[ video ]

[thirdarrow]

[ The video feed opens to show the inside of an apartment, with a chair directly facing the camera. The interior of the room has been left untouched, and there are no visible decorations save for a single calligraphy scroll hung on one wall. There seems to be no one on-screen.

A few seconds' silence elapses before someone speaks. ]

... Hello? Is this... transmitting properly? [ Pause. ] Ah, it should be.

[ The camera shakes momentarily before settling down again. A young man comes into view from the left of the screen and sits down on the chair.

For those who have met him before, he seems... older, somehow. His features still suggest approximately the same age, but he looks more tired, perhaps even a little unwell. There are dark shadows under his eyes, and his frame shows vague signs of one too many forgotten meals.

His voice still sounds the same, though - calm and composed. ]

I suppose I ought to introduce myself again...? My name is Takakage Kobayakawa, and you may have seen me about during the Thirteenth Hour in the previous week.

From my perspective, eight years have elapsed since my last contact with this city. If I am not mistaken, only a day has passed here - therefore my momentary absence. I apologize if anyone had tried to contact me yesterday, for I was not present and thus could not take your message.

But in any case, I am here again. It has been a long while.

[ He nods, smiling faintly. ]

If there is anything I need to know and have missed, I would appreciate it if you could take the time to update me.

Thank you.

[ The feed cuts here. ]

Comments

Video

[unbroken_chain]

"You'll be happy to know that society did not collapse while you were away!"

Slight pause as she prepares to launch into an explanation of how that happened to her once before she really takes in his appearance and trails off.

"...are you alright? You look kind of sick."

[thirdarrow]

[ Takakage smiles at Kotoha's first sentence, but her question makes him pause. He answers only after a few moments' silence, still smiling, but his expression is a tinge rueful. ]

Yes, I am. Do not worry about me.

[ By that, he means yes I know I physically look like a wreck but I'm used to it so it's okay. Eight years of constant war takes their toll on everyone's bodies. He considers himself lucky that he even survived. ]

How have you been?

[unbroken_chain]

Kotoha plays along with the subject change, but there's a look in her eyes along the lines of 'you aren't putting this off forever, buster'.

"Pretty good! Been eating right and getting enough sleep."

'even though it looks like you haven't' is the unspoken message.

[thirdarrow]

He gets the hint.

"I'm glad to hear that." yes I get your point and I will try. maybe. keyword is try. But old habits are hard to shake off, after all - it has been eight years. Eight long years of constant campaigning meant that little sleep was often the norm (enemies didn't conveniently ambush you during the day), and at some point he had just started forgetting to eat. Often, his father or brother had to poke him to come to mealtimes.

"It'll take a while to get adjusted, but I should be able to go back to work soon." He had a job as a librarian - and the only Visitor librarian, it seems.

[unbroken_chain]

"Oh, that's good! Where do you work?"

And there are no hidden meanings or dire messages underlying this exchange; apparently she's satisfied.

[thirdarrow]

"At the library." He nods at this. "... I hope they haven't revoked my post, though."

[unbroken_chain]

"I doubt they fire people for missing one day."

[meaningdies]

[... Well.]

Welcome back, I suppose. You might want to rest a bit before venturing out again.

[thirdarrow]

[ This is someone he hasn't met before. ]

Thank you. I will.

[ It's quite a relief to be away from his active service, to be honest. Even though the land was unified, there were still so many things that had to be done... ]

[meaningdies]

If things don't improve you may want to visit the hospital. They're rather helpful.

[Naoya doesn't look too well himself, but shh.]

[thirdarrow]

[ ... It takes him a moment to remember what a hospital was. Did he really look that ill? Oh dear. He ought to pay more attention to his appearance.

His smile hasn't wavered, though. ]

Alright. Thank you for the advice.

... may I know your name, by the by?

[meaningdies]

[It's just an option. And they have good care here, so why not?]

Naoya. It's not as well-known as your name, I'm afraid.

[Not that name, at least.]

[thirdarrow]

[ ... is that so... ]

I see. [ He chuckles faintly. ] Some modern folk know of me from history, yes. Though nowadays very few do pay attention to the past, it seems.

A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I presume you are from the modern era?

[konpeitoqueen]

[...oh

well then

uh]

Eight years? You don't exactly look like you've aged eight years, Big Bro Kobayakawa. [...Then again, he feels older. Hey, he's from the Sengoku Era, that probably does shit to you.]

Well, you do still remember me, right?

[thirdarrow]

[ He carefully skips the age question. ]

Of course I remember you, Saionji. [ You're not very easy to forget. Especially since he's had to babysit someone similar in the past half-year.

Okay, maybe not similar in personality, just in the general condition of being hard to handle. ]

You've been doing fine without me, I presume?

[konpeitoqueen]

[Samurai life must be hard.]

Of course I'm doing fine! It's only been a day here, after all. I'm not pathetic enough to start crying over people being missing for a day.

[She didn't even notice he was missing... A+ friend...]

[thirdarrow]

That's good, then. You're becoming more independent.

[ Though Saionji's soon going to find that he's no longer so much of a pushover.

Babysitting psychopaths teaches people at least a few things. ]

[konpeitoqueen]

Please, I was always independent! Just because someone's understandably confused over their sudden environmental shift doesn't mean they're not independent.

[...Oh boy.]

[thirdarrow]

If you say so.

[ He answers with a head tilt, but doesn't say any more. ]

[press_start]

[Eight years....? He was gone for a day.... and spent eight years.... eight years.... back in his homeworld?]

Takakage-kun?

....first, welcome back.

Second, you were gone..... eight years? Was it back to.... where you came from?

[thirdarrow]

Thank you, Nanami-san. [ His smile for Nanami is noticeably more gentle. ]

Yes, It is. I returned to my homeland and almost no time had elapsed. [ A pause. Nanami probably needed more clarification. ] I had fallen asleep prior to coming here for the first time, and on my return journey I found that barely half a night had passed. It was almost as if the time I spent here was merely a rather lengthy dream.

[ Another pause. He chuckles faintly, a sound that could be half-passed off as a sigh. ]

I had thought that to be the case. But of course, now that I am here again, the assumption has been overturned.

Eight long years have elapsed in my world. And yet, only one day has gone by in Hinoto-Ri. The wheels of time turn in mysterious ways.

[press_start]

[[Spoiler warning: Hints of SDR2 Spoilers ahead.]]

[He- he went back, Takakage-kun went back, that meant that it was possible, she wouldn't be missed, she could check how Hinata-kun and the others were faring, she could help-]

[Nanami seems a lot more agitated than usual when she next speaks.]

So it's possible to.... go back? How did you do it?

[She could go back, if there was a way she had to figure out how to get back, the others needed all the help they could get-]

[No, no. Wait.]

[Takakage-kun said he had fallen asleep to come here. Takakage-kun's case might not be similar to hers at all. He had.... lived, came and went home to live some more, and she.....]

[.....could she even contact the class if she managed to return?]

...... ....wait....um, how much do you know about the mechanics of such things, Takakage-kun....?

[thirdarrow]

[ He detected Nanami's change in countenance almost immediately. The prospect of returning was indeed very important to her - he could already tell from the information given to him in their previous conversations, but actually experiencing it... still took time to get used to.

After all, he only had bad news for her. ]

... I don't think it is by our choice. [ He closes his eyes briefly before continuing. ] I had no warning during all four transport events, no preemptive signs at all.

I'm sorry. I have no knowledge whatsoever on this matter...

[press_start]

[....oh.....]

[Nanami blinks. Nanami blinks slowly. Disappointment is not something she is used to. She is used to the discomfort of failing a game objective she's given, she is used to feeling guilty when she's assigned a role in a co-op and doesn't deliver what she's supposed to. But.... disappointment...]

Oh..... .....

....I see. Thank you for the information, Takakage-kun.

[thirdarrow]

[ ... He's not sure how to respond.

There is the slightest hint of a gasp, almost indetectable across the feed, before he lapses into the silence she had started. She seems about to cry, though stopping just on the cliff edge before the inevitable plunge into tears. Unlike Saionji, who used bawling as a tool - Nanami is sincere - and it is this sincere sorrow that cuts him the most.

Why are you so useless? You can't even give her a proper answer. Fool.

He closes his eyes for a few seconds before finally saying something. ]

... I'm sorry. I'll help you figure something out, I promise.