Chapter 17: Stop!

"Hey, this one is cute!"

"No way! A short Chihiromon needs a short dress!"

"I'm inclined to agree with Ibuki… That's going to drag on the ground while she walks."

Did I ever mention that clothes shopping with friends is completely chaotic?

Because it is.

Having effectively been banished to the fitting room, I'm left standing alone as I sift through the clothes being shoved at me from the five girls beyond the door. None of them can seem to agree on the style, and its already been determined by the rest of them that I'm not allowed to pick it out.

…It's a total mess in here. I pity the employee charged with putting all of this stuff back in its proper place.

I sigh and put down the most recently rejected garment, a maxi dress Hina had picked out. Its not that I dislike doing this kind of thing, but it would be better if I were allowed to help find something… everyone seems to be gravitating more towards the clothes they would wear.

A knock on the door alerts me to the next outfit's arrival. I open it up a crack to see Peko standing there with more clothing in her arms.

"Ibuki picked this one out." She holds up a dark green plaid dress. "I'm worried about the cut on the neckline. Is it too revealing? I know its padded, but…"

I hum. "Usually I stay away from that style unless it has ruffles on the chest area, but… the padding may work. I'll give it a shot."

Peko nods, handing it over. "It has a zipper in the back. Would you like me to give you a hand?"

"I-If you wouldn't mind." I step back into the room, holding the dress up to examine it. Sure enough, it would be a struggle to zip it up on my own. "I don't think I'm that flexible."

The swordswoman chuckles as she steps in the room, shutting the door behind her. "That's fine. Go ahead and put it on."

Complying, I slip it over my head and pull it down to it's appropriate place. Once Peko pulls up the zipper, I examine myself in the mirror. The padded sweetheart neckline works well, surprisingly enough. The pleats in the skirt make it puff out nicely as well.

"It also comes with a waist belt." She holds up the item in question so that I can see it from the mirror. "So? What do you think?"

"...I like it, but I don't really think that's my call." I sigh, turning to face her. "I'd much rather just say yes and leave. I'm not a fan of this whole plan to begin with, so…"

"I understand why you wouldn't be." Leaning against the door, Peko lets out a small sigh. "Its a pretty underhanded tactic, not to mention the fact that they want you to play hard to get with him…"

"..." I look over to her, knot forming in my stomach. "Are the others out there right now?"

"No, they went out to look for more clothes." Peko quirks an eyebrow. "Why? Do you want me to go get them?"

"No… I just have a question for you." Now probably isn't the best time for this, but… I can't help it. I need to say something. "Peko, can you be frank with me? I've been thinking about this ever since dinner… Do you- do you think it's possible? For Mondo to have feelings for me, I mean. They all seem to be totally for it…"

"In a romantic sense…?" After a moment or two of thought, she shakes her head. "...I can't really say. I haven't actually talked with him."

"I really hope it isn't the case…" I turn around to look at myself in the mirror. Absolutely nothing about me is even close to masculine; nothing even comesclose to betraying the fact that I'm a man. "This person I'm portraying is… a lie. If he really did have feelings for me, then-" I look down to my hands. "I don't know what I would do, Peko. It's a terrifying thought."

"Your personality isn't a lie." Peko moves to stand next to me, making me start. "Who is to say that he'd even bat an eye at your gender? If he really likes you, then…"

"That's not even…!" I shake my head. "I just- I don't even know if I'm capable of dating! Even on the off chance he actually does like me, and he doesn't mind my gender, I don't-!"

She blinks. "You're… unsure of yourself?"

"...You would think it'd be natural for me to like guys, right?" I scan my entire body in the mirror. "Looking as I do, it would definitely make sense. I just don't know though. I've never had feelings like that towards anyone…"

Peko falls silent for a moment, appraising my reflection. "I'm not surprised that you haven't felt like that towards anyone before given your past, but… surely you must have some inclination?"

"I mean…" I sigh. "I'd be lying if I said some guys here haven't made my heart flutter, but I still find girls attractive too! Even if my situation were different, I still don't think I'd know for sure right now…"

"You shouldn't worry so much. If you like someone, you like someone. The fact that you're unsure is normal, isn't it? So that point is moot." Peko reaches over and puts a hand on my shoulder. "And in regards to your other issue… you're sensible. Even if Mondo has feelings for you, I'm sure you'd be able to handle it. Just don't give him the chance to say it if you're really that scared of the answer."

