Chapter Text
“Okay, Kiibo,” Ibadashi began as he moved his black chess pawn closer to the rows of white on the other side of the board, “Let’s play a game — and don’t let me win this time.”
Kiibo laughed his just-slightly tinny laugh. Too realistic of a voice made him seem rather uncanny and less trustworthy in some focus testing performed around the campus, so they kept the slightly robotic quality. His rhythm of speech and fluidity of conversation was impeccable, though. He easily reached out with his grey carbon-fiber fingers to pluck up his white pawn and move it forward as well.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Doctor Ibadashi. I’ll give it all that I’ve got!”
Ibadashi chuckled and moved one of his pieces. Miu scribbled a few notes on her clipboard which was decorated with various stickers she’d picked up over time. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled high into a ponytail that still swept at her shoulders; exposed due to the fact that she had unzipped the top half of her baby-pink jumpsuit, tied the sleeves around her waist, and sported the cream-colored tank-top beneath it. Souda wore his bright yellow one in the same fashion and hung around in his white t-shirt. He held his own clipboard (a chipped, stained thing) slack in one hand as he nervously smoked with the other. The back of his neck felt hot.
Souda nudged Miu and leaned over so as not to distract Ibadashi or Kiibo from their little game. “D’ya got an extra hair tie?”
Miu slid one off of her wrist and tossed it over to Souda quickly without looking at him. Souda fumbled, but achieved in catching it. He pressed his cigarette between his lips and used both hands to put his stubborn mass of fuschia-colored hair into a ponytail.
“How is your mother doing, Doctor?” Kiibo inquired casually as he captured one of Ibadashi’s pieces.
This made Souda and Miu smirk at the same time. He had sensed a lull in the conversation and organically moved onto another topic. Ibadashi smiled at him and played his move.
“Why, it surprises me that you remember my mentioning her! I don’t think we’ve discussed my mother for a few weeks, have we?”
Kiibo blinked his teal, fiber-optic eyes uselessly and smiled as he moved his piece, “Well, I have an outstanding memory, Doctor! Your mother, Mei Ibadashi, is seventy-four years old and lives with you and your wife, Yuki. She enjoys cooking, gardening, and walks to the market with her girl-friends on Tuesday afternoons.”
Kiibo looked quite different from his beta iterations. He was still quite a bit shorter than either Miu or Souda, but his design was much more sleek. His body below his head was constructed with both carbon fibers and steel situated in a fashion that made him appear to be wearing black pants and a matching black, high-collared jacket with bright, glowing buttons. The collar had a bright green LED interface which read back numbers and codes regarding system outputs and efficiencies. They had also made the decision to keep the defining, dark edge of his face plates underneath his eyes, as it gave him a definite robotic appearance despite the otherwise uncanny realism of his face.
Miu had also undertaken the designing of his hair piece, which was made of individualized fibers that reacted to Kiibo’s emotion. His hair spiked up when he was surprised, flustered, or angry. She had no reasoning for this other than the fact that it was cute.
Ibadashi couldn’t help but laugh with wonder at the reply, “Yes, Kiibo, that is exactly right! Well, since you asked, she is doing wonderfully.”
Kiibo suddenly cornered Ibadashi’s king piece, “Well, give her my best, Doctor. And, checkmate.”
Ibadashi looked down at the board with confusion. Not only had Kiibo succeeded in distracting him, but he really didn’t let him win this time. Ibadashi straightened his glasses and looked over at Souda and Miu. Souda was smiling triumphantly as he tapped out his cigarette. Miu handed her clipboard to Kii-baby and squealed as she ran over to wrap her arms around Kiibo’s metal frame. She kissed the white silicone of his cheek.
“Great job, Kiibo! You did so good!”
Souda rolled his eyes, “C’mon, Miu, y’can’t just go praisin’ him for every little thing he gets right! Then he won’t know the value in it.”
Miu shot him a deathly glare and held Kiibo protectively to her chest. Souda shivered and didn’t press the issue any further. Ibadashi chuckled and stood up from the table.
“I must agree with Miu, Kazuichi. Kiibo’s performance is improvising seamlessly these days. In fact, he’s come such a far way since the beginning of the semester that, here in mid-October, I might even go so far as to say that it is hardly a performance at all. His AI is truly masterful — such a robust system. Remind me, Miu, you came up with the concept for his ever-developing, neural pathway-type capability which Chihiro brought into fruition?”
