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“Are you s-sure it’s safe in here?” Mikan asked tremulously, staring in horror through the windows as the violent wind practically bent the palm trees in half.
“Future Foundation reinforced this building with every hurricane-proof modification available,” Imposter said, raising his voice to address the whole crowd. “It’ll be safer here than anywhere else on the island. We have food and supplies for several days. We’ll be fine as long as nobody panics.”
Kazuichi would’ve laughed if he wasn’t so miserable. Don’t panic?! How could they not panic? He never thought he’d miss that terrible simulation, but he wished now for the constant artificial sunny weather.
Kazuichi had never seen a storm like this before. The wind sounded like a jet engine, so powerful it kept blowing debris against the windows with startling thuds. The rain fell in sheets and thunder boomed so frequently it was difficult to have a conversation. The power had long since gone out in the main dining building and it was already very dark, though it was only early evening. Sonia was placing candles in every corner, seemingly unaffected by the terrible noise. Every few minutes a flash of lightning would illuminate everything in the room, making her blonde hair glow gold. Kazuichi was sure he’d have been struck by her beauty in ordinary circumstances - he’d apologised to Sonia and had actually avoided her as much as possible over the past few weeks because he felt so nervous and guilty about the way he’d acted during the simulation, but nobody could deny that she was pretty. But he was far too busy fighting off a heart attack at that moment to care about how anybody looked.
Another crash of thunder rang out. Kazuichi whimpered and grabbed hold of Hajime, a shudder running right through him.
“Kazuichi! That’s the third time you’ve latched onto me in the last ten minutes,” Hajime grumbled, trying to shake Kazuichi’s hands off his arm. “Ouch, your fingernails are digging in! For God’s sake, we’re safe in here, Imposter said. You don’t have to cling to me every time you hear thunder.”
“It’s loud!” Kazuichi declared tearfully.
“Kaz, you work with power tools every single day. They’re loud.”
“That’s different, Hajime. I know when they’re going to be loud. I know how to use them all. I feel safe with them. This does not feel safe and I don’t know when the loud noises are going to come,” Kazuichi wailed.
“Look, try to think about something else,” Hajime sighed.
“Well, that’s pretty stupid advice,” Kazuichi muttered, but he helped Hajime roll out the sleeping bags on the floor. Kazuichi made sure to place his directly beside Hajime’s, so close they were practically overlapping.
“How about you just get in my bag with me?” Hajime joked tartly - then he saw Kazuichi looking hopeful. “I was kidding…”
“Oh… Yeah, I knew that,” Kazuichi muttered, trying not to sound too disappointed. There was another boom of thunder, somehow even louder. Kazuichi yelped and grabbed onto Hajime again. “I hate this!”
“You keep saying,” Hajime grumbled, but he let Kazuichi cling this time. “If you’re going to be stuck to my side, at least help me with the other sleeping bags. Roll out Nagito’s.”
“Where? Not… right next to you?”
“Yeah? Where else?”
“Hajime!”
“What now? For God’s sake, we sleep in the same bed in the cabins,” Hajime said irritably.
“It’s not that! It’s Nagito! If he sleeps here something awful will happen. We’ll get hit by lightning or something will smash through the roof and kill us or we’ll get caught in a flash flood or something!” It was becoming harder to breathe, like he was already drowning.
“Hey, calm down! It’s fine, the building is fine, we’re all going to be fine, okay?” Hajime said, exasperated. “Just stop panicking. Izuru has luck too, remember?” He took hold of Kazuichi’s shoulders and squeezed. “I know this is a freaky situation, but we’ll all be okay, I promise. Deep breaths, Kazuichi.”
“Okay…” Kazuichi mumbled, trying to do as he was told. Breathe, calm down, breathe. Yes, he just needed to stick to Hajime like glue. He didn’t protest further and helped Hajime roll out the blankets and sleeping bags, though he still whimpered at every clap of thunder.
Kazuichi had to admit, it was pretty fascinating to see his fellow students go through their usual nighttime routines out in the open like this, even in the creepy candlelight. It was pretty weird to witness a different, more vulnerable side to everybody: Fuyuhiko unravelling Peko’s braids with extraordinary care and tenderness, Hajime carefully measuring out Nagito’s medication and making sure he swallowed it all, Akane starting up a wrestling match with Nekomaru that quickly turned into a cuddling match… Never mind. They were all making Kazuichi feel depressed and single.
