IC INBOX | OKADA IZOU

[goei]

@Izou

manslayer

---

ABOUT ME

The strongest, most genius swordsman to ever haunt the streets of Kyoto! That's me! So you better think twice before crossing me, ya hear?

NOTE

As long as you don't get in my way I won't kill you, probably.

Message @manslayer

Comments

[vogelfrei]

[ McGillis has a very 'go on~' kind of look on his face, but Izou chickens out and that's just as well. (McGillis is reasonably certain that if by crazy happenstance they do end this night somewhere in a hotel, it's not him getting unraveled anyway.)

And then that thought is cut short, because he is confronted with CRAZY MIKE and all that CRAZY MIKE might have in store for them. ]

Well. I've played actual golf before...?

[ He hated that though.

For the few steps it takes them to approach, McGillis gives CRAZY MIKE's crazy business a dubious look, but by the time they're at the door he's caught himself. Fine, he'll buy minigolf tickets for two. Let's do this, what the fuck. ]

[goei]

Nah nah this is different. You'll hate it.

[Probably. The bored teenager manning the entry booth hands over the tickets and then points them to a rack of multicolored putters and matching golf balls.

Izou of course, picks out the red ones, before heading through the gate. Apparently one of the selling points of CRAZY MIKE's establishment is that it can operate during the night despite being outdoors. The whole course is alight with various neon tracks, the obstacles illuminated with floodlights including some sort of cyber gorilla, a plaster volcano, and an alien spaceship. Hooray.]

Goals still the same as regular golf though!

[vogelfrei]

[ McGillis is going to grab blue, because sticking with theme colors is important.

And then they pass the gates and McGillis understands that it's CRAZY MIKE's world. They're just living in it. ]

I know what minigolf is.

[ Gaelio has probably tried and failed to drag him along to it once, while McGillis was instead focused on doing homework........ A mistake that he'd regret in the afterlife, who knew. ]

And I appreciate that you're attempting to frustrate me out of going out with you. It won't work. Let's go.

[goei]

Psh, if I was trying ta do that I'd just make you run laps with me or something.

[Apparently Izou thinks he could outrun McGillis? Bold claim.]

I just wanna see yer frustrated face when I beat you at a game this stupid!

[He's decided he's going first as he tees up at the first hole before hitting his ball entirely too hard.]

[vogelfrei]

[ Izou?? He's a career soldier, he is used to drills. He's not going to be put off by running laps??

And then McGillis gets to watch that ball ricochet off the course wall and expand its energy by being unnecessarily derailed.

... ]

Well. Then show me your expertise. I am prepared to be amazed.

[ So flat. ]

[goei]

[Listen McGillis you know this by now surely. Izou is somehow simultaneously incredibly self conscious and also full of himself.]

Well it's your turn now. You said you played golf before!!

[If Izou knows his crazy opening shot does not bode well for his chances, he doesn't show it.]

[vogelfrei]

I have, but this is closer to putting than to the first strokes...

[ Hmm... Alright. Let him line up and consider this. He looks so serious.... So serious.......

And his shot is very straight, to his credit! It's just also too careful and comes up short of the hole. ]

[goei]

That's the main difference ya notice and not the giant gorilla robot?

[With Izou's crazy ricochet he's really not better off than McGillis, but at least he hits the ball less hard this time. It might've even gone in! If the shot was straighter. He lets out an annoyed noise.]

[vogelfrei]

The gorilla impacts my strategy less.

[ For now, anyway, since this is the first hole and that's meant to be very simple.

Which means putting experience and a careful nature actually have their use here. Now with way less distance to cover, McGillis pretty easily makes it in on his second stroke.

... you wanted to see him frustrated, but currently he just looks very... serene :> ]

[goei]

[The problem is that this is making Izou angry which is probably not going to make him better at mini golf it only makes him better at murder.

At least he manages to keep his cool enough to line up his shot properly and sink it this time so he's only losing by a little ]

Yeah well just you wait! I'm just gettin' warmed up!

[vogelfrei]

[ McGillis is meticulous, just as a person. This really serves him well in the early holes where the calculations for ball trajectory are pretty straight-forward. The first five holes pass almost uneventfully - McGillis takes the lead (like he secretly never doubted he would), but Izou is putting up a good fight.

Then Hole 6 appears in their way. Hole 6 features a windmill in the middle of the track, intermittently obscuring it. The windmill is flashing neon, and has several encouraging slogans appear on its side like "OOPS" and "TRY AGAIN". Making matters worse, its spin speed varies. There's certainly a pattern to it, but McGillis hasn't got it yet and-- ]

Oh, come on.

[ This is his fourth stroke and there we go. Here is what Izou has been waiting for. A genuine frown of frustration. ]

[goei]

[Izou grins like this was all part of his plan and actually he was losing on purpose so he can come back and take the lead!!! (It was not, he's full of shit.]

Heh, step aside and watch a professional work!

[BECAUSE WHAT ARE THOSE ON THE WINDMILL? BLADES! HE CAN READ THE MOTION OF THOSE NO PROBLEM!!! Izou watches them for a moment before winding up for one of his overzealous putts. It shoots through the gap effortlessly.]

[vogelfrei]

[ Wh--

Well, okay. Izou can have this one. McGillis is just staring for a second. ]

... not bad.

[ This is absolutely said through grit teeth, before he... does not manage to finish the hole within stroke limit.

It seems like this is completely unprecedented levels of failure for him. He is straight up staring down at his club in disbelief. Help. ]

[goei]

[NOOO DON'T JUST GET DEPRESSED YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO GET ANGRY AND SEXY ABOUT IT!!!

As they reach the next hole, which requires hitting the ball over a ramp hard enough that the ball doesn't fall into a ravine below, Izou cozies up to McGillis because I wasn't kidding about the foreplay.]

C'mon, don't get sulky on me just cause you fell behind. You ain't gonna give up that easy, are ya?

[vogelfrei]

[ You need to give him a moment here! He's unfortunately the kind of person who's always been extremely good at everything he did - through hard effort primarily, but also through a measure of talent. That his base skills he has assembled through his life would fail him here is embarrassing!!

At least a little teasing from Izou gets him right back to his feet. ]

You wish. We're barely halfway.

[ His expression is not beating the 'sulky' allegations, and now it's Izou's turn to totally have his flirting ignored because somebody got Into The Game.

At least the test of strength does not phase McGillis much - he does like brute force! But from here on out, with animatronic challenges coming at them every other hole, he'll definitely be more challenged. And more focused. Is it angry and sexy? Who knows. It's intense at least. ]

[goei]

[Yeah the intensity is pretty sexy as long as he doesn't keep being so intense that he ignores the flirting.]

You kiddin' me? It wouldn't be fun unless you keep fightin' till the end.

[How have they made minigolf vaguely sexual. Anyway McGillis isn't catching up this hole because the ramp hazard is no match for Izou's overly aggressive swing.]

[vogelfrei]

That's one thing we agree on.

[ This is it. The ultimate showdown of Power(TM). CRAZY MIKE's challenge, the obstacle that stands between them and a new world. Their clubs, their swords. Their hearts, filled with determination.

And then the next hole is one of those challenges where you have to hit your ball into one of various swirly angled tubes but only one goes right to the hole while the others are disadvantageous or outright send the ball back to you.

McGillis looks at the hole and he sees his chance. This is a precision challenge... and infuriatingly, McGillis smirks at Izou and... actually manages a hole in one. He looks so punchable right now. ]

Your move.

[goei]

[Stop making shonen speeches in your head about mini golf, McGillis!!!

And yeah, that smug look is the exact opposite of what he was aiming for!! Like it's warranted but!!! How's he going to top that!!! At least he knows the tube that McGillis's ball went into goes to the hole. But the question is can he replicate the shot?

He lines up carefully, and... the ball goes in the correct tube!]

Hah! How d'you like that!!

[And yet, somehow, his shot is ever so slightly off, and misses the hole, richochets off the back wall, and back into a different tube that deposits his ball almost all the way back where it started.]

-Oi!

[vogelfrei]

[ .... ?!

That's... that was incredible? How is it even possible to get it so right and so wrong at the same time?

McGillis' hand goes up to his mouth in shock and because-- because he's laughing. Real actual straight-up laughter of pure amusement. Nothing ironic and twisted for once, just genuine mirth. ]

That's... Your power is a sight to behold, yes.

[goei]

[On the one hand, his loss in this moment has never been so absolute, he's being laughed at! Mocked!! There's nothing he hates more!!!

On the other hand, McGillis is laughing??? Like genuinely having a good time??? How is he supposed to feel?]

I- That's right!! You better stand in awe at the power of Manslayer Izou!!!

[He just sort of short circuited, flushing a little as he defaults to his usual boasting before marching after his ball and attempting the shot again. He AGAIN nails the correct tube, but this time his ball stops just short of the hole, eliciting a shout of frustration before stomping up to the main green to knock his ball in, finally.]

[vogelfrei]

[ Oh no, he just defaulted to his catchphrase somehow... It's... cute? It's cute.

McGillis feels reinvigorated by this. He approaches Hole 9 with an easy swing in his steps. They're halfway now and it's still pretty close, so the competition remains entertaining.

The next hole is one of those where the ground is uneven and painted in glowing colors to make it harder to tell exactly where the hills and valleys are. This gets McGillis back into game mode, spending an unnecessarily long time before tee-ing off just looking from different angles.

... and then it still doesn't go how he wants it to go because there's a dent in the floor that has nothing to do with the up-and-down design. It's just because this is a well-used golf-course. Curse CRAZY MIKE and his lack of repairs! McGillis huffs in frustration. ]

If they have money for all the glowing nonsense, they could at least make sure the lanes are well-maintained.

[goei]

They probably figure it's just a free bonus hazard. But anyway, yer thinkin' too hard. Watch this!

[He marches up to the tee with his ball... Then winds up like this is a regular golf club?? This sends his ball airborne, sailing easily over all the uneven terrain! And into the pond behind the hole.]

....

[vogelfrei]

....

[ There it goes.... ]

These are rental and we're going to have to give them back, so...

[ Izou don't you want to go pond-climbing?? ]

[goei]

[It's as if a switch flipped in Izou at those words. Right!! They have to give the ball back or else McGillis's going to have to pay some sort of fine! He's been given a task!!!]

On it!

[He shucks off his hoodie, which he throws at McGillis, and steps out of his shoes before jogging doggedly over and jumping into the waist high water, and fishing his ball out. Basically all of him is wet now except for his head, which is tragic because now we'll never know if he'd shake off like a dog.

He then throws his ball into the hole. Cheater.]

Hole in one!

[vogelfrei]

[ IZOU?? McGillis really thought that he'd be more grouchy about getting in the water. Instead he's greeted by this bright smile...? Come on. That's just disarming. ]

This isn't basketball, in case you forgot.

[ Judging by his light-hearted tone and faint smile, he's going to let it count though. As repayment for getting drenched.

McGillis comes up to the edge of the pond himself, so he can hold out his hand for Izou to get back out of the doubtlessly too-chilly water. Briefly he considers that Izou might take advantage of this and try to pull him in, but he's currently holding onto both of their phones so... Hopefully not? ]