Miu nodded and let Kiibo go so that she could take note of the readings on his collar, “Yeah, I do all the conceptualizing and schematics here. Chihiro takes me the rest of the way that I can’t go with computers and Pinky over there is my extra set of hands.”
Souda made a face, “Hey! C’mon I built pretty much his whole skeleton from scratch, like, eight times just to get it more dynamic motion! Not to mention that it was my idea on how to store the plasma beams in his hands instead of his arms.”
Miu rolled her eyes and walked over to him as she set her clipboard down on her workstation. She took his chin into her hand and squeezed his cheeks together.
“Awwww, does the baby want more credit?”
Souda’s face went pink with frustration. Miu laughed at this, “C’mon, you know I’m just playing! You’re more than just my Igor, I promise.”
He rolled his eyes but couldn’t help smiling a bit. Ibadashi looked at the two of them and their creation proudly.
“You two have exceeded my expectations. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that you’ll knock their socks off at the meeting at the school exposition this weekend.”
“Yes, I also think that we will have an excellent time!” Kiibo chirped.
Miu smiled fondly down at him, “Remember, Kiibo, people are probably gonna prod you when you say words like “think” or “wonder.”
Kiibo didn’t falter, “I’ll simply tell them that I’m using the term as a loose approximation in order to more easily relate to them as a human being! Of course, I am not, nor am I ever, actually doing any kind of thinking .”
Miu patted his head, “Just like yer daddy.”
“Hey!” Souda snipped.
That made Ibadashi laugh heartily, “Goodness you are a riot, Miu.” He gathered up his things and walked up to Kiibo to test his bowing synchronization, which was instantaneous, “I’ll be seeing you soon, Kiibo. Good game today.”
Kiibo waved at him as he walked away, “So long, Doctor! Give your family my best.”
Ibadashi chuckled, “I’ll do just that. So long you two.”
“Goodbye, professor,” Souda and Miu both said in unison as they packed up their few things before both walking Kiibo back into his charging pod, which was situated in a locked room that also served as a spare cleaning supply closet. It almost looked like a cryogenic chamber without the freezing aspect and much more LED detailing. Kiibo stepped onto two pegs protruding from the floor which fit into the soles of his feet. This was the main source of charging power. Souda grabbed two wires and attached them to the insides of either of his wrists as though they were intravenous tubes; these charged his plasma beams.
“Everything charging?” Souda asked him as he backed away for Miu to get a closer look for herself.
Kiibo nodded, “Yes, both my core battery and plasmatic reserves are charging as we speak.”
Miu nodded as she looked over a few of the numbers on his collar one last time, “And everything’s running super efficiently after that last tune-up you did.”
Souda smirked at that. Miu finished her check-up before pressing his four “jacket” buttons in a particular order which acted as a pin to unlock the ability to shut him down. She then moved her hand behind his neck and just below the collar of said “jacket” and found a seamless button at the top of his mechanical spine. She smiled at him as he pressed it.
“Goodnight, we’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, knowing there was a short delay in the power down as it moved from the bottom of his body to the top.
Kiibo smiled back, “Goodni—
He powered down. His teal eyes went from a full display with light refraction and pupil imitation to two flat disks which slowly faded in and out of a yellow glow. His smile fell into neutrality and his posture slightly slumped forward. The first few moments after Kiibo was powered down were always strange and eerie. They shut him into the pod, locked up the closet, and walked back over to their station in the garage. They both walked to the respective bathrooms at either end of the hangar-like building (Miu’s was closer) and got out of their jumpsuits to change into their pants. They hung them up side-by-side at the station, grabbed their bags, and headed out to the parking lot.
Now that school was in session, Souda drove Miu home the nights that they worked in the garage, which were growing more and more frequent. They arrived at the garage everyday around nine in the morning and sometimes stayed until nine in the evening. As they walked out and down from the campus on the concrete pathway, they discussed what else they could be doing to make Kiibo smarter, stronger, or faster. But on this occasion, they just walked alongside each other and listened to the crickets singing as they made their way.
—
Sonia interlaced her fingers and listened attentively as one of the other new members of the debate club stood up and introduced himself. He was a somewhat quiet, timid boy with dark blueish-black hair that hung into his golden eyes.
“I’m … Shuichi Saihara. It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” he managed before sitting right back down. Sonia smiled and stood up, as she was the next new member in the circle.
“I am Sonia Nevermind! I am so excited to kick some butt with you all this semester!”
This made everyone in the circle giggle. Hinata stood up as she sat down.
