Note on our friend Kamukura: Don't worry. We'll be seeing him soon enough. There is something that a certain dead character did in the game's Chapter 3 that needs doing. Just be ready to see a bit more of him in the coming chapters.
"Attention students, attention! This is the Hope's Peak Field Trip Committee! It is now ten pm. Let your minds rest to the soothing sound of the ocean. Sweet dreams, they might be your last! Upupu..." Gundam glances up at the monitor in the room, cold glass clenched in his hand. The animal breeder stands in the kitchen of the restaurant, getting a drink of water. After he had spent the time with Hanamura, Sonia, and Koizumi, washing their clothes, he had headed back to the hotel. By then, it was already dark and he had developed a pounding headache. Figuring having some water would help, Gundam headed to the kitchen to get himself a quick drink would help.
"Feh..." Gundam sighs, drinking the last of the water in his glass. It helps to calm his itchy, sore throat for a little while. The door to the restaurant swings open, and Hanamura stares at Gundam in surprise.
"Oh! Tanaka-kun. Fancy meeting you here." The cook smiles, walking to one of the cabinets and pulling a glass of his own out. Gundam's eyes follow the cook carefully. "This sure is a surprise, although not unwelcome. Just think of the things we could get away with." He snickers quietly, making Gundam roll his eyes.
"Yes. It is, of course, that these scenarios will only happen within the dark recesses of the meat lump you call a brain." Gundam gets up and walks over to the sink, filling up his glass. Hanamura chuckles.
"Of course, of course. But if you ever change your mind, there's a boy right here that can... satisfy your needs." Hanamura smiles widely, filling his own glass up after Gundam.
"Good night Hanamura." Gundam says curtly, ending the conversation. "Do not approach my cottage tonight. Or ever again, lest you come to regret it."
"A-ah... of course." Hanamura takes a swig of his drink, and Gundam uses the chance to leave, his head buzzing angrily at him along the way. The animal breeder stalks through the darkness that settled over the island not five minutes ago, taking a sip of his water along the way. His mind wanders, coming to the motive Monobear 'mentioned' in his spiel during breakfast. They had searched the third island, but hadn't found anything that could remotely be considered a motive. Besides that horrid movie. With an annoyed sigh, Gundam lightly shoulders his door open and marches into his cottage. The Four Dark Gods of Destruction exit their home in his scarf and scamper up to their position on the bookshelf. Gundam finds himself chuckling, which eases the soreness in his throat. He shakes his head, snickers still bubbling from his throat, and downs the rest of his water in one long chug. Gundam carelessly clanks the glass onto his desk and sheds his clothes, going to sleep.
"..." Gundam, despite having his eyes already shut, clenches them tighter. Something warm puffs gently against his face, and something weighs down his chest. "... un... an..." Gundam tilts his head to the side, shying away from the warm air. It sounds like... words? He listens a bit closer, the restriction on his chest shifting slightly. "Gund... chan..." Gundam raises an eyebrow, sleep finally leaving his brain, turning his head and opening his eyes just as the person on his chest screeches into his face. "GUNDAM-CHAN!"
"Augh!" Gundam bolts upright, yelling in confusion at the musician he has just thrown off of his chest.
"Aaaaaaaaaah! Aaaaaaaah!" Mioda screams into his face, covering her face with her arms.
"Aaaaaaaaugh!" Gundam scoots back, slightly scared and very bewildered, and ends up falling off the bed.
"Aaaaaaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah!" Mioda looks over the edge of the bed at him, still screaming. They scream for a few more moments before Gundam collapses into a fit of coughs, his throat burning from the effort of holding the scream for so long.
"Mioda!" Gundam jumps to his feet, blanket draped precariously over one of his shoulders. "I demand to know your reason for breaking into the sanctuary of the Ascendant Ruler of Ice and the resting place of the Four Dark Gods of Destruction!" Gundam's hand shoots forward, grabbing Mioda's collar and pulling her face towards his. "And stop screaming!"
"Oh goodness..." Mioda takes a deep breath that makes her chest heave. "Gundam-chan, you scared Ibuki." She places a hand to her chest, smiling up at Gundam.
