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[wipingallout]

... ... ... ... ?

What is...?

I shouldn't... be awake...


[In the Velvet Room...]

[It's courteous of whatever's going on with Igor's plan here that Hamuko is dressed. She probably shouldn't even have a body... whatever she has going on now... did her body fall comatose without her? Did it die? If it was alive, she surely should be much older. ... ... ... Maybe that all doesn't really matter, right now. She's here, gifted a chance to be around others again. The pinboard catches her attention first, of course. Signs of other people... so many little notes, talking about multiple versions of the same person running around. That's... that's charming... that's fun. ...Even if the notes about Ken Amadas make her sad...]

Hmm... I don't see any other 'me' off the bat...

[She'll take a few minutes once given a pen and some pink paper to doodle a little version of herself, signed with her name and phone number, and add it to the corner of the pinboard.]


[Inaba, Central Shopping District]

[What a fun little town! A charming place... hey, isn't this the town she went to for the volleyball camp? She loved the accommodations, but it's so nice to actually wander the streets and see the little shops. This place is SO rural, Hamuko had never really visited a place this remote, even when jumping between foster homes.] Let's see... what's the good spot for the locals? [No point being a complete tourist shmuck!!]


[Shibuya, Underground Mall]

[Well, since nothing costs anything here... might as well get some cute new clothes, right? Who knows how long she'll be around here, and 'dreaming up' new outfits didn't seem to be a thing. No lucid dreaming here - somehow, Hamuko felt a lot happier with that in mind. Still... the fashion is so different!!]

I just want one cute orange top...!! Is orange out of style? Dang it...


[Iwatodai Dorms]

[Of all of the places she's been having fun goofing off and exploring in, the dorms... she couldn't quite get the courage to open the front. Not just yet.]

Not even Koromaru is out front right now. ...I've gotta apologize...

Comments

[the_ken]

"Oh, hello there," he answers, momentarily pausing. "Are you new?"

[wipingallout]

"Yep! Just woke up earlier. You can call me Hamuko - Shinji's already explained that your 'leader' was someone else," she greeted with a warm smile.

[the_ken]

"Oh." Come on, that wasn't a proper reaction! "Err... welcome, then!"

He did remember Shinji telling him that in other world, SEES's leader wasn't Makoto but a girl. It was yet another name, but that was parallel universes for you.

Ken goes to deliver the grocery bags to the kitchen, giving him a little time to process. Then he sits in front of Hamuko.

"...Sorry to ask that, but from which point in time are you?"

He tried to wear a neutral expression, but it wasn't 100% working.

[wipingallout]

"Mmm... I was last awake..." Hamuko hummed in thought, taking a moment to actually... reflect, and recall. A lovely spring day, on... "... March fifth."

[the_ken]

"Oh. So you do know what happens to you at the end."

A small, genuine smile appeared on his face.

"Sorry, I'm just not sure I'd have been good at hiding it."

[wipingallout]

"God, I can't imagine having to explain it to someone. 'Sorry, just so you know, you're going to sacrifice your soul to save the world!' Sheesh, right?"

Hamuko laughed, lighthearted.

[the_ken]

Well, he was glad that she was taking it well - although somehow, he knew she would.

"Just," he teased, "if you have to do it all again, leave us a note next time, all right? You'll spare us a whole lot of trouble."

[wipingallout]

"Hah! I'll try to remember... I have a feeling my time here might be... fleeting? Or just whatever Igor can manage to pull off without endangering things..."

Hamuko trailed off a bit, twiddling her thumbs in her lap a bit.

"...I'm grateful for the chance to be awake again, for however much or little time I'm allotted. I get to see how everyone's doing."

[the_ken]

"Well, I'm glad that Igor gave you this chance. You deserve a little reward after all that you've done for the world, don't you think?"

He was glad he could have that conversation that composed. It helped that this wasn't Makoto, but all the time grieving definitely helped heal, too.

