Gundam groans as he wakes up. He glances around in confusion, his dreams still floating around in his head. Did he... dream about the game? The animal breeder shakes his head. Komaeda sits at Gundam's desk, fiddling around with something. Gundam sits up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Sunlight filters in through the blinds of his window.
"What time is it?" He yawns, stretching out his arms and legs. "Where is Saionji?" Komaeda turns to him, smiling.
"She left a little while ago. And it's morning. It's about..." They both glance at the clock on the wall. "Eight."
"I missed the morning announcement." Gundam states the obvious, slowly standing up and stalking over to where Komaeda is. He catches sight of something dart into the boy's clothes. Gundam narrows his eyes. "And what are you doing?"
"Oh uh... sorry." Komaeda grins guiltily, holding out his arm. The Four Dark Gods of Destruction scamper out of Komaeda's jacket, settling onto his arm with a happy chorus of squeaks. Gundam rolls his eyes, taking the hamsters from the white-haired boy and letting them settle into his scarf. "By the way, Tanaka-kun, where's your jacket?"
"My jacket?" Gundam glances around the room. Where is his jacket? He racks his tired brain for anything about the article of clothing. "I... don't know."
"Hmm..." Komaeda thinks for a moment, then shrugs. "Ah, oh well. I'm sure we'll find it. There aren't that many places it could be, right?"
"True." The animal breeder nods and heads over to his door. He opens it up and lets a humid wave of tropical air wash over him. Good gods, it's hot. "Ugh. The air is bloated with heat today. This does not bode well." Komaeda chuckles from behind him.
"Oh it's not that bad." The luckster shrugs off his jacket anyway, tossing the garment back into Gundam's cabin. They stand on the boardwalk for a few moments, getting used to the heat, before Gundam locks his door and they head off to the restaurant. "Maybe we could swim in the pool today. Or go to the ocean. It's been quite a few days since we've gone in the water."
"I don't swim." Gundam huffs and strolls towards the hotel, Komaeda trailing behind.
"You mean you can't swim." Komaeda snickers.
"And you cannot shut up, it seems." The animal breeder glares at him, making the luckster laugh.
"Oh come on, Tanaka, don't take it so seriously. It was a joke." The white-haired boy laughs, placing a hand on Gundam's shoulder. The animal breeder snorts at Komaeda. "Tanaka." Gundam glances at him. Komaeda has a dopey grin on his face. "I'll race you." The luckster immediately takes off in a sprint. Gundam looks startled for a moment before grinning and running after him. He rounds the corner, neck and neck with Komaeda, swerving around the pool. They dash through the rather luckily opened door to the hotel lobby and immediately knock into Togami. The imposter glares at them, a tray of food in his hand. Gundam takes a step back and notices the look in the imposter's eyes. Togami wants him to do something. They stare at each other in silence before Gundam grunts at him.
"Oh... Hello Togami-kun. Is there uh... something you need from us?" Komaeda tilts his head, a guilty smile on his face.
"I do now. You two are feeding Hinata. Take this to the main hall of the lodge." Togami roughly shoves the tray into the animal breeder's hands. It holds a carton of milk, half an orange, and a piece of toast.
"...What? Us?" Gundam stares in disbelief at the food.
"I said so, didn't I?" Togami crosses his arms. Gundam holds the tray back out to him.
"No. I refuse. You have no reason to make me do it."
"Tanaka-kun, don't-" Komaeda attempts to calm Gundam down, but Togami cuts him off.
"Yes I do. I'm the leader, which means I can tell you what to do. Besides, Kuzuryuu isn't here, Nidai fed him yesterday and nobody else wants to do it. And you're here right now." Togami stares them down. Gundam glares back at him. "I'm not letting you do anything until he gets fed. That includes your play date with Sonia. Are you really going to let her down because you wouldn't go do something as simple as feeding someone?" Togami's plan to guilt-trip Gundam works after a moment of consideration. The animal breeder grumbles.
