of your companion?"
Fuyuhiko turned to the other person in the classroom, who had been staring out the window while Fuyuhiko and Gundham were busy introducing themselves.
"Hey, Peko! Come over here, will you? You should talk to people more often."
Peko turned to look at them, and locked eyes with Gundham.
Everything about her appearance was unique. Her grey hair was put into braided twin tails, and glasses covered those unforgettable red eyes of hers. Fierce to those who passed by, lonely to those that got to know her.
"Tanaka, right? My name is Peko Pekoyama. It is nice to meet you."
He greeted her much the same way he did Fuyuhiko, when he noticed a small horseshoe attached around her waist, with its open end facing away from Peko.
"Ah, so you carry a relic as an accessory of good fortune. Unfortunately, I believe that you are carrying it incorrectly. The open end must be facing you, as to contain the luck inside of you."
"No, it's facing the right way."
"Excuse you? I don't think you know what you're talking about. My knowledge in the study of superstition is vast."
"I don't think you understand me." She gave a sad smile.
"I want to lose every bit of luck inside of me."
xxx
Later on, he learned that Fuyuhiko was scouted as the Ultimate Photographer, and Peko as the Ultimate Lucky Student. However, it confused the musician even more when he learned about Peko's talent, and her desire to get rid of it.
"Why would she not want any luck inside of her when it's her very talent?" He mused, sitting on his desk in the classroom. A few days had gone by, and Gundham was still thinking about the red eyed girl.
"If its abundance is enough to be considered ultimate, why would she want to be rid of it?"
"How about you ask her yourself instead of just imagining things like a fucking idiot?" Fuyuhiko said to the only other person in the room. Their teacher didn't exactly attend class that much, considering he always seemed to be drunk whenever they saw him, so most students in their class decided to just ditch class and go do their own thing, since it wasn't against the rules to do so. Gundham still went to class because he found the room to be a good place to practice music while Fuyuhiko's excuse was "I can get good shots from up here."
"I-I would...but it's not as easy as it seems! She could be anywhere in this forsaken land!" Gundham stammered as his face flushed red. Peko had been avoiding being part of the class as well, and even when she did attend, she always seemed distant and barely talked to other people.
Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes before grabbing Gundham's arm and dragging him outside.
"Y-You fiend! What do you think you-"
"If you really want to get to know her, then just fucking talk to her."
"And how would a foolish mortal like you know the location of the Fortunate One?"
"One, don't you fucking dare call me foolish again. Two, she texted me."
"Oh."
They walked until they reached the fountain garden of the school, where they saw Peko sitting on said fountain, staring blankly at the horizon. Fuyuhiko nudged Gundham's side.
"Well, what are you fucking waiting for? She's right there."
Gundham took a deep breath before awkwardly taking a seat next to Peko. She turned to look at him, a surprised expression on her face.
"Tanaka? What are you doing here?"
"I have found myself intrigued by your so-called talent. Please indulge me, Pekoyama, in what way are you considered lucky?"
"Oh, you want to learn about my luck. Well it's a story I don't mind sharing, but most people find it depressing." She looked down at her feet.
"Ever since I was young, an unknown force always managed to affect me in abnormal ways. If something bad happens to me, most of the time something good happens to me afterwards, and vice versa. It's like an endless cycle of fortune and misfortune, and it always ends badly for me and the people I care for."
It never crossed his mind that Peko considered her talent a curse, but now that he had heard all of this, it seemed so obvious that he wanted to smack his past self for not realizing it sooner.
"...If you don't mind me asking, how so?"
Peko gave a dry laugh, her eyes reflecting her sadness.
"Well for one, why do you think Fuyuhiko wears an eyepatch?"
Gundham looked towards a reluctant Fuyuhiko before he lifted up his eyepatch, revealing a stitched up eye socket and very missing eyeball.
"That wasn't your fucking fault." Fuyuhiko sighed as he covered his missing eye again. "We were both kidnapped, and the son of a bitch shot me dead in the eye before the gun misfired and he killed himself."
"You could have died because of me-"
"But I'm not dead, so stop fucking blaming yourself!"
They both stopped talking after that. Fuyuhiko calmed down before turning to Gundham, who had been quiet the entire time.
"Are you happy now, dumbass?"
"Don't get mad at him, Fuyuhiko. I was the one who decided to tell him."
"No, it was my mistake to inquire about a sensitive topic." Gundham spoke normally, surprising both of them.
Fuyuhiko stared at Gundham before shaking his head.
"Whatever. I'm going back to the classroom."
As Fuyuhiko walked away, Peko turned to Gundham.
"I'm sorry about him. Fuyuhiko acts tough, but he's really a nice guy inside."
"It's understandable. He must be very defensive of you."
"..."
"..."
