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[virtualbytes]

"This is Nanami Chiaki... leave a message... I'll get back to it as soon as possible, probably."

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Backdated to 3/10; Voice - id: nanamicchi

[partyleader]

[Nanami is much calmer by the time she's finished talking with Hinata, but the weight of the conversation still sits heavy with her. She's been avoiding this second talk, because she knows what it will mean for both of them. There's nothing but painful things to discuss that await both parties of this conversation.

But that doesn't mean she can run away from it. That would be escaping what responsibility she feels for the situation. And she needs to talk to the other person who will understand her the best.

It takes a few tries to work up the nerve to do it, but eventually Nanami opens the channel that she needs.]

Nanami-san...? [Her voice is weak and scratchy from crying so much earlier, but it's less panicked than it had been when she spoke with Hinata.] I'm sorry to bother you, but I need to ask you some things. About us and Komaeda-kun. Would it... [She swallows hard, voice trembling a little as it trails off. Maybe she's less okay than she thought.] Is it alright if I talk to you in person?

audio | id: NANAMIN

[virtualbytes]

[ It takes her a while to reply, but that's partially due to the fact that she finds it difficult, talking to herself. Nanami's an AI, after all -- one that grows by talking to others and forming connections and learning how to respond that way. So talking to someone who was essentially the reason why you were created is... hard to put into words. But she's going to try, regardless.

Because of her duties as an Observer to the Neo World Program, she has to be the one to take care of things. And more importantly, she has to take full responsibility for her actions. While it's true she didn't want things to happen in this manner, she surmises that it's probably for the best that they finally talk about it.

About who she really is. And the things that her real life counterpart wants to ask. ]

I don't mind, Nanami-san. [ She keeps her words firm, but gentle. Nanami can't allow her voice to waver; not when she can hear the pain in the other girl's voice. ] If you want to meet in person... it would probably be for the best to meet in my room, I think. Do you need to know where it is?

audio > action | id: NANAMICCHI

[partyleader]

[She shuts her eyes against the gentleness in the other girl's voice. It's soothing in a way Nanami doesn't have words for, but she's thankful for it. She needs it right now.] No, I remember. I'll head over now. And... [She takes a deep breath, more to steady herself than anything.] Thank you, Nanami-san. I'll see you soon.

[The ship is still mostly empty as she walks down the halls. It gives her time to think about the things she's learned - even if that's time she doesn't want. The pain has not lessened in the slightest since she first started putting the pieces together, just become a little easier to cope with. But this needs to happen, regardless of how she feels.

It's not fair to either of them if she doesn't.

Eventually she enters the room and excuses herself as she does. Removes her shoes, because old habits are hard to break, and it gives her time to think for a few more seconds. The moment she's done, she lifts her head so she can look right into her other self's eyes.] Nanami-san, I need to know... What's the last thing you remember of Komaeda-kun before you ended up in this place?

[Do you know we killed him?]

[virtualbytes]

[ She doesn't answer her counterpart's words, knowing that it's wholly unnecessary. So instead, she decides to not voice her thoughts, instead leaving it up for discussion later. It's something that she wants to talk about when they meet up.

Of course, she's left her doors open for Chiaki for when she arrives and cleaned up just a little bit. For a conversation as serious as this, she wants to provide a space where the other girl can talk to her comfortably, even if the subject is not going to be a pleasant one.

Chiaki starts to speak and asks that question. She had been paying close attention to the conversations, but she didn't think that the other girl would start with this... Even though her lashes are slightly lowered out of guilt, the panging feeling in her chest that aches, knowing full well of what happened, she eventually brings herself to look at her with serious eyes, an unwavering voice. ]

I remember... [ What's more accurate? There's technically two answers that she can give here, really. But what she decides to say is: ] I saw Komaeda-kun's body. You might want to sit, though, Nanami-san.

[ Since this is going to be a very long talk. ]

[partyleader]

His... His body...

