Interrogation
21/2/15 15:31![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
halfemptyglasses"What are you going to do today?" Akihito asks. "I'd like to talk to you..."
Mirai can't see why he would. She was starting to think they could just say goodbye the way classmates do at the end of the day, and maybe she'd be up to working tomorrow. But nothing is ever that simple.
"Are we having dinner again?" she asks in return.
"Here! That'll be 390 yen," the man at the stand says, holding out the bag of food.
"Ah? Then I'll give you 500 yen," Mirai replies, digging through her wallet with a dismayed, "Huh?" She lets out a little whine as she fails to produce any sort of money.
"I'm sorry about that," she apologizes to Akihito, sitting on the bench with the food he bought.
"It's cool, really," he insists.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" she asks.
"Well, I was wondering if there was a reason why you decided to come to this town..."
"....not in particular," Mirai answers. "Why do you ask?"
"To be honest, someone told me... not to get involved with you," Akihito tells her. "Kuriyama-sa-"
But Mirai is turned away, sitting on the edge of the bench and furiously tapping away at her smartphone. "So what if people hate me! Everyone loves flaming me on my blogs and twitter!"
"....you're right," Akihito murmurs behind his hand when she displays the screen.
She turns away with an unhappy laugh. "I know..."
"Ah, kidding! Kidding! Just kidding!" Akihito tells her, waving his arms a little. "I swear I'll look you up later and back you up! Man, this'll be a blast...! Wait!" He straightens up and stops flailing. "Back to the reason why you're here! You really don't have a reason for coming?"
Why is he asking all of these pointed questions? All of these answers she can't give. "Even if I did, do you think I'd tell you here and now?" she replies.
"In other words, you do have a reason?"
"I won't fall for any loaded questions," she tells him, turning away again and opening up the boxed lunch.
"You should eat at home..." Akihito gently says. "...is there some reason why you can't eat at home?"
Mirai sits upright with a gasp. "I couldn't possibly have anything like that going on!" she gets out, trembling.
"You're an open book!" Akihito protests.
"You're unpleasant!" Mirai says right back.
"Were you unable to pay your rent?"
"I managed to make this month's payment!" she tells him, though she's not sure it's really any of his business.
"Your apartment is so covered in garbage that you can't get in?"
"I keep it clean!" she retorts, sharp as a knife.
"Then... do you have a youmu in your apartment?"
Mirai plucks her glasses off and furiously scrubs at the lenses. "D-d-d-do you really think that could happen? Th-th-th-that the room I just so happened to move into just so happened to have a youmu living inside?"
"I see... Well, it's said that a Spirit World Warrior's powers can attract youmu..." Akihito says, glancing to the side as he considers the situation. Then he walks away.
"W-wait just one minute!" Mirai says, getting up. "Where do you think you're going?"
He turns to her. "I'll lend you a hand, so let's go take it down. You'll get some money out of the deal. And once you've grown more confident in yourself, I won't have to worry about you stabbing me."
She looks away, boxed in by the words. "I don't want to."
"Why not...?"
"....I'm scared..." she admits, her vision swimming in the darkness of the mind. "I'm afraid of taking its life."
"Then why don't you quit being a Spirit World Warrior?"
Why that question? And why did he have to be the one to ask it? "If I could quit..." Mirai begins. "If I could quit, I would have a long time ago! I tried to quit! I tried to lead a normal life, having quit being a Spirit World Warrior and quit defeating youmu!" She pulls her arms to her chest. "But the cursed blood coursing through my veins isn't normal! This power is..." She trails off, the rest too painful to say.
"....I'm the same way," Akihito murmurs to her.
She looks up to find him smiling just before he turns and walks away.
"Just a moment, please," Mirai says just as they arrive at her dark apartment. She flicks the lights on.
"Any changes?" Akihito asks.
"Not in particular," she answers, surveying the room. "But..."
Just then, the lights flicker and the faucet of the kitchen sink opens and closes.
"Get ready," Akihito warns.