"T-That sounds easy enough in theory, but… if a time came where I'd have to keep him from saying it, wouldn't I know the answer anyway? I don't think I'd be able to speak to him properly if that were the case!" I cup my cheeks in my hands, feeling the warmth they're giving off. "I-I'd have to reject him at some point. I don't want to jeopardize our relationship by shunning him without a proper explanation…"

She purses her lips in thought. "Why not just explain it to him if it comes to that, then?"

"I-I couldn't…!" My stomach curdles at thought. "He'd be… humiliated. Crushing on a man you thought was a woman… isn't that terrible? There's no way he would be able to look past it… he'd never want to speak to me again, even in a friendly sense!"

"Then…" Peko shoots me a sidelong look. It definitely seems like she disagrees with me. "Why not just start dating someone else before he gets the chance to tell you how he feels? Assuming he does feel that way about you, that is."

"W-What?" I squeak. "I couldn't just start dating someone for that reason…! That's terrible! T-That also goes right back to my point about my situation; how can I do that if they don't even know I'm a guy?"

"Fuyuhiko knows about your gender."

My heart stops for just a second. I turn around to face her properly… only to see that she looks just as stoic as ever.

She's serious.

"You can't be suggesting that we date…!" I gape at her. "A-Aren't you two already in that situation anyway?"

"I- How did you know about that?" Peko sighs and shakes her head, cheeks tinting pink. "…While its true I did harbor such feelings for Young Master at some point, I learned last year that it wasn't… meant to be. I still love him with all my heart, but it's different from a romantic love." She clears her throat, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. "In any case, that isn't what I was suggesting."

"Huh?"

She taps her index finger to her temple. "Think about it like this; if a time were to come that you would need such an excuse, you could always ask Fuyuhiko to pretend with you. He knows your situation, so I don't think it should be that big of an issue for him."

"So that's what you meant…" Pressing my hand to my chest, I let out a shaky sigh. "That would be asking a lot of him though, and you two are already doing so much for me-" A group of voices from outside signals someone's arrival, making me cut myself off. "I'll keep that idea in mind, at the very least. Let's go see if this gets a pass or a fail."

Peko adjusts her glasses, nodding towards me. "Alright. Just so you know, this dress is a pass from me. I feel like it looks nice on you."

I smile over to her. "Thanks, Peko."

Opening the door and stepping out, Peko and I move to stand outside the changing area where the other five are waiting for us. I snap on the waist belt just as we make it out to meet them.

"There you guys are- oh!" Hina's eyes go wide at the sight of me. "Wow Chihiro, that looks totally cute on you!"

"Ibuki knew it suited her!" She cheers. "It was calling to Ibuki from the rack; "pick me, pick me" it said! Ibuki is glad she didn't ignore it!"

"I do agree that it suits her." Sakura nods. "I am not the most adept in terms of fashion, but I feel like the black is a nice change."

"..." Kyoko nods at me after a moment. "Even though its still green, I think it's enough of a change from her usual look to make her stand out. Do you have any heels to wear with it?"

"Heels?" I shake my head. "I've never worn heels before, though…"

"That's a no then. We'll have to pick out a pair that matches." Kyoko grabs my wrist and pulls me over towards the register. "You guys go grab her things and meet us over in the shoe department. We'll go pay for this now."

"W-Wait, I'm wearing it out?" I question as I'm pulled along. "Is that even allowed?"

"I see no issue given that we're paying for it." We stop in front of the shop attendant's desk. "Where's the tag?"

"Oh, I think it's on the back…" I turn around. I feel Kyoko pull back on the zipper area and reach in.

"Let's see…" As she feels around for it, I can't help but feel self-conscious. Isn't it a little weird to be doing this in front of the employees? I jump when a gloved hand passes over a particularly sensitive spot on my back, which only serves to make me feel more self-conscious. After what feels like an eternity, she speaks up again. "Oh. Here it is."

Kyoko unceremoniously rips the tag out and hands it to the shop keeper along with her credit card. I breathe out a sigh of relief. "W-Was it tucked in the hem, or something?"

"Yes." She says blandly. Clearly she doesn't think much of what just happened. "Now then… what size shoe are you?"

"Six. My feet are pretty narrow…"

"...I see." She nods. "That shouldn't take too long to find, then. We'll be ready to go after that point."

"How is this supposed to work, anyway? I don't really understand it…" I look down to my feet, where my ordinary shoes and socks are still in place. "How are you going to get Mondo to the front of the school? What's more… isn't it going to be weird if I'm the only one that shows up in new clothes when we all went shopping?"

"You have no reason to worry about either of those things. We've already got a way to get him there." She motions to a bag hanging on her arm. "-I've also purchased outfits for the rest of us. If anyone asks why you're wearing yours, we'll simply say you got something on your outfit and didn't have a choice."

