yogen | npc contact.2

( Urgh, talking... He doesn't respond for a moment, not until he's sure his stomach isn't going to leap out of his throat if he does at least. )

...Do you remember what I said about stereoscopic viSION, and how it works together with a few other things to create that sense of immersion in the virtual WORLD? It requires both eyes to be in some amount of working orDER, as you might imaGINE.

( A little exhale, a little in. He's glad it's so cool in (out?) here; it does wonders for him. )

When that sense of immersion doesn't match up to what you SEE, you can experience cybersickNESS... A type of motion sickness unique to this WORLD. Fascinating, isn't IT.

( Humans making new problems out of nothing because they want to do things like this. )

But don't worry about ME. I watched for a little bit; it certainly was breathtaKING. ( ...pressing his lips together so he doesn't smile too wide— ) Though I only saw it because I was looking at YOU. I wonder which view was prettiER?

[ About to take out his other eye tbh. Maybe he can sense the face she's making at him even if he can't see it.

Alright, going to ignore that. ]

If you can make a world like this, you can make a world adapted to those with limited vision. You're the magician here, are you not?

[ Also a virtual reality program engineer?? Alice what exactly did Natsume contribute or was it just funding ]

( He knows....... he knows. But this is a date, cut him some slack, he's allowing himself to flirt since he's been trying the past few months to do it less with her. )

Even magic has its limitaTIONS, Little Wolf. You'd do well to remember THAT. It's not a cure-ALL, no more than a genie's WISH.

( which is a little heavy for, like, just a conversation about handicaps. He pauses, then shrugs. )

It's something I'd look into if I were still alive; there's no helping it HERE. The technology of this school is far too out-daTED, though come to think of IT... ( Hmm... ) We have some rather intelligent minds among our numBER, so I suppose I could see if they have any ideas or suggesTIONS. It does seem a shame that I can't enjoy the fruits of my laBOR.

( ... )

Though it's not without any accessibility features at all; this is going to hit the markets soon eNOUGH, so naturally we have THEM. I just don't think you'd be interested in hearing a voice over drone on and on about how many meteorites there ARE, or it noting every time something MOVES.

( also re: what he contributed, he didnt even do funding. alumni of the game club helped with that, and also with a lot of the engineering and etc; natsume definitely KNOWS a lot but he probably just makes games and looks up/refers back to notes about anything specific. he's a quick study though and retains info like a sponge so ??? this is all i remember that's been explained i try not to ask too many questions )

[ Flirting is like illusions and magic; it doesn't work as well when you're aware and on guard for it. ]

No, but it's a useful feature to have. A voice-over explaining all about meteorites and other astronomical objects as they're brought into attention in the night sky.

[ Just like the immersion of 3-D IMAX theaters, really Maya's only point of reference for this sort of thing. Forget dates for a moment, ]

It would be a great asset to schools everywhere.

( oh my god, she's lucky she's cute? )

Did you want to be a teacher or something when you grew UP?

No. I wouldn't have the patience.

[ Can you imagine? Maybe a college professor. But sometimes you're just miss student council president and you're too used to having to think about the students ]

Wouldn't YOU? I think you'd make a wonderful ONE. You're awfully patient with the students HERE, and you're not even getting PAID.

( this is such unromantic date talk he didn't WANT to talk about the school and yet HERE THEY ARE. Creatures trapped by their own habits. Natsume slowly sits up, leaning back on his hands. Well... he can make it work. )

...What did you want to BE? And NO, I don't care that it doesn't matter NOW, Little Wolf. I still want to KNOW.

[ "Patient" in that she hasn't already stabbed half the student body, he means. Patient in that she still talks to him, even if she sighs now and thinks it's a waste of time and that it doesn't matter, and has to frame it in her head as repayment for the experience of seeing a meteor shower, and it's not enough. ]

Nothing in particular, but I figured I would be successful one way or another. Perhaps the CEO of a company, or the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

[ LOFTLY GOALS but she knows she can do it. She also knows the two have nothing to do with one another, has nothing to do with anything that she likes or enjoys, but rather what she is good at. aka telling people what to do and being judgmental ]

Very telling profesSIONS.

( Which is the only reason why he wanted to know: the things people want to be, or figured they might become, say something about them. Maya's is that she likes telling people what to do and being judgmental, but it also shows she wants to be in a position to help people under her. That's not really too different from now, either.

The stars start to steadily wind down in number, signalling the peak's past and the end of the astronomical phenomenon sooner rather than later. It's too bad he can't look at her without needing to turn his head, but that's the price he pays. )

Fortuneteller is the only thing I ever wanted to BE, and then I was forced into a vocational high school to become an idol by my paRENTS. My daddy wanted me to become someone who could control the hearts of the masses using the fame that came with being an idol in addition to the skills I had already started honing working alongside my momMY.

( There's only one other person who knows this piece of information, and it's Subaru; they're being shared for vastly different reasons, though. )

I've never held such lofty DREAMS. ( He only wanted to help people; he still only wants to help people. ) But I wouldn't mind it eiTHER.

( ... )

The meteor shower's halfway oVER. Did you eat before you came to SCHOOL?

[ Your dad sounds kind of sketch, Natsume ]

Intentions aside, being able to control the hearts of the masses is a very powerful skill. You still have a ways to go on that front, though.

[ If you can't capture the heart of one girl-- but anyways, ]

Not much, but I did eat.

