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[dollmaxing]

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Hiiii! You've reached Ichinose Kuon, head of AI research and development. Leave a message and I'll get back to you!

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[takutomaruki]

"You're prompting me to take more," he teases with an almost mushy smile as he lowers his phone to look at the picture.

"You really like Yellowtail sushi, huh? Or did they add something else?"

[dollmaxing]

"It is one of my favorites, but it's more of a victory lap. I didn't get any since the whole platter got eaten by one man last time," she hummed, taking another piece 'triumphantly'.

Takuto seemed so sincere though... what a contrast. He's cute.

"Sometimes a little petty victory is the best spice!"

[takutomaruki]

"I am sure that's what he was going with, too," he laughs along- light and breezy with how much freer he felt being around her as is. "I am more of the Tamago enthusiast, but the yellowtail here, really is quite rich."

He quickly picks off some of the sushi with chopsticks as he finds himself scrolling through past pictures and videos.

"Guess what? Turns out Azathoth had actually recorded a video that day. I didn't even realise it until I checked my phone recently after the Hasegawas visited us. I think it might be an invasion of privacy...ugh, but seriously I don't think I have laughed like that in ages."

[dollmaxing]

"Tsk! Azathoth, how mischievous. What was he snooping about that was so funny?" she asked, leaning over already to see if he was going to pull it up.

Wait...

"Is that Zenkichi Hasegawa drunk off his ass and singing a Queen song?" HILARIOUS...

[takutomaruki]

Maruki for sure did pull it up, leaning forward and turning his phone to the side so that both of them could take a look at it.

He giggles still when Ichinose, evidently glowing up while Hasegawa goes along to sing his heart out on the stage. Honestly? The performance itself wasn't bad itself, whatever he was singing seemed to come from the bottom of his heart.

"Wait for the good part," he says the moment Zenkichi manages to convince Phoenix, the demon-bird from hell join the stage.

When the skies shifted. The song permeated the very air. Even the video itself captured the reverberations following through.

♪ So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?
So you think you can love me and leave me to die?!! ♪♪

And Zenkichi actually screamed into his microphone, tearing through as he moves in almost, casually like he's trying to do the moonwalk.

♪♪Ohhhhhhhh, baby-! Can't do this to me, baby
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here ♪♪

"Well, he's not doing a bad job. For someone who drank a dozen shots of sake."

[dollmaxing]

"What is that?? A demon that has magic just to make dramatic lighting? Hahahah!" Ichinose laughed aloud, getting a few glances from the cognitive people around them. They were getting a little rowdy and rude...

"I have got to play this when he comes for the next update. I wonder if his face still turns red from embarrassment? Hahah!"

[takutomaruki]

"Ah, Phoenix-! Yes, he's...yeah, he's apparently from some musical version of hell? Hahaha!" He laughs along with her, not even noticing the cognitive guests. "I mean- I do quite respect him. Even if he sent me to the jaws of death by working for that Drake of all people-!"

"Ugh." He doesn't want to think about him. Welp, bottom's up.

"Can you imagine? I wonder if he even knows he has the moves for it, but I can't help but find it endearing! It's a good look on him." His grin becomes lopsided. "You can see the blush when he actually gets drunk and doesn't just sober up right away. Damn...I don't think we will get that video from him again, though." He claps his hands together in a prayer-like gesture by putting his phone down. "Thank you, Azathoth. Lifesaver as always."

[dollmaxing]

Oh? Ooooh?

Kuon's grin turned a bit mischievous. She rested her cheek on her hand and leaned in a bit.

"Do you find him attractive, Takuto~?"

[takutomaruki]

He spaces out a bit, leaning back almost shyly when he sees her lean in- pleasant buzzing in his system imminent enough.

"...hmm? Wha- did I say something strange?" he tilts his head quizically before lazily blinking.

[dollmaxing]

"You said it's a good look on him. And Azathoth - your inner self - snuck a video. Hehehe."

That strange little tone Zenkichi had about 'his' Maruki, too...

"Do you also like men and women, Takuto?"

[takutomaruki]

Oh.

Oh.

"That doesn't really- ah-" he covers his face as he realises that, right, why the hell would Azathoth go out of its way to record a man. Even if Hasegawa was tall, imposing and rugged in ways that he never really got to meet or speak to.

"No, I mean- everyone can be a little attractive, you know?" He chuckles, scratching his chin while shyly staring at his shoes like they were the most interesting thing in the world. "I can appreciate a good-looking man while still being straight- which, Zenkichi-san is to be fair, but he's also, respectfully, very terrifying so-"

He pauses, like a vehicle screeching from a stalled off break.

"Do you?"

[dollmaxing]

"Like men and women? Mmmhmm~" she nodded, chuckling in amusement. "Honestly, if the dog wasn't so likely to bite, I would've fawned over those cybernetic arms. Who could resist, right?"

[takutomaruki]

Maruki nods along in agreement. He's only ever been in a proper relationship with Rumi for most of his life, and while he...could see the appeal, it was always a distraction for him at the end of the day. The idea of finding something appealing in his head didn't really incite that feeling of attraction, as say, Shibusawa would say, by looking at a pretty girl before his girlfriend came into play.

"He does have an...interesting stature," he hums- clearly too drunk to hear himself. "Could you imagine how his actual body looks? I am...seeing a full cyborg." With a stifled laugh, he grabbed one of the last pieces of sushi.

"It's a shame...seeing him at odds with us. Or himself, rather, but you could say that for almost everyone here."

[dollmaxing]

"Do you think I'd be attractive with cybernetics?" Kuon hummed in thought, sitting back and running a finger up and down her arm. What if metal...

