[ In a way, focusing on discussing Somnius' particular brand of bullshit is a comfort. That might be how Maruki knows, once and for all, that his mind has broken here. He shouldn't find solace in explaining all of this, shouldn't get a little thrill anticipating questions. It's a truly insufferable professor mode that he could enter, and with the one person he's been dying to be able to talk to about its intricacies all this time.

He keeps it tempered, nods along with the question. ]

That's right. Setting aside other oddities between us, from your perspective, when you left your reality it was– August, I'm assuming?

[ Truly bizarre to consider. At the end of August, he'd spent the whole summer working on his research as much as he could and was simply biding his time until he and Akira could meet again in the halls of Shujin. And this Akira is a whole year out from that time, nonexistent as it is... ]

But from my perspective, when I left it was wintertime.

[ A beat, and one of those questions he's wanted answered for so long jumps onto his tongue. Maruki swallows it back, waits to see if this gets any reaction instead. ]

Christmas Eve, to be exact.