"You sicken me. You think your psychological ploys will work on a mighty mind such as I? Hah. I laugh in your face. I am doing this because I feel sorry for you." Gundam turns around, Togami snorting behind him. Komaeda shrugs at Togami and turns to follow Gundam, the two of them heading over to the lodge. Gundam nudges the wounded door open, its doorknob dangling uselessly in its socket, and heads into the lodge. It's strange being back in here. Komaeda walks silently beside him, probably thinking the same thing. The pair head to the main hall, Komaeda slowly turning the knob and pushing the door open. Gundam finds himself looking at one of the strangest things he's ever seen. Hinata hangs, suspended, by one of the ceiling beams. A chain, some rope, and what appears to be duct tape are all wrapped around him, the chain being the thing holding him up. The boy rests about half a foot off the ground. The strangest thing about the scene, however, is the pile of pillows and blankets on the floor under Hinata. He cracks an eye open, a thankfully green eye, and stares down the two boys in annoyance.
"Oh man, food. And here I thought I wasn't going to be fed anymore. Whoopee, somebody get me some champagne, let's have another party." Gundam and Komaeda glance at each other.
"Silence, fool. Your jokes are vile and we care not for them." Gundam walks up to Hinata and glares at him. The boy just rolls his eyes.
"Sorry, sorry. I thought that waking up suspended from a ceiling with a headache that feels like I've been punched in the skull multiple times and for no damn reason entitled me to a little bit of complaining. Jeez. I guess I shouldn't tell you how I can't feel my arms anymore." Hinata glares at Gundam. "Just give me my food." Gundam snorts and holds out the orange to him. Hinata laughs angrily and Komaeda chuckles. "Sorry, all mighty overlord, your humble servant can't use his hands. You'll have to feed me."
"Hmph. Maybe I shouldn't. Your insolence insults me." Gundam pulls his hand, and the orange, back towards him.
"Fine. But when you get charged for my murder because you let me starve to death, don't blame it on me." Hinata just stares at Gundam, eyes half lidded in irritation. Komaeda sighs and takes the orange from Gundam.
"I'll do it. Open up, Hinata-kun." Komaeda smiles, peeling off a section of the orange and putting it in Hinata's mouth. The boy chews thoughtfully, nodding at Komaeda and opening his mouth for another piece. The two proceed that way until the orange is done, then Komaeda opens the carton and carefully pours some milk into Hinata's mouth. Gundam rolls his eyes. Komaeda's being too soft. Although there's almost a... loving sort of way to his motions, like a parent feeding its child. Gundam wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't been familiar in such actions. Soon enough, the milk and toast are gone, leaving Gundam holding an empty tray.
"Well that's that then. I'll be uh... hangin' out here if you guys need me. Which I seriously doubt you will, all things considered." Hinata snarks, then tilts his head forward and closes his eyes.
"..." Gundam and Komaeda glance at each other, shooting each other a look. "What... are you doing?" Komaeda asks.
"Eh?" Hinata looks up at them, opening his eyes again. "I'm trying to sleep. It's not like I've got much else to do. Being suspended from the ceiling and all. You can only count the cracks on the back of the door for so long. There are seven hundred forty-nine, last time I checked, just in case you were wondering." Hinata rolls his eyes and slumps back down again. "Now if you'll excuse me." Gundam looks at Hinata in annoyance, then shrugs in defeat and turns around. Komaeda hesitates, then follows him out a moment later. They wait until they're out of the lodge, next to the pool, to begin talking again.
"...I feel kind of bad for Hinata-kun..." Komaeda crosses his arms and sighs.
"Perhaps I would as well, were he not so boorish about it." Gundam snorts.
"Maybe, but I think it's kind of understandable, don't you think? It must be hard having someone like Kamakura... inside of you." Komaeda says, staring off into the sky.
"That I can agree with." Gundam shakes his head and the pair head back into the hotel. Gundam tromps up the stairs to the restaurant, tray in hand. Komaeda follows somewhat less roughly. The animal breeder marches over to Togami, who leans against the wall near the food table with an empty plate in his hands. The others stop their conversations to watch. Gundam drops the tray onto Togami's plate. "Here."
"Oh." Togami raises his eyebrows, annoyance dancing in his eyes. With his free hand, he grabs the tray and bops Gundam on the head with it. "Don't do that again." The animal breeder flushes in anger and embarrassment.
