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[spacialeyes]

... uh-huh.

[He steps back, bringing his hands up to cover his chest-- and his invisible Distorted soul.]

I'd be hurt if you weren't. It's not like I want for everyone to hate me enough to... [His voice trails off.] But it's only gotten worse. I don't want this 'Rumor' or 'Distortion' or whatever to beat me. If it comes back to it, I want to help as many people as possible with this power, so...

[dereban]

So you want to become the villain? I totally get it.

[ It's not as if she hasn't done it personally before, or even made the attempt herself. ]

When you're trying to play a role, what helps is pulling from personal experience and emotions. Hatred, anger, revenge, hurt, jealousy are common ones.

[spacialeyes]

... Yeah. [His voice softens. Yuuto doesn't like thinking about a bleak future. He'd rather struggle and help everyone, but;] If it has to happen, I don't want for it to be sad.

[He considers her advice, looking slightly stressed.]

I've never really thought hard about those feelings before. They are rarely productive for something like me... But I could try.

[dereban]

It can be useful if you can control them... and use them when necessary.

[spacialeyes]

Really..?

[Despite the dark conversation, Yuuto finds a somewhat twisted reason to smile.]

Things are going to work out and this program will be for nothing... and when that happens and I get to stay in this world, maybe I can learn to feel those things. Before, they just got in the way of being 'Yuuto.'

But when everything settles down and I can live here forever, I'll just be 'me!' Can you teach me to be angry sometime, Inaba? Or any of the others? I wonder what I'd be like if I got super angry?

[dereban]

I can probably figure something out. How good's your imagination?

[spacialeyes]

Very! Tau-san taught me well!

[gasp!]

Are you going to try to make me angry? Please come at me! I will do my best!

[dereban]

Yeah, I'm going to try. Take my seat at the computer and put the headset on.

[spacialeyes]

Okay!

[Which he does! And for someone who is supposed to get angry, he looks way too happy.]

I’m ready to be angry!

[dereban]

This is already off to a great start.

[ Her voice is dry. ]

Anyway, close your eyes.

[spacialeyes]

You don’t sound like you mean that?

[Inaba never lies to him—-

Wait no. Yeah. Yeah, she’s a liar sometimes.

He nods and closes his eyes.]

Mm. Okay. My eyes are closed.

[dereban]

Okay.

[ She rubs her hands together and then starts up music. It's ambient sounds, meant to be calming and to keep him focused on the sound itself.

Inaba keeps herself behind him, keeping herself as quiet as she possibly can.

She can't help but wonder how she can make him mad... well, this is probably fine-- ]

Can you hear me?

[ Inaba changes the cadence to her voice, dropping emotions from every syllable that she speaks. ]

[spacialeyes]

[Yuuto is quite focused on the ambience at first. His instinct is to draw a mental map of what kind of space he's hearing, but he quickly gives up on that when he hears her voice.

He nods.]

Mm. I can hear you, Inaba. Is everything okay?

[dereban]

[ Inaba's idea on "how to make Yuuto angry" is not a good idea. She has to internally steel herself for this. She keeps her voice even as she continues to speak. ]

'Inaba'...? Oh, right. That's the name of this vessel, isn't it?

[spacialeyes]

[He nearly spins around in his chair. It does occur to him that this might be a trick. Inaba had said before that she wasn't sure he could ever talk to her Narrator, after all.

But he goes along with it for the moment, responding with a mix of politeness and assertive correction:]

'Inaba' is the name of my best friend, yeah. We're playing a game where she tries to piss me off, but... Can I help you?

[dereban]

[ All he can hear outside of the ambient sounds is the sound of something being taken out and he'll hear a clicking sound of a gun having its safety unlocked. ]

[spacialeyes]

Inaba?

[That's enough to get him to turn around slightly and check on her. Yuuto is trying hard to trust her, at least not enough to remove the headphones, but he knows the sound of a gun all too well.]

[dereban]

[ He won't see any guns but immediately Inaba's grabbing onto the chair and turning it back around without saying a word, although there's a hint of frustration that he'll catch in her eyes for a flicker of a second. ]

[spacialeyes]

Auu- I-I'm sorry, right! F, focus..!

[And he closes his eyes tighter than before. Though now he's visibly tense. What was that sound just now..?]

[dereban]

[ There's a sound of a gun being shot.

There's no other sound for a bit, as if waiting in anticipation to see if he'll turn around again. ]

[spacialeyes]

[The sound of a gunshot coming over the ambient background she had put on is enough to make him jump. This time he lowers the headphones entirely before turning around. He's trying to remember that Inaba is testing him and that she's not stupid, but the pink light of his power chases the human gold from his eyes anyway.]

Inaba?!

[dereban]

... Ahh, how boring.

[spacialeyes]

[Yuuto's eyes flash as his power searches for any bullets that may have been fired. He looks to be a mix of confused and alarmed.]

... Are you okay? I thought I heard a gun?

[dereban]

[ There's none! ]

I'm fine.

[spacialeyes]

[Yuuto begins to relax again-- Or at least, he tries to look relaxed. His eyes are still glowing and he's panicking under the surface, but doing his best to appear calm.]

S, sorry. I guess... Thinking about it made me hear things, or something. Mm. [He quietly lifts the headphones again, debating if he should retreat into the ambient noise until he's calm enough to fake a proper smile.]