The Moonlight Maiden

“Plain isn’t a bad thing, you know? Like… it can be relaxing. Not everything has to be busy all the time, it just felt like me. The visual clutter aesthetic. And I like it.”

Small, nervous laugh. Gosh, she wished she was showing Reina at a different time. She would brag about the wandgun or how she retextured everything or talk about nyancat song and DaniwellP, or…. in the end she just… didn’t feel like it. Too emotionally beaten.

Instead, she stared at the source code and browsed through the area, looking for the exact spot involved. There we go. She prefaced with a small edit, then pasted in from a code she stored in the system. Poof! Cat ears appeared on Reina’s head.

“D-Does it hurt? Do you feel ok? I can put a mirror up if you want to look at them, nya.”

“I g-guess...And y-yeah. It certainly f-feels like you...” I’m going to break into the Cloud and hug Katsumi, I swear.

Reina watches as Katsumi does her magic, before suddenly feeling an oddly wonderful and new sensation. It was coming from above her head...She reached up with both hands, unsure of what she would feel, only to have it come into contact with two incredibly soft objects.

“...I-I’m gonna need t-that mirror...” Katsumi pulls up the mirror, and Reina looks. Her reflection stares back, but now with the addition of two adorably cute cat ears on the top of her head. The corners of her mouth start to move up as she gently traces their curvature. It feels as amazing as it looks!

“Here is fine, Uhm… sorry, it’s kind of… a bit eye glaring, as a warning?”

Eyeglaring indeed as the walls were tiled with a gif of nyancat circling the room. an antiquated but cute meme, nonetheless, and it suited the catgirl right on the nose. The majority of the room revolved around the nyancat theme. Pillows with animated sparkling stars, blues, rainbows, with splashes of bright pinks also fairly predictable of Katsumi Sakamoto. There was also a replica wand gun from that newer magical catgirl anime, mounted to the wall as a decoration. It looked to be plastic, on closer look. Cute, though.

Despite the scattered and terrified Katsumi in front of Reina, the room belied her normal demeanor.

Katsumi immediately started tapping at her wall’s room options and pulled up the ‘view source code’ button, then stepped aside for Reina to tap.

“I can plug everything in through here, I uploaded the codes this morning…”

And Reina wanted Katsumi to be okay too. The catgirl had been so bubbly and happy throughout all the time she had known her, and she was hoping to entice it back out with something the Game Modder probably enjoyed: game modding.

“It’s...c-certainly something...” Reina couldn’t help but give a weak giggle. “M-Mine’s just...v-very plain jane in c-comparison, honestly...it’s s-suits you though. R-Really...um, aesthetic.” Is that how that word was used? Did Reina need to say a ‘hashtag’ in front of it first? She wasn’t too in touch with how expressions like those really worked... Well, at least Katsumi would correct her. Maybe.

She didn’t reply vocally, in favor of reaching out and just hugging Reina. She sniffed, attempting to swallow her tears. Yet… it wasn’t really working. she cried anyway. At the very least, she wasn’t blubbering, but… She squeezed Reina.

“Thank you…”

She let go and took a step back, furiously wiping at her eyes to get the tears to go away. Oof. Her skin grew a little irritated from the friction. She could only imagine what she’d be feeling like upon seeing more of these. Maybe if she passed out in the middle of them she’d get an early freedom. That didn’t seem all that likely.

“Do you have a room you want to do this in? The hub might be kind of busy, and the warp point would need to be used by others.”

Though caught off-guard by the suddenness of it, Reina nonetheless returns the hug as warmly as she can, squeezing Katsumi back. It felt...surprising, to know that there was someone like her under the vivacious and energetic persona that she had displayed so many times before, but then she reminded herself that Katsumi was still human behind the avatar. “You’re w-welcome...” As they let go, Reina has to brush off a few tears as well. It hurt to see Katsumi like this...

It hurt to see most of her friends like this.

Oof. Instead she curled up in her VR bed and stared at the ceiling, away from the chances of being targeted or being made fun of or being called useless or…. Ugh. None of that, please. She reached one hand out towards the ceiling, beginning to look at the space between each finger, when she jumped, startled by the sound of her door being knocked on.

