Sitting in Kazuichi's room, he and the breeder just stared at each other. It was silent between them and no one was saying a single word. This already went on for quite a while now. Just deciding to meet up in the mechanic's room was hard enough for them.
"So..." Kazuichi broke the silence, "What are we going to do for this project?"
The moment when Miss Yukizome mentioned the project and the fact that Kazuichi and Tanaka were in the same group both students were shocked. Their talents couldn't be more different. What could a breeder and mechanic do as a project while using both their talents? Kazuichi couldn't even touch an animal without it trying to harm him and as far he had noticed over the last couple of months the alpha had next to no knowledge about mechanics and technology.
Still the biggest problem for both students remained their extremely tense relationship. They weren't friends. Quite the contrary, they hated each other. Nearly every time the two of them ended in some sort of argument. Kazuichi could count the times were they interacted without being at each other's throats on one hand.
"This is a difficult question, that even I can not answer." Tanaka was deep in thought, his always present hamsters sitting on his head and shoulders. Only San-D wasn't sitting on her owner as she was busy looking around Kazuichi's room. He really hoped that the hamster didn't bite any of the cables that were in his room.
Sighing deeply Kazuichi sank deeper into his chair. "Great. And we only have about one month to finish this shit."
Looking nowhere in particular, Kazuichi wondered if the others had the same problems with their projects. He never would have thought it could be this hard to come up with something. When he was working alone he never had any problems before. But no, he had to work with the weirdo.
If he didn't knew it better, Kazuichi would bet that Miss Yukizome and Komaeda were working together to make the two students become friends. However this was impossible, since Miss Yukizome was on vacation over that time. Or was it really that impossible?
No, there was no way. Especially since Komaeda promised to stop with his attempts.
"Are you even listening you foolish mortal?" came Tanaka's voice, tearing Kazuichi from his thoughts.
"Eh, what?" the mechanic looked confused back to the alpha, who on the other hand seemed annoyed because of it.
"You have quite some nerve to ignore the ruler of this world, Sharp Toothed One."
"Yeah, whatever." Kazuichi rolled his eyes, "So what did ya say?"
"As I was saying, I do have to follow my responsibilities and take care of the beasts that occupy this grounds." Tanaka declared, getting up. "If you wish to resume our meeting, you will have to follow me to their palace."
Sighing Kazuichi also got up, "If we have to, fine."
With a wave of Tanaka's hand, San-D ran up to the breeder. Picking her up, he let her and the other three hamsters climb back into his clothes. One if these days Kazuichi had to find out how he did it.
The two students walked together towards the farm, where all the animals that this school housed lived. It was a large building, about half the size of the school building itself. Kazuichi had been on the field around the farm a few times before, but this was the first time that he would actually go inside of it. He never had the chance to go, due to him working in the labs or hanging out with his friends. And quite frankly he never really thought about going inside of the building, as he never had any reason to do so.
A few students were inside, taking care of the many animals. They passed horses, dogs, different types of birds, a bear.
Kazuichi froze. There was a huge bear in here, without a cage or anything to hold it back! And Tanaka just straight up walked up to it!
Without even thinking about it, Kazuichi grabbed the arm of the breeder and pulled him back. Even if he hated the other, Kazuichi didn't want him to get shred into pieces.
Widening his eyes in surprisement, Tanaka stumbled backwards, "What do you think you are doing, Tamer-"
"T-There is a bear! You will get killed!" Kazuichi interrupted him, shaking slightly. Was the weirdo suicidal or why did he try to run up towards a living bear?
"I am quite aware of its presence." Tanaka straightened up again. "Now will you let go of my arm, so that I am able to go and check up on Grizner?"
With this Kazuichi realised that he was still holding onto Tanaka's arm. Letting go of him, he turned his gaze away. Right in this moment a realisation hit him.
"Grizner?" Kazuichi asked, "That thing has a name?"
"This is no 'thing' you fiend. This creature is an Ursus Arctos, or as you mortals call them, a brown bear." Tanaka replied angrily at the description. "And yes, her name is Grizner."
After hearing her name being called multiple times, the bear got up from her place and walked up towards the two males, shoving her enormous body right under Tanaka's arm, like a dog begging for a scratch. The breeder didn't even blink and calmly petted the beast, while Kazuichi jumped away from it before it could eat him.
Holding his arms in front of him, like it would protect him from a fully grown bear, Kazuichi pointed at the animal. "Okay fine, her name is Grizner. And why exactly is she here?"
Still petting the animal, Tanaka started inspecting the left side of her body. "She was imprisoned inside a hellish circus, being forced to preform most vile tricks just for the twisted amusement of some despicable mortals. When her mortal form was accidentally burned during one of those acts, she was freed by one of my apprentices and send here to recover."
Now that Tanaka had mentioned it, Kazuichi could see that her fur was partly missing where the breeder was inspecting her.
"Does she still have pain?" Kazuichi was concerned for the well-being of the animal. Deadly animal or not, no one deserved something like that.
"Not any more." Tanaka stood up again. "Her wound has completely healed, only a small scar staying behind."
Relieve washed over the mechanic. It was great to hear that the animal was feeling better again.
Kazuichi's previous fear was now replaced with interest.
"What are ya going to do with her now?" Kazuichi asked curious. The mechanic doubted that Tanaka would send her back to the circus, but he was sure that even Hope's Peak Academy wasn't that keen on keeping a bear for very long. At least he believed this, but the school did surprise him before.
"I will keep training her, to prepare her for when she will be brought back to the home from where she was originally taken. As she lived in captivity for so long, she will have to learn how to share a life with her kind." Tanaka explained while making a hand sign, on which the bear sat down.
This amazed the mechanic. "She sat, with ya only moving your hand."
Grinning proudly, Tanaka crossed his arms. "This is not the only skill that this hellish beast possesses."
"Show me!" Kazuichi demanded excitedly. He never had the chance before to see something like this. A wild animal doing the bidding of a person.
