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[12:12] <Karo> Karo milled around lazily outside of the hospital. It was hot outside. It was always hot outside these days. The collar of his school uniform was damp and uncomfortable, and he could only close his eyes and going home to the 5 Soejima dorm, snagging something cold from the fridge, flopping onto the common room couch - his bed - and snoozing away the rest of the afternoon. -
[12:15] <Karo> Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Nothing was ever that easy anymore, he thought sadly to himself. These were days when he had to climb mountains in the unforgiving elements, shoulder rifles for revolutions, and do all sorts of illegal shit for pretty bar owners in a foreign lands. -
[12:15] <Karo> When did life get this complicated anyway? Where did his youth go?
[12:22] <Minaplo> Perhaps he needed someone older and wiser to tell him where it had gone.-
[12:22] <Minaplo> And speaking of which, there he was. Asari Mochizuki, looking as statuesque as ever.-
[12:22] <Minaplo> "Nakajima-kun." He said as he approached, raising a bandaged hand and waving it. "Sorry for the lateness."
[12:28] <Karo> "Mochizuki. Hey." Karo strangled the impulse to stand up straighter as the older student approached. What would even be the point? -
[12:28] <Karo> "Let's get out of here and go someplace cool."
[12:28] <Minaplo> "Can I go in real quick and visit Hideki first? Won't be a minute, I promise."
[12:32] <Karo> "You've been coming to see him a lot, haven't you? Maybe we could… skip this visit?"
[12:34] <Minaplo> "W-What?"-
[12:34] <Minaplo> "Oh." Asari looked around nervously. "Sure. But I also really need to go to the toilet. Can I go to the toilet?"
[12:36] <Karo> "Oh. Yeah, sure. I'll wait here."
[12:37] <Minaplo> Asari quickly scooted inside.-
[12:37] <Minaplo> …-
[12:37] <Minaplo> Sure was a long toilet break.-
[12:37] <Minaplo> …-
[12:38] <Minaplo> "Okay! I'm back!" Said Asari, looking red-faced and panting a little. "Let's go… Somewhere?"
[12:42] <Karo> Karo looked concerned. "You sure you don't need… Um. You know what, sure. Follow me."
[12:44] <Minaplo> "Okay. Where are we off to?"
[12:46] <Karo> The flashiest place in Oda Mall. If one took the word 'flashy' literally. -
[12:50] <Karo> The entrance was ablaze with gaudy neon lights, and many machines bleeped and blooped loudly from within, creating a discordant enough noise to make any student's brain buzz before properly crossing the threshold. -
[12:52] <Karo> And there were several students already inside. It was a healthy mix of ages and different uniforms, and even some people who weren't in uniform at all! Karo shifted his school bag. "Here we are."
[12:59] <Minaplo> "Ah! I see."-
[12:59] <Minaplo> "Wait. This is an arcade."
[12:59] <Karo> "That's right! We're going to let off some steam here."
[12:59] <Minaplo> "Oh. But. Oh."
[01:03] <Karo> "This'll be fun," Karo insisted, taking the first step. The door swooshed open, and the noise became much louder. "Way better than moping at a hospital, right?"
[01:07] <Minaplo> Asari explicitly didn't wince as they entered the arcade, although the not-wince was a kind of wince in itself.-
[01:08] <Minaplo> "I… Will assume you are right."
[01:16] <Karo> It was cold inside. Air conditioning was truly a wondrous gift from the heavens. Karo basked it a moment, getting his bearings, before leading Asari over to one of the crane games. It didn't look like many of the other customers were paying it very close attention, so it was perfect. "You don't come in here much," he guessed.
[01:17] <Minaplo> "What? No. Look. I know all about arcades. I've seen movies."-
[01:18] <Minaplo> He pointed at the crane game. "For example! This is a claw machine. It's how cocky young men impress their girlfriends with their dextrous acumen!"
[01:26] <Karo> Karo grinned. "There aren't any girlfriends around here, but do you wanna give it a try?"
[01:27] <Minaplo> "But… Who would I be impressing with my dextrous acumen? Who would benefit from my rewards?!"
[01:32] <Karo> "Uh, well… you could win something now and give it to the person you like later on? And I'm here, so I can be impressed with you."
[01:33] <Minaplo> "Is this just a ploy to trick me into talking about who I like, Nakajima-kun?"
