message in a bottle | soudam

Day 12: Invitations And Conversations

The weekend came and went, and I arrived at Hope's Peak Academy a few minutes late. This was normal, but what wasn't normal was the person standing a few metres away from the door to my classroom - invisible to anyone inside. I soon noticed it was Gundham Tanaka. The Ultimate Breeder had a talent for standing suspiciously.

I approached him cautiously, remembering my desire to talk to him again. ''H-hey, Gundham. What're you doing here? You're usually on time,'' I cocked my head as I spoke.

''Ah, Souda. I was waiting for you,'' Gundham confessed with a scary smile crossing his lips. ''I was wondering if you would want to visit my domain this weekend. We will meet on that bridge at noon on the first day and travel to where I make my home.'' I noticed he had gripped his scarf in one sturdy hand and was fiddling with it as he explained what he wanted.

The Ultimate Breeder - my rival in Sonia Nevermind's love for so long - inviting me to his house? I wondered if it had been our conversation by the bridge that had prompted his sudden desire for my friendship. And, I had to admit, I was intrigued. It was a chance to put the thought of those letters out if my mind, although I did suspect Gundham knew something about them.

My confusion must have shown on my face; Gundham frowned. I couldn't help but catch the flicker of what must have been sadness in his cold eyes. ''Of course, this is only an invitation,'' he shrugged, ''You may decline.''

''Oh, uh, I'll come,'' I replied at last. Gundham's face lit up for a split-second before returning to its usual emotionless nature. ''Wonderful. We should get to class,'' he suggested. I followed him inside, where we both recieved the usual scolding.

I seated myself on a table near the kitchen at lunch and began to clean the vehicle grease off my hands with a strawberry-scented baby wipe. I sniffed my fingertips when I had finished and was disappointed to find the smell hadn't transferred to my skin. It was as my hand was travelling from my nose that Gundham appeared before me. ''Souda, you can damage your nose like that,'' he huffed.

''I wasn't-'' I protested. Gundham shut me up with a shake of his head. ''It's okay, mortal, no one witnessed. Hm, may I sit beside you this lunch period?''

I shrugged, annoyed he had got the wrong idea. ''Oh, sure,'' I accepted, watching him sit down with a wary eye. We held an awkward silence until our meals were delivered. ''Well, uh... How are you, then?'' I asked nervously.

It was a few seconds before Gundham replied: enough for me to think he wouldn't. ''I am alright. You?''

''I'm good.''

''That's good. Well, hm, what have you been up to this morning?''

''I, uh, fixed a car and started building an engine. Wait, what do you actually do as the Ultimate Breeder? Do you just wait for the animals to, y'know... Or is it more active?'' I shuddered, hoping he wouldn't confirm my thoughts.

For the first time in my knowledge, Gundham chuckled. The deep yet joyful sound was enough to turn a few heads our way as he muttered, ''I look after the animals until it's sex season. Then I convince them to 'y'know'.''

The two of us burst into laughter at the interesting wording of a 'sex season' until Gundham shrugged, ''It's true, though. I assume you just... fix cars?''

My response was a nod. Gundham opened his mouth to speak, but the bell cut him off. ''Ah, I must prepare for sex season. See you soon, Souda,'' he laughed as he walked away quickly. I followed the crowd out of the dining hall and headed to my next duty.