Imposter naturally took the lead, handing round snacks and flasks of tea and hot chocolate he’d asked Teruteru to prepare earlier, when the storm hadn’t grown strong enough to knock out the power. Kazuichi was far too nervous and scared to eat anything, but he gulped hot chocolate gratefully, slightly soothed by the sweet taste.
As far as he could tell, the only person hating this arrangement more than Kazuichi himself was Gundham. He hadn’t spoken to anybody all afternoon, not even Sonia, and he’d dragged his sleeping bag into a corner, well away from them. Kazuichi couldn’t tell if he was scared or not; he didn’t think so. He didn’t flinch when the thunder boomed and lightning flashed. He had his face half-covered with his scarf, but Kazuichi could see him cringe at every rolling crash of thunder, every wailing howl of wind.
“What’s with him?” Fuyuhiko muttered.
“Is he scared?” Kazuichi asked. Somehow it made him feel better if Gundham was terrified too. Gundham was into the occult and rituals and all that creepy stuff - he wasn’t easily frightened. Nobody could accuse Kazuichi of being a baby if Gundham was afraid too.
“It’s not that,” Hajime muttered, keeping his voice low. Gundham was glaring at them all from his corner. “He doesn’t like loud noises. He finds it hard to speak sometimes if it’s very loud.”
Sonia, Nagito, Mahiru and Imposter nodded understandingly, but everyone else looked baffled.
“What? Why?” Kazuichi asked. “We can hear each other just fine.”
“Do we need to be quiet?” Nekomaru asked in a voice that was very much not quiet. “Everyone give him a chance to speak!”
“No, that’s not what I mean… Look, just leave him alone, okay? He’ll join us if he wants to,” Hajime said, and then he quickly changed the subject. Sonia smiled at him gratefully.
Kazuichi made a mental note to ask what that was all about later on, when this awful storm was over and he could concentrate more. He peered over his shoulder, staring at Gundham. He didn’t look sick or distressed or anything. He was just sitting, staring ahead and scowling, rubbing one cheek gently against the soft fur of his hamsters. He used to do that in class trials during the simulation whenever the discussion got really tense.
It was growing darker by the minute. By the time everyone had finished eating and the wrappers and flasks had been cleared away, the sky outside was pitch black. The room was decently illuminated with torches and candles, but the flickering lights cast long shadows on the walls and in the corners. The dark outside made the thunder and howling wind seem all the more eerie. Kazuichi clutched his own torch and Hajime’s shirt, hovering on the edge of tears. He was also regretting gulping down that big flask of hot chocolate too.
Kazuichi knew there were bathrooms down the hall, way back at the end of the corridor by the staircase. He imagined creeping his way through the darkness alone, with no light but his weak torch. Ever since the simulation, he hadn’t been able to sleep without a bedside lamp shining through the night, and he made sure it was powerful enough to illuminate every corner of his room at once. He needed to make sure nobody was lurking somewhere in the shadows, waiting for him to fall asleep.
Kazuichi thought of the black corridor, of all the places potential murderers could be hiding - though the logical part of his brain told him he was being stupid. They were on a remote island in the middle of a hurricane, for God’s sake - who could possibly sneak up on them? But Kazuichi knew how convincing this panic could be, how hard it was to shake the horrible thoughts out of his head once they’d taken root in there like weeds. He couldn’t go out there. He needed to stay here in the gloomy room where it was safe, albeit frightening - or at least stick with Hajime and siphon some of Izuru’s luck.
The pressure in his lower stomach wasn’t dire, but it was uncomfortable. He drew his knees up to his chest anxiously. He didn’t think he could wait until morning.
“Hey, Hajime,” Kazuichi muttered, trying to keep his voice low.
“What now?”
“I have to pee.”
Hajime gave him a funny look. “Well. Thanks for sharing.”
“Can you… Would you take…” Kazuichi could feel his face flaming. He hoped it wasn’t visible in the gloom. “It’s dark.”
Hajime paused. Then he sighed. “Kazuichi. I’m not walking you to the bathroom. You’re a grown adult,” he said tiredly.
“But I need it!” Kazuichi whined, sounding very much like a small child.
“So go then! For God’s sake, you don’t need me there to hold your hand.”
“I need you to hold the torch,” Kazuichi tried.
“I don’t want to be shining the light anywhere near your pants, Kazuichi.”
