I woke up and screamed. There was a loud, repetitive buzzer blaring through the room. The Devas had crawled into my lap, trembling with fear. The room had suddenly grown ghostly— Gundham's pod that had illuminated green was now glowing blue. "Chiaki!" I cried out, more worried than I had been in a long time
"Oh, good, you're awake," Chiaki replied, as relaxed as ever, "I'm sorry I didn't wake you sooner. If I had known this was happening I would've liked to prepare you."
"Prepare me? What is going on?"
"He's ready."
I gasped and clasped my hands to my mouth. I could not believe what I just heard.
"I'll do my best to explain what happens as quick as I can," Was I ready for this? "But first you're going to want to move out of his way."
Without asking questions, the Devas crawled up to my shoulders as I started my scramble. I tossed my bag, book, and reading light hastily on the folding chair, and lifted it up by the seat... slamming the back under my chin. I winced in pain, but continued on, waddling to balance everything on the chair.
"You could've folded the chair, you know."
"Hindsight is two twenties, Chiaki," I retorted
"You mean 'hindsight is 20/20'."
"Now is not the time!"
"You're right," she continued to guide me, "So in a few moments, the latch on the pod will be released and it will open automatically. A cloud of steam will come out of the pod, but don't worry about that, it's just for climate control purposes. When he wakes up, expect him to be disoriented and confused. Suddenly waking up from a coma in a strange room where various memories have been taken out and placed back in your head has been jarring for many of our friends. Normally, I've been the one explaining everything as people wake up, but maybe a live person's words would be easier to process. Are you okay leading the conversation, Sonia?"
So I am going to be the first person he sees after he wakes up. I took a deep breath and said "I think so. But do not be afraid to help me if I am not speaking the facts correctly."
"I would never leave you hanging like that," she affirmed
"Thank you, Chiaki."
"No problem. Are you ready?"
"I think we are," I turned to the Devas, who were as giddy as I was anxious.
"Okay, let's begin," the buzzing finally stopped, being replaced by a chime. After it played, Chiaki's tone changed as well, "The time is now 11:59 PM on Day 13. Sleeping Pod Awakening Sequence for Pod 1, subject Gundham Tanaka: start. Stand clear of the pod."
Another chime played as I heard the sound of a vacuum being released. There is no turning back now. The glass cover slowly lifted to a ninety-degree-angle as what appeared to be clouds of smoke escaped from the chamber. A fitting entrance for The Supreme Overlord of Ice. My hands were clasped in front of my face. My fingers felt my quick, nervous breaths. My eyes were blinking rapidly. What will he remember? Will he even want to see me?
After a few moments of anticipation, Chiaki's voice echoed in the room once again. "Awakening Sequence complete. Hello, Gundham. Welcome back."
And there he was. I could not help but gasp as he slowly rose from the pod, as if he were resurrected. He looked just as I had remembered him, except with disheveled hair, and he was not wearing any eyeliner. I was grinning like a fool behind my hands. The Devas squealed on my shoulders and I felt them start to descend me, crawling onto my arms. I lifted my arms up and whispered "Be patient. Give him a few moments. He or I will signal when it is okay."
He looked, as Chiaki predicted, confused. He rubbed his eyes and slowly took in his surroundings, "Hm. Curious..." until his vision found me. "... S-Sonia?"
"Hello, Gundham," I timidly waved at him, my smile never leaving my face, "It is nice to see you."
His eyes grew wide, but he quickly readjusted his scarf to hide his face, so I could not cipher his current feelings. That is a behavior of the Gundham I remember, so that is a good sign. "Sorry for the confusion," Chiaki chimed back in, "I am technically here with you as well, but I am not physically in the room. I'm here if you have any questions that Sonia can't answer."
"I see," Gundham began to ponder, "She must be communicating from another plane."
I slowly stepped closer to him as I let him know what was going on, making my way to be kneeling at his eye level. "Yes, she is communicating from the digital plane. There are many things you must be informed of. I am not sure which will be the most difficult to hear. This may be it. Chiaki has been dead for some time now," I placed my hands on the edge of the open pod, "This will be unpleasant, but try to remember."
The Devas leaped from my arms into Gundham's. "Oh goodness; I am sorry, I did not give them instructions to come to you so soon—"
"That is alright. You did exceptional work. They simply know who their true master is." They nestled into Gundham's scarf: finally home.
"Many things were revealed to us since you left, Gundham," I continued, "To begin with, you are not actually dead."
"Yes, I did find that quite strange, as this is not the Hell I recall."
I explained to him that the Killing Game we were forced to endure was part of a simulation that was corrupted by the Ultimate Despair herself. No one truly passed away. I let him know he was the last to wake up from being comatose. I reminded him that we witnessed the real Chiaki's horrific death years ago. It was the spark that lit the flame, igniting the world into Despair.
