Yamato - A Deal of Destiny (REUPLOADED)

February 21, 1976

The Infinite Corridor. 

(Jezebel's POV)

After cornering Yamato into a corner and placing her ideals on shameful display, it was time to draw the curtains of this conversation to a close.

"As I see it, you have two options."

When I said that, my featureless digital avatar of myself stood in front of Yamato and raised two fingers.

"The easy way would be for you to simply walk away."

"By disregarding our opposing views, we can allow the other to walk away with their piece of mind. In other words, we simply drop the topic. Honestly, it's a short, simple yet effective way to end this debate before it eventually gets out of hand." 

Although I granted her the option to let things simply be bygones, I knew that deep down, under these circumstances, Yamato wouldn't accept such an outcome.

See, as her father, I intentionally disrespected her ideals and beliefs in more ways then one, despite knowing full well of the darkness in which it was forged from.

Because of this, there was no way in hell was she going to walk away without demanding some sort of apology.

In other words, she saw this as a declaration of war.

Which brings me to the next, and more, interesting choice.

"The harder one will be something like a battle of attrition."

"Attrition? Who's my opponent?" Yamato asked, her hands extended outwards.

"Put down your weapon. This won't be an actual fight, but more so a test of sorts to test whether or not if your resolve and determination is truly genuine."

"Meaning?" 

"You see, whether it be that of the physical world or philosophy, everything that exists must eventually stand the test of time and some sort of pressure on a constant basis."

"Take for example, highschool students. Everyday, they wake up, get dressed, make breakfast, and get to school. But although we may take such effort for granted, once you really think about it, all of it requires a certain degree of resolve. Atleast, in terms of staying consistent on a day to day basis."

"That's probably just you looking too far into it...."

"Eh, perhaps. But the main point I'm trying to make right now is that there are many tasks in this world that require a certain degree of competency and capacity, don't you agree?" I asked.

"I suppose, but what does that got to do with me?"

"It's simple. All I want you to participate in a certain social experiment."

"Huh? And what for?"

"I said it earlier didn't I? It's meant to test just how strong you hold those "values" dear to you. It'll be alot more easier to guage that said strength of yours by having you exposed to other people and their beliefs."

"So what is this? Some sort of journey to self discovery, or something?" Yamato asked.

"In a way, I suppose you could put it like that, but in the end, it's supposed to help both of us truly see if you have what it takes to live up to your word."

Although I feel like I explained it properly enough, a better way to simplify this would to call this a "trial that puts your mental fortitude to the test".

Gotta say though, the name itself isn't pretty catchy.

Regardless though, I could tell that, with those exact words, I finally piqued her interest. Her eyebrows raised while a sparkle of interest was slowly returning to her eyes, albeit for different reasons.

"Ah, I think I get it now." 

However, as interesting as it sounded, she was atleast smart enough to realize that she needed to know the full details before making any hasty decisions that she probably couldn't take back.

"But without much details, there's not much for me to go off of. Tell me more about this experimen–"

"I will not say no more until you decide to take part." I immediately interjected.

"....Now that's a little harsh don't you think? If I'm going to be a future participant to this "experiment", don't you think I'm entitled to some sort of pretext?"

"True, but in a way, confronting a blind mystery that comes with its own set of risks is a trial in itself, is it not? A trial that can only be overcome by having a certain degree of boldness and resolve." I retaliated.

"Tch..."

Good. It seems like she finally realized that even though the experiment hasn't even started, I was already testing her character.

In fact, if she was truly perceptive enough, she would have noticed how I carefully constructed this test to where, had she chose not to participate in the test, she would have failed even before it began.

And if she did, there's no telling how much damage it would cause for her sense of pride.

Once I noticed her expression, I immediately knew that there wasn't much that was needed to be said.

She really needs to work on her poker face though...

"Can I have some time to think about it?"

"Sure, I'll grace you with ten seconds."

"What!?"

"Karma is a bitch, now isn't it?"

"Urk...."

