Project 1,

Part 5

Day four. Like most days, Kazuichi woke up. The difference this time was he actually wanted to. He wanted to do one thing the moment he opened his eyes, namely see Chihiro. He sat up, quickly threw his jumpsuit on, and ran out of the door. 8:20 am. He ran downstairs to the lower dorms and slammed his fist on Chihiro's door. Before he could open it, he felt an arm wrap around his neck from behind. He tried to scream, but couldn't. He was thrown quickly onto a plush, velvet chair and two Byakuyas stood before him.

"What the hell?! What is this about?!" Kazuichi screeched like a harpy at the two Togamis. Man, he just wanted to see Chihiro again. "Well, that's an overreaction if there ever was one." The rotund Togami said, arms crossed.

"Cough up a video lens, grease monkey." The slim Togami butted in. God, he sounded conceited. "Why..?"

"Does it matter why? Just give us one that can record something, now. We've seen those piece of scrap metal you're building."

"How did you-?"
"Don't interrupt when I'm speaking to you. Just give us a lens."
"F-fine." Kazuichi reached into his pocket and felt for one of the robot lenses he kept spare in case of malfunctions (not uncommon in some of his work, so he always kept a few odds and ends around with him). He placed the lens into the slim Byakuya's hand. "Here. Can I leave?"

"Eager to get to work with your partner? Heh. Or something else?" Byakuya decided to push a few buttons merely for the sake of pushing buttons.

"Sh-shut up." Kazuichi tried not to go pink. The two Byakuyas stepped out of the way.

"You may leave." slim Byakuya tilted his head upwards, and used it to notion towards the door.

"Thank you." The large Byakuya said, showing more empathy than his younger counterpart. Kazuichi flew out of the room, eager to see Chihiro once more.

He once again slammed his fist on the polished wood door of Chihiro's room, this time with more force (clearly showing his excitement). Chihiro opened the door and, seeing who was standing there, immediately smiled. "Oh, Kazuichi! It was you who knocked befo-" Before he could finish Kazuichi wrapped his arms under Chihiro's arms and lifted him into a hug. "Eheheheh…" Chihiro blushed and giggled, making Kazuichi's heart somersault once again. They kissed again and Kazuichi put him down and closed the door. "Why are you here, anyway?" Chihiro questioned. "Just to see you, ya ditz."

"O-oh."

"Um, is there a problem with that?" Kazuichi crouched on one knee and put his hand on Chihiro's cheek.

"N-no. I'm just used to people casually coming into my room because they want to. Even if they are my boyfriend." He put his hand over Kazuichi's and pushed it softly further onto his cheek. They kissed again. Kazuichi stood up, brushed himself off. He folded his fingers into Chihiro's, and told him, "Come on, let's go to the workshop. We'll finish the project, together." Kazuichi opened the door to the face of a boy with choppy hair, and an ahoge staring up at him.

"Am… Am I interrupting something?"

"Oh, uh, Makoto! It's…"

"…not what it looks like?" Makoto raised an eyebrow

"Y-yeah, that!"

Ugh, Chihiro needed to work on his conversational skills, Kazuichi thought. "Nice save, kid. Whaddya want, Makoto?"
"Teruteru and Hifumi have told me to tell you all that their project is ready. It's a large feast that will be served at nine tonight. Live music will be performed by Ibuki and Leon, so it's a collaborative project. If you can, please attend!"
"…are you some sort of F machine?"

"Kazuichi!" Chihiro lightly slapped his arm.

"Okay… we'll be there, man." Kazuichi gave Makoto a thumbs up.

"Thanks! I'll go tell the others!" And he bounded down the hall.

"Teruteru's a good friend and even cook, but I'm worried about Hifumi. Wonder what he'll try." Kazuichi remembered the odd conversation they'd had in the kitchen.

"We should definitely go, though! It'd be like a first date!" Chihiro piped up. Ugh, the idea was cute, and it was clear Chihiro was excited about it. He knew he had to go, not wanting to disappoint him.

"Let's focus on our work, for the time being, kiddo." And they walked to the workshop, holding hands and faces flushed the whole time.