"...You're really covering all you're bases, aren't you…?" I sigh. "I still don't like this plan… lying about why I'm dressed differently isn't exactly making me happy either."

"Oh, it won't be a lie." Kyoko smiles ever so faintly as we enter the shoe department. "Your clothes definitely have something on them."

"Huh? They didn't, though…" I catch sight of Ibuki waving at us, mismatched shoes clutched in both her hands. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see." She answers simply.

Feeling suspicious, I end up asking where my clothes are as soon as we meet up with the rest of them. Sakura looks pensive for a moment before she points to the musician.

"She, ah… put them in her carryout bag from dinner. I tried to stop her, but…"

"Its totally okay, Chihiromon!" Ibuki hands me said bag, smiling brightly. "They're safe in there, honest! Kyokopuffs told Ibuki to put them somewhere she couldn't possibly lose them!"

…Opening the bag, I see Ibuki has carefully placed her particularly greasy meatball sub on top of both my blouse and skirt. I turn to Kyoko in horror.

"I told you that it wasn't a lie." Kyoko brushes past me, face as stoic as ever. "There's no reason for you to feel bad now, correct?"

…All her bases covered indeed. What a scary person.

"Guys, can we just stop this…!? This whole idea is terrible!"

"Chihiro, we're already on the stairs. I think it's too late to turn back." Peko sighs and shakes her head. "You may as well just accept it at this point."

Sakura starts walking in step with me, putting her hand on my shoulder. "It will be alright, Chihiro. We're not going to be leaving you alone; after all, we essentially forced you into this position. It would be cruel of us to just leave you to your own devices."

"Besides, Chihiromon!" Ibuki slings an arm around my shoulder, making me stumble. "This can only go well! Even if he doesn't get a reality-check, you still got some swanky new duds out of it!"

"I'm starting to hope he doesn't notice this at all..!" I could almost cry at this point. These girls are totally misinterpreting our relationship, and it's making me uncomfortable!

"There's no way he won't!" Hina claps her hands together in her merriment. She's clearly in an excellent mood… "If the dress alone doesn't cut it, there's no way he's going to be able to ignore the other guys showering you with attention! He's gonna be jelly for sure!"

"Other guys?" I stop short in my tracks, my new black pumps hitting the concrete with an audible click. "What did you guys do…?"

"Don't be melodramatic." Kyoko chides. "It's simply a byproduct of our plan to get him to the front of the school. Peko instructed Taka to meet her for a nighttime kendo lesson, and invited him to bring friends along."

"...I understand Taka coming along, but who else is going to be there?" I scrunch up my face in distaste.

"No clue. He just said he had a few people who wanted to come watch." She shrugs, continuing her walk up the stairs. "This doesn't change the plan. The idea is to bring you back to the forefront of Mondo's mind; no more, no less. If anything, the presence of more people will mask our intentions even more."

…Not left with any more options, I'm forced to continue my way forward. The fact that Kyoko of all people is the one leading this petty crusade bugs me to no end; I mean, isn't she usually supposed to be the sensible one? Why on earth would she want to dangle me in front of Mondo like a carrot?

None of this makes any sense!

As we enter the front lobby of the school, I see that a small crowd has already formed there. From my place behind Sakura, I can see each of them clearly: Taka, Leon, Hiro, and… Mondo.

"Ah, hello Peko!" Taka greets. "Eight o'clock sharp; I appreciate you being so prudent in meeting us here!"

The silverette shakes her head. "Think nothing of it. I'm sorry I dragged you out so late."

Leon lets out a whistle. "Wow man, she's the one whose been giving you lessons? I may need to take up kendo!"

"Tactless, so tactless!" Hiro shakes his head with a shrug, smirking over to him. "You have zero finesse, Leon."

"Tch, whatever…" The wannabe rockstar shakes his head. "Still, I can't say I'm not surprised. I didn't think you babes we're going out shopping when you said you had somethin' to do after that."

"It was so much fun!" Hina yells. "We've got our Halloween costumes being made as we speak, and we got some pretty new clothes! Today was awesome for a Monday!"

"Oh, a group costume?" Hiro looks intrigued as gives all of us an appraising glance. "Whaddya going as?"

"It's a surprise." Kyoko smiles faintly. "You'll simply have to wait until the contest to find out."

Ibuki jumps onto Sakura's back, effectively startling both her and I. "It's gonna be bombastic! Just wait until you see Chihiromon in her outfit! Ibuki is drooling at the thought as it is…!"

