Welp, had to split the chapter again. One day this story will end I swear.

Thanks as always for oddvector's help!

Scale 5: Bootleg Tune

So, how did Fret want to do this? Should he just have...asked? Technically that made the most sense, and he needed to be more sincere and stuff anyway, but something about just asking somebody, 'Hey, how do you deal with not having empathy?' felt…awkward. Like asking a blind person how they dealt with not seeing. How was he supposed to say that without feeling rude? Was he just overthinking it?

Maybe Fret was overthinking it because he and Shoka were stuck waiting in line for the newest release of Gatto Nero merch. Roasting outside 104 was not how Fret normally liked to start his mornings, but these were Mr. Mew posters were signed by none other than Shiki Misaki and Eri Okazaki, so of course Shoka really wanted it

"Man, this sucks," grumbled Shoka, as she finally put her phone away. She had probably been texting Rindo or playing FanGO.

"I know right?" said Fret. "We got here at like 6:00 AM, and there's already a line stretching past 104? Man, I hope they don't run out of merch before we even get up there…" Though if they ran out or something he'd gladly let Shoka claim the goods instead.

"They better not." Scowling, Shoka folded her arms.. "Ugh, makes me wish we still had psychs. We'd rock these losers in a Player brawl no problem."

Man, Shoka just had to go and remind Fret that sync was no longer a thing they could do. "Bummer, no more power of friendship for the win, huh?"

"Not like that anyway," said Shoka, before tugging on her hoodie sleeve. It was kinda funny seeing how she loved pulling on her beloved Mr. Mew hoodie in all kinds of ways, while Rindo meticulously protected his hoodie with napkins as he ate. "I hate feeling so…weak, I guess, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah…" said Fret. "Almost feels like…I dunno, that I'm missing limbs or something, even though I didn't lose anything? But I got like that ghost body thing going on?"

"Ghost body? You mean like phantom limbs?" asked Shoka.

"Yeah, that thing!" said Fret. "Like my body keeps thinking the sync and psych powers are still there and there's this…like, pins-and-needles feeling all over my Soul? And it almost feels like the feeling goes beyond my Soul, but it can't be, right? Because the connection's gone."

"Yeah, I get that too." Shoka rubbed her shoulder. "Gotta admit, still feels wrong that I don't have my wings anymore."

"Wait, you had wings?" asked Fret. "Since when?"

"Uh, yeah? All Reapers have them," said Shoka. "It's just we…the Shinjuku Reapers always kept theirs hidden. Made us—them look more professional. At least that's what Ayano said." She suddenly looked sadder.

Fret's expression wilted too. "I…never really knew her, but Ayano seemed nice. I mean, she only attacked us because…"

"I know." Shoka's arms fell to her sides.

There Fret went, speaking without thinking. That was probably still a raw wound for Shoka, just as losing Kanon still hurt for him. "You think Kanon would have hung out with us after the Game? If she…she was still here?"

"Dunno," said Shoka. "Maybe? Or maybe she would have gone Reaper instead. She wanted that Game to end, but she didn't seem to mind the Game, if that makes sense?"

Kanon had said she would have been fine playing one more fair match against Motoi. "Maybe? But I…I just don't know? I don't really know anything about Kanon, really…" He had considered searching for Kanon's history online, but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it. Because what if she had been one of the 'living' Players? That would mean that her entire existence had gotten deleted, including any trace of her previous life. The thought of Kanon only being remembered as a footnote in the UG, despite everything she'd done…That wasn't a possibility Fret was ready to face yet.

Man, why did he waste so much time trying to butter her up instead of actually talking? Even if they'd just talked about something shallow like fashion…

"She…I remember Kanon kinda being a jerk at first?" said Shoka. "But she…Well, she was always really hard to read, but…But she seemed to really grow into a leader over the cycles, y'know? Not just in terms of getting better at strategy, but taking care of her team members too. And I think…I think that's how the Shinjuku Game is supposed to work. You probably won't win the first time, but you learn how to be a better team, and once you're good enough at it you eventually win."

Yeah. If only the Variabeauties had actually been in a fair Game…"Did you ever actually see a proper Shinjuku Game?"

