[ he sees what shoma's doing, and he's not that happy about it, but he doesn't see much point in arguing it right now. ]
It's not going away just because you aren't home, even if we have other problems here. It wouldn't hurt to use some of the extra time to think about it. And if they hold to the payout they told us about, you'll probably be set.
[ shoma doesn't even see what shoma's doing, but he at least figures he and kazuki are not going to agree on a few things and that's fine. he respects the guy enough he won't argue about things, and instead he's trying to salvage this. ]
Yeah...I've heard the stipend's supposedly enough money that if we really get it you'd be set for life. It's a big risk when we don't even know it's true, but if it is that'd solve...everything. [ ...he pauses, and he does decide to offer up: ] After my parents divorced, we didn't have a ton of money to be spending on extra stuff. A lot of the parts I bought for Robota and then later for Roboji were from a junk shop just because the price was right, even if I had to do some extra work to refurbish them. And then after my dad died...Amame helped me keep up by paying for bills and groceries for me and stuff. It'd be nice not to worry about that kind of stuff.
Yeah. Don't bank everything on it, but it'd be nice if it's true.
[ not that it will make people dying worth it. ]
I had to do a lot of work to afford equipment for my guitar, so I get it. [ to a point, at least. ] It's nice that she's always supported you, though. Even if it's hard financially... that's still pretty lucky.
Yeah. [ to all of that. an encompassing little yeah. ] ...I think it was half because she wanted to and half because she felt like there wasn't another choice. Amame's always taken on more responsibility than she should've had to. But...I can admit it was lucky. All the more reason I have to fix everything here first to get back there.
[ what? maybe it doesn't matter. it's kazuki's turn to share a memory (30:00 - 34:40):
your older sister returns home from work and calls your name, and sits you down to talk about something serious. you're confused, but you follow her lead, settling comfortably on the bed with a shake of your head, still unsure what to expect. and what she says... definitely isn't it.
"Hey, if everything gets resolved and Shinjuku returns to normal... let's go see Mom and Dad, and then have a proper talk with them together."
while you're too caught off guard to respond, ichika continues, acknowledging your dream more directly than ever, and offering support you never thought you'd receive. no, you don't want to run the family business. that was never going to be the life for you. but you expected to have to fight for it all on your own, to work as hard as you could to force your family to listen for once, to acknowledge that you are, in fact, your own person, and that your dream isn't out of reach. but here is ichika, insisting that you tell them together, offering you a helping hand you never thought you'd get.
"They'll never know if you don't tell them, so they won't understand until you do," she says. and you're surprised to find yourself smiling back at her, relieved and excited to finally have someone in your corner, promising to root for you.
...but even that doesn't assuage your worries. tomorrow is new year's eve. x-day is still looming over the city. so you ask with hesitation, a little afraid of the answer, if they'd caught adonis already. and ichika agrees, except--
"...We haven't caught all of them."
and that's what scares you. that's why you have to ask, "But you don't need to be in danger anymore. Right?"
all you want is for your ichika to be safe. you've been saying it for days, over a week now, and not once has she listened. it's always been that she had something important to do. but if they've caught those adonis guys, then maybe... just maybe, she can finally sit out, rest, and stay out of danger.
you're afraid, and the way she hesitates makes you feel a little desperate. akito, your best friend, has already disappeared, arrested for some unknown crime. if ichika does, too... what are you supposed to do? it was bad enough that time when you were kids. even now, you remember it in sharp clarity - how scared you'd been when she disappeared from your side, the terror of seeing your parents, who were supposed to hold up the world, fly into a panic - how you'd clung to her and cried and cried and cried when that kid brought her back, hair wet with blood and in a daze.
you'd gotten her back that time. but now...?
softly, you plead, "Don't you go dying on me without even telling me."
"...I'll be alright. I won't die and leave you alone." she reaches out, resting a hand on your head. she always did that when you were younger, whenever you cried and needed reassurance. "But, there are still things that I have to do."
again, with that. again, she's going to throw herself into danger, and she asks you to support her. that's her dream, she says, and what are you to say to that? she is committed, and you'd be a hypocrite to ignore her dream after working so hard for yours to be recognized. hesitantly, with tears threatening to well up in your eyes, you agree.
"I..." a false start, as your voice betrays your anxiety. "I've always had a bad temper, taking it out on you. Maybe I'm in my childish rebellious phase. I've been irresponsible, and I haven't tried to understand how you feel."
a breath as you steel yourself, and you vow to fulfill your dream.
"I won't just be coddled like I have until now. I'm going to help my big sis." neechan. it's the first time you've called her that in years, and it brings your smile back. "So, don't you die on me. You make sure you survive and come back home."