"I scared you?" Gundam glares down at the girl.
"Yeah! Why do you think Ibuki was screaming?" Mioda cocks her head curiously at him.
"..." Gundam stares her down for a couple of seconds before letting her go and crossing his arms, a quiet chuckle bubbling up. He quickly pushes it away. "Enough. Why have you broken into here? How did you get past the impenetrable seal that bound this place to its ethereal resting place?"
"Oh, Ibuki picked the lock." She smiles innocently at the animal breeder, who turns to stare in horror at the front door swinging lightly in the gentle breeze. "But that's not important. Ibuki needs you for a very very very special mission! Meet Ibuki at the Titty Typhoon after breakfast, m'kay?" She stares excitedly at him.
"You picked my lock." Gundam states simply, trying to intimidate her into some confirmation.
"Great! Thanks Gundam-chan!" Mioda tackles him happily. Gundam spins awkwardly, nearly dropping her. Unfortunately, he has to sacrifice his blanket in the process, the garment fluttering to the floor after Mioda's foot knocks it loose. Mioda hops down from his chest, and Gundam finds her staring. His jaw clenches in embarrassment and his face goes red in anger.
"Out!" He spins her around, and pushes her shoulders, making her stumble out of his cottage.
"After breakfast!" She calls out to him just before he slams the door. Gundam presses a palm to his forehead and groans angrily.
"That girl..." Gundam shakes his head and slowly gets dressed, stopping once to get a drink of water from his sink. With his clothes on and his companions in his scarf, Gundam stomps toward the restaurant, blood still boiling slightly. He ignores a slightly flustered Koizumi and Saionji, stomps past a confused Nidai, and brushes off talking to Togami when he reaches the restaurant. His throat tickles at him, and he really just needs a drink of water. The imposter glares at him, but he ignores it and goes to get a glass of water. He downs it in a few seconds, letting out a satisfied chuckle afterward.
"Tanaka! What's the matter with you?" Togami storms into the kitchen, staring the animal breeder down.
"...My throat." He says simply, folding his arms and mirroring the imposter's expression.
"..." Togami narrows his eyes before snorting and turning away. "Whatever." He marches out of the room, leaving Gundam alone. The animal breeder fills his glass again and pours the entirety of it down his throat, sighing in satisfaction as the last drop plops into his mouth. He plods out into the restaurant, taking his seat next to Sonia. Komaeda looks him over.
"You okay, Tanaka-kun? You look a bit pale... er than normal." Komaeda shoots him a joking look. Sonia snickers.
"I assure you, I am in perfect condition." Gundam laughs, the sound stopping the itching in his throat for a moment. "In fact, this is the best I have felt in a millennium!" He laughs again, making Sonia laugh with him. She scratches at her forearms. Komaeda looks at her in concern, then back at the still laughing Gundam.
"Uh huh..." The luckster adopts a skeptical look. Gundam cuts his laughter off, clearing his throat and evens out his mouth. The end still twitches up.
"Right." Gundam manages to control himself, glancing over at Sonia. The princess continues to scratch at her forearms.
"And you, Sonia-san. Are you alright? You look a little itchy there." Komaeda asks, looking at Sonia in concern.
"Obviously! If I felt bad, I would tell you, no?!" Sonia bursts out, jabbing a finger at Komaeda. Togami and Midoa, the light music club member stopping her rant about something, both glance over at Sonia. Komaeda jumps back, nearly falling off of his seat.
"Ah! Sorry!" Komaeda hides behind his droopy sleeves, arms coming up to cover his face. Sonia just laughs.
"Komaeda-san, what are you doing?" She giggles, making Gundam snicker. The animal breeder tries to stop himself from laughing too much.
"Eh?" Komaeda peers out from behind his arms, staring curiously at Sonia. "Nothing..." By then, a few of the others had filtered it, the only one not present being Hinata. They all sit at the same table again. Togami looks over those present, grunts, and starts to head down the stairs.
"I'm going to get Hinata. He needs to stop being absent." The imposter turns back to look at the group. "If there is a dead person when I get back I swear to god." Togami turns away and stomps down the stairs. Gundam laughs.