[01:41] <Karo> Karo blinked. "You have someone you like? Like, a person? And not something abstract, like a sport?"
[01:44] <Minaplo> "…"-
[01:44] <Minaplo> Asari turned around and looked at Karo. "Now you listen to me, Nakajima-kun. Just because some high school sportsboys have the emotional range of a desert river in drought doesn't mean I'm one of them. I can love sports. And girls. At the same time."-
[01:45] <Minaplo> He turned back to the crane game. "Now. Let's take on this crane game."-
[01:45] <Minaplo> "… Why don't you go first."
[01:57] <Karo> "No problem." Karo put his bag down and rolled up his sleeves. "The controls are pretty easy. But it's all about technique." He inserted a few yen, and watched the crane game shudder to life. -
[01:57] <Minaplo> Asari was rapt, all attention on Karo.
[02:06] <Karo> "Prizes that are smooth are pretty hard to get. The claw can't grip them." He tapped on the glass in front of an egg plush doll. "Instead, go for ones that are odd-shaped, like Mr. Broccoli, here." He gestured to a green, broccoli-shaped plush doll. When he faced the glass again and tried to focus, something in his eyes went dim. These prizes sucked… -
[02:09] <Karo> "Everything else is just… judging the distance…" He pulled the joystick control to the right, and the claw followed accordingly. "Timing." He moved it back a bit, trying to align the claw with Mr. Broccoli. "And skill!" As soon as the claw locked into its new position, it lowered toward the plush dolls… and closed around air, completely missing the doll by a good few inches.
[02:10] <Minaplo> "Yes. Yes. What then? are you psyching the doll out?" Asked Asari, completely seriously.
[02:11] <Karo> "M-maybe I am! Just getting it all warmed up for a newbie like you."
[02:13] <Minaplo> "I see. So it's my turn?"
[02:15] <Karo> Karo simply stepped back to let him take over.
[02:15] <Minaplo> Asari pounded his right hand into his left, then stepped forward. "Mr. Broccoli. Got it. Vegetables are important."-
[02:16] <Minaplo> He took Karo's arcade card, swiped the machine then grabbed the joystick.-
[02:16] <Minaplo> "Distance…" The crane hovered over the broccoli.-
[02:16] <Minaplo> "Timing…"-
[02:16] <Minaplo> "And skill." He pushed the button. The crane came down, grabbed Mr. Broccoli, and lifted it up. "Ah!"-
[02:17] <Minaplo> The crane came back toward the hole… And suddenly dropped it half-way.-
[02:17] <Minaplo> "What? Oh." He frowned.-
[02:17] <Minaplo> "What just happened?"
[02:19] <Karo> "That happens sometimes too. The claw's pretty weak. Loses its grip if it sways too much, or if the weight of the prize is kind of uneven. Or if you sneeze."
[02:19] <Minaplo> "What? How sensitive."-
[02:19] <Minaplo> "I want to try again, but perhaps I should leave…"-
[02:19] <Minaplo> He glanced back at the prizes. "It?"-
[02:20] <Minaplo> Mr. Broccoli's movement had revealed a plush doll beneath it.-
[02:20] <Minaplo> An adorable lion, dressed up in a red kingly robe with an adorable little crown on its head.-
[02:20] <Minaplo> "Ah!"-
[02:20] <Minaplo> He pressed a hand up against the glass. "That one. I have to have that one!"-
[02:21] <Minaplo> Swipey swipe.-
[02:21] <Minaplo> With pure focus, he manipulated the crane over Lion-Sama's head. Towered it.-
[02:21] <Minaplo> Grabbed Lion-Sama…-
[02:21] <Minaplo> Closer, closer…-
[02:21] <Minaplo> "Yes… Yes…"-
[02:22] <Minaplo> Lion-Sama dropped into the chute… And got caught on the edge. suspended over the chasm.-
[02:22] <Minaplo> "WHAT!? No!!!"
[02:28] <Karo> "If you can grab and drop something else, you might be able to nudge that one into the chute too," Karo advised. He had comfortably grabbed a stool for the machine next to theirs and was just watching now.
[02:29] <Minaplo> "I see. What a stratagem."-
[02:29] <Minaplo> Swipe went the arcade card.-
[02:32] <Minaplo> "Smooth is bad. So I need something blocky."-
[02:32] <Minaplo> "Something with an even weight."-
[02:33] <Minaplo> "Something easy to grip…"-
[02:34] <Minaplo> As part of a fit of optimism, Satomi Lane Cinema had tried to drum up excitement for its 'classic movie' line by reaching out to businesses and restaurants. And so they saw here- in the pile was, near the bottom, a Sazabi- the mobile suit Char Aznable used in the Char's Counterattack film.-
[02:34] <Minaplo> "Yes. That cyclopean robot will do." Grab.-
[02:35] <Minaplo> Asari's entire focus was on the joystick. His stance was lowered, knees bent, eyes narrowed, shallow breaths.-
[02:35] <Minaplo> Grab.-
[02:35] <Minaplo> Liiiiiiiiift.-
[02:35] <Minaplo> He licked his lips. Pressed the button.-
[02:35] <Minaplo> The Sazabi dropped, caught Lion-Sama and pulled them both into the chute.-
[02:35] <Minaplo> "Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Asari sprang back from the joystick. "Does that mean…?!"
[02:36] <Karo> "Shit… looks like it's yours!"
[02:37] <Minaplo> With shaking hands, Asari pulled both plushes out of the chute.-
[02:38] <Minaplo> Then held them both into the air triumphantly. "I can still beat a Nakajima at anything! Yes!"
[02:47] <Karo> "What?! Hey! That's bullshit! We weren't competing!"
[02:47] <Minaplo> "Two plush." He said admiringly at his gains.-
[02:48] <Minaplo> Then turned to look at Karo's empty hands. "No plush."-
[02:48] <Minaplo> "Mathematics doesn't lie."
[02:54] <Karo> Karo glared. "But luck -does- lie."
[02:55] <Minaplo> Asari lowered his arms.-
[02:55] <Minaplo> "Who is the best at crane game?" He said in a cutesy voice, waggling Lion-Sama.-
[02:55] <Minaplo> "It's Asari-sama! Who did it on his second try, beating someone who has done it many times!" He squealed, waggling the Sazabi.-
[02:56] <Minaplo> "See. The plushes agree. The plushies I won. That you did not."
[03:05] <Karo> Karo made a grab for one of them. The Sazabi, of course.
[03:06] <Minaplo> But Asari was taller, and had longer arms. He simply held it up in the air.-
[03:06] <Minaplo> "If you ask very politely, I may deign to share my prize with you. As charity."
[03:09] <Karo> "Never!"
[03:09] <Minaplo> "Then let's play a different game. And if you beat me, I will grant you my…"-
[03:09] <Minaplo> He eyed it.-
[03:09] <Minaplo> "Blocky red robot… Thing."
[03:10] <Karo> "It's called a mobile suit."
[03:10] <Minaplo> "Well that's a silly name. Aren't all suits mobile?" Asked Asari. "You can't very well have immobile suits. Those would be clothes for statues."
[03:17] <Karo> Karo opened his mouth. He shut it. He decided to just pick out a game at random. -
[03:21] <Karo> "That one." He pointed to an impressive set up, with two multicolored life-sized motorcycles arranged side by side, each with its own monitor.
[03:22] <Minaplo> "Oho. I think you'll find I'm an accomplished rider as well as a great cranist."-
[03:26] <Minaplo> He leapt onto the motorbike with a flourish. "Are you hungry?"
[03:31] <Karo> "I'm not going to 'eat your dust' or anything equally lame." Karo took care of the money, of course, before climbing onto his own bike. -
[03:31] <Minaplo> "The only thing you'll be eating are your words. I'm going to show you I have a rich inner life not focused on baseball."
[03:33] <Karo> "I doubt that." Their avatars appeared on their respective monitors, each on its own racing track. There was a countdown. 3…2…1… GO!
[03:33] <Minaplo> 45 seconds later, Karo, who had crashed his bike into a wall, would be lapped by Asari.-
[03:34] <Minaplo> Asari had extreme skill on a bike for someone who'd 'never been in an arcade before'…-
[03:34] <Minaplo> "You're supposed to stay on the road, Nakajima-kun! Follow me! You could catch up if I made a critical error!"-
[03:35] <Minaplo> Asari did not make a critical error. He both finished and got a top ten score on the game's records. "Oh! See how well I did? I got 8th place of anyone who ever played this game!"