"Wh-! You dare assault the mighty Gundam Tanaka and then proceed to insult him?! Fool, you know not the power you trifle with! I will destroy the very essence of your being with a procedure so vile, hell itself will shudder in fear! You have made a very, very, very large mistake, grandiose one! It nearly compares to you in stature!" Gundam takes a step towards Togami, getting right in the imposter's face. Togami's eyebrow twitches in irritation at Gundam's remark about his size. Komaeda jogs up and grabs Gundam's shoulders, pulling him back.
"Tanaka-kun! C-calm down, please!" Komaeda's grip slips, so he wraps his arms around Gundam's chest and pulls him back again. Gundam strains against the luckster's arms.
"Calm down, Tanaka. Don't act like a child." Togami crosses his arms, placing the tray onto the food table beside him. "You're overreacting. And making a fool of yourself."
"Hng..." Gundam clenches his fists, finally relaxing slightly and slumping back. Komaeda sighs in relief and releases Gundam from his bear hug. "...Consider yourself marked, grandiose one. I have now assigned the Evil Eye of the Demon to watch over you. Any further transgressions will be met with force. Gods do not forgive easily, fool." Sneering, Gundam finally turns away from Togami, grabbing a plate with some food, and plonks himself down in his normal seat next to Sonia. The princess ignores Gundam's angry pouting and excitedly grabs his shoulder.
"Surely you are ready for later, Tanaka-san?" Her eyes sparkle, and Gundam looks at her in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" He gazes at her, surprised when she frowns.
"Did you already forget? You promised me that we would make curry rice together." Sonia looks up at him with those puppy dog eyes again. "...You will make curry rice with me, right?"
"..." Gundam stares back down at the princess. "I..." How is he supposed to say no to that face? "I suppose I must. It would be considered a mortal sin to dishonor a promise. And I did promise..." His lips tug up into a grin as Sonia's eyes shine happily.
"Oh boy!" The princess shakes his shoulder in excitement. "We will gather our ingredients and mix them up and put it in the oven and then we'll have some delicious curry rice!" Gundam, along with Komaeda and Hanamura, glance at her strangely.
"Uh... Sonia-san." Komaeda cocks his head, face contorted in humor and slight disbelief. "Have you um... ever cooked? Anything?"
"No." Sonia smiles obliviously. "But I know the basics! I watched my servants make a cake once! They mixed everything together in a bowl, poured it into a different bowl made of metal, although that bowl was more square than... bowl. Then they put the square, metal bowl into an oven and spun this dial and when they took it out..." She clenches her fists, leaning forward for suspense. "It was a cake!"
"Um..." Hanamura scratches the back of his head. "Not everything is made like a cake is, Sonia-san."
"..." The smile drops from Sonia's face, and she tilts her head and stares at the three boys in confusion. "Really?" The princess puts a finger to her lips, glancing up at the ceiling. She thinks for a few minutes before a broad grin grows on her face, full of excitement and awe. "Really?! That's so... so... cool! Hella cool! I didn't know that! Cooking things makes so much more sense now!" She gives Gundam's shoulder an excited squeeze. The animal breeder notes that she is extremely touchy-feely. He carefully pries her hand off of his bruised shoulder (Holy hell she has a strong grip) and grunts.
"Well perhaps it would be a good idea to make this curry rice around dinner. That would give up ample time to prepare, would it not?" Gundam crosses his arms.
"Ah, good idea Tanaka-kun." Komaeda smiles. "It would make it easier to gather people, and they wouldn't be all tired from it being morning or not hungry or anything."
"Oh ho ho, and leave the kitchen preparation to me!" Hanamura chuckles. "Unless of course, you'd like to spend a little one-on-one time with me in the kitchen, Sonia-san. I'm sure I could teach you some techniques for a special kind of cooking." He chuckles again, mouth pulled up in a perverted smile. Gundam and Komaeda glare at him.
"Oh, that sounds lovely!" Sonia cheers.