"Some, yeah," said Shoka, hands on her hips. "Didn't last long though. I saw just enough to believe in Shiba, before that Kubo guy started making him lose it." She sighed, arms falling to her sides again. Fret guessed that that meant sadness or something "And that's why I couldn't go back to being a Reaper. Not for the power, not for the sync, not for what's left for my Reaper family. Seeing how easily the Game can be corrupted…I can't work for that kind of system."

Fret was quiet at first. This was not the first time they had stumbled awkwardly into this topic. And logically, it made sense. If you found out your job could force you to do evil things, you should quit, no matter how much you liked the pay or the coworkers. But, until the Composer himself intervened, the only other thing she had to choose was…Almost absently, Fret picked at the black cap on his belt.

"I know you still don't agree with what I chose, and you probably never will," Shoka went on. "Hell, you'd probably happily run around as a Reaper as long as you could sync with other people."

"I…" Fret began. Would he be happy as a Reaper, if he could just feel that connection all the time? With his natural empathy fried, it probably wouldn't even be that hard to…He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "No, I wouldn't want to be a Reaper either. I'm not gonna erase people just so I can keep a sync going." He squeezed the black cap. "And I definitely don't want to die for real to get it either."

"Good," said Shoka. "Because now that I'm back in the RG, I wanna really learn how to live, y'know? And part of that is getting used to dealing with people in a non-Reaper way. The whole lack of empathy thing…really doesn't help, but whatever!"

"Oh yeah, what do you, uh, try to do to balance that out?" asked Fret, hoping that didn't sound too awkward.

"Balance it out?" asked Shoka. "Like, balance out not having empathy? I don't know. But I find just asking people how they're feeling helps? At least kinda?"

Fret tilted his head. "That's it?"

"Yeah?" said Shoka. "I mean, if I just don't get how the other person is feeling at all, I should just ask, right? It's better than assuming how they're feeling and being completely wrong."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," said Fret.

"So how are you feeling?" asked Shoka. "Because it's really hard to tell with you sometimes."

"Uh…just worried about stuff, I guess?" said Fret. "The whole empathy thing, feeling weak without the sync, what I'm even gonna do for the future…'Cause I have no idea what I wanna do after I'm done with school. I kept on expecting to eventually see a career and go, 'Yep, that's me! That's what I wanna do until I'm an old geezer!' but I'm kinda running out of time now. I don't even know what college I wanna go to, or even if I wanna go to college."

"Oh I feel that," said Shoka. "I thought my literal forever career was gonna be Reaperhood, but here I am, alive again, and being a ex-Reaper isn't exactly something I can put on a resume. So I don't have a clue what I'm gonna do either."

They were both quiet for a little bit.

"Y'know, I have been going to this acting club at school, and that's been pretty fun," said Shoka. "I dunno if I could make a career out of it or anything, but it's kinda nice to just, well, act out emotions without hurting anybody? And I find it helps me understand people's expressions a little more, which helps with the whole lack of empathy thing. Really paying attention to my body language for the first time ever, I guess. Helps me pick up more on what others are doing, too."

"Oh huh, never thought of that," said Fret. He had done plenty of acting in his life, every single day, but that had only been to hide his true feelings. He had never used it to actually look at what other people were doing.

"You could join us if you like," said Shoka. "I bet you'd be pretty good."

"Y'know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Fret pointed to her and winked. "So sure, I'd love to! Just sign me up next time we're at school!"

"Will do." Shoka smiled, then glanced up the long, snaking queue that had barely moved. "If we don't die of old age in this line first, that is."

IIIIII

Beat was still the broest bro ever, as he and Fret scampered around Shibuya on the weekends. Beat was trying to teach Fret how to skateboard, and Fret was…sort of succeeding? He did his first olly the other day, which was pretty cool. All the tumbles and bruises from the not-ollies…less cool. Good thing Fret was wearing heavier, more concealing clothing nowadays.

