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The motel was silent except for my footsteps on the bone-cold linoleum floor. Even the Monokuma-themed clock on the wall was dead silent as the arms read 3:14 am. My breath stuttered in my chest as I crept through the hallways, trying to maintain the silence throughout the building.
(Maybe it’ll be so silent that I can scream when a murderer tries to chop my head off or whatever. Or maybe nobody will care…)
The thought sent another nerve-rattling chill down my spine. I glanced over my shoulder to truly make sure I was alone. My tongue pricked itself as it ran over my sharpened teeth. I flinched and reached to hold my tongue in pain before realizing how fucking stupid that looked.
I shook my head, clutching my sad excuse for a blanket closer to my chest as I continued walking towards the lobby.
Along the way, I passed by Mi- /Sonia’s/ door. Her cursive handwriting on the door’s plaque appeared in the dim hallway lighting. My eyes traced the letters before wandering over another door nearby. It was slightly ajar, as though the occupant was on a similar journey to me.
I stepped closer to the door, trying to make out the handwriting on its plaque.
(Huh, looks like they didn’t-)
“What are you conspiring, Tamer of Automations?” a deep voice broke through the fragile silence, scaring me out of my skin.
A small squeak escaped my throat before I remembered the late (early?) hour and clamped a hand over my mouth. I whirled around to face the owner of the voice, Gundham Tanaka.
Usually, the man had his black and white hair styled back with gel and he wore dramatic makeup to accentuate his ‘overlord’ appearance.
Tonight, his hair flopped down in front of his face and his makeup was scrubbed off, leaving a relatively normal-looking person in the hallway. His purple scarf was abandoned too, revealing small scarring on his neck and jawline from small animals he dealt with.
He looked me up and down (with normal eyes too, missing his contacts) and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
“Are you to answer my query, shark mortal? Or has my presence stunned you into paralyzing silence?”
I blinked and shook my head.
“Oh, right, sorry man. I was just heading back to my room. I’ll be out of your-”
“Your room is behind me, Kazuichi,” Gundham said, gesturing with his bandaged hand.
I winced and fiddled with the blanket scrap in my hand.
“Oh, well, I- uh…” I trailed off before shrugging, “listen, man, I didn’t enjoy sleeping tonight after everything that happened yesterday and I needed to clear my head. Does that answer your ‘query?’”
Gundham stood there for a while, staring at me. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.
“I’ll get out of your way, dude. Have a good-”
“Why don’t you join me in my realm, mortal? Then you may have energetic force to vanquish the despair present on this island on the morrow,” he said, staring at the floor and holding his hand in front of his face as though his scarf were still on his person.
My brain 404’d as I deciphered his ‘overlord-speak’ into actual language.
“You… you want me to sleep over in your room tonight?” I asked.
“If you are not to take me up on my offer, mortal, then I will banish you from this realm,” he replied, stepping towards me.
“Alright, alright, I’ll join, dude. No need to get aggressive about it,” I said, holding my hands up in surrender.
Gundham simply nodded before pushing past me to enter his room, holding the door open behind him for me to enter.
I glanced down the hallway, finding it pleasantly empty, and joined him.
Despite our quick evacuation from the main island to this one for quarantine from the despair disease, the Ultimate Breeder had somehow managed to drag all of his animal’s cages from his cottage to this motel room. More shocking was the fact that they all fit. I gaped at the birdcages, dog beds, cat towers, and hamster enclosure that snaked around the entire room.
“Quite impressive, is it not, mortal?” Gundham said, scratching a sleeping dog behind the ears.
“It is… Wait. Where the hell am I supposed to sleep?” I said, pointing at the floor covered in beds and litter boxes.
He also looked around before humming to himself.
“Hm, you shall sleep with me in my resting place tonight, then,” he said.
“What?!” I exclaimed.
“Well, yes, mortal. Is there somewhere else you would care to suggest?”
Silence sat between us before I threw up my hands in the air.
“Alright, move out of the way, big guy. I don’t feel like being murdered first if someone tries to graduate from here.”
Gundham nodded, stepping to the side and crossing his arms as he waited for me. I laid down on his ridiculously comfy bed (seriously, how the hell did he get it this comfortable??) and was surrounded by his lavender-y, musky scent. An embarrassing heat rose up my neck as I remembered that he would be next to me and making that scent stronger (what is wrong with me?).
Sure enough, he climbed in after me and laid down. Thankfully, he turned onto his side away from me and mumbled “good night” as he drifted off to sleep. I lay awake for a few minutes more, feeling the anxiety tremors that riddled my body 5 minutes before melting out of my skin. As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn’t help but wonder about why Gundham’s presence makes me feel this way… (surely can’t be a sign of something deeper to interrogate).
-~-
As the sun rose the next morning, I blinked awake and squirmed at the oppressive heat surrounding me.
(When did it get so hot overnight?)
My thoughts quickly sprinted from calm to chaotic and screaming as I realized it was Gundham’s arms around me that caused my new heat-ridden condition. His light snores signaled that he didn’t feel my sudden panic at his proximity.
I pondered pushing him away before my urge to go back to sleep won over my panic.