"Yeah, speaking of…" Mondo, who had been silent up until this point, scans the crowd. "Where'd you guys put Chi? I don't see her with ya."

"She's right here." Sakura moves aside, effectively removing all cover she'd given me previously.

"...!"

…They're all staring at me. Suddenly left exposed… all I can muster is an awkward wave. "H-Hey guys…"

"Woah-!" Both Leon and Hiro step towards me, practically shoving the other girls aside. The former is the first to speak. "Chihiro, babe…! Is that really you?"

"Wha- I-I'm just wearing a new dress…!" I step back a bit and grab a hold of the skirt on said dress. "Of course its me!"

"This is no mere dress!" Hiro circles me a bit. "You usually look like such a bookworm, but this-!" He gestures to me. "This is amazing!"

"Ain't it!?" Ibuki hops down from her Sakura-shaped perch and slings an arm around my waist. "Ibuki picked this dress out herself, you know! It was just screaming to be worn by a cutie like Chihiromon!"

Leon gives her a thumbs up, which is immediately returned by the bubbly rocker. "You oughta dress her more often then! Chihiro is cute as she usually is, but this is a whole new level! I move that we officially ban her from collared shirts!"

"Seconded!" Hiro yells.

"Thirded!" Ibuki cheers.

"S-Stop it already…!" I'm sure that my face is pink by now; there's no way it isn't. "I appreciate the compliments, but this is too much!"

"Not at all!" The redhead moves beside me and puts his arm around my shoulders. "We're not exaggerating in the least; I mean, look at those two losers over there!"

My gaze wanders over to where he's pointing. Both Mondo and Taka look like statues from their places across from us.

"They're totally speechless!" He laughs, but then suddenly leans over and puts his face close to mine. "Which is also a complete waste, you know? They're not even coming over to get a better look at you."

I feel the heat in my face kick up a degree at our proximity. He's looking right at me…

...

…Were his eyes always that blue?

"You-!"

I turn away from Leon to see that Mondo had broken out of his earlier stupor. His arms are clenched at his sides, his face is red…

He looks livid.

"Get the hell off her, Leon! Don't you see how fucking embarrassed she is!?"

The boy in question scoffs and straightens up, but keeps his arm slung over my shoulder. "A little teasing doesn't hurt every now and then! Besides, I'm not lying; she's totally adorable. Don't get mad at me just because you can't think fast enough to pay her a proper compliment!"

"It ain't even about that!" He yells, pointing towards him. "Why the fuck do you have your arm around her, huh!? You don't need to be so damn close for a shitty compliment!"

"Who wouldn't wanna be close to a cute girl?" Leon reasons. "I'm not like you two idiots who crap their pants around the fairer sex; I know exactly how to talk to a cutie like Chihiro!"

"I'm gonna beat the hell outta you, shitbag…!" Mondo takes a menacing step forward, causing Leon to jump. He clearly knows he's playing with fire right now… but he doesn't back down.

"Just because you're some braindead moron who can't act right in front of a lady?" Leon pulls me closer to him. "What's the harm in flirting a little? It's not like you own her, stupid."

Ibuki "ooohs" a little from where she's attached to my waist, wiggling her eyebrows at me when I look down at her.

This stops Mondo cold. "I-I never said I fucking owned her, I just-!"

"Then you can't say anything, can ya?" Leon unceremoniously releases me and shrugs, walking towards Taka. "Anyways, we're totally holding up Taka's lesson. Shouldn't we be going now?"

Said moral compass jumps and snaps out of his reverie upon the baseball star's approach. It seems like he was staring at us the whole time. "Uh, right…! Shall we?"

Taka is the first to turn and leave, cheeks tinted the faintest shade of pink as he makes his escape. Leon follows after, but not before turning back to me with a wink.

"Catch ya later, Chihiro!"

"Bastard!" Mondo yells after him. "We ain't done here-!"

…I see Mondo is absolutely fuming at this point, so I detach Ibuki from my side and walk up to him. I need to diffuse the situation. "Hey, calm down a little… He wasn't bothering me, honest! D-Don't be so mad…"

"I'm not-!" He jerkily turns his head towards me, but looks away as soon as we make eye contact. "-Uh. Listen, I gotta go. See ya later, Chi!"

"Wait, Mond-!" Then, as quickly as this whole ordeal started, it ends. He's out of sight within moments after his yelled goodbye.

"Awh, what?" Hina boo's from her place next to Sakura. "He barely even looked at her! That was totally lame!"

"Whew, that was painful!" Hiro, who I'd almost forgotten was here, just shakes his head. "To be young again… I remember my first steps onto the treacherous path of romance!"