"Hey, do you mind if I call you Kaz?" Chihiro asked as Kazuichi was working on the shell of another bot.

"Kaz, huh? Is that so the author can stop having to type out the word 'Kazuichi' over and over, a cute pet name or a Peace Walker/Phantom Pain reference? And… yeah, I do mind."

"Uhhh… the-the second one. And I won't call you it then…" Chihiro said. After another hour of work, Chihiro sometimes looking over his shoulder, Chihiro piped up. "Umm… can you please explain something for me?"

"Sure, whaddya want?" Kazuichi was lightly tightening a bolt in the charging port's panel. He put down his wrench and turned to look at Chihiro.

"What are these for?" Chihiro held up a pair of glasses he had retrieved from the desk. Kazuichi remembered them. They were an old pair he had, from before he had adopted the punk persona he failed constantly to keep.

"It's… nothing. I used to wear 'em. Not like I do now…" Chihiro let a little giggle out through his nose and leaned forwards. He put the glasses on Kazuichi's nose and smiled. "H-hey! N-not funny!"

"Eheheheh… I think they look cute!"

"Why'd you think I took 'em off to begin with?!" Chihiro buried his face in Kazuichi's chest. It really was hard to stay mad at him…

"You know, I thought you were kinda scary when we first started… but you're kinda silly eheheheh… and you've got nice muscles… I want those muscles..." Kazuichi patted his head and he got back to work.

"And… done!" Kazuichi had finished the final two robots, holding one up in a show of satisfaction. "Yay!" Chihiro grabbed the CPUs he had brought. It'll take me a bit to hook these up. Why don't you get changed for the dinner?"
"You're really taking it that seriously? Well, okay then. See you in a bit, kid."

"Bye, Kazuichi!"

Kazuichi hadn't been gone 10 minutes when Mondo walked into the workshop. He pulled up a chair next to him. "Hello, Mondo."

"Hey, kid." He noted that Kazuichi and Mondo both called him by the same name, but Mondo's had an almost brotherly lilt to it, whereas Kazuichi's was far more protective and loving in a romantic way. Or maybe he just looked too deep into it. "How's it going? The punk still treating you nice?" Mondo grinned. "So, what're you doing here?"

"Not much, just finishing up the project."

"Heh, still not started mine."

"You still got that grudge? T-that's really unhealthy…"

"Bah, so what? I fail this? Like they're gonna kick me out. Besides, I'm getting free food now. Who am I to complain?"
"I-I suppose." Chihiro finished installing the CPU into the ninth robot.

"Hey, whaddya reckon to training tomorrow? It's Friday, so it should be the perfect time. And once you're done with this, no more distractions, right? I mean, anything to distance ourselves from that yakuza shit and his friends right?"

"Y-yeah… right?"

"What's with the pause? I don't like that pause. That's the 'Mondo I'm keeping secrets from you pause.'"

"…well it's actually about Kazuichi…" Chihiro went slightly red? Did he really have the resolve to tell Mondo this?

"Oh no, I knew it. He's actually an asshole, isn't he? Well, he won't know what hit him, the little shit." Mondo clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"N-no! It-It's nothing like that!"

"Wait…" Mondo's expression softened, but the worry in his face did not subside.

"Kazuichi's actually really nice… and sweet… a-and he's kind and understands me…" Chihiro went more and more red with every word he said.

"…please don't tell me you told him?!"

"Y-yeah… th-there's a slight b-bit more to it th-than that…"

"What more could there possibly be?! Wait… oh God." Chihiro could see Mondo connect the dots as he began to work up a sweat.

"A-are you two – and I can't believe I'm saying this," Mondo gulped as he forced out the next word. "Dating?"

"Y-yeah." Chihiro tried to find anywhere else to look but at Mondo. Mondo's fist connected with the hard metal of the table.

"Him?! Really?! Why?! Actually, I don't wanna know. Fucking hell…" Mondo looked at the ground.