"No!" Both Gundam and Komaeda shout. The animal breeder directs a furious glare at Hanamura while the luckster chuckles nervously and waves his hands around. "No, it doesn't!" Komaeda shakes his head. "I think it would be best to let Hanamura prepare the kitchen by himself."
"Aww, ruining my fun, Komaeda-kun. If you wanted to spend a little time with me alone, all you had to do was ask." Hanamura smiles at him, and Komaeda leans back, slightly repulsed.
"Um... no. No thanks. No." Komaeda shakes his head, glancing around for a way out of the situation he was just put in. The luckster finds it in Gundam, who lightly pounds a fist against the table.
"Enough, perverse one. Your deviant words are so dirty that they cloud the air with a debauched miasma thick enough to be seen by those not even existing on this plane. Cease your talking, lest I need to strike your tongue into oblivion." The animal breeder narrows his eyes at the cook, who tensely runs his fingers through his pompadour.
"A-ah... Of course Tanaka-kun..." Hanamura glances at the others before sighing.
"Um... so when should we begin?" Sonia turns towards Komaeda, leaning closer to him.
"Huh? Oh um... I don't really care. You can start whenever, I suppose. Just tell me when it's made, I'd love to taste it." The white-haired boys smiles, his eyes falling closed in an uncertain gesture, but Sonia just frowns.
"Are you implying that you are not going to help us?" Komaeda's eyes fly open, surprised.
"Um... yes? I mean, it's not like I'd be that much of a help. I'm not so good at cooking. Or anything really, but uh-"
"Enough then!" Sonia silences him by forcefully pressing a finger to his mouth. Komaeda's cheeks lightly flare red in surprise, shutting up. "I will not have any of this! You are a perfectly skilled human being! And you will come help us cook curry rice, is that clear?" The boys, shocked by Sonia's forcefulness, stare at her. Komaeda mutely nods. Sonia's frown curves up into a pleasant smile. "Good! I'm sure it will help us become closer friends, no?"
"Y-yeah..." Komaeda rubs the back of his head, still somewhat shocked. Gundam glances around. Most of the students had filtered out of the restaurant already. Only Owari remains, stuffing the last of her food into her mouth.
"Here is the plan!" Sonia gets the boys', and Owari's, attention. "Hanamura-san will prepare the kitchen while me and Komaeda-san collect invitations." She jumps out of her seat and plants her fists on her hips. "Tanaka-san! You will go with Owari-san and get curry rice ingredients from the supermarket store!" Gundam scrunches up his face, and Owari glances over at Sonia, a small sausage hanging out of her mouth.
"Eh?" The gymnast messily slurps up the piece of meat. "Why me?"
"Because you want curry rice, do you not?" Sonia purses her lips.
"Well yeah..." Owari stares down at her plate before grinning and standing up. "Okay! Let's go!" Sonia cheers and grabs Komaeda's wrist, hauling him out of the restaurant. Hanamura laughs lightly and heads into the kitchen. Gundam glances at Owari, who jumps over her table and lands a foot in front of Gundam.
"Hrk!" Gundam takes a half step back in surprise. "Watch it, lithe one." Owari just laughs at him, grabbing his scarf and yanking it. Gundam's vision clouds over angrily, and he raises a fist at her. "You fool! Have I not told you this before?! You have truly angered those beyond your mortal scope! I will destroy you!"
"Gotta catch me first, scarf boy!" Owari lets out an excited cackle, running over and sliding down the banister. Gundam sprints after her.
"Get back here!"
Gundam loosely holds Owari's collar, their noses almost touching. A scowl adorns his face, a cocky grin settles on her's. They stand in front of the Rocketpunch Market, the gymnast bent backwards as Gundam glowers over her, his fist raised up aggressively. She stays casually grinning at him, as though she knows he's not going to hit her. He's really close though. He is this close.
"You're not going to hit me. Koizumi says you don't hit girls." Owari says, words practically dripping snark.
"Perhaps I shall make an exception just for you." Gundam clenches his fist so hard that his knuckles turn white. "Maybe then you will cease your outlandish actions."
"I'd like to see you try." Owari's grin twitches, and Gundam catches the sight of her balling up her hands out of the corner of his eye. The animal breeder growls angrily. Just as he's about to let his feeling get the better of him, a scoff catches his attention.