"You're not even old!" Hina gives Hiro an unimpressed look. "Aren't you supposed to be going with them, anyways?"

"I mean, yeah." The fortune teller shrugs. "Is it so important, though? I'm more interested in seeing the outfits the rest of you ladies picked out!"

"We're not gonna be wearing them yet, stupid!" She huffs. "The only reason Chihiro is wearing it is because Ibuki spilled food on her other clothes!"

"Wha-? Awh, that's total crap! I wanted to see what you picked out..!" He grunts a little in dissatisfaction and starts off in the direction the other guys left in, arms crossed lazily behind his head.

"Idiot!" She yells after him, blushing a bit. "God, why can't he read the mood at all…!?"

Peko sighs and turns to us. "Well… I have a lesson to go teach. I'll see you girls later, alright?"

"Would you mind me accompanying you?" Sakura steps forward just as she's about to leave. "I'm always interested in different fighting styles, even if they're not strictly martial arts."

"I don't see an issue with it." She motions for Sakura to follow her. "Let's go. I don't like the idea of leaving them unattended for an extended period of time near my equipment."

"Oh, bye guys!" I call after them, receiving waves in return. I exhale slightly. "Well… it could have been worse, I guess… Did you tell Leon to act like that, Kyoko?"

The detective shakes her head. "No, actually… I was just as surprised as the rest of you. I hadn't anticipated him flirting so… blatantly." She pinches the bridge of her nose. "Even though it's not exactly what I was going for, Mondo did seem to be fully aware of Chihiro…"

"Aware? Biker Boy totally ran away from Chihiromon!" Ibuki looks a little upset as she crosses her arms. "I mean, he didn't even complement her at all! What gives?"

"I think he was too flustered to do that…" Hina puts a finger to her chin. "He couldn't even get out an actual sentence! Then he got mad at Leon, who could talk to her… so!" She smacks her fist into her hand. "He was definitely a PB&J without the peanut butter!"

"Mondo is just really protective of me is all!" I hug my arms to myself. "I told you guys trying to make him jealous was a bad idea… I hope he and Leon will be alright."

"..." Kyoko stares at me for a moment before sighing and shaking her head. "…He'll be fine. Those two pick at each other all the time. If you'll excuse me though, I really need to be going; I think I have what I need now to go talk to my father…"

I almost want to question what she means exactly, but she strides away in a flash.

"Jeez, that Kyoko… always trying to be mysterious!" The swimmer puts her hands to her hips, smirking a little. "She just wants an excuse to connect with her dad! She totally can't be any more obvious!"

…I shoot Hina a dubious look.

"That's not it at all…!"

After parting ways with the remaining two girls, I decide to stop by the dining area for a drink. It's almost completely empty...

Save for two very loud people.

"Enough of this, please!" Souda wails. "I don't want to go talk to him, I don't…!"

"He will not come out regardless of what Hajime and I do!" Sonia yells back. "Man up and help us!"

The exchange is enough to make me forget my desire for a can of Sprite. Just what are they talking about? As I approach them, Souda immediately perks up.

"Chihiroooo-!" He all but pounces on me as I approach. "You gotta do it instead! I can't talk to that guy…!"

"Wha- talk to who?" I ask. Sonia sighs a little.

"Gundham refuses to exit his room, I'm afraid… he didn't attend any classes, and he hasn't come out to eat!"

What?

"W-What happened?" I feel an awful put form in the bottom of my stomach when I remember what happened this morning. "Oh no, was it… was it about what happened this morning in the dining hall?"

Sonia tuts. "…So it was that. I had a feeling it was related given the video I saw, but he hasn't spoken to any of us. I was asking Souda for help as a last resort."

"Ordinarily I'd do anything for Ms. Sonia-" The mechanic turns away and thumbs at his beanie slightly. "But me n' him get along like oil and water! I can't stand talking to him!"

"I'd actually wanted to come and talk to you first, Chihiro, but…" She stops when she actually looks at me, perking up quite a bit. "Oh, what a lovely dress! Where did you get it? Is that why you were gone all day!?"

"O-Oh, uh…" I blush and look away from her. "Yes, actually. I was out shopping with Ibuki, Peko, and some of the girls from my class… Ibuki picked this out for me."

"It's so darling on you!" She grabs my hands in her own. "You really must wear more clothing like this in the future, it- Oh!" Sonia pulls me towards her, bending over so that we're eye-level with each other. "This is splendid! Chihiro, accompany me to Gundham's room at once! There's no way he'd ignore you in such a state!"

