test drive 1

[brain_empty]

[Ryoko Otonashi, Ultimate Forgetful Girl (maybe?) was walking through Hope's Peak Academy open square. Dorms, class buildings, and cafeteria and convenience store all accessible. She didn't particularly stand out at all except...]

...Why am I walking here?

[She checked her notebook, nodded, then kept going, for about another minute before...]

...Why am I walking here?

[She peeked down again. Some students nearby tried to wave, but they were ignored. She had a problem and any distractions would delay her more than what was already happening.

Unfortunately for Ryoko, it was a terrible problem that was stopping the traffic more than it reasonably should've, and soon people learned just not to walk behind her or around her at all.]

Comments

[brain_empty]

[time to check her notebook!]

No, that's tomorrow. And... he's not my boyfriend. He's just... an important person.

[lieindespair]

Well, if you're gonna recruit him for me, you should tell me more about him. I'll be honest, I don't really have much reason to get my head checked, so I don't really get to talk to him all that often.

You however see him a lot. You must have some idea of what he's about hm?

[brain_empty]

Of course I do! I know everything about him!

[...does she?]

[lieindespair]

Oh? Is that so?

[ He folds his hands behind his head. ]

What kind of food does he like? Do you know his birthday?

[brain_empty]

... I'm his best friend in the world from childhood! Not his cook or... birthday reminderer!

[lieindespair]

Huh? Seriously? Didn't you ever go to a birthday party or get him a gift for his birthday? Talk about your favorite foods even once? That seems pretty suspicious to me.

[brain_empty]

...I don't remember it.

[she blushes, not in a hurry to admit it]

But that's fine. I can remember my feelings about him so that's just small stuff.

[lieindespair]

I guess so. But can you reeeeally love someone if you don't know a thing about them?

[brain_empty]

Yes! Of course you can!

[lieindespair]

But you don't actually know them. You just know how they make you feel. It's no different than being smitten with a serial killer in passing. Is it really love? Or just infatuation?

[ He pauses. ]

Do you love him?

[brain_empty]

...

[there's a pen tap against her lip.]

Some of the happiest times I have are when I go to the neurology room. While he waits for me, Yasuke lies down on the seat I'm going to lie down in for my treatments. So I get to just be... enveloped... by his scent.

I worry he'll cure me because then I wouldn't have to go or see him.

[lieindespair]

Hm.

[ He taps the lid of the bottle against his chin, trying to decide how to proceed. ]

That doesn't really answer my question. What would you do if a bus hit him tomorrow?

[brain_empty]

...

I... I don't know. I guess I'd fill an entire book about how much I miss him, every day.

[lieindespair]

Okay but... Aside from missing him, how do you think it'd make you feel? Would you be sad for yourself? Sad for him? Angry that he's gone? Angry you can't see him? What? What's the feeling?

[brain_empty]

...

Kokichi... this conversation is scaring me.

I can't anticipate the future like that. Put it... put it in present tense.

[lieindespair]

Ughhh... Fine.

[ He hates having to dumb things down and rolls his eyes. ]

If he came to you right now and asked you to marry him, what would be your answer?

[brain_empty]

Yes.

[immediately]

[lieindespair]

[ He shrugs ]

Sounds pretty clear to me, then. What do you like best about him?

[brain_empty]

He's the boy I like best in the entire world! Thinking about him makes me happy.

Though, if you mean particular things he says or does, I don't really remember.

[lieindespair]

Really? Nothing at all? Not like, the way he smiles, or the weird way he eats things?

[ He sighs, shaking his head. ]

I don't really get it. Maybe you really are just completely vacant upstairs.

[brain_empty]

Hey! I have feelings. Aren't those enough?

And, just because I don't remember them doesn't mean I can't really... forget them.

[lieindespair]

I guess so. I dunno. The heart is a weird, weird thing sometimes, isn't it? You can't really tell exactly what it wants, just that it wants it.

[ Like a silly stammering detective in a stupid hat. ]

Have you thought about saying something?

[brain_empty]

He knows! ...I think.

When he says he won't abandon me, even if it's just as research, I like that. It's enough.

Well... if I was staying with him I'd definitely want to be cured. But he won't that sort of thing.

But I know he wants to.

[lieindespair]

Why wouldn't he want to cure you? Isn't that like... his whole job?

[brain_empty]

Of course he does. But, if I understand, I'm a rare case.