Maruki smiled softly as Hamuko took the apple juice, glad he could offer at least a small gesture of help. It wasn’t much, but it was something. He watched as she poked the straw through and took a sip, balancing her naginata like it was second nature.
When Hamuko trailed off with her laughter, Maruki’s brain went into overdrive. Mitsuru... Kirijo? The name immediately rang a bell. He tried to keep his expression neutral, but a flicker of recognition crossed his face.
His mind flashed back to a conversation he’d had on the net. It had been with none other than another Goro Akechi, and though they had spoken only briefly, Akechi had mentioned that a Mitsuru Kirijo had approached him after winning against him. Maruki’s pulse quickened at the memory. The Kirijo Group, a massive trading company, had been whispered about back in Maruki’s grad school days. Rumors of human experimentation had floated around—nothing confirmed, of course, but just enough to make any cognitive pscientist’s ears perk up.
Hamuko’s light comment now seemed anything but.
Maruki blinked, swallowing hard as he tried to keep up. Her mention of "leaving" sounded far too final for comfort. His face paled slightly. He opened his mouth, stumbled for words, and finally managed, "I-I wouldn’t... I mean, yeah, I don’t think I’ll be passing that exact message on. But I’ll keep it in mind,” he said with a sheepish smile, carefully writing down the name Mitsuru on his clipboard. Even though the tragedy woven into Hamuko’s words weighed on him, he tried to push through it for the sake of the conversation.
Testing the name on his tongue, he glanced up at her. "Mitsuru... Kirijo? You’re talking about the head of the Kirijo Group, right? In my world, they’re primarily known as a large trading company. But when I was a grad student, there were... well, rumors. Nothing I ever put much stock into. Something about their family being involved with human experimen—"
He stopped himself abruptly, realizing how that must sound. His eyes widened, and he immediately raised his hands in apology. "Ah, sorry! I-I didn’t mean to imply anything. I don’t know the full context, and I certainly don’t mean to dredge up anything painful."
"I’m just trying to keep up here. Cognitive psience has its complexities, but I’m a little out of my depth when it comes to corporate conspiracies."
no subject
When Hamuko trailed off with her laughter, Maruki’s brain went into overdrive. Mitsuru... Kirijo? The name immediately rang a bell. He tried to keep his expression neutral, but a flicker of recognition crossed his face.
His mind flashed back to a conversation he’d had on the net. It had been with none other than another Goro Akechi, and though they had spoken only briefly, Akechi had mentioned that a Mitsuru Kirijo had approached him after winning against him. Maruki’s pulse quickened at the memory. The Kirijo Group, a massive trading company, had been whispered about back in Maruki’s grad school days. Rumors of human experimentation had floated around—nothing confirmed, of course, but just enough to make any cognitive pscientist’s ears perk up.
Hamuko’s light comment now seemed anything but.
Maruki blinked, swallowing hard as he tried to keep up. Her mention of "leaving" sounded far too final for comfort. His face paled slightly. He opened his mouth, stumbled for words, and finally managed, "I-I wouldn’t... I mean, yeah, I don’t think I’ll be passing that exact message on. But I’ll keep it in mind,” he said with a sheepish smile, carefully writing down the name Mitsuru on his clipboard. Even though the tragedy woven into Hamuko’s words weighed on him, he tried to push through it for the sake of the conversation.
Testing the name on his tongue, he glanced up at her. "Mitsuru... Kirijo? You’re talking about the head of the Kirijo Group, right? In my world, they’re primarily known as a large trading company. But when I was a grad student, there were... well, rumors. Nothing I ever put much stock into. Something about their family being involved with human experimen—"
He stopped himself abruptly, realizing how that must sound. His eyes widened, and he immediately raised his hands in apology. "Ah, sorry! I-I didn’t mean to imply anything. I don’t know the full context, and I certainly don’t mean to dredge up anything painful."
"I’m just trying to keep up here. Cognitive psience has its complexities, but I’m a little out of my depth when it comes to corporate conspiracies."