"Polished and perfect every day! Strong enough to pick anything up. An access cord so I can connect directly to the computer...! Ohh, installed scanners in my brain - in the movies and games they always show that with metal going along your eyes," she babbled, tracing from temple to under her eyes as if there would be a wire. "Oooh, maybe a metal spine - trailing all the way down my back. That would look incredible."

[takutomaruki]

"Uhhh, I am not sure," Takuto answers honestly with a little chuckle. "While it may be attractive, I am more afraid of potential drawbacks with maintenance. Also...it would be quite the expensive process even to set up the whole research..."

He listens to her intently for a bit. When he hears the word metal spines, he hums in approval. Snapping his fingers, he points at her. "You've nearly sold me with that. I think I will need a metal spine anyway. Sometimes I wake up, I swear I feel like I am walking around with a dislocated vertebra, even if that's not the case.

[dollmaxing]

"Riiiight? And you would look incredible shirtless with it, too," she giggled, picking up her cup and sipping at the sake. She was definitely, definitely getting drunk.

[takutomaruki]

Maruki took no offense or twisted her words out of her mouth. He only found it more like music, playing softly and while his mind was already feeling heavier than usual, the main medicine- alcohol had rendered his mind into cotton.

"Oh, ohhh, me being shirtless? With... the metal spine?" he pointed at himself as he picked up another glass and finished his sake.

"Pfft, I would look incredible. Like, like—like a sexy racoon. With the glasses, specially." He moves his fingers up to gesture at his wonderful glasses. "And I steal shiny little things, like you."

"You’re so nice, by the way, Kuon,” he continued, leaning toward her with the kind of earnest intensity reserved for toddlers and very drunk men and getting very loud as he finished his fifth glass and started with the sixth. "Always saying stuff like that. Complimenting. Compliment—ting? Compla–complimeh... words.”

He paused, frowned deeply like he was solving a riddle.

“Wait, why’d you say that?” His expression twisted into theatrical suspicion. “Are you trying to seduce me? Because I need to warn you... I’m very seduceable right now. Like. Dangerously seduceable. Paper towel wet level of resistance.”

He nodded solemnly at his own metaphor.

“But we’re friends,” he added, as if he just remembered, and gasped. “Platonic! You’re platonic. I’m platonic. We’re... planktonic.”

"...wait no, I think that's the ocean actually." The frown returns, paired with the laughter that comes with it.

[dollmaxing]

"Planktonic! Hahaha!" Kuon gasped, then laughed, surprised by his babbling. She was just about to insist again that they ought to be sober for it - but got so caught up in the humor she forgot entirely.

"Excuse me. You two are causing a disturbance, so we would like you to leave," a waitress had approached, looking every bit as miserable as a real person would be having to confront drunk patrons at their work.

"Ahhh, sorry, sorry! Sure, I think I can pack up..." Kuon waved off the waitress, shoveling a few more pieces of sushi in her mouth and scooping up their slapdash doodles.

[takutomaruki]

Incredible word play there, me- he muses to himself as he finds himself wiping away tears of joy with one hand while joining Ichinose in their little cackle session.

That said, meeting the waitress did considerably deflate him. He was just about ready to get totally shit-faced if it meant melting into the table-!

But...that also meant...

"The cognition's...aware," he points out- murmuring as he gets up from his seat. "You’re aware-!" Like Rumi was. "So it is possible-! All of it is possible...my hypothesis has to be right." He sets his nearly drank sixth glass on the table.

"It's not so bad though...I don’t need to rely solely on you anymore," he hiccups as he grabs some of his favourite sushi off the plate. He has to continue working in her memory, no? Like snacks from the counter.

His gaze wavers.

"Sir, I am kindly asking you to calm down," the cognitive waitress stares at him almost pitifully with hands now resting on her hips. "I will show you the way out, please follow me."

"Okay, okay-! Hehe...sorry." he laughs as he assists Kuon with collecting their scribbles and his journal- shoving whatever he could with loose paper folded all too neatly.

---

The door slides shut behind them as Maruki ends up resting his hand on Ichinose’s shoulder.

"Sorry... thought I lost track of you." Not the most ideal position, even as he lets go of her to sway a little to the side before clutching his forehead, one elbow resting on the side wall.

"Did...did we seriously get kicked out?" He asks, looking back at her like he wasn't sure if he was supposed to laugh or cry about it.

[dollmaxing]

All told, Kuon was still laughing about it - she was currently fiddling with the papers to sort them neatly, but having a time of it since she was drunkenly laughing.

"We actually got too rowdy! Hah! I guess even here, a fancy restaurant has expectations. That's hilarious."

After a couple of neat folds, she tucked the drawings into her back pocket. She was tipsy erring on the side of drunk, but she hadn't downed alcohol like it was water the way Takuto had.

[takutomaruki]

Alas, binge drinking and its ugly side sure rears its head at times like this. It's why Takuto only engaged with alcohol in social settings, alone with a bottle would have sent him straight to the ER months ago back home.

"They didn't really stop serving us the sake though..." he points out before sighing- feeling light in the head as he shakes it, blinks before moving onward- holding out his hand for her.

"Come with me."

[dollmaxing]

"Oh, ever the gentleman, even three sheets to the wind!" Kuon chuckled, getting her laughter more under control as she slipped her hand in his.

It was warm. Friendly... cozy.

"Where are we off to? Catching a cab?"

[takutomaruki]

He smiled all too softly, eyes closed as he held her hand carefully but firmly. Full and warm, blushing like a tomato and high on alcohol as he shifted his footing ever so slightly to prepare walking this mysterious path together-

He asks, leaning in. "You want to go home already?"