“Thank you to all of our new members. You’re familiar faces to me, so it’s a pleasure to have you on the team. First thing’s first, as I’m sure you all could tell, we’ve had some changes since last semester. Our man Makoto here needed more time for finishing up school this semester, so this is my first time as acting president of the club.”
Everyone smiled, but some of their gazes lingered on Kirigiri, who was leaning coolly back in her chair. They were obviously wondering why Naegi picked Hinata over her. She closed her eyes as she began to speak.
“I didn’t want the job,” she said firmly, which made the oglers blush and look down.
Hinata continued, “Also, this semester we’re gonna be merging with the Spring Valley team this year during competitions.”
This earned a few groans and expressions of outrage from some of the members, but Hinata kept his cool, “C’mon guys don't be that way. Neither of our teams qualify size-wise for half of the forensic competitions out there individually — this is better for both of us! This way more people will be able to compete in more stuff! Besides, we’ll still prepare separately and come together for scrimmages as practice.”
Some people still didn’t look exactly thrilled, but most seemed to accept the proposition.
“Now, for the first few meetings around here, we’re just gonna be running through some of the basics and doing some mock situations. We’re mostly trying to figure out who’s gonna be speaking with the debate team and who can focus on other things. So, Shuichi, Sonia — the two of you are going to be especially tested over the next few meetings. Today’s meeting, however, is a short one, since it’s our first of the semester. Again, if this time doesn’t work with you then please talk to me personally after the meeting. Got it?” No one said anything to Hinata. “Okay, meeting dismissed. If you have any questions, I’m free right now.”
A small crowd quickly surrounded him before forming a line. Sonia stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. She stood up and walked out of the room before noticing Saihara already at the end of the hall.
“Shuichi!” she called, making him pause somewhat nervously. Sonia caught up with him at the end of the hallway and began to walk with him outside. “I am relieved to not be the only new member of the club this semester! Tell me, what is your year?”
Saihara smiled somewhat, but kept his hands tightly wound around the straps of his backpack, “Actually, I’m at the beginning of my second year here at Towa City. I-I just joined because Hajime asked me after our public speaking class last semester.”
Sonia clapped her hands, “Ah! I suppose you were most skilled in the ways of addressing the masses!”
Saihara smiled somewhat miserably, “I actually got half marks. Barely a passing grade.” He finished with a hint of a chuckle in his voice.
“Well, Hajime has an eye for potential in places where some people do not even recognize within themselves. I trust his judgement in thinking that you are a most promising young prospect,” Sonia said confidently.
Saihara looked up at her gratefully and let out a genuine, albeit short laugh. They walked with one another all the way up to the bus loop, which provided free transport over to the train stop several blocks down the street. As they sat down at the bench, a yellow sports car pulled into the loop in front of them. The driver’s window rolled down to reveal Souda smiling his shark smile at Sonia.
“Hey Sonia, you want a ride?” Souda asked.
Miu leaned over, “C’mon, get in the car!” Sonia smiled apologetically at Saihara, who waved her off with an understanding smile. Sonia gathered up her things and climbed into Souda’s backseat.
Miu then narrowed her eyes and waved at Saihara, “Oh hey, Shuichi! You hittin’ on my friend here?”
Shuichi blushed hard and put up his hands, “M-Miu, I— No!”
Miu was already cackling, “I’m just playin’ with you, man! Lighten up a little bit! I’ll tell Kaede you say hi, ‘kay?”
He chuckled nervously and nodded, “H-Ha, yeah sure. Bye guys.”
They chorused different salutations and Souda rounded the loop before he continued out onto the main road. Miu turned around in the passenger seat to talk to her.
“Takin’ some late classes this semester?” Miu inquired.
Sonia shook her head, “Not exactly. I have joined the ranks of the school’s debate club!”
Miu chuckled, “Hajime’s debate club?”
Sonia nodded proudly. Souda and Miu gave each other a smirk at that.
“Man, I think yer gonna fit right in, Sonia. Was that the new kid?” Souda asked.
Miu nodded, “Yeah, he’s Kaede’s best friend.”
“His name is Shuichi Saihara. He is quite nice! I am sure you will be seeing more of him.”
Miu was already bored with that conversation, “So what’re you doin’ for your birthday, Sonia? I know it’s sometime soon. October tenth?”
Sonia smiled, “Close! October thirteenth . This Friday; always such a treat for me!”
Souda shivered, “Yer not nervous about spooky stuff on your birthday?”
Miu rolled her eyes, “Dude, do you know who you’re talking to?”
