"Oh, Flatland! Fun book. Hilariously sexist."

"I don't remember that much about it. And, well, 19th century."

"Yeah, my taste in literature leaves me with a lot of sexism-based hilarity in my life."

"Do people ever rewrite these things for modern audiences?"

"Flatland has a modern sequel but I didn't get very far in it, I don't remember why exactly."

"Probably that was what I read, I don't remember any notable sexism."

"It's about the square's daughter or something, I think."

"...No, I think I'm just confused." Sigh. "...Backlash is going. Slowly. God, it sucks."

"Mood."

"You don't hate me or anything, but even if you're guiding me it's real hard to convince backlash of that. I've been, um, thinking about more efficient guiding and I think it could be real bad if I first, um, tried that, while heavily backlashed."

"That - hm, simultaneously doesn't seem surprising and also doesn't have moving parts I know how to inspect."

"The central thing is 'nobody could possibly want to interact with me' so it'd feel like I'm forcing myself on you? Even if you were enthusiastically consenting?"

"...yeah, I guess it wouldn't even help if I was really backlashed too because that'd just seem like I was tolerating it for strictly medical reasons?"

"Oh god I hadn't actually had that shape of thought and now I have." Sigh. Hugsqueeze. "I mean. Safewords exist. The 'you will specifically tell me to get out of the house if I'm not welcome' helped a bunch. There can be one for, just, kissing, and..."

"Sorry, did not mean to introduce a novel bad thought."

"It's bullshit like all other backlash thoughts. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone only I shall remain."

Haru giggles weakly.

"I can't actually remember where that quote is from, I know I'm quoting something..."

"Dune."

"The- Sandworms thing?"

"That's the one, yep."

"-We could watch movies and complain about them. If it's something I've seen before that could be fun. Used to do it with my family."

"I'm not sure I'll be able to focus on a movie. It seems like it might be like a book that way. It's worth a try."

"So about the dungeon-tac game, I think they actually unlock a romance with the hyper-competent quiet girl if you get perfect scores on all the dungeons, like, that's the only thing that impresses her..."

He will continue finding ways to fill the air. It is his Partnerly Duty.

Eventually Haru zeroes out.