The afternoon slowly slipped away.
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Elias had been waiting for Rei's message ever since he had asked whether she had managed to make it through the season. He tried to focus on his work, but his attention wasn't quite where it usually was.
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Every now and then, his eyes drifted toward the clock.
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He told himself he wasn't waiting.
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He was just curious.
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That was all.
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He had been ready since two in the afternoon.
At 4pm his hone buzzed
I am allmost at s4
"I've been ready since two PM," he replied. "Lay it on me. Who's your favorite, and why are you going to tell me their motivations are completely misunderstood?"
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But instead of answering right away, Rei sent him a detailed analysis.
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Her favorite character was Ayanokoji.
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Not because he was the strongest, but because he understood people better than they understood themselves. Every move he made seemed to have a purpose, even when nobody noticed it at first.
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Rei believed that many people misunderstood him.
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They saw him as cold and emotionless, but she didn't agree.
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She believed he had simply learned to hide his feelings because of the way he had been raised. He wasn't avoiding emotions because he didn't have them. He avoided them because he believed emotions could be used against him.
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And that, to her, was what made him such a fascinating character.
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Elias read her message slowly.
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He didn't reply immediately.
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He sat quietly in his living room, allowing her words to settle in his mind.
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"He treats people like pieces on a board," he finally typed, "but you're saying he's not doing it out of cruelty. It's a defense mechanism."
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He paused before sending another message.
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"That's a dangerous way to live, Rei. If you never let anyone see your true self, you're essentially building a prison around yourself while trying to keep everyone else out."
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Then he asked her something more personal.
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"Do you think he's happy? Or is he just successful? Because there's a big difference between winning every game and actually having something worth winning for."
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Rei's answer came after a moment.
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She didn't think Ayanokoji was truly happy.
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He was successful because that's what he had been trained to be.
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But happiness was different.
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He had grown up believing that trust was a weakness, and that depending on others could only make him vulnerable.
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Elias stared at the screen.
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There was something about the way Rei talked about the character that made him wonder if she was talking about more than just anime.
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Before he could ask, however, a single thumbs-up emoji appeared on his screen.
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Elias stared at it.
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A thumbs up.
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That was it.
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He could almost hear her tone behind the simple emoji—casual, final, completely unbothered.
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It was the kind of response that might have annoyed someone else.
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But somehow, Elias found it almost endearing.
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It meant she was busy.
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She was focused.
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And she had absolutely no intention of being distracted.
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Elias placed his phone face down on his desk and tried to return to work.
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But his afternoon had already changed.
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Tasks that normally took him an hour suddenly took twice as long.
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Every once in a while, he found himself checking the time—not because he was impatient, but because he was quietly curious about what Rei would say when she finally decided to talk to him again.
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Eventually, the sun began to sink lower in the sky.
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Long amber shadows stretched across his office.
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Elias stood up, stretched his shoulders, and headed toward the kitchen to prepare dinner.
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The evening passed slowly.
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Outside his window, the city lights began flickering on one by one.
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Elias ate dinner quietly, his phone resting on the table beside his plate.
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He didn't check it.
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He didn't want to seem as though he was counting the minutes.
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Even though, somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he was.
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Around eight o'clock, he finally settled onto the sofa with a book.
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He stared at the same page for twenty minutes.
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He hadn't actually read a single word.
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His phone vibrated against the cushion.
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20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvHku7jC2q
"
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But before the conversation could truly begin, Rei surprised him again.
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She told him she was already on Season 4, Episode 8
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Elias stared at the message.
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Then a short, genuine laugh escaped him.
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"Season four? You're already on season four?"
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He shook his head, leaning back in his chair.
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He was impressed.
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Not only by her speed, but by her sheer dedication.
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Most people would have taken days to process all the twists and turns.
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Rei was treating the entire series like a marathon.
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"I didn't realize I was dealing with a professional binge-watcher," he typed.
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Then he added:
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"At this rate, you'll be finished with everything by tomorrow morning."
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He paused, his expression softening as he looked at the screen.
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There was something he genuinely wanted to know.
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"Tell me something. Without spoilers—who's your favorite character so far? I need to know if my taste is going to align with yours."
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But Rei wasn't ready to answer.
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Not yet.
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"Not now."
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Then came the message that made Elias pause.
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"We will talk at night."
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She was setting a boundary.
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She would finish what she was watching first.
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Then, later that night, she would give him her full attention.
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Elias stared at the screen, his thumb hovering over the keyboard.
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He could almost picture her completely focused on the show, eyes glued to the screen, determined to finish her marathon before giving him the conversation she had promised.
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There was something about the way she set boundaries that Elias found strangely grounding.
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She wasn't playing games.
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She was simply stating her terms.
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And, for some reason, he respected that.
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"Fair enough," he finally replied, a small smirk forming.
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"I'll respect the schedule. Just don't stay up until sunrise again. My nerves can only handle so much psychological warfare in one week."
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He pressed send.
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Then he placed the phone down and returned to his work.
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Or, at least, he tried to.
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His focus was thinner than usual.
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Every hour that passed felt like a countdown to the conversation Rei had promised him.
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And despite himself, Elias found his eyes drifting toward the clock more often than they should.
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He was waiting.
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Not because he had to.
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But because, somewhere along the way, talking to Rei had become something he genuinely looked forward to.
Then, allmost at midnight
finally, his phone vibrated.
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Elias picked it up immediately.
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This time, there was no hesitation.
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"I'm done. Ready to talk?"
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His entire attention shifted toward the small screen in his hand.
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A slow grin spread across his face.
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"I've been ready since two PM."
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He leaned back against the sofa.
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"Lay it on me. Who's your favorite, and why are you going to tell me their motivations are completely misunderstood?20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6BIDPzdXi
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