[She lets her eyes slide shut. Nanami should've known that it would be like this. She knew what to expect with a question like that. And yet...

It hurts. The fact that she failed to protect everyone, to protect Komaeda, hurts. And the hand she had in it makes it hurt even more.

But she does as the other girl says and sits down. Nanami agrees with that sentiment completely; this is a conversation she can't stand during.] Thank you, Nanami-san...

I'm... ready, though. [She isn't. Not really. But it's as ready as she can ever be.] Whatever you can, please... Please tell me.

[virtualbytes]

I wonder where I should start...

[ Her voice is smaller now as she takes a seat right in front of her. Nanami knows that it's going to be difficult, talking about such a heavy subject, but Chiaki has to know. She has to tell her the truth. She can't run away from this anymore.

Even if her heart is twisting to the point where she feels like it could shatter into pieces, she finds the courage to continue.

That's right, she has to face the future. This is one step forward towards the future that she wished for all along. Her promise with Hinata-kun. ]

I guess I should start explaining who I am first, probably. [ Lips tug into a smile, but it's a bitter one that doesn't reach her eyes in the slightest bit. ] You were told that Komaeda-kun died in the Neo World Program, right? He... was planning on outing the traitor back then. But I couldn't do anything. I couldn't say anything.

[ Nanami chews on her lower lip, a little nervous. Anxious, even. She needs to choose her words carefully, because she isn't sure of how Chiaki will take them. Will take who she is. Would she be rejected? Hated? After all, the program stole their memories. And even more than that, she stole Chiaki's identity. She stole her friends. ]

Even if you want to fly, you can't, right? Even if you went to swim where you please, you can't, right? For me... it's the same. I couldn't say that I was the traitor, 'cause of the nature of my existence. [ Can she even say it? Is she even allowed to say it? ] You see, unlike Hinata-kun and the rest from our world... I'm not like you guys.

I'm an AI, after all.

[ Once she realizes that she's spoken that exact sentence, Nanami finds herself gasping in surprise before laughing at herself a little bit, pleased by the freedom. ]

Haha, I managed to say it.

[partyleader]

[Nanami is stunned into silence at first. The pain of what she'd learned suddenly seems a little more distant in the face of this. The other her... is an AI? Is that even possible?

Without thinking, she reaches out and lays a hand on top of the other girl's hand. Warm skin meets her touch, no suggestion of her feeling like data - how would that even feel? - and Nanami wonders how she could possibly be a program.] I... don't understand, though. I like you, Nanami-san, but why would they need two of us? And... If you're here with us right now, does this mean that we're still in that simulation together...?

You... feel real, though. All of this feels real. Are you sure you aren't more than just an AI?

[virtualbytes]

I don't know.

[ Even though she has some guesses, pieces that click together, she doesn't know the actual answer. But as for the other girl's question, she shakes her head. ]

No... we're not in the Neo World Program. But I'm definitely an AI, I'm pretty sure. I don't think I can be more than that, probably.

[partyleader]

[Nanami hums, thoughtful.] If we're not in the Neo World Program... There must be something else going on here. We can figure that out later, maybe.

But Nanami-san... [Something about the way she says it strikes at Nanami's heart.] Maybe you can. Because you're outside of the Program now, right? So there must be something else to you that's beyond that. [She smiles at her.] You might be an AI, but that's not all you are. You're Nanami Chiaki-san, too.

[virtualbytes]

Maybe.

[ It's a single word that holds so much meaning when it comes out of her lips. Perhaps they will figure it out later. But that maybe also implies uncertainty. That she doesn't know what's coming up next, or just how long she'll actually exist or be in this world.

Because she knows what she is. She's fully aware of that. No matter how much the girl in front of her seems to insist otherwise...

And it hurts more, when she says that. "You're Nanami Chiaki-san, too." They're the same person in a way, but at the same time different. And that's why-- ]

Is that really... okay?

[partyleader]

[Nanami can hear the uncertainty in the other girl's voice. And while her hand had only been still atop the other's before, now she'll give a gentle squeeze.]

Is it okay to be Nanami Chiaki, you mean? Of course it is. That's who you are. You don't have to be anyone else but that, not unless you want to. [Her head tilts to the side, smile gentle.] I think you're fine just like this.

[virtualbytes]

Are you sure? I...

[ She stops there, feeling her voice crack. Nanami then tries to shake the thoughts out of her head about betrayal, especially towards the girl in front of her. ]

If you think it's fine.

[partyleader]

[It's... difficult, hearing her voice crack, but Nanami's smile doesn't falter.]

I'm absolutely sure. And I promise that it's fine.

Even if we still aren't sure how it happened that we could both be here... I'm glad you exist. I'm really happy you're here. And I'm grateful that I got to meet you and have been able to get to know you. [She laughs, a little sheepish.] It's like finding a missing piece I didn't know I needed...

[It's a little embarrassing to say, but her words are still genuine.]

[virtualbytes]

Is that so...

[ She gets the feeling that her counterpart is still missing the point, but that's fine. For now, she'll accept her words, tugging her lips into a slight smile. ]

But I appreciate you being here, Nanami-san. I still want to learn more about you, though.

[partyleader]

[Warmth flutters in her chest. She's been doing her best to reassure her other self, but it's a comfort to know that she's appreciated. A great comfort amongst what had been a lot of pain. The feeling resonates with her strongly, though, because she feels the same way.] I don't know if it's the right thing to say to that, but... Thank you, Nanami-san. [She shifts her hand so that rather than laying on top, she’s holding the other girl's.] I appreciate you, too... And I want to know more about you, too! Not just the painful times you went through, but the fun times as well. I want to know more about what you like and dislike, and just... spend time with you.

[She loved her classmates and Yukizome and Hinata, more than anything else in the world. But more and more, she's realized she hadn't known them. Not the way she needed to.

But she won't let that happen again. Not with Nanami-san. Not with anyone ever again. For you... I promise that I'll do better this time.]

Mm, if you want to know me more, though... You can ask me anything you'd like.

[virtualbytes]

...I don't know, either.

[ However, to her, it feels just right. It's appropriate for the feelings that she wishes to convey from the bottom of her heart. And if the other, evidently older girl believes in her existing as Nanami Chiaki, she will accept that offer of good will. Even if she has some lingering doubts about the situation.

But what truly surprises her isn't the words she says but rather, the actions she makes.

Having the other real girl's hand in her own is different and new. It gives Nanami a feeling that she isn't exactly sure what to do with. To her, this feeling is just like what that protagonist felt when they had an out of body experience, not knowing completely who they were and yet being accepted as who they are.

That this is their identity.

Her memories aren't faked like that protagonist's was; mixed up due to an accident. Experimentation.

All of this is real, to her. To the both of them. So while she doesn't know how to react, fear bubbling up in the pit of her stomach with nerves, knowing full well that whatever she said could change everything; cause a reaction that might be bad, she tries, and she says- ]

Thank you. [ Two words are enough, but at the same time, they aren't. She needs to show more, to repent, in her own way. For the sins she's made, even if they weren't on purpose. ] Mm, I don't think there's too much... I think. Besides that I like video games of all genres, and that I don't like alarm clocks. They're too noisy.

What... about you? Do you have a favorite game? Things you don't like?

[partyleader]

You're welcome.

[She gives the hand in her own a gentle squeeze. There's more the other girl has left unsaid, Nanami can tell, but it... This isn't uncomfortable. Even though she doesn't know everything, she's able to understand.

The words that follow startle a surprised laugh out of her.] I don't like alarm clocks for the same reason! And they interrupt naps...

[Nanami that's what they're supposed to do]

I think my tastes with games are the same, though... I guess if I had to pick, I like classics the most? But I really like all kinds of games... [Suddenly, she pouts a little.] Dating sims are hard, though.