Reina. Right, she’d finished that this morning. Huuu…. Well. Reina was a sweetheart, and Katsumi trusted her plenty. She stood up and opened the door. Once outside, she clicked the door shut softly behind her. No hover today, just a tired catgirl.

“Yeah. I’m here. Hey, Reina-nyan. Did you want to do the fitting, nya? I put the nerves in, but if they don’t connect just right, it might hurt a little bit. I made that mistake with my own at first.”

She scratched at her neck, leaving slight red marks on her skin that would slowly fade back to it’s normal color. Sharp nail.

The nya who opens the door looks almost nothing like the Katsumi of yesterday, based on the fact that there were bags under her eyes. Reina follows her nails as they claw her neck, shivering a little bit at the sight. She turns to make eye contact with the Game Modder if she can. “U-Um...Katsumi-san...Do...D-Do you want a h-hug or something f-first? Y-You look...really b-bad...If I c-came at the w-wrong time I c-can always come b-back later...”

At least the long stretches of time offered some levity in between the brief moments of hallucination-induced fear. They were only going to get longer though, but until then, it was all Reina could do to keep herself busy and her mind off…whatever the hell that hallucination was. She didn’t want to think about how they knew it had been her worst fear, but then again it was a VR simulation they were in - certain liberties were to be expected.

Still, yesterday she had been paid an impromptu visit by Katsumi, the catgirl informing her that the present she had been working on for the last few days was almost ready for pickup. While she had received gifts before like most ordinary people, she was visibly excited for this one…it was to be a pair of cat ears, much like the Game Modder’s own! Except Reina’s was going to be of a bobcat…the same cat she had risked her own life to save those two years ago. Fate was repaying a little of her kindness, she supposed.

It was for that reason that she had taken the liberty of visiting Katsumi, and even if it was not ready she’d still check in on the catgirl because it was the right thing to do as a friend. So it was a few hours after the first hallucination (and a stop by the kitchen for a soothing blend of herbal tea) that Reina did approach the door to Katsumi’s room. She knocked on it twice.

She doesn’t know what to expect until it happens, and then everything pretty much goes to shit.

Her legs are gone again. It’s a familiar feeling, but the spike of terror that embeds itself into her heart arises from the abrupt suddenness of the hallucination. She doesn’t even know it is a hallucination - as far as she is concerned, the bear could have forcibly logged her out, so she opens her eyes.

“…”

Yep. Regret. Definitely regretting opening her eyes now.

It ends as quickly as it begins, what with all the moving she has to do, but Kurokuma has only just disappeared when Reina sinks to her knees, burying her head in her hands and trying to staunch the flow of tears leaking at a faster rate than normal. “I’m not useless I’m not useless I’m not useless I’m not useless I’m not useless I’m not useless I’m not useless-”

“Oh! Time’s up. Now, if you could all stop your incessant screaming, I have something else to say.” Kurokuma waits impatiently to be the center of attention once more. “As you have just experienced, I’ve created a personal pocket of hell just for you. You’ll visit every five hours on the dot. I will increase the duration of these visits each time until eventually your entire life is spent in torment. Now, you may be thinking that you can escape this by staying in your rooms? I’ve thought of that. You will be held to a strict schedule. Eight hours will be allotted from 11:00 PM to 7:AM You will take care of your evening and morning meals during this time and sleep… Or not. I don’t care what you do during this time if I’m being perfectly honest. You will also be granted an hour from 12:30 to 1:30 to eat your afternoon meal. These are the only time periods you will be permitted to leave the simulation. If you ever leave the simulation outside of these hours, I will begin removing oxygen from your room, and if you do not log back in in a timely manner, you WILL be killed. I would recommend NOT sleeping in. After all there’s killing to be do-”

Midway through Kurokuma’s speech, a familiar white bear jumps out of seemingly nowhere, with a dagger in hand. She pounces at Kurokuma, stabbing in his general direction. This time, however, she managed to land a hit. RIGHT through his arm, severing the electronic connection. Kurokuma’s arm flies backwards and clonks against the back wall, as the two continue to wrestle for dominance.