"A murder? Hah! Haha! Hahahaha!" He collapses into a fit of laughter, clutching at his stomach. The Four Dark Gods of Destruction pop out of his scarf, two darting into Komaeda's hood and the other two dashing into Saionji's sleeves. Saionji reels in surprise, while Komaeda just raises a nervous eyebrow. Sonia snickers evilly.
"U-Uhm... T-Tanaka-san? Sonia-san? A-are you two... alright?" Tsumiki stutters out.
"I've never felt better!" Sonia yells at Tsumiki. "Are you implying I should be feeling worse?"
"N-No! I'm sorry!" Tsumiki cowers.
"Ey, what's wrong with you?" Saionji glares at Sonia. "Only I can yell at her like that."
"Maybe... We should just leave her alone..." Koizumi chimes in quietly, shoulders drooped. "She looks like she's in command..." The photographer scratches at her cheeks.
"Eh?! Big sis Koizumi?! Why would you say something like that?" Saionji stares at Koizumi in confusion, making her just shrug weakly.
"I feel well!" Hanamura proclaims happily, looking flushed. "Don't check my temperature!"
"Uh..." Nidai glances at the cook in confusion. "Okay?"
"Alright!" Hanamura flashes Nidai a thumbs-up. Nidai just scoots away from him a little bit.
"Alright." Togami stomps back up the stairs, Hinata right behind him. He glances at the table, and everybody there staring awkwardly at everybody else. "...What the heck is going on here."
"Nothing." Sonia shoots him a look that makes him step back in surprise. Togami quickly makes up for it by taking three steps forward.
"Fine. Then that means we can get down to business." Togami keeps an eye on Sonia, but addresses the group as whole. "So. Let's talk about discoveries on the third island yesterday."
"Music club, music club, Ibuki found a music club~" Mioda cheers, standing up and doing some sort of dance that makes Gundam laugh again. He clears his throat, mumbling an apology, face creasing into a frown he seems to have trouble holding.
"There was a... mall of sorts. It had a lot of electronics. Including video games." Nidai mentions. They fall into a solemn silence broken by a snicker from Gundam. The animal breeder clears his throat.
"Erm... Sorry." He sheepishly apologizes.
"You're not going to scold him?" Gundam catches Saionji whispering to Koizumi.
"...I guess..." Koizumi sighs unhappily. Saionji's stares at her friend in confusion. "Tanaka... stop laughing..." Gundam glances at her before chuckling. Koizumi just sighs and slumps her shoulders. Saionji clenches up her face in slight horror.
"I f-found a hospital!" Tsumiki happily notes. "B-But I guess the rest of you guys already knew that..." She sniffles and wipes at her eyes.
"There was also a motel and a movie theater as well." Komaeda says.
"Ah! Ibuki knows! Byakuya-chan wanted to talk about the movie didn't he?" Mioda laughs, drawing a quiet laugh from Gundam. "Wooooo! That movie was so bad! It hit Ibuki right in the feels! Not in the good way either!" Mioda tilts her head back and howls.
"That's music to my ears!" Hanamura calls out.
"...No. It's not the movie." Togami sighs. "I'm talking about a certain computer in the electronics district. Who's been there?" Nidai, Komaeda, and a reluctant Koizumi raise their hands. So does Hanamura, but Gundam really doubts that for some reason.
"Are you talking about the corrupted word document on that one laptop?" Komaeda grips his chin in thought.
"Yes." Togami nods. "Why don't you recap it for us, Komaeda?" The imposter crosses his arms.
"...Okay." Komaeda shrugs. He closes his eyes, and a look of discontent flashes across his face. "It talked about... The Worst, Most Despair Inducing Incident in the History of Mankind." Gundam tenses up, a laugh dying in his throat. Saionji reacts similarly, clutching tighter onto Koizumi's hand. The photographer hesitantly squeezes back. "It talked about how the student body was unhappy with the way that they felt the staff were treating them. So they... revolted. The rest of the document was too corrupted to read. I think it mentioned something about surviving students."
Togami nods. "That's right. And I think it is very possible that we are those surviving students."
"Eh? Byakuya-chan thinks that? Whyyyy?" Mioda leans forward, elbows on the table.
"Because. Monobear has claimed to have taken away our memories. Suppose we really did go to Hope's Peak and our memories were taken away. If what this file said was true, then I think that it's likely that we were moved here for our safety, to protect us from whatever was going on at the school." Gundam stays silent. If they knew the real reason they were here... would any of them believe it? He doubts it. "Anyway, I just wanted to make sure everybody was on the same page. You're all dismissed." Togami finishes with a huff. Mioda springs up from her seat, grabbing Gundam's collar. He stumbles to his feet, but has to walk backwards due to her grip.
"C'mon, Gundam-chan!" She tugs him along, nearly sending them both tumbling down the stairs as a result.
"Mioda! Cease your insolence! Release me!" Gundam flails around, trying to get a grip on the light music club member's hand so he can pry it off.
"Hush, Gundam-chan! Hiyoko-chan is coming in a bit!" Mioda picks up speed the moment they leave the hotel, practically flying towards the third island. Gundam can only half-run, half-slump in her grip. Mioda drags him all the way to the music club on the third island. As she fumbles to get the door open, Gundam grunts angrily, staring up at the music club sign.
"What in the devil is a 'Titty Typhoon' anyway?" He grumbles. That weird, laughing feeling he had earlier isn't as strong as it was before. Maybe it's just... pollen or something. Gundam doesn't know anything about allergies. Maybe it's allergies. The light music club member just snickers at him, finally throwing the doors to the music club open with a dramatic flourish.
"Tadaaaaa!" Mioda shouts, throwing out her arms.
"I have visited this pathetic realm before. Tis not a surprise." Gundam chuckles.
"Aww... always ruining Ibuki's fun. Spoil sport..." Mioda slumps forward, going limp in her upper half. She hangs that way for a minute before springing up and getting into Gundam's face. "Anyway! We've got more important things to do!"
"...Do we?" Gundam pries the girl off of him. He pushes down a chuckle. "Such as what?"
"Here!" Mioda dashes over to the stage, grabbing something off of it, and running back to the animal breeder. She shoves it into his hands roughly, and Gundam grunts as the cold object settles into his palm. He glances down at it. It's... a bar of some sort of metal, bent into a triangle. Mioda grins, slapping a little metal bar into his other hand.
"...What is this?" Gundam picks up the triangular metal thing by the strap it has and holds the bar by the plastic grip. "Is this some sort of... demon summoning device?..."
"It's a triangle!" Mioda squeals into his face.
"..." Gundam looks at her like she's stupid. "I am aware of that. But what is it?"
"Pfft!" Mioda snorts and giggles at the same time, a strange sound that sounds like she's choking. "No, Gundam-chan! That's the name of the instrument! It's a triangle!"
"Oh." Gundam stares down at the 'instrument'. "...I knew that. I was testing your knowledge on mortal topics. Heh." Gundam crosses his arms, chuckling, the action soothing his sore throat slightly. "You have passed. You elude my death-bringing grip. For now."
"Hooray!" Mioda cheers. "Alright, let's play!"
"Play?" Gundam looks at her in confusion.
"Yeah! You're in Ibuki's band now! For the secret event tonight! Ibuki, Hiyoko-chan and Nekomaru-chan planned the whoooooole thing out! Do you think Byakuya-chan will like it?!" Mioda throws all of this out at him, the words slamming into him. Gundam is, for all intents and purposes, hopelessly confused.
"Saionji? And Nidai? What in the spirited one doing?" Gundam raises a curious eyebrow.
"Nah, ah ah! Secrets secrets!" Mioda waggles her finger at Gundam. They both turn as the doors fly open, and Saionji marches in, Koizumi in tow. Gundam instantly feels a laugh rising in his throat. Koizumi seems to droop slightly when she enters the building.
"Big sis Mioda! We're here! Ready to start?" Saionji scampers up to Mioda, who grabs a guitar off of the stage and slings the strap over her shoulder. She pumps a fist in the air and catcalls.