Sonia laughed at that as Souda’s cheeks warmed a fraction. “Actually, Kazuichi, I was hoping you and —” she deepened her voice and puffed her chest, “The Prince of Ice and Darkness himself—
Sonia’s little impression made the two of them crack up.
“— could join me this evening for wine and films this evening. My mother sent a few parcels from my home, as I will not be traveling this year. Since Peko is taking the day off especially for me this Friday, I thought it would be nice to get together this evening! I was actually going to ring the both of you when I got home! But, Miu, you and Kaede are more than welcome to drop by!”
Miu smiled, “Thanks, but Kaede needs me to help her cram for some exams she’s gonna be taking in advance. I wanted to keep it a surprise… but Remnants of Despair is going on tour!”
Souda smiled, “Aw man, that’s great Miu! When are they startin’?”
“Next week. She’s still gonna try and finish the semester, though, even when I told her it was crazy,” Miu smiled fondly, “But hey, she doesn’t listen to me unless we’re in bed!”
Sonia rolled her eyes, “Please, Miu, there is not a bone in your body which could grant you the ability to top!”
Souda went bright red at hearing that, which made both Miu and Sonia laugh. It was hardly any time before he was pulling in front of Kaede’s house. She waved at them from the patio as Miu climbed out and Sonia switched to sit in the front seat. Once they made sure the two of them were inside, Souda pulled away from the curb.
“Could you call Gundham fer me? We’re not far from his place, might as well swing by and get ‘im,” Souda asked her, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible even though his heart was already pounding with the knowledge that he would soon see Gundham.
Though they had been seeing each other for a few months, Souda was still a mess when it came to Gundham. The butterflies in his stomach could never seem to fly away. Sonia nodded and called him.
“Gundham! Are you home? …. Excellent, are you busy? …. Would you like to come over this evening to celebrate my birthday?” Sonia laughed and continued to listen for a moment before speaking again, “Well, I am down the street. I will be there soon. …. Alright, goodbye.”
She looked over at Souda, “I figured a little surprise would not hurt!”
Souda smiled back at her and blushed, thinking of the innocent softness that overcame Gundham’s face when he was shocked or confused. He pressed his foot a little harder on the gas pedal. They got there sooner than later. As Souda pulled up, he could see the Gundham standing outside against the wall. His face went from a stoney, guarded glare to a warm smile and wide eyes. Souda smiled wide and rolled his window down so Gundham could lean down to talk to him.
“Hi,” Souda said giddily.
“Greetings, my treasure,” Gundham murmured before quickly kissing him and leaning back, “I cannot deny, I am surprised, but most thrilled by your presence here. The She-Cat made it appear as though it would be only herself arriving, but it appears that was an illusion set on misleading me. I must say, well done on that part.”
Sonia laughed and moved to get out and let him have the front seat, but Gundham was already climbing into the seat behind Souda’s. As Souda pulled away from the curb, Gundham looked over to see their backpacks in the seat next to him.
“Pray tell, did the pair of you recently depart from our learning institution?”
They both nodded from the front seat. Gundham shook his head.
“I shudder to imagine the extent to which the presences of both my companion and my lover I will be stripped of this semester. But alas, this is selfish thinking — I am fully enraptured with pride in either of your accomplishments. Tell me, how was your venture in the Society of Argument?”
Sonia smiled and turned to speak to him, “It was a lot of fun! Hajime is a great leader — I cannot wait to see where he puts me on the team!”
“I am sure your powers of hypnotism and telekinesis will be most useful in manipulation of the opponents' very psyche. Think of it, Sonia, you could become a powerful weapon in their holster.”
She chuckled, “I do not think psychological possessions are permitted by the forensic board.”
Gundham shrugged, “Shame — it would surely be a tactic worth exploring. And what about you, my darling? How fares your mechanical man?”
Souda smirked, “Kiibo’s doin’ good! We’re gonna be showin’ him off at an expo fer the school this weekend.”
Sonia gasped with excitement, “What time?”
“I’ll hafta’ check again, but probably noon to four ‘er somethin’ like that.”
“Well, we will be there! Right, Gundham?”
Gundham smiled and made eye contact with Souda through his rear view mirror, “I would not miss it for the sky crashing down.”
