﻿<strong>Takeo Satoshi<br/>Time: June 5th, 2018. Monday, Midday.<br/>Location: Library, Following to Samegawa Flood Plain<br/>Tagged: Yu Narukami.</strong><br/><br/>Satoshi suppressed another smile as he exited the library and found the man waiting outside for him. He approached him with casual disregard and was about to walk right by when he stopped Satoshi and spoke, obviously suspicious of Satoshi's manner. He sighed and rolled his eyes, years of exposure numbing him to the intense distaste of the judgemental scrutiny of others. Even though it wasn't intentional -- at least, Satoshi wasn't consciously aware of it -- the young man's behaviors and body language were practically calibrated specifically to engender distrust in those around him, and he'd long ago given up trying to change himself to suit others. Instead, he simply enjoyed the awkward discomfort and suspicion that he attracted. It was, he thought, very entertaining.<br/><br/>"Mask? Game?" Satoshi asked, feigning puzzlement. "I don't know that I'm playing any game, mister. Of course, you know some people say that all of life is a game -- with very high stakes," he said, a spark of mischief and defiance glimmering in his eyes. "Personally I rather like that idea, that life is a game. It gives me a warm feeling, as though there really is meaning to be found and purpose to be had. Of course, if it is just a game, maybe that means the meaning isn't very meaningful at all. Maybe the meaning is that the game itself means everything and it's the players that are meaningless, and the game will just go on forever, meaning nothing to anyone but its players." Satoshi laughed at his own nonsense and stepped around him.<br/><br/>"At any rate, I'm sure at this point neither of us knows what the other one is talking about, but I can tell you that I'm not involved in anything, mister. I'm just a lowly, average university student on a solemn mission to find a warm bowl of udon for lunch. So if you'll excuse me, I will continue on with my quest...and you can continue on with yours," he said with a cold smirk, before turning and walking away. His mind positively blazed with excitement as he considered the ramifications of the man's cryptic warning. So something<em>was</em>going on, something terribly interesting -- and with the potential to become even<em>more</em>interesting. Or more terrible. Either way, Satoshi reasoned with a grin, he certainly wouldn't have to contend with his mind-numbing boredom much longer. He couldn't wait to check out the Flood Plain...