gocirclegogo | I'M NORMALLLLL PLEASE DATE MEEEEE

[Hey now, he totally changed his outfit today! He's wearing Michi's Christmas gift too. Totally different.

Either way, it says for out of it he is that he doesn't instinctively flinch away from her friend-y advances. Instead there's two idiots sitting in a snowbank in February. With any other genre, it'd be the setup for a romance movie. In here, it just means there's two idiots in a snowbank.

He's still staring out at nothing like a blind person for a few beats after the question, visibly for no reason at all. Internally, it's between tossing lies around for which one to use because there's infinite choices and no one cares anyway. So... fuck it, be kind-of-sorta-honest and DEFLECT.]

「SHE'S WORRIED AND I DON'T BELIEVE HER. OTHERWISE SHE'S FINE. HOW'S YOUR FATHER?」

It is only natural for her to feel concern for you! The two of you are in a relationship. ... I believe that is how romance between men and women works?

Ah, but Father is doing quite well! It has been some time since we last spoke, but I believe that the saying is "no news is good news"? I have not heard from him in some time, so he must be doing well!

[....... Right?]

「HA HA! OUR RELATIONSHIP IS NOTHING LIKE THAT.」

[It totally is.

But the last answer earns a long bit of silence and a blank expression, before turning to face her with the smallest smile. His eyes are completely blind.]

「HEY. WANT TO MAKE A DEAL?」

It must be!

[Seeing his face, there is a slight, alarmed intake of breath and widening of eyes -- but she recovers quickly, as usual. It's probably nothing to worry about.

He's so positively repulsive even injuries won't stick for long, she's sure. Not to sound negative -- that was the Kumagawa she loved. Platonically, I would point out, thank you very much Kaji, who I'm sure is reading this right now.

As for the deal, what could possibly go wrong?]

... But, what sort of deal would we make?

[It's the kind of blind that means he still has sight, but he's not seeing her. Probably Them still. But the question of the deal means the smile is bright, sparkling charisma. Ignore the eyes.]

「DON'T WORRY! IT'S SIMPLE! I'LL ANSWER ONE QUESTION HONESTLY IF YOU ANSWER ONE HONESTLY FOR ME. YOU CAN EVEN ASK FIRST! THAT'S HOW MUST TRUST I'M SHOWING, OKAY? PLEASE DON'T BREAK MY HEART, MICHI-CHAN! DOING SO TODAY OF ALL DAYS IS JUST SADISTIC! AND IT'S A CLICHE.」

... Ah, all right.

[Except now she has to think of a question. Damn it. A long pause -]

How are you doing, at this moment? Are you well? Please answer honestly.

[And she gets a chunk of laughter as a reward. Or at her expense.]

「REALLY? THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SPENDING THAT QUESTION ON? AH, THIS IS REALLY FAMILIAR NOW. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO ASK THOUGH? IT'S ONLY ONE SO NO REGRETS, OKAY?」

Yes! I want to know.

[The blank smile that remains with that answer means he expected her to say no. Dammit Michi, stop being a rapist. But for once it's okay, because he turns back away to look at nothing.

And something changes. It's in the blink of an eye, but it's not anything physical. No sudden monster coming out of acid flowing instead of blood, but his aura is the thing of nightmares. The expression is still blank, but it's horrifying and furious somehow. There's nothing changing his voice, save for sounding a bit more lifeless, but it's grating and rings of Them and it's just

wrong wrong wrong it breaks your heart listening to it nauseating to understand it grating writhing corrupted broken wrong make it stop wrong wrong--]

No. I hate this.

[He's said that word a lot of times, but for once, 'hate' sounds like it should be. Pure, unarguable, hatred.]

[............ Well, that answers that question. We'll come back to it later. But for now, for the sake of that tiny itty bitty shard of self-preservation she has and the only slightly larger bit of concern for her friend's comfort, she backs down.

She closes her eyes, like it'll stop her from feeling. That's ridiculous. It doesn't even stop her from seeing.]

-- I'm sorry. If it makes you uncomfortable, then there's no need to answer me.

Not you. Them. This world. Society. Ah...

[If her first thought is Them them, he nudges his head towards a couple that walks past off to the side. So 'normal people', really. Or people with better lives?

