Was that also a prank? It didn't feel like it, but Ryusei's annoyance was influencing his frame of mind.
JK really had been his best option. He couldn't go to Joujima because he didn't quite know her well enough to determine if she would side with Tomoko and leave him to his fate. But if JK was going to append Ryusei's name and treat him like JK wasn't the younger of the two, that might be exactly what JK was doing. Kisaragi dropping his honorific was one thing; JK referring to him the way Kijima did was something altogether different.
It could be an admonishment at the way Ryusei was behaving—it was true that he was all out of sorts and panicking at something that might even possibly just be a psychosomatic reaction to the abject mortification of last week. But he didn't want to be admonished by JK of all people. "Don't call me that."
There was the possibility that JK wanted the information. Ryusei had been willing to barter that. He had already been warned early on by Kazashiro not to let JK use him. Ryusei had to maintain his cover, no matter how badly stressed he was; if he let on that he had anything to use, it would be JK who would find it out—Kisaragi's request that he help with the Switches notwithstanding.
However. However.... If there was one thing he had learned from Kijima, it was that JK would be there. JK didn't want to be alone. That was his weakness.
... He had no options. He couldn't fight properly with this thing weighing on him. Curse, or psychosomatic condition or whatever—it didn't matter so long as he took care of it. He had to remove obstacles in Meteor's—in Jirou's way. By any means he could. "... I need your help," he mumbled, head down.
no subject
JK really had been his best option. He couldn't go to Joujima because he didn't quite know her well enough to determine if she would side with Tomoko and leave him to his fate. But if JK was going to append Ryusei's name and treat him like JK wasn't the younger of the two, that might be exactly what JK was doing. Kisaragi dropping his honorific was one thing; JK referring to him the way Kijima did was something altogether different.
It could be an admonishment at the way Ryusei was behaving—it was true that he was all out of sorts and panicking at something that might even possibly just be a psychosomatic reaction to the abject mortification of last week. But he didn't want to be admonished by JK of all people. "Don't call me that."
There was the possibility that JK wanted the information. Ryusei had been willing to barter that. He had already been warned early on by Kazashiro not to let JK use him. Ryusei had to maintain his cover, no matter how badly stressed he was; if he let on that he had anything to use, it would be JK who would find it out—Kisaragi's request that he help with the Switches notwithstanding.
However. However.... If there was one thing he had learned from Kijima, it was that JK would be there. JK didn't want to be alone. That was his weakness.
... He had no options. He couldn't fight properly with this thing weighing on him. Curse, or psychosomatic condition or whatever—it didn't matter so long as he took care of it. He had to remove obstacles in Meteor's—in Jirou's way. By any means he could. "... I need your help," he mumbled, head down.