—
Sonia immediately ripped into the three packages from her mother once they all got settled upon arrival; Asahina was working and would be home eventually. In one package was a stack of fine clothing from Italy. There were a few silken wrap dresses in dark, rich colors; some long skirts, expensive jeans, and a few sweaters. The second package contained something slightly surprising, a brand new cell phone placed delicately on top of a stack of Indian incense and polished rocks. The third package was actually a wooden crate which contained four bottles of wine; two white, two red, stacked on top of a bundle of packing straw. Gundham and Souda just sat on the couch politely as she opened up expensive gifts after expensive gifts. After all, they were just two poor boys holding hands on the plush material of their wealthy friend’s couch underneath it all. Sonia was thrilled and thankful for each item. She called her mother and spoke English excitedly as she poured three glasses of white wine.
Gundham scrolled through the streamable films on her television and settled into the corner of the couch comfortably. Souda then leaned over to wrap his arms around Gundham’s waist and lean his head against the front of his shoulder, almost right above his heart. Gundham switched the remote into his other hand and used his free one to gently rub long stripes up and down Souda’s back.
“I missed you today,” Souda murmured to him.
Gundham smiled and pressed his lips to the top of his head, “I could tell. You see, when one person longs for another so severely, such a powerful emotional tether can actually result in the other person’s mind becoming infiltrated with nothing but thoughts of their missing counterpart. You have been running through my mind all day, making a muck of my productivity.”
Souda smiled up at him smugly, “Couldn’t get any work done, eh? Bet yer followers are pissed .”
Gundham shook his head, “I have satiated their demands for now. Three posts to the allocation of my daily operandi posted to the ever-circling interweb and two to the ‘Insta-gram’ should satiate their hunger for a day.”
“Jeez, man, how many disciples do ya’ have?”
Gundham smirked at the work choice, “I have formed an allegiance nearly twenty-thousand strong.”
Souda sat up as Sonia tuned into the conversation at just that moment.
“Gundham, you have twenty- thousand followers?!” Sonia gasped.
His smug grin grew tenfold, “Do not be surprised — mortals often flock to my beckoning call! Not only this, but such exposure has resulted in foreign export of residentiary beings within The Breedery from places as far as Africa. Saharan monitor lizards, of all things!”
Sonia handed them their glasses, “That is incredible! Your powers of manifestation are truly unparalleled.”
Souda leaned up and kissed his cheek, “I’m happy fer you.”
Gundham smiled and sipped his wine. He thrusted the remote over to Sonia.
“I must ask you to choose the film which we will be hypnotized by this evening — I haven’t a solitary clue.”
Sonia sighed dramatically and took the remote to choose herself.
“Kazuichi, could you order a pizza?” Sonia asked, talking a drink of her wine.
He chuckled and fished his phone out of his pocket. He looked up a nearby pizza place which he had learned was the go-to when ordering at Sonia’s. They had a really amazing cheese pizza that the vegan’s wouldn’t get too grossed out about, but also carried a small variety (which, to Gundham and Asahina— who were perpetually used to the same option of just getting a salad— was a bounty) of vegan pies as well.
Souda tapped in an order for two pizzas and echoed the notification he received it: “Thirty minutes.”
At the same time, Sonia selected a vintage horror film about exorcisms and witches. Souda bit his tongue about the fear he felt and held Gundham tighter as the tension in the film quickly ramped up. Gundham chuckled and ran his hand across Souda’s arm.
“Were I unable to perceive you, I would have guessed you to be a boa constrictor.”
Souda slackened his arms, “S-Sorry.”
“Is this too scary for you, Kazuichi? We could watch something else,” Sonia offered.
He shook his head, now determined to stick it out, “N-No! I’m not that scared I’ve just—” he gulped “— never seen this one before, ya’ know?”
No sooner after he’d made his case, there was a sudden scare in the film that made him yell and reflexively squeeze Gundham. Sonia couldn’t help laughing as Gundham grunted with the unexpected pressure, which sent Souda into a nervous, apologizing tirade.
“I-I’m sorry! It’s just that the fuckin’ door slammed an’ I—
Sonia had leaned over and grabbed his wine glass off of the table before trusting the glass in front of his face, “Drink now, oh yammering one.”
Souda softened up at the affected little voice she’d used and took the glass from her to take a sip. It was good wine. Souda knew that just by tasting it, and he knew just about next to nothing about what made wine “good” or “bad.” Just that there was something special about the tart dryness in his mouth and the way that he could really taste grapes. Plus, it was sweeter than other wines he’d drank, so that was a plus. He settled his cheek on Gundham’s shoulder with a contented sigh. Souda switched his glass into the other hand so he could lace the free one with Gundham’s. He took another drink of the wine.
Yeah, pretty sweet.