"You got this!" shouted Beat, as Fret doubled over panting. "Jus' draw on my Soul to…" Beat paused, looking up and rubbing his shoulder. "Uh, wait, dat's…"

Fret snorted, before plopping back-first onto the grass of Miyashita Park. "So you miss it too, huh? The sync?" He remembered how he'd nearly faceplanted onto the sidewalk a couple days before, because he'd kept thinking that all he'd needed to do was draw energy from the others to keep going.

Beat heaved a sigh, sitting down next to Fret. "Yeah. Both Games I was in were wack, but gotta admit the sync stuff…first time it happened, it was like I finally understood another person, an' they understood me too. No misunderstandin' or nuthin', jus' straight up, 'This is how I feel, an' this is how you feel, and Noise hurt both of us so let's kick some Noise ass!"

"Yeah, that's how it was with me too!" exclaimed Fret, sitting up. "And me and Rindude were friends well before the Game!"

"Yo, my first partner was Rhyme, an' I known her since she was born," said Beat. "An' yet, I didn't know her know her 'til the Game stuff."

"Yeah, the sync sure is something else, huh?" asked Fret, staring up at the few clouds in the otherwise sunny sky.

"Yeah," admitted Beat, growing quiet for a while. "I mean the syncs were different in both Games, but also kinda not? Same kinda thing done different ways I guess." Another pause, longer this time. "This sync roast thing…I think it happened to me last Game too."

"Really?" asked Fret. "Well I guess your Game went for about as long, huh?"

"Oh, yeah, you was in it for three weeks, huh?" said Beat. "Like the first week was normal, or as normal as a Game gets I guess, but toward the end I…" He swallowed. "…Lost Rhyme, an' that should've been the end of me, but Mr. H—"

Who?

"—did this thing where she got turned into a Noise pin and I could still pact with her somehow. I'unno how that works. But I didn't feel nuthin' from her like that. An' then, when I became a Reaper and could actually use the pin…I mean, she was a Noise. Now she was nice for a Noise. Would help me fight or even just vibe with me or whatever, but…but it don't feel good to be synced to a Noise, no matter how nice the Noise is."

Fret thought about those times where he'd been stuck in a Rex belly, the screeching blasting his Soul at all sides. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"But then I managed to form a pact with Neku, even though me an' Rhyme was still tight. Pacted, dat is. Dunno how that works either," Beat continued. "An' then Shiki joined us, an' then even Prissy-Kid started to help—"

"Prissy-Kid?"

"Joshua. The Composer guy."

"Oh," said Fret. "Wait, you guys synced with the Composer?"

"Sorta? I don't think he was fully synced or whatever? Composers are weird," Beat went on. "Anyway, we had one of those big sync attacks too, kinda? An' I remember my feelings being all messed up after that, kinda like now."

"So this happened to you before?" Fret asked, before carefully considering his next question. "And it…got better?"

Beat hummed, rubbing his shoulder again. "It was…guess it is kinda the same thing, but the first time it wasn't quite as…like, I…" He glanced over to Fret, before sighing. "I didn't feel nearly as cooked when I helped Neku with that first big team attack or whatever, so it didn't feel as bad as this does." Another silence. Beat almost never had this much trouble talking, that was more of a Rindo thing. "But I dunno if I ever really…like, when I ended up in the UG again, an' got onto your team, an' jus' felt all that sync at once…man, I was actually kinda happy to be in the Game again. At least, for a while."

"So it…didn't get better?" Fret's shoulders drooped.

"Not really, I guess." admitted Beat, rubbing the back of his head again. "But I guess I kinda got used to it, so I stopped noticin' it so much."

Fret stayed silent. He didn't want to just 'get used to' being like this. Even though, if things really didn't get better…No, they had to! "You sure you tried everything?" Oof, that probably sounded bad.

"Been tryin' stuff for years, yo," said Beat. "Starin' at the other person, copyin' how the other person moves, doin' stand-up comedy wit' Rhyme…"

"Wait, what does stand-up comedy have to do with anything?" asked Fret.

"It was Rhyme's idea," said Beat. "Said it might help me get people more if I saw them laughin' at our jokes. An' I mean, it did kinda help, 'cause I started understandin' other people's faces more. Which is what Rhyme said it would help wit', so she wasn't wrong. But connecting emotionally? Nah. Though I do find copyin' people helps some. Like, you do the same thing they're doing, an' it makes you think about how you usually feel when you move your body that way."