“You don’t have to look! I’ll be quick, Hajime. You know I can’t stand the dark. Please.” He was almost begging now. Kazuichi had felt pathetic hundreds of times in his life, but this was quickly becoming one of his worst moments. Begging your friend to walk you to the toilet was not the sort of thing he’d hoped to be doing at this point in his life.
“I’m not taking you! Take your torch and go face your fear, Kazuichi,” Hajime said firmly. “Part of your problem is that you think you can’t do anything. You’ll be fine, I promise. Jesus, I can’t believe this is the kind of pep talk you need.”
Kazuichi pressed his lips together, hugging his legs to his chest. He didn’t argue - but he didn’t stand up either. Hajime rolled his eyes and turned back to Nagito.
Kazuichi’s eyes were welling up again. Why wouldn’t Hajime go with him? They were supposed to be soul bros who helped each other through anything, but Hajime was too busy fussing over his crazy boyfriend. It wasn’t fair. He’d have helped Hajime with this if their situations were reversed. He was almost tempted to remove Hajime’s status as his soul friend.
Kazuichi didn’t know what to do. Could he ask somebody else? None of the girls, obviously. Not Nagito either, Hajime would probably stop him. Kazuichi doubted Fuyuhiko would agree, and he’d definitely make fun of him. Imposter would probably have the same opinion as Hajime - and he was huddled up with Ryota anyway, who was generally pretty useless in any crisis. Nekomaru would probably take him, but he’d also blurt it out to everybody in the room. Gundham certainly wasn’t in the mood to do anybody favours.
Well. Maybe he should take Hajime’s advice? Maybe it really would be okay. He took a deep breath and clutched his torch tighter in his clammy hands, moving reluctantly to the door. He peered out into the hallway, shuddering. He held out his torch, but the weak light barely penetrated the thick black darkness. The pang in his bladder encouraged him to take several tiny steps forward, though he was shaking so hard the torchlight juddered queasily - then a roar of thunder crashed overhead. Kazuichi screamed and immediately dashed back into the dining area, running to his sleeping bag and tackling Hajime violently. Hajime sighed and patted him absent-mindedly, accustomed to this now. At least he was trying to be comforting.
Kazuichi wondered whether to tell Hajime about his failure in the hallway - but he was worried Hajime would get stern with him again and try to make him go alone. There was no way Kazuichi was going out in the dark again. He knew he couldn’t wait till morning - he was feeling rather squirmy and uncomfortable now - but he couldn’t risk Hajime refusing to go too. No, he had to make sure Hajime couldn’t argue with him.
So Kazuichi didn’t say a word. He did his best not to wriggle around too much while everyone got ready for bed and crawled into their own sleeping bags, the candles flickering on in the corners. He waited for the whispers to fade away, listened out for heavy breathing, snoring, sleepy mumbling. He needed to make sure everyone was asleep before he could risk asking Hajime again. Hajime was unlikely to make a fuss if it might wake the rest of the class. He’d undoubtedly grumble a bit - or a lot - but Kazuichi was pretty sure he’d agree to take him to the toilets this time.
It was easier said than done, waiting. Lying in his sleeping bag without anything else to focus on seemed to be making the ache in his bladder much worse. He tossed and turned restlessly, trying out several different positions, but he couldn’t find a comfortable one - and then Hajime poked him hard and told him to stop fidgeting. He curled up in a foetal position and placed his hands between his legs, his cheeks burning despite knowing he was completely covered by his sleeping bag. He felt like such a baby, quivering helplessly, every crash of thunder sending a jolt of panic through him that stabbed at his aching bladder. Fuck, he hoped everyone would hurry up and fall asleep. He couldn’t do this for much longer.
It was hard to hear over the thundering rain (that certainly wasn’t helping Kazuichi’s current situation), but eventually he thought he hadn’t heard anybody move for a while. He risked opening his eyes and squinting through the candlelight. Everybody was lying motionless in their sleeping bags - except Gundham. Sonia was curled up beside him now, seemingly fast asleep, but Gundham wasn’t even lying down. He’d taken five little candles and arranged them in a star shape, huddling over them to read his book in the flickering light. Kazuichi didn’t see why the candles needed to be in a star just to provide light, but then he rarely understood why Gundham did anything.