"I don't really think-"

"Thank you so much, Chihiro!" Souda is practically glowing at the idea of being relieved of his duties. "But… oh, Miss Sonia, could you please just give us a minute alone? I'll take Chihiro up once I'm done talking with her!"

"So suddenly…" The princess sighs. "Is it truly important? Can it not wait?"

"S-So sorry, but no! It's incredibly important!" He puts his hands together and bows to her. "Please, it really won't take that long! Two minutes, tops!"

"...I suppose it's alright." She relents, turning away from us. "But please, be swift! He's been in there for so long already!"

Once she's out the door, he exhales. "Phew… I'm so glad she said yes. This is so beyond important!"

"What's wrong?" I ask. "I'll do my best to help if I can…"

"Oh, don't look so gloomy!" Souda claps me on the back. "It's a good thing; no, a grand thing! Remember when I asked if you'd be willing to help me with a project at the beginning of the year?"

I close my eyes for a moment and nod, vaguely remembering such a thing. "Yeah, but what does that-?"

"This!" Souda shoves a packet in front of me. "I've finally completed the blueprints! I have no doubt that it'll be my greatest creation yet!"

"A machine…?" Noting that the packet isn't titled, I quickly flip it open. "This is…!"

...Sometimes I forget that Souda actually has a brain for anything other than Sonia! The notes, the schematics… everything here is so incredibly detailed, so fine-tuned…!

"I was holding off on showing you until I had all of the design kinks worked out…" He says sheepishly, shuffling his feet a little. "I mean, if I can't even get something like this perfect on my end, what right do I have to ask you for help?"

"This is for a robot…!" I quickly turn the page, scanning over everything as if my life depended on it. "It looks like its just the skeleton... Clearly not for a humanoid one, but even so- Everything here is so… fluid! How long have you been working on this!?"

Souda blushes a little. "A long time, actually… at first it was supposed to just be an animatronic that wasn't so damn creepy; like something you'd find in Chuck E. Cheese, but not so twitchy and soulless. I was just trying to make it's motions more… realistic. Eventually though, I kinda got ambitious, and started gearing the plans towards something that could move around freely."

"I can see that!" I'm in total awe of the plans laid out in front of me. "What was the issue though?"

"I mean…" He sighs. "I have a tiny bit of programming knowledge, but not enough for something that could fully make use of this body I've got planned out. It'd take something real sophisticated to get everything moving as I've planned! I was super close to scrapping this project until you showed up!"

"So… you want me to design a program to run this?" I hum a little. "It shouldn't be too hard. What did you have in mind?"

"Nothing insane!" Souda quickly shakes his head. "I mean, all I really need is something that'll make the commands I input into the controller super sensitive… the parts are there, but I can't seem to get the signal to convey every little thing to the actual unit."

"I see!" Feeling a rare bit of confidence flare up inside me, I smile over to the mechanic. "Well… I can probably do you one better. How about a program that thinks and can act independently without a controller?"

"Without…!?" His eyes light up. "Then, is what Chiaki said really true!? That you really have an AI in your room!?"

"She… mentioned him?"

"Only a little!" He crosses his arms and winks at me. "She was kinda bragging about what a cool cousin you were. Chiaki has a lot of pride in you, apparently!"

I laugh a little, tension coming and going in an instant. "Gotcha… Well, she wasn't lying. I could probably develop one for that shell specifically, if I have enough time… when do you want this done?"

"We gotta get it done by Festival Week, absolutely!" Souda gives me a thumbs up. "Since the school is open to everyone, the head honchos like us to do something to show off our Ultimate talents! You n' me would take the whole thing by storm!" His eyes flick to the clock and then back to me. "Well, we can talk shop some more later! Let's get you up to Miss Sonia!"

"Right!" I turn towards the door, walking in step with Souda. I smile up at him. "I'm looking forward to working with you, Souda!"

"Ehehe… Thanks!" He scratches the back of his head a little. "Right back at ya!"

We quickly ascend the stairs to the second level of the dorm area. I've never actually been up here, so it's interesting to see where all the upperclassmen live! As soon as we catch sight of Sonia, Souda tells me that he's going back to his room.

"Now that I have ya on board, I gotta get started on what this thing is gonna look like when it's done!" He turns away and speeds off in the other direction. "I'll text you some rough sketches once I have them! See ya later, Chihiro!"

...His door slams shut before I can even say goodbye. Nothing can be said against Souda's passion as a mechanic, that's for sure. I turn down the hall and approach the princess.

"That's strange!" Sonia starts talking as soon as I'm close enough. "I'm surprised Souda didn't come over to say hello to me again… What's he up to?"