"Feh. Does Koizumi know you're cheating on her, animal boy?" Both Gundam and Owari turn to find Kuzuryuu leaning against the wall of the supermarket, a plastic bag full of something slung over his shoulder. His lips curl up into an angry sneer. "Ah, who cares? She's probably into that stuff anyway. Not that it matters."
"You're really annoying." Owari straightens up, making Gundam lean back as well. The two of them shoot a glare at the gangster.
"Yeah, and you're really stupid. And animal boy over here is really ugly. Now that we're done mentioning the obvious things, how's about you get out of my way?" Kuzuryuu rolls his eyes at them, getting up and starting to walk away. Gundam grabs his jacket collar, yanking him back. Kuzuryuu stumbles and nearly drops his bag. "The hell are you doing?!"
"What's in the bag, obscene one?" Gundam crosses his arms, staring the gangster down. Owari mimics his pose, apparently trying to look intimidating.
"...Food." Kuzuryuu glares at them. "I'm done eating with you shit heads. I eat what I want, when I want. And you or the fatso or that stupid redheaded bitch or that dumb blonde bimbo can't stop me." Kuzuryuu finishes with a snort. Gundam feels anger bubbling in his chest, but Owari shrugs and speaks up before he can say anything.
"Makes sense." Gundam turns to her in disbelief, while Kuzuryuu snickers.
"Ha! Maybe you're not so stupid after all!" He takes a moment to consider, then laughs quietly. "Ah, who am I kidding?" The gangster stomps off, leaving Gundam and Owari alone in the parking lot.
"What are you going on agreeing with him for?! You are only encouraging him!" Gundam smacks Owari on the shoulder.
"Hey! I'm just saying that eating is important business. God." Owari hits him back, and their fight devolves into them pushing each other around until their shoves become playful and Gundam ends up laughing with her. They stroll into the supermarket, grabbing bagfuls of curry powder, vegetables, and meat; enough to feed all of the kids on the island for a few days. Assuming everyone eats at a normal pace. Gundam hefts three bags of said foods onto each arm, while Owari easily stacks three bags of rice on top of each other and grabs the entire stack.
"Let us advance. The dinner of the future depends on it!" Gundam proclaims happily, a dorky smile on his face. Owari cheers.
"Yeah! Let's go!" They jog back to the restaurant as fast as they can with the food in their arms.
"Excellent! This is perfect! Like... wow!" Sonia claps her hands like a little kid, eyes sparkling excitedly as they dart quickly between all the ingredients. Behind her stand Hanamura, Nidai, Gundam, Komaeda, Saionji, Mioda, and Tsumiki. They were all recruited to help make dinner for everyone. Togami, Kuzuryuu, and Koizumi were all unable to be found. Hinata, well, he was unavailable, and Owari said she was going for a run so she could get her appetite up. "First things first! We should eat a good lunch, so we can have lots of energy for cooking dinner, no?" She turns around, grinning excitedly at her posse.
"B-but curry rice doesn't take that long to make, r-right?" Tsumiki nervously asks. "S-so what if we're not hungry by the time we're done?..." Sonia's face falls.
"Oh dear. I didn't think of that..." Sonia taps her chin.
"Ooh, ooh, Ibuki has an idea!" Mioda waves a hand around in the air, pointing at herself with the other hand. "Maybe we should just make it! And eat it anyway!"
"Hoo boy, big sis Mioda, you sure are good at this!" Saionji laughs. "Do you mind if I put some of my left over curry rice in your empty head?"
"Sure thing, Hiyoko-chan!" Mioda grins, pulling at her ears like she's trying to pull them off. Saionji snickers, jumping onto the light music club member's back and tugging on her hair. Komaeda quickly scurries over, unlatching Saionji's grip from Mioda's hair. Gundam grabs the girl under her arms and pulls her off. Saionji shoots a pout at Gundam, who replies with a snort.
"I think Saionji-san was just joking..." Komaeda chuckles, carefully grabbing Mioda's wrists and stopping her from trying to rip her ears off.