"Well, I've told you about my talent. Why are you still here?" An expression of hurt appeared on Gundham's face at her harsh words.
"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to sound so cold. It's just how I normally talk."
"I-It's fine, I understand. I just wanted to ask you something else."
Peko looked at him with curiosity as he transferred all his remaining stats to courage.
"If it is in your best interests, perhaps we can leave the boundaries of the academy and wander around for a moment?"
"...Are you asking me to walk with you?"
Gundham muttered a small yes while trying to cover his now pink face.
"Well, I appreciate the gesture, but you don't have to make me feel better just because you think you made me uncomfortable."
"No, that's not it. I wish to become familiar with you, not just your talen-er, quirk." Now both of their faces were pink as Peko struggled to find a reply.
"Well, I suppose I have nothing better to do."
xxx
They walked next to each other in silence as they passed yet another busy street, neither having the courage to make small talk.
They could tell people were staring. Some whispered to each other that they were wearing Hope's Peak uniforms, but most of them were focused on their bizarre appearances. And then one time, a person took it upon themselves to comment on how cute they looked together as they both looked away from each other with pink faces.
Needless to say, it was getting a bit uncomfortable for both of them. Eventually, Gundham cleared his throat to catch Peko's attention.
"So, how do you and the short one know each other?" Gundham asked as they walked along the crowded sidewalk.
"Do you mean Fuyuhiko? He's my brother, I suppose. Fuyuhiko's family took me in from the orphanage when I was young. I don't know what would've happened to me if they didn't, but then again, maybe it would've been better for them."
"You shouldn't dare think like that! The short one is very protective of you, and that must be because he considers you his kin."
"I suppose you're right. But his family begs to differ."
Peko suddenly stopped in her tracks. Gundham followed her gaze to a small stuffed cat on the window display of a toy store.
"...Can we go in?" Peko asked hesitantly, her eyes still on the stuffed toy.
"Of course."
When they went in, Gundham saw Peko's eyes light up with happiness, and her mouth twitched as it held back a smile. Although the shop wasn't specializing in stuffed toys, it still had a big variety of the fluffy animals Peko seemed to like. She went straight to the shelf stocked with the soft things and pulled out a small stuffed grey cat, the same as the one on display.
"Do you wish to purchase ownership of the artificial creature?"
She nodded eagerly as they walked to the cashier, who prepared the biggest fake smile she could muster when she saw the two weirdos buying a small stuffed cat. They were almost at the cash register when Peko's face suddenly went stone cold.
"I didn't bring any money."
"Not to worry, I have some spare change in my pockets. What must I give for this creature?"
Peko checked the price tag. "...800 yen." You could tell Gundham was dying inside as he counted his money.
"I have...317 yen. Maybe they have a discount?"
They let out a sigh of defeat before Peko noticed something shiny on the floor. When she picked it up, her eyes gleamed with delight.
"It's a 500 yen coin."
Gundham chuckled. "I suppose you really are quite fortunate."
xxx
"Thank you again for contributing to the payment of the cat." Peko said as they walked back to their dorms, the newly bought stuffed cat in her hands.
"It was no dilemma for one such as I, the Dark Lord. Although your quirk seemed to be what helped you when you needed it most."
"Well, I guess that's how it's supposed to work." They stopped in front of Peko's dorm room.
"I had fun today, Tanaka. Not that many bad things happened to me, and I got to spend time with someone."
"I enjoyed today as well. Perhaps, in the future, I could let you hear my requiems?"
"I would like that very much." Peko gave a smile. A genuine, heartfelt one that plucked the heartstrings of the boy in front of her.
"Well, it's getting late. See you in class?"
"Most definitely."
After they said their goodbyes and Peko closed her door, Gundham let out a small smile.
"Hey."
Gundham turned around to see Fuyuhiko staring at him with his remaining eye.
"What does the Bearer of Memories want from the Overlord of Ice and Darkness?"
"Bearer of Memo-? Oh, who gives a shit. Anyway, did Peko have a good time?"
"It appears so. She has acquired a new fluffy companion."
"Oh, she got a stuffed toy? She always did like those things, don't know why though." Fuyuhiko sighed.
"You know, this is the first time someone outside our family made her this happy. She must really enjoy your company."
"Y-You really believe so?"
"Yeah, no doubt about it. Hey, keep up the good work, and maybe I can finally take a photo of her smiling, alright?" Fuyuhiko said as he waved the musician goodbye, leaving the same way he came.
Gundham thought quietly to himself. Did Peko really enjoy his company that much? Yeah, she did say she wouldn't mind listening to his songs, right? He definitely enjoyed spending time with her, and wouldn't mind getting to know her better too. And as Fuyuhiko's words echoed in his head, the thought of her smile crossed his mind.
It was a wonderful smile.