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The greenhouse was, despite its massive size, a relatively empty place. Few students went there, choosing instead to go to one of the other places on campus that they could hang out at. There were only a handful of students who tended to visit the greenhouse, and for the Ultimate Breeder, Gundham Tanaka, the fruit grown here served as an excellent food source for his hamsters. And so, Gundham began his trip to the greenhouse as he usually did, packing the four Dark Devas of Destruction into his scarf, making sure they were snug in the purple cloth.
As Gundham entered the greenhouse, he noticed that someone was already there - this itself was rare, but what caught his attention more was who it was specifically. Standing a fair bit taller than Gundham was Gonta Gokuhara, the Ultimate Entomologist.
Gundham had heard what his magician friend had told him about the entomologist. According to her, he was raised in the forest by wolves, living in the harsh mountains. If that was true, the Supreme Overlord of Ice would just have to speak with him. The pure power and wisdom such a person would have due to the experience…
The animal breeder stood up straight, dusting his long jacket off. He began to approach the larger man, adjusting his hair and scarf before he spoke up.
“You are the force they refer to as the Ultimate Entomologist, are you not?” Gundham’s voice was loud and booming, his voice echoing throughout the greenhouse. Gonta turned, having already noticed him come in earlier - while he was open to talking to him, he figured that Gundham was here to pick up some more food for his animals, as he usually does.
“Ah, Tanaka!” Gonta spoke with a smile. He waved, adjusting his glasses with his other hand.
“You already know of my identity?” Gundham exclaimed, his eyes focusing on Gonta’s eyes. He could feel some of his hamsters moving in his scarf, with Cham-P peeking out to see who Gundham was talking to.
“Gonta knows about a lot of the people here, even if they do not know me. Himiko and Ryoma have said a lot about you.” The entomologist turned to the tree in front of them, extending a hand out. There were a few insects on the tree, mostly around the fruit.
“I see that word of my nature travels fast… perhaps you have heard of my endeavors, of my wicked ways…” Gundham started to get into a pose, crossing his bandaged hand in front of his right hand as he prepared a cackle.
“Gonta heard that you take care of a lot of hamsters.”
“Ah, so you are aware of the Four Dark Devas of Destruction…” The breeder was caught off guard, returning to a neutral position. He took a step forward, closing the distance between the two.
“Gonta sees one of them right there!” The entomologist pointed to Gundham’s scarf, where a large orange hamster was watching him.
“Ah, Cham-P… perhaps the fiercest of the-” Gundham quickly stopped once he realized that Cham-P was moving down his arm, as the hamster quickly speeded to his hand. The orange fur ball looked at Gonta, squinting a little. “Ah, it seems that Cham-P is curious about you, as curious as I am… his intelligence is unmatched, and his aspirations of more knowledge are nothing short of admirable…”
Gonta extended his hand, but Gundham quickly lit up, his face showing signs of concern. “Hold on, I forbid you to be so hasty! The Devas can be ferocious to those who are unworthy of their touch… and while I admire your strength, I fear that they may feel differently… especially Cham-P.”
Gonta shook his head, opening the palm of his hand. “There is no need to worry. Gonta is gentle with animals…”
The round hamster made his way onto Gonta’s hand, sniffing it. Gundham quickly felt more shifting in his scarf - the other Devas were watching, traveling down Gundham’s arm to join the other hamster. Gonta quickly extended his other hand, opening up more room for the hamsters to sit.
“What? To handle even two requires such willpower… what is your secret, Entomologist?” Gundham spoke with awe, smirking a little as he watched the Devas go all around Gonta.
“Secret? Gonta thinks the hamsters are just curious.”
“Curiosity is not the drive the Four Dark Devas of Destruction strive for, I’m afraid…”
Gonta moved the larger hamster to his shoulder, putting the tan one - Maga-Z - with him. With the other two in his right hand, the entomologist reached out to the tree in front of them. “Here, Gonta can show you an insect! It’s only fair that you get to see some of them.” A large, horned beetle made its way from the tree to the entomologist’s hand, waiting patiently until it was moved to the breeder’s right hand.
“Oh? And what is this being?” Gundham looked down, admiring the color of the beetle - it was a rich yellow, decorated neatly with black spots.
“This is a Hercules Beetle!” Gonta proudly exclaimed.
“I see… named after such a strong warrior… I can only imagine what power it possesses… perhaps it could ravage through the very ground we stand on.” He started to chortle, holding the beetle higher in the air.
“Well, the Hercules Beetle can carry quite a bit heavier than its weight… about eight hundred times! Though it’s not harmful to humans, so you don’t need to worry about that.” The entomologist spoke in a casual tone as he petted the two hamsters in his right hand.
“Interesting… and why have you brought this one along? Are you training it to hold even more?”
“Well, Gonta knew the fruit here was going to go bad soon, so Gonta brought a few insects to make use of it. It’s better to use it than let it go to waste, and the insects I brought can feed on the overripe food.” As he explained, Maga-Z was now climbing up his hair. Gonta giggled, keeping his head still to allow the hamster an easier climb.
“And these other ones have been brought to the tree?”
“Mhm!”
Gundham examined the tree closely, putting the Hercules beetle back onto the bark. He looked to one that was currently feasting on a shriveled apple. It was a butterfly, one with a beautiful tan pattern. “This one looks rather intimidating… I can sense the aura coming from it…”
“Oh, the hackberry emperor!” Gonta had all four hamsters on his shoulders now, with the tan hamster leaving his head earlier. He looked at Gundham, smiling. It’s been a while since he’s gotten to talk about his insects to someone, especially someone with an admirable talent like Gundham’s.
“Hackberry emperor, hmm? No wonder I feel such a strong presence coming from it… the one of a ruler bathed in glory…”
“You could put it like that, but they’d only really be like that to a hackberry tree.”
“How interesting…” Gundham smirked, watching the butterfly feast on the remains of the apple. He quickly noticed that his hamsters had gathered together on Gonta’s shoulder. “It seems that the Devas have taken quite a liking to you. Perhaps we can continue this enrichment at your dorm… I would take pleasure in seeing what other insects you have.”
The entomologist gleamed, taking his bug box and returning the insects to it, along with the remaining fruit that was overripe. “Ah, Gonta has so many more to show you!”
And as the two left the greenhouse, they felt the start of a new bond.