The Ultimate Swordswoman quickly made her way through the resort, wearing her usual teal sailor school uniform, an intense look in her crimson red eyes. Her hair, in two mediocre sized plaits, trailing behind her in the wind as she ran. It was no surprise that she was carrying her shinai on her back, in a case of the same colour as her uniform, only a lighter shade. All of the students that she passed by had worried looks on their faces; nobody had seen her this determined before. It was practically threatening that they each stepped out of her way to let her by. And it's not like they needed anything more to make them feel threatened by her.

What was Peko Pekoyama so intent on finding, you ask? She's looking for someone. After spending an hour or so with her fellow classmate, Hajime Hinata, she was informed of an animal breeder that resided on the island with them, another classmate of hers. As soon as she knew about this, she hurried away in hopes of finding this certain student. Why? Peko had a secret wish she wanted to fulfil. That wish was…to pet an animal.

For a long time she had wanted to touch the soft fur of some sort of wildlife. She didn't care what it was. A dog. A cat. A guinea pig. So long as it was fluffy. But she never had the privilege to do this. The reason being, she couldn't even get close enough to an animal. They would immediately flee from her, intimidated by her menacing aura.

Her childhood friend always said it was because she had a "scary face", and that's what she always believed. But was that really it?

And after the news of an animal trainer on the island, Peko instantly knew who she needed to be acquainted with next. All she needed to look for was a student with an animal or a pet. What type of animal, she had no idea. But it shouldn't be that hard to find a guy or a girl with a pet, right?

Wrong.

She had searched the entire island. She was sure she had seen everyone. But not one of them had a pet.

She began to ask people, even frightening some of them with a daunting stare. None of them knew. After all, most of the kids hadn't even met each other yet. Some had already befriended a few and they were hanging out in small groups, others were relaxing or investigating the island by themselves.

After briefly asking a few other students, she eventually came across a man sat on a sofa chair inside the Hotel Mirai lobby. He had an repelling air around him, as if he was trying to warn Peko to be careful when near him. He had a gothic dress sense; wearing a long trench coat and a pair of black jeans accompanied with a belt and buckle, and almost knee-high strapped boots of the same dark colour. He wore a large bandage on his left arm, which took up the entirety of his arm so that no skin could be seen at all. He donned a long purple scarf, which at the time he was covering his mouth with. His hair was also black, with grey streaks running down the middle. He had clearly gelled it upwards because it had an unnatural curl at the top of it; it almost resembled ice cream. His skin was pale, his eyes were dark, not to mention the notable scar streaming across his left eye. His eyes were piercing and peculiar to look at, as he wore a red eye contact in just his right eye, the other was a dull grey colour.

He turned his head sharply at her entrance, glaring at her as if she had disturbed something important. Although, he didn't appear to be doing anything at all. Nobody else was in the building besides him, and he didn't appear to have a pet with him, but Peko thought she might as well ask him while she was here.

She stood by the doorway, quick to exit again after she had received her answer. Before she had the chance to say anything, she was immediately cut off.

"…what is your purpose here, fiend?"

Peko looked over to him, ignoring the fact that she had just been referred to as a 'fiend'.

"I am in search of someone. I was wondering if you could assist me."

"…don't linger for too long. You are disrupting the gods, as well as myself. Disturbance soon leads to anger, and anger soon leads to rage…something you do not wish to be a witness of."

Peko raises a single eyebrow, realising that it will be relatively difficult to converse with this man. She wanted to make it quick so she could leave as soon as possible and find her target.

She opened her mouth to speak, when she was interrupted once again. Not by the man, this time by a different sound.

She heard a...squeak of some sort.

Her eyes darted around the room, looking to seek out the source of the noise. But there was no sign of any other company.

The man notices her pause, and interrupts again, this time raising his voice. "…well?! Out with it, intruder!"

"…anyway, as I was saying…"

Squeek.

There it goes again. The suspicious sound that alerted her once again. This time she noticed it was coming from the man sat in front of her. Distracted from her original question, she decided to address the dubious sound instead.

"…that noise. Is that you?"

"…what noise?"

"You know what I'm talking ab-" Peko's attention shifted to the man's scarf, which seemed to be oddly twitching. "-out…?"

The man saw her look at his scarf, and thus reached his hand to the inside of it. He extracted a small animal, that he lifted up to his shoulder so it could rest there, nuzzling up against his cheek. She then recognised the animal to be a hamster, small and orange with a white stomach. And it was very. Very. Fluffy.

