I told you, I'm a few weeks out from graduation. [ "I've...been sort of thinking about my options. Right now I think the plan is probably to go back to school. I dropped out, but...I can catch up, and graduation's not that far anyway. At least with a diploma even if I can't afford college right now I can work and save up until she's out, and then figure stuff out from there." ]
Yeah, I've been getting the sense a few people think that's it. I don't know if that'd be better or worse. [ the way he says it is kind of facetiously though, like he knows he'd actually prefer that to be the case. ]
Do you want the short version or the long version of why? [ ... ] I've had to explain it to some people last week because of memories they saw. I'm...more okay with that now.
[ but the thing is he likes kazuki. like. he wants to actually be friends, and he knows it's a really fucking weird situation and he's not in the mood to make the vibes weird or worse when they've been having a good day. ]
[ if he thinks back on that memory later, he'll probably be able to connect those dots. but for now it's new and shocking for this extreme normie wowee ]
I guess... the short explanation, and we can go from there?
No I meant after...I told them what I told you. [ kazuki was not the only person he tried to explain this to and it didn't stick, is his point. but okay. well. really fucking sorry to this poor normie because: ]
Genetic engineering. I was used for human experimentations six years ago.
...I didn't find out what was happening until it was already too late, so. [ no. ] They found an abnormality in one of my check-ups from school when I was a kid, and I got sent to an institute that specialized in DNA and genome therapy. The director said that I had this really rare disease that would kill me really soon if I didn't start treatment with them. So...I did. And I found out later that all of it was a lie just to start rewriting my genetic code.
Director told me I couldn't tell anybody or he'd stop all treatment and my body would fall apart. [ and...he was twelve. it's a very scary prospect. ] But he was murdered not long after I discovered what was going on.
...Murdered. [ kazuki is like. torn. he would never believe that anyone deserves to be murdered, but this guy definitely deserved something. god. ] Well. At least he couldn't use anyone else by that point.
[ though it was clearly too late for shoma which still isn't great. ]
...he'd been doing experiments on people for a while. He wanted to find a way to achieve immortality. All of his other subjects didn't quite get him the same results. It was just me. [ so. there's the motive. ] One of his other subjects killed him, and while I can't say I'm that sorry about it, it was the same guy who killed my dad. And...you know how that turned out.
Why experiment on yourself when you can use other people until you perfect the formula? [ yes he is still mad, don't mind him. but it fizzles out just as quickly. ]
...physically, yeah, I'm fine. I more or less stopped aging but everything's still healthy from what I can tell. The only thing that's still evolving is my brain. And that's why I picked the avatar. I wanted to make them match for once.
Wish you could've at least gotten a good right hook on that guy. [ shoma is so valid.
...and yeah, he nods at that. ]
Makes sense. [ not hard to see why he'd want that. but, to lighten the mood a little... kazuki looks him up and down, and gives a little grin. ] Still shorter than me, though.
Haha. [ he is, at least, still tall enough to kind of push at his shoulder for being a bully!! ] I would hope I'm a little taller, give me a break.
[ but he considers this... ]
My dad was, like, barely taller than me when he died. And my mom...[ sort of lingering awkward on this, like he's thinking. ] She wasn't that tall either, I think.
No need to explain the thought process behind it, I was just teasing. And who knows? Sometimes you end up taller than both your parents, anyway. Maybe you would've.
Maybe I would've. [ also i'm glad i botched that i meant *i was barely taller than my dad. but regardless, it's a funny little thought. ] Judging by how tall Amame is, too, I still doubt it. But it's one of those things I guess I'll never know. I'm not that worried.
I guess one good thing about not knowing is that you aren't restricted by reality like the rest of us are. You could make this avatar whatever you wanted and no one would be able to say you're wrong.
Yeah. Maybe I really should've gone taller then. [ it's easy to joke about it, but...he knows he never would have because of what it actually means. ] That's the beauty of VR though, I guess. I could log out and come back a totally different person if I really wanted to.
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eloquently, he asks, ] Huh?
[ what the fuck ]
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I told you, I'm a few weeks out from graduation. [ "I've...been sort of thinking about my options. Right now I think the plan is probably to go back to school. I dropped out, but...I can catch up, and graduation's not that far anyway. At least with a diploma even if I can't afford college right now I can work and save up until she's out, and then figure stuff out from there." ]
...we're the same age, Kazuki.
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[ child geniuses happen and this place is already so fucking weird why wouldn't he just accept that ]
Then... how...?
[ if this is a case of being a really late bloomer then kazuki feels really bad for him. yikes. ]
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Do you want the short version or the long version of why? [ ... ] I've had to explain it to some people last week because of memories they saw. I'm...more okay with that now.
[ but the thing is he likes kazuki. like. he wants to actually be friends, and he knows it's a really fucking weird situation and he's not in the mood to make the vibes weird or worse when they've been having a good day. ]
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[ if he thinks back on that memory later, he'll probably be able to connect those dots. but for now it's new and shocking for this extreme normie wowee ]
I guess... the short explanation, and we can go from there?
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Genetic engineering. I was used for human experimentations six years ago.
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Like. You volunteered for it, or...?
[ was this illegal ]
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What the hell? That's fucked up. Did anyone do anything about that?
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Director told me I couldn't tell anybody or he'd stop all treatment and my body would fall apart. [ and...he was twelve. it's a very scary prospect. ] But he was murdered not long after I discovered what was going on.
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...Murdered. [ kazuki is like. torn. he would never believe that anyone deserves to be murdered, but this guy definitely deserved something. god. ] Well. At least he couldn't use anyone else by that point.
[ though it was clearly too late for shoma which still isn't great. ]
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[ a lot of people die in aini. ]
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[ absolutely delusional, but of course people like that have to take down as many others with them as possible. psychos.
also, damn, what do you even say to something like this? ]
What a nightmare. But you're okay...? Aside from that guy screwing with you?
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...physically, yeah, I'm fine. I more or less stopped aging but everything's still healthy from what I can tell. The only thing that's still evolving is my brain. And that's why I picked the avatar. I wanted to make them match for once.
[ both the inside and the outside. ]
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...and yeah, he nods at that. ]
Makes sense. [ not hard to see why he'd want that. but, to lighten the mood a little... kazuki looks him up and down, and gives a little grin. ] Still shorter than me, though.
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Hey, I had to keep it sort of realistic. I kinda doubt I would've ended up that tall in the first place.
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You're almost as tall as my sister, though.
[ no, shoma is definitely taller. but he's gotta tease. ]
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[ but he considers this... ]
My dad was, like, barely taller than me when he died. And my mom...[ sort of lingering awkward on this, like he's thinking. ] She wasn't that tall either, I think.
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No need to explain the thought process behind it, I was just teasing. And who knows? Sometimes you end up taller than both your parents, anyway. Maybe you would've.
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Can you imagine? [ it's funny given temenos really is kind of an opposite. ] I think I'll stick with being less blurry.
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Someone had a Roboji avatar, didn't they? I really need to know who's programming those things. They're making some weird choices.
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