video; un: ihavequestion

[emyoji]

[ Seimei is relaxing in one of the restaurant booths, apparently having a hot cup of coffee when he decides to pop up on the network. ]

Hello everyone! Has anyone figured out if we can go through the top yet?

[ Since powers all seem to be dampened and no one he's met yet can fly, it might actually make sense if the city had an opening above them. Well, it's at least worth setting that thought out for the public. They might get a chance to test it eventually. ]

Ah, but for an empty city, it's strange how consistent this place is when it makes us food. You would think that we would get some bad cups of coffee at least. It's more strange that it doesn't make mistakes.

[ He takes a sip to demonstrate. See? Perfect every time! ]

Since I'm talking about weird, my friend said that the only people brought here are strange ones. I thought it sounded like a good theory, so I want to ask: what is your strangest experience? Yes, we're all different from each other, but are you different from the people you came from? Or if we see things that are strange, sometimes we attract more things... Or maybe you're completely normal and this is a fluke?

I just wonder if this is really the first time something like this happened for all of us.

[ How many isekai veterans are in the city? This is important. ]

Comments

[gurge]

A softer approach... [ does he realize this is "dating advice" or is he just playing along? ] Like stabbing him only three times, instead of eight?

[emyoji]

Brother... you know that not everyone shares the same taste, right? Next time, you should really try gifts first. Maybe some sweets?

[ He actually thinks they are both interesting, and Seimei is always up for some bad humor. ]

[gurge]

He'd enjoy that too much.

[ and he's cute when he suffers. ]

[emyoji]

Oh? So you want to make it hard on him?

[ Yeah, he's convinced this is some strange courtship ritual. Maybe these modern sorcerers just do it differently! He wouldn't know, right? ]

But a good challenge is one you want to meet. If you're too rough, you'll just give the wrong impression.

[gurge]

[ with no desire to correct or elaborate, he instead sounds thoughtful: ]

So what exactly are you suggesting? Dinner and a movie is a big step down from assassination.

[emyoji]

But dinner and a movie has its own appeal too. Not everyone wants to fight all the time.

[ Whether this is a serious suggestion or just a joke, he's already committed to the cause. ]

What about walking next to the ocean? Or skiing in the mountains? Or you could always rent a getaway place. New experiences are the best, I think.

[gurge]

Relationships are all about compromise, aren't they? In the spectrum of date ideas, none of those move any closer to my preferences.

[ Getou is committed to... the argument, at least. fake as it is — though not for the reasons Seimei has elected to believe. he's right on the money, on that front. ]

Something in between... that might look like... a playful spar with a little too much friction? A heated debate on politics that involves someones clothing getting ruined? Oh, a game of 20 questions with increasing invasiveness?

[ a beat. ]

Tsk. That last one probably ends in arson. Tough sell for my end, I'm sure.

[emyoji]

Hm, you do have a point. If you're doing something together it wouldn't be right to do it all one way. Perhaps what you need is clear stakes? In a give-and-take, you should both agree on what you gain and what the rules are.

[ Wait, is this a date or a fight? ]

It sounds like "a little too much friction" is what you want, huh?

[gurge]

[ a dight. a fiate. ]

Right, right! You get it.

...I don't guess any of those ideas appeal to you, instead?

[ and give up on Satoru? never. but a joke's a joke. ]

[emyoji]

I'm on your side. I think those things sound interesting.

After all, if it's not a little mysterious, then it's boring, right?

[ The son of a fox is probably not the person to ask to define a good time. Although Seimei belatedly seems to remember this as well. ]

Oh, right. I think someone said I'm not a very good date.

[ He loves the joke, naturally. ]