"Of course," ichika answers easily. with that, she leaves you to get back to work. and your smile fades quickly, as you watch her back disappear through the door, wondering if it will be the last time you see it.
soft baby boyyyyy. that's me, not shoma, although shoma seems to be registering what he's seeing quietly as he watches it unfold and he just...kind of frowns. ]
...guess older sisters are the same everywhere, huh? [ because he recognizes a lot of those sentiments, can recognize similar conversations he's had with amame. ]
You and me both. [ he does not like it, but that's the way it goes. ] ...she'll come back. I know that probably doesn't mean much coming from me, but she seems too stubborn to die.
[ shoma's right, it doesn't mean much coming from someone on the outside. even from ichika, he isn't sure about it. ]
That's just a Hoshino trait, I guess. Too stubborn to listen, too stubborn to stop. [ he sighs. ] We'll see. There's no point in dwelling on it too much until we can go back, anyway. Either she comes home, or Shinjuku's done.
[ there's a soft sort of snort that seems to indicate he's familiar with that, too. ]
For all we know, something here might actually help make sure your sister comes back. We still have at least another three or four weeks. You've seen how fast everything changes.
Think so. I...haven't really put that much thought into it. I'm still trying to get used to the idea we can just buy and grab stuff so easily. But if you've got thought we could narrow them down? [ that's. what people do, right. yes. ]
Same here. It's weird, not having to think about money.
I haven't thought that much about it yet... I can get everything I need from the mall, you know? [ ... ] But I thought maybe something for Ichika wouldn't be bad.
Tell me about it. [ this is muttered to himself but. money bad. though he hears that and perks up a little because...that's kind of sweet, actually. ]
...nothing says we can't take stuff back with us when the tour's done. I think she'd probably like that. It'd be a good welcome home present for her, too.
[ as if they didn't kidnap all these people in the first place
also i'm in tears i've never thought about how online ordering works for shinjuku during the lockdown. ] Proooobably not. She knows I don't have a ton of extra spending money, and what I do have, I've been saving so I could move out. And I haven't really gotten her any gifts in a long time, either.
Mm. [ okay, this is completely fair, he thinks, because it's not like he has a ton of money either so explaining anything similar to amame would likely--
--no his fucking weirdo of a sister might straight up believe he was on a space tour in a different timeline for months. god. okay. how do normal people think... ]
...Kazuki, was that conversation I saw the last one you had with her before you came here? Or one of the last, I guess.
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It's not going away just because you aren't home, even if we have other problems here. It wouldn't hurt to use some of the extra time to think about it. And if they hold to the payout they told us about, you'll probably be set.
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Yeah...I've heard the stipend's supposedly enough money that if we really get it you'd be set for life. It's a big risk when we don't even know it's true, but if it is that'd solve...everything. [ ...he pauses, and he does decide to offer up: ] After my parents divorced, we didn't have a ton of money to be spending on extra stuff. A lot of the parts I bought for Robota and then later for Roboji were from a junk shop just because the price was right, even if I had to do some extra work to refurbish them. And then after my dad died...Amame helped me keep up by paying for bills and groceries for me and stuff. It'd be nice not to worry about that kind of stuff.
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[ not that it will make people dying worth it. ]
I had to do a lot of work to afford equipment for my guitar, so I get it. [ to a point, at least. ] It's nice that she's always supported you, though. Even if it's hard financially... that's still pretty lucky.
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[ what? maybe it doesn't matter. it's kazuki's turn to share a memory (30:00 - 34:40):haha. embarrassing. anyway. ]
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...guess older sisters are the same everywhere, huh? [ because he recognizes a lot of those sentiments, can recognize similar conversations he's had with amame. ]
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That's just a Hoshino trait, I guess. Too stubborn to listen, too stubborn to stop. [ he sighs. ] We'll see. There's no point in dwelling on it too much until we can go back, anyway. Either she comes home, or Shinjuku's done.
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For all we know, something here might actually help make sure your sister comes back. We still have at least another three or four weeks. You've seen how fast everything changes.
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Maybe. We won't know until we find something like it, I guess, but I'm not going to get my hopes up, either.
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That's definitely not gonna happen. [ ... ] Call it a unique Mizuki trait.
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I haven't thought that much about it yet... I can get everything I need from the mall, you know? [ ... ] But I thought maybe something for Ichika wouldn't be bad.
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...nothing says we can't take stuff back with us when the tour's done. I think she'd probably like that. It'd be a good welcome home present for her, too.
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[ as for ichika... he shrugs that off, feeling a little awkward. ]
Explaining it would be the hard part.
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Guess it wouldn't be as easy as saying you bought it online, would it?
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[ as if they didn't kidnap all these people in the first place
also i'm in tears i've never thought about how online ordering works for shinjuku during the lockdown. ] Proooobably not. She knows I don't have a ton of extra spending money, and what I do have, I've been saving so I could move out. And I haven't really gotten her any gifts in a long time, either.
[ it's just a lil awkward ]
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--no his fucking weirdo of a sister might straight up believe he was on a space tour in a different timeline for months. god. okay. how do normal people think... ]
...Kazuki, was that conversation I saw the last one you had with her before you came here? Or one of the last, I guess.
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...Yeah, the last one. Why?
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