Oh, that would be great! I would love to go to get some ice cream! I'll go over there right now!
[And without another thought, off Takeru and Patamon goes straight to the store! Sorry, Minato, right now, he just rreeeaaalllly wants out of the house!]
[Well, Takeru's taken off before Minato can say anything so he'll waste little time in getting dressed and to meet the both of them there.
He arrives some time later, apparently having walked at a casual pace as he's not out of breath at all. A hand is raised in greeting when he gets close.]
Good afternoon, Takeru-kun and Patamon. I didn't know you knew this place...it's pretty popular, huh.
[While Minato walked at a slower pace, Takeru just ran toward there! Of course he was out of breathe but the time he got there. It was a good thing that the older boy wasn't around or it would have taken him quite sometime to relax!
But by the time he did? That's when he spotted a certain blue haired boy nearby]
Y-Yeah I did! Whenever my friends are sad I think the best way to make them happy is to get some ice cream! Because no one can be sad when you have it!
[Kind of. Although, he did wonder if it would make him momentarily forget about Leia for a few minutes or so.
Is that so? [Minato smiles mildly, if only because he's guilty of having let Maiko eat whatever she wanted when she was upset too. He turns to look at the ice-cream shop, indicating that they might as well go in.]
Let's put a smile on your face then, Takeru-kun. Patamon too, if he'd like to have some.
I know that's what I did with Dipper-san a while ago and he seemed to be in a better mood afterwards.
[And in the back of his mind, he can hear how his brother was telling him it wasn't a good idea to eat ice cream in May but you know what? Did that really matter right now?
But this was where Patamon giggled]
Well, I wouldn’t mind but are you buying it for us? You don’t have to you know!
You don't have to worry about that, since I don't use my credit much... [And it's true too, he's fine really.]
And I'll have chocolate chip mint...that sounds kind of delicious. [He honestly prefers something more mild, but since Takeru's taking chocolate he might as well try something different.]
[As soon as he returned, the both of them let out a joy of laughter before running over to him!]
Thank you so much, Minato-san! You're the best! I really need to pay you again later!
[Without another thought, off he went to chomp of said ice cream before giving the spoon to Patamon!] But it’s really cold! I think I can feel an ice cream headache!
Don't worry, I promise I won't get it! And besides, if you do, you just place your tongue on top of your mouth! That's how my brother told me to it when I was younger!
You can try it too if you like! It’s kind of fun! [Except probably not really]
I'll pass. [A headache is the last thing Minato needs after struggling with it for weeks before this, and he's careful to avoid getting one by taking small scoops of his own ice-cream.
That said...he wonders about the reason why they're here in the first place. Did it have something to do with someone close to Takeru leaving?]
[Minato's listening to Takeru while eating his ice-cream, accidentally finishing it off faster than he would have since he isn't paying much attention to how much he's eating. That he was treating this rather like he was spirited away is a little concerning, though none of this is reflected in Minato's reply.]
I see. I don't think it's as much of a problem for them as it is with us, since we're made of code...not even CERES can take us away from our worlds and digitize our physical bodies. Remember what CERES said about the Nexus Code? We're more like back-ups, and our originals are still back there in our worlds.
Yeah but we could still get really badly hurt and it might affect our original bodies back home? It's kind of like what Koushirou-san said! If something bad happens to us here, it could really do a lot of damage back home!
[But then again, he wasn't all that great when it came to numbers and anything digital. As he kept staring at the ice cream and let Patamon finish the rest, he mumbled to himself]
Which is why I wonder if Leia-san is going to be okay.
Koushirou-san? I'm not sure why he thinks so, but people have been pulled out of the Nexus Code safely after vanishing, so it's not likely that any damage done to us will affect our worlds. [That's what Minato would like to think, but he has his own doubts about their presence in this city to begin with- still it's nothing they should be worried about unnecessarily and they're certainly not here to fret.
He blinks when he hears Leia's name, recognizing her from a conversation before this.]
So Leia-san vanished...she should be fine in there. Was that why you asked me out?
He mentioned how we're not really digital so we're still kind of human even when we're in the Digital World? I'm not really sure if I understand but that's what he said!
[But then again, after nearly getting themselves killed multiple times, they still turned out just fine. So who knows!
There was an even longer pause from him before he gave a nod. He didn't respond or say anything back. He just kept looking straight forward trying to figure out what to say next. ]
[Even someone as oblivious as Minato can sense how awkward things have become, and he's not sure how best to proceed with the conversation. He ponders it for a few seconds while leaning against the wall before tilting his head to look back at Takeru.]
...You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, Takeru-kun. [Nailed it.]
