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"I command you to scatter at once and cast your desires away to join my cause!"
Kazuichi looks up from his desk. His classmates do the same, eyes fixed on Gundham, who just stormed into the classroom. "What is it this time?", Kazuichi asks. Gundham actually looks genuinely distressed for once. "It appears one of my zodiac generals has been taken from me by force! I demand the kidnapper to make their demand at once!"
Hajime appears behind him and pats Gundham's shoulder. "Alright. We're looking for Cham-P. Has anyone seen him?"
Sounds like Gundham to make a ruckus over a missing hamster.
"Maybe I kicked him into a puddle and he drowned", Hiyoko snickers into her hand. Bad move. Kazuichi internally recoils. As expected, his eyes are positively aflame with anger. "You cruel demonic spawn! I will incinerate you in all seven fires of-"
"Easy, Tanaka." Kazuichi quickly blocks him from storming off to probably strangle Hiyoko. When it comes to his hamsters, he doesn't know any joking around. "Mahiru! He totally had a crazy look in his eyes!", Hiyoko complains. Mahiru crosses her arms. "That was very uncalled for. Tanaka-san is looking for his pet. Have you seen the hamster?" She glowers at Gundham and huffs. "Nope."
Kazuichi gently shoves Gundham back towards the door. "Look, Saionji-san wouldn't touch your devas. I'm gonna help ya look, alright?"
"Souda is right. Sonia-san and Nanami-san are looking in the school garden and Nidai went over to the track field. We'll find him." Hajime tries to cheer him up with a thumbs up, before he turns to Kazuichi. "Souda, would you join Komaeda at the oak tree? He wanted to check around the cafeteria, because of the berry bushes. Tanaka and me will go check the benches."
Kazuichi huffs. He doesn't really want to team up with Nagito of all people, considering his bad luck just loves him especially. But if he was the one to find Cham-P, maybe he would finally score a point with Gundham. "Count on Souda! I'll find your hamster."
It doesn't surprise Kazuichi when he finds Nagito napping in the shade of the tree. The sun sits high within a spotless blue sky, the warm spring breezes rustles his wavy white hair. "Komaeda, aren't you supposed to be doing something?" Nagito cracks open one eye. "Right, finding Tanaka-kun's lost hamster, wasn't it? I already forgot. How despairing."
Kazuichi grits his teeth. He could swear Nagito is getting on his nerves on purpose. "Ah, well, guess I have to tell Hinata you've been lazing around the whole time while I was working hard." Nagito abruptly sits up. "Hinata-kun?" He shuffles to his feet and dusts off his pants.
Well, he's easy like that.
Cham-P isn't particularly small, so Kazuichi figures if he is around, he would probably be hard to overlook. Then again, he also doesn't move much. While Nagito inspects the area around the tree, Kazuichi starts searching the bushes. "Anything?", Nagito asks after a while. "Nope", he replies, "He gotta be around some-"
He gets promptly cut off when someone walks into him, causing him to fall face first into the bush. "Ahhh! I'm so sorry!" Mikan's voice cuts through the air. Kazuichi sighs. He would bet his ass this is Nagito's fault.
"Sorry Tsumiki-san, was Souda-kun standing in your way?"
Kazuichi shuffles to his knees and watches Nagito reach out his hand. Mikan must have tripped upon impact. "N-No! I-I wasn't looking where I was going! Did you get hurt?" Mikan looks at Kazuichi with teary plum eyes. "I'm used to being in a safety hazard zone around Komaeda", he groans and picks a twig out of his hair, "I'm good."
She takes Nagito's hand and lets him pull her up. "Any luck finding Tanaka-kun's hamster?" Mikan shakes her head. "He looks very upset. We have to find him!" That came out strangely determined for her. "I got this", Kazuichi proclaims, "There's a spot I haven't checked yet. Keep Komaeda in check for me, will ya?"
Mikan's eyes go wide, but Kazuichi already hurries off. Anything to get away from Nagito.