"You bet! You ready Gundam-chan! Just play as best you can!" Mioda drags Gundam up onto the stage with her. Saionji reaches into her kimono, pulling out two paper fans. The dancer grins at Gundam and Mioda. The light music club member jams the cord running from her guitar into an amp, which starts emitting a low hum. Gundam winces slightly, triangle still held in his grasp. Mioda grabs a microphone, which is plugged into the same amp, and strums her guitar. It lets out a calm whine, the chord echoing through the music club. Saionji unfurls her fans with a flick of her hands, mischievous smile on her face. Koizumi, a gentle smile coming onto her face, hefts her camera. Gundam just awkwardly holds the triangle. Mioda grabs the stand supporting the microphone, pulling it towards her.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Her voice booms out from the amp, rattling through the air. "WHO IS READY FOR THE FIRST PRACTICE, THE BEGINNING, THE START OF THE GREATEST BAND EVER TO GRACE JABBERWOCK ISLAAAAAAAAND?!" Koizumi raises her hand, Saionji raises her hands, and Gundam, well, he raises his shoulders in a shrug. "LEEEEEET'S GOOOOOOOO!" Mioda immediately lets a savage chord rip on her guitar, grinning manically. It smashes through the air, crackling against Gundam's ears. Saionji flourishes her fans, spinning on the tips of her toes. Gundam lightly taps his triangle, and it lets out a quiet 'ting'. Mioda grabs the microphone stand again, leaning forward and screaming into it. "LOUDER GUNDAM-CHAN! LOUUUDER! ROCK IBUKI'S WOOOOOORLD!" She begins playing some sort of arcane tune, the fierce sounds cutting through the air at a ridiculous amount of decibels, Gundam imagines. Saionji begins elegantly prancing around, spinning and twirling and leaping. Gundam shrugs and begins slamming a tune out onto the poor triangle, the sound ringing in his ears. Mioda's screams rip jagged holes in the air. "THAT'S IIIIIIIT! PLAY IT GUNDAM-CHAN!"
"La la la laaaa~" Saionji sings as she dances, her child-like voice contrasting beautifully with Mioda's aggressive screams and Gundam's haphazard tinging. A flash catches his attention, and Gundam glances up to see Koizumi snapping pictures. He also spots Hinata, casually leaning against the closed doors of the music club, a miniscule smile gracing his face. Gundam grins back at him and goes back to playing. Gundam plays until his arms are sore, and then some. Eventually Mioda jumps into the air, landing on her knees and letting out a surprisingly musical screech from both her mouth and her guitar. She stops, and Gundam takes the chance to relax, arms slumping, and Saionji stops her dancing as well. Koizumi turns around, surprised to find Hinata standing there. Mioda grabs Gundam's shoulder, distracting him, and tries to say something to him. He can't hear her, his ears ringing like someone had fired a gun next to his ear (and he bloody well knows what that is like all too well). Mioda cocks her head curiously, then laughs and turns to say something to Saionji. His ears slowly stop ringing, and he eventually manages to gain his hearing back. Mioda notices, and turns to him with a ridiculously dopey grin on her face.
"Nice job Gundam-chan! Now Ibuki has a job for you." Mioda grabs his shoulders. "Go help Nekomaru-chan! He should be at the beach house!" Gundam raises an eyebrow, confused, but Mioda just shoos him on. With a sigh, Gundam hands the triangle to Mioda and hops off of the stage. He marches towards the door, and when he passes Koizumi and Hinata, the photographer seems to wilt away from him. It causes a laugh to bubble up from his throat. He strolls out of Titty Typhoon, hands in his pockets, ignoring the fact that he doesn't want to stop laughing.
"...And now we just need to make sure it's stable enough." Nidai climbs up onto the makeshift stage in front of the beach house, sand falling from his sandals with each step. Gundam stands off to the side, eyebrow raised. Nidai begins jumping on it, the board under him creaking but staying strong. He grins, then turns to the animal breeder. "Tanaka, get over here. Help me out." Gundam rolls his eyes, but heads over to the plywood stage anyway. As he climbs up onto it, he snorts.
