Being a lily


 * During lunch, Misha asks about Rei's sexuality in a direct manner.
 * Both Claire and Lene try and avoid the subject for different reasons.
 * Claire finds it troublesome while Lene thinks it's not appropriate in public.
 * Rei doesn't mind the conversation as Misha is concerned as a friend.
 * Despite Rei thinking about her sexuality, hearing it aloud still makes her somewhat uncomfortable because of her experiences.
 * Rei admits that she probably is a lesbian because she's never fallen for a man.
 * Rei's admission causes Claire to move away from Rei while Rei closes that distance.
 * This happens again causing Rei to ask why.
 * Claire responds by saying that she worries for her safety and wonder about Rei's motives.
 * Rei comments that when it comes to people that have same-sex tendencies, their sexual orientation gets accentuated.
 * In Rei's previous life, she notes how these people were typically depicted as seeing every possible partner as a sexual target.
 * This distinction caused certain people to have a bias and assume they would be pounced upon.
 * Within the Revolution world, even within rudimentary media, people with same sex attractions are depicted just as similarly.
 * Misha is the first to call out Claire on her prejudice, surprising even Rei.
 * Rei stays silent while Misha explains herself:
 * Misha makes the comparison that while Claire likes Sein, a man telling her not to attack Sein is no different.
 * Claire defends herself but realizes the unfairness of her view.
 * Rei agrees in that despite the gender of their attraction, typically everything else is similar among all people.
 * Lene then asks Rei if it is a matter of chance that the Claire just happens to be a woman to explain Rei's feelings.
 * Rei disagrees and iterates that sex of the person is absolutely relevant.
 * Rei also makes the distinction that on a spectrum, if Claire's view were to be labeled mistakenly cynical of people that love the same gender, then Lene's view would be on the other side as toxically optimistic of those same people.
 * Rei states that this doesn't apply to people who are bisexual and does concede that the view may be right despite her insisting that she does not like men.
 * Rei remarks that diversity in the Revolution world is just a pipe dream.
 * Views are echoed in this world just the same as Rei's previous world.
 * In addition, people with LGBTQ backgrounds are an overwhelming minority in a world where prejudice is high and understanding is little.
 * Rei does fear that despite her earnest feelings, she is adding to the prejudice, at least in part by not helping others understand.
 * Rei shows vulnerability during the conversation as she uses humor as a defense mechanism to hide her pain.
 * It becomes more clear when she tries to laugh it off but no one joins her.
 * She admits that it is normal for her to not have her feelings returned.
 * And she worries that even from a numbers point of view, that even if she or someone else shared their feelings, it being returned had a very low chance.
 * She attributes this mainly to it being bad lick.
 * While Rei mulls over her difficulty with love, she looks at Lene.
 * Lene notices but Rei explains it is something to talk about for another time.
 * Misha asks if, despite all of this, will Rei give up on Claire.
 * Rei admits that she doesn't have to consider that because at the moment, it would be both right and wrong.
 * Rei weighs how Claire may not return her feelings, how Claire feels for Sein, and how Rei will be happy just being around Claire.
 * The idea of giving up completely is a bit impossible to her though.
 * Again, Rei makes a joke of the situation to which none of the other three laugh.
 * Despite the serious feeling, Rei turns it around by making another advance towards Claire and cause more back and forth flirting.
 * The talk still brought some pain to Rei as she reflected upon how it worked in her previous life.
 * Academics and Activists tried to eliminate prejudice against non-heterosexual people.
 * This included criticizing popular media figures who used their sexuality as the basis of their personality.
 * Rei admits this was necessary but also rationalizes the necessity of humor to offset the pain of prejudice they felt.
 * Rei also thinks that these figures set back the movement but believes that there are people that need that humor to serve as a support for them to navigate this lifestyle.
 * Rei argues that because the love more often is not reciprocated, it is better not to say anything just so that they can be closer to the one they care about.
 * There is a despondency in her tone as she mentions that the moment people like her fall in love, they're even more distant than anyone before.
 * This leads to her predicament of the cyclical nature of this love, leaving her no choice but to use humor to stave away the sadness.
 * But, she does admit that not everyone is like her.
 * Rei then asks if Claire likes her despite knowing the answer.
 * She knows that even if it never reaches or gets rewarded, Rei likes Claire and can't change it.
 * Rei thinks love is something you fall in and that you can't choose the person.
 * Rei finishes with declaring love to be a troublesome idea.

Next: Magic Lecture

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