[HOW! UNFAIR! But yeah, Beauty's 100% no longer angry because he's fairly quick to forgive, especially to those who he already likes.]
Soon, Mizuki-san. Soon I'll have the opportunity to gaze upon such a lovely face with my own. [Shut up. He straightens up though because oh, a real answer.]
...I'm afraid I'll need some clarification. How did this contest turn out like this? Or how did I turn out like this?
...well. It initially started because we couldn't decide on a head for the pantheon. If I recall, it was Piety's suggestion that we ask a third party to help us decide, someone who could lend us their fair opinion. One thing led to another, arguments broke out, rules were set in place, and we all came to agreement of this game.
[A pause.] If we chose not to participate, the only gods in the pantheon who would be considered for the title would be those playing. It's why all of us are taking part now despite only half of us voting for the killing rule.
But those rules didn't set themselves. You all had to agree on them, didn't you?
[ as far as Mizuki knows, there's no higher god dictating who can and cannot be considered; in other words, they set these rules together, provided they really were divided equally over them. ]
There were several rules we agreed on, such as bringing you all here and allowing you to choose for us. But there are some rules that were put to a vote, such as what happens to you and what happens to us.
...Ruin's idea. Several of the others backed her up, and several of us didn't. But in the end we had someone act as a tiebreaker for us. It's why things are the way they are now.
[ that matches up well enough with the small piece of information Love had given them. Mizuki falls silent, lost in thought for a brief moment.
Part of them thinks that, if they'd all tried hard enough, they could have backed out and tried again with different rules. But if Beauty had done that, for example, that might have only ended with him being left out of the pantheon. They should know better than anyone else that sometimes you have to play by unfair rules and be willing to sacrifice to achieve the greatest good.
So they sigh. They don't consider that he could be lying about this, for perhaps the first time. They're well-convinced that he's not the type. ]
Your goal must be incredibly important to you, Beauty-kun.
[At this, Beauty actually seems to grow serious and bows his head a bit, a thoughtful sort of posture because the game is...complicated, to say the least. He could have sat out given it goes against his ideals to shed anyone's blood, but the idea of not playing at all wasn't fair either.]
...my goal may seem silly to others. It's my goal to make sure people have a reason to smile every day, because I'm happiest when they do. [A pause.] “Everyday, I do my best to live. Everyday, I live with a smile on my face. And I also want people surrounding me to be happy.”
[There's a long stretch of silence as though he doesn't know how to continue, and maybe it's because those obviously aren't his words but someone else's.] ...I'm here to give it my all, Mizuki-san. I can't lose this, but most importantly I can't avoid playing at all. If I can create the world I want to create where people can live freely, experience life and be able to do more than their names allow, then that's enough reason to play along. I hope you can forgive me for a somewhat selfish goal.
[ Is that worth killing people over? It's not their place to say. But they don't think it's unworthy. Perhaps this suffering that they and the others are going through now will lead to greater happiness for many more if Beauty wins. If that was the case, then Mizuki thinks they might believe it was worth it.
They can't say they're on board with the idea, even now; the nature of this competition is too similar to the Otherworld Broadcasts for them to divorce the two completely in their mind. But they can say that they sympathize -- with Beauty, at least. ]
Listen to you - you sound like the main character of a drama. Stop being such a hero. [ their voice is teasing, but their smile is more serious. ] Wanting to make other people happy and fulfilled is the opposite of selfish, isn't it?
Do you think I'm well-suited to be a main character, Mizuki-san? [Sparklesparkle. This is absolutely derailing his thoughts, but...] I suppose it isn't, but...sometimes in the old life, it felt as though I had made people give up other things they wished to do to pursue my own wants. That instance felt somewhat selfish.
If I'm going to do this now, I want to do it with everyone's best interests in mind. Therefore I will be honest with you.
[...a subtle tug at the mask, and it seems it's still too soon.] ...sooner than later, I hope.
[ as for whether or not he's a main character... certainly not while he's in that getup. ]
As long as you have conviction in your choice, then I won't condemn you for it. I only hope that we can achieve it soon, too. [ they eye him curiously. ] In the old life - in other words, when you were a human?
[Those words seem to have their impact, something Beauty will take to heart, if only because he nods. It's a good thing to remember.
Though...]
Yes, that's right. Perhaps it's best not to linger on those times since they're no longer real, but memories are very powerful. I think that's why we aren't allowed to talk too much about them in the beginning stages of our relationships with you.
I had a feeling you'd say something like that. You've got an awful lot of secrets, Beauty-kun.
[ they sigh, both amused and tired. They don't have the energy in them to grill him further. The truth is that this trial was extremely stressful for them the moment that handwriting test passed positive for Senri; every minute afterward was filled with an increasing sense of guilt. Guilt that they put Senri in danger, guilt for scapegoating him and his god by accident, guilt for making Beauty look bad, in spite of their better judgement. Only now is their tension finally beginning to unravel. They spoke to Senri, they spoke to Beauty, they spoke to Ishikirimaru about his impending demise, and, somehow, everything hasn't been ruined. ]
For now, I'll let you keep them. [ ... ] Can I sit with you? I want to hear more of your piano-playing. Just for a little while... Then I'll get back to work.
[There's no reply because it's true, and he isn't sure how Mizuki would feel about that. Nevertheless, it's best that they both relent for the time being. Still, he looks up almost in surprise.]
...yes, of course. Please. [He'll scoot over on the bench if Mizuki wants to join him, though there's a chair not too far should they opt for that.] I haven't had a captive audience for some time. I'll make sure it's worthwhile.
[Beauty knows plenty of songs from memory, so it's pretty easy to slip into something a little more lighthearted and meant to relax them. Everything else can wait until at least Monday when Beauty will go hunt down Mizuki himself.]
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Soon, Mizuki-san. Soon I'll have the opportunity to gaze upon such a lovely face with my own. [Shut up. He straightens up though because oh, a real answer.]
...I'm afraid I'll need some clarification. How did this contest turn out like this? Or how did I turn out like this?
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Truthfully, I'd like to know both... But we'll start with the first one.
[ it seems entirely unacceptable, the way things are being run now... ]
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[A pause.] If we chose not to participate, the only gods in the pantheon who would be considered for the title would be those playing. It's why all of us are taking part now despite only half of us voting for the killing rule.
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[ as far as Mizuki knows, there's no higher god dictating who can and cannot be considered; in other words, they set these rules together, provided they really were divided equally over them. ]
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...Ruin's idea. Several of the others backed her up, and several of us didn't. But in the end we had someone act as a tiebreaker for us. It's why things are the way they are now.
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[ that matches up well enough with the small piece of information Love had given them. Mizuki falls silent, lost in thought for a brief moment.
Part of them thinks that, if they'd all tried hard enough, they could have backed out and tried again with different rules. But if Beauty had done that, for example, that might have only ended with him being left out of the pantheon. They should know better than anyone else that sometimes you have to play by unfair rules and be willing to sacrifice to achieve the greatest good.
So they sigh. They don't consider that he could be lying about this, for perhaps the first time. They're well-convinced that he's not the type. ]
Your goal must be incredibly important to you, Beauty-kun.
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...my goal may seem silly to others. It's my goal to make sure people have a reason to smile every day, because I'm happiest when they do. [A pause.] “Everyday, I do my best to live. Everyday, I live with a smile on my face. And I also want people surrounding me to be happy.”
[There's a long stretch of silence as though he doesn't know how to continue, and maybe it's because those obviously aren't his words but someone else's.] ...I'm here to give it my all, Mizuki-san. I can't lose this, but most importantly I can't avoid playing at all. If I can create the world I want to create where people can live freely, experience life and be able to do more than their names allow, then that's enough reason to play along. I hope you can forgive me for a somewhat selfish goal.
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They can't say they're on board with the idea, even now; the nature of this competition is too similar to the Otherworld Broadcasts for them to divorce the two completely in their mind. But they can say that they sympathize -- with Beauty, at least. ]
Listen to you - you sound like the main character of a drama. Stop being such a hero. [ their voice is teasing, but their smile is more serious. ] Wanting to make other people happy and fulfilled is the opposite of selfish, isn't it?
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If I'm going to do this now, I want to do it with everyone's best interests in mind. Therefore I will be honest with you.
[...a subtle tug at the mask, and it seems it's still too soon.] ...sooner than later, I hope.
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[ as for whether or not he's a main character... certainly not while he's in that getup. ]
As long as you have conviction in your choice, then I won't condemn you for it. I only hope that we can achieve it soon, too. [ they eye him curiously. ] In the old life - in other words, when you were a human?
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Though...]
Yes, that's right. Perhaps it's best not to linger on those times since they're no longer real, but memories are very powerful. I think that's why we aren't allowed to talk too much about them in the beginning stages of our relationships with you.
no subject
I had a feeling you'd say something like that. You've got an awful lot of secrets, Beauty-kun.
[ they sigh, both amused and tired. They don't have the energy in them to grill him further. The truth is that this trial was extremely stressful for them the moment that handwriting test passed positive for Senri; every minute afterward was filled with an increasing sense of guilt. Guilt that they put Senri in danger, guilt for scapegoating him and his god by accident, guilt for making Beauty look bad, in spite of their better judgement. Only now is their tension finally beginning to unravel. They spoke to Senri, they spoke to Beauty, they spoke to Ishikirimaru about his impending demise, and, somehow, everything hasn't been ruined. ]
For now, I'll let you keep them. [ ... ] Can I sit with you? I want to hear more of your piano-playing. Just for a little while... Then I'll get back to work.
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...yes, of course. Please. [He'll scoot over on the bench if Mizuki wants to join him, though there's a chair not too far should they opt for that.] I haven't had a captive audience for some time. I'll make sure it's worthwhile.
[Beauty knows plenty of songs from memory, so it's pretty easy to slip into something a little more lighthearted and meant to relax them. Everything else can wait until at least Monday
when Beauty will go hunt down Mizuki himself.]