"I cannot believe you managed to construct the entirety of this in just this single solar cycle..." Gundam remarks, jumping along with Nidai. The coach just laughs.
"Haha! Me neither! Although you did help quite a bit!" They test it out for a few more minutes before determining that it would indeed hold what it needed to. "Alright. Now all we have to do is grab some amps, some cords, and the music stuff from the Titty Typhoon and we'll be golden. Plus a few things from Rocketpunch." Nidai grins at Gundam, making the animal breeder grin back. As they walk past the beach house and towards the third island, the coach turns to Gundam inquisitively. "What is a 'Titty Typhoon' anyway?"
"Some... American thing I believe." Gundam shrugs. "Something to do with females and storms? I am unsure."
"Ah... I was never any good at English, to be honest." Nidai nods, and the two walk the rest of the way to the third island in silence, save for a few chuckles from Gundam.
"You're back!" Mioda bounces happily as Nidai and Gundam come back into the Titty Typhoon. Saionji and Koizumi are no longer there, but Hinata hangs out on the stage, sitting on the edge and kicking his feet.
"Yup! Stage's up!" Nidai throws back his head and bellows out a laugh. Gundam and Mioda laugh with him.
"Yay yay yay!" Mioda jumps at Nidai, latching onto his neck and swinging around. Nidai just laughs again. "Ibuki sent Hiyoko-chan and Mahiru-chan to the super-duper market for the rest of the festivities!" Mioda scrambles onto Nidai's shoulders. The coach looks up and shoots her a toothy grin.
"Awesome! Let's grab the stuff and get to the beach!" Nidai pulls the light music club member off of his shoulders and waltzes over to the stage, where two amps, a guitar, and a bunch of disassembled pieces sit. Gundam shares a glance with Hinata.
"What is this?" The animal breeder looks the parts over.
"A drum set." Hinata replies, picking at his nails.
"Ibuki upgraded you~" Mioda says from behind Gundam, grabbing his shoulders. "No more triangle for Gundam-chan!"
"...I don't know how to play the drums." Gundam looks at Mioda like she's stupid. Said girl just giggles at him.
"Don't be silly! Anyone can play the drums!" Mioda snickers, gathering a few of the smaller drums, some of the bars, and a cymbal in her arms. Nidai easily hefts both of the amps up, one on each arm. Hinata grabs two of the bigger drums. Gundam, grumbling angrily, grabs the rest of the drum set and a pile of extension cords that were near them. Mioda cheers and hobbles towards the door. "Let's go! The day ain't waiting for itself! Or something!" Gundam rolls his eyes, but follows the light music club member anyways.
"I am not putting this on." Gundam holds the baby blue yukata at arm's length. He and Mioda stand on the makeshift stage, which sits about twenty feet away from the beach house, facing it. Extension cords run from the set up amps through the door, cracked open just enough so that they can run in. Everything is set up, aside from something Hinata and Nidai fiddle with further down the beach.
"Oh please please please please! Gundam-chan please! For Ibuki, please please!" Mioda latches onto his arm, dressed in her own pink yukata. "It's important to Ibukiiiiiiii!" She tilts her head back and wails. "Do you want Ibuki to cry?! Do you?!"
"Oh please." Gundam snorts and shakes the girl off of him. She glares at him in the way that a kid would, then starts crying. Gundam's face scrunches up in confusion, and he takes a step back. Hinata and Nidai turn to stare at the two. Mioda continues to screech before Gundam jams his palm into his forehead and groans loudly. "Fine! Fine! I'll wear the yukata! Stop summoning the demons from below! Stop!" Mioda instantly brightens up, wiping away a probably fake tear.