Mirai takes off her bandages, arming herself once more. She feels the change in the air just as Akihito shouts her name. She strikes just as the bandages form like they did before.
Mirai can't see why he would. She was starting to think they could just say goodbye the way classmates do at the end of the day, and maybe she'd be up to working tomorrow. But nothing is ever that simple.
"Are we having dinner again?" she asks in return.
"Here! That'll be 390 yen," the man at the stand says, holding out the bag of food.
"Ah? Then I'll give you 500 yen," Mirai replies, digging through her wallet with a dismayed, "Huh?" She lets out a little whine as she fails to produce any sort of money.
"I'm sorry about that," she apologizes to Akihito, sitting on the bench with the food he bought.
"It's cool, really," he insists.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" she asks.
"Well, I was wondering if there was a reason why you decided to come to this town..."
"....not in particular," Mirai answers. "Why do you ask?"
"To be honest, someone told me... not to get involved with you," Akihito tells her. "Kuriyama-sa-"
But Mirai is turned away, sitting on the edge of the bench and furiously tapping away at her smartphone. "So what if people hate me! Everyone loves flaming me on my blogs and twitter!"
"....you're right," Akihito murmurs behind his hand when she displays the screen.
She turns away with an unhappy laugh. "I know..."
"Ah, kidding! Kidding! Just kidding!" Akihito tells her, waving his arms a little. "I swear I'll look you up later and back you up! Man, this'll be a blast...! Wait!" He straightens up and stops flailing. "Back to the reason why you're here! You really don't have a reason for coming?"
Why is he asking all of these pointed questions? All of these answers she can't give. "Even if I did, do you think I'd tell you here and now?" she replies.
"In other words, you do have a reason?"
"I won't fall for any loaded questions," she tells him, turning away again and opening up the boxed lunch.
"You should eat at home..." Akihito gently says. "...is there some reason why you can't eat at home?"
Mirai sits upright with a gasp. "I couldn't possibly have anything like that going on!" she gets out, trembling.
"You're an open book!" Akihito protests.
"You're unpleasant!" Mirai says right back.
"Were you unable to pay your rent?"
"I managed to make this month's payment!" she tells him, though she's not sure it's really any of his business.
"Your apartment is so covered in garbage that you can't get in?"
"I keep it clean!" she retorts, sharp as a knife.
"Then... do you have a youmu in your apartment?"
Mirai plucks her glasses off and furiously scrubs at the lenses. "D-d-d-do you really think that could happen? Th-th-th-that the room I just so happened to move into just so happened to have a youmu living inside?"
"I see... Well, it's said that a Spirit World Warrior's powers can attract youmu..." Akihito says, glancing to the side as he considers the situation. Then he walks away.
"W-wait just one minute!" Mirai says, getting up. "Where do you think you're going?"
He turns to her. "I'll lend you a hand, so let's go take it down. You'll get some money out of the deal. And once you've grown more confident in yourself, I won't have to worry about you stabbing me."
She looks away, boxed in by the words. "I don't want to."
"Why not...?"
"....I'm scared..." she admits, her vision swimming in the darkness of the mind. "I'm afraid of taking its life."
"Then why don't you quit being a Spirit World Warrior?"
Why that question? And why did he have to be the one to ask it? "If I could quit..." Mirai begins. "If I could quit, I would have a long time ago! I tried to quit! I tried to lead a normal life, having quit being a Spirit World Warrior and quit defeating youmu!" She pulls her arms to her chest. "But the cursed blood coursing through my veins isn't normal! This power is..." She trails off, the rest too painful to say.
"....I'm the same way," Akihito murmurs to her.
She looks up to find him smiling just before he turns and walks away.
"Just a moment, please," Mirai says just as they arrive at her dark apartment. She flicks the lights on.
"Any changes?" Akihito asks.
"Not in particular," she answers, surveying the room. "But..."
Just then, the lights flicker and the faucet of the kitchen sink opens and closes.
"Get ready," Akihito warns.
Mirai takes off her bandages, arming herself once more. She feels the change in the air just as Akihito shouts her name. She strikes just as the bandages form like they did before.
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