It’s hard to follow, it’s so fast. She swings a blow, he dodges. This continues until Kurokuma spots an opening, snags the dagger, and plunges it directly into Shirokuma’s head, causing her body to short circuit and slowly fade.

Three days had come and gone, with an odd sort of peace to it. Nobody had tried anything, and outside of perhaps an argument or two, it was oddly serene. Shirokuma had made herself readily available, but who even knew where Kurokuma had gone. Maybe he was a hallucination? Maybe there was nothing there at all?

Bzzzt. In the same regard as when Kurokuma appeared, the IDs among the class buzzed. “Log in immediately or face punishment. - Kurokuma” Well. So much for the hallucination idea, huh? Well, you don’t have much choice, so you make your way to the hub.

Kurokuma stands in front of the gesture projection, waiting for the class to make their way into the lounge and hear the speech.

“Well… It seems none of you are taking this game seriously. Honestly I had hoped for more… You’re all so very disappointing. Regardless, I’ve prepared something for you. Something that should provide some inspiration, motivation.” That posh laugh seeped through his teeth. “I assume the issue is that you’re afraid to kill? Afraid of the consequences? I’ll show you that I am to fear far more than any of that. Enjoy your suffering. I know I will.”

“It’s not a problem at all, I don’t mind.”

He really didn’t. Usually he was interrupted much more abruptly, and he didn’t mind that either.

“And I would absolutely love telling you more about the zoo at some point, if you’d like me to- we have so many charming, sweet animals. Like Ichi, and Noa, and Ellie, and…. ah, a lot of them!”

Oh, the stories he could tell her about them all… They’d love her, he had no doubt.

“You’d love our petting zoo, I’m sure! Why we have a bunny that looks just like you, her name is-”

Oh no oh wait this wasn’t good was it? He shouldn’t obviously compare people to animals outside his head?

“….Anna.”

Mmm… Maybe it wasn’t really the time, was it…? Geez he…. didn’t want to be rude about this…. He gave Reina an apologetic smile.

“But, ah, maybe some other time? Not that it hasn’t been fun talking to you! I just, I think I’ve taken up enough of your time listening to music, so I’ll just… leave you to it!”

With that, he stood, and was already halfway across the room, almost fleeing before he could cause more damage before he turned, and waved.

“I hope we can talk again soon, Reina! If you don’t mind!”

I said this once and I’ll say it again, but bless Seiichi and his great heart. Reina listens to him express so much warm approval of the various animals he’s given a name to, and honestly that just affirms her opinion of him. Someone who nicknames so many of the animals left in their care really deserves praise, and even when he suddenly stops himself she still doesn’t think it’s an insult.

Then again, at least he’s not comparing her to something like a hyena.

“O-Oh...Well, i-if you say so! I r-really enjoyed our t-time together, Seiichi-kun... I’m sure w-we can talk again r-really soon! Thank you s-so much!” She gets up to give the Zookeeper a small bow.

He wasn’t going to stop her from respecting him so quickly. He wasn’t sure he was really that good a role model though. Well uh…. Gee…… He would do his best to not…. screw it all up completely, he guessed….. It was nice at least that she seemed to be calming down somewhat. Neither scared nor sad. He much preferred that. Why someday she may even laugh… She’s had some tough things happening to her, he guessed. Well. Didn’t they all.

And then he felt a set of skinny, frail arms wrap around him, and his eyes widened in surprise, hands raising automatically as she went in to hug him- Good thing, his first thought, when thoughts returned, was. Good thing his kigurumi was as soft as it was, even though the boy underneath was all jabbing edges and bones and small scars on cold skin. Good thing she could only feel that through the sweet, soft fabric.

Now Seiichi wasn’t exactly a good hugger. Didn’t have the practice. Too tall to be hugged easily, and too skinny to give encompassing hugs. But now that he had the opportunity, he would try his best, even if he wasn’t actually sure whether he should. Sure, she was hugging him. But that didn’t mean she wanted him to hug her. He sure wouldn’t want him to hug him. It was pretty understandable. But after he’d already pet her hair and seen her cry…. Maybe it was…. just appropriate to take this comfort train to its logical next step, even though he’d never really reached it before. Well, he’d hugged real bunnies before. The difference couldn’t be that great.

