ryuwrighthistory | Empatheias IC inbox

Well I mean, I'm a guy, so naturally a woman would send this to a guy, right?

If you want to discard other potential suspects then yes, I suppose that is a way of looking at it.

[He frowns. Why does Asougi seem so...invested in this mystery? He didn't seem entirely on board with his deduction a moment ago when he narrowed it down to two suspects. It feels like he knew something he didn't.]

Asougi. . .do you actually know who sent this?

Don't make an accusation that you can't back up with evidence, Naruhodou.

[ Get used to hearing this, friend. He shrugs his shoulders. ] I'm here to point out the things that you may be missing.

Is that really all it is? [If he wants evidence, he'll give it to him.]

You were very adamant about this not being a prank, at the very moment I even considered it. You've been leading me on to believe this gift is legitimate, and narrowing my search as if you're trying to point me in a certain direction.

That's an interesting theory, Naruhodou. But it's all conjecture at this point. [ He smirks, tilting his head back. ] I'd argue that I don't want to see my closest friend dismissing something like this as a mere prank because he has such a low opinion of himself.

W-Well, I suppose... [He deflates a little at that. He has a point, he would be the more optimistic one between the two of them. He shakes his head.] (All right, let's start over from the beginning then. These chocolates, whoever sent these knew exactly what I'd like. So rather than focus on all the women I know, I should focus on who would actually know what I like.)

[That pretty much narrows down the list significantly. Sure he liked any kind of sweets, but this was clearly handled with more care and thought, so definitely no one random or mere acqaintances. It comes right down to either Maya and. . .Asougi.] . . . [He slowly gives his friend a sidelong glance.]

[ He chuckles again, giving him a pat on the shoulder as he moves to stand. ]

Well. That's all I can think of to add to that, anyway.

It was you. [He just outright says it.] You got me this gift.

That's a bold claim.

[ He's only surprised that he got to that point in such a short amount of time but in fairness, he had nudged him towards that path. His face remains neutral — at least until he smirks, gesturing with one hand. ]

Prove it.

You know exactly what I like. Sure, everyone knows I like sweets, but this-- [He presents the chocolates.] these were picked accordingly to my preference. And the way it's been wrapped up and presented. . .it would be just like you to make sure it's been done professionally, even if the gift itself isn't as fancy.

[He picks up one of the chocolates.] And then there was the chocolate you chose. I wouldn't have noticed until I had another piece and realized some weren't as sweet as the others. Maybe it was just coincidence, but looking back on it, you definitely picked up the one that wasn't as sweet, because you don't have as much of a sweet tooth as I do. And for you to be able to pick the right chocolate on the first one. . .you had to have known the contents.

Hmm. Some of that is well thought out, but it's still all conjecture, Naruhodou. All you've outright proven is that I knew the contents of that box beforehand.

[ He turns, gesturing to the box and the wrapping, and then crosses his arms. ]

There's a number of different reasons as to why I might have known the contents ahead of time, though. And right now, I don't believe you can prove any of them wrong.

Grnk! Well, t-that's- [D-Damage. He can't, Asougi's right that he can't prove when exactly he saw the contents of the chocolates. He may have just as easily told someone what he liked and how to present the gift, but that's still seems rather. . .

Just as he was unable to think of another option, there came a loud clatter from Asougi's room, Wagahai yowling in shock soon after.] Ah, what-?

— hmm? Wagahai?

[ He steps towards his room, more concerned with the cat than with whatever she'd done to his room. A few things had been knocked over, including his trash can, but nothing was broken or anything, so it seemed fine. He kneels down by Wagahai, reaching over to pet her gently to console her. ]

It's fine, you're fine. Honestly . . .

[Naruhodou follows after Asougi, leaving the chocolates on the couch for the time being. With his friend tending to Wagahai, he surveys the room to see what Wagahai had done. That, is an awful lot of crumpled up papers by the trash bin. He was in here just this morning and that pile was definitely not there. There's also something that catches his eye, as he gets closer to the pile of crumpled up papers.

He unfurls the paper in question and is shocked by what he finds. He hadn't been seeing things, he really did see parts of his name on here. It's the rest of the content that catches him by surprised. He puts it down, spreading out another piece of paper, and another, in further disbelief the more papers he unfurled.]

