Takeru looked down from the roof.
Then casually jumped.
THUD.
Perfect landing.
Not even a wobble.
He stood up, dusted off his haori, and walked right in front of Naoya.
Naoya narrowed his eyes.
"…What now."
Takeru suddenly raised one finger.
"So Naoya, I have a test for you."
Silence.
Yuji slowly looked toward Megumi.
"…Why does that sound dangerous?"
Megumi stared ahead.
"…Because it's Takeru."
Hakari sat down instantly.
"Oh this is absolutely worth watching."
Kirara sat beside him.
"…You brought snacks again, didn't you."
"…Always."
Takeru dramatically stepped forward.
Pointed.
"Question one."
He raised another finger.
"What are women to you?"
Immediate silence.
Maki's eyes slowly narrowed.
Nobara crossed her arms.
Both Utahime's stared.
Both Mei Mei's looked interested.
Reina, Aika, Yorozu, and Hana all looked over too.
Naoya blinked.
"…What kind of question is that?"
Takeru raised another finger.
"Question two."
"Are women equal to men?"
The temperature around the area somehow dropped.
Yuji slowly backed away.
"…Oh no."
Geto looked toward Naoya.
Then toward the girls.
Then toward Takeru.
"…He set up a landmine."
Gojo was already trying not to laugh.
Takeru raised one final finger.
"Question three."
"From a scale of one to ten, how much do you look up to Gojo…"
A pause.
"…and I guess Toji."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Naoya stared.
Takeru stared back.
Fred slowly emerged from behind a nearby tree.
Held up a sign.
"Choose wisely."
Even the cursed spirits nearby stopped moving.
Nanami calmly sipped his coffee.
"…I have a feeling the next ten seconds determine whether this becomes a conversation…"
A pause.
"…or an incident."
Everyone looked at Naoya.
Waiting.
And Naoya suddenly realized—
he was surrounded by people waiting for his answer.