He put his arms around her somewhat awkwardly, as if he didn’t really want them to touch her, and only slowly relaxed to actually get into something that was more like a hug, still careful to not accidentally jab her. He really wasn’t… made for hugging… The comfort he provided was doubtful at best. And he was aware of that every second it lasted, hoping it may still somehow do. But he also recognized that Reina was…. very huggable, herself. Small. Soft. It didn’t make him feel good to know he was probably more comforted by this than she was.

But, well.

Sometimes you just fell short, naturally. That was just something you had to live with.

Even if Seiichi is edgy and bony, it doesn’t make the hug any less warmer between two friends. The body matters less than the soul in a hug, after all. Reina fully believes that, and it’s why she simply tightens her embrace a little when Seiichi hugs back to show that she appreciates it.

“U-Um...sorry for d-derailing the conversation l-like that, by t-the way... I didn’t m-mean to interrupt y-you...okay m-maybe I did, b-but I’m still r-really interested in h-hearing about your z-zoo! If you c-can speak with so m-much love regarding Delilah...I know y-you must l-love almost all the other a-animals in your zoo m-much the same!” She lets go of the hug, before settling back in a relaxed mode, her expression shifting back to a nervous smile. “I-If it’s n-not too much h-hassle...do you t-think you c-can continue t-telling me more about t-them?”

Oh dear.

Oh no he’d done it now, look at that.

Seiichi was and had always been completely out of his depth when it came to people crying. Animals crying? Different story entirely. But this level of emotionality in a human…. Had he said something…. wrong….? He was already halfway to apologizing when she talked instead, and he listened, and listened closely, ready to get scolded. Which of course…. didn’t happen. Never did.

When she was done he didn’t quite know what to say or do still. Losing her legs? How could he relate to that? How could he know what that sort of thing was like? He wasn’t stuck between two dreams, he had… a plan…. Goals. Ambitions. He would become a lawyer and a zookeeper. He knew that. So he wasn’t like that at all.

But…. There was one thing…..

Carefully, very carefully, he put his hand on her back.

“It’s fine. It’s all fine, I don’t mind.”

He wasn’t sure why she’d decided to tell him all of that, but it was the truth. He didn’t particularly mind. Whatever much or little people decided to trust him with, it was all good with him.

“There, there. No need to worry.”

Now that one, he wasn’t sure about- it just seemed like something people might say, and so he did, while he tried to think of something better…. Or rather, he knew something better, but….

Gosh, he just wasn’t sure if it was appropriate at all. She hadn’t really asked for his advice after all.

“You…. you know…”

He started leaning down a little bit while he patted her back, softly as he could.

“I think it doesn’t…. uh… help so much, thinking about this stuff all the time, hm?”

He wondered, shortly, if he should maybe pet her hair instead or if that would be too intimate. But before he could really overthink it he’d already started, very softly. Bunnies liked it when you pet their head, and humans…. He didn’t know… But he thought it must probably be calming.

“You’re doing your best, and that’s all you can really ask of yourself. Sometimes you regret stuff. Sometimes you’re sad. Sometimes it doesn’t look like you’re getting anywhere. That’s fine. Humans feel that way sometimes. There’s no real way to… to fix the past. All you can really do is just… keep going….”

He wasn’t sure how much he was helping and how much he was hurting things. He didn’t have the imagination to think of himself in her place. All he could really do was draw from his own experiences, and hope they applied to her.

“That’s what…. I think, anyway. And if you don’t, then that’s fine as well. It’s all fine. So you don’t need to apologize or anything.”

Seiichi...child...Reina is just oversensitive and says what’s on her mind so that people know what they’re in for when talking to her. And she’s honestly...just sad that I don’t dare even make fun of her. She tries her best though.