"Huh. I guess that makes sense?" said Fret. "Still…Kind of a bummer that it didn't help more. Do you think that there's a way to fix our empathy? I mean, there's gotta be, right?"

"Probably. But I ain't got a clue how that'd work," admitted Beat.

"Really? None at all?" Fret almost whined. "Oh, what about the Composer guy? Maybe he could do something?"

"Nope."

Fret spun around at the barely-familiar voice, but by then Joshua was already disappearing.

"You!" Beat yelled, even though the Composer was already gone. He snorted in disgust. "Dat guy…See what I mean? Like, remember how I said Rhyme got…turned into a pin an' Noise an' all dat shit? Well, accordin' to that damn Prissy-Kid, that means she lost. Which means she never got her entry fee back. No matter what she an' I could tried to do 'bout it."

"Entry fee?" asked Fret.

"Oh right, you guys didn't have those in yo' Game," said Beat. "Basically, you had to give up yo' most precious thing to play. If you won, you got it back an' got to do whatever you wanted afterward."

"All or nothing, huh?" Fret's eyes wandered as he thought about it. "I guess that makes sense? Go big or go home, right?"

"Thing is, the way dat first Game was set up, if you lost yo' partner, then you would get yo' ass erased seven minutes later too. So one partner winnin' an' the otha losin' wasn't a normal thing. An' nothing was normal 'bout dat Game after Week 2 anyway! So dat wasn't Rhyme's fault!"

"Yikes, so Rhyme lost the most important thing to her, forever?" Fret asked. "Was it, like...something a relative gave her? Or some super exclusive thing she couldn't ever get again? She still has that pendant, though..."

"Nah, entry fees wasn't no physical things. It was stuff like yo' memories, yo' appearance, someone else's memories of you, yo'...yo' dreams..." Beat's voice trailed off for a moment, before he went on, his expression twisted in...Fret squinted at Beat's drawn-in eyebrows and downturned mouth...rage? "If anythin', I'd say that she shoulda been a winner because I won that Game, an' I was her partner! But Prissy-Kid? He don't care, yo. He didn't even show up this time 'til things was almost over! An' even then he…Well, he kept Kitty Girl from gettin' erased, but that was 'bout it. What I'm sayin' is, even if you could track 'im down, he ain't gon' give a rat's ass 'bout the empathy thing."

"Tee hee, that's a little unfair, don't you think? It's not that I don't give a 'rat's ass' about them." Oh look, Joshua was back, this time sitting at a nearby picnic table. "Even I have my limits. Just because I watch over Shibuya doesn't mean I can do everything."

"Yeah, you sure do a lotta watchin' alright." Beat scowled. "An' not much else."

"Oh trust me, I have plenty to do at all times," said Joshua. "But this is something I couldn't help with, even if I'd wanted to. So instead of whining about what you don't have and begging for scraps, why don't you appreciate what you do have instead?" Then he vanished again.

Fret groaned as he turned around, folding his arms. "Man, seriously? Well, guess that's one option down." So much for his galaxy-brain idea. Still, he put on a smile. "But we'll figure something out, Beat-buddy! Don't worry!"

Beat put one hand on Fret's shoulder. "I ain't too worried, man." He frowned. "You sure seem worried though. Not that I can blame ya."

"Wha? How could you tell?" asked Fret, looking back at him. "I wasn't even facing you."

"Your shoulder's all tense and stuff," said Beat. "Guess that's another thing I do. Jus' touchin' people. That can kinda help too, when I ain't sure wha's going on widdem."

"Yeah, I think I do that too, actually," said Fret, thinking back to when he and Rindo just hugged each other and cried. Both a good and bad memory? "It, uh, makes the other person seem more real, if that makes sense? Makes me feel more real too."

"You ain't feelin' real?" asked Beat, now looking much more concerned. "Do you have that, whatchu call it, that dissolution thing?"