[Minato wants to say that he doesn't mean Takeru shouldn't say anything so much as that he shouldn't push himself beyond what's comfortable, but he decides not to push the matter.]
It's normal to miss someone when they're gone. ...have you talked to anyone else?
Yeah, I have but I'm starting to wonder if it might be a good thing Leia-san isn't here anymore. At least she's not going to be hurt by CERES anymore.
[Pause] Even if I don't like it.
[But the more that he thought about, the more he was resisting the urge to cry again. He didn't want to be called a crybaby, he was suppose to keep on being strong here!]
It's not selfish of me that I want her to stay longer is it?
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[But honestly, at this point, it feels like everything about Cerealia was reminding him of Leia. Not to mention his own anxieties as well]
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[That always does wonders for kids, doesn't it?]
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[And without another thought, off Takeru and Patamon goes straight to the store! Sorry, Minato, right now, he just rreeeaaalllly wants out of the house!]
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He arrives some time later, apparently having walked at a casual pace as he's not out of breath at all. A hand is raised in greeting when he gets close.]
Good afternoon, Takeru-kun and Patamon. I didn't know you knew this place...it's pretty popular, huh.
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But by the time he did? That's when he spotted a certain blue haired boy nearby]
Y-Yeah I did! Whenever my friends are sad I think the best way to make them happy is to get some ice cream! Because no one can be sad when you have it!
[Kind of. Although, he did wonder if it would make him momentarily forget about Leia for a few minutes or so.
Not to mention his family situation too...]
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Let's put a smile on your face then, Takeru-kun. Patamon too, if he'd like to have some.
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[And in the back of his mind, he can hear how his brother was telling him it wasn't a good idea to eat ice cream in May but you know what? Did that really matter right now?
But this was where Patamon giggled]
Well, I wouldn’t mind but are you buying it for us? You don’t have to you know!
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We should choose our flavors first though...
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[Uh...Takeru did have enough credits to pay Minato back right?]
Uh...I think we'll have chocolate! I think that's a good flavor! What about you, what are you doing to have Minato-san?
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And I'll have chocolate chip mint...that sounds kind of delicious. [He honestly prefers something more mild, but since Takeru's taking chocolate he might as well try something different.]
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Chocolate chip mint? I guess you must really like chocolate too! But you better be careful, the mint might make it even colder!
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He goes to the counter to pay for their ice-cream and returns soon enough, with an extra spoon in Takeru's ice-cream for Patamon's benefit.]
Here you go.
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Thank you so much, Minato-san! You're the best! I really need to pay you again later!
[Without another thought, off he went to chomp of said ice cream before giving the spoon to Patamon!] But it’s really cold! I think I can feel an ice cream headache!
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I've heard of those...wait for a while and see if it improves.
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Don't worry, I promise I won't get it! And besides, if you do, you just place your tongue on top of your mouth! That's how my brother told me to it when I was younger!
You can try it too if you like! It’s kind of fun! [Except probably not really]
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That said...he wonders about the reason why they're here in the first place. Did it have something to do with someone close to Takeru leaving?]
About your brother...do you miss him?
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Yeah, I do. I miss him a lot and sometimes, I wonder if he thinks about me back home. And my parents and my friends too.
I wonder if they're really worried about me right now and if they're really sad as well.
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I see. I don't think it's as much of a problem for them as it is with us, since we're made of code...not even CERES can take us away from our worlds and digitize our physical bodies. Remember what CERES said about the Nexus Code? We're more like back-ups, and our originals are still back there in our worlds.
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[But then again, he wasn't all that great when it came to numbers and anything digital. As he kept staring at the ice cream and let Patamon finish the rest, he mumbled to himself]
Which is why I wonder if Leia-san is going to be okay.
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He blinks when he hears Leia's name, recognizing her from a conversation before this.]
So Leia-san vanished...she should be fine in there. Was that why you asked me out?
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[But then again, after nearly getting themselves killed multiple times, they still turned out just fine. So who knows!
There was an even longer pause from him before he gave a nod. He didn't respond or say anything back. He just kept looking straight forward trying to figure out what to say next. ]
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...You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, Takeru-kun. [Nailed it.]
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No, I want to! If I don't, I think a lot of bad stuff would happen and my brother said that it wasn't a good thing to not say anything to anyone.
[Still, despite that, he was struggling to say what was on his mind. After a mumble or two though?]
...I think I just really miss Leia-san. Especially when she took care of me when I got here.
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It's normal to miss someone when they're gone. ...have you talked to anyone else?
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[Pause] Even if I don't like it.
[But the more that he thought about, the more he was resisting the urge to cry again. He didn't want to be called a crybaby, he was suppose to keep on being strong here!]
It's not selfish of me that I want her to stay longer is it?
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