Character Story 1: The Effectiveness of Dining Together, and Follow-up Observations

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One day, as Yuuki walks through the main road, he hears the voice of a young girl from the shadows of some bushes.

???
It seems this is as far my fate has brought me.

???
To think this would happen to me of all people. It'd been a while since my last exploration; it seems I'd forgotten what a serious undertaking this was. I wonder if the sages of my hometown would forgive me for passing on before them.

???
Upon reflection, it was quite the mediocre life. They were days where I spent content in my circumstances, indulging myself in books as if they were water.

???
What do you think, Rosetta? Do you think that my life up until now has left anything of value in this world?

Yuuki
1. Move closer to where the voice is coming from.

???
Hmm? It seems someone's come, Rosetta.

???
Well, well... Mine was a lifetime resigned to solitude with neither friends nor family members to care for me, but if this passing boy were to care for me in my final moments, then that would surely be the sign of some greater power at work.

???
Hmm... You've come all this way, young boy. As a parting gift for the next world, could you give me your name?

???
It's Yuuki. A fine name. I'll take note of it to carry into the afterlife. Memo, memo...

???
I'm Yuni. I am a rotting, fleeting soul that studies at the "Ivory Tower" of St. Teresa's School for Girls.

Yuuki
1. "You're a child... right?"
2. "Are you... an adult?"

Option 1.

Yuni
I am already used to the fact that this immature and lovely appearance is prone to being mistaken for a child. It has its inconveniences, but for now I'll take that as a compliment.

Option 2.

Yuni
That is a difficult question. Neither have I lived long enough to declare that to be true, nor am I currently young enough to refute it.

End of branches.

Yuni
The me now is neither a child, nor an adult, but the range in between. I'm a girl transitioning to a woman, a pupa in season.

Yuni
Albeit a bit more slowly, compared to the average of people my age.

Yuni
However, it's likely that I am older than you. With words full of respect and adoration, you will refer to me as Yuni-senpai from now on, kouhai.

Yuuki
1. "Yuni-senpai, you look like you're about to die."
2. "Yuni-senpai, you look well."

Option 1.

Yuni
It was inevitable. Without the fortune of receiving help from anyone, someone as frail as me was sure to meet a cruel and untimely end.

Yuni
By the way, I'm changing the topic, but are you aware of the term, "conscious negligence?"

Yuni
For example, on a midwinter, freezing night, a drunken man falls asleep on the roadside. If one were to pass by this man, without waking him up, and he were then found to have frozen to death the next morning, those who chose not to wake him up are guilty of a crime... is how that line of thinking goes.

Yuni
Oops, that was rude of me. I accidentally derailed the conversation. That was a topic that had nothing to do with you. Well, from now on you should trust in your own views of the world. Go on now.

Option 2.

Yuni
"You look well." Hmm. Despite my repeated attempts at showing myself to clearly be dying, "You look well," is what you say when looking at my glazed-over expression.

Yuni
What we see is the truth -- I wonder if it's about time that humanity brought that proposition into question.

Yuni
It's nothing more than a hypothesis that someone twisted like me has come up with, but I think that from the very beginning, this world was plastered with falsehoods. As such, an eye capable of seeing past something's true nature is exactly what's crucial, kouhai.

End of branches.

Yuuki
1. What is any of that supposed to mean?

Yuni
That's what I'm always searching for. Is there perhaps a reason for why we're all alive?

Yuni
Inversely, one could say that question is the core of living. A forever unsolvable self-questioning that stands as the accompanying music to our lives.

Yuni
...Hmm, your face is telling me you have no idea what I'm talking about. Basically, in layman's terms, I'm completely exhausted and don't feel like doing anything.

Yuni
In addition, my stomach's grumbling and my mind's barely working.

Yuni
Therefore, I'm currently free associating. Even for me, I'm not completely sure what I've been going on and on about -- this is the reason for this unfortunate, fruitless interaction.

Yuni
Now then, Kouhai. You are capable of drastically breaking free from this meaningless situation. Are you in possession of some sort of key item?

Yuni
As a concrete example, perhaps an item filled with carbohydrates capable of clearing hunger, or maybe perhaps a potion capable of removing fatigue?

Yuuki
1. Share some of Kokkoro's salted rice balls.

Yuni
Ooo, ooooh, this is...! The nutritious replenishment most optimal for times of fatigue, grains dipped in sodium chloride!

Later.

