Dusting off a muse again.

[liesfortruth]

Oh, so you remembered I exist again?

I guess I'm supposed to be grateful, then. That's too bad.

If you're going to start talking about games again, at least have a decent bribe ready. This is downright insulting.

Comments

[foolishlyhonest]

Akiyama-san... I'm sure none if this is meant to be an insult.

[liesfortruth]

Nao.

Using people only for amusement is pretty much an insult. That's all they ever do with us.

[foolishlyhonest]

I always thought maybe they chose us because they know we'll be able to help the others who are stuck in the same places we'll be going to.

I know if I was someone in whichever game Akiyama-san was being sent to, I wouldn't be worried at all!

...though, now that I think of it that way... they're not very different from the people at the LGT Office, are they...?

[liesfortruth]

Do you really think they are concerned about the people stuck in the games? They're the ones that send us to them to begin with.

I don't think people are much different no matter what they belong to. The LGT, these muns, and anyone else are always the same.

[foolishlyhonest]

Akiyama-san...

[Hearing him say that is so... sad. She knows why he would say such a thing, but it hurts to hear it spoken aloud.]

Maybe... if you go to one of those games, someone there will surprise you. These things bring out the worst in people but doesn't that make it easier to see the good a person does, when they do it?

[liesfortruth]

People always show their worst when things don't go their way. That never changes.

[That should be all, but, well... thanks to a certain someone it is not.]

But sometimes they manage to surprise me. People, I mean.

[foolishlyhonest]

I'm sure they'll keep surprising you! You'll see...

Maybe going to a game won't be such a bad thing after all.

[Keep telling yourself that, Nao. Keeeeep telling yourself that.]

[liesfortruth]

Do you really think that's true? You're trusting that the game will be fair even though they're the ones running it.

[That kind of optimism is amusing, really. He doesn't know where she pulls it from.]

What's stopping the muns from making it impossible for us?

[foolishlyhonest]

Well, for one thing, they'd never be able to do anything with us if it were really impossible! We have to be able to win sometimes, or they'll get bored and give up.

For another... [She smiles brightly.] Most of them are just normal people! I think Akiyama-san could outsmart anyone who's in charge of these games.

[That's meant to be a compliment, but Nao's mun is sort of feeling insulted...]

[liesfortruth]

If you think they don't stand a chance, then they really are in trouble. But they usually aren't as smart as they think they are.

[Akiyama will take that compliment. Mostly because he's amused that there are people that even Nao thinks need to get smarter. She's usually the one saying they are better than he thinks.]

I guess I can play their games a little longer. It's something to do.

[foolishlyhonest]

Ehh--?! It's not that I think they're unintelligent! [Oh, she hadn't realized it would come off quite like that! She looks contrite, for a moment - but then her lips twitch up into a small little smile.]

...but if I were them, I would be very frightened if I knew it was you I'd be going up against.

[liesfortruth]

[If it were anyone besides Kanzaki Nao, Akiyama would say that hint of a smile was devious. But it's Nao, so he just chuckles.]

Maybe they'll figure that out before it's over.

[foolishlyhonest]

They will! [And hopefully without as much of an Epic Freakout as people usually did when they realized that Akiyama outsmarted had them. Oh, well.]

You said your mun was thinking about games, Akiyama-san? Which ones?

[liesfortruth]

They will... or they'll find out.

[He has less faith in their perception, but at least he's giving everyone a slight benefit of the doubt. For Nao's sake.]

She wants me to go to outer space. Some place called gargleblasted, but I don't really see why.

[foolishlyhonest]

Ehhhh?! Akiyama-san has the qualifications to become an astronaut? I had no idea!

[Nao no. Nao please.]

[liesfortruth]

[FFFF Nao.]

Eh? It's nothing like that. The muns just send people there whether they know what it is or not. In fact, I think they want people who aren't qualified.

[foolishlyhonest]

But... why would they want people who aren't qualified? Being in space is a very dangerous thing. If something goes wrong up there everyone could...

...

A-ah! Is that it? Is that the game they're playing up there?! That's awful! [And here she goes again, worrying about everyone when she has no grasp of the situation...]

[liesfortruth]

Calm down. They won't do something so destructive that they can't function. That would ruin the point of the game.

[Seriously, Nao, worry about yourself for once. Akiyama can't do it for you.

Although he's kind of wryly amused that she's like this. It's what makes her different.]

The longer they keep people there, the more they can mess with them. They won't let it go so far that they can't do that much.

[foolishlyhonest]

Oh, that's right...

[She lets out a heavy sigh of relief. It was so obvious now that Akiyama had said it; she wonders why she didn't think of that sooner herself?]

I'm not sure I like that you all are only safe up there because they want people to mess with, but at least it's something...

[liesfortruth]

You should worry about yourself.

What happens if you get sent somewhere? It's not like all of them are going to go easy on you.

[foolishlyhonest]

I don't know... I'm very much hoping that my mundane-san gets distracted by the others she's been playing with.

[Yeah, good luck with that, Nao.]

She's been looking at some... tower, I believe it is. I'm honestly trying not to think about it too much. Every time I do, I start to worry.

[And probably with good reason. She's seen what her mun has been doing to the other characters she plays there already.]

[liesfortruth]

You could always lie low and wait for something else to turn up. They're pretty good at distracting themselves.

[He's not happy about Nao getting sent off to a game, but at least it won't be as extreme as theirs? One can hope. And Kanzaki Nao has more strength than people give her credit for.]

If you do go there, she'd better not let anything happen to you.