"Very well, Tamer of Automations." Tanaka seemed just as excited about the prospect of showing his skills off, "Feast your eyes on the combined dark powers from this hellish beast and the Overlord of Ice!"
Kazuichi was truly amazed. The bear did everything that Tanaka told her to do. Every time the breeder took on some kind of pose, the bear did the same one. Sitting down, turning around on two feet, waving with her front paw and even hiding her face behind her paws, like a shy child. The last one was Kazuichi's favourite. It was really cute to look at. At the same time it was amusing seeing the overconfident breeder hiding his face behind his hands, like he was playing peek-a-boo with the bear, while she did the same with him.
Never would Kazuichi have thought to see such a tame bear. It was actually hugging Tanaka now.
"This is amazing!" Kazuichi praised the breeder, "I never would have thought that you were this awesome Tanaka."
A blush spread over said teens face, making him pull his scarf over his face like he always did. "Thank you Pink Haired One."
"Oh god, stop getting embarrassed!" Now Kazuichi was also getting red. "I already told ya, that I will also get embarrassed if you do that!"
Trying to change the topic, Kazuichi looked at Grizner. "She is really tame. Was she like this, when she came here or did you tame her?"
Tanaka's gaze also went to the bear. "She was indeed already like this when she arrived at this realm. As she lived most of her life with mortals, she is used to being touched. Even someone like you could pet her."
"Really?" This surprised Kazuichi.
"Yes." answered the other male. "If you want, you can touch her."
While Kazuichi was a bit nervous about the idea of touching a bear, he was intrigued. When did one have the chance to do that?
As he feared that he could chicken out again, Kazuichi stretched his hand out towards the bear.
However he seemed to have done this way too fast and surprised the animal, because her reaction was to take half of Kazuichi's hand into her mouth.
It took him a few moments to process what happened, but when he did, Kazuichi screamed.
It didn't really hurt, but having his hand inside the mouth of a freaking bear shocked the mechanic to no end. Even Tanaka was completely shocked at this. Panicked the alpha commanded the animal to let go of the mechanic.
As soon as the bear had opened his mouth, Kazuichi pulled his hand away and inspected it with teary eyes. It was bleeding where the bear's teeth had hit his skin. Luckily his fingers still moved, so at least there was no real damage. At least Kazuichi hoped so.
Suddenly his arm was grabbed by Tanaka, who carefully started inspecting the wound.
"You are lucky Tamer of Automations, as she had hardly used her true strength. However we should take care of your wounds to prevent infection."
Without waiting for an answer Tanaka carefully pulled Kazuichi into a small room, filled with shelves and a small table, with chairs around it. Making the mechanic sit down, the other student took out a first-aid kit from the shelf and took a seat in front of the smaller male.
Taking disinfectant out Tanaka took Kazuichi's hand into his own again, "This will sting Sharp Toothed One, so bear with it." and started applying it carefully onto the wound. The stinging made Kazuichi wince slightly. Strangely the disinfectant was stinging more than the bite had hurt him. Maybe he really was lucky and wasn't going to loose his hand.
"This is my fault, as I never would have imagined that you would move this fast towards a demonic beast like a bear." Tanaka admitted while he was wrapping a bandage around Kazuichi's injured hand.
Normally Kazuichi would wholeheartedly agree that the irritating alpha was at fault, but somehow he couldn't do it now.
"Ne, I should've been more careful, so don't worry."
As soon as Tanaka was finished with applying first-aid, he let go of Kazuichi's hand. "This should be enough for now Tamer of Automations, however we should have your hand checked by one who has mastered the art of healing."
Nodding, Kazuichi stood up while looking at his hand. The bleeding had mostly stopped by now.
After Tanaka had put the first-aid kit back to its original place, the two students went to the main building. When the two of them told the doctor inside the infirmary what exactly happened, while she inspected the wound, she wasn't even really shocked or anything. Were cases where students got bitten by bears that common in this school?
Just as Tanaka and Kazuichi had assumed, the wound wasn't really that bad. The doctor confirmed that Grizner had only scraped Kazuichi's skin and no real damage was done. When the doctor however declared that she wanted to give Kazuichi a shot just to be on the safe side, he clung onto Tanaka's arm until she was done with injecting it and dismissed the two students.
Leaving the infirmary Kazuichi looked at his hand, again bandaged up to keep the wound clean. While it luckily wasn't his dominant hand, it would still be hard to work for the next couple of days. It would hurt if he tried to grab anything.
"Are you still in pain Pink Haired One?" Tanaka asked with slight concern in his voice. Was the breeder really concerned about the other male or was it just his guilt talking? Kazuichi was sure that it had to be the latter. There was no way that the weirdo would be concerned.
Waving him off with his good hand, Kazuichi grinned up at him. "Everything's okay. But I'm hungry, so let's get something to eat."
"Very well." Tanaka agreed and the two of them went together towards the cafeteria, for the first time since the Halloween incident.
Both students grabbed some food from the buffet and Kazuichi's eyes wandered towards the plate of the other, while they were searching for some free seats.
"Say, I wondered for a while now. Are ya vegetarian or something? Because I never saw ya get anything with meat in it."
"I am indeed. As I do not like the idea of raising an animal just for the sake of eating them, I decided to abandon the consumption of meat." replied Tanaka, searching for a seat.
Because both the students were distracted with their small talk, they nearly didn't notice some of their classmates sitting at one of the tables. Komaeda waved at them. "Souda, Tanaka you can sit here."
Placing their trays on the table, Fuyuhiko suddenly gave a smug grin. "Are you two lovebirds matching now or what?"
Kazuichi looked down and only just now noticed, that he and Tanaka both had their left hands bandaged up.
A blush spreading on Kazuichi's cheeks, he pointed at the yakuza, "We are no lovebirds you stupid baby face!"
"Baby face?!" Kuzuryu got angry, raising his fists towards Kazuichi.