"I see," he replied, "So it appears my commands over this world's wildlife was not part of this 'simulation'."
"Yes," I hung my head, heavy with grief, "All of your friends— including me and you— have done unspeakable things across this planet.'
I picked my head back up and met his eyes, 'But they were not our faults. Do you remember? Our teacher fell victim, in an attempt to save us all. We were deceived and forced into corruption."
His gaze had not left my eyes. I still could not read him. I continued by explaining that it was The Future Foundation that gave us a second, and now third chance. The Chiaki we met on Jabberwock Island was an Artificial Intelligence based on our collective memories of her from school. The Future Foundation kept their eyes on us through her and Usami. "How did everything end?" He asked
So I told him. I told him what happened on Jabberwock Island after he left us. Nagito's paranoia, his unthinkable plot, and how we uncovered the truth behind everything. "So now we are on the real Jabberwock Island. We are actually rehabilitating. We are also in hiding. The world is recovering from its Despair, but we would be killed in an instant if anyone knew such prominent Remnants of Despair were still alive. But, thanks to the rogue members of The Future Foundation, we are alive. It is quite remarkable." A soft smile graced my face.
"I think I am understanding," he averted his gaze and looked down at the Devas, "But I am unsure what I am feeling."
"Everyone has gone through this in different ways," I tried desperately to look him in the eyes again, "Mikan shut herself in for days, but Nekomaru and Ibuki were just happy to be alive and have been acting as if nothing has happened."
When I said Nekomaru's name, Gundham's face grew pale. He did not say a word. He did not need to. I remembered. Carefully, I lightly brought my hand to his shoulder. He flinched as his attention was back to me, and I instinctively retracted. The tension was thick. My heart was racing. He just came back to us and I have already made a mistake. My eyes dropped to the floor in shame.
"S-Sonia?" I quickly shot my head back up when I heard him say my name.
"Yes?"
"What do we do now?"
"I... can take you home, if you would like," I did my best to not appear flustered
"This is... agreeable."
I stood up from my kneeling position and gave him some room. His hands took hold of the sides of the pod, and he grunted as he ascended. I imagined this was not comfortable, as he had been asleep for who knows how long, so I packed up my things while he adjusted. He exhaled as he straightened out his clothing, then looked at me and said "Lead the way."
The walk back to the cabins was silent. Every so often, I looked over my shoulder and saw him taking his time, observing what was around him. The Jabberwock Island we are on is almost an exact replica of the one from the simulation. Perhaps he was checking for any differences.
We traveled by moonlight and the sounds of the ocean. The salty breeze wafted across our faces with every step. As anxious as I was, it was serene. My psychological state was a rollercoaster ride.
"Here we are," I meekly said as we crossed the threshold of the island's hotel. I glanced behind me again to make sure he had not somehow wandered away, "Huh?"
Where did he go? I spun around, worried he decided to abandon me, but I found him. Somehow, he had advanced ahead. He had already reached his door and his arm was pressed against it, holding it back. He is... holding the door? I scurried over. His cottage is one of the first ones you see when you enter, so I did not have to shuffle my feet for long. I smiled at him and bowed, "Thank you, sir," I could not help but giggle when I saw his face flush. Maybe this is good.
I entered his cabin for the first time. The layout was identical to my own, but his was emptier. I brought flowers, books, artwork, and a few stuffed animals into my cabin to make it feel warmer. This room felt desolate in comparison to everyone else's. There were no signs of inhabitance. "Sonia," I spun around again, turning to face Gundham, who was still standing in the doorway, "You do not need to stay—"
"Oh! I apologize for being intrusive—" I began making my exit, fully planning to return to my own cabin, bury my face in my pillows and hide under my blankets for the remainder of my life.
"Well," he cut me off, stopping me in my tracks just a few inches next to him, "You may remain in my presence, if that is what you desire."
'Desire' was a very strong word. I could feel the stars in my eyes looking at a fascinating man who was refusing to look directly at me... until he did. He initiated eye contact. He caught me— dumbstruck. I felt my cheeks burn as I quickly turned away, and I saw him do the same out of the corner of my eye. "L-let me retrieve the items I acquired to care for the Four Dark Devas of Destruction s-so they can have a place to sleep tonight, and I will return shortly!"
I hurried away to my cottage, scolding myself for losing my composure. I scrambled to unlock my front door, and when I finally managed to open it, I practically slammed it behind me. I turned my lights on and exhaled, attempting to release my tension. When I was a bit more collected, I kept my promise and gathered up what I acquired to care for the Devas. I placed their toys and a few small containers of treats in my bag; and I gathered up the larger food supplies, water, and larger enrichment items in the basket they enjoyed sleeping in. The load I gathered up made turning the lights off and opening the door quite cumbersome. I will deliver everything in one journey. This is not too difficult of a challenge!