“...I-I guess it d-doesn’t...S-Sorry, I...it’s b-been weighing down on m-my mind for quite a l-long time...Ever s-since we first l-logged in and I r-regained my legs, in f-fact. I tried to b-bottle it all up...but l-listening to your beautiful speech w-was...it broke t-the dam, I g-guess...” She flinches initially at the touch, but when she realizes what Seiichi is doing she doesn't protest against the petting. “I've been s-so...so conflicted a-about this for s-so long...While y-you were able to c-come to a decision so q-quickly... I'm h-honestly envious, Seiichi-san. But...it's...it’s also w-why I find myself r-really respecting you.”

Reina twiddles her fingers nervously, unsure if she's making Seiichi feel horrible just by telling him what was on her mind. She takes a deep breath, expelling the stutter as much as she can. “Thank you though, Seiichi-san. I've h-had two years to come to terms with m-my regrets. They only popped back up recently when I...managed to g-get my legs back. I needed affirmation...someone to voice out what I’ve been t-trying to believe in, and you were that someone. Really, I can’t enunciate how m-much your words meant to me...I’m apologizing because I don’t think there’s m-much I can do for you in return for such a gift. And, well, I guess I’m just a sorry person by nature.”

“Oh, that’s really impressive.”

He figured it was, but he was also just saying it. Reina didn’t even look like a runner to him. But he would believe that she was if she said so. He had no reason not to. And, ah, right. Fake appearances were a thing as well. Possible that this little bunny was not so little after all. Still a bunny though, he was pretty sure. There was no reason for anyone to fake their personality, was there?

His happiness about the current success in winning her over was interrupted, though, and rather suddenly so.

D…Delilah…. leaving?

His smile fell as he even contemplated the possibility. And of course it was a possibility. Elephants got old, yes, but it was still likely he would outlive her- and even without that, well…. it was a hypothetical thing, Delilah was a star, she would never be sent away, but……

Gosh, Inoue Zoo without Delilah? That was like….. Like cheesecake without sugar. Like spring without cherry blossoms, like a movie without soundtrack. It just wasn’t as enjoyable.

He thought it over for a while, staring at his shoes, and then just off into the distance.

“Hm…”

He still wasn’t smiling, though his voice was soft. It was a softness tinged with sadness.

“If…. Delilah had to leave, there’d have been a good reason for it. Maybe she wasn’t doing so well at the zoo. Maybe she was needed somewhere else. Maybe she was sick.”

A short look back at his shoes, and then, finally, to Reina, and his small, shaky smile was back.

“Trying to keep her there just for my sake would be selfish. And it’d destroy what makes Delilah, Delilah. I have many animal charges- only one her. But I have to always do whatever is best for them. That wouldn’t change if Delilah left. That wouldn’t change at all.”

That part, at least, had been clear from the beginning. There was no way Seiichi would ever have left the zoo. So much depended on him. He couldn’t possibly leave everyone in the care of someone else.

“I will always love animals, I think. And as long as they need me, I’ll be there to take care of them.”

Not once did Reina interrupt Seiichi, and she listened to all he had to say with a forlorn expression (though it was directed downwards and not actually at him). When he's finished, the air around them seems to grow heavy, and for a while, Reina doesn't actually respond. The gravity in the air starts to grow uncomfortably strong, until...

Drip. “...Seiichi-san?” Drip drip. “...Thank you.”

There are tears dripping out of the corner or Reina’s eyes, but there’s a sad smile on her face as Reina looks up and away into the distance. “The way you talk about them...” All trace of her stutter seems to disappear when the dam breaks free, and you can sense that this is Reina, speaking from the heart as someone determined to be strong in voice and clear in speech. “You will always love animals, Seiichi-san. You love them to the point you’re willing to let them go, which isn’t something most people can do to something they’ve loved all their life like...like me. I...I really respect you, Seiichi-san...I wish I had your strength. It...It might have let me be someone with stronger convictions now.”

Her hands hold her knees close as she brings them up to her chest. “You...don’t know this, but...these legs. They’re not real. Two years ago, I was involved in a bad car accident at the height of my running career, all because I dashed across a busy intersection to save a cat. My legs, they...they were damaged beyond any hope of saving so...they had to be amputated. I’d never be able to run again. And I’ve spent the last two years of this life trapped within myself, unwilling to accept that I’d never be able to return to what I loved most. Being a Violinist... It was meant to be my coping mechanism. Something to keep me going until I got my legs back, one way or another. And now, I have them back, but...” Her voice grows quieter, but the melancholy in them is unmistakable.