[03:43] <Karo> Karo watched the leaderboard sharply, trying to see if his initials were already there someplace.
[03:45] <Minaplo> They were not, Karo.-
[03:45] <Minaplo> "So this mobile suit. Does it have a special name?" Asked Asari.
[03:48] <Karo> "Maybe it does and maybe it doesn't. Maybe it'll haunt you forever, never knowing the truth!" His grudge was starting to run deep, now.
[03:49] <Minaplo> "I'm going to name her Rin." Said Asari. "She plays baseball after school and everyone thinks she's really cool, but she's worried how her friends would react if they knew she wrote fanfiction where two boys kiss."
[03:50] <Karo> "What? What?! No! What have you done?!"
[03:51] <Minaplo> "And then one day on the way home she sees Lion-Sama and falls hopelessly in love. So she writes a fanfiction about the two of them. But she doesn't want to displease her fanbase, so she writes herself as a boy! But then Lion-Sama reads the fanfiction…"
[11:17] <Karo> "We're playing another game," said Karo, abruptly cutting him off. He gestured to a nearby machine… another dual-monitor set up, but this time with holstered plastic guns instead of motorcycles.
[11:17] <Minaplo> "Guns?" Muttered Asari.
[11:24] <Karo> "Guns," said Karo, and led the way with a bit of swagger. -
[11:27] <Karo> He hadn't actually played this one, but he had overheard rave reviews from other middle schoolers. -
[11:30] <Karo> The game was spooky-looking… decorated with dark foliage, with red eyes peeking out here and there. When the players took their guns in hand (and Karo swiped his money card) a count down began. Three… two… one… GO! -
[11:33] <Karo> The monitors showed a spooky forest. At first nothing appeared… and then, suddenly, there was a deer, lunging straight at Asari! Its eyes were glowing bright red, and the collar of a long, black silk cape fluttered around its neck, the rest of the cape itself trailing behind it. The deer bared its fangs menacingly!
[11:38] <Minaplo> A fine sweat was on Asari's brow. He was clearly unused to how to aim a gun. His first shot went off-target.-
[11:38] <Minaplo> His second one clipped the MonStag, but didn't kill it. "No no no!"-
[11:38] <Minaplo> Shoot. Shoot! The deer got closer, taking life off Asari.-
[11:39] <Minaplo> Asari squeezed his eyes closed and fired wildly. "DEER ARE PREY ANIMALS! WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!"-
[11:39] <Minaplo> Finally, the Deer exploded.
[11:46] <Karo> A point counter in the very top right corner of his screen began ticking up. But Karo's was already far ahead. He'd made short work of the deer a long time ago, and was concentrating on a mass of skittering squirrels. It was tricky - they were quick, and their capes made them blend into their dark surroundings.
[11:47] <Minaplo> For each one that Asari nailed, Karo seemed to get four or five.-
[11:47] <Minaplo> "Woodland nemeses… So hard to hit… Give me a sword, please!"
[11:51] <Karo> "You can -swordfight-?"
[11:51] <Minaplo> "Yes!"-
[11:52] <Minaplo> A swarm of pigeons passed the screen, and Asari's gun trigger was too slow. A moment later, Asari's health ticked down to zero.-
[11:52] <Minaplo> "Aww."
[11:56] <Karo> Karo put up a good fight, but eventually he was downed by a several geese who returned fire… literally via ancient arcane fireballs. Still, his score was higher. He beamed.
[11:56] <Minaplo> "I see…"-
[11:56] <Minaplo> Asari shook his head sadly. He picked up Rin. "I'm so sorry. I did my best."-
[11:57] <Minaplo> He turned and held it out to Karo. "This is Rin Sazabi. Please take care of her. She is strong but she has a tender heart."
[12:06] <Karo> "Wrong. She- it - is a stone cold badass, capable of the best fights! And I suspect you already knew that." His eyes narrowed somewhat.
[12:08] <Minaplo> "Come on, Nakajima-kun. Like I said, I have a rich life outside of baseball. Of course I know about Gundam." Said Asari happily.-
[12:09] <Minaplo> "This is the Sazabi. This is the mobile suit they put Char's mother's soul in in Mobile Suit Gundam: You Are Not Alone."
[12:15] <Karo> "Oh god. I can't even tell if you're messing with me anymore."
[12:16] <Minaplo> "It's feared for the signature spinkick move Char does, which whilst super dangerous, is usually non-lethal, as per his desires to reform the Britannian Empire from within."
[12:21] <Karo> "I'm begging you to stop. Here, you can even keep the doll."
[12:21] <Minaplo> "No, no." Said Asari. "A deal is a deal. You beat me, so…"-
[12:22] <Minaplo> He held Rin out. "I'm reinventing her. This really is Rin Sazabi, though. She's very brave in how she navigates social expectations and pressures. So please support her."
[12:26] <Karo> Karo sighed. He took the plush almost grudgingly. -
[12:26] <Karo> "Let's get a drink somewhere," he said suddenly. "Playing all those games was hard work."
[12:27] <Minaplo> "Sounds good." Said Asari, cradling Lion-Sama in his right hand. "Let's go, your majesty."-
[12:29] <Minaplo> They exited the arcade.-
[12:29] <Minaplo> "Asa-chan!"-
[12:29] <Minaplo> Asari turned sharply to his right.-
[12:31] <Minaplo> Walking along was a tall, well-dressed young Japanese man with short black hair. He might've been 19 or 20, a university student. he wore a charcoal button-down, over which he wore a yellow vest. His trousers were matching charcoal, as were his shoes.-
[12:33] <Minaplo> He adjusted his frameless prescription glasses and smirked. "Playing with dolls, huh, Asa-chan? That's not very manly, you know. People gonna talk."-
[12:34] <Minaplo> Asari scowled and hooked his right hand onto his belt. "What are you doing here, Noburu?"-
[12:34] <Minaplo> "I mean, I live here. I study here. I should ask what you're doing here so far away from Nagoya."-
[12:35] <Minaplo> "I don't think it matters." Said Asari. "I can go wherever I want."-
[12:36] <Minaplo> "So aggressive. That's no way to treat a cousin, cousin." He walked over and reached out to pat Asari on the head.-
[12:37] <Minaplo> Asari grabbed his wrist and twisted it away, just enough to get Noburu to wince. After a second he pushed both wrist and Noburu away. "Touch me without permission and face the consequences."-
[12:38] <Karo> "Hah!" said Karo. There was something cathartic about that reaction.
[12:39] <Minaplo> Noburu frowned- and scowled at Karo, his face creeping red. "F-Fine. Whatever. I was just trying to be friendly. You Mochizuki are as ill-bred as father says, huh?"-
[12:40] <Minaplo> "At least you're in good company. Keep playing with your little boyfriend and his little boy-toy, asshole." Said Noburu. He laughed and turned away, waving over his shoulder.-
[12:40] <Minaplo> ("Fuckin' laugh at me, I'll run you out of town…")-
[12:41] <Minaplo> Asari glared at his back- then shook his head. "Sorry about that, Nakajima-kun."
[12:43] <Karo> "It's cool. Can't pick your family, and all that."
[12:43] <Minaplo> "You can't pick your family. But that doesn't mean you owe them your time."-
[12:45] <Minaplo> "I hardly even see him anymore now that I'm at school." Said Asari, snorting. "That's Noburu Oda. His family are traditionally wealthy big names in Aichi, especially Katashiba. Descendants of Nobunaga."-
[12:45] <Minaplo> "Of course, if Nobunaga was a cadillac, they're more like a clown car. Here's a lesson for you, <Karo> rich people are funny in the head after two generations. Got it?"
[12:46] <Karo> "I'll remember that in case I ever marry into a rich family. Which will never happen."
[12:47] <Minaplo> "My advice: don't marry into a rich family. Marry a rich girl out of her's. You'll be doing yourselves both a favour."-
[12:48] <Minaplo> "Now come on, let's go get some drinks." Said Asari. He lifted Lion-Sama up and waggled him. "'Only the finest milk for my refined, felidicious palate!'"
[12:50] <Karo> "Stop that. Also, you're buying… right?"
[12:51] <Minaplo> "'The King can grant a boon to his loyal Sir Nakajima!'"
[12:57] <Karo> Karo held back a groan. Was all the annoying stuff from this afternoon was worth it? Well, Asari was smiling instead of sadly hovering around the hospital. So maybe it was.
[12:57] <Minaplo> The Emperor Arcana strengthens…