When I stepped back into the cool night air, I was faced with a person I nearly forgot about. "Kazuichi?" I asked as I felt my fingers begin to strain
It was unmistakable. Even a few meters down the path, his neon hair and practically fluorescent jumpsuit made him easy to spot. He called my 'name' and quickened his pace to approach me. His hair was a mess and his jumpsuit was not on his torso— the sleeves were tied around his waist. "Kazuichi, what are you doing here?" I whispered to him, frustration in my voice
"I, uh, saw your lights turn on. I couldn't sleep so I was watching a movie, and I noticed your lights turned on but then you immediately came back out, so I thought something might be wrong, especially cuz it's so late."
"I apologize, Kazuichi, but I do not have time to talk to you right now," I turned on my heels and made haste toward Gundham's cabin
"Wh-where are you going?" He started after me, "At least let me help you with that stuff; that's a lot to carry!"
I pivoted back to face him again. The tension in my fingers was cutting off blood flow. "Kazuichi. I will not repeat myself a third time, so listen carefully. I do NOT have time to talk to you right now. Goodnight."
In defiance, I did not leave my post. I stared him down and waited for him to go back to his cabin. "Y-yes ma'am," He obeyed, and sheepishly returned from whence he came.
I let out a breath I did not know I was holding in, then quickly and carefully made my way to Gundham's cottage.
I did not have any free hands to knock on the door... so I kicked it instead. This must have alarmed Gundham, as I heard him spring up from where he was sitting and race to the door. "Is everything alright?" He asked as he swung the door open
"Yes, everything is radical!"
"Good god, you fool," he removed the bag of food and bottles of water from the basket, lightening my load, "You are going to hurt yourself carrying so many things at once," he went inside to place the items down, "You may be a force to be reckoned with, but you must not fall victim to man's common enemy: hubris."
I followed him inside, closing the door behind me. He had placed the food inside the wardrobe and turned around with the water bottles still in his hand. He put them down on the desk, seemingly unsatisfied with something.
There was a plush bench at the foot of the bed where he decided to set up the Devas' space. He kneeled on the floor and I instinctively followed suit, placing the basket beside him. He deliberated the exact placement of the basket for some time, so I began emptying my bag of everything else I brought over. As if he were magnetized, he took the items I removed from my bag as I placed them on the floor, and I observed as he created the ideal habitat.
He straightened his posture when he was finished, and said— perhaps to himself, "This will be suitable for the time being."
"Tomorrow we could go look for more items to make the Devas feel more at home," I suggested, "Oh! And we could look for items to make you feel at home, too. I would adore choosing decorations for your cabin, Gundham."
"Hm, well, um... yes, I will accept this offer."
He let the Devas explore their new home with a proud smile on his face. "Gundham, it is very admirable that you give the Four Dark Devas of Destruction such enriched lives," I said, watching the Devas familiarize themselves with the area
"They are incredibly loyal minions. This is merely returning the favor of their patronage."
"They are very lucky minions," My words were softer as my eyelids grew heavier. I shook my head to try to stay awake, "They have a great master to work for," I yawned
He turned to me, surprise in his eyes, and I quickly added, "Oh, my apologies," I stood up and started to pace the room to try and get my blood flowing again, "I do not mean to be so rude."
Gundham stood up as well, watching me as I made my way across the floorboards. "Sonia, you do not need to stay with me. If you wish to sleep—"
"No, I want to stay!" I suddenly said, stopping my pacing, "You just arrived and I do not want you to be alone if it can be avoided."
Feeling sudden defeat, I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the floor, forcing myself to cope with the silence I created. My leg began to bounce uncontrollably and it was all I could focus on until I felt the mattress sink further. I did not need to look up to know who sat with me. I probably could not have looked up even if I wanted to. "Sonia, you are tired. You have been awake for some time now. I just rose from a slumber that spanned calendar weeks. You need not worry about me."
I collapsed onto the bed, my legs still hanging over the side, staring at the ceiling. "That is easier done than said— I mean..." I mumbled to myself, "that does not matter."
Through my peripheral vision, I saw Gundham looking at me with concern. He sighed before seemingly giving in, "Alright. You are independent. I cannot make your decisions for you. I must confess I rather enjoy your company; I was insisting you leave for your own sake."
I perked my head up. "I enjoy your company as well."
Very slowly, he lowered himself parallel to me. "Then we are in agreement," we both now stared at the ceiling.
"Most excellent."
I swear I heard him chuckle. "Indeed."