[ He scoops her up, holding her carefully as he inspects her paws. ]

What were you looking for, exactly? There's nothing for you to play with in here. Come on, we've got something out there for you instead. Isn't that . . .

[ Asougi's voice trails off as he looks up and over at Naruhodou, who's now going through his trash — which would be something he'd question severely, except he sees several unfurled wrinkled pieces of paper laying out near him and it all becomes much, much clearer.

Maybe he should have taken out his trash earlier . . . ]

[He'll eventually stop, staring at all the writing, all incomplete, all addressed to Naruhodou. Some of them even sounded like a confession. He gathers them all up and abruptly stands, turning to face Asougi properly. He looked so lost and confused, even as he firmly presents the papers to Asougi.]

These...these weren't here this morning. [He manages to stammer out. There were so many questions running through his mind, none he could put a voice to. He can only focus on proving his case right now.] You can't refute me on this, because I was in here with you.

[ He goes dead silent, tensing up, not even reacting when Wagahai squirms out of his arms and scampers off into the common area. His eyes shift between the papers and Naruhodou briefly, jaw set. There was no other explanation for those notes, nothing he could use as a smokescreen. This was what he'd wanted, wasn't it? If only those half written letters hadn't been brought into all of this. ]

. . .

[ Asougi crosses his arms, voice steady when he speaks. ]

No. I can't refute you.

. . .[His hands were trembling slightly as he looks over the papers in his hands.]

What. . .what is this? I-I don't-- [Eventhough the words were telling him exactly what they meant, he couldn't wrap his head around it. He laughs nervously, looking up to Asougi.] You're not trying to be funny with me, are you? [He shakes his head.] No, of course you wouldn't. You would be that jerk though, who doesn't tell his best friend and would rather watch them fumble around until they figure things out. [He puts his hands on his hips.] Well I worked out your game. Without a doubt, those chocolates are definitely from you.

[ He exhales slowly, looking aside. He can't refute it, no matter how much he tries. This wasn't how he'd intended things to go, but then again, things never went the way he thought they would. ]

. . . Impressive as always, Naruhodou.

[ Which is as much confirmation as he's going to give regarding that. Leave it to Naruhodou to figure it out that quickly. ]

. . .[He puts the papers onto the desk, and walks over to Asougi. He considers him for a long while before speaking up.]

Are you... [He looks off to one side for a moment and then back to Asougi. He reaches up, taking a hold of his chin to make him look back at him.] You tell me. [Anything he asks, he already knows would end up being true. He wouldn't lie or hide anything from him at this point. So it's better to just hear what he has to say.]

[ When he feels Naruhodou's hand on his chin, the neutral mask he'd put up falls away in an instant, leaving him vulnerable. Asougi stays quiet; a moment or two will pass, he'll get his walls back up, they'll laugh and move on. Except that moment passes and his walls are still crumbled at Naruhodou's feet. He swallows hard, searching for the words he'd wanted to say. Wasn't this why all those letters had ended up crumpled and discarded in the bin, only to be dragged out into the open again, rough edges smoothed out by his best friend.

It was just like him, to end up tongue tied now of all moments. ]

Everything in there is true.

[ At that, he gestures over at the papers that Naruhodou had set down. Half-written sentiments, declarations he'd drawn a line through several times over — none of it had seemed quite right. Even waving a hand towards it seemed wrong. He lowers his hand slowly. ]

[He watches him for a long while before lowering his gaze, hand falling to his side. Everything around him suddenly felt distant, a numbing sensation as if time had just stopped. He clutches his chest, trying to remember to breath. Everything in there is true. Those words resonate in his mind, his heart, the part of it that had kept those feelings he had towards his best friend shut away. Because how could he ever allow it? He shakes his head, looking back up at him with a sort of desperation in his eyes.]

I want you to tell me! [Those papers were half written and incomplete. He couldn't accept just them as they are. He wanted to be absolutely sure, to leave no room for doubt.]

[ He can only match that desperation in Naruhodou's eyes with a desperation of his own, clenching a fist as he snaps back abruptly— ]

I care about you—!

[ He chews at his lip in frustration, the air suddenly feeling a bit heavier at that as the humidity sets in. ]

. . .[He let those words hang for a moment and then looks away. His mind and heart were confused. It didn't know what to make of those words. He should be happy to hear that right? Why did it feel like it missed the mark? He rubs the back of his neck.]

I. . .do too, but I think you already knew that.

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