#AED6F1

[asano_san]

[ color ]

I have an egg.

What am I supposed to do with it?

Comments

[good_ideas]

Well, it's too late for that. You better start getting ready since it's happening. Besides, is that any way to talk to your egg-kid? You'll give them a complex.

[Though whatever is in there.... is blocking her psychometry? It's full of magic, that much she can see but that's all. It overwhelms everything else and she's left looking worriedly down at it.

After all.... Keigo is her friend. Even if she spends most of her time teasing him. If this thing was powerful, Keigo could get hurt.]

[asano_san]

It has a really hard shell! It's not going to hear me through that!

[Baby's are supposed to be able to hear you talking to them, so that's not the part he can take issue with.

The next issue, in what is sure to be a long list before he's done with hatching an egg, is Shiho's expression now that she's had a chance to examine the egg.]

What's that look? What's wrong with the egg?

[good_ideas]

[Shiho looks away from the egg to look back at him.]

Well... babies are supposed to hear their moms even while they’re in their stomachs. [ergo whatever is in the egg should therefore also be able to hear him.

And maybe her.]

...I’m just wondering what kind of egg this is. If you might get hurt if it hatches. [And she’d feel very guilty if he ended up injured because of this.]

[asano_san]

I'm wondering the same thing! I thought you were going to be able to tell me!

[Miss Supposed Egg Expert.]

[good_ideas]

Normally, I can! [Shiho turns to him fully now, eyebrows knit in a frown.] But there's something different about this one.

[asano_san]

And it's bad different, isn't it?

[He doesn't know why he's asking when the answer is so obvious.]

Why couldn't my reward be a nice, normal egg?

[good_ideas]

It might be. But it might also not be a bad thing. It's just... a powerful thing. [And as far as she's concerned, being powerful meant only that. It could be a benevolent creature?]

And maybe they thought you needed more excitement or something.

[asano_san]

Powerful things are usually bad things! [Keigo has a much different perspective.]

Have you been in the same town as me? There's no way anyone could think I needed more excitement!

[good_ideas]

They're not, you big coward. [Because that gets just a touch too close to what other people have told her before.]

And if you can't handle it, they're obviously going to give you more excitement until you can.

[asano_san]

I don't mind being a coward when it's about things everyone with sense would be scared of!

And I don't want to learn to handle it!

[So negative.]

[good_ideas]

They shouldn't be and you're going to learn. [And she's going to make him learn!]

[asano_san]

It's not like I have much choice.

[Whether it's Shiho or Chroma in general trying to teach him.]

[good_ideas]

That's true, you don't. [And would he be better for it?

Maybe.]

It's better to learn to get over your fears, after all.

[asano_san]

I'm keeping the egg and hatching it.

[Even if he's severely doubting this decision now.]

That counts as my lesson for now, right?

[good_ideas]

Becoming a dad? I guess. [Dads work pretty hard sometimes, after all.]

[asano_san]

Not just a dad. Probably a monster dad!

[Monster dads work the hardest of all. Or they die. It could go either way.]

[good_ideas]

Still a kind of dad. Who knows, you might even be good at it.

[asano_san]

Being a good monster dad had better not be my one accomplishment in life!

[good_ideas]

If you're good at it and survive, I doubt it'll be your only accomplishment. Or do you really have like... no skills other than being a dad?

[asano_san]

I have other skills! Like I'm friendly!

[Kaoru even called it his good point once.]

[good_ideas]

At best that would be a personality trait, not a skill. [Or so she says while being very unfriendly.]

[asano_san]

OK. My personality trait is friendliness and my skill is being the life of the party!

[If he can manage to get invited to those parties in the first place.]

[good_ideas]

...Are you writing a profile for a dating app? Are you going to tell me that you like long walks on the beach next?

[asano_san]

You were the one who said friendliness wasn't a skill! I was showing you how it was one!

[ . . . ]

Unless you want to go on a long walk on the beach.

[good_ideas]

Well, it's not.

And I don't want to unless you can guarantee that we'll find a murder weapon washed up on the shore.