“I don’t feel any happier. Inside, I feel like I’m torn, between one life and the other. I want to go back to running, I truly do...but I’ve done so much good as a Violinist to inspire so many others...That’s why I asked you what I asked, I’m afraid. I...I wanted to know if someone knew what I should do...” Her composure finally breaks as she leans into her knees, obscuring her face from view. “I-I’m s-sorry, Seiichi-kun...y-you...you w-weren’t meant to h-hear that...I-I’m s-s-sorry I s-shouldn’t have d-dumped it a-all on you, I’m s-sorry...”

There wasn’t even a hint of embarrassment saying that. Seiichi knew it sounded weird, saying your best friends were an elephant and a dog, but that was just his life. He had to accept that, really.

“Elephants are cuddly and sweet, so….”

He reached up, gently pulling down the hood a little by one of the ears.

“Probably a bit silly, but I thought it’d make me more approachable.”

He could go on for hours and hours about why elephants were the sweetest, most adorable animals even among strong competition, but… Reina was talking about her own past, and it’d be horribly rude to, so he just dropped his hands into his laps and listened quietly.

He wasn’t sure why she’d trust him with that. He’d never asked. But he silently took what she decided to give him, and lock it all up deep inside his mind, where it would stay. It wasn’t his place to share any of this. He wouldn’t betray anyone’s trust.

He couldn’t imagine that, a life where she didn’t follow her passion… If you were meant for something, if you loved something that much… Well, it was her life. He would not pretend to understand enough of her reasoning to make any sort of judgement on it at all. He did glance at the shiny thing she pulled out of her coat, though- shiny things tended to draw the eye after all.

For a little bit, he just sat in silence and looked, unsure what to say. He couldn’t very well place her mood. So when he finally spoke, his voice was as soft and careful as he could make it.

“Did you win that…?”

He motioned to the medal. It did have her name on it, didn’t it?

She giggled a little at Seiichi’s declaration. Frankly she thought he was right and it did make him somewhat more approachable...as long as he didn’t accidentally scare anyone while wearing it. Come to think of it, she was probably the only one here who would be intimidated by that sort of thing...

Do forgive Reina for being very open with her mind. When she trusts someone, the words just spill out without her noticing, and it’s a sign of how much she likes Seiichi that he’s already being exposed to, as Suu would put it, Level 1 Friend backstory spoilers. Besides, he told her a lot about himself, it’s only fair in her mind to tell him something about her.

“I did.” She says simply, turning to show Seiichi it. “I...was a r-really good runner back when...back t-then. This is...one of a l-lot of medals inside m-my room...I’m n-not quite sure h-how it ended up in t-the Kuromachine in t-the hub, b-but it’s h-here now...and it d-does cheer me u-up n-now that I...” Her voice trails off, thinking of whether or not it’s a good idea to talk about. Rather, she’s trying to find a way to lead into the topic, so...

Osamu nodded emphatically at the compliment. “I know right? It’s super cool. It’s like I’m my own light show… or it’s kinda like a mood ring… But it actually works!”

Ba dum tss.

Laugh track over and done with, she frowned a little at what Osamu said. “O-Oh that’s...unfortunate...b-but it’s good to h-hear that it’s n-not getting you d-down! I’m...I’m s-slightly envious a-actually...T-That you can keep smiling so w-widely... It’s r-really something I can r-respect...” She gently reaches out and paps Osamu on the armoured hand. You have a new friend.

Seiichi was always more than happy to talk about his favorite elephant in the world, though he was mindful still to neither raise his voice too much, nor smile too widely (for the love of god don’t smile too widely at the bunny) while he did.

“I have known her for….eight years…? Ever since I first got into Inoue Zoo. That amount of time is nothing for an african bush elephant, though she was just a baby then. She’s a real young lady now….”