"Calm down you two." Hinata interjected before it got out of hand again. Pekoyama, who was sitting next to Kuzuryu, agreed with him. "He is right Kuzuryu. You should try to stay calm about things like this."
Sighing deeply the yakuza tried to calm down again. "Fine. But one day you will have to stop calling me by my surname, Peko."
As soon as Tanaka and Kazuichi took a seat, Hinata pointed at the bandaged hand of the mechanic.
"So, why are you wearing this?"
"A bear bit my hand." Kazuichi explained and began eating.
However the rest of the students all turned quiet.
It was then Nanami who broke the silence. "Did you say a bear bit you?"
"Just lightly, so it's okay." Kazuichi shrugged.
"The Tamer of Automations wanted to make a pact of trust with the hellish beast, but failed however as I misjudged the situation." Tanaka added, his eyes averting away from the group. He seemed to feel really guilty about the whole thing, but tried to hide it.
Great, now Kazuichi also felt bad.
Somehow he had to make the other feel better, so he said the first thing that came to his mind. "Yeah, but listen. He saved this bear and trained it. Now it can do cool tricks and it's really awesome."
This turned the conversation around. Now all the present students were impressed and praised the breeder, making him blush and look away.
For someone who supposedly didn't care what others thought of him, Tanaka blushed easily at the slightest compliment. If only it didn't make Kazuichi also awkward.
After a while the group changed the topic many times, as one topic was flowing into the next.
Eating the last bit of his food, Hinata looked at the others, "So how are your projects moving along? Any ideas by now?"
"Tsumiki and I thought we could try to make a simple game about medicine and doctors." Nanami answered, "It could help children that are afraid of doctors and could give them a bit of knowledge about some illnesses. I think..."
This was actually a nice idea. Kazuichi could see it helping small children, if it was done correctly.
"Peko and I had a few small ideas, but we still have to decide what we should do at the end." Kuzuryu leaned back in his chair, while Pekoyama nodded in agreement.
"We also came up with many different ideas." Kamukura was the next to speak up. Kazuichi could never understand how that guy always seemed this uninterested while talking. Komaeda however was the complete opposite. "Hinata and Kamukura had so many wonderful ideas that would bring so much hope to everyone."
Now all the eyes turned to the last two people at the table.
"What about you?" Kuzuryu asked.
"Yeah guess." Even Kazuichi found this question stupid. There was no way that he and Tanaka came up with any ideas, except if they involved bears. And after today he really hoped that no project in his whole life would involve any bears.
***
Kazuichi sat inside of Tanaka's dorm room, playing with his favourite spanner between his fingers. The last three days had the complete same procedure. Sitting around while brainstorming together with the Ultimate Breeder, throwing in random ideas and discarding them again shortly after. It was a frustrating ritual by now. That Kazuichi still wasn't really able to build anything, due to his hand still healing, didn't help in the slightest.
As far as Kazuichi was aware, all the other groups already had started actively working on their projects.
"How about we build a robot pet or something?" Kazuichi suggested.
"While this may be an idea, I fail to see what part I would play in this endeavour." Tanaka replied, making the mechanic sigh. Every idea that either of them had ended in the same way. They couldn't really do it together. One of them would always end up in the role of an assistant for the other.
What was Miss Yukizome thinking putting them both in the same group? That woman must have been out of her mind when she thought up the teams. Either that or she liked to see her students being miserable.
"This has been going on for days now!" the omega complained, "We need to think something up or we have a real problem."
"This is true, however complaining will not help us in this matter, Tamer of Automations." replied Tanaka, his arms crossed in front of his chest.
His frustration finding its peak, Kazuichi got angry and pointed at the other student. "Then ya come up with some idea! Ya always shouting around that you are 'the great Gundham Tanaka', so prove it Hamster-chan."
"It is not my fault that we can not come up with a solution for our predicament." the breeder defended, "It is your fault, as you have such an astronomical low intelligence that this task becomes nearly impossible!"
"What?!" Kazuichi screamed, "You take that back!"
This was always the last part of their daily procedure. Both of them started shouting at each other.
Just as the two students wanted to engage into another argument, the doorbell rang many times in quick succession. Both students instantly stopped with their banter and Tanaka went to the door to answer.
To both their surprises it was Owari who rang and she looked strangely panicked at Tanaka.
"What do seek at my realm, Athletic Warrior?" Tanaka asked the female.
Her eyes widened, she spoke with a panicked voice. "You have to come with me, we need your help!"
At this Kazuichi also went to the door, raising an eyebrow. What was wrong, that they needed the weirdo for?
Tanaka seemed just as bewildered, but didn't show it as much. "First calm down and tell me what has happened for which you seek my dark powers."
The female however didn't calm down and when she explained, Kazuichi understood why. "A deer was hit by a car a few streets down and its leg is injured. The old man and Tsumiki are there and are trying to help it, but it won't hold still."
Owari had hardly finished her sentence as Tanaka had already ran out of his room. "Show me where this has happened, Athletic One." he demanded on which Owari ran after him.
For a moment Kazuichi was too shocked to really react. Out of pure instinct, he closed the door behind him and followed his two classmates.
"Hey wait!"
Kazuichi was the last to arrive, not being that trained like to other two students. Stopping out of breath he saw that Tanaka was kneeling next to a deer and gently petted its head. Right next to him was Tsumiki who tried to take care of the wound on its hind leg.
Standing a bit to the side, next to a parked car, were Nidai and Owari, together with an older man. If Kazuichi guessed correctly, this man was the one who drove the car. To stay out of the way, the mechanic went to the the others at the side and watched the two Ultimate Students take care of the injured animal.
The old man was completely upset about what happened and kept on mumbling apologies. At this Nidai put his hand on the old man's shoulder. "You don't need to worry. Tsumiki and Tanaka know what to do. Things like this can happen."