He couldn’t understand why Gundham didn’t go to sleep either. Kazuichi couldn’t wake Hajime with Gundham watching - maybe he could’ve swallowed his pride if anyone else had remained awake, but not Gundham. They weren’t really enemies anymore, they’d all grown much closer after the simulation, but Gundham was still… weird. He’d probably say something embarrassing about “demon beasts” also finding comfort in their pack mates during their most vulnerable moments. Kazuichi hated it when Gundham compared them all to his animals. And another thing: Gundham didn’t know how to whisper. At all. If he started talking he’d wake the whole room, and everyone would see Kazuichi wriggling and squirming like a toddler. The very thought made him shudder.
So he waited. And waited and waited. He didn’t have a watch, but it certainly felt as if several hours went by, though Kazuichi suspected it wasn’t more than thirty minutes. His legs were crossed tight in the bag now, both hands clamped desperately between his legs. He’d never needed to pee so much in his life, he was sure. It actually hurt, a terrible continuous ache in his lower stomach, paired with sharp cramps and spasms that were so painful he couldn’t help whimpering aloud. He was almost glad the storm was so loud now, though the constant water sounds were torture.
All the while, Gundham was just sitting there, turning the pages of his book like he didn’t have a care in the world. Kazuichi wanted to grab the stupid book and whack him about the head with it. Why wouldn’t he just go to sleep? Kazuichi would have to ask Hajime for help soon whether Gundham heard or not; it was either that or lie helplessly and wet his pants, and that was even more embarrassing.
He waited another ten minutes - and then, when he really was about to give in and wake Hajime, Gundham sighed softly and stood up. He stepped over Sonia carefully and walked out into the corridor, seemingly unaffected by the darkness.
Kazuichi didn’t have a clue where he was going - he didn’t care. All that mattered was that Gundham was gone. Kazuichi reached out and shook Hajime violently. “Hajime, wake up! Please, for God’s sake, wake up now.” His voice sounded terrible, shaky and desperate.
Hajime rolled over, grumbling sleepily. “Hmm..?”
“Hajime. Please, I don’t have time to explain. Come with me,” Kazuichi hissed.
“What?” Hajime scrubbed his face and squinted at Kazuichi. He didn’t look very friendly. “What’s wrong with you now?”
“Take me to the bathroom!”
“You still haven’t gone?!”
“No! I told you I couldn’t. I tried, I really did, but I couldn’t do it. It was too dark, and there was the thunder… I didn’t know who could be out there, waiting,” Kazuichi gasped, nearly in tears. He carefully tried to sit up, waves of pain shooting all the way up his stomach. “Fuck, Hajime, please, I can’t wait…”
“So go then. You didn’t have to wake me.”
Another crash of thunder made Kazuichi jump. He felt a spurt of something warm trickling down his inner-thigh and his breath caught in his throat. “Hajime, I do not have time to argue!” Kazuichi said breathlessly. “I’m about to fucking piss myself, just please, help me!”
“Oh for fuck sake!” Hajime groaned, but he clearly recognised the severity of the situation now, because he started clambering out of his sleeping bag. “You’re a pain in the ass, Kazuichi.”
“If you’d come with me before, this wouldn’t have happened!”
“If you’d taken a piss before like a normal person this wouldn’t have happened!”
“Shh!” Kazuichi glanced around the room. “Don’t wake anyone up.”
“Well, hurry up then. I thought you said you were desperate.”
“I am. It’s… it’s hard.”
“What?”
“It’s hard to move,” Kazuichi admitted. He was glad it was dark. He could feel his face burning.
“Jesus,” Hajime muttered, but he held out a hand and hauled Kazuichi to his feet.
The shift in gravity made Kazuichi gasp as another wave of pain nearly knocked him over. Hajime grabbed hold of his shoulder to stop him tumbling over, starting to look more worried than annoyed. “Are you okay?”
“I’m going to throw myself off a cliff after this, Hajime,” Kazuichi groaned miserably. “Let’s go. Please.”
Hajime nodded and dragged him into the corridor, shining his own torch ahead for them. The bright arc of light seemed to make the darkness all around them even denser, like black smoke. Kazuichi risked taking one hand out from between his legs to cling to Hajime’s arm, pressing as close as possible.
“If you pee on me, Kazuichi, I’m going to throw you out the window,” Hajime muttered, but he didn’t shove him away.