"Mondo! Please! He's… I don't know why… look, there's just something there I can't ignore! He understands my talent, my secret, everything! A-and he accepts me for it! An-and that's why… why I always go red when I'm near him… why my heart feels funny when he hugs me… and why I kissed him… because… he understands… he-he understands… and that's all I've ever needed." Chihiro felt something surge through him. A newfound confidence. Something old. Something new.

"…well if it makes you happy, then I suppose I can be okay with it. Just don't get all mushy around me."

"Thank you! Thank you!" Chihiro hugged Mondo tightly.

"Yeah, yeah… you'd best get back to work. Wouldn't want to disappoint him, would ya?"

"Yeah! Thanks, Mondo! See ya!" Mondo walked out the workshop, confused, but happy that Chihiro was content.

Kazuichi once again sat in his room, watching the sun drop behind the bare winter trees. Peace. Quiet. Perhaps he needed more of it. The cold winter night came creeping in, inking the sky a jet black. Stars crept through the mire of darkness they were enshrouded in, and the moon shone a pale and sickly white. Welp, time for dinner, Kazuichi's inner voice told him. Kazuichi's idea of getting ready was putting on a clean yellow jumpsuit, taking a shower, and removing his beanie. He waited at the door until Chihiro came knocking. When he opened it, he noticed Chihiro hadn't really changed much about himself, just a minor clean-up – it made sense, though. Chihiro always seemed to be prim and neat.

"Didn't I tell you to clean up, Kazuichi?" Chihiro asked.

"…I did."

"O-oh! S-sorry…"

"No, it's fine. I just… like this look." He wrapped his arm round Chihiro's shoulders. "Hey, come on, let's go. It's 8:30 right now, so the pavilion should be open for business. Let's not keep 'em waiting, huh?"

The pavilion was a much-loved part of Hope's Peak, and as such, one had to book it in advance. They allowed the classes doing projects special access to it, however. Underneath the veil of night, the pavilion looked quaint and rustic. The perimeter was lined with torches made of wood, flames surrounded with metal braziers. They allowed a warm and pleasant glow to envelop all around them, including the slabs of limestone, asymmetrical and almost looking like something from an island. In fact, the whole place reminded one of the tropics or an island. A large pair of wooden tables, seating 16 each, were positioned at the center. Another large table, lined with plates of food still being served by Teruteru was positioned at the front of those tables. However, behind that was a large set of amps, speakers, and screens. Ibuki and Leon were to perform here. And, lurking in the background of all of this was Hifumi Yamada, who held a small bottle of what seemed like aphrodisiacs in his hand.

The first thing Kazuichi noticed was the slim, lilac-haired girl next to Makoto, who looked like a stereotypical butler.

"Hello, Kyoko! Hello Makoto!" Chihiro greeted them with his usual happy greeting.

"Ah. Chihiro. And Kazuichi too, nice to finally meet you."

"Hey, Kyoko was it? Nice to meetcha!" Kazuichi didn't want to be rude to Chihiro's friends so he extended his hand in greeting. In return, Kyoko shook it. He took note of the tight leather gloves that covered his hands and noticed how they seemed to almost squeak. He whistled at their make. "Nice gloves," he noted.

"Oh, thanks. I… don't remember ever being complimented on them. Makes sense it'd come from a mechanic, I suppose."

"Well, you two," Makoto spoke up, "you can take a seat wherever you want on those two tables. The food will be out shortly." Kazuichi looked over at the table. There were four spaces left at the first table. Fuyuhiko, Peko, Hajime, Komaeda, Chiaki, Nekomaru, Akane, Ishimaru, Mondo and a girl who looked like Akane all sat at the table. The rest were seated on the table opposite. The two Togamis were nowhere to be seen and Kazuichi wondered why. He sat on one of the empty spaces on the bench, near the end of the bench and Chihiro sat next to him. Hajime waved at him, Fuyuhiko gave a slight grin, Komaeda nodded at him and Mondo shot him the iciest glare he'd ever received. Had he done something wrong? He suddenly felt slightly uncomfortable. "How's it going, Kazuichi?" Hajime asked.

"Eh, pretty good. Suppose it's gonna get better, though. Teruteru's food is pretty damn great."