A few moments passed until Tsumiki spoke up. "This is the best I can do, b-but the deer really must go to a vet. I'm sorry that I don't really know much about treating animals..."
"We can use my car." the old man offered. "We just have to put down the back seats."
All of them agreed to the idea and started preparing.
Kazuichi and the old man put down the seats and laid a blanked out, that he had inside his car. As soon as the car was prepared, Tanaka, Owari and Nidai carefully picked the injured animal up and carried it towards the car. With a bit of adjusting the three were able to put the deer inside the back, so that it couldn't hurt itself any further while they were driving.
Turning towards the old man Tanaka declared that he would join him to the vet, to make sure that the animal stayed calm during the drive and thus preventing the injury from worsening. Tsumiki also decided to drive with them, since the wound was still bleeding.
The old man sat down in the drivers seat, while Tanaka and Tsumiki climbed into the back, where the deer was lying. While this wasn't exactly legal, it was the only really effective way to do this.
The car drove away towards the nearest veterinary praxis, leaving the other three students behind.
It was later that evening when Tsumiki and Tanaka came back from the vet, both having a grim look on their faces. Even the hamsters seemed sad.
Nidai was the first to speak, his voice concerned. "And how is the deer?"
"Well it made it, which is good." Tsumiki smiled happily, but her face fell again, "But they had to amputate its leg." This let all the present students fall into a depressed mood. That poor animal would have a hard time now, it's movement completely limited by this and thus unable to survive in the forest on its own.
"What will happen now?" Kazuichi asked the nurse and breeder. He hoped the vets wouldn't put it to sleep or something of that kind.
His brows furrowed, Tanaka's face was turned to the side. "They Healers of Beasts are trying to find the creature a new home, where it will be safe from the many predators that lurk in the shadows."
This was good start in Kazuichi's eyes. But he still felt sympathy for the poor animal.
When night-time had already started, Kazuichi sat in his room and was playing a video game to pass the time. His mind was still on the deer and its unfortunate fate. He wished he could help somehow, but there was no way that a mechanic could be of any help for an injured deer with only three legs. Even if he was called an ultimate.
Letting his small pixelated character jump over an enemy, Kazuichi was lost in thought.
It was strange how little aid there was for animals, when something happened to them. There was next to nothing. While it was understandable that scientists first tried to help other humans before helping animals, it wouldn't be that hard to find some aid for them.
If a human lost a leg, they could get a wheelchair or crutches. Some even got themselves...
Kazuichi's eyes widened.
Jumping out of his bed, he ran out of his room, not caring that the screen of his console was now carrying the words 'Game Over'. The mechanic had more important things to take care of right now, than defeating some random enemies inside of a video game.
Without really thinking about the time Kazuichi ran towards his destination and rang the bell next to the door. It took some time before the door opened, revealing the tired looking breeder, with slightly dishevelled hair and in a pair of sweatpants and a loose shirt.
"What do you fiend want at this dark hour?" Tanaka asked tiredly, as it was a bit past midnight and he most likely had already been in his bed.
Just as Kazuichi wanted to answer, he noticed something. The breeder suddenly had two grey eyes instead of one being red. "I knew it, ya were wearing a coloured contact in your right eye!"
At this Tanaka was everything else than pleased. "Tamer of Automations, please do tell me that you did not just wake me from my rest to find out if I wear contacts or not."
This let the mechanic falter.
"Ah yeah, why I came." he laughed awkwardly. "I just had an idea for our project and wanted to tell you about it. I somehow didn't think about the possibility that ya were already sleeping."
Rubbing his temple, Tanaka pushed his bangs out of his eyes. "As I am awake now anyway, please do tell."
"I just had the most awesome idea!" Kazuichi declared excitedly. "We could construct an artificial limp for the deer, which will be connected to its nerve system and then move like a real leg. While I build it you could teach the deer how to walk and live with it! I mean it still couldn't live without humans any more, because the prosthesis will need regular maintenance, but it could at least walk normally again."
Giving the idea of the mechanic thought, Tanaka looked excited. "This suggestion is a great idea Sharp Toothed One. I, the great Gundham Tanaka, am impressed."
"We only have to make a few calls with the vets and find someone who can connect the prosthesis to the deer and we are all set!" Kazuichi grinned.
"Then we shall do this tomorrow." Tanaka nodded. "But first we should rest again, so I wish you a goodnight Tamer of Automations."
"Yeah, goodnight Tanaka."
The two students returned to their rooms. Picking up his game console and turning it off, Kazuichi quickly changed his clothes and also went into his bed. They finally found a project on which they both could work on and the best thing was, it didn't involve a bear.
The next morning Kazuichi was the first one to be in class and had already started making notes for his and Tanaka's project. They would have a high time pressure, as they only had one month to finish the whole thing. Meaning that they had to design the prosthesis, build it, connect it to the deer and than train the animal to move with it.
It was a good thing that the mechanic could work fast, but he had no idea how quick Tanaka would be with his part of the project.
One after the other the students of class 77 assembled inside of their classroom and found themselves in their different groups.
"It is rare to see you this early in this room, Tamer of Automations." Tanaka greeted him, when he came into the classroom and took a seat next to the omega.
"Like you are one to talk." Kazuichi retorted, as both students had a tendency to only arrive at the last minute. "And I couldn't sleep long. I wanted to start building the leg."
At this Tanaka started reading the notes, while Kazuichi kept on writing. "While I do admire your endeavour for our joined project, you are aware that we still need the confirmation from the Healers of Beasts?"
"Yeah, I know." Kazuichi replied and put his notes away, before grabbing his cellphone. "I don't know where ya brought it, so you have to give me the number."
Leaving the classroom together, to not disturbed anyone, the two students called the clinic. The two of them explained their project to the vets and as soon as they heard that Kazuichi and Tanaka were actually students at Hope's Peak Academy they immediately agreed to the plan. Kazuichi knew that Hope's Peak had a great reputation, but he would never have thought that it would be this easy. The vets even proposed that they would assemble a team of specialists to connect the prosthesis onto the deer.
