amadaman | voicemail;

It is, isn't it?

[Ken isn't exactly cheery about it, but there's a lightness to his tone as he acknowledges that. He finds a himself a seat and hops into it, leaning forward and swinging his feet.]

I'm okay. Aragaki-san and I cleared are friends now. We talked about it.

I'm not telling you to fight for me, idiot!

[He's just uncertain he can adequately explain it himself. But whatever, he'll deal with it now.]

You know what, forget it. I'll handle everything myself!

Wow, don't go off losing your temper already Bakatetsu-san!

[Guess who else is immediately losing his temper too, albeit on a more controllable level.]

I'll help you burn the water, but I'm not explaining anything to Kaneda-san because I don't want to know the whole story behind the steam dilemma!

Fine!

[The real secret? Tetsuo doesn't know the whole story, either.]

Just figure out a spot, since you're so picky about it...

[It's a much different demeanor than he expected--but not an unwelcome one. Junpei can't help but give a cautious smile as he looks over to him. Of all the answers...that was the best he could hope for. And unlike before, there wasn't a small tinge of bitterness underneath.

Ken was truly okay.]

You did, huh?

I'm...well, I'm proud of you. You grew up pretty fast in this place. And not like the way you had to back home.

I don't want to start a city-wide fire is all.

Let's take a pool to the beach.

I'll see you soon, then.

[Mitsuru can't say she's not a little curious.

When the doorbell rings, she's sitting in her living room, two steaming cups of tea on the coffee table by the couch. She opens the door, stepping back to let Ken in.] That was quicker than I expected. I only just finished making tea.

Please, come in.

I could make a pool there.

No we're going to take a pool.

And damage the shape of the geography as little as possible.

My way's better. I don't wanna have to deal with getting or carrying something like that.

I'll carry the pool and I'll get the pool so you don't have to worry about it but we're not going with your way.

How long's all that going to take?

... I'm near a store right now, so I'll... meet you at the train station in fifteen minutes and we'll go out to the beach?

[A huff. He hates having to accept this. It's a lot less fun than glassing part of the beach.

But he will because it's no extra work for him.]

Fifteen minutes.

[And he clicks off the comm.]

[And Ken reflects on this conversation and apologizes to his mother for becoming not only a menace to his friends' peace of mind but also to the public as he will now be burning water at a beach]

Okay!

[ they've come a long way from Hinami trying to dissuade Ken from scaling the sides of buildings... ]

Should we do the shorter ones? [ she...doesn't actually know the highest Ken can jump, she realizes. huh. ]

[ Hinami rests her forehead on Ken's shoulder, shaking. But thankfully, it's lessening. Slowly, she's calming down. ]

I'm not...I'm not ashamed of what I am. Even if people think it's bad...

Sure.

[Ken can scale up to three floors, easily, maybe a little higher now, but there are none like that around just yet. He starts to walk faster to build up speed.]

That one fight behind the stoplight. First stop.

Hehehe.

[Ken hops into the room, cheerful beyond anything anybody must be expecting from him today. He doesn't blame them. Last year this time, he was an anxious little mess. Right now, he's as bright as the orange jacket he wears on his back.]

Superspeed, senpai. Here.

[He holds out his arms expectantly.]

If I told you everything that happened -- well, I'm not gonna, because that'll take forever.

{And also "I got convinced to kill myself by a guy who's still here and free today" is a surefire way to ruin the day. Not going there.]

But you're right. I got to grow up a lot, and I had a lot of support. Aragaki-san and I got a lot of time to get to know each other.

He even gave me a birthday present last year. Even if it was kind of weird.

Mm.

[His opposite hand goes to her back, rubbing circles in it gently.]

I'm glad. You showed me your kagune. I think it's beautiful, Hina-chan. You'll always have a piece of your parents with you, like that.

[And she wasn't even around for last year's. Given the spot in the timeline she'd come from and when she'd gotten here, Mitsuru's last recollection of Ken on October 4th was that of a very different young man.

She doesn't think he's faking it. She's perhaps not the most perceptive person when it comes to emotions and the like, but that seems really far too genuine to be feigned. The smile she gives him is, frankly, somewhat relieved.] Of course.

[She bends down somewhat (not as much as she might have had to otherwise, she realizes... he's really growing) and wraps her arms around his chest in a slightly stiff hug. She's not a hug person, Ken. Forgive her some awkwardness.] I'm happy to see you doing so well.

[It is a little stiff, but Ken has had stiff hugs before. Minato, Kidou, even himself -- they all struggle with that, and it took Ken over a year to warm up to the gesture as much as he has now. He smiles as he stands on his tiptoes to make the height less of an issue for her, patting her back with a chortle.]

A lot happened. Thanks for worrying about me.

I got to talk to Aragaki-san about it last year. We-- we got through a lot. We're friends now, so.

Save me the storytime.

[Especially if it has a happy ending. That's really all that mattered here, wasn't it? Ken's smiling the way a boy like him SHOULD smile. He's got friends, he's got people looking out for him. Ken was the weirdest kid he knew...and that's saying something in this place. But he's normal now.]

Hate to break it to you, Ken, but Aragaki-senpai always kind of...did think different than the rest of us. [But he smiles fondly, playing with the paperclips in the little bowl on his desk.] You know if there's anything you need...if you ever feel like you need to talk about something.

I'm here, alright?

[Oh. That explains a lot.

She holds the hug for a few more seconds before she gently relaxes her arms and straightens up again.] Did you? That's wonderful.

Shinjiro... about what happened, he-- [She pauses, and shakes her head.] No, I'm sure he could have put his feelings into words to you better than I could on his behalf.

[Her smile remains, though it takes on a somewhat wistful tinge.] He would be very proud of you, seeing what you've become. Of that I'm sure.

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