"Oh, we're going to be working on something together for Festival Week!" I smile up at her. "He's really excited for it, so I think he's going to continue working on it now."

"I… I see!" She looks a little perplexed at this. "Well, I'm glad he has something else to direct his attention at! Shall we?"

Not wasting anymore time, Sonia hits the buzzer to Gundham's room. After a moment of silence, she holds down the button again and speaks into the microphone.

"Gundham, it's Sonia! I've brought Chihiro with me this time, and I demand you come out and talk to us at once!" She's fully switched into princess mode at this point. Her voice leaves no room for debate. "If you do not… I promise you that I shall not be pleasant!"

After a few beats of silence, the door opens up a crack. I can't see his face from where I'm standing at all. "Begone, the both of you! I have no desire to come out and speak to any of you mortals!"

"You've made that perfectly clear at this point!" She puts her hands on her hips. "I do not appreciate being ignored, and neither does Hajime! I was lucky enough to catch Chihiro on her way back from a shopping trip; if you're not willing to speak to either Hajime or I, then you will be speaking to her!"

"So you think!" Sonia shoves her hand out when Gundham tries to shut the door. "Stop your approach, she-cat! I'll curse you to the pits of hell if you don't retreat now!"

"Then so it shall be! Chihiro, come over here!" As Sonia puts all her weight on the door to keep it open, I move over towards her. "Stand in front of me! I'll get you into that room with my dying breath if necessary!"

"H-Hold on a second, there's no need for that!" Deciding to skip the melodramatics, I step in front of Sonia and peer into the room to try and get a glimpse of the breeder. "…Gundham, could you please tell me what's wrong? Sonia and the others are really worried about you…"

"I have nothing to say to anyone!" The force he's applying to the door increases suddenly. "…Why do you people insist on meddling with my affairs!? The Supreme Overlord of Ice has no reason to report to anyone!"

Sonia suddenly loses ground, door closing the slightest bit more. I start pushing against it myself to try and maintain the sliver we have. Since when was Gundham this strong?!

"P-Please, I just want to help!" I grind out, pushing with all my might against the door. I take a wide stance and lock my legs when he manages to gain even more ground against us. "What happened this morning is really bugging you, right!? You disappeared before we could even talk to you about it…!"

"As if such a thing would even be able to bother me…!" He retorts.

"You child-!" Sonia, clearly fed up with this, shoves the door with all her might. The tiny gap widens considerably, and then, without any warning…

"I apologize for this, Chihiro!"

She knees my rear-end.

"Hie-!?" I'm effectively shoved into Gundham's room just as he manages to recover and slam the door shut. I'm left face-down on the floor in agony, not being able to move after the devastating blow that was dealt to my lower half.

...

…I think-

I think Sonia just made me into a real girl…!

"...!" I hear Gundham open the door. "Hellcat, you- that woman…! She's absconded!"

The door closes with a thud. I barely register Gundham kneeling next to me. "Mortal, are you… alright?"

"F-Fine…!" I try to sit up, but the pain keeps me pinned. "Just peachy, r-really-!"

"She-cat does not know her own strength, it seems…" He sighs a little. "To think she'd stoop to such a level to get you in here… she must have truly been desperate."

"It's… It's not that big of a deal! Even I can handle this much…!" Trying to prove my point, I force myself to stand. "S-See? It's all good!"

Gundham simply shakes his head and puts his hand on my shoulder, gently pushing me towards the bed. "Sit. You're already here, so I may as well be a proper host."

Not willing to argue, I end up flopping over on his bed instead of sitting on it. I'd never been hit there so hard… the pain is only just now starting to dull, and even then it's only barely!

…I think I may need to start wearing a cup around Sonia from now on…

"It's odd…" Gundham muses, standing beside the bed. "I never would have imagined that taking a hit there as a woman would be so… devastating. Low-blows are truly a recipe for calamity…"

"...You're telling me!" I look up at him, hoping to change this already uncomfortable subject. His usual scarf and jacket are missing. "It's strange seeing you without your usual getup… I'd started thinking that you never took that scarf off."

"...Why would I wear such garments in solitude? I wear them only to protect the mortals around me from being culled..." He glances down to me, but quickly looks away. "What about you? You're hardly dressed in your usual attire!"

"Ah, this?" I laugh a little, straightening out the skirt. "Ibuki picked it out for me earlier… its a bit of a long story."

"...I see." Gundham keeps his gaze steady on the wall.

"S-So, uh…" Seeing the usually monologue-prone breeder so quiet is unsettling, to say the least. "Where are the Devas? Are they in their cage?"