"Dissolution?" Well, sometimes it felt like that, but that's probably not what Beat meant. "You mean dissociation?"

"Yeah, that thing!" Beat said. "I ain't good with words, man."

"Even if you aren't good with words, you're good with your heart, Beat-buddy! And that's what really counts! Never would have known your empathy got burned up if I wasn't there." said Fret. "And I mean…maybe?" Was this a thing from before the Game too? "I wonder if that Hishima guy was right about me."

"Who dat?" asked Beat.

"He's the brown-haired Reaper guy with glasses and the one funky glove," Fret clarified. "Shiba's ex-bestie. Or maybe just his ex. It's hard to tell with those two."

"Oh! Dat guy!" exclaimed Beat. "What he say 'bout you? We need to go to the UG an' punch his lights out?"

"I-I dunno about that," Fret said quickly. "He said something about me sucking at connecting to others naturally, and that's why I got so into the sync? Because it was easier and without the baggage of actually mind-reading?" He paused. "But maybe it's more like I was kinda scared to get to know people? Because then people would get to know me too? And, uh…not being sure if they would like what they see?"

"You great though, yo!"

"…Thanks?" said Fret, smiling but still not entirely sure how to process such a direct compliment.

"But then dat'd be true for everybody, right?" Beat added, "Everybody wants attention, an' with the sync you'd be getting that attention without the extra steps."

"Boss sure doesn't like attention though."

"An' I don't get that at all," said Beat. "Who doesn't want more attention, yo? I mean I guess Phones is kinda like that too, but even he enjoys sync stuff. Though he wasn't super into it last Game for some reason. Weird. Guess 'cause he joined so late or sumthin'."

"Maybe?"

"Anyway, most brothas want some attention, so I don't think it's weird or bad dat you wanted attention through the sync an'all," said Beat. "Especially if you just didn't know how to connect with people normally, or were kinda scared to, or whatever. But not gettin' attention, 'specially when you really want it…Ain't fun at all, yo."

"…Yeah, it really isn't."

Both of them were quiet.

"I know I jus' went on about how I loved the sync 'cuz it helped me really connect an' understand people…" Beat began. "But when I firs' got it, I jus' liked the attention I got from it. It was attention I didn't have to change myself for, or change anyone else for. It wasn't a competition to see who could get more attention. It was jus' attention, no judgmental bullshit attached."

"Yeah, I kinda get that," said Fret. "Though I think for me it was more…being able to be emotionally closer to people, in general? There was still a natural barrier there at first, but that was more of a safety thing rather than an obstacle. And after a while, even that part was gone, even before that big sync attack at the end. Because I didn't want it there anymore." Fret laid a hand on his chest. "This fried empathy thing's bad enough on its own, but for it to come right after all that…it's rough. I still miss it, even though I shouldn't."

"Me too, brotha," said Beat.

Both were silent again for a while.

"Man, enuffa dat depressing stuff today. You ready for more ollies?"

"Yeah, let's do it to it!"

"Yo, dat's my line!"

IIIIII Rindo Scene 2

Fret and Rindo were eating onigiri on the bench at the West Exit bus stop, because 115 yen riceballs were literally all they could afford right now. Not being able to erase Noise for pins to sell sucked. Sure they had a surplus of clothes from their time in the Game, but that stuff would be laughably old by the next season. Well, except maybe the ninja outfit. Ninjas were forever.

Fret watched as Rindo carefully zipped his coat shut to protect his precious hoodie, and a moment later Fret did the same. Fret watched as Rindo crossed his legs, and Fret did the same. Rindo watched as Fret watched him tuck both hands into his pockets, and Fret did the…Oh wait, he didn't have pockets on this coat…

Rindo squinted at him. "What are you doing?"

"Uh, mimicking your body language to see if that helps me understand you better." Fret smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a thing Beat does. He says it helps."

Rindo only seemed slightly less annoyed. "Is it working?"

"Nope! Surprised it took you this long to notice though." Fret grinned and winked.

Rindo let out something between a sigh and a groan.