They made agonisingly slow progress down the corridor, Hajime having to feel the way for both of them in the dark. Kazuichi froze every few steps, paralysed with fear and desperation alike. His bladder throbbed to the rhythm of his rapid heartbeat, aching so fiercely that he actually started to feel nauseous. The hand between his legs felt terrifyingly damp; he was leaking every time the thunder boomed, and every time it grew harder to cut the stream off again as his tired muscles begged him to give in, to let go, to make this horrible pain stop.
Then there was another noise, louder than the thunder, loud enough to make Hajime jump and cry out too - a loud creaking, a crack, a crash. Perhaps one of the palm trees had splintered and cracked in the heavy wind, perhaps one of the buildings had sustained damage, Hajime didn’t know. But it was loud, and Kazuichi was already jangled and on edge in the dark corridor anyway. He screamed bloody murder.
“Kazuichi! Shut up, you’ll wake everyone! It’s fine, it’s just the storm,” Hajime hissed - and the scream cut off abruptly. Hajime was surprised; Kazuichi never usually calmed down so quickly. Then he was suddenly aware of another noise. A soft hissing and a pattering of liquid against the wooden floor. His eyes widened.
Hajime took several giant steps backwards. He aimed his torch in the direction of the sounds.
“Don’t shine the light on me!” Kazuichi wailed.
“Sorry,” Hajime said hurriedly, pointing his torch at the floor. “Um. Are you okay?”
“No.” Kazuichi’s voice was thick with tears.
“Yeah… Stupid question.” There was another silence, save for the embarrassingly loud hissing and pattering of liquid. Hajime couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty. Yes, Kazuichi should’ve just gone to the bathroom himself, but he couldn’t help being a bit of a wuss. Hajime knew he’d been scared of the dark even before the simulation, and now it was much worse. He couldn’t really expect him to walk down a corridor in the pitch black while a violent thunderstorm roared overhead. He wished he’d just gone to the bathroom with Kazuichi when he’d asked the first time.
The pattering was still going strong. Hajime started to feel awkward, standing there listening to his friend piss his pants. How long was it going to last? “Are you done yet?” he asked.
“Shut up!”
The sobbing increased, and Hajime didn’t dare say anything else. He waited, burning with second-hand embarrassment, until the pattering finally died away. He gestured with his torch. “Where are you? Give me your sleeve, I’ll get you to the bathroom.”
The sniffles moved closer and Hajime felt a hand on his sleeve. It was shaking so badly Hajime curled his own hand up to grip it back.
“What… the floor..?” Kazuichi mumbled.
“Just leave it for now,” Hajime said. “We’ll sort it later.” He didn’t know how they’d manage that when he wasn’t even sure where the puddle was - and he didn’t much fancy cleaning up piss anyway - but he thought sorting Kazuichi out was the priority right now.
Hajime managed to find the bathroom, blinking when he saw another beam of torchlight coming from inside. Gundham was washing his hands at one of the sinks, seemingly unaffected by the dark. It was strange to see him getting ready for sleep, with matching grey eyes and his hair flopping forward. He looked up when he saw Hajime’s light, his sharp eyes flicking quickly to Kazuichi.
Kazuichi gasped, ducking behind Hajime in horror. “Don’t let him see me!”
Hajime pulled several frantic faces at Gundham, trying to tell him that he should act like he hadn’t noticed Kazuichi’s damp pants - but Gundham had never been very good at recognising facial expressions.
“Why did you urinate on yourself?” he asked, perplexed.
“Oh shut up, you stupid freak! And if you tell anyone about this I’ll drown you in the sink!” Kazuichi cried. He was clearly trying to be threatening, but his wobbly, waterlogged voice made him sound like a toddler mid-tantrum. He dashed into one of the stalls and slammed the door hard. The sound of his sobbing filled the small bathroom, audible even over the thunder.
Gundham looked at Hajime. “What ails him? He seems to be in a state of hysteria.”
“What do you think is ailing him, Gundham?” Hajime sighed.
“Make him go away, Hajime!” Kazuichi sobbed.
Gundham paused, glaring hard at the stall door. Hajime braced himself, thinking Gundham was going to say something to make it worse, but he turned back to Hajime. “I shall retrieve unsullied garments for this unfortunate mortal. Anything to cease his terrible caterwauling.”
Gundham swept dramatically out of the room. Hajime rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help smiling too. Gundham was trying to be helpful in his own way - and it sounded like he wanted to help Kazuichi stop crying.