"Thanks Gundam-chan! Thank you~" She skips away into the beach house. Gundam hears a snicker from behind him, and turns to glare at the other two boys. They quickly turn away, going back to doing whatever they were doing. Gundam clenches the yukata angrily and stomps toward the central island and the hotel. His anger bubbles in his lower stomach as he walks, slowly converting into a laugh. He laughs, and the rage drains away. Gundam sighs happily, laughs coming up occasionally, and reaches his cottage within a few minutes. He shoulders the door open and steps in. As he sheds his clothes, sans scarf, Gundam narrows his eyes. The air in his cottage... looks hazy. He supposes it's just the dust catching the light from the window. Stuffing his arms hastily into his yukata, Gundam pulls the thing closed and ties it shut. He glances at the window, admiring his slight reflection in it, and nods in satisfaction. He throws his door open, stomping back towards the beach house. On his way, he runs into Komaeda and Togami talking by the pool. They too, are wearing yukatas, the same baby blue as his, and Gundam cocks an eyebrow in confusion. They hear his footsteps and turn to him. Komaeda smiles.
"Ah, Tanaka-kun. Hello. Me and Togami-kun were just... talking about something." Komaeda says. Gundam narrows his eyes. Komaeda sounds... guilty?
"Yes, that's right." Togami looks Gundam up and down, scrutinizing him for some reason. Gundam brings his arms up defensively. "We were just... talking. About this unauthorized 'party' Mioda and Nidai planned." Togami crosses his arms, the yukata sleeves bunching up against his biceps.
"Aha... That's it..." Komaeda scratches the back of his head. "Yeah... It's really cool."
"Uh huh..." Gundam stares the two down suspiciously. Just as it looks like Komaeda is going to crack, the luckster wringing his hands and playing with his hair, Togami steps slightly in front of him.
"Saionji was looking for you, Tanaka. Get going. She wanted you at the beach house." Togami motions in the direction of the beach house with his head.
"...Very well." Gundam clenches his jaw, shooting the two one last skeptical look at them. "...But be warned mortals... my omnipotent eyes see past all lies. You best reveal any plights you may be harboring before I vaporize your souls withing the pitiful husks you deem 'bodies'." Gundam raises his brow threateningly. Togami just rolls his eyes.
"Get going Tanaka." Gundam glares and gets going.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Byakuya-chans and Hiyoko-chans! Are you reeeeeeaaaaady to ruuuuuuumble?!" Mioda stands on the stage, foot planted on one of the amps. Gundam covers his eyes as her yukata rides up. Saionji, still in her kimono, rolls her eyes and trots over, fixing Mioda's yukata. Mioda looks at the dancer questioningly before continuing. "Who's ready for a rockin' show from the new, the great, the amaaaaazing... JABBERWOCKERS?!" A few groans resound from the crowd at Mioda's rather lame pun. The light music club member ignores them, strumming a light tune on her guitar. Everybody is dressed for the occasion in yukatas, except for Hinata, Gundam notes. Speaking of Hinata, Gundam watches as he and Nidai trot off, sneaking off to the side. He raises an eyebrow and twirls the drumsticks in his hands. As they couldn't find a drummer's seat and Mioda insisted that he couldn't sit on a chair, Gundam finds himself standing to play the drums. It's rather awkward.
"Anyway!" Mioda clears her throat into the mike, voice booming through the amps. "Ibuki will now play a song she wrote all by herself. She calls it 'Love a Few Blocks Down'!" Gundam raises an eyebrow. They're playing an actual song? Without rehearsing? Mioda jumps right into it, motioning for him to match her beat. She starts out slow, plucking out a few, dark chords. Gundam responds with a few thumps that shake the air as they leap out of the amps. Saionji twirls around, a serene smile on her face. That's when there's a muffled 'thud' and the sound of something whistling through the air. Gundam stops beating, looking up into the sky along with the small crowd in front of the stage. Suddenly, the air explodes with a flash of white, then green and red. In the same moment, Mioda lets loose a demonic scream that makes Gundam regret ever being okay with having an amp near him. A few of the kids in the crowd stare in abject horror, others covering their ears. Fireworks, Gundam realizes. He subconsciously begins slamming a beat onto the drums, a laugh coming from him. Mioda's music gets slower and, was it possible?, scarier. The strongest part was by far her voice, which snakes into Gundam's ears and straight into his brain. She starts playing faster, and Gundam moves faster to keep up. Every couple of seconds, a firework is launched into the air, exploding into showers of sparks and colors. Mioda's voice cuts through the chaos, clear as crystal.