"Yeah, I've just been trying out a lot of things to make up for the empathy stuff." Fret leaned back against the bench. "Some stuff does, some stuff doesn't. Like, the acting club stuff kinda works, but also kinda doesn't, since I just sorta…automatically distance myself when I'm putting on a performance. It's still a lot of fun though, especially with Shokie. And Boss suggested this weird 'literally visualize your empathy as an object you can turn in your brain' thing, but man my brain can't even focus on basic stuff sometimes, muh less something super elaborate like that."

"You mean the rotating 3D things in your head?" Rindo crumpled up the onigiri wrapper and stuffed it in his bag. "Yeah, Nagi told me about that too. You're not supposed to imagine your empathy as an object. It's more like, mentally rotating stuff uses the same brain circuits as looking from someone else's point of view or something."

"Yeah, that thing!"

"Uh-huh. I don't really get the science behind it, but it sorta helps sometimes? I'm not sure why, but it does."

"If even your eighty-six-on-the-mock-exam genius brain doesn't get it, then mine sure doesn't!" Fret answered cheerfully. "But see, that's what I'm talking about! Some stuff works better for me, but other stuff might work better for you! You won't know what does and doesn't work until you try it!"

"Guess you got a point," said Rindo. "So what stuff does work for you then?"

"Uh, well just asking how people are feeling usually works pretty well, even if it feels a bit awkward," said Fret. "And like, physical contact helps sometimes too, though I usually use it more as a grounding thing. And…I think that's mostly it right now? I'm trying to get better at reading more subtle expressions, but I still suck at that."

'Yeah I have trouble with that too," said Rindo. "The other thing I've been trying is kinda something I already did. I figured it out a little myself during the Game when I had to step up and actually be leader of the Wicked Twisters, thanks to someone putting me in that position."

Fret's smile grew a little anxious. "Are you still mad about that?"

"Nah, I'm just joking," said Rindo, and the slight smile afterward proved it. "Anyway, I didn't know the thing I'd been doing had a name until Nagi and I were looking up some stuff about practicing empathy. It's, uh...something called reflective listening. Basically, it's a way of making sure you're listening to the other person. Really listening. Like, without judging what they're saying or how they're saying it. And then putting it in your own words, so you know they're listening."

"Uh, I don't think I really get it. You're just saying back what they were saying? Like a parrot?"

"Uh, like, when the other person says something, you really pay attention to their words—and body language and other stuff, if you can—and then try to figure out what they're saying, and what they're not saying, so you can summarize and say it back to them." Rindo looked down and closed his eyes. Maybe he did that when he was...thinking? Yeah, that sounded about right for him. "Stuff like, 'It sounds like you feel pretty frustrated about that,' or 'So it's like the thing you're really stressed about disappointing that person'. Things like that?"

"Oh yeah, you do say stuff like that!"

"I think the most important part is...well, first, it lets me figure out what they're really thinking and feeling, since they'll tell me if I've got something wrong. 'Oh, sounds like you're really anxious about the test.' 'No, I'm really anxious about the big project being due the same day.' You know? And second...it makes people feel listened to. Even if I get it wrong, they feel like I'm empathizing with them. Or I guess it's not empathizing anymore. That I care about them? Something like that."

"Gotcha," said Fret. "It's like, really making sure you understand the other person. Kinda like what Shokie does."

"Yeah...it's sorta like that. Except Shoka just asks the person, 'What are you feeling?' and I'm trying to guess what they're feeling or thinking. Sometimes people aren't sure what they're actually feeling until you ask them more in-depth questions, or until you name the emotion. Like someone might know they're upset but not what kind of upset, until you ask if they're anxious about something, and then it hits them."

Fret knew that feeling all too well, and talking to others about his confused feelings did help a lot of times. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"But it can really suck sometimes, to guess wrong. It can hurt you and the other person. But when you're right, it can bring you a lot closer." Rindo paused. "But I think that just asking people is good too. Makes them feel listened to, too, you know? Just in a different way. Yeah, I should try more of that kind of stuff. Especially since…" He looked...Fret considered the slightly thinned mouth and downcast gaze...troubled. "Since our empathy hasn't gotten better after all these months, even a little bit…"

Fret was quiet at first. "Do you really think our empathy is screwed forever?"

"I don't know," said Rindo. "Shoka seems to think so, and she was a Reaper for years, so she would know, right? And Neku…" He sighed. "I think, at the very least, it's gonna take years to heal, maybe even decades. So we can't rely on it anytime soon."

"Years, huh?" Fret stared off into the crowd. And that was being optimistic about it. Years without being able to properly connect to others, and formative years too. High school, college, trying to actually get a job and a life…

Fret yelped, suddenly sitting up straight, as Rindo touched his wrist.

"What? I'm just trying this touch thing you were talking about earlier." Rindo's slight smirk told Fret that he was more amused than anything. "And you give me a hard time about being touched."

Fret couldn't help but chuckle a little. Maybe Rindo had a point. It wasn't like he hadn't done things like hold his hand before. Why was Fret so flighty about this still? "D-Does it help?"

"It helps me confirm that you're a dork," said Rindo.

"Like you're one to talk, playing FanGO all day."

"Oh yeah, EleStra enjoyer?"

"Hey, it's EleStraniac to you!"

"I rest my case."

…Okay, that wasn't an argument Fret was gonna win anytime this century. Though Fret didn't entirely play EleStra just for fun…But he could tell Rindo that when Fret was less annoyed with him.

Still, with stupid banter like this, almost like everything was normal…Maybe it would be okay after all.

IIIIII

Nagi had offered EleStra to Fret as a way to help Fret communicate better, and in a weird way it did. It was easy enough to ramble on about the characters and story with Nagi. She asked him about how he felt about things, and he stayed away from all spoilers so he could give her his honest opinion and not everyone else' there were some opinions in the fanbase that both Fret and Nagi agreed with, like the difficulty spike at that second boss fight against that random-ass no-name general who turned into a raven and kept dropping buildings on their heads, like what the hell was that about?

But what Fret found really useful was the details in the characters' expressions. On those bad days he could take the time to really study them and figure out what they meant, maybe ask Nagi for help if he needed to. Maybe that was why Nagi was so good at reading people, even with her empathy all jacked up.

"'Tis a rather...disconcerting feeling indeed," said Nagi, when Fret had asked if her empathy had gotten as cooked as everyone else's. They were on the way to Cutie Pies to play the new EleStra chapter and sob about its plot twists over pancakes. "Though my emotions often react so strongly to others that…hrmm, 'tis almost a relief at times to have less of it. It allows me to read a person or situation more objectively than before, and to not be distracted by the pain of others."

Not the answer Fret expected. "Wait, you don't miss it?"

"Herherhrmmm…" Nagi picked at her lip, her mouth an uncertain squiggle. She always displayed her emotions so theatrically that Fret didn't have much trouble keeping up. Actually, come to think of it...Nagi had just been copying the sprite stances from EleStra, hadn't she? If only everyone could do that, Fret could've read them as easily as he read her. "To claim that I don't miss the positive feelings that kind of connection can bring would be false. The excitement of a throng of EleStraniacs rejoicing at the latest chapter reveal…Not that I myself do not still salivate at the mere thought of more L-Lord Tomonami, but to not sense the ravenous fervor of others…I understand that others are happy, can clearly see the glee in their faces, and am happy for their happiness, but my excitement simply cannot reach the same peak as before when I cannot sense their emotions alongside my own."

"I see. Guess that makes sense," said Fret. He paused. "Sorry that your empathy is messed up, Boss."

Nagi shook her head. "'Tis nothing to apologize for, Lord Tosai. 'Twould be preferable as something that I could have turned on and off at whim. But if I had to choose between always experiencing it, and never experiencing it...I prefer my current existence, post-Game."

"...Oh." Fret honestly wasn't sure what to say to that. So she was like Minamimoto then? At least kinda?

"However, even if I felt differently and longed for my empathy to return from the war, the final attack on Phoenix Cantus was a scenario none of us could have prevented. We needed to sync up to perform our duties as Players, just as Lord Rindo had to perform Replay, despite its dire consequences, in order for us to win the Game. Did you not say this yourself to Lord Rindo during the final battle?"

