Chapter 25: Ch 024

Toshi turned around to see his sister had finished her game and had walked up behind him.

 

Hinako looked like she was about to murder all three of the girls Toshi was talking with.  He blocked his sister and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, "Whoa! Calm down! It's fine! I'm just messing with her. Okay?" The tall one rolled her eyes and addressed Hinako, "Relax." She then hooked a thumb at the normal one, "She's a regular white knight." She smirked, "I'm the one who most likely needs to be arrested for wrong think." She folded her arms. The short one let out an 'Ugh', "Not this again." The tall one glared at the small one, "Yes. THIS again! Because it's always THIS. Can you make jokes about women? Yes. But make a joke about a man and everyone freaks out about sexual harassment!"

 

Toshi shrugged, "I think everyone gets harassed. It's a part of life. Some people want to help you, some want to take from you." He held out his hands as if weighing something between them, "How you perceive something depends on how it affects you. If a fat old guy hits on you, you might think it was sexually harassment." He lifted one hand and lowered the other, "But if a young hot guy does the exact same things as the old fat guy, suddenly it's not harassment because you enjoy the attention."

 

Hinako looked at her brother with a bit of wonder. He continued talking, "I think the problem isn't something that can be objectively explained since it is based on your personal preference. I think we should be more tolerant of 'first time' harassment, but also make it clear anyone can tell anyone, leave me alone. REPEATED unwanted advances after being told to go away is the problem."

 

Toshi gestured to the three of them, "And yes, I guess the way you were talking about wanting me to blast your alien could be harassment, but I wasn't part of the conversation, so I could go away if it bothered me. Which it didn't. I just don't care." He shrugged again, "I suppose the problem is we don't have many rules anymore. It used to be clear cut up until the past few decades. It looks like everything has gone tits up with 'liberation' and what not. All it did was make it harder for men and women to talk to each other, which already was a pain in the ass."

 

Hinako stared at Toshi, "It is so strange to hear you talk like this." The tall one frowned, "Look Na'Malt-" Hinako stepped up into the tall one's personal space, "What'd you call my brother?" Toshi face palmed, "He said, Not All Men Are Like That. Na'Malt." Hinako peered at Toshi in a quizzical fashion, "Huh?" Toshi shrugged, "He's calling me a chameleon. A man who acts like he supports women, but just because I-" Toshi held up his hands, "You know what? Never mind. I don't care." Toshi turned and started walking out, "I'm out of tokens, anyways. This is pointless."

 

Toshi headed out of the arcade, turning left to continue heading towards the electronics store. Hinako caught up quick enough and looked at him sideways without saying anything. Eventually he felt compelled to ask, "What?"

 

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"Who are you?"

 

Toshi stopped dead, but didn't look at Hinako, "Explain."

 

Hinako moved around to look Toshi in the eye, "Okay, you were gone for over a year and you had brain damage and you have amnesia but..." She pointed back at the Arcade, "You said 'he'." Toshi winced. Hinako pointed at Toshi, "There. I keep seeing THAT. You... called that girl a guy and then you walked away. You... act like a girl, you treat girls like guys-" Toshi tried to give his sister a reassuring smile, "Must be the brain damage." Hinako slowly shook her head, "Then why do you KNOW you screwed up? It's like you don't get things wrong, you get your STORY wrong." She frowned as she gently put a hand on Toshi's shoulder, "You're hiding something. Tell me what's really going on in your head. I can't help you if you don't let me in."

 

Toshi opened his mouth, then closed it hard enough to make an audible click with his teeth, ~If I tell you the truth, will you believe me or will I just get locked up in a mental hospital?~

 

Toshi gritted his teeth as he looked at the ground, trying to compose his thoughts, "I am trying to BE Toshi." His gaze drifted off around the mall, jumping from person to person, "I know I'm not him, but if I am here, I feel like I owe him. I have to try and... settle his debts." Hinako frowned, "What debts does he owe?" He shrugged, "Nobody is an island. We all owe someone something. I feel like... I owe the Toshi I was. I owe myself, so to pay myself back, I got to help his family." He looked at Hinako, "I think he'd want me to do right by his sister."

 

She went silent for several moments while the expression on her face betrayed an inner conflict. Eventually she spoke very softly with a hint of dread, "You don't think of yourself as part of this family." Toshi looked around, then back at the young woman next to him, "No. I feel like I snuck my way in. I feel like a leech. I feel like I stole Toshi from you and I'm some... StarHammer twenty kay body snatching alien wearing a Toshi suit." He pulled away, "You deserve your brother back. I'm sorry I can't give him to you." He walked off towards Electronics.

 

Hinako just watched him walk away, letting the distance between them get wider and wider.

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