yogen | ( semi-open ) —quand notre coeur a fait une fois sa vendange

( natsume smiles back, easy. )

I wanted to get to know you betTER. Baru-kun ( he makes a slight grimace, before it slips off ) keeps calling us "practically in-LAWS," seeing as you're extremely close to the little shopkeeper and he's involved with THEM, so... He'd like for us to be good FRIENDS. I'm not entirely opposed to the idea eiTHER, I guess; it's just been difficult to figure out how to approach it given all that's happened since JUNE.

( this is a lie.

but natsume is a good liar; nothing about him seems off when he speaks it, and he's made sure to make it sound plausible enough to be something subaru might vaguely request of him. )

Do you mind spending some time with ME? We can watch a movie or play a game or someTHING. I have a little free time between practice toDAY.

( amami's brow raises, but that smile stays steady, maybe a little amused if anything. )

Oh? Wasn't expecting that, but I don't see why not. To tell the truth, it's kind of a relief. Here I was thinking that you just didn't like me for some reason.

( and even if he looks sheepish about it, it's nice to think that might not have been the case. )

Ah, I'm not too busy though, so what kind of game were you thinking?

( not that he has any in his and keigo's room, gesturing expectantly back down the hall for natsume to lead the way. )

( ... )

A trivia GAME.

( natsume turns to lead the way indeed, smile dropping as soon as he does. "didn't like me for some reason"... well, it's true, he isn't that fond of amami; he doesn't hate him, but if he had to choose between spending the day alone with amami or walking into the woods that surround the school, he'd choose the latter by a mile. )

Are you any good at THOSE?

( shutting the door behind him, amami will follow along, shrugging lightly at the question. )

Depends on the type. It's not my specialty, but I might surprise you.

( trivia seems more kamo-kun's thing; amami, he's got a couple topics he's good with, but he's not too talented once it gets into the details. it's too bad, really — guess he isn't the ultimate triviamaster. )

( he kind of hopes he does. good or bad. )

That's just FINE. It seems like it's one of those study review ONES... ( a wave of his hand. ) Which isn't the most interesting thing in the WORLD, but it'll DO.

( games that are too engaging diminish the amount of time they can get to know each other, after all! :) )

...It's interesting how far behind this school is in its education TOO. The Astronomy Club's star books are from 1998; they're at least a decade or two out of date from my perspecTIVE. Pluto is still considered a plaNET.

...Oh. Well, I guess it is good to be prepared...

( the excitement does kind of drain out of his voice though. seriously, it isn't as if he doesn't study at all still, but he's also tired. staying up past midnight, getting up by five, it's the kind of thing that wears you down; while he thought it was pretty important to do so last night, it doesn't exactly... make him the most excited person in the world to attend a surprise study session. )

You're a pretty diligent guy huh, Sakasaki-kun. The, uh, last time I talked about stars though, Akehoshi-kun didn't seem too pleased with my lack of knowledge on the matter.

( ultimate astronomer can be safely crossed off the list too. )

( diligent, huh... )

Baru-kun has always loved the STARS. They're all over his NAME... And I'm sure they felt as unreachable as his own dad did while he was growing UP.

( especially after...

but natsume shrugs. )

I wouldn't call myself diligent THOUGH. They just didn't have any other games that wouldn't detract from the experience of getting to know YOU, Amami-kun. ( ... ) BeSIDES, you might be surprised at how much you do KNOW.

His dad, huh...?

( well that sure is something amami didn't know about. he's curious, but makes sure not to sound too much so as he repeats after natsume, following the words up with an absent, thoughtful hum. )

I'm not really the most studious person, so maybe it just feels that way to me, but I guess it's fine to give it a shot. Go easy on me, 'kay?

( he says this, but gets the feeling like natsume will probably choose the opposite if he has a choice in the matter. )

I don't go easy on anyONE.

( so thankfully it isn't just amami. ♪

anyway, he's taken one of the first year classrooms for their trivia game, a laptop there and a tv and whatever else he needs. looked it up to doublecheck and he also has a usb! good for us.

natsume'll go fiddle with the tech but gesture to amami to sit in the meanwhile-- )

I played a little of IT, and we'll have some questions and a few videOS... Don't expect anything high-qualiTY. ( haha. in goes the usb, with a program popping up after a moment.

just one of those boring history trivia study games, it seems maybe amami can be the ultimate anthropologist. ) If you get more than ten questions correct I'll give you some of the sweets I made for Hiro-kun--I have too many anyWAY.

At least I get some warning then...

( he thinks, anyway. but it feels kind of bizarre to go through all the effort of making their way back to a classroom for something like this, and even though amami doesn't mind taking a seat if it's for the sake of getting along with natsume a little better, he's still looking out the window so longingly... he wants to go back to bed. )

Lucky Hiro-kun. I wouldn't want to take something that's meant for him, but I guess I'll give it my best.

( y'know, for the sake of making the "game" fun(?) )

What Hiro-kun doesn't know won't kill HIM. He wouldn't be that broken up about it anyWAY... I've told him how to make marshmalLOWS.

( it was part of his summer break gift... c:

anyway, the trivia game. first up, a picture is shown, and some text gets overlaid over it:

WHICH CITY IS THIS MEGALITHIC SITE LOCATED IN?

1. Cairo
2. Al-Qusayr
3. Abydos
4. Kurna )

Edited (my icon.........) 2021-11-07 00:11 (UTC)

( oh man, he wasn't kidding. this is a legitimate study quiz at this rate, god amami wishes shinguji was here — this is way more up his alley, and amami does not deserve to be in this position right now. on four hours of sleep? it could be denver for all he knows.

he does try to squint at the picture a little; maybe if he's been there before, he can recognize it? but nope, it doesn't stand out to him. everyone knows the most common multiple choice answer is c though, or something like that, whatever. he's picking c. those steps or whatever they are vibe like it could maybe be a valid guess. )

Abydos?

