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

Audio; | Private

[jivitadana]

I think so.

[Minato locked this thread for now.]

It isn't your fault. It's that door.

[Always doors. He could never escape doors affecting him.]

Audio; | Private

[eatsyourscience]

The door...?

[For a minute, Souji thinks Minato means the one in their world, but then he realizes what he must be referring to.]

...We must have lost something then.

[What the heck did he lose?]

Audio; | Private

[jivitadana]

I don't know what you lost. But I can help you find it if I can.

[Minato had to wonder what Souji had lost too.]

Audio; | Private

[eatsyourscience]

I haven't noticed anything yet.

[His frown is barely audible in his tone.]

I never did before either, though.

Audio; | Private

[jivitadana]

[And Minato didn't know exactly how they would find it either, but he would try.]

It's okay. I think we can find it without looking for it then.

Audio; | Private

[eatsyourscience]

It'll come up eventually.

Audio; | Private

[jivitadana]

I guess I should be grateful that it's just this.

Audio; | Private

[eatsyourscience]

I don't think you should have to feel grateful for having something stolen from you just because it could have been worse than it is.

Audio; | Private

[jivitadana]

But there isn't any point in getting upset over it either.

[Therefore to accept it, he was grateful.]

Audio; | Private

[eatsyourscience]

Remaining calm doesn't necessarily involve being happy about it.

Audio; | Private

[jivitadana]

Do you think I'm happy about it?

Audio; | Private

[eatsyourscience]

You know that isn't what I meant.

Audio; | Private

[jivitadana]

It's already happened. I'm not unhappy or happy about it.

Audio; | Private

[eatsyourscience]

We'll work with things as they are.

Audio; | Private

[jivitadana]

I'll try not to bother you so much with it.

Audio; | Private

[eatsyourscience]

...Minato.

[A soft exhalation.]

I upset you.

Audio; | Private

[jivitadana]

[Minato didn't think he was upset though.]

I didn't say that you did.

Audio; | Private

[eatsyourscience]

You didn't need to.

[It isn't upset as in distraught, but Souji's comments have tainted the air somehow.]

Audio; | Private

[jivitadana]

[Minato was about to apologize for being so transparent, but kept it to himself. Souji didn't need to hear it and probably didn't want to hear it either.]

I'm not.

[Minato hadn't been upset, but because Souji thought he was, then it started to make him so. Maybe he wasn't so transparent then.]

Don't worry about it. It's okay.

Audio; | Private

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji has the feeling that he's not helping matters whatsoever. He decides to back off, with the distinct feeling that he's made things worse than they would have been otherwise.]

Alright.

Audio; | Private

[jivitadana]

[Minato was quiet for a long time, almost as if he had hung up. But he hadn't. He spent the time feeling bad that he had started to get upset, and then was slightly upset that he wasn't allowed to feel what he actually felt. And then he felt bad again and decided that he would stop feeling upset.]

I'm sorry.

[A small part of him wondered why he had to apologize at all. But then he realized that it was because he felt bad.]

Audio; | Private

[eatsyourscience]

No--

I mean, me too.

[Their first fight? If that's a fight for them, it's a relief.]

Audio; | Private

[jivitadana]

[Minato was quiet for a little longer. He would normally say that Souji didn't have to apologize, but he accepted it as Souji had his apology.]

Where are you?

Audio; | Private

[eatsyourscience]

I'm in the tea room near the stairs on your floor.

[He'd moved closer to Minato as they'd talked and settled there, close enough to come quickly if Minato needed him to.]

Audio; | Private -> Action

[jivitadana]

[That was close, closer than Minato had thought.

Minato picked up his device and then left his room to go find Souji.]