[The headpats just make him grumpier.]

Okay okay, I'll work hard, don't treat me like a little kid!

[He's clearly not a little kid. Nope.]

I won't!

[He'll stop giving head pats. Shinji doesn't look that happy.]

You have to go to chess club after school sometimes? What's the deal with that? Are you into chess?

[Distraction achieved. Shinji puffs his chest out proudly.]

I'm one of the best chess players in the club!

[Thank god. Shinji's not grouchy anymore!!]

Really? I bet you'd win against me easily. I'm not that good at it.

It's a hard game.

It's super hard and you need tons of practice to get good. When people join the club and act like it'll be easy for them even though they haven't played before, I'm the one who kicks their butt.

They had it coming. It's not good to act smart when you don't know anything.

You know better than them.

[Shinji's a smart kid, yes.]

Of course I do.

[Smart and super modest.]

If they come back after getting their butt kicked, I'll teach them, but first they've gotta learn that they don't know anything.

I wouldn't mind watching you play sometime.

Does your club mind having guests? [Nanashi comes from a higher grade so that might be a problem.]

Nope. Just pretend to be a really old-looking middle schooler or something.

Sure. [He nods. Good plan Shinji.]

I don't look that old!! I'll blend in fine.

Did anyone ever beat you at chess before?

My dad did lots of times when he was teaching me. But that doesn't count, 'cause I was still learning.

[Everyone is always learning??]

You haven't lost after that? Amazing.

Even the smartest kids have trouble against their teachers sometimes.

[Yup, he isn't blaming Shinji for it.]

Dad's really super good at chess. If he was in my chess club he'd win against everybody else for sure.

Is he some kind of chess master?

That's awesome.Maybe you inherited some of your dad's intelligence.

I don't think he went to tournaments or anything... There's a trophy in our basement but it's from high school.

[So it doesn't really count.]

Trophies aren't good for much. You just get to show them off sometimes.

Is your dad a retrospec user? [Sorry, Shinji. Nanashi doesn't know too much about your family situation. ]

No. Two of my cousins are, but my parents don't know anything about it.

[It's... the worst.]

That sounds rough. They don't know what's going on and you guys do. Ever come up with a weird excuse to get away with something app related?

Like saying a dog ate your clothes when a monster ripped it up instead.

[Nanashi is so good at making excuses. He'll teach some of them to Shinji.]

[teach him, excuse-senpai]

My parents got kind of mad when I "dyed my hair" without asking them.

[Since there's no way to explain why his hair turned blue overnight...]

What else are you supposed to tell them? "It's an accident?" Don't think they'd buy such an obvious lie. These kinds of things are out of your control.

Blue looks alright on you.

[Shinji doesn't look terrible with it??]

My cousin has purple hair now and it's super pretty.

[Even if Sakura doesn't seem thrilled with it, and why should she be? It's new and weird.]

I bet! Is it purple like lavender flowers? Or is it darker than that?

I don't know what I'd do if I woke up to having different hair so suddenly..

[Seems like it happens without warning.]

It's a little darker than that.

Maybe you'd say you were entering your punk phase?

[Assuming the hair color he got overnight worked for that.]

Oh hell no. They'd never buy that excuse. I'd just say I'm trying something new?

Which is loads of bull, but at least it's more believable.

[Oh, her hair's a bit darker? Hmm.]

What's unbelievable about that? You're a teenager, they're supposed to dye their hair weird colors and get piercings and stuff.