[wipingallout]

"Maybe! I'd like to think so. I'm excited to hear how everyone's been," Hamuko agreed fondly, smile brightening even more at Amada. "What's your 'leader' like?"

[the_ken]

"He's really cool! Err, I mean..."

He puts a hand behind his head, a little sheepish.

"His name is Makoto Yuki-san. He's... a bit opposite to you, in the way he presents himself? A lot more stoic, not very talkative, an expression on his face that almost makes it look like he thinks he's too cool for anything..."

He chuckles a little.

"But he's really nice. He spends a lot of time listening to others... he also was very attentive to me, and never treated me like I was just a little kid. And he always had that quiet confidence that made us all want to trust him completely."

[wipingallout]

Hamuko giggled at the description. Makoto, huh... stoic, broody, confident. Is that the kind of guy her brother might've grown up to be like? And it's so heartwarming and reassuring, seeing Ken's little spike of excitement. That hasn't changed, huh... he always gets like that over things that matter the most.

"If you're anything like when I knew you, then I know you've been there for him just as much. ...Hopefully it's not too weird for me to talk like I know you, hahah."

[the_ken]

"Don't worry," he says while giggling himself, "I've gotten used to it by now. I've been here for several months."

He became a little more quiet, but he was still smiling.

"And thank you. It was hard for me sometimes to know if that grade schooler dumped on them was useful and not a burden... I'm trying to get past that fear, but I guess it's nice to be reassured a little."

[wipingallout]

Hamuko smiled, relaxing into her seat a bit. Reminiscing.

"There's a part of it, where... well, if he has the same background I have, at least... there's a camaraderie in talking to someone that's experienced a similar loss, more recently. Amada-kun, for me, was always... like getting a chance to talk to a version of myself that I hadn't really paid much mind to as I got older. I don't think I ever told him that."

[the_ken]

"I see. I guess that makes sense."

He became sheepish once again.

"Sorry you had to get through all my... revenge issues first."

[wipingallout]

"Mm. You got past it, and that's what matters. I remember being angry for a while, too... I just didn't really have anything easy to direct it at. So I just was difficult with all of my foster parents, hah," Hamuko chuckled a little. "I'm glad you're living here with Shinji and getting along. That makes me happy."

[the_ken]

"It makes me happy, too. I'm glad I was given this opportunity to see him again, even if he's not exactly the same from the one we lost back home."

[wipingallout]

"That's how I feel, so far. I was nervous coming in the dorm in the first place, since I definitely owe a big apology to everyone."

Hamuko sighed a bit, pausing to sniff the air.

"Heheh. Shinji's cooking still smells so good."

[the_ken]

"It does! No offense to the other SEES members, but no one cooks as well as he does, by far."

[wipingallout]

"I will say though!! I was catching up! I was on track to be savvy!" Hamuko snickered, pointing dramatically. "I got REALLY good at making sweets and stuff when I was in cooking club with Fuuka. You get pretty good when you juggle between what you're up to and making sure your friend isn't mixing up the liquor for a chocolate truffle with rice vinegar instead."

[the_ken]

"Is Fuuka-san really that bad at cooking? I guess I understand why she only ever made rice balls for us now..."

His smile then gets a little wider.

"But if you say you are really good at making sweets, I would like to try them one day!"

[wipingallout]

"She got a lot better!! We made one of those really fancy fruit cakes eventually, once she got the hang of it. Heheh. What kind of sweets do you like? I can make chocolate truffles, banana muffins, sweet potato fries..."

[the_ken]

"Hmm, I'd like to try the one you think you make best!"

[wipingallout]

"Heehee. Maybe I'll look up more recipes and try something new, even. I've always wanted to make something a little tougher... like cream puffs, or a custard bun. Just gotta wait for a day Shinji's out so he can't swoop in, he's so fussy."

[the_ken]

"How did you go from 'please make what you know best' to 'I should try something experimental'?"

It was teasing, of course. Ken didn't mind being a taste tester.