They’d both grown a lot since then. Gosh, he must have been…. ten…. Different times, back then. Not better, or worse, but… different. He wasn’t sure whether to be nostalgic for that, or shudder thinking of it. But whichever reaction might be more appropriate, he was kept from it by her next question, something he didn’t mind at all.

How had he decided to become a zookeeper…? Well….

“I, uh, I’m not sure about interesting, I mean I… was a fairly normal child, I think.I wish I could have spent more time around animals, but…” A soft, breathy laugh, “Well, my father is a lawyer, and my mother is allergic to cats and dogs both, so I never had any pets or any real… access to animals…. Aside from Hani, of course! She’s my neighbors dog, my best friend!”

He’d done what all kids did. Learned how to read and write to learn more on animals, get lost outside trying to find all sorts of bugs he could or spend whole days locked up in his room reading every book he could get his hands on and taking notes, then moving on to studies on zoology as soon as he knew just enough of the words to understand them. Playing with his muzzled neighbour’s dog whenever he could. Fairly normal kids stuff.

“As for the job, I guess it was just a thing I had to do.”

Yeah. That about summed that up.

“Ah! Not to say that I was forced to, or anything! I just really like animals! That’s all!”

Smile widely at the bunny please. Reina will be be fine. I promise. Nishishishi~

“Oh w-wow...Eight years, t-that’s...that’s half m-my age, actually. I’m glad she’s b-been with you for so l-long...you’ve r-really developed a connection with h-her, haven’t you? It’s...It’s a-also why you’re, um, you’re...w-wearing an elephant k-kigurumi, I g-guess?” She noticed the long grey ears alright. “It looks...It l-looks really c-cute on you by the way...”

Reina listened intently to what Seiichi had to say next, and reacted with a little surprise at hearing about his family background. Allergic to two of the three most common types of pets? That’s kinda sad... Still, there was a small smile on her face as Seiichi talked about Hani. “O-Oh! I see...I’ve n-never had a pet m-myself so I c-can’t relate, but I’m h-happy you were able to b-bond with Hani. Y-You really did l-love animals since you were y-young...” A little, sad sigh. “I wish I c-could say the same a-about me being a V-Violinist though...”

She rocks her legs gently, remembering a time when she had them in real life, not that Seiichi knows about that yet. “My parents w-were a teacher and a g-gym trainer...When I w-was young I r-really wanted to be a t-track star. I wanted to run, a-and run... so it’s w-weird to see that I-I became a Violinist in the e-end, huh? B-But I d-don’t regret it...but I do m-miss when I used to be good t-though.” Subconsciously, her hand pulls out something from within her jacket...something she had only received very recently.

His display pinged with a ^_^ face. “Okay! Thanks. I like it in here… Feels like home, y’know?” He brought his arms up shaking them excitedly at the premise of mac and cheese. “I LOVE mac and cheese! Yes plea- Oh…” And the suit shifted to blue. 

“Right… I can’t eat in here. M-maybe they’ll bring me some for dinner though? They brought me a s’more yesterday so…” And already the decline in his mood was over, and he was back to his default yellow. “So you play the violin, yeah? I can play it too! I know hot-crossed buns!” He seemed very proud of that fact… “So you must be like SUPER good though if you’re an SHSL. Can you show me later? That’d be super cool.”

Reina squeaked nervously at his split-second revelation. “Y-Yeah...t-time passes really s-slowly when y-you don’t r-realize it...It’s l-like the inverse of...of...you know... ‘T-Time flies while you’re h-having fun’? T-That idiom.” Thank goodness she had been right. Under all that armour was just a huge dork. “Your avatar... i-it’s really c-cool by the w-way! I l-like how it responds t-to your changes i-in mood...and it l-looks so well-made!”

(this is totally not me giving a shoutout to Hero but praise Hero’s art)

She did frown at his unfortunate circumstances though. “O-Oh...I’m s-sorry, that... that really s-sounds like it s-sucks...c-can’t you change y-your avatar to be a-able to o-open your helmet t-though? M-Maybe you can ask K-Katsumi-san to try, she m-might know a way...” Hesitantly, she rested a hand on his arm as any concerned person would, before moving it away when he suddenly went back to being chipper. Wow, that certainly was quick.