June 12th, The Woods, Near midnight

[independent_dollmaker]

[Once again, it comes to this. Not that anyone present would be thinking of it this way.

On a dark night, deep in the woods behind Izumizaki, eight friends sit in a circle around a crackling fire. Holding hands, they look into the fire, its dancing shadows playing tricks on the imagination beyond the circle. Maria's established the rules, all that's left is to kick things off.]

So... on the count of three, then?

Comments

[all_onis_are_true]

Please. You know me. Souji is the one who seems to attract the most feminine attention, and that's fine with me. I have an education to tend to.

Now ALICE, on the other hand. Why did you do that?

[loveandwillpower]

Someone had to show her Nui wouldn't bite.

[all_onis_are_true]

By potentially stealing her away should the unlikely scenario occur that Nui accepted your offer?

[loveandwillpower]

Stealing her away until she broke up with me, you mean.

[all_onis_are_true]

Please do not inform me that step two was trying to get Nui to break up with you by making deliberate relationship missteps.

[loveandwillpower]

Do you really think I'd have to try?

[all_onis_are_true]

[...Er.]

What are you implying about Nui, exactly?

[loveandwillpower]

Nothing I'm not implying about half the boys in town.

[all_onis_are_true]

[Hmm...

Hmm?

Wait, is she saying...]

Minako... have you, by any chance been, ah... having troubles?

[Read: striking out.]

[loveandwillpower]

NO. I have a perfectly healthy love life!

If you want to catch a fish, you need to go through the tiger's den!

[all_onis_are_true]

[...

He turns it. Turns it again. Turns it AGAIN. ...Nope.]

Fine, I will concede. What DID you mean by that?

[loveandwillpower]

I'm saying you need to go through a lot of hardship to find the perfect romance, so it's not my fault that things never work out!

[all_onis_are_true]

[So she IS getting rejected a lot. That's... actually sort of surprising to Hiroshi.]

Funny, you seem like the sort of person a lot of boys would be interested in. I did not realize you were having such a hard time.

[loveandwillpower]

You'd think so, wouldn't you? I'm cute, I'm fun, I've been to exciting foreign lands, and they say gentlemen prefer blondes!

...Hey, as a gentleman sort of guy, can you back that up? Blondes or brunettes, Hiroshi, don't back out of it, it's a serious question that could determine the fate of the known universe!

[all_onis_are_true]

You're asking ME? How would I know? Uh, I could not say... blondes, I guess, if you are going for the American Hollywood ideal.

[loveandwillpower]

I'm asking about personal tastes! Do I have to present it in writing and grade your answer to get you to pay attention?

[all_onis_are_true]

[Geez, why is she pushing the issue so hard?]

I cannot answer a question I have not actually considered, you know. Anyway, romance should be independent of physical characteristics, should it not?