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"That kind of thing is too scary," Tomoro says, empathically rubbing his arms that he's pretty sure are still covered in goosebumps. "Being hypnotized into thinking that you like me... Urgh. I'm so glad that it's all been sorted out, Hitomi."
Hitomi doesn't look like she's showing symptoms similar to one whose e-Pulse has been manipulated. But she does look like she's taking a fortifying breath to steady herself. After a few moments, she eventually says, "Not all of it is purely due to hypnotism."
Somewhere behind them, Tomoro could swear that he hears a squeal that sounds a lot like Reina. It's terrifying in its own way, because he's pretty sure that Reina and squealing are located two galaxies apart.
He tilts his head. He's not really stupid, he's sure, but his brain isn't processing her words. "Not all of it...?"
"Yes," she says after another deep breath. "I do like you quite a bit, Tomoro-kun."
The squealing sound from a few meters away resurges. Inside his head, only a faint buzzing sound remains, like he's an old radio filled with static.
"I don't really get what you mean," he ends up admitting.
Truth be told, the word 'liking' feels like an entire universe away from him. Sure, he's heard of it occasionally.
But despite his perspective broadening recently, his life is pretty much contained between getting back his brother's e-Pulse and his daily life with Glowing Dawn. He's not particularly well-versed with other things.
...Oh. Come to think of it, didn't Pristimon say something about Raito being a pickup artist trying to cozy up to Reina at first? It wouldn't be surprising if Raito is someone who knows about this kind of thing.
Hitomi doesn't seem to take offense at his attention drifting away. She shakes her head, looking gentle and understanding. "It's okay if you don't understand it. I'm just glad to have the chance to tell you about it."
"But I do want to understand." He's sick of being kept in the dark and then discovering things too late. He won't claim to be able to understand everything in this world, but he doesn't want to remain clueless all the time. "What does that 'liking' mean?"
The Reina-like squealing sounds more muffled now, like someone... or multiple someones, are trying to drag her away.
Hitomi flushes, but she doesn't hide or run away. "Liking is just like that. It's a bit hard to explain."
"Then how do you know that you 'like', uh, me?" The moment the question leaves his mouth, he wonders if Reina or Makoto would chastise him for sounding too blunt.
He can't help but think of a certain someone who seems averse to straightforward things, even going as far as to refuse his factual acknowledgement of his genius.
It seems that Hitomi is taken aback by his bluntness, but she doesn't flinch. If anything, she looks relieved to be able to talk about her feelings, even if it involves the direct recipient.
"Liking is when... I want you to be free to do whatever you want, wherever it may be. But then, when you're not around, I can't help but miss you and wonder how you're doing.
And then, once we meet, I am very happy to see you again, to the point that my heart pounds a lot."
Tomoro listens carefully, thinking it over. Beside him, Gekkomon is uncharacteristically serious, like he's chewing over the words too. Or maybe he's just overwhelmed, as those are too many words in one go.
"So, my heart pounding is a sign of liking someone...?"
Wanting someone to be free to pursue their own life, while also wanting that someone to be by their side. Wanting to know everything about the person and experiencing happiness upon seeing them again.
Gekkomon lets out an excited gasp of realization. "Hey, Tomoro! Doesn't that mean... that, ya know!"
Tomoro nods, a bit surprised that Gekkomon is surprisingly astute regarding this matter. Maybe it is true that one's Digimon is a reflection of oneself. When it comes to this kind of important thing, they are surprisingly synchronized...?
"Yes," he says, both to his Digimon and to Hitomi. "Thank you, Hitomi. I understand. I feel the same way too."
The Reina-like squealing returns tenfold.
"Y-You do...?"
Gekkomon chimes in. "I feel the same way too! About food, ya know!"
At the same time, Tomoro nods. "I feel that same way, towards Raito. Ah, you don't know him. He's... well, he's someone who used to be an enemy, but he's a real genius guy who is—"
Whatever else Tomoro is about to say is interrupted when the squealing turns into enraged howling as Reina demands that he explain and justify his supposed 'poor taste in men'.
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