"Eh? Gasp!" Mioda gasps, prying her hands out of Komaeda's grasp and grabbing onto her cheeks. "So Ibuki's head really isn't empty?! She knew it!"
"Hmph. It might as well be." Gundam sets down the dancer, drawing a giggle from her. Nidai rolls his eyes. Hanamura chuckles quietly.
"Okay! New plan!" Sonia waves her hand around, catching everyone's attention. "We will eat lunch, wait an hour or two, and then we will make curry rice! Are we in agreement now?" The other students glance around at each other before shrugging and mumbling their agreement.
"Ah... Sonia." Nidai catches her attention. "Me and Tanaka have an appointment to attend to before we will be able to join you in your endeavors."
"Oh. Right." Gundam crosses his arms, turning to Sonia, who cocks her head in confusion. "Me and the spirited one have planned a little spar to hone our abilities. Nothing more."
"Oh." Sonia frowns. "Okay." Nidai and Gundam glance at each other, the coach panicked and the animal breeder concerned.
"I-I-I mean, if you would rather us not, we could schedule the spar for another day!" Nidai holds his hands up pleadingly, sweat running down his face. Gundam just rolls his eyes. He walks up to Sonia, getting down on a knee in front of her, and takes one of her hands into both of his.
"Dearest Sonia, my valiant princess... It would please one such as I greatly for you to permit this activity between me and the spirited one." Gundam lays a gentle kiss on the back of Sonia's hand, who lets out a high-pitched giggle and covers her mouth with her free hand.
"Oh! Well when you put it that way..." Sonia tries to hide the gentle dusting of red on her cheeks. "I don't see how I could refuse."
"Thank you." Gundam stands up with a smile. In the background he hears Komaeda's chuckle and Saionji's scoff.
"If only I was able to kiss such a pretty girl." Hanamura sighs. Komaeda shoots him a warning glance. Tsumiki timidly raises a hand.
"Wh-what are we going to eat for lunch?" The group turns to the enormous fridge in the kitchen, humming away quietly.
"Whatever we can find, I suppose." Sonia shrugs, and they all head over to the fridge, opening it up. Gundam is surprised to see a wide variety of things to eat, from simple looking sandwiches to intricate bowls of what looks like some sort of ramen. Everybody grabs a different type of food and heads into the restaurant. Gundam notes that they all sit at the same table, happily conversing. Gundam himself sits in between Sonia and a pouting Saionji. He notices the dancer's refusal to talk to him halfway through the meal and leans down, whispering into her ear.
"What's wrong?" He raises an eyebrow, making her purse her lips and glare at him.
"You like her more than me." Saionji admits eventually, jealousy dripping from her voice. Gundam snorts.
"How can I like someone more than my favorite girl in the world?" The animal breeder smirks at Saionji sputters at him.
"Sh-shut up." Saionji crosses her arms, causing Komaeda, who's on the other side of her, to glance over at them. Gundam knows he's gotten through to her, the tone of her voice back to normal. Nidai's boisterous laugh draws everyone's attention. He raises a glass full of lemonade into the air.
"Alright alright! I propose a toast! To friendship!" He grins wildly as some of the others, namely Sonia and Komaeda, raise their drinks as well. Gundam chuckles, lifting his glass of water.
"Yes, I agree. To our future!" Gundam laughs, drawing one from Nidai, Komaeda, and Hanamura. A few of the others chuckle, and everyone else raises up their cups or forks with noodles or vegetables speared on them. The group as a whole lets out a cheer.
"To our friendship!" The cheer is sealed in their minds by the sound of tinkling glass from their Student IDs. Gundam slams back the rest of his drink, a happy smile on his face.
Gundam and Nidai stroll across the bridge to the central island, staring at the setting sun. Nidai had proposed that they spar in Jabberwock Park, which was fairly open despite the 'motive' there, and Gundam had let him choose, because he really didn't care. Gundam's hands rest in his pockets. He had given the Four Dark Gods of Destruction to Komaeda and Saionji so they wouldn't risk getting hurt.
