[Text]

[unknownrival]

I want everyone who was in that mall to report in their status, and the status of anyone else they know who was in the mall with them.

I'll start. Issei Ryudo and Diarmuid Ua Duibhne both confirmed as healthy and home.

Comments

[dualer]

B-bandages and— Hold on, you don't need to go that far...! It's not nearly that bad!

[unknownrival]

Fine. Bandages and slightly worse quality tea than I was going to bring. But I am coming.

[dualer]

There's nothing I can do about it, huh... Well, Grandpa's out of the house, so I guess it's okay.

[unknownrival]

Nothing at all. I'll see you in... let's say half an hour.

[dualer]

I'll go close down the Game Shop for a little while, then...

[ the confident yuugi who would have been able to argue back is loooong gone. ]

[unknownrival]

Good, you don't need to be doing any work now anyway.

[dualer]

Y-yes, sir...

[unknownrival]

See you in a little while.

[And sure enough, within the half hour allotted there's a polite knock on the door of the game shop.]

[dualer]

[ he answers quickly, dressed in... his school uniform. because he's an enormous loser. true to his word, he doesn't look too bad; a little tired, but any bruises he has must be concealed by his clothes. ]

Come in, Ryudo-san! Welcome to our shop.

[unknownrival]

Thank you.

[Issei steps inside, carrying the tea mix and the first-aid kit he'd promised, taking a look around the shop briefly before focusing on Yuugi.]

Tea first?

[dualer]

Sure. Ah, the kitchen's this way... [ leading him through the store into the house! this is really strange he's never had a friend in his house before, they just hang out in the shop. ] We can take it up to my room when it's done.

[unknownrival]

That's good. Later I am going to ask to check you for injuries so be prepared for that.

[He is not a Shirou Emiya and will never be. He does seem almost as at home in the kitchen as he does, though: when they reach that part of the house, Issei immediately goes to work preparing the tea.]

[dualer]

Okay, but I'm telling you, I'm fine...

[ he sits on a stool and just watches issei curiously. inwardly, he's trying not to freak out. he doesn't know anything about what happened during that virus, so what if issei mentions something that he should remember? what's he going to say? he and the other yuugi haven't talked a lot yet, but damn it, maybe he should have asked for more information about the things that happened...! ]

[unknownrival]

You had me very worried, you know. The least I can do is to try to make up for you not letting me help you during the virus.

[dualer]

Oh... Um, I'm - sorry, for that. [ ????? ] I just didn't want anyone getting hurt for my sake...

[unknownrival]

You're no less important than we are.

[dualer]

I know, I know. [ he laughs sheepishly. hearing that, though... he should thank the other yuugi later. protecting his friends like that is what he would've wanted to do, too; he just would've been too much of a coward for that. ] Sorry... But everything's okay now, isn't it?

[unknownrival]

If you're not injured. But do you think this will be your only chance to be exceedingly foolish and heroic?

[dualer]

Um... I promise I won't do it again?

[unknownrival]

Really really promise?

[dualer]

Yep. I really, really promise!

[ he won't do it... but the other yuugi will!!! ... he feels a little guilty about half-lying and getting away on a technicality like that, but, well, it's not like he can help what the other yuugi chooses to do anyway. ]

[unknownrival]

Good. [He relaxes visibly, then goes back to making tea.] Thank you, I feel much better now.

[dualer]

Yeah... Um— Ryudo-san, do things like that happen a lot with the community? I've only seen a few viruses, but it didn't seem like any of the others were that bad...

[unknownrival]

Mm... they're not unheard of. I myself have been 'killed' trying to defend the people I care for - I don't want it to happen to you.

[dualer]

W-wait, people— people died?!

[ he reacts before he can stop himself, before he can remember that he's supposed to have been there himself; the other him said "zombies", but nothing about it having been that serious... he just thought that having to fight zombies sounded bad enough, worse than all the harmless things he'd seen so far. he doesn't remember - did anyone he knows die? and if the deaths weren't permanent... could he have "died" too? ]