He was certainly crying hard now, gasping and wailing inside his stall, sounding so frantic that Hajime tried to get the door open, concerned. “Kazuichi? Look, let me in.”
“No!”
“But you sound awful. I’m worried about you. Look, I know you must be humiliated, but it’s not the end of the world. I won’t tell anyone. I doubt Gundham will either.” Hajime waited. The door didn’t open and the sobbing only seemed to increase.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine. I should’ve just gone with you when you asked.”
“Are… Hajime, please… Will you still be my friend?” Kazuichi gasped. “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, but please don’t ditch me now. I’ve never had a friend like you before.”
Hajime blinked, shocked. “What?”
“I know I’m stupid and annoying and I was being such a fucking baby. I’ll always be a wuss. Anybody else could’ve just gone to the bathroom. I’m such a moron,” Kazuichi sobbed bitterly. Hajime got the impression that these were words he’d heard far too often growing up; Kazuichi spat them out like they tasted horrible.
“Kazuichi,” Hajime said firmly. “Listen to me. Don’t say that stuff about yourself. Of course I’m still your friend, you dope. I’m not going to break friends with you just because you made a dumb decision. And I told you, it was partly my fault anyway. I should’ve gone with you. I wasn’t being a good friend. I know how scared you get in the dark.”
The sobbing had slowed considerably. Hajime sat on the bathroom floor, back against the door. He could hear Kazuichi sniffling on the other side.
“So we’re still soul friends?” he asked nervously.
“Yes, if you really want to call us that.”
“But… don’t you care? You just saw me do… that.”
“I didn’t actually see it. I wasn’t looking,” Hajime said.
“You heard it.”
“Mmn. It was… uncomfortable, yes. I’ll admit to that. But… I don’t know. It’s a weird, stressful night. Everyone is on edge. Shit happens. Or piss happens, I suppose.”
“Hajime,” Kazuichi groaned - but Hajime thought he could detect a hint of a smile in his voice now.
Then Gundham came back with clean clothes, handing them over the top of the stall to Kazuichi. “Fear not, mortal. Many creatures void their bladders or bowels to ward off potential predators,” he announced. “Your humiliation may well be considered a powerful deterrent if you learn to wield it.”
Kazuichi groaned. “No, thank you. I’d rather never, ever do something like this again for as long as I live.” He started trying to clean up, using the tiny sink in the cubicle. He wished he could have a proper shower, though he knew they’d all be feeling a bit grimy after a night on the floor.
“Yes, perhaps it’s too powerful a weapon for a mere mortal,” Gundham said thoughtfully. Hajime just nodded. Sometimes it was best to nod along with Gundham. He was being supportive in his own way.
“You ready, Kazuichi?” Hajime called eventually.
“Um, I’m dressed, but… what about the wet clothes? And the floor?”
Hajime paused. Don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll sort the floor. Give me your pants too.” Idiot!
“No!” Kazuichi squeaked.
Hajime’s brain was screaming no too, but he forced it to shut up. “You’ll just get stressed out again the longer you’re in the dark. Go back to the dining area with Gundham, try to get some sleep. I’ll sort the other stuff. I owe you one for all the times you’ve babysat Nagito anyway.”
A pause. Then the lock slid open and Kazuichi bolted out of the stall, hugging Hajime so tight he almost knocked them both over. “You’re the best friend ever, Hajime.”
“Hey, watch it, you nearly tackled me to the floor,” Hajime said, but he hugged him back just as hard.
Kazuichi didn’t go so far as to hug Gundham, but he did nod at him gratefully. “Thanks. For helping out. You won’t tell anyone, right?”
Gundham snorted derisively. “I have no need to encourage tedious gossip amongst the mortals.”
Kazuichi’s tense shoulders relaxed a little. “Okay. Thanks.”
Kazuichi left with Gundham while Hajime set to completing his unpleasant clean up jobs, creeping down the corridor. The fear came back, though Gundham had a torch and assured Kazuichi that anything they met in the dark would cower before the Overlord of Ice. Kazuichi didn’t dare cling to Gundham like he did Hajime - but he grabbed a handful of Gundham’s purple scarf and held on tight. Gundham grumbled, warning Kazuichi not to brush against his skin in case he suffered a case of severe poisoning - but he didn’t make Kazuichi let go. And although Kazuichi didn’t really believe all of Gundham’s edgy “Overlord of Ice” stuff, he had to admit he felt slightly safer.