Peko was astonished. This had to be the animal breeder she was told about. His looks were indeed fooling, this was the last person she'd suspect of owning such an adorable little creature.

She looked back at the scarf, which still seemed to be rustling. Then suddenly, another little critter crawls it's way out and makes it's way onto the man's knee, curling up into a ball. This one was a grey colour, with the same white stomach as the first one. It was also just about the same size as the first one. It's left ear was chipped, but that didn't make it look any less cute.

And if that wasn't enough, another ball of fur tumbled it's way out of the scarf, this one significantly larger than the rest. Completely orange in colour, and round as an orange fruit. The man caught it's fall in his bandaged hand. The little guy snuggled up on the palm of the man's hand, squeaking in delight as he scratched his tummy with his other hand. Peko could do nothing but watch in awe, completely silenced by this bizarre yet fascinating sight.

After petting it some more, the man used his other hand to reach back into his scarf and scoop out a fourth hamster, lifting it on to his other shoulder. This one was a mixture of grey and white, and a tiny bit smaller than it's siblings. It was also napping, snoring adorably in a deep sleep.

The man looked backed at Peko, who had her mouth ajar, staring at the four creatures one by one.

He finally speaks, "Ah! I see you have sensed the presence of the Four Dark Devas of Destruction! You are quite fortunate that they are in a good mood today, otherwise your limbs would have been detached from your body long before now due to impatience!"

Peko snapped herself out of her trance, directing her attention back to the man.

"…I have heard about you. And your talent with animals. I was wondering if-"

"How dare you speak of the gods in such a lowly manner! They are not animals, they are demons!" he looks down to the hamster in his palm, "Watch your words, imortal/i, I can sense a deep fury in Cham-P! You have angered him with your disrespectful referral!"

The chubby hamster squeaks, it's nose twitching happily.

Peko started to sweat slightly. She was strangely on edge, not because of the hamsters being in a "deep fury" or anything, but because…there were so many of them. So many bundles of fur. And it overwhelmed her. A peculiar warmth was forming in her heart, what was this strange feeling? Why did she feel so…tingly inside?

It didn't take long for the warmth to transfer up to her cheeks and she blushed profusely, once again catching the attention of the animal breeder.

"Aha! I see your face flushing in horror. You are clearly perturbed by the wrath of the mighty superiors stood before you!"

"I-I…don't know what you are talking about…" Peko protests, "…but please, may you listen to what I have to ask?"

The man sighs, "…very well. You have wasted enough of our time. Hasten."

"Those…demons…you have clearly trained them to be at your command. I was wondering if you could perhaps…teach me."

The man gasped in utter shock. "…you?! Are desiring to tame a dark creature yourself?! Impossible!"

"No. It's just…" she pauses, "…if I were to approach any type of animal…or demon…it would try to escape from me. I need to know how to have an authority over it, so that it feels comfortable in my presence."

"…ah." the man relaxes a little, seeming to understand her a little more. "You wish to be able to…pet one."

Peko slowly nods, looking away in embarrassment.

"…"

The man looks at each of the four hamsters before gathering them all back into his scarf and standing up. He walks towards her and looks at her directly in the eye.

"…you have…a NERVE, samurai."

Peko makes eye contact, slightly taken aback. It was as if she'd asked him to do something entirely out of order.

"…but…"

The man lifts a bandaged finger to cover a part of his face.

"…I'm willing to make an exception. After all, it is known that the Four Dark Devas of Destruction…do indeed enjoy having their coat petted." The man lowers his finger to point in her face. "…but first…I must know your identity. I already determined your ultimate talent, that has been made evident by the considerably large weapon you are welding. Your title must be the Ultimate Samurai."

"I was referred to as the Ultimate Swordswoman when enrolling at the academy. And yes…my shinai is a convenient item I carry around at all times."

"…another defensive type, it seems. I would advise that you don't pose a threat at a later date, especially after this tremendous favour I am now handing to you."

"Only if you don't pose it first. I only cut those who jeopardise the safety in the area."

"Hmph. Fair enough…and your name?"

"...Peko Pekoyama."

"Very well, Miss Pekoyama. How about y—"

"Please just call me Peko."

The man sits himself back down on the sofa chair behind him, "…Peko…why don't you take a seat. You will need to be entirely focused and composed in order to complete this task."

