usarinpa | inbox 👁️ [ic]

[ Of-fucking-course that was why!! He knows that's why!! But fine, he wants it to be a rhetorical question, so she'll begrudgingly let him speak uninterrupted. She's basically waiting for him to start making sense, but when she closes her eyes, all she can remember is him, and her metal pipe, wailing on him over and over and over and over.

Intrusive thoughts. Wishful thinking... call it whatever.

Iris...?

Hitomi, blown up?

Mizuki shakes her head. ]

Of course... Of course they're alive! In the only world I know, the only one who blew up is you. You should've never been brought here...

Your sentencing is done. You don't deserve another chance.

Edited 2023-09-05 01:04 (UTC)

[That's it, that's the kind of reaction Saito was fishing for. Condensed, raw anger boiling over; just like when she choked him unconscious. Even if she doesn't show it in her body language this time around, her tone and word choice make the rage underneath the calm surface so obvious it's almost palpable.

And hurling such hurtful words at him right after telling him they could've been friends? This can't get more humorous!]

Hah! [He shifts onto his knees and leans in almost reflexively, grabbing her shoulders.] I knew it! Who was it that killed me, was it Date? Oh, did he make my brain pop like fireworks or what?

[Her condemning words get buried under the sudden exaltation.]

[ Mizuki hardly has time to feel bad about what she's said. She really meant it though, when she said they could've been friends. Even if he makes it hard to see that "timeline.' Her instinct to quick-step back when he reaches for her shoulders is immediate, but when he connects, her hands reach for his in turn. She resists the urge to break his bones, though if Saito tries to move those hands, he'll find it difficult. ]

Stop it! Why the hell are you so excited about this when we're talking about you here...?

[ Like, does he even realize? But also, she hates admitting that he "guessed" right. Though no matter the timeline, given the context, maybe it wasn't difficult to figure out. ]

Date... and Aiba did what they had to do.

[She did not deny his guess. Plus, she did blurt out he was the only one who blew up... and just revealed Date and Aiba did what they had to do. Considering these facts, it doesn't take much for Saito to connect the dots and picture what happened, even with how little of the details she has revealed so far.

There's a minuscule hitch of pensiveness in his grin. But the next moment it returns, spreading a shadow of derangement throughout his entire expression, eyes widening with a glint of gleeful insanity. Rather than trying to break free from her grasp, he grips her shoulders harder as another short fit of unrestrained laughter erupts.]

Haha... Hahaha! Did you see the fireworks, then?! Did you enjoy the show? Come on, you need to tell me more!

[Once again, the words that don't concern him go ignored completely.]

[ The laughter erupts like a volcano. She can feel his arms shaking, and when she inadvertently tries to step back, she feels his hold tightening. It's hard to know whether she even heard all of his questions. Were they even meant to be answered? Would he hear her, even if she did?

She'll allow it for a few seconds. An annoyed growl rumbles beneath her breath, and she finally steps back to free herself with force.

Then slaps him clean across the face. ]

[Saito's head swings to the side when the hand connects with his cheek, the suddenness of the movement snapping him from the trance-like state induced by his own abnormal curiosity and imagination. As though stunned, a couple of seconds pass before he raises a hand to touch where she hit him.

It feels unpleasantly warm. And stings. The fingers curl up against his own cheek.

His head rolls on his neck back towards her direction. The childlike (although aberrant) excitement from just moments ago, gone; replaced by an eerily calm voice and a scowl.]

... What did you do that for?

[ Everything stops. Mizuki finds it harder and harder to keep her hand still, until she balls it into a fist and finally lowers it to her side. She takes some deep breaths, and when nothing else explodes, she'll answer.

Not... that she knows the true answer, really. It was instinct, and she knew it would work. She can always count on her fists—hands. ]

Because you needed it?

[Saito's hand is lowered to his side as he stands to his feet. Yet the curled up fist doesn't dissolve.]

I needed answers from you, not a slap across the face.

[These words carry with them an accusing "what is your damn problem" ring, including a slight tilt of his head to help get his point across — displaying a distinctive, angry redness surfacing on the skin of his cheek.]

Tch. [ Mizuki begs to differ, scoffing at the Look. What is his damn problem? She's faced guys twice as big as him at least... Is she supposed to be scared? Anyway, at least he's not laughing anymore. She doesn't really want to give him what he wants, but she ends up thinking about it anyway when she thinks back.

Did she enjoy it?

...... ]

I was... relieved.

Relieved that a man's brains were blown out right in front of your eyes? You've got worse taste than you let on.

[He looks down at her accusingly; totally judging her. Oh, but wait. Bad news, that lopsided grin is back.]

Or could it be that you secretly enjoyed my fireworks, specifically?

[There's a hint of self-derision that doesn't sound very sincere.]

[ Does he want to have a serious conversation or not?

But no, Mizuki doesn't have to ask. When she sees that lopsided grin, she just knows that's how he is. She looks annoyed nonetheless, however, shooting him a look. ]

It's not that. Maybe at first, I thought I did... but that was just 'cause I knew you couldn't hurt them anymore.

[He was very serious about wanting to know how he "died" in her world, though!? She could've just described it to him in a way he can picture the scene in all its bloody glory! Hmph.

But going for a change of subject is probably a better strategy here. Or else, she'll likely just end up slapping him again... or worse.]

The way you put it, it sounds like you resent me more for trying to "hurt" them than for killing your own flesh and blood. [He gives a small, amused snort.] That's cold.

[Even if, as far as his timeline goes, Shoko killed herself in Rohan's body. Only Renju's consciousness was killed by him, in Shoko's body.]

inbox 👁️ [ic]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject