exsiliumlogs | [closed; the Saga saga!]

Entry tags:

[closed; the Saga saga!]

Date & Time: July 22-July 29 (December 1999)
Location: Saga prefecture, Japan
Characters: Kano Shuuya (

duplicitoussight) and Kisaragi Shintaro (

substitutable)
Summary: this mission here
Warnings: overexcitable teenagers and discussions about a sister, and then Saga fun!

[Shintaro tugs on the collar of the black (!!) hoodie he put on for infiltrating the party, deciding that his usual red jacket was just too bright for discretion. Finding the location of the LAN they needed was easy in a time where computers were still expensive, and of course getting in wasn't difficult either. Leaning against a wall outside of most people's line of sight, he reviews the information he was given by the Initiative regarding the mission in his head as he also locates the door to the room they're supposed to be entering.

He slides his attention to Kano, though not making it too obvious that he's talking to him. It would be bad if anyone too suspicious was watching and thought they were sharing secrets.]

You think you can do it?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Kano, too, has changed to something less noticeable, changing his hoodie's appearance to a plain black one. It'd be easier to switch to another hoodie instead of just disguising it, but uniform was uniform.

He doesn't look Shintaro's way as he responds to him, acting as though he's scoping out the edges of the party instead of answering.]

Is Shintaro doubting me now? It's an easy job. A really easy job. Stealing food from Kido while she's cooking would be tougher.

I don't want to get into trouble because you let your guard down. [He leans his head back against the wall, eying the other side of the room now.]

We only have one chance. The guy you're supposed to be today's supposed to come here on the last day we've got, so if we don't get it done this time, someone will notice.

Ah, you're saying it like I'm not taking it seriously. [To be fair, his breezy treatment of this entire mission gives the impression that he hasn't been taking it seriously at all.] We can get this done in a timely manner. Just let me handle the tough parts--

[So saying, his appearance changes in the blink of an eye to their target. He even glances Shintaro's way to give a cocky grin.] --all right?

[It's an eerie transformation. When Kano is just faking his own expressions, it's near impossible to tell and not as creepy, but when he changes into someone else entirely it's nothing but surreal. He can't help but think that it's a dangerous power for someone to have -- all of those powers are dangerous for anyone to have. He can't help but feel a sort of dislike toward the red of those eyes.]

... Let's go. We should be able to get in if we talk to that guy in blue over there. He's running the event.

[It isn't a perfect disguise, of course. It's easy to change his appearance, but acting the part of the guy is what he needs to keep in mind as well. Well, as long as he doesn't need to talk a lot, they should be fine.]

Right, right. Would Shintaro like to do the talking or would he like me to handle that?

... I guess. I don't like that you'd push that onto the socially dysfunctional but it's better than risking them finding out your disguise.

[He pushes himself off the wall now and takes a step forward, hands in his pockets, feeling for the flashdrive -- it's a good thing he bought a floppy disk before coming here. Who knows if the computer they're supposed to hack in to would be able to handle the Initiative's super-duper-modern flash drive?]

Pfft, Shintaro isn't that bad. [Coming from Kano it could be considered a compliment. He follows him at a small distance, looking relaxed and casual as usual. It isn't his job to worry about the computers--Shintaro has that part handled, he's sure of it. It'd be a cinch with Ene, but the boy before him works just as well and is a lot more quiet than the now human cybergirl.

Looking back, this mission is a little surprising. He didn't expect Shintaro to exactly come willingly after the days of relentless teasing he shoved on him. Ah, but they were fellow Dan members. Sooner or later, Kido probably would've paired them together for some mission of some sort.]

[If it was an errand they were sent on by Kido, he probably would have resisted more. But on a mission by the Initiative, even one that seemed as low-risk as the one they were currently on, he'd dropped his griping and promised Kido he'd look out for Kano. He expected the teasing, and it wasn't like he wasn't going to bicker with him if it happened, but the days when they saw being part of this war as a fun adventure in which they could pretend to be heroes were over. Shintaro hasn't forgotten the horror they all felt when their leader died, and he hasn't forgotten the nasty feeling of dying, either. It was no place to clown around. He'll have to do what he's supposed to do.]

I'll take that as a compliment.

[He sighs and approaches the man he pointed out earlier. The man seems suspicious at first from the apparent change of plans, but after a few minutes, they'll be permitted to enter the back room.]

[Their job from here is pretty simple now. Kano pulls out the chair and sits down, holding out a hand for the drive.]

It's hard to believe that computers used to look so clunky.

They were until pretty recently for us, wasn't it? Most of the small ones were made in the last decade or so... even this one's pretty small, I think. New, too... [It's at least up-to-date enough to have the USB port, he thinks with a sigh of relief as he shoves Kano's chair slightly out of the way so he can use the keyboard. He hands him the flash drive before getting to work to pull up the virus' code.]

Can you plug that into the USB port when I tell you to?

[He lets Shintaro do his thing, fiddling with the flash drive as he watches the NEET work.]

Sure, sure. [A beat.] Hey, you probably hacked into a lot of computers when you were locked inside, didn't you?

Maybe if I had, I could be some kind of work-at-home secret agent. But no, I didn't do anything like that. The only thing I ever hacked in was the one at the mall with Ene.

[Still, he knew codes. Sort of. Enough to get in to this one and recognize the virus when he sees it and in about twenty minutes, he's waving his hand at Kano.]

... I think I got it.

Roger that! [He moves in at Shintaro's signal, plugging it in to the proper slot. He rests his arm on his shoulder when he's done.]

Eeeh, anyway, what did you spend all your time on then? You must've been doing something interesting if you knew Sis.

... [He gives himself an excuse not to answer immediately by beginning to transfer the code to the flash drive. But even that can't keep him occupied forever.]

Literally all I did to cause her to talk to me was have my assigned seat right next to hers and space out in class.

At home... standard hikiNEET things? I browsed the net.

[So that's how it was. Kano taps his fingers on the desk.]

She seemed to like you pretty well, though. [A beat.] For an uninteresting guy you turned out rather interesting for her.

[Shintaro keeps his hands flat against the table, eyes on the transferring cold.]

As far as I noticed, she never really disliked anybody. She talked to everyone else unlike me. Honestly... I wondered if she cared the class might not talk to her because she was talking to me. I never bothered to be friendly with anyone at school, I'm sure I was disliked by some people.

[He was smart and unfriendly. He never paid attention, but it was probably a good combination to make people dislike him.]

... so you wouldn't consider her your friend?

... I don't know what I saw her as back then. I never thought about it, until after. [He trails off, mouth twisting into a frown, and he holds his breath for a second before releasing it.]

Right now... maybe. I think I want to stay close by.

[That clumsy promise is enough for Kano. He'd been a little worried, at first, when he learned about that connection, but as long as Shintaro tried for Ayano...

It's fine for now. She's alive in Exsilium, and that's the important thing.]

Pfft. You're not very good at being a smooth guy, Shin-chan.

I was never good at talking to people. But it's not like you're any better, leave me alone.

[Too bad, he's still going to harp on the subject.]

So, so, have you been talking to her lately? You must've been if you wanted to be as close as you said!

... I send her messages sometimes.

[He'll invite her out when they get back, he thinks. But he hasn't yet.]

You don't call? My, my Shintaro, that's no way to win a girl's heart.

What? I don't want to interrupt if she's in the middle of something! If it's a message, she can reply to it whenever she wants...

[He grumbles and finishes downloading the virus, ejecting and pulling out the flashdrive.] Here. Hold on to it while I get rid of this thing.

[He holds onto the flashdrive as asked, leaning against the desk. He's starting to smirk.]

But she's answered them, right? That's a really lame excuse to not talk to a girl! Don't tell me that Shin-chan's the sort to get shy.

... What, are you trying to give me advice or something? She and I usually texted.

Never mind, never mind. It's none of my business. That's what you're thinking, right? It's pretty apparent on your face.

She's your sister, too, isn't she? I don't know how those things work... but it's not like I can't guess why you're talking to me about this.

But if you have something you want to say to me... I'd prefer to hear it.

Kido probably told you already. [It'd be like her, since she's the bluntest out of them.]

Adding what I think about it would be repetitive! It's not needed... because I know Shintaro will be veeeeery careful with our dear sister. You promised this time, after all.

[He has to destroy the code so that it can't be recreated. He's not used to doing anything like that, so he's silent while he concentrates on figuring out what to do.]

You're the type to trust promises made by someone like me, Kano?

[He answers with that same cheerful tone.] That's true, huh? I guess you are a forgetful person, like you're suggesting.

[There's a beat of silence in return as he folds his arms behind his head.] But I'm sure this time you won't forget something so important.

I promised her I won't avert my eyes.

I won't promise you anything, but if it's a promise to her, I intend to keep it.

I said I'd trust Shintaro, didn't I?

[Says the deceiver. He frowns, glancing in Kano's direction, before he sighs and clicks the Enter button firmly. Immediately, the code starts disappearing from the screen.]

I think I got it. Let's get out of here before we get caught.

Got it.

[That wasn't too difficult of a mission. He's confident they won't get caught at this point. As he stands up, he adds with a bit of a snicker:]

See, see? I've always believed in Shintaro~

Well... thanks. I guess. Give me the flashdrive? [He holds out his hand. Once that's back inside his bag, he'll close it and make sure it's secure before nodding. They can go.]

[Everything's settled, then. When they walk back out and are out of earshot of the other guests, Kano drops his guise.]

--ah! Isn't this Shintaro's second... no, third mission?

[... I went to check and realized that this, the beach mission, and the Kisaragis' mission all have overlapping dates oh my god how do dates.]

... Fourth, actually. [Going to China with Momo will soon become his fifth.] I went to Alaska, during that month when everyone was sick.

[This is what happens when you time travel]

You did? I'm so proud of you~ Shintaro's taking the initiative by himself, for once.

What else was I supposed to do? Everyone else was still bedridden. I woke up and they were talking about missions. It's not like I had anything else to lose.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[closed; the Saga saga!]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject