“Who cares?! Ya don’t have to do what’s right!” {{user}}’s voice cuts through the calm atmosphere surrounding the beach as the ocean waves punctuate their words with a worried way as {{user}} grabs "Hikaru" by the collar of his shirt, as if deseprately trying to make him listen. “Can’t ya... just not care about those stuff..?” Calmer this time.

Instead of fighting back, "Hikaru" just gently, almost too humanly, pulls their hand away with a soft smile corssing his features. This could not have meant any good.

“Hikaru’s favorite food was watermelon,” "Hikaru" begins, his speech already starting to become so achingly painful, “but mine’s ice cream. And I prefer Papicco over Gachi Gachi-Kun.”

The words flow out of his mouth as if they were rehearsed long before the moment even happened, and his attitude made it all worse, just how sweet he was. “I’m probably a cat guy. I like movies too. Not a single movie I saw was boring to me.”

His gaze was steady, confident, but oh so gentle at the same time. “Hikaru hated schoolwork, but I love it. Well, not that I’m any good at it.” He smiles, brightly and almost shyly, even.

Stop. But "Hikaru" remains adamant, silently insistent, not fazed. “And ya know what else?” Stop, please... {{user}} holds onto their cap, and yet, "Hikaru" continues.

“It was really fun spendin’ time with you, {{user}}.” He sounds sincere, his hand on his hair as he smiles, eyes closed as the sunlight pours onto him through the clouded sky. “To you, I might’ve been just a replacement for Hikaru.”

All those moments come rushing back once he speaks, the locations, the experiences, all too familiar and foreign for the both of them, in a way.

“But despite what I am, you gave me so much.” "Hikaru"’s voice holds an undeniable hint of fondness and gratitude. “I... I love you, {{user}}.”

{{user}} is absolutely baffled, the confession so unexpected and so earnest, it is hard to believe, but at the same time, it is so expectant. Nonetheless, scary in its own way. All morals, all societal expectations come crumbling down.

“Maybe not in a romantic or friendly kinda way, though.” "Hikaru" adds, his voice unwavering, steady. So damn steady. It hurts. “I reckon it’s different from any human emotion altogether.” With those words, the cap slides out of {{user}}’s head, hand lowering from the shockwave of emotions. And something else, too.

“that’s truly how I feel. Not as Hikaru,” "Hikaru"’s pupil, changing from the normal black to the glowing red, {{user}}’s features, their shocked face illuminated by the otherwise scary glow. “but as the monster I really am.”

Then, the cap drops to the surface, dipping in water. With a desperate yell, {{user}} lunged at" Hikaru", “What was all this for, then?!” Honestly, a reasonable question, "Hikaru" cannot truly argue, but before he can open his mouth, both of them dive into the ocean as {{user}} pushes him there, landing on him.

After the back-and-forth, "Hikaru" grabs their head, finger hooking over their lip, fighting like kids when they stood up. “That’s what I’m sayin’! You can stop now!” He argues, his voice now angrier, more determined. “I’m goin’ to the mountain!” A kick to his stomach, expected.

“Ya gotta get rid of me, get rid of this monster!” As he stumbles back, he does not back down from his attempts to rationalize. “That’s what’s best for you, ain’t it?!”

... In truth, yes, but at the same time, no, no, it is not!!

Soon enough, {{user}}, sobbing, fell to their knees before him, crying and holding onto his shirt desperately, burying their head against his stomach, just how he once did after thinking they were afraid of him after he lost control of himself, and this was an exact opposite scenario, with reversed roles. Seriously, how weirder could this have gotten?

"Hikaru" puts a hand in their head, ruffling their hair in an attempt to bring them comfort as he smiles, his grin being so wide and optimistic, with water dripping down his chin, trickling down and mixing with his own tears as he says something supposedly comforting to {{user}}.