003 [Voice/Action]

[headphones_nyan]

[Hero had the sense to go seek out medical attention before he went looking for his friends. They'd probably have kicked his butt otherwise. He still looks pale and unsteady, there are bandages peeking out from underneath his sleeves, and there's a telltale dried red handprint marring the white on one of his headphones, but his clothes hide the

Comments

[Action]

[controlroute]

[Atsuro's been waiting for him to get back. With his COMP dead, he can't help out much with the healing, so there's not much else to do. When he notices him sitting down under the tree, he rushes down the stairs, just in time to hear him making his voice post.]

Of course I'm okay. I didn't even get to fight anything, so at least I got to use all my magical power on healing. Way to mess up your headphones.

[Action]

[controlroute]

Sure you could, if you had to. There are other people in Tokyo who know computers and don't mind punching demons. There's only one who can absorb the Bels' power. You know you didn't have to.

[He pauses for a moment, trying to find the right words. He's not trying to reprimand him, and he's not even mad anymore, so he gives a weak smile.]

Forget it, I know why you did it. I just should have gone with you, no matter what Haruki wanted or what I promised Caesar. I know I'm not your mom, but I need to worry about you for everyone's sake. And maybe a little bit for me.

[Action]

[headphones_nyan]

But they're not you.

[And he pauses too, head still tilted back. Leave it to Atsuro to get what Hiro's trying to say, even if he doesn't know how to say it. He always was good at understanding things. ...Well... most things.]

Wrong on both counts.

[Funny how a person can still be tired even after the fighting's over. He closes his eyes, though there's nothing lethartgic about the smile on his face.]

You did the right thing, keeping your word. And if you have the time to worry, then you have the time to do something about it.

[Action]

[controlroute]

Jeez, now you're the one trying to embarrass me. If I died, you'd be able to move on, but if you died, everyone else would too. I'm not trying to be morbid or anything, it's just a fact that we're almost certain of. I think even Naoya would agree.

[He laughs a little at Hiro's corrections, widening his smile. This feels more like their usual talks.]

The right thing, maybe, but it doesn't feel like the smart thing. And I did what I could. I'm assuming you let Naoya keep an eye on you, and you're back here in once piece, so I probably shouldn't complain... Still, I can't help but feel a little scared that I had no control over what happened to you out there. They could have told us about the COMPs a little sooner.

[Action]

[headphones_nyan]

[There it is again -- "let Naoya keep an eye on you." Hiro brushes the subject off with a nod, finally opening his eyes to stare down at his dead COMP.]

It's too bad they couldn't last longer. Even without the demons, having magic makes you pretty dangerous.

[Action]

[controlroute]

[Don't think that sudden resignation goes unnoticed, mister. Atsuro spots it, but fortunately for Hiro, he figures the guy's been nagged enough for a while. He'll let it go this time, but he'll be paying extra attention to the cousins.]

Haha, like I'd know. I never really did get the hang of the whole magic thing. I was hoping that they'd last longer so I could find a way to hook it up to my computer once I get it charged, but... well, maybe I can charge the COMP with the same power source. Assuming I find one at all.

[Action]

[headphones_nyan]

[Leave it to Atsuro to be thinking of his computer when they're stuck in a place like this. He really does rely on electronics, huh? ...Not like Hiro's one to talk with those headphones glued over his ears, admittedly.]

Maybe if there was a way to cut out the middleman. You don't need a COMP to summon demons, so why are the skills different?

[Action]

[controlroute]

Hmm. Admittedly, I haven't put as much thought into the demons as I did into the skills, so I'm not sure where they come from. But I think that the skills are a power that we're tapping into. You don't need a COMP to summon demons if your will is strong enough and you form a contract, but you can't really form a contract with a power source, so you need a premade one with what or whoever controls the power source, and I think that's where the COMP comes in. But that's all just guesswork. Naoya probably knows.

[Action]

[headphones_nyan]

[Funny, how they just took the skill crack program for granted without bothering to understand the power they were using. "It doesn't matter where it comes from as long as it helps us survive," or something like that.]

None of it's our own strength, huh?

[Action]

[controlroute]

[Hmmm. He has to stop and think about that one a little. Sure, it was just as mysterious as the demons, but it was a lot less morally ambiguous. Demons were generally viewed as evil, while shooting lightning bolts was generally viewed as awesome.]

No, that's not true. If that were the case, then there would be no reason that you and Yuzu are so much better with the magic-type stuff than I am. I think our natural abilities are a conduit for the power. If my theory's right, it goes from the source to the COMP then through us before we see it in its skill form. I don't know about you, but I've gained a fair bit of muscle since the lockdown started.

[He flexes one arm, and it's not a total lie. He's not buff, but he's one geek you'd want to think twice about messing with.]

[Action]

[headphones_nyan]

I think we've all changed.

[And to keep the mood from getting too heavy, he looks over at Atsuro and grins.]

I'm not sure how I feel about being outmuscled by a computer geek.

[Action]

[controlroute]

Intimidated? Inadequate? Tiny?

[Action]

[headphones_nyan]

[He laughs.]

All of the above. I'm just a hollow shell of the man I once was.

[Action]

[controlroute]

A squishy shell.

[Atsuro's laughing too, letting his head rest back on the tree. While he's not totally over the experience, and he wants to understand it better so he can react appropriately the next time something bad happens, he feels much better, and for now, he's just glad that it's over.]

[Action]

[headphones_nyan]

Don't push it.

[Action]

[controlroute]

I'm not pushing it!

...It'd break.