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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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[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?"

[dollmaxing]

She leaned in to meet him, squeezing his hand and smiling warmly. He was such a funny little mess of a man...

"I'll go anywhere you lead me, Takuto. I'm all yours, tonight."

1/2

[takutomaruki]

The incessant squeeze, her presence, the smell of her shampoo- for a moment there was no end to her person or the way she smiled.

Doting. Bright. Warm. Maybe he was too flustered to be cold but this was different.

Again, he was caught staring. Again, he backed off- stepping back even with their hands linked.

"Oh...oh no, I can't even keep track of my staring. Sorry, that probably sounded so strange coming out of my mouth right now-"

[takutomaruki]

He presses an index against his temple, as if making himself aware that he was still tangible. This isn’t a dream.

Once he was sure, he pulled her along- smiling brightly.

"Let’s find a konbini and sober up a little then," he offers- his hand incessantly hanging off her side.

[dollmaxing]

"Sounds like a perfect plan!" Kuon agreed, humming in delight as she followed along.

This time, she was humming the tune of Bohemian Rhapsody.


Once the two of them got some snacks and a few bottles of water, and settled down somewhere quiet (as quiet as Shibuya could be at night), Ichinose was happy to dig into one of the few custard-filled melonpan she got herself. It was nice... nice and cozy, out here.

[takutomaruki]

Maruki didn’t get snacks, contrary to popular belief. He has no idea what he just bought...what even is this drink? Not like it even matters, but now that he's sitting next to her, the cloudy haze of his past decisions...still loud enough for his ears, but that was just for him.

He groans as he leans back on the bench. Staring up at the sky, he listlessly fiddles with his can while trying to take in the quiet of this place.

It's getting to him at this point.

He tilts his head to glance at Kuon. "How's the melon pan?"

[dollmaxing]

"Mm! Here, try," she encouraged, leaning her shoulder against his as she held up the melon pan she was already eating so he could take a bite as well. He didn't mind, right?

[takutomaruki]

Leaning against his shoulder...okay, no big deal. He straightens up a little out of instinct before glancing down at the snack.

"Don't mind if I do." He leans forward, one hand sort of cradling her hand just so it didn't seem like she was outright feeding him. That would be...too strange and desperate, wouldn't it? Shit, he doesn't even know. If he leans any more, he will end up falling into her lap.

"Mhmm...that's....custard! My tastebuds are not betraying me...totally," he takes one more quick nibble. "Thank you."

[dollmaxing]

"I couldn't resist! Usually I just enjoy a melon pan as-is, but this sounded tasty," she agreed, letting him have a few bites before taking it back and finishing it with a few bites of her own. She had a couple more, though, so she triumphantly chuckled and pulled out the next one.

"Hehehe... planktonic," she snickered, still tickled by that. "We are definitely planktonic."

[takutomaruki]

"Aha-! Infinite snacks it is~ goodness, how much did you get?" He blinks at the sheer number- chuckling lightly. "Don't think I will be able to stomach anything more though...too much sake." Should've watched yourself and kept count. He wonders how much of his drinking habit must have spooked Shibusawa to leave him alone in the izakaya like that.

We are definitely planktonic.

He sputters into a laugh, now comfortable with the bench and being Ichinose's headrest. "...wait, that sounds like something I would say. Oh no."

"Then again...planktons do stick together for survival. Past me might have just been a genius."

[dollmaxing]

"A genius, drunk as a skunk, the line is pretty fine at the end of the day," she teased, munching on her snacks. "I always eat to soak up the booze. Food and water! Fuel up my body to handle the filtration process."

Ever practical, at least. But it does help that she only drank about three cups of sake and had plenty of sushi already.

"Are you having fun?"

[takutomaruki]

"Hm? No, definitely- that's what you should do. Once I am home, I will probably make myself some of the soup I made back in that mornin," he nods along as he closes his eyes for a bit. If only to let his eyelids rest. "...I thought I ate enough sushi to counter the sake, turns out I always underestimate myself and my judgement with a bottle."

This time, he laughs weakly. Something almost like a scoff, as if he shouldn't find the joke funny at all.

He looks down at her, watching her hair gleam under the streetlight. Like a cat's fur, some of which is entangled between them. Maruki eased up as he tucked the can he had bought between his legs before brushing some of her hair forward, fixing it so that it rested easily on her shoulders.

Anything to focus on the noise. Anything to focus on her.

"Hm?" He blinks at her question. "...mhm, yeah," he answers- not sure himself as he fiddles with the ends of her hair.

"The quiet would have been...too quiet if we went home right away, to be honest."

[dollmaxing]

"You can invite me over to cause a little ruckus on those quiet nights, you know," she smiled at him as he tucked her hair. It was soft and intimate... was he sure that he was purely platonic?

Nah... there was that other woman he held a torch for. But it must be awfully lonely - and it didn't have to be, while he waited.

"We can chat the night away or pick up a movie. It does get too quiet and monotonous otherwise."

[takutomaruki]

"Oh, I mean- I don't want to bother you just because I have the sudden urge to stay awake at 3 am," he rolls his eyes fondly at her offer anyway. He doesn't know if he can look her in the eye without melting into a fit of blatant appreciation for every gesture she's thrown his way.

"Which...now, I am wondering. Do you have trouble sleeping by any chance, or were you just going to offer to stay up for me? I definitely don't want to trouble you with that."

[dollmaxing]

"I don't have trouble falling asleep, but I do forget to fall asleep, sometimes," she chuckled, wiping some custard off of the corner of her mouth with her thumb and sucking it. "I get sucked into writing code or reading up on something and time flies. Then I end up sleeping in through the morning. Honestly? Not so bad in the summer - it means I doze right through the hottest part of the day."

Sad, fussy man. And how should he be sad when he's been so wonderful all of the time?

"Let's be nocturnal together until it cools off!"

[takutomaruki]

Oh, she likes the custard one, hm? Next time when he stocks up on the snacks, it would be good to keep an eye on that one.

"Haha! I relate to that too," he follows up as he looks onward, recalling a faint memory. "Back when...things were somehow simpler but, overwhelmingly complex- given everything that transpired, which only makes sense now." Staying up for nights on end to work on his thesis, his life and hard work- compiled in nearly 300 pages.

That said, Ichinose's suggestion makes him stifle another laugh. "Sure. A little bit of enabling hasn't hurt anyone, and not like we have any day jobs to maintain." He looks around. There would be fewer people to worry about as well. "But-! I am still encouraging us to follow a healthy diet. Breakfast in mornings-! Lunch...dinner...I have already invited you to all of them, most of the time."

He hums as he runs his fingers through her hair, gently so. The texture was quite nice.

"It's been a while since I have watched a movie though," he excitedly backs up. Still enthusiastic about her offer. "Not...well ever since..."