( DING DING DING.

when natsume clicks it, the screen flashes green a few times, and he leans against the desk. )

Very GOOD. Do you know what it IS?

Edited 2021-11-07 00:53 (UTC)

( oh not his max luck pulling through for him. he's getting major points in that stat from spending so much time with komaeda, clearly. it's a pleasant surprise though — his eyes light up a little more than they were a moment ago, and hey, maybe winning will wake him up. )

Not a clue. Care to enlighten me?

( he actually mostly says this because it's polite, but maybe it'll be interesting too. please be interesting. )

This is the Osireion, a temPLE. It's part of the pharoah Seti I's funeral comPLEX, built to resemble a certain dynasty's Valley of the Kings TOMB... While rather unassuming on the surFACE, below the desert sand is a vaulted hall containing a central platform with ten monolithic pilLARS, surrounded by a channel of waTER. Every wall has something inscribed on IT, as most walls of tombs DO, and it's thought to have been Seti I's cenoTAPH.

( ...

moving on.

WHAT INSECT IS THIS?

1. Xenocerus deletus
2. Xenocerus interruptus
3. Xenocerus alorensis
4. Xenocerus monstrator )

( oooh, interesting... shinguji would eat this up, or... well, he might pull a subaru, and start describing the more precise details of it all, but he also struck amami as the type who was a bit more aware of the time and place to be like that, so...

speaking of amami's classmates— bug! hey, maybe this trivia isn't so bad.

here, again, he's pretty sure they didn't double up on the ultimate entomologist title, so he's gonna have to look at the vibe of the latin and give it his best. )

Um, monstrator?

( its big big antennae... monstatorus antennae... yes. )

( BZZT BZZT BZZT.

natsume's disappointed... why doesn't anyone else just randomly pick up books in the library and read them, wtf )

Unfortunately, that's WRONG. This is the Xenocerus deletus, more commonly known as the "fungus weeVIL". As their name imPLIES, they feed upon mushROOMS, as well as decaying plant matTER.

( cool lil fun facts. wish i could tell you about monstrator but the internet has no information on it. why. )

A relatively harmless weeVIL, compared to most oTHERS. I'll give you a point if you can name three other types in this one's PLACE.

( he reads plenty of books! they're just... not normally about bugs. besides, is it the xenocerus or the deletus part that's supposed to imply eating mushrooms?

amami's tired ass brain thinks about that, and how xenocerus must be the beetle part because it sounds like rhinoceros, but then his mind starts to catch up with the words and he realizes that it was the fungus weevil name natsume was referring to. that makes sense. he probably looked like he was understanding that explanation about as much as he was until that lightbulb moment though, and now he's being asked even more, please god. )

Ahaha, wow, what I wouldn't give to have Gokuhara-kun on my team right about now. That's beetles then, right?

( unfortunately, there's one kind of beetle everyone knows.

... )

Dung beetle.

( then he just stops. he's waiting. he's really just saying this to take the hit to his points, so it's fine. you always wanna write down an answer, at least, even when it's wrong. )

( .............................

his expression is that of "you lost your one point" and now he's moving on, he clicks to the next slide and it's amami-kun on the screen. just a still image though.

natsume sits on the desk with this janky ass-laptop, leaning back on his hands. )

Amami-kun, who is THIS?

( WHO IS THIS?

(OPEN-ENDED QUESTION.) )

...

( oh. so he got the wrong answer, that'd be fine, but natsume clicks the button again and all of a sudden that's him looking back from the screen.

and amami's immediately on guard. the problem, though, is that even if his eyes flash with recognition and confusion at first, seeing himself, they flicker to take in the background a moment later. it's... not somewhere familiar to him, and a sense of unease builds in his chest, glancing to natsume with a look equal parts exasperation and suspicion. )

Is this some kind of trick question?

( natsume, you're not blind ~~yet~~. )

We're here to learn about one another, aren't WE?

( natsume smiles. it's a pleasant one, but the only place it exists is on his lips. )

You have ten seCONDS.

Guess I wasn't wrong, huh. ( earlier, he means. natsume feeling in no way fond of him, to be so roundabout with this, but... ) I mean, it looks like me.

( he can't say that it is him, but with the situation he's in... he also can't say that it isn't, and maybe that's the part that frustrates him the most. that's the best answer natsume will get out of him though; the vibes that he's getting from this question are atrocious, and he doesn't know what he might be implicating himself in if he says anything more certain. )

( "it looks like me."

...yeah. )

And unless you happen to have a clone or a doppelganGER, it is YOU. This is from a video I found among my iTEMS. ( with a sleight of hand, he makes a video tape appear. ) You went to the same school as Saihara-kun and Akamatsu-chan, corRECT? "The Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles," enrolled like several other fellow UltiMATES.

( enrolled, because is there a better word for "you go to this school now"? no. )

Yeah, that's right. Ouma-kun, too. ( if they're listing off every ultimate he knew at this school.

but anyway, he'll lean back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest with a sigh. )

I take it this is what you really wanted to interrogate me about though, so why don't you show me what's on the video? I'll tell you what I can if you do.

( it is, so natsume hops off the desk to put it into the video player; he hits play and takes a seat on another desk closer to it, watching the video at first before he turns to watch amami instead.

he's seen this video a dozen times already, anyway; it's more important to him to watch people's reactions to it, the way he'd done komaeda, too. )

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(mise voice) crippled rokkun

crying

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