"Hopefully Ibuki's music won't kill us this time," Akane remarked.

"My ears still haven't recovered from last time!" Nekomaru yelled.

"Is that why you're always yelling, bro?" Ishimaru remarked.

"Yelling?! What do you mean 'yelling?!'"

"O-oh. Never mind, bro! Ha ha ha!"

Kazuichi was convinced he'd stepped into some parallel universe with this whole project thing.

"Hey, Aoi, if you don't mind telling me, why the hell's the ginger performing with crazy cat lady?"

"Oh, you mean Leon…? Honestly, he never wanted to be a baseball pro. He always wanted to be a rockstar. You've seen him, I think? Talk about dressing for the job you want…"

Suddenly a loud guitar chord split the ears of everyone present. "Oh, God…" Kazuichi heard Akane mutter. He also felt his heart drop. His ears would not survive tonight, he thought. Ibuki's loud and annoying voice split the silent night and conversation. "Let's get this show on the road! Ibuki is ready!" Mic feedback caused those present to grit their teeth and cover their ears. "Please put your hands together for 'The Love of My Life Was Just Impaled and Now I'm Not Okay!'" A sudden cacophony of chords emitted from the amps. Leon and Ibuki were throttling their guitars in unison, making an… oddly melodic yet chaotic tune. It reminded Kazuichi of the old joke:

"Mechanic, my car keeps making a weird noise!"
"Have you tried removing the Radiohead CD, ma'am?"

He found himself quite enjoying it. Leon seemed to be living proof of the talent of Hope's Peak students. He hadn't even enjoyed playing baseball, and here he was – adapting his talent and yet still excelling.

"Wait… this is actually fucking listenable? Huh. I guess miracles do really happen." Akane seemed to be quite getting into the music. It was glam rock-esque and had those odd Radiohead vibes he had noticed. It was nice. Not amazing. Not awful. Just… nice. Kazuichi's lips turned upwards slightly. Yeah. Just nice.

After a few minutes of music, Makoto, Hifumi, and Teruteru brought out the first plates. It was a veritable feast. Foods from every culture – Mexican, Japanese, Chinese and… what Kazuichi assumed was British. It was fish and chips with a side of poundshop cigarettes and… a shiv? Was that what counted as 'culture' over there? Kazuichi noticed something else, too. Hifumi, seemingly at random, lay down plates of extra-succulent looking food at certain people's seats. He said 'seemingly' as he noticed something was off. His 'muscles' tensed whenever he went to put down one of these plates. His eyes got glassy, and worry flickered within them. He took notes of who exactly he left these platters at. On his table, Chihiro, Chiaki, Akane, Aoi. On the other table a girl dressed in what looked like gothic lolita clothing, Mahiru and Mikan. All girls… except for Chihiro, but he didn't know that. He knew immediately something was up. Hifumi looked like a malfunctioning machine that needed oiling. He gestured to Gundham. He was no chef, but he did know his stuff when it came to certain chemicals used in animal taming and breeding. If Kazuichi was right about what he thought Hifumi had spiked that food with, Gundham should be able to identify it. He gestured to Gundham, unable to be heard under the guitar solo of Ibuki and Leon's "Oh, So Those Are Steel Fans Ripping My Intestines In Two?" He had to mime a couple of odd actions. He pointed to Mikan's plate as she was sat next to Gundham. He mimed eating food – or perhaps fellatio – and Gundham seemed to understand. He talked to Mikan, who giggled and blushed a bit (probably because of Gundham's odd way of talking) and he went to take a bite of what looked like meat on the bone, clutching it in one hand and putting it to his mouth. As Leon's guitar solo reached a decrescendo, Gundham jerked his head away from the meat and cried "BY THE GODS! WHAT INFERNAL CONCOCTION HAS FOUND ITS WAY ONTO THIS MEAT?!"

Leon stopped strumming and silence fell.

"…speak English!" Nekomaru yelled, through loud chews of… was he eating the shiv?!

"Someone's drugged this meat with the aphrodisiacs I use for breeding my hamsters!"

"D-drugged?" Chihiro's meat on the bone was slightly smaller than everyone else who had received one, and few bites had been taken out of it.

"Ain't 'aphrodisiacs' just a word for jumped up viagra, Gundham?!" Akane yelled, her fists clenched.

"Not particularly. These are just designed to make hamsters attracted to one another, it's slow acting, but this is concentrated beyond belief. Forget the 5 days this thing normally lasts for, this'll take effect in 5 minutes and last for 15."

"Teruteru…" Akane looked brimming with energy, almost supercharged.

"What the hell Hifumi? You little…" Aoi pulled her scariest grimace, which was hardly heart-stopping.

"Wait. They couldn't have done it." Kyoko interjected.

"Huh? But…" Mikan went to say something but was swiftly shut down.

"No. I knew Hifumi would be planning something like this. I caught him putting the aphrodisiacs on something. But they were slow-burn and would last for a while. They weren't as concentrated as these. They lasted a while. Presumably long enough for him to have his… fun. Point is, someone who knew Gundham and was trusted enough to be allowed to enter his room spiked the food with these. It's presumably to cause a distraction… but what for? No sex-crazed maniac wants only 15 minutes." Kyoko shot a steely cold glare at Hifumi.

"Eengh…" He looked more disappointed than sorry.

"So… who did it?" Sonia questioned.

"Friend of Gundham's… one of Class 77. Maybe Teruteru?" Kiyotaka put forth his idea.

"Look, it wasn't me I tell ya! We learned our lesson with aphrodisiacs last time, right Kazuichi? Back me up here man!" Teruteru stammered his sentence out, and Kazuichi felt his stomach drop. He felt the eyes of those present bear into him.

"Well, Kazuichi?" Kyoko's brilliant purple eyes seemed to pour over every secret he had ever kept. He felt sweat hit the back of his neck.

"C-cute theory. But there's no way in hell! If I were behind, don't you think I would've drugged Miss Sonia's food? I've only got eyes for her!" Kazuichi saw the murmur of agreement between his classmates. They didn't know who really got his heart going now. Like broken clocks stuck in the past, they assumed he still held his old passion. And he thought that would be his saving grace.

"Oh. Oh. So that's what all of this is about!" "Bro..?" Kiyotaka meekly called out for Mondo. But judging by the vein in his forehead which was working overtime and the white knuckles of his clenched hands, the blood roaring in his ears was the only thing he felt. Kazuichi saw within his eyes an intense, burning rage. A hatred thrown his way. The inertia he felt as he stared into it nearly sent him spinning back to his past – with its bullies and his old nerdy self.

"You rat fucking bastard!" Mondo let out a cry of rage. Kazuichi was glad a stone table separated them, though he wondered how long it would last.

"M-Mondo? Wh-what's wrong?" Chihiro was distressed, but there were no tears. "My head, my head…" He muttered under his breath, clutching the back of his skull. Others under the effects of the aphrodisiacs seemed to be doing the same.

"Mondo, what's gotten into you? It looks like Kazuichi's killed a relative of yours or something…"

Makoto looked pretty pale himself. Everyone caught in the red-hot stare – as effective at warming the air as the torches surrounding them – seemed to be very uncomfortable, slightly scared even. "You mean he hasn't told you? Ugh…!" He turned his back to the people present. "You guys who've taken the aphrodisiacs, raise your hands!" Everyone who had ingested it did. "Augh!" Mondo saw Chihiro's hand raised. "It was Kazuichi! He drugged everyone!"

"…where the fuck is this coming from?" Fuyuhiko looked angry, maybe as enraged as Mondo. "Are you seriously tell me you don't fucking know?!"

"My, my. It appears we are about to hear something rather interesting." The girl in the lolita clothing spoke up.