After discussing a few more details, the students ended the call.
Later that day the pair arrived at the clinic to visit the deer. To design the prosthesis Kazuichi needed all its measurements, the more detailed the better.
The students had to wait for a bit before they were led into a back room, where the animal was resting. Now that Kazuichi saw the deer, especially the stump where its hide leg once was, his chest felt tight. The deer seemed so tired, only raising its head as he, Tanaka and one of the doctor's assistants came into the room. He would help this creature with his invention and hopefully many more animals and even people.
Grinning he took out a measuring tape, "Then let's start." and went to the deer. The animal however only got scared of the male and tried to get away without success. So much for taking its measurements.
"You fiend are absolutely useless." Tanaka took the measuring tape away from the mechanic and carefully kneeled next to the animal. In an instant the deer calmed again and rested its head on Tanaka's legs.
"I will take its measurements, since you are unable to do even the most simple of tasks." the breeder declared.
"Yeah sorry that not everybody can be a Disney princess like you." grumbled Kazuichi annoyed and got out a pen and a notebook.
This made the alpha blush out of embarrassment. "What did you call me you fiend?" Furrowing his brows the weirdo tried to look intimidating, but Kazuichi just couldn't take him seriously when the guy had a deer taking a nap on his lap.
Waving him off Kazuichi started tapping the pen on his little notebook. "Just get on with the measurements, Hamster-chan. We can't stay here forever."
While Tanaka measured everything, Kazuichi wrote all the information down and made a few small sketches on the form of its leg and hips.
"So this must be everything that we need." Kazuichi packed away his stuff. "Shall we go back now?"
The question was more of a rhetorical nature, since the mechanic did not expect that the other student would only stare hesitantly at the deer who's head was still on his lap, while it doze peacefully.
"Or we could stay a bit more." Kazuichi changed his mind and sat down on the floor. They didn't had to start with designing right now, so it was okay for a while.
The deer was completely calm, its chest rising and sinking in a steady rhythm. It was lucky that Owari, Tsumiki and Nidai where nearby when it was hit by the car. If they hadn't been, who knew what would have happened.
"Do ya think its still in pain?" the omega asked after a while of silence.
"It would be, if it weren't for the medicine that can take away one's pain." Tanaka gently petted its head. "However she is a brave fighter and has, as many of her species, a high magical power, so if she had pain it will not stop this one."
"That's good to hear."
It was strangely calming to just sit there with that deer. Even Tanaka wasn't irritating him for the whole time they just sat inside of the room. They even managed to have a pleasant chat with each other about random things, without getting into an argument. Kazuichi had to be honest with himself, it was nice talking with the alpha. For such a weird guy Tanaka had some interesting things to say. He was also more intelligent than Kazuichi had given him credit for.
Slowly the deer rose its head, having waken up again. Her face turned towards Kazuichi and examined him, judging if he was a threat for her or not. To Kazuichis surprise the deer leaned her head into his direction.
"It seems that she wishes to seal a pact with you Sharp Toothed One."
This surprised the mechanic even more. "What? You think?"
With a nod, Tanaka reassured the smaller students. "Yes, as this is a sign of trust from her kind."
Carefully Kazuichi started patting her head, this time being more slowly with it than with the bear a few days prior, and the deer closed her eyes in bliss.
"Her fur is really soft." Kazuichi was simply amazed. He hardly managed to pet a dog without it getting angry at him and now he was petting a deer, an animal which was known to be easily frightened by humans.
The door opened soon after, revealing one of the many assistants that asked the two students to start packing their things, as it was time for a check-up on the deer. Saying goodbye to the deer, the two of them left the clinic and made their way back towards the academy.
"Can you believe it?" Kazuichi was still excited. "I really petted it and I wasn't bitten or anything."
Even Tanaka was in a good mood after their visit.
"It seems that you are starting to learn how to approach demonic beasts, Tamer of Automations. Maybe you could even become one of my apprentices if you are trained enough."
"Ne, I pass." Kazuichi waved him off, "I still prefer my machines."
Going back to the Academy, the students kept on talking and making small jokes. It was actually fun for Kazuichi. He could get used to this.
***
"Something looks wrong." Kazuichi wondered, looking at his sketch. He had been working for hours now on the first blueprint for the artificial limp, planing how he could make it work. This was going to be a very complex machine, made out of many different pieces, working together to give the leg realistic movements. The hardest bit was to get the weight just right. It couldn't be too heavy, nor too light.
Hearing the confusion from the mechanic, Tanaka stood up from his seat and went to the other's desk. "What is bothering you Tamer of Automations?"
His eyes still glued to the sketch, Kazuichi answered with slight frustration in his voice, "No matter how many times I correct the drawing, it still looks wrong. The machinery itself is correct, so I don't know what is wrong with it."
At this the breeder started regarding the sketch, trying to find the error, while Kazuichi went through all of his notes that were flying around on his desk. All the parts should fit perfectly together, so why did it strike the mechanic as wrong?
"The angle of its structure is completely wrong, Pink Haired One." Tanaka noticed, making Kazuichi look back at the blueprint.
"In what way?" he asked confused. Kazuichi had used many references out of books for the design, but it could only help this much.
"As you have next to no ability with beasts, I am not surprised that you would oversee such a mistake."
Kazuichi was not sure if the breeder was mocking him now or not.
"Here let me show you Tamer of Automations." Tanaka continued and suddenly took Kazuichi's pen out of his hand and leaned over his shoulder, correcting the blueprint and thus making the limp actually resemble a deer's hide leg. Kazuichi completely froze at this, not knowing what to do now. Tanaka was really close to him now and it was making him awkward. Not moving single muscle, the omega waited for the other to finish drawing and move away again.
Not knowing what to do, Kazuichi just simply said the first thing that came to his mind. "You can draw surprisingly good."
