7th Social Link ▫ [Text + Audio]

[jivitadana]

[That nightmare was... different. Not new, as the stuff of nightmares was something Minato was used to. But different. He had been taking a nap at his desk while working on testing something. Something had been bothering him for a long while already, and it would be a way to distract him from thinking about the dream. The nightmare was the sign of something to come. Like those event announcements. He would just be prepared for it whenever it came.

Thus once he was ready again, he began writing, solving this math problem, then the next math problem and others like it.]

...

[Done. Answers checked out. But what about something... simple?]

42 - 17 = ______
...

........ What's forty-two minus seventeen?

.....

[Blank. How could he not know this? Something had to be wrong. (And it isn't cheating to ask the network!)]

Comments

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[sorta_cinderella]

Are you broken?

[She means this teasingly, trying to lighten the mood in her own way.]

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[jivitadana]

I think so.

[But he meant that in a little bit more of a lighthearted way too. It wasn't like a huge deal, but it was still really weird.]

Do you know the answer, if I can ask?

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[sorta_cinderella]

[it takes her a few minutes to answer.]

25?

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[jivitadana]

I don't know either. Someone else said that it was. Hang on.

[One good way to check was to take the number and add it. He could do that.]

25 + 17 = 42. That's right.

[He could add. But he couldn't subtract. What gives?]

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[sorta_cinderella]

Why are you doing math problems in the first place?

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[jivitadana]

Studying. I thought I should.

[Since he obviously he needs to now. He was actually doing harder math problems until he actually ran into a... problem.]

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[sorta_cinderella]

I don't think Wonderland would give us a pop quiz.

Then again, Wonderland is always doing random things.

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[jivitadana]

It's just for me.

[Why stop learning now? May as well keep going while he was here. It gave him something else to do too.]

I may not have the chance to at home.

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[sorta_cinderella]

[Oh dear, are we veering into sad territory?]

I'd apologize, but I don't think you'd take it.

Do you want more math questions?

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[jivitadana]

[Perhaps! But Minato was totally cool with it happening, so it wasn't also a big deal. Then again, nothing really is a big deal for a silent protagonist.]

Please. You can ask me something more difficult. But with subtraction.

[That would really drive the fact home that he just... forgot how to subtract. Thanks, Wonderland.]

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[sorta_cinderella]

[hmmmmm.]

100 - 71.

[maybe not difficult per se, but, hey.]

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[jivitadana]

[...

Okay, nothing. Minato had to admit that.]

I don't know. I don't even know where to start.

[How weird. It wasn't like he hadn't seen a subtraction problem before.]

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[sorta_cinderella]

100 - 99?

100 - 1?

[Wow, this may actually be a serious problem.]

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[jivitadana]

[Wait, okay, those ones aren't so bad.]

99 + 1 = 100

1 + 99 = 100

I think it should be 1 and 99. I think.

[That was really going the long way about things since he had to count and do addition instead, and he had to type out "I think"... twice. Because he really wasn't sure.]

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[sorta_cinderella]

This is either the calmest event we've ever had, or perhaps something is ailing you.

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[jivitadana]

[Minato didn't think it was an event. Or was it? No, he didn't remember an event announcement.]

I think it's something I did.

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[sorta_cinderella]

I can't imagine what that would be.

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[jivitadana]

[And there goes a filter on the rest of this conversation.]

On the other side of the Mirrors, there's some door with light coming out of it.

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[sorta_cinderella]

[This is indeed serious time.]

Did you go near it?

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[jivitadana]

Yes, we opened the door, then we closed it right away afterward.

[Not that Minato regretted it. But it was good to know that okay, well, there's something weird on that side.]

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[sorta_cinderella]

And you think perhaps the side affect was subtraction was subtracted from you?

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[jivitadana]

[Minato sees what you did there.]

I think so. It was the price to pay.

[He could've lost something more important.]

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[sorta_cinderella]

An unusual price. Was it worth it?

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[jivitadana]

It already happened. I think it has to be worth it then.

[Since he couldn't change it now on his own or all that easily right now.]

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[sorta_cinderella]

I suppose that is the best attitude to take.