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Careful steps echo throughout the tunnel. The brick walls emanate some sort of unfamiliar damp smell as it's decorated with typical dust and spider webs one might see in a video game set in the medieval era. Ryo seems a bit too nonchalant about this whole situation. Well, the whole party is at this point. Once again being transported into this weird world that doesn't obey the laws of time and space. Perhaps he's become accustomed to these events, maybe even enjoying them. Who knows for sure.
The boy looks towards the girl beside him. He pockets one of his hands into his hoodie, while slinging a dragon-like firearm on the other up on his shoulder. Aozora, the girl—who is also supposedly dead in this world—who is now somewhat of a ghost walks beside him at half an arm's length. They both walk a bit further from the party behind. He doesn't really understand what happened to his classmate beside him. For a while everyone couldn't see her, and suddenly everyone could. Don't even start on the whole thing of her getting inside of him. Yes, it sounds as weird as it is. But, even after all that, the distance between them doesn't seem to close at all.
"Suzuki-san?"
Ryo wants to laugh thinking about it. Since when did he care this much about which name someone chooses to call him with? Well, it's probably the first time someone reverted back from his first name to his last name. It feels... so cold somehow. He thought that he was getting somewhere with this friend thing. Guess not. He takes a deep sigh before finally opening his mouth to break the silence.
"So uhh... What's up with using my last name all of a sudden?" He decides to ask.
Aozora froze for a bit, staring blankly. "Well… I… forgot… yeah….”
Ryo tries not to show his perplexed face to that answer, keeping the pace of their walk. Forgot? After all we've...
“Do you… enjoy your… you know? Net-cafe game?” Aozora opens this time.
"Yeah." He answers short without thinking.
“Well, do you enjoy it now? The dream world, Underworld… this world we are in?” She throws another question.
He ponders for a second, his lips curl into a small chuckle. "Well, yeah. At least my life has something interesting going on."
Aozora smiles. "Good then, I’ve talked to Sasaki, Junko Sasaki, before. And… She doesn't remember about this world... Like she doesn’t remember at all about this world, I didn't pry further but it seems to be the case”
What is she implying...? Ryo listens carefully.
“This makes me think, maybe that guy. The guy that wants to unite our world and this world, maybe I slightly agree with that… You see, I’m quite forgetful…”
How does this...?
"That’s why I called you Suzuki-san when I woke up, sorry about that… haha… When I fall into routine, outside of school I tend to forget and since I don’t want to, hurt… anyone by forgetting them… Don’t call me when you see me outside okay? Wait until I call you first!"
Ryo keeps silent. A slight frown now visible across his face. The worried smile on Aozora's face isn't helping at all. It doesn't make sense to him. Junko Sasaki and them—the party—seem to be under different circumstances in this world. How forgetful can someone be to forget the name of the person they latched on to? Ryo didn't understand. You were the one who kept hijacking my brain. Talking to me in echoes. Entering my body. Why...
"I guess I don't really know much about you, huh..." He glances to Ao, wondering about what goes on behind those brown eyes.
“I am that mysterious after all~” She smiles in return.
Ryo can't help but scoff a smile at her attempt to break the tension. Maybe if the circumstances were different. Maybe if the time they spent together wasn't always during these weird events. Maybe then.
“Say, are you free sometime... before the midterms?” He finally asks.
“Yeah, I'm always free.” She answers, keeping her smile. “What do you have in mind?”
"Well... If you're up to it, let's study for the midterms sometime.... at my house..." His words trail off quieter towards the end. "W-with the others of course." He added, trying to clear any suspicions of having ulterior motives. God.
“Sure! Just give me a call~” She agrees.
Ryo finds this a bit ironic. “Even though you just said not to call…”
"Ah, not that call… phone… phone call is what I meant!” Ao clarifies.
He knows that's what she meant. But still...
She looks behind to the others, noticing how far ahead the two of them are compared to the others.
“Let’s group up with the others shall we?” She smiles at Ryo.
He watches the girl beside him start to slow down in her pace. Eventually leaving Ryo's side to join the others behind. He takes another deep sigh, staring ahead of the tunnel, thinking of what to do once they reach the exit. He stops in his tracks, waiting for the others to catch up instead of walking back like Ao.
"Then I guess we'll just have to make sure you don't forget."