adsum | npc contact.1

[ How can somebody just come out and say "sorry for fucking up your nonlife"? His first instinct is to shrink back, his second is to close the laptop lid, and doing the first disallows the second and leaves him with his back pressed against the lockers, eyes cast to the floor and him biting at his bottom lip. ]

hello

[ He glances at the screen— glances at Nanami, can't find anything in her eyes- and glances away. ]

r u HIM
r u
r u

[ He nods once, and keeps his head dipped.

The laptop powers off. ]

[ Nanami didn't quite like what he said, but she understood where he came from. He could not possibly understand what it was like to live in the circumstance of the friend now within the computer - or laptop. Akira seem's abhor by his own actions, upset that the answer retrieved was that of emptiness.

She looks over to see the laptop is off, and then closes it shut. Eyes veer toward Akira, their emptiness seemingly casted to him. As they take in his body language, discomforted and upset over the matter. ]

Lets start from the beginning.

[ Nanami states, roughly after the silence between them got inherently quiet. ]

Why would you show this to me if you didn't know something was up?

[ If she could, she would say: About me. Feeling that there was some cruelty in this, that the actions here were telling of a deeper story that she wished to unveil. Her hand reaches and she rather suddenly takes his - touch is something she does not take nor do. However there was slight desperation in her voice, and an earnest want to understand what this all meant. As well as the purpose for showing her this - as if he did it to watch her. Or did it to observe her reaction - or for some alter motive that she was unaware of. ]

.. ... Why did you so readily show me this? If you were afraid like this in the end?

[ As an Ai herself she needed answers, questions were the only form of substance for her to make a ruling on information given. As she were, she held nothing in her mind of understanding to what was going on. Desperate for something, to grasp on. ]

[ Akira flinches when Nanami takes his hand, reflexively pulling away but not enough to yank his hand out of her grasp. The touch, however, does make him look up at her, and with the laptop cover closed, he's able to hold her gaze. ]

I'm sorry.

[ The apology is also reflexive, like he has to preface everything with it. ]

I knew about it. Before you even came, I knew. Rokkun— Rokuro... he said I should show you, and I can't... refuse him.

[ He drops his gaze now, though, because those aren't reasons, it's an excuse, it's him shifting the blame. ]

I thought... since you like games, you'd enjoy talking to her, and she'd enjoy talking to you and... and it wouldn't be as lonely. I wouldn't feel as guilty. That was selfish, and I'm sorry.

...

[ Nanami thinks for a moment. ]

You say that, but what you said before was cruel and rude - so what is the truth? Do you regret what you did to her? Or do you want her to live as how she is? Or do you want her to hide away forever?

[ eyes snap up, and he looks at Nanami in a mix of genuine surprise and abject horror ]

-—cruel? Was I?

[ Before we touch upon those questions that his gut reaction is to answer with yes, yes, and yes. ]

Ne, ne! You want her to have all those things - right...? [ She pauses only momentarily. ]

Then you told me that how she is - isn't living. So do you want her to have fun with me? Maybe play games with all of us? Or do you think she's really not living?

[ Those real questions keep coming, they are calm and concise. Literal with her neutral tone. ]

Which is it?

Huh? Yeah, but...

[ He closes his mouth when she presses on, though, because he can't choose one from the other. That girl is not living, he knows she's not, no matter how much he wants to be. He saw her die and what he did was preserve an echo; he could never bring back a person. He is not god. ]

I only have a fraction of her soul. It's not a full consciousness, nor a full person. Not yet. I need more, if I want to do anything for her.

Even if its just a slither of memory of the person you knew in the past, it's still her and because it is. You need to face her together, and give her your all - otherwise youre not being fair to yourself or to her.

[ Nanami takes the laptop in her hands but slowly begins to offer it to him.]

I think what you have is enough, and the two of you - and all of us can make more memories together. Even if its not the same - because youre right. Shes gone now and she cant come back, but you still have a part of her in here and with you.

[ No??? No nononono wait no, he holds his hands out but to refuse the laptop, not to take it, he can't just take it? he has to prepare his heart first, which is struggling not to stop completely at the prospect of having to talk to somebody who probably definitely hates his guts. ]

No— no, no, it's not- it's not something you can just grow like a clipping off a plant. It's not... How can I...?