"They said love would be right around the corner.
Nobody ever thought to warn her.
Of the horror that would reach this poor girl's mind,
Strong enough to make the brightest eyes blind.
My love was a few blocks doooooooown...
He was known through the town as a heart breaker,
But only I knew he was the biggest faker.
He could not take the intensity of my flaaaaame
No longer would he treat it as a gaaaaaame...
My love was just a few blocks doooooown...
It's you I've set my sights on next,
Please try not to be too perplexed
When you find the symbols of my affection
Becoming yet a-noth-er infection
That creeps through your ears, into your brain
Into the center, which it will stain
With the arcane script reading of my emotion
Deeper and deadlier than the ocean
My love is just a few blocks down,
My love is only a few. Blocks. Doooooooooooown!"
Mioda plays a final riff that cuts up what's left of Gundam's thoughts into tiny, bite-sized pieces. She ends with a joyful howl that pierces through the now silent night air. She waves at the kids on the sand, standing stunned.
"Thank you! Thank you! Ibuki's next song will be a little number she calls 'I Had Fun Giving Birth, But Don't Know Who The Father Is!" Mioda waves at the crowd, hand moving from the mike to her guitar.
"AAAAAAAAUGH! THAT WASN'T EVEN SCARY!" Hanamura screams out, interrupting the musician, who glances at him in genuine confusion. The cook cowers behind his arms.
"A-Are we being cursed?!" Sonia cries out, then clenches her fist. "Do not curse me! I demand you not!"
"Can we really stop someone from cursing us though?..." Koizumi asks, shoulders drooping.
"..." Togami just stares at the three in suspicion.
"I-I'm scared!" Tsumiki wails. Gundam glances over at Mioda, surprised to see hurt seeping into the frown on her face. They both turn as Saionji cheers, then runs over and jumps onto Mioda.
"I loved it, big sis Mioda! Play another!" The dancer nuzzles Mioda's cheek, making the light music club member instantly brighten up. Her mood is further improved by Nidai and Hinata coming out from behind the stage, dust on their shoulders and in their hair.
"Gyahahaha! The fireworks were a complete success!" Nidai folds his arms and throws back his head with a laugh. "Although it wasn't easy to hear your song with all the explosions! Perhaps you should play another!" Hinata nods in agreement.
"Okay then!" Mioda pries Saionji off of her and grins. "Who's ready for round two?!" She turns to the crowd, eyes sparkling when she spots Togami giving her a thumbs up.
Gundam plods back to his cottage, the stars in the sky sparkling in the black void of the night sky. The concert had continued with a few more 'milder' songs from Mioda. They had fetched some food from the Rocketpunch Market and had what was sort of a picnic. Then Nidai and Hinata fired off the rest of the fireworks. All in all, he would have to say it was a rather pleasant evening, bringing them all closer together. Gundam laughs. It soothes his throat. He didn't realize how much it had hurt. As he enters the small building, he keeps laughing. And laughing and laughing and laughing. He laughs as he smooths out his yukata, laughs as he goes into the bathroom to get a drink of water, and laughs as he coughs the water back up from laughing so much.
As he flops down onto his bed, Gundam can feel something... in his throat. He laughs as it tickles the inside of his throat. He rolls over onto his side, staring up and out of the window at the dark night sky. Suddenly, there's a hitch in his chest and he begins coughing. And as he coughs, the thing in his throat comes out. It's... leafy. Like a plant. The thought draws a snicker from him. A snicker that slowly turns into full-blown laughter, laughter that shakes his shoulders and makes his stomach hurts. He doubles over, curling up into a ball on his bed. He needs...
"Water..." Gundam manages between roars of laughter. The animal breeder pulls himself to his feet. The moment he does, he nearly falls down. He feels sick, sweaty, and faint. He feels like he might die. And that thought spurs on his laughter. Yeah. He'll keep laughing... until he dies... Gundam stumbles out of his cottage and towards the restaurant. When he reaches the pool, he catches sight of a shape entering the hotel. One arm wrapped around his stomach and his other hand pressed to his forehead, laughter tearing his throat ragged, Gundam limps into the hotel.