Kanji: Yo, yo, yo! How's it hangin', Nao doll?
Naoto: K-Kanji-kun...?
Well, he certainly looks like Kanji-kun
But it only looks that way...
Kanji: Ya know, I been thinkin' The way ya talk is...so lame...
Naoto: H-Huh...?
I thought I was ready to face anyone, but this isn't a matter of being in my right mind or not
Is this an illusion?
Oh, please let this one be an illusion!
Kanji: It's like, way too uptight and goody-goody!...It makes ya sound so distant, ya dig?
Naoto: Is that so...?
Kanji: See, that's what I'm talkin' bout Ya coulda...just said, "Oh, ya think so?"
Naoto: Y-You think so?
Kanji: Yeah, now you're gettin' it! Now I feel...like I'm on your wavelength!
Naoto: Th-Thanks...
Naoto: Then again, relatability aside, I feel like...you were miles away from me to begin with...
Kanji: Heeeey, yer doin' it again What's with the...Ms Manners act?
Naoto: I'm sorry, it's a habit of mine...
Kanji: Or maybe it's that ya don't care about gettin'...close to us, huh? You don't feel like ya gotta...bother gettin' to know us and stuff?
Naoto: Of course I don't think... H-Hell no, man...
Kanji: Tch, you never warm up to anyone because you...set your standards so goddamn high...
Naoto: (Oh dear, he's shown his true self!)
Kanji: Is it you-know-what? Are ya putting on a show...of not lettin' anyone near you 'cause you got...no confidence in yourself? Is that it!?
Naoto: Kanji-kun...
They may be false accusations, but some of their statements are hitting home...
I can't brush off these words, and my heart aches...
Kanji: What's got you so nervous? Your height?...Your body? That girly voice?
Kanji: Then lemme give you a little lesson in...manliness! I hope you're ready for the...pain I'm bringin'! Haaaaaa!
This is insanity!
Naoto: W-Wait a second, I didn't say any--Ugh!
<BATTLE [vs KANJI]>
Naoto: Kanji-kun, are you all right?
Kanji: ...'Course I am Your attacks were like little...bug bites I just let my guard down, is all
I don't know if he's acting tough or trying to be courteous to me, but at least he's back to the usual Kanji-kun
The usual... Kanji-kun--
Usual?
Wait, didn't Yu-senpai say that, too...?
Well, at the very least, it seems that the spell is broken once the battle ends
I let out a sigh of relief
Still... For some reason, Kanji-kun has yet to look this way...
Naoto: Are you... really okay? I was told that the...others lost contact with you, so... how did...you come to be here?
Kanji: H-How? Well, I, uh... i-it was a change of pace?
Naoto: You came into the TV for a change of pace?...Did something happen? I'm willing to listen if...you'd like to talk about it...
Kanji: There's nothin' to talk about! I mean,...wait, n-not that I don't wanna talk to you...
Kanji: Like it's, it's not that I DO wanna talk or......that I don't wanna... A-Anyways, there's just...some times a man wants to go inside a TV by himself!
Naoto: I'm not sure I follow...
Kanji: Get off my back, will you!? I didn't come in here...because I like it... A-Actually, no, that is why...I came! Because I like this place!
When Kanji-kun turns around, his face is red But with anger, or something else...?
Naoto: I just don't understand why you're being so...loud about it and blushing so fiercely...
Kanji: I-I wasn't blushing!
Kanji: B-Besides, it's your fault! Y-You're the one...that was, uh, well, being all, you know...
Naoto: Me...? What are you talking about?
Kanji: Y-You want me to come out and say it!? Geez,...I thought you'd gone crazy 'cause of that!
Naoto: Me? Crazy? You were the one who was acting...oddly... calling me "Nao doll" and whatnot...
Kanji: "N-Nao doll"!? Why would I call you that!?
Naoto: Hm, wait a second...? Acting strangely...
I saw Kanji-kun as mad, and he saw me as the same
And yet, both of us claim that we hadn't gone crazy
...I get it now
That's why Yu-senpai called me "the usual Naoto"
Naoto: Ah, of course An illusion...
Kanji: Huh?
Naoto: I believe we were both under the illusion that...the other had lost their mind...
Naoto: That's why neither of us remembers saying what...the other heard...
Kanji: Illusions, huh?
Naoto: It must be a scheme to make friends fight each...other But if that's the case...
It's not as simple as the person I have to fight being "crazy"
Yu-senpai and Kanju-kun both said things that dig deep into my personal problems
If these are illusions, then whoever's creating them has to be someone who knows us...
Naoto: The ability to interfere with others' senses......the prior knowledge of us... putting it all...together, it must be...
Kanji: Must be what?
Naoto: The Teddie acting as the tournament's host,...as well as Rise-san, must be genuine...
Kanji: You moron There's no way it's them
I look up at Kanji-kun in surprise...
Kanji: That Ted and Rise are fakes C'mon, they're...not twisted like that You of all people...oughtta know
He doesn't have any proof
But his unshakeable trust in me sets me at ease
Even if I told him that Rise and Teddie are both missing, I'm sure his answer wouldn't change...
Naoto: Who else, then?
Kanji: Well, you know... there is someone here...besides us I saw her on my way here...
Kanji: Some girl with long hair...
Naoto: A girl...? Did she happen to be wearing a white...fur shawl and combat gear beneath it...?
Kanji: Fur? What're you talking about? She had on...a normal Yaso girl's uniform And her hair...was like, tied back...
Naoto: A female student with tied-back hair?...I don't recall anyone like that...
I thought he might have run into Kirijo-san, but that doesn't appear to have been the case
Is that girl Kanji-kun's talking about a suspect?
I can't tell for sure...
Naoto: I'll keep it in mind Well, I should be...moving on...
Kanji: Hold on, I'll come with... Wait, what the hell?
Ah The invisible walls again
Just like last time, I can't touch it myself...
Naoto: The rules seem to dictate that only the victor...can proceed I'll come for you later...
Kanji: Eh, don't bother I'll figure this out...myself somehow...
Kanji: That aside, you beat me... You better make...sure you're the champion in the end!
Naoto: That's completely irrelevant to the larger...objective...
I leave Kanji-kun behind and push on ahead
We're being shown illusions that portray our opponents as having lost their senses
But why is the host of this tournament going to such elaborate lengths?
Obviously, it's to get people who know each other to fight, but is that the only goal?
Still... I wonder how I had appeared to Senpai and Kanji-kun
I'm not that worried about Senpai, but thinking about Kanji-kun's reaction--how he had blushed--is burning a hole in my stomach
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