[ She figures he would try another picnic, but also you don't go anywhere without eating first, mom drilled that into me ]

( Yeah he is, but Natsume says that his dad's not a bad person he's just a super megalomaniac. I hate this family. )

Do you really think SO? How disheartening to HEAR.

( Except he doesn't sound that heartbroken over it—he knows he's nowhere near his mom's level, not yet. And Maya is hard mode, especially since they've gotten off on the wrong foot more often than not.

The reply about food makes him hmm though, and he mentally shuffles some things around in his mind; today is flexible enough that he can manage that much... )

But alright; that means we can leave eating for a little while laTER. There's something else I'd like to treat you to anyWAY. ( ...he's going to close his eyes again, ugh. ) Once... the meteor shower is over, that IS.

[ This meteor shower he's not even watching, that it feels kind of a waste to be watching all by herself but he was aware of this when he suggested it, so her attention returns to the stars. ]

...I wouldn't mind some ginger tea, if not a full meal.

[ It's warm, good for settling the stomach. ]

( Ginger tea, good for unwell stomachs. He would glance at her if he could, and it's still a small regret to have given up a part of himself, but

but he thinks about Haruka, so happy to be seen, and it fades quicker than his sickness does. )

Are you feeling ILL? We can cut our ( ...date... ) hang-out short if you ARE...

( ... )

Unless you're thinking of ME, Little Wolf?

[ She makes that face that he can't see ]

I'm fine. The weather's just been nippy lately, and ginger is good for circulation. Or do you not want to?

( She's so cute and sweet. )

I'd love to take tea with YOU. ( heheh. ) Let me know when you want to leave and we'll find a POND.

( Yeah ! )

Am I pushing you into the pond?

[ Is this the date experience, catering to her need to shove him ]

You CAN, but you'll have to jump in after or wait for me to disconnect you from the sySTEM. After some tesTING, it seems this is one of the ways we can leave SHINSEKAI once it's activaTED.

( but yes she can shove him. maya enrichment. )

...I've made the necessary preparations just in case ( and because he's been playing in his own VR world from time to time to figure it out ) so it ought to WORK.

( ... )

Though if I'm hoNEST, I'd rather not get SHOVED. Let's just jump in togeTHER.

[ ... ]

Sakasaki. How is it that you can develop an entire virtual world, but the exit is through a pond and not a door?

[ "after some testing" are exits not programmed into this thing and the beta testers just have to wander around until they accidentally stumble upon a way out? reminds her of Yogen ]

( ...he can't help it: he laughs, covering his mouth to quiet it to a snicker. )

It's-- it's more fun that WAY. ( a tender reminder he is only a seventeen year old boy. ) We can go to town and find a log-out spot THERE, don't worRY. No drownings for either of US.

[ More fun for seventeen year old boys, maybe, yeah!! Unadventurous, Maya stands and looks about for signs of a town. ]

How large is this place? I can think of more than one person who would be tempted to "live" their lives here instead of the school.

[ Akki-senpai comes to mind. Which is dangerous, in her opinion, in a similar way the exchange trip was dangerous, or the elevator, because it is nothing more than an escape. ]

( How large is this... Hold on. Also, she can see the lights of a town off in the distance to the north, on the corner of a delta it'd seem--thankfully, it also seems like it's on their side of the river. )

From what I've been able to recall working on and what I've SEEN? ...Somewhere between 30 and 50 zones--that IS, different areas you can travel TO. Each zone varies in SIZE, so it's a little difficult to calculate how long it'd take to go from one end of one to the oTHER, but this one is seems to be just a simple plain grassLAND. It shouldn't take too LONG.

( ...

He knows she's stood up, so he'll do the same--wishing he hadn't come in actually, because he definitely can't walk and look at the same time. Should he just listen for her movement, or should he hold onto something...? Choices. )

[ What is there to hold onto? Let's see if your practice's paid off, Natsume... At least grassland isn't terribly difficult terrain to traverse, and Maya continues the conversation as she makes her way towards the town. ]

And they're all connected, so that crossing the boundary of one leads into another?

( the back of her jacket. her arm. her hand!! choices.

natsume imagines he's just in the dormitories again, navigating the dark, and follows the sound of her voice. )

PreciseLY. You don't feel IT, but there's microloading times every step you take as the world reveals itSELF... Or that's how it's designed to WORK.

( and seems to be doing a good job so far. he's pleased with it. )

It's a work of ART... but it isn't without its drawBACKS. If you spend too long in virtual realiTY, you start blur the lines of what's real and what isN'T, and your body'll weaken TOO. Eventually you'll suffer irreparable brain damAGE.

( ... )

But that's only if you spend an extended amount of time in IT. Days, I'd waGER. Three might be the maximum amount of time one could stay in here without pause before it starts getting dangerOUS, though I'd prefer to monitor someone if they were going to be in here for a few hours eVEN.

( but they'll be fine. it's okay. )

[ BRAIN DAMAGE maya walks a little bit faster ]

You're sure there's an exit point in the town?

[ If he's lying and she's going to die here, she's taking him down first ]

( DAIDGKJDGOKFLG STOP COME BACK HE'S NOT GOING TO WALK THAT FAST )

I designed this GAME. Of course I'm SURE. ( oh my god ) Do you think I'd put myself into danGER, Little Wolf?

( NO??? so there. )

Twenty minutes isn't going to ruin us any—a little longer than that to get somewhere won't eiTHER. And I wouldn't have left you in here for longer than the meteor shower if I'd stayed out of here either: today's supposed to be enjoyable for the both of US, so I'd prefer my date to be non-vegetaTIVE.

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