"Gyahahaha!" Nidai bellows, eyes squeezed shut in humor. Gundam closes his eyes as well, laughing hard enough to bring a few tears to his eyes. He and Nidai had been exchanging jokes for the past ten minutes as they walked. Gundam readies another one, but something catches his attention.
"Stop for a moment. Do you hear that?" Gundam stops them, holding his arm against Nidai's chest. The coach stops laughing, glancing around with Gundam.
"...Yeah." Nidai nods. Gundam closes his eyes again, focusing on the sound. It sounds like... rapid footsteps. "Tanaka." Gundam opens his eyes, glancing at the coach. Nidai motions toward the area the sound is coming from. They both turn, and are nearly barreled into by Koizumi. The photographer shoves Gundam to the side, tromping off down the bridge. The pair turn to each other in confusion. "She came from..." They turn towards the direction Koizumi came from. Jabberwock Park. A gentle column of smoke rises from the park. Gundam and Nidai stare at each other in panic.
"I will go after the photographer. You see what that smoke is!" Gundam feels his voice rising to a yell. Nidai just nods, fear dancing in his eyes, and takes off towards Jabberwock Park. Gundam spins around and chases after Koizumi. He manages to catch up to her, only because her run had turned into a stumble. Gundam grabs her just before she topples to the ground. She spins around, and Gundam gasps in surprise. Horror and despair flash in her eyes.
"Let me go, let me go!" Koizumi desperately tries to pull herself out of Gundam's grasp. The animal breeder keeps his firm grip on her shoulders. "It wasn't me!"
"What are you talking about?" Gundam stares straight into her eyes. "Koizumi, what are you talking about?" Koizumi closes her eyes, tears forming at their edges. She shakes her head, pushing Gundam away.
"I said let me go!" Koizumi stomps on Gundam's foot. The animal breeder yelps, loosening his grip. The photographer takes the chance, pulling herself out of Gundam's grip. She sprints down the bridge to the first island. Gundam stares, dumbfounded. What... Another tromping sound catches his attention, along with a screaming. Nidai rounds the corner, screaming. He grabs Gundam's biceps and picks him up. Nidai's face is blue, scared.
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"
"Wh- Nidai!" Gundam flails around. Nidai drops him to the ground and sprints back towards Jabberwock Park. Gundam runs after him. The smoke seems thicker and more opaque. And Gundam can see why. His mind goes blank. He found himself staring at the arcade machine, untouched since the day that they played it. Untouched until now. The ugly black smoke pours from the screen, which is shattered, a gaping hole in it. The hole harbors someone's head, blood smeared on the shattered glass and dented plastic. The person's body lies slumped, supported only by the fact that their head is inside the machine. A tiny fire burns on their shirt, only adding to the column of smoke. Their body is laced with forming bruises and shallow cuts. Their toned, tan skin is marred by the brutal wounds. Akane Owari is, without a doubt, dead.
"Ding dong, ding dong! A body has been discovered! After a short period of investigation, we will begin a 'School Trial'!" Monobears voice rings out mockingly over the monitors. Nidai wails, grabbing at his head. Gundam has trouble drawing a breath, which is when he notices something else. A black dress shoe sticking out from behind the arcade machine. Gundam grabs Nidai and hurriedly pulls the coach over towards it. Gundam's worst fears nearly come true, finding Kuzuryuu slumped against the back of the machine. Nidai screams, dropping down onto his knees. He grabs Kuzuryuu's shoulders, shaking him, grief lining his voice.
"K-Kuzuryuu!" Nidai wails. Gundam stares blankly at the gangster. His body is just as battered as Owari's, and his suit is laced with rips and tears. One of his hands is bleeding a lot. Relief floods through Gundam as Kuzuryuu coughs, blood splattering Nidai's shirt. "Oh thank god!" Nidai gasps as Kuzuryuu continues to cough, the rattles from his chest sounding painful.
"Let... go of me..." Kuzuryuu manages, blood running down the side of his mouth. "We've got bigger damn problems." The gangster's eyes cloud over in pain and slip shut.
"O-oh my god!" Nidai picks up Kuzuryuu, cradling him carefully. Gundam nods mutely, and they take off for the first island and Tsumiki, Kuzuryuu's life hanging by a thread.