He nods. "Indeed, they've just settled in for the evening…"

I push myself up to a sitting position. "…Enough beating around the bush. Are you… alright?" He finally looks towards me, but doesn't say anything. "What happened with Junko this morning must have been hard for you, right? I couldn't imagine having that happen so suddenly…"

"...Certainly being thrust into the center of such a strange event was irritating, but… that's not what has me perplexed." Gundham ends up hesitating for a moment before moving to sit next to me on his bed. "Mortal… are you and her not enemies?"

"...What makes you say that?" I ask, glancing away for a moment.

"During our trip… was it not her fault that your dress was torn asunder?" When I nod, he simply shakes his head. "Indeed, I had my suspicions about this event, but no longer. It truly seems like her goal was to get under your skin by approaching me… I've been consulting my closest disciples throughout the day in order to find a solution to this problem."

"Really? ...Is that why you didn't go to class?" I'm shocked. He doesn't seem to be lying and yet... I thought for sure he'd be uncomfortable with everything that happened! "More importantly, you were consulting people on how to deal with her?"

"Indeed!" Gundham crosses his arms. "I may be well-versed in handling most demon spawn, but this wretch goes beyond the beasts that I'm used to taming! I must find a way to banish her from your presence; anything less will not do."

"Ba-Banish?" What on earth is he talking about? Getting rid of Junko? "She's just a bully! I've been handling her since school started… there's no need for you to become involved, honest!"

"So you say and yet-" He gestures towards me. "It appears to me as though you're no match for her. If this has indeed been going on since the beginning of your time here… then you are essentially forcing me to act. The Devas do not take lightly to their servants being dishonored in such a way!"

"Awh, Gundham…!" I sigh. "Look… I'll explain this to you real quick, but please don't tell anyone else! Here's the reason I can't actually do anything about Junko…"

Begrudgingly, I explain to him everything that's happened with Junko thus far: our first encounter, how Mondo and Kyoko are involved, and how the headmaster couldn't do anything against her. He listens to me intently, remaining completely silent the entire time.

"...So you get it, right?" I finish. "What happened this morning was her latest attempt to make me upset. I think it has to do with her approaching me last week when I'd skipped classes."

"Oh?" He raises a thin eyebrow at me. "What did she attempt to do then?"

I feel my face heat up the slightest bit. "Well, she… she sort of insinuated things about you and I before leaving in a hurry. I think she was trying to imply that we were an item, or a potential one at least…"

"...! I see… So she assumed such a thing of us, and as such decided to try and claim me as a sort of trophy!" Gundham turns his head away from me, but I can see that the tips of his ears have turned red. "How absurd! That woman… she will know no mercy from me! The fact that she'd dare suggest that I, Supreme Overlord of Ice, would be so inclined towards a mere mortal…!"

I sigh, pulling my knees to my chest. "Jeez, I get you're bothered by the idea, but you don't gotta be so harsh about it…"

"That's not-!" He coughs into his non-bandaged hand. "That isn't to say that you're unappealing! Anyone who would suggest as much has never known the gift of sight!"

"U-Uhm… thanks?" I answer. Even though the compliment was a little backhanded, it still makes me sorta happy. "A-Anyway, that isn't the point. Do you understand why I wouldn't want you to get involved any further? It's better for you to just avoid her…"

"...So you say, but it seems as though you're stuck in a stalemate with her..." Gundham turns back to me, face still flushed. "But… I shall heed your request for now. Be warned, however; the moment the Devas catch wind of another foul deed done by the hands of that harlot, I will not be able to further ignore her actions! Do you understand?"

"I-I do…" I glance up to the clock, noting that it's nine. "…S-Sorry for bothering you with all of this, Gundham. I'd like to hang out for a little while longer, but I really need to go pay attention to Frederick-"

"If that is your wish, then so be it." He answers quickly. "Go. Fetch your hellhound and bring him to me."

I blink at him. "E-Eh? Aren't you tired?"

"Oh fie, do not make me repeat myself!" Gundham crosses his arms. "Someone of my caliber does not tire easily... now go! I must commune with him to see how well you're serving him..."

Not knowing how else to answer, I just nod at him. "A-Alright…?"

"Be swift!" He glances away from me. "My time is precious; the sooner you return, the better off you'll be!"

Gingerly standing, I gratefully realize that the majority of the pain has vanished. I exit Gundham's room and start off towards my own, wondering how exactly it came to this. It almost felt like he demanded that I stayed longer...

...I don't think I'll ever fully understand how his brain works.

A/N: Another one down! I'm just having all kinds of fun with this story these days, bahaha.