By the time lunch had rolled around, Souda had thought about a lot, but that didn't mean his brain was anymore organised. Chisa still called him out every now and then once she realized he was still not paying attention, and at the end of class, at lunch break, she waited for the other students to leave to speak to him, concerned that something had happened in his home life.

      That had not been the case at all, and rather than try to explain the full situation - the whole conversation about the lewd pictures would surely get him in a lot of trouble, and he really wasn't up for that, what with everything that was going on currently - and made a quick excuse about a complex job that had come into the workshop, and how he had simply been thinking about a solution for the problem. Of course, this was fictitious. The only problem he had was with his complex, tangled emotions, and he was yet to work out a solution for that, either. Chisa asked no more questions and let him go to lunch.

      He was surprised to find that Gundham had waited for him outside of the room, and wordlessly linked their fingers together, pulling his scarf up to disguise the faint pink on his cheeks. Souda's own cheeks were flushing pink, and he couldn't deny the warm feeling in his chest as he swung their hands timidly back and forth as they made their way into the lunch hall, eating together.

      However, Souda soon made an excuse once he had finished, and darted outside, letting out a large sigh of relief when the door shut behind him, and he mindlessly wandered the grounds of Hope's Peak, kicking stones here and there, before settling on resting at the edge of the fountain. He slumped forwards and let his head hang, resting it in his palms. He sat in silence for a while.

      "Conflicted?" A quiet voice asked, and he jolted, nearly falling backwards, but a tight grip on the collar of his jumpsuit held him fast, and he quickly righted himself, looking up at the person. "My apologies.."

    "Peko?" He asked in confusion, and the girl gave a polite nod, and motioned to the spot next to him at the edge of the fountain, no one else was around.

     "May I?" She asked, and when Souda nodded quickly, with a shaky 'sure', she seated herself next to him

     "What are you doing here...?" He asked dubiously, scratching at his pink locks of hair in nervousness. He had never really been alone with the swordswoman, and while she was undoubtedly polite, he couldn't deny he did feel somewhat intimidated by the girl.

     "I thought I'd come check on how you were holding up... It's obvious this whole thing is taxing to you..." She said, searching his eyes.

    "Is it that obvious?" He grumbled in defeat, and she gave a faint smile and shake of her head.

    "Only to those who know what's going on..." She replied. "I don't think any of us suspected Sonia's plan to confess... It has thrown a spanner in the works.."

     Souda gave a weak, quiet laugh at her attempt at her mechanic pun, and while it wasn't the best, he appreciated the effort.

    "It sure has... It's screwed up everything I thought I knew, ya know...?" He asked and looked at her, hoping she would catch on to at least some of what had bee rushing through his mind since early that morning.

     "How so..?" Peko asked, shuffling to get more comfortable, making it clear that she would listen to whatever he had to say. He didn't really expect her to be the type to go out of her way to help anyone other than Fuyuhiko.

     "My emotions.. They're all screwed..." He rubbed at his forehead harshly. "Do ya know what it's like to think you've liked someone for so long, then realise it was actually someone else..?"

     "No, I can't say I do..." She said gently, but gave a small nod. "But I think I understand what you're telling me... Your affections really are for Gundham after all, not Sonia, as you thought?"

      "I did like Miss Sonia, I swear I did..!" Souda quickly answered, looking at Peko imploringly. "B-But I don't know when that other bit happened..."

     "So... You hold affection for both..." She mumbled.

    "I don't know..." He sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "It's all so complicated, but.... I don't wanna hurt Miss Sonia, but then again, I don't wanna cut it off with Gundham.."

      "Well, you do have the picture at stake, keeping you tethered to Gundham," Peko noted with a slight incline of her head.

    "I don't think it's the picture anymore, Peko..." He gave a soft sigh and looked at the girl, hoping she understood, and the small smile of her face told him she had gathered what he was trying to convey.

      "The way he makes you feel.." She mused, and Souda's cheeks coloured a deep pink. "May I offer you some advice, Kazuichi?"

     "Sure... I could probably use it, I'm lost here, Peko..." He heaved another, more heavy sigh and rolled his shoulders, tyring to relieve some of the tension that had been building up in his muscles.

      "Don't be afraid of the way you feel, and don't feel guilty for wanting what you want, no matter the way you have felt in the past..." She kept her words ambiguous, but Kazuichi was pretty sure he knew what she was getting at. "And as someone once told me, if ever you love two people, always chose the second, as if you truly loved the first, you wouldn't have fallen in love again,"

     "Who said anything about love?" Souda was blushing brightly, but managed to get his words out without stuttering. "I-I never said I loved anyone..!"

     "If you say so..." She smiled and gave a soft chuckle, and Souda let his tensed shoulders slump.

     "I never thought you'd be the one to come out here with me, and, you know..." Souda mumbled, looking at her cautiously when he realized that it might offend her - Peko was definitely not someone he wanted to piss off.

      "I see..." She gave a faint nod, as if she expected that, and then smiled at him softly. "Despite what you might think of me, I'm not involved in this business for the sake of being malicious, I have nothing against you, Kazuichi,"

     "W-Well, thanks.." Kazuichi smiled in relief. He wanted to keep it that way. "You're only interest in it is Fuyuhiko, right?"

     "Of course. If I had my way, none of this would have happened. I'm only involved for the sake of my young master, but I still do not wish to see you suffer from this," She said.

     "You know what, Peko?" He said as they both stood, since the end of lunch was drawing near, and class would start again soon. He smiled wide, showing off his sharky teeth, and happily soothed of his thoughts, if only for a while. "You're not so scary after all!~"

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