[ How can he talk to a person who isn't all there, let alone connect with them? It's like trying to speak with Komaeda, or Rokkun. ]

...I want to face her when I have something more to offer besides apologies...

...

[ Nanami leans in just a bit to gauge their reaction. He seems genuinely out of order with what she said. Genuinely needing the time to prepare himself to talk to her. ]

No one said anything about growing? That was you.

[ Pulling away she returns back to sitting along her legs. ]

Sometimes saying sorry is enough to start with, and all that happens afterwards is what you make of it... If you think too much about it, you'll just freeze up.

[ She says tiding the laptop back into her lap. Opening it up- MUN FORGOT TO MENTION THEBACKGROUND is a picture of her Hinata and Komaeda. So rip she prolly forgot to put it up, that would have been funny interaction. ]

[ He leans back when she leans in, forcing himself to look up at her and in his eyes is confusion, not understanding how she could be content with a splinter of a person whereas his inclination is to bring back the whole. ]

I'm already frozen up...

[ But he sighs, looking down at the laptop, not making any move to take it. ]

...I'd want to be alone when I'm ready. Is that okay?

.... I wouldn't have it any other way?

[ Nanami then takes the laptop and presses it against her chest. She hugs it gently, and looks over to him softly. ]

I'll keep your friend safe okay? When you are ready lets have fun together! Maybe later she'll come back to play games with me and talk to me. Do you think so?

[ He doesn't look very sure of himself, but he nods, because there is always "maybe." ]

As long as you keep that disk in, she should be there whenever you want to talk. Keep her safe. Keep her away from magnets, and water, and cat fur, and- and anything that can hurt her.

I promise I will...

[ Theres a genuine pause, and she is happy to help two friends make amends at the end of it all. ]

Will you still play games with me too? Im always at the gaming club.

-—You're not mad at me?

[ She called him cruel? Here he was under the impression that he had irreversibly broken their social link and there's no coming back from it ]

Hm? I was for a little bit, but I am happy you seem to want to change. Or well - seem that you want to look forward to the future and I want to be here to help you through it. Isn't that what friends are for?

[ Dont worry Akira, you could stage a whole death in the name of hope and be the reason you end up a killer - and she would not hate you. ]

Are we- we're friends?

[ NOT CASUAL FRIENDS

for whatever reason, the thought of it makes him look incredibly nervous ]

We both like games right?

[ Thats her logic, also because she was made automatically to be friends with whoever she met. So its the same here, and she is not opposed to it. If anything it makes her glad to offer her friendship to those who may need it. ]

Everybody likes games!

[ That can't be a friendship criteria, that's a universal experience ]

... Not everyone likes playing them with others though?

[ Nanami tilts her head quizzically. Wondering what the problem is. ]

Besides didn't you just confess quite a bit to me just now? I feel like I know a lot about you that others probably don't. So you trust me - some how.

[ That's him, liking games he can play on his own, wanting to join the gaming club but not because that would involve being around people, trusting Nanami even though he shouldn't and rather than a sign of friendship, it feels almost like a personal failing. ]

I... somehow.

[ He swallows thickly, lips pressed together for a moment. ]

...Sorry. I'm really no good with other people. I don't know what to do with friendship, when it feels like just a word.

... Thats how I felt in the beginning...

[ Nanami states, playing with a lock of her hair. Twirling it a little bit, finding herself self conscious because she is refereeing to her time on the island. ]

Theres no rushing anything, just take it at your own pace - but! Youre still going to play games with me, right?

[ Brings it back a million times about games. ]

[ There's comfort to be taken in that she doesn't try to offer him advice or anything of the sort, just letting him know it's okay to take things at his own pace, even if that pace is currently at a standstill. ]

...Yeah. Of course I'll play games with you.

See, an already budding relationship. The flags will rise when they rise and maybe well have a good ending at the end of it.

[ Nanami jests, okay I want you to know they can still be fun and have a good time. If you wanna hand wave the end of this! I dont want to keep you I know you have a ton of threads. ]

[ nooooo cute, okay. He does smile a little at the flags mention and they can go off and play games instead, the next school day he will bring her his copy of Age of Empires like he'd promised before and watch her play ]

npc contact.1

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