Peko does as she's told, sitting herself next to the breeder silently. A short silence followed while the man "prepared himself". She soon broke the silence, "…may I ask your name?"

"…I don't hand out my title so easily."

…

"However...if we are to be inhabited on this island in each other's company, it would be wise for me to share my identity. BUT…" he pauses dramatically, "…make sure this name you are about to learn is glued into your mind, for it will be significant when you are all bowing down to me!"

Peko just blankly stares. She didn't understand him a single bit.

"…you may refer to me as...Gundam Tanaka. Supreme Overlord of Ice. Soon-to-be ruler of this very planet!" a quite sinister cackle followed, something in which you'd hear coming from a typical children's show villain. It wasn't too threatening.

"…I will call you Gundam, if that's alright."

"I do not care for aliases." Gundam reaches back into his scarf and extracts the smaller orange hamster. The little critter scurries around, wondering where he will be journeying to. Gundam turns to face Peko.

"Hold out your hand."

Peko hesitantly lifts her right hand. This is it. Will she finally be able to touch the creature? She was paranoid. Surely it would flee again, like all the others…

Gundam suddenly takes a tight grip on her quivering wrist, noticing her hand shaking with nerves. "Calm yourself. The Dark Devas are surely each an embodiment of fear, but they must not sense your terror. It repels them greatly."

Peko forces herself to immediately compose, taking a deep breath and stopping herself from trembling. Normally, she had no difficulty keeping calm. But now, it was as if her personality had switched entirely.

Removing his grip, Gundam slowly moved his other hand toward her, the hand holding one of the four hamsters. He slowly placed it onto her palm, whilst inspecting her current expression.

"Relax. Keep your composure."

Peko closed her eyes. She suddenly felt a soft tuft of fur gently stroke her palm. Four tiny feet placed themselves onto her skin, moving all around her hand in a circular motion. Peko turned her head away; she didn't dare look, incase the animal saw her "scary face" and jumped straight out of her hand. But she desperately wanted to look.

She turned her head slightly, slowly opening one eye, peeking down at it intrigued. The hamster sat down on it's behind, staring right back up at her. She slowly opened the other, keeping a watchful eye on the pet.

"Don't make any sudden movements. It's more beneficial the slower you are."

Peko just spent many moments simply staring at the hamster, as it stared back at her, with it's big black endearing eyes. She had no idea what to do, so she awaited her next order.

"Pet him. Don't just sit there idlely, you fool!"

"…how do I…pet him?"

Gundam groans rolling his eyes. "Simply glide your fingers over his fur. He will highly appreciate that."

Peko slowly raises her left index finger, and runs it down the hamster's spine. The hamster squeaks with glee. She notices this and repeats the action several times, until it rolls onto it's back, proudly presenting it's tummy to her.

"He demands a stomach rub. Do as he insists."

Feeling a little bit more confident, she gives the hamster a gentle stroke on the tummy, making it snuggle up against her skin even further. It felt so warm to the extent of her palm sweating, but it was just as heart warming. Not to mention satisfying.

"Yes. Now behind the ear."

She does as instructed, using two fingers to scratch the hamster behind it's ear. It continued to squeak happily. The squeaks each sent shivers down Peko's spine. But strangely, they were good shivers. It felt strange, but she loved it.

After a few more calm pettings to the little hamster, Peko felt a strange sensation on her face that she wasn't familiar with. Was she…

…was she smiling?

It wasn't the first time she'd smiled, but it was definitely a rare feeling. How could something as simple as this stir such warm feelings inside her?

All of a sudden, the tiny animal leaped from her hand and onto her lap. She gasped, as it then proceeded to climb up her body and towards her face. It stopped once it reached her shoulder, and perched there, slowly shuffling nearer to her neck. Peko kept her head facing forward, as her eyes shifted around helplessly. Until she felt a prick of a whisker against her cheek. She twitched, as Gundam was still monitoring her intently, not saying a word. He was probably cautious of someone else handling his "demons".

The hamster immediately started nuzzling her cheek, a sign of appreciation for all of the nice strokes it had just received. She sat there, hands clasped together in-between her knees, not knowing how to react. She soon felt herself smiling again, even letting out a small chuckle. She was in pure bliss. If only her master could see this!

"Sun-D seems to have taken a liking to you, Peko. You must be affiliated with the underworld, there's no other explanation!"