"Listen here punk." Mondo pointed a finger at Kazuichi, his gaze growing ever hotter. "You're clearly no alpha male. If I were you, forever rejected by someone not meant for you, constantly snubbed and alone, surrounded by machines for fuck-knows-how-long…" Mondo's voice was as cold as the tundra, oddly calm. "If someone nice, someone cute, came along and showed interest in what you did… who you were… then I'd fall in 'love' in two days and manipulate and drug them into loving you too." Mondo pointed at Kazuichi's arm. Due to his going completely numb due to Mondo's destructive words, he hadn't noticed Chihiro laying his head on his arm. His beautiful eyes were glassy, and drool dribbled down his small chin. Kazuichi felt his heart go cold. Judging by the shocked look on many of their faces, some slightly flushed, the penny had dropped. And then Mondo let out a scream of pure rage, vaulted over the table and the last thing Kazuichi felt before Mondo's feet slammed into his chest, his vision went dark and skull slammed into the hard ground was regret.

Kazuichi awoke to Hajime and Chihiro standing over him, both with concern on their faces. He was in his dorm, blinds drawn and lamps on. As soon as his eyelids began to flicker, Chihiro yelled "Kazuichi! I'm so sorry. If I hadn't had told Mondo… Ohhhh…" He began to cry and snivel once again. He fell into Kazuichi, hugging him tightly and crying.

"...how long have I been out?"

"About two hours," Hajime told him. The clock read 10:40 pm.

"Wha- what happened?"

"Umm… well starting with Mondo drop-kicking you, we took everyone under the effects of the aphrodisiacs back to their room… but Chihiro asked to be brought to yours. Even after her aphrodisiacs wore off."

"So does everyone know we're… um…"

"Yeah."

"Ah."

"Y'know, I think it's cute. She seems your type."

"… Oh, uh, thanks." Chihiro's secret was still safe, at least.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it." Hajime left, closing the door behind him.

"Chihiro… you know I wasn't behind that whole stunt behind there, don't ya?"

"Yeah! It can't have been you! And no matter what, I know you couldn't have 'manipulated' me or whatever Mondo said you did!"

"T-thank you."

Kazuichi put his cheek against Chihiro's head. His hair was fluffy, like a pillow. It was extremely comfortable. Kazuichi kissed his forehead and saw him blush. Kazuichi felt a wave of content wash over him, as well as tiredness. "Kid? I think I'm going to go to sleep now. Now would be the best time for you to go."

"I-I wanna stay…"

"I know but…" Kazuichi had taken his jumpsuit off, and climbed into bed, still in his vest and underwear, "you kinda can't."

Chihiro walked over to the bedside and took his shoes off. "Y-yes I can."

"No, you can't! We're not doing this!" but Chihiro had already clambered into the bed and had snuggled next to Kazuichi. They were both blushing as hard as they ever had. Kazuichi was annoyed, but he couldn't help but feel happy. He rolled over and turned to look at the ceiling. He hoisted himself upwards so he was sitting up and staring at the TV he had set up. He grabbed Chihiro's underarms and lifted him onto his chest, Kazuichi's mouth and nose now covered by the top of Chihiro's head and hair. He gently kissed the back of it, stroking Chihiro's hair behind his ears. Chihiro lay on top of him, his light weight comforting and warm. He felt like a plush toy, and Kazuichi wrapped his arms around his chest and snuggled his cheek against that hazel head of hair. "Eheheh…" Chihiro giggled, blushing and smiling. Chihiro folded his fingers into Kazuichi's, still wrapped around his chest.

Chihiro hadn't ever felt this happy. Kazuichi's breath was warm and light on the back of his head and his heart was going crazy. Kazuichi tore his hands away from their interlocked fingers, grabbed the remote on his bedside table and turned on the TV. A documentary on some corporate empire was on the channel, but it was only low background noise. Kazuichi kept kissing the back of Chihiro's head, but Chihiro didn't mind. Despite the hammering of his heart, Chihiro soon fell asleep.

Kazuichi thought Chihiro sleeping was one of the cutest things he had ever seen. He let out timid and small breaths and his face seemed serene and peaceful, mouth in a small, small smile. He looked like a teddy bear. Kazuichi rocked his sleeping body to and fro, finding himself unable to stop squealing with how adorable he found the whole affair. Eventually, they both fell asleep, Kazuichi's arms still locked around Chihiro.