Gundham may be eccentric, but he genuinely loves those hamsters. Kazuichi tries to ignore the possibility that something bad could have happened to Cham-P. He rounds the main building towards the row of trees behind the dorm building. There are a few big rocks there that greatly heat up in the sun, and he puts all his hope into those. Cham-P loves warm sunny spots, and laying in the sun while his owner searches frantically for him wouldn't be unlike him.
The grey surface of the round stones comes into view, and Kazuichi feels the tension fall from his shoulders when he spots something orange on top of the middle one. "Cham-P." The hamster blinks at him out of big black eyes, stretching his tiny paws and yawns. "If you'd be so nice and not bite me", Kazuichi sighs and reaches out his hand. Cham-P is all warm and fuzzy when he crawls into his hand, and Kazuichi lets him burrow himself into his breast pocket. "Now to find Tanaka before he burns the school down."
Finding Gundham is almost harder than finding the hamster. Kazuichi has to scavenge through all of his classmates before he finds Gundham at the koi pond near the garden. "Tanaka?" Gundham just stares into the water, the orange reflection of a fish shimmering at the surface, before it disappears. "With great dismay we must accept defeat", Gundham murmurs, "For there is no sign of my loyal zodiac general. We have taken a great loss today, and I shall mourn for thousand years to come."
Kazuichi stops next to him and watches the kois for a moment. "You're awfully pessimistic about this", he notes. Gundham closes his eyes. "I may be the lone overlord of ice, but I adore the company of each and every one of my servants. Their vessel may speak animal features, however their mind is that of a highly intellectual being."
"You wanna tell me Cham-P is smart?" Kazuichi huffs out a laugh. A small smile plays Gundham's lips. "I would argue even the smartest of all. Unlike the others, he understands fear."
Beyond the layers of his insanity, Gundham really is just a guy who loves his pets.
"I got good news, edgelord, so you can stop sulking." Kazuichi opens his pocket and Cham-P sticks his nose out. Gundham's eyes widen, his other three hamsters poking their heads out of his scarf. "Invading Black Dragon Cham-P of the Four Heavenly Kings of Darkness and Gods of Destruction, Founder of the Twelve Zodiac Generals, you have returned to me at last!"
The hamster climbs out of Kazuichi's pocket and into Gundham's outstretched hand. The other hamsters join, huddled together in his palms while he dotes on them. "My beloved dark deva of destruction, how could you have wandered off? I was worried the mighty hellhounds have escaped their seal and came to enact revenge upon me by taking my loyal servant, weakening my defenses!"
Kazuichi stuffs his hands into his pockets and blows a strand of hair out of his face. "You're welcome, idiot", he mumbles, before he turns away. He's not sure what he expected. But Gundham's just like that, and he's got his stupid hamster back, so that's as good as it gets.
"Hold it."
Kazuichi stops and hears him quickly catch up to him. "You have my deepest gratitude", Gundham says, almost shy, not quite meeting Kazuichi's eye. "T'was nothing", Kazuichi shrugs. There's a long pause, and when Gundham finally looks at him, he's faintly blushing. "I have decided on a reward."
"Eh? You don't have to give me anything-"
Gundham's hamsters disappear into his scarf, as he slowly reaches out his hand and tilts Kazuichi's chin up with his thumb. "Say, do you harbor any interest towards my person?" Kazuichi balks. And here he thought Gundham was too dense to get that. "What if I said yes?" His gaze stays unwavering. "Would you accept this reward, then?"
He slowly leans forward, his breath ghosting Kazuichi's skin, but halting just a hair away from his lips. "This is your chance to say no." Kazuichi doesn't say no. Instead, he closes the last gap between them, taking in the feeling of his lips against his own. An electric feeling surges through his whole body and an embarrassing whine escapes his throat when Gundham pulls away. Kazuichi's face burns and he quickly averts his eyes.
"Uh... Thank you?"
Gundham has the audacity to laugh. Loud and bellowing, but not taunting. "Very well. Meet me at my residence after class, newly selected servant of the dark overlord." Kazuichi's mind buffers, and he only realizes what that means once Gundham has disappeared into the school building.
"Did he just ask me out?!"