"I…don't think that's it…"

Gundam crossed his arms and legs, leaning back into the chair. He seems to be a lot more trusting of Peko with the hamster. Most likely due to the sight of little Sun-D enjoying himself so much. However, he wasn't the only one who noticed.

Out of the blue, Maga-Z, the hamster with the chipped ear, made a running jump from Gundam's lap onto Peko's, and scrambled it's way up Peko's body and onto her left shoulder. It copied it's sibling, rubbing up against her other cheek. Her entire face lit up bright pink.

Moments after, the larger hamster, Cham-P, rolled out of Gundam's grasp and followed his siblings, joining San-D on the right shoulder. Peko was trying her hardest to be calm.

The sleepy one, Jum-P, woke up noticing the absent of his friends, and also decided to join them. He plodded slowly behind, reaching her knee and falling back to sleep, too lazy to even attempt to climb. Peko scooped him up into her cupped hands and lifted him closer to her face. She took a close look at him, inspecting every inch of his soft fur, whilst the other three cuddled up together on her shoulders. Eventually, the excitement became too much for her to restrain, and a stream of blood started to run down from her nostril.

Gundam soon became aware, and pointed to her nose "…you...you're bleeding?"

Peko sniffed, finally noticing her sudden nosebleed. She set Jum-P back onto her knee and reached into her breast pocket, extracting a handkerchief and pressing it firmly against her nose. Blood continued to gush out of her like a waterfall, completely uncontainable.

Gundam rolled his eyes, looking away. "Psh. Get a hold of yourself, mortal. You demean yourself..." Something about the way he spoke made Peko suspect a slight hint of jealousy from Gundam. Maybe he didn't like the fact that the hamsters were being so affectionate to someone that wasn't him?

"Enough." With a quick snap of his fingers, the hamsters were reminded of who their master was and quickly scurried off of Peko's shoulders and back onto Gundam's. Even sleepy Jum-P woke up and responded immediately.

"You have acquired the ability to pet one of my Devas. It is an art that should be truly valuable to achieve. How do you feel?"

Peko took a deep breath, trying to register what had just happened to her. "I feel…content. This is something I have wanted to accomplish for a very long time. And it was…very rewarding. I don't know what to make of it..."

"You say you had troubles getting other lower level demons to remain in your company? Creatures only gain respect for you, IF they can sense the fact that you are calm, collected and obedient of their existence. If you are too forceful, or make sudden movements, they will flee, detecting your lack of regard for them. Perhaps in the past you have been too vigorous in trying to gain their trust?"

Peko thinks back to the last time she tried to pet an animal. It was when she was 7 years old, and she and her childhood best friend were in a park on the outskirts of town.

She was daydreaming, taking in the sights, until she turned round to spot her friend rolling around on the floor with a stray dog eagerly licking his face. She watched intently, he seemed to be laughing, but she was very wary of his safety.

"Are you okay?! Shall I chase it away?"

"It's fine Peko! It's just a dog! Look!"

She kneeled beside him and looked at the dog. It was small and cute, and had the same big black eyes that she always found enchanting about animals in general.

"Stroke him, Peko!" her friend prompted.

"I…I can't…" she hesitates.

"Come ooooon!"

Giving into peer pressure, she jolts her hand out towards the dog in her friend's arms, shaking frantically. The dog twitches uncomfortably as she stares intently at it, focusing on it entirely. She goes to quickly pat the dog on it's head, but the dog doesn't enjoy it at all and starts to growl. Having enough, the dog snaps and bites her finger before running away.

Tears well up in her eyes as she watches the dog scramble away. Her friend sighs, and she can sense disappointment from him. "Maybe he didn't like your scary face…you gotta be nice to them Peko! Stop being scary!"

If only you could see, Young Master…how I'm not scary anymore.

An announcement came on the monitors; something about every student has to gather at Jabberwock Park. Peko still didn't understand why a stuffed rabbit was giving everyone orders. Heck, she didn't even understand why they had ended up on an island instead of at Hopes Peak Academy, the school they were supposed to be studying at. But she followed the rules regardless.

She stands up from the sofa chair, folding up the handkerchief and putting it back into her breast pocket, ready to be cleaned later.

"We should go." She says surprisingly nonchalantly, gradually quickening her pace as she exits the hotel, cheeks flushed a vibrant pink.