The thought trying to parse his answer gets lost. It's even harder to ignore his feeling when he's staring directly at her.]

...It's hard to explain. My turn. How do you feel about this?

Oh, I --

[Another pause and sigh. Not exasperated exactly, but very, very tired.]

Hatred feels like a such a dreadfully strong emotion, for someone such as myself, but it isn't inaccurate. I like you -- and Christopher, and Liam, and Father and Miss Helen, of course, but... erm.

... My fondness for the other humans in this place varies rather wildly. Does that make sense...? I hate them.

There are always exceptions.

[She has him being honest. Which means there are exceptions to him hating everyone. Which means he likes people? Which means??? FRIENDS????

He immediately does not let her ask it.] Why do you hate them?

I hate them because they hate me. You are familiar with my... erm, "condition," aren't you, Kumagawa?

I'm currently quite happy to have been born this way, of course, so it no longer matters what I'm called, but I can't say that I appreciate being rejected and referred to as a monster.

[It's rare and super obvious here, so I'll go on ahead and point it out -- there is actual emotion leaking into her expression and tone of voice. Wry and uncharacteristically bitter, like... well, like she's looking back in retrospect regarding something she hates.]

[Right around here, that feeling mixed with Kumagawa being himself, that bit of genuine emotion is dangerous. It means weakness, which means he pounces on it and tears it apart.

Today, in the oddest of all actions, she gets a single shoulder-pat of support. And, despite that disgusting feeling of his, it's not as bad as it usually is. It's acid and eating through skin but

Well. It doesn't hate her.]

They hate you because they don't understand. They've lived good lives as good people and were never like you, or me, or Liam, or Sei. Or anyone else they've trampled on.

Liam's plan to switch our positions. 'Overthrow the English' or whatever. It's stupid. He's going to fail before he starts. He already has.

[From the universe's personification of failure saying that, it means it's pretty much writ.]

[And then the BGM stopped. Record scratch optional, but it's 1882, where are you going to get your vinyls?]

... Overthrow the English? Is that what he's planning to do?

[Well, it's not weird. He's Irish. That's what Irish people do, right?]

Ah... Partially. He wants the downtrodden to switch place with the rulers. Flip the entire spectrum.

[The move that would be assumed to be sparkles and an hourglass turning motion, just turns into both hands moving listlessly in some vaguely-like-something something.

Not helpful at all.]

It won't work. That just turns plus to minus, minus to plus. Changes the players but not the dynamic. No one understands each other that way. Nothing becomes 'equal'.

... And what do you want? Would you prefer a world where we all exist equally?

Mm. Sorry. That's her.

I. [Want to lie to her. So badly. Forget these people, they're not Minus, they don't understand, but they're so close]

...I don't know. Personally, I want everyone alive to die. But that's because I don't think they can understand people like us.

[So the question is between trying to make everyone understand one another, or just killing them all off because they're letdowns.]

Ah, what a pain. I hate people.

I know.

[Is what she says, but the tone is more like "Me too, it's okay." Emphasis on the second part.]

I had never so much as considered the possibility that they could understand me... If that were possible, then I think that I would like it if we were able to live equally.

But, as you've said, it's unlikely. As long as I'm able to stay with all of you, then it doesn't matter what happens to this place or its people.

...You want them to understand you.

[Then some kind of light clicks on internally, because he looks up at the sky and nothing at all. A long moment passes. Then]

I can do that.

... Can you?

I'm all right like this, of course, but is that something that you're capable of doing?

[He stands up, perfectly calm. Dusts the snow off. Glances back to her.] Not immediately, and for a price, but I can... The price means I have a condition.

I need to make sure you understand. To prove yourself a friend. Accept?

[Well.

He said the f-word. So without any particularly deep thought, because Kumagawa is her friend -]

... Yes, of course.

[That's it. She's not a minus. None of them are. But it they're Minus. Abandoned and hated by the world, hating the world back, but the only thing they want is the world to accept them. And, back home, he promised them to do that. They're not here anymore.

But these people are.

The smile is like a gash opening up across his face and is something that's going to haunt Michi's nightmares for weeks on end. Because she gave the universe's designated villain a purpose.

A+

He offers her a hand, to help her up from the snow. It still feels like you'd rather cut your arm off than take it.] Then I'll show you the world they denied you.

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