[ Those hands loosen as he searches Noiz' expression. He looks to him a lot these days, a habit he learned while in Germany - a stranger in a strange land. He lowers his hands, panic lessening as that explanation settles over him. ]

...VR?

[ Maybe it out of an abundance of wishful thinking, but that seems to comfort Aoba. Something he can understand, something that fits in those jagged sides and empty spaces just so that it seems like sound logic purely because it isn't quite as foreign. It's a fantasy, like anything else they indulge in with their gaming getaways. ]

Aah! I should have known! [ Except there's nothing to know. The laugh that follows seems a pitch too high, a little too fast not to be nerves. ] Guess we've got no choice but to get the top score. [ The color has drained from his face, even if he feels a little less like shaking. That laugh returns, but he finds himself leaning his head onto Noiz' shoulder for support. This is okay. He's fine. Noiz is here and he's sure this is just some prank of his, right? Something to rekindle their romance? Aoba's imagination is running a little too wild --

Yeah. He's definitely in shock. ] But... I don't really know how to play this one. Say, are you holding out on me, Noiz?