Fret laughed a little. "Oh yeah, I did." His shoulders slumped a little. "I think he still blames himself for it sometimes though."

"Just as you blame yourself for loving the sync?"

Ouch. Nagi sure knew how to find and ya-ta-ta-ta those weak spots to submission. "I mean, yeah I get it, we had to be synced and stuff. But I didn't have to be so…It was all I could think about sometimes, just wanting to get into the next fight, the next sync, even as the fights got more dangerous. Even after the sync stopped feeling good. And even now, there are a lot of days where I just feel awful without it."

"Is today one of those days?" asked Nagi.

"No, today's not so bad." Fret rubbed the back of his neck. "Though I think it helps that I'm getting better at reading people's faces and body language and stuff, whether I'm having a bad day or not. Like, I don't have to try as hard to get how someone's feeling, even if I don't feel it feel it, so it doesn't stress me out as much?"

"Then you are already growing stronger, Lord Tosai." Nagi smiled softly. An impressive replica of Lord Tomonami's smile...one that Fret recognized without a second thought. Maybe if he studied everyone else enough, he'd have that good of a grasp on their emotions, too. "We are all adapting to this unusual condition together. There's no shame in needing support as we navigate through this. Or anything else you require assistance with."

Fret managed a chuckle. "Guess you're right."

"No guessing is needed." Nagi adjusted her glasses. "Lord Tosai, let me make this clear. What happened to you, and to all of us, was not your fault, no matter how willing you were to be a part of that system. You did not choose to be part of that system, and, once you were part of it, you couldn't leave, unless you wanted to submit to certain death. There was nothing that could have been done about any of it, so do not blame yourself for what cannot be controlled."

"Yeah, you're right. I know you're right," said Fret, his hands on his hips as he stared at the ground.

"Lord Tosai." Nagi posed dramatically with her hand in front of her face, like Lord Tomonami did whenever he was about to give some life-altering speech, and it made Fret crack a smile. "Empathy certainly eased my learning curve on attending to others. Yet I still deliberately honed my skills in compassion throughout my lifetime, and I continue to do so now."

"Oh, yeah, I remember you talking about this during the Game." Fret folded his arms over his chest, trying to remind himself. If only he still had that power—oh yeah! "You said something like...'No special powers required', right?"

"Indeed."

"I guess that empathy really is a 'special power' we don't have now.." His hands drifted back to his hips. "Man..."

Nagi clasped her hands in front of her. That one wasn't a Lord Tomonami sprite, but a Nagi original. And Fret...had hung out with Nagi enough and asked her enough questions about what she did that he still knew what that meant. Meant that she was actively thinking about him. Worrying about him. Caring about him. "All the more reason to continue your EleStra studies, both for particular comrades-in-arms and more broadly. 'Tis a subject we have much opportunity to study together."

He smiled, a little more widely this time. "Study buddies, huh?"

She nodded, beaming at him. Another Nagi original: warm encouragement. Didn't need to feel it to get it.

"...Thanks, Boss." For a moment, his heart didn't feel so far away, but then he glanced at the TAKESHITA crowd: so many faces who might as well have been blank for all the emotions he recognized. Fret's smile faded. "But I still feel bad about how hard I went into the sync, y'know? Because there's…well, a lot of things I couldn't really do much about…" Thoughts of Kanon and his friend flickered across his mind. "...But that doesn't keep me from feeling guilty about it anyway. How do I just…let go and move on?"

"Hrrmm, 'tis…not a question easily answered," admitted Nagi. caressing her chin. "It comes with time and support, but how long it takes depends on the individual. Nor can it be rushed, by yourself and other people. Give it as much time as you need to heal."

Time to heal, huh? Hopefully it wouldn't take the rest of his life.

In the meantime, he and Nagi had time to read the latest chapter together. The enigmatic Lord Barasa had finally appeared, which meant Fret had a whole new set of sprites and emotions to learn. But he wasn't alone this time. He had a study buddy: Nagi did, too.

Eri doesn't have a canon last name, so instead her VA's surname Okazaki is being used instead.

Next time will be the final chapter for real! It's mostly done, so the update shouldn't take too long.