"Before you make any decisions however, I do want you to understand something important."

The following words that I was about to say truly came from my heart and bore no ulterior motives.

"I am not trying to infringe any of these choices onto you. Even if you decide to decline the test or somehow fail test midway, I promise I won't treat you any differently than before. My love for you as your father will always take priority regardless of my own opinions on your beliefs." 

Although I say I wasn't trying to "infringe" anything upon her, considering how I set up this particular situation by taking advantage of emotions, you could say I barely gave her the "illusion of choice".

Regardless, everything else I said afterwards was true. And it seemed even Yamato herself was able to tell.

Shortly after, she let out a heavy sigh.

"I understand. I wasn't really worried as far as that much atleast, but I'm still glad."

After agreeing that this situation was nothing more but a small and, hopefully, temporary dispute, I succeeded in getting the insurance I needed, just in case if something were to go south.

"However, I do have one question before we continue."

"My words, the ideals that I choose to live by, just how much are they worth to you?" 

That's a good question.

"Compared to the lies of that man? If you want me to be honest, I believe they are worth the same."

"To me, your words are extremely hollow. I simply cannot believe you truly wish to live a life that lacks both love and passion." 

With that, Yamato took another moment to think. 

"And here I thought I was sounding confident enough to carry such ideals on my back. And yet, it seems like something is still lacking."

It's because you have little to no persuasive power.

Which honestly is surprising since that was something your mother excelled at.

"You said we live in a cold world where empty words are pretty much meaningless. As such, you questioned my character and believe the only way for you to believe me is if I present some sort of "proof". And the only way for me to prove myself right to you is to do this social experiment huh." Yamato asked.

"Yeah, that's pretty much the gist of the situation."

"Actions speak louder then words....Now I see what you're trying to do."

She's also caught on to the underlying theme of the test. Good, good. Perhaps, there is still hope for her yet.

"I got to say, father. I'm quite shocked you would make something like this...."

For some reason, I took that as a compliment.

"....be so weak." She continued.

"Huh?"

Just when I thought I had somehow misheard her, Yamato repeated herself.

"Your plan. It's quite weak, you know? So much so, that I can only laugh."

"And what makes you say that?"

"There's a single fundamental flaw that can make your whole plan crumble apart."

"That is if I was to chose to not to give a fuck."

Suddenly, I fell silent.

Probably because of my current lack of reaction, somehow Yamato took that as a sign of victory.

Her grin growing wider by the second.

"I'm right, aren't I?" She asked, but I didn't respond.

*Sigh*

What she said was true.

Since this "experiment" is constructed around testing Yamato's true character, everything would easily fall apart if the "subject" herself simply didn't care enough to participate.

I, myself, of course, knew of this glaring weakness.

Which was why, since the moment she first entered the Corridor, I had been subtly trying to play off her emotions and hopefully exploit her pride. Atleast long before I brought up the test.

But since Yamato was able to discern that vital flaw in my plan, not only did she realize how she could escape from this conversation unscathed, she probably also realized of how I was emotionally manipulating her.

So this is checkmate, huh. It's unfortunate, but I guess I have no other choice but to yield....

"I'll do it."

"Huh?"

"You heard me. I said I'll do it. This is what you wanted right?" She told me.

Now this was unexpected. I thought for sure, she would have walked away.

Did she not notice what I was doing to her?

No, whether or not she did doesn't matter right now. After all, this was the one chance I was looking for.

But even still, I can't help but feel rather skeptical about sudden turn of events.

"Before we proceed, may I ask why you want to do this?"

"It's because you called me a coward."

Hah, so my daughter is doing this just because she was wants to show me some backbone. How cute.

Whether or not Yamato was able to see through me, I was right to play my cards the way I did.

"Are you sure you're certain about this? Because once your in, I'm not letting you escape so easily."

"I'm sure." Yamato said, firmly nodding her head.

"I don't know what exactly you're planning, but bring it on. I'll show you my resolve."

"The let's skip the formalities and get straight to it, shall we?"