11.
Iona-san is surprisingly talkative in the store. All the LRIGs are, in their own ways. Yuzuki and Minowa are chattering like no one is looking at them strangely and Nogi is nodding along to Piriluk and… picking the wrong cards anyway. Multiple times. It'd be annoying if Piriluk didn't have a small smile plastered to her normally empty face.
"Are you listening?"
She meant to say yes, but Sumi felt her tongue lock up in her mouth. Iona sighed. "Of course not."
The lack of disappointment made her eyes water a little with rage and pain. "I'm sorry… this is all a bit much."
"They don't teach you deck building in Vertex training," Iona says without much change, like she hadn't spoken at all. "You should learn what you can here. Play a game."
Play? Talk to people. Try to win. Try to survive.
"They are not selected, like you." Iona then shrugs, actually shrugs. "Mostly. You should be fine. Losing here doesn't mean anything."
"Losing means a lot," she murmurs and finds Minowa-san is already playing. Each card is thrown down with a heavy flourish and Nogi…. Nogi-san watches and it hurts for whatever reason.
Sumi goes to find a game. It could be fun, after all.