"This is a simple task for someone as powerful as me, as I often have to draw spell circles to use my dark powers." Tanaka replied, "But I have to return your compliment, Tamer of Automations."
Ignoring the creepy part about spell circles, Kazuichi answered, "Yeah, I also have to draw often. But I only really do sketches and blueprints for machinery."
Scratching the back of his head Kazuichi mumbled, "Well, thanks anyway."
"There is nothing to thanks, as we both have to work together on this joined project." Tanaka replied, turning back to his own desk. "I will now resume with the workout plan for the three-legged beast."
"You and Tanaka are getting along quite well now." Hinata commented while he and Kazuichi were hanging out in the mechanic's room one afternoon to play video games.
Letting his character jump on one of the many platforms and helping Hinata's up, he replied with a nonchalant voice, "Yeah, when I got used to his strange way of talking it's actually okay to hang out with him. Well it's not like we have a choice right now anyway."
"You say that, yet you still hang out with him and worship him, even when you aren't working on your project." Hinata laughed, even when Kazuichi lightly kicked him from his place on the bed.
"Say that one more time and I will throw ya out."
"Okay, I'm quiet." Hinata laughed, before concentrating on his game again. "But it's nice that you two get along now."
"Guess that's true" Kazuichi shrugged.
It was actually nice in his eyes. Always fighting with the breeder got annoying after a while. Okay they still argued from time to time, but those cases where getting fewer and less frequent.
"But say Souda, do you still have your problem with him?" Hinata then asked, "You know, that whole business with his scent."
At the sudden question, Kazuichi missed a jump and his character fell into a trap and died. Sighing he let his console fall onto his stomach. "Well I can ignore it most of the time by now, but when I do notice it it's still as bad as before."
"Well it's hard being an omega." Hinata commented on his friend's problem.
"At least your instincts react on your boyfriend and not some hamster loving weirdo." Kazuichi retorted. He still hoped that this problem would go away one day. Tanaka could be his best friend and it would still be a huge problem for Kazuichi, bringing him on edge around the other. It was awkward for him.
"Do you think that Tanaka has the same problem with you? I mean he is an alpha in the end." Hinata suddenly asked his friend. Kazuichi never thought about this possibility before.
"I don't know." Kazuichi wondered. "I don't think that I ever notice him reacting in some strange way around me. But I never really put attention on his behaviour."
Kazuichi couldn't really believe that the alpha had any strong reaction on the omega's scent. If he did, he had to be great at hiding it, way better than Kazuichi was in the end.
"Well you two did always fight with each other. Maybe you just didn't notice?" Hinata suggested.
Thinking about the other's words, Kazuichi looked up into the air.
Maybe he was right...?
Finally all the parts that Kazuichi needed for the prosthesis had arrived. He had gotten anxious over the last couple of days, since the time he and Tanaka had left to finish their project had been passing and the mechanic couldn't start building. The two of them had lost way too much time and when they had heard that the parts would take longer to arrive, due to delivery difficulties, Kazuichi started panicking.
Even if he was fast while working, there was only so much he could do. He couldn't use magic or some strange things like that. Tanaka had to calm him down again, before Kazuichi could manage to pass out from stress.
Ever since that day Kazuichi spent most of his time in the lab to work on the artificial limp for the deer. The main part of it was easy to built, especially with all the advanced machines that he could use to work with. What however was a challenge for the mechanic was the parts that would connect right into the deer's nerve system, making the limp move like a real leg. He had studied other works from scientists who used this technology when the receptors where directly connected to the brain itself, but since Kazuichi planned to connect the limp to the nerve system in the stump of the deer's leg, he could only use them as a guide.
Komaeda had suggested that Kazuichi asked Yasuke Matsuda, the Ultimate Neurologist, for help. I took some convincing to make the student agree, but in the end he did. As Matsuda had put it, he helped Kazuichi so that 'the nuisance would finally leave him in peace and get lost'.
Slowly the leg started taking on form. However Kazuichi started running out of time.
While the school fair was still a few weeks away, Tanaka still needed to teach the deer how to walk with the new limp and this was a thing that they couldn't push any quicker. On top of this there was still the possibility that the whole prosthesis had to be adjusted many times until it completely fitted onto the animal. Kazuichi had to be as fast as humanly possible, to give the breeder as much time as needed.
This was a real challenge. It was a good thing that Kazuichi liked challenges.
Kazuichi was working since the early morning, only stopping to take small brakes for food and other bodily functions. Tanaka was away, visiting the deer and taking care of it to prepare it for when it got its new limp. The mechanic had no idea what exactly that meant, but he didn't have time to ponder that question. He had to finish his part of the project.
Before he knew it the night-time announcement rang throughout the school and the sun was already completely set hours ago. Yawing the mechanic stretched his body out.
"Coffee." he mumbled to no one, as he was completely alone now and left the lab. Nearly all the students had gone to bed, leaving the rest of the school deserted.
While all the kitchen staff had gone home now, the cafeteria still remained open so that the students and teachers were able to use the many different vending machines. Getting himself a cup of coffee to stay awake, Kazuichi went back towards the labs.
"Tamer of Automations? Where are you going at this hour?" came suddenly the voice from Tanaka. Looking a bit down he hall, Kazuichi saw the breeder walk up towards him.
"Oh, hi Tanaka." he greeted. "I'm going to the robotics labs to work on the prosthesis."
This made the taller male raise a none-existing eyebrow. "Why are you working on the mechanical part of the beasts body at this hour?"
"Well, we lost so much time already and if I don't keep on working we wont be able to finish in time." Kazuichi answered.
"I see." Tanaka nodded, "If this is the case, than I will also stay awake and keep you company, as this is our joined work and you shall not suffer alone." he then declared.
"Oh thanks." Kazuichi was surprised by this, but at the same time relieved. Maybe he would have it easier to stay awake when he had the other to talk to while working.
Placing his coffee at the far end of his workbench and adjusting the hairband that he was wearing to push his bangs back, Kazuichi pointed towards a corner, where a bunch of chairs were standing.
"You can take one and take a seat."
While Kazuichi worked, the two students talked and Tanaka assisted him whenever Kazuichi asked him for something. It was a great help for the mechanic, even if the breeder wasn't really able to help with the limp itself, he gave Kazuichi all his tools and sometimes refills on coffee. Thanks to Tanaka, Kazuichi was able to stay concentrated and didn't need to stop every time just to get one single screw.
Hours had passed and midnight had come and gone again. Thanks to Tanaka's help the mechanic was able to work quicker than before, when he had been alone. Slowly the prosthesis was taking on form, only a bit more was missing. If Kazuichi was correct, he should be finished by sunrise.
As both students were getting tired, they conversation started getting more relaxed. They were now talking like they had been friends for years and could talk about anything. It was strange how the human brain reacted when it was tired.
After a while the topic turned towards Sonia Nevermind. They had been talking about their classmates in general, but in the end it was mostly about their friends.
"Can I ask ya something?" Kazuichi asked, while he was screwing two parts together.
"What is it that you want to know?" was the answer that came from the alpha next to him.
"Since you are friends with Miss Sonia, do ya know why she doesn't like me? I always try to talk to her, but she always pushes me away, no matter what I do. I mean she never said that she dislikes me, but not even I'm so stupid to not notice her dislike for me."
Normally Kazuichi would never ask Tanaka such a question. It was way too personal in his opinion, but he was so relaxed right now that he simply didn't care.
"This is a difficult topic to discuss." answered Tanaka, making Kazuichi look at him out of the corner of his eyes.
"Why's that?"
"I do not wish to hurt you with the answer, Sharp Toothed One." was the answer, making Kazuichi completely turn towards the other.
"Oh just spill it. I'm not going to cry." Kazuichi stated. He just hoped that he would stay true to his word.
"Very well." Tanaka agreed and started explaining. "The thing that is keeping the She-Cat from liking you, is that she finds you simply annoying and, as she puts it, sees you like some kind of stalker, that won't leave her alone."
Now this stung.
Whining Kazuichi turned away again, biting his bottom lip. "You could have said this at least a bit nicer."
"As this is a complicated topic that is letting the Princess of Darkness fell unwell, I decided to say it bluntly." Tanaka replied, not caring for the whining of the omega.
Kazuichi was aware that he was a bit clingy when he liked someone. Many people even called him worse things, but it never went this far that he was called a stalker.
This made Kazuichi think about his actions around the princess. Maybe he really was pushing it all too much. He never wanted to make Miss Sonia feel uncomfortable.
After a while, Kazuichi began talking again, breaking the silence. "Do ya know what I could do to make her like me more? I mean she doesn't have to go on a date with me, but I would like to be her friend." Kazuichi explained. He was actually surprised over his choice of words. He wasn't sure why he declared that he wasn't technically after a date with the princess, but now that he had said it, he somehow meant it. While he still would be overjoyed over a date, he could be happy to be her friend.
"If you really wish to be the She-Cat's ally, than you should give her space. She is a very outgoing mortal, but likes her privacy nonetheless, so you should respect this." Tanaka answered, "However if she then still decides to not engage in a friendship with you, you should give up on this and just let her be in peace."
Tanaka was right with this, there was no denying it. Kazuichi should really try to give Miss Sonia more space and not follow her around all the time. Maybe then she would be willing to be his friend.
"Thank you." Kazuichi said quietly, while working on the prosthesis.
"You are welcome, Tamer of Automations."
Hours passed and Kazuichi couldn't even tell the time any more without looking at a clock. He could have just been looking at the time and forget it five minutes later. Luckily he was nearly finished with the prosthesis, only the last finishing touches were missing.
Due to their tiredness the students conversation topics started getting shorter and fewer, the more time passed. A few times the two were completely silent, Kazuichi working and Tanaka assisting. It wasn't a uncomfortable silence, at least Kazuichi didn't feel uncomfortable.
The mechanic was now completely immersed in his project. The only thing that really kept him going was his excitement of being nearly finished and a lot of coffee and energy drinks. He could hardly wait to see his and Tanaka's invention working.
"Can you give me an Allen key?" Kazuichi asked after a while of silence. However when no answer came he turned towards the breeder. "Tanaka?"
To his surprise the alpha had fallen asleep in his chair, his head leaning slightly to the side. Kazuichi thought for a moment to wake the other up, but then decided against it. He didn't want to disturb the breeder and it wasn't like Kazuichi really needed someone passing him his tools. Tanaka could sleep for a while; he deserved the rest.
Taking Tanaka's coat that was hanging on the coat-hanger, he carefully laid it onto the breeder's body, covering him and sheltering him from the lower temperatures.
A small smile on his lips, Kazuichi went back to his workbench and continued working on their project.
The sun was already rising on the horizon, when Kazuichi finally connected the last piece onto the artificial limp. It was finally finished after days and one whole night of work. He had been awake for 24 hours straight now. His body felt like lead and he was ready to just fall down onto the floor and sleep right where he was. But he still had class today.
Cleaning up in the lab and on his workbench, Kazuichi put the prosthesis safely away to prevent it from getting damaged, while he was away.
After everything was cleaned, he went to the still sleeping breeder and shook his shoulder gently.
"Tanaka, it's time to wake up. Class begins in a few minutes."
The breeder slowly opened his eyes and moved his head to get the stiffness out of his neck.
"Is it already morning?" he asked tiredly. "I am sorry Tamer of Automations. It seems that I have fallen asleep while you have been working."
"Don't sweat it." Kazuichi waved the other off, before grinning proudly, "But listen. I'm finished now, so we can start with the next phase!"
"This is good news, Pink Haired One! I am impressed, you really do deserve the title of the Ultimate Mechanic." Tanaka praised him and stood up from his chair. "Not let us go the our class, before the one that teaches us will get angry."
Kazuichi blushed slightly at the compliment, but this had to be because of his tiredness and for no other reason than that.
After fixing themselves up for a bit, the two students went to their classroom where all the other students were already gathered.
While everyone else was working on their projects, Kazuichi had his head resting on his desk and was sleeping peacefully. He didn't notice what happened around him, as he was having a nice dream. He couldn't hear his classmates talking around him, nor did he realize that Saionji tried to draw on his face, only to be stopped by Tanaka.
"Let the Tamer of Automations rest, Devil Dancer." the breeder demanded and sent the female away.
Kazuichi slept peacefully after all his hard work, while the breeder was watching over him and was making sure that nothing disturbed his sleep.
***
Today was the day were the deer would get its artificial limp. The prosthesis was finished since two days ago and underwent many tests to determine if it worked the way that Kazuichi had planned. It was a success. The veterinary praxis made many phone calls and assembled a whole team of experts to do the operation and connect the prosthesis to the animal.
The two ultimate students would be picked up in the morning by one of the assistants and would bring the prosthesis to the clinic. The veterinarians declared that they assumed the operation would take about half a day. Since both students wanted to see the deer after the operation they decided to stay in the clinic the whole time and maybe go into town for a while, to waste some time and maybe get something to eat. If everything went smoothly Kazuichi and Tanaka could see if the invention worked by the end of the day and the breeder could start to train the animal.
The mechanic really hoped that everything would work out.
Kazuichi had woken up before his alarm clock rang. He was excited and could hardly sleep the night before. Nothing gave him more joy than seeing his machines work. Ever since he finished the prosthesis he had been in a constant good mood and nothing could destroy it.
Looking at his clock he saw that he and Tanaka would be picked up in a while. Kazuichi quickly got dressed and while he was braiding his hair, his eyes happened to pass over the small calendar, where a red circle was marking a date one week from now.
It marked the start of his heat.
"I should get myself some pills soon." Kazuichi thought. In that moment the doorbell rang and when the mechanic answered, the door revealed Tanaka who was there to pick him up.
"Let us leave, Sharp Toothed One. The assistant of healers will arrive soon." Tanaka declared on which the other nodded.
Looking back at his calendar, he decided that he still had enough time. After all his heat would only start in one weeks time. He could get a packet of heat suppressants after he came back from the veterinarian praxis.
Grabbing his jacket and putting it on, Kazuichi followed the alpha, who was carrying the box with the artificial limp, out of the school where they were already awaited by the assistant.
After putting the artificial limp in the back of the car, everyone got in and the assistant started driving them to the clinic.
Kazuichi and Tanaka had been sitting in the back of the car and were talking together.
One thing was strange however. It was quite warm for the second half of autumn. At least Kazuichi thought so, as he opened his jacked again. When he had read the weather forecast earlier that morning it said that it would be cold today. Well it wasn't the first time that they were wrong, so Kazuichi only shrugged and ignored the warmth. He had more important things on his mind right now anyway.
Arriving at the veterinarian praxis they were already awaited by the whole specialists team that would do the operation. Greeting everyone Kazuichi gave them a last rundown how everything should be connected, using the notes that were provided by the Ultimate Neurologist.
Kazuichi and Tanaka went to see the deer a last time before everything started. Thanks to Gundham's help it was already able to stand on its remaining three legs and walk slowly. Though only for short distances.
When one of the surgeons came into the room, declaring that everything was prepared and they could start now, the two students petted the deer a last time before leaving the room.
Now Kazuichi started to get nervous, his hands turning sweaty with anticipation.
"Should we have a walk, Tamer of Automations?" Tanaka asked, "You seem to be more nervous than the hellish beast was before its operation started."
Kazuichi nodded, "Good idea. And just to be clear, she had no idea what was happening, so no wonder that she was calm."
After telling one of the workers that they should call either of them if something was wrong, the two students left the clinic.
The fresh air really helped Kazuichi calm down again and get his mind clear. Well mostly at least. However he noticed that even Tanaka seemed a little bit tense. At least the omega wasn't the only one.
For a while the two of them walked around town and looked at the many things that the shops had to offer. When one hour had passed, Kazuichi noticed that his legs were starting to get a bit weak.
"Do ya want to get something to eat?" Kazuichi asked the alpha next to him.
"A meal would be good idea now, so let us see what we can find." answered the alpha and the two males started searching for a place they could get something to eat without ending up being poor. In the end they found a small stall and both bought themselves food.
As the stall had no seats where they could sit and it was quite busy in the town, Kazuichi and Tanaka decided to walk to the small park that was between the veterinary praxis and the town itself.
Arriving there the students both took a seat on a bench and started eating their food.
Eating the last bit of his food Kazuichi felt better. Somehow at least.
His gut was still twisting itself, due to his nervousness.
"For such cheep food it was still nice." Kazuichi said while leaning back.
"I have to agree. I was expecting something worse." the alpha agreed. He however didn't finish his food. Tanaka had decided to give the last of it to some birds that were in the park and now happily picked up the food that the breeder offered them.
Kazuichi watched the alpha feed the little birds that started gathering around them. His eyes were completely transfixed on the bigger male.
Now that the omega's attention was on the other, he began to notice the scent again. But now it was different.
„Did Tanaka always smell this good?" Kazuichi wondered. Well he did, but now it was just simply irresistible in the omega's eyes.
Sitting on the bench, Kazuichi started sniffing the air. He began to lean against the other until his face was buried against the alpha's neck, inhaling the alluring scent.
Tanaka completely froze at this, his face turning red. "T-Tamer of Automations?"
Kazuichi however couldn't answer. The scent was making his head spin and his body felt hotter by the minute.
He knew this feeling. The realisation hitting him like a bag of bricks.
"Tanaka." Kazuichi nearly whimpered, "I think I'm in heat."