Yuni
Phew... I thank you for the food.

Yuni
Gracious, my apologies. I didn't intend on it, but I feel as though my feigning of death had the effect of coercing you to share your food with me.

Yuni
Thanks to you, I've managed to easily recover. It seems that it's important after all to bring physical nourishment on days I venture outside. Food... I suppose, regardless of era, it's a common concept to all of humanity for a reason.

Yuni
Hmm? Ah, I normally rely entirely on supplements. Have you heard of it? It's where they extract the nourishment from a food and insert it into a pill.

Yuni
I decided to go outside for once, to perform an particular exploration, but normally, I spend all day confined in that "tower."

Yuni
As for how much I exercise, it does not take much strength to hold a book and a pen, so I don't get hungry very often, and it's troublesome to spare time for eating,

Yuni
Hmm? What's that? Hmm, so you say eating is a fun action.

Yuni
Certainly, it is suggested that the sense of taste causes a stimulus to be excreted within the brain. I won't deny the notion that some may subjectively find merit in experiencing euphoria. But that's not something that I've personally felt too often.

Yuuki
1. "It's even more fun to eat with someone."

Yuni
Hmmm...

Yuni
I hear this quite often from my surroundings, but I feel that alone is lacking as evidence. There is no control group for this comparison, so I've personally categorized it in the realm of the occult.

Yuni
Although, your opinion is a precious ingredient to proof of the contrary. At the "tower," there isn't anyone else to raise objection to my personal theories. I should write that down before I forget. Memo, memo.

Yuni
Hm? Ah, it's like I said, I'm a student.

Yuni
However, I'm in a bit of a different situation from the other students. I rarely have the chance of seeing anyone else, and exchange words with someone is even rarer.

Yuni
Hmm... this is true. While I speak often with teaching staff who run errands for me at a business-like level, it's been a while since I last had a chat with someone around my age.

Yuni
You have my thanks. Having another immediately provide a reaction to each of the words I put out provides something that you can't gain from submitting a lengthy report. Truly a interesting experience.

Yuni
What do you mean? Come on, give it a bit of thought. It's a little embarrassing, but putting it in layman's terms, it was fun talking with you.

Yuuki
1. "Then that's proof of it."

Yuni
Ho? Proof of what? What are you talking about?

Yuni
Ah, I see... This is about your proposed theory of, "it's fun to eat with someone?" You've got me there, how clever of you, Kouhai.

Yuni
Well, however, I wonder about that. There are far too many uncertainties to call that evidence.

Yuni
For example, since returning from my home village, my time of isolation was long. Objectively speaking, it's clear that I've been starved of human interaction.

Yuni
The only interaction I've had is limited to the roadside rock I've chosen as my pet to distract myself from this fact. Isn't that right, Rosetta?

Yuni
Given this fact, it is currently the case that I've very much been longing human interaction. I cannot deny there is the possibility that the simple action of being able to hold a conversation with another has been simply a burst of tension for me.

Yuni
Within this mental state of excitement, it's unknown how much of that feeling was brought about by the act of eating. If this were academia, it's likely that a follow-up inspection would be called for.

Yuni
That being said, I said before that I was in the middle of an exploration, right?

Yuni
I've begun looking into a certain archeological-type independent study. It's what you'd call fieldwork. According to legend, the place I'm headed for is called the "Aquamarine Abyss."

Yuni
So, what do you think?

Yuni
Hey, what are you restlessly looking around for? Kouhai, I'm talking to you here.

Yuni
I'll say it once more. I'm frail and all alone, in the middle of a solitary journey. So, what do you think?

Yuni
Come on, enough with the restless looking around. I'm asking for your opinion on it.

Yuni
Even I'm not the type of demon who would assert my authority as your Senpai to force you into joining me. I'll at least give you a choice. Are you coming with me or not? You're free to decide for yourself.

Yuni
Speaking of which, Kouhai, this has nothing to do with the current topic but, in a small island country found in the east, there is a proverb they use.

Yuni
When on a journey, bring an ally and the world will have mercy. To put it in a bold layman's terms, it means, "Helping people is super important." ^[1]

Yuni
That was rude of me, but I digress. Nothing more than an unrelated piece of trivia.

Yuni
Anyway, I'm going to continue this lonely, dangerous exploration. So, what do you think?

In between the lines comes the fierce exertion of one's status as a Senpai. With no other choice available, Yuuki prepares himself as he joins Yuni on her exploration.