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FluffandCrunch

Spotting (Hitomi Act 1 Introduction )

Apr 11th, 2013
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  1. [Thank you for downloading the Extra Route Pack Three DLC from 4 Leaf Studios. Choose the 'Leave and find something to do' option to experience your bonus material.]
  2.  
  3. What to do...?
  4.  
  5. [] Wait for Shizune and Misha to come to a decision
  6. [] Read my book
  7. [] Talk to Hanako
  8. [X] Leave and find something to do
  9.  
  10. I don't even feel like lunch, to be honest. I'm so tired right now, I don't think I could last a whole meal, let alone wait for Misha and Shizune to stop arguing long enough to actually come to a decision on where to go.
  11.  
  12. The bell rings and instantly everyone begins to move towards the door, ready to get to lunch and leave the lessons behind. Mutou blinks blearily at the mass of students moving as one, as if he can see the formulas and knowledge he just imparted to them leaking out of their ears. He sighs, gathers his things in his briefcase and leaves once the crowd thins out. Shizune and Misha are still silently arguing and by this point I've lost all interest in the idea of lunch.
  13.  
  14. For a while Hanako remains in class, her face buried in a book. Soon she stands and places it in her bag before walking out, leaving me to find something to do with myself in the classroom, my head resting on my desk.
  15.  
  16. I still haven't gotten used to the rush of school after my stay at the hospital. I know it's only been a few days, but I'm feeling a little exhausted. Between meeting all these new people and trying to start a schedule with schoolwork, I feel like the carpet is constantly being pulled out from under me. I've been trying to find something to focus on, but it seems my attention is being pulled in every direction at once.
  17. Nurse's words remind me of my reason for being here, my heart and my health. I know I should focus on that, but sometimes I want to forget all about it too. I may be at a school for people with disabilities, but I don't see why I should let that consume all my time here.
  18.  
  19. I briefly consider reading a book I picked up in the library, but the idea makes me feel a little disgusted with myself. Instead, I get up, grab my bag and walk out the classroom leaving Misha and Shizune in mid conversation, though they don't notice me walking out.
  20.  
  21. Without any clear idea of a destination, I head out of the main school building and into the quad. There's a lot of other students wandering around, some with box lunches under their arms breaking off into groups, others heading into town to probably get lunch there. I watch them in their little groups, feeling a little aimless. Maybe I should have stuck around and talked to someone? At the very least I could have had lunch with Shizune and Misha, though I know they would have just used it as an excuse to try and drag me into the Student Council.
  22.  
  23. I wander around a bit, getting used to the sights. I'm surprised by how big Yamaku is for a school, but with the dorms, I guess it has to be pretty large to have living spaces for all the students. The extra building attached to the school itself also lends to the campus size. I remember Shizune and Misha saying that was where the Yamaku Foundation offices were along with the school pool.
  24.  
  25. I guess if I'm going to be living here for a while I should familiarize myself with what they offer here. I know the pool isn't likely just for fun, it's probably for students who need some exercise, but then again, aren't I one of them?
  26.  
  27. I walk into the office building and find it to be a lot more official looking than the rest of the school. There's a small waiting room with leather chairs and a small garden under a big window, complete with a small water fixture making a soothing, rippling sound. A desk where a secretary would sit is currently empty, but right behind it is a large sign with arrows pointing to various destinations. Some I recognize; the way back to the school itself, the cafeteria, a path to the dorms, but nothing about a pool.
  28.  
  29. One arrow points down the hall and has the words 'Rehabilitation Center' next to it.
  30.  
  31. I guess that's my best bet.
  32.  
  33. I head down the hall, past a line of portraits and paintings of a bunch of old people, all marked with gold nameplates and titles like 'Board of Directors' or 'Head of Student Resources.' I stop to read a couple of them and I'm surprised to notice I recognize a couple names. One is a portrait of a man with very dark hair with a smug grin on his face. In it, he's wearing tacky blue shirt half unbuttoned and he's holding a sword in his hand. The name under it says 'Jigoro Hakamichi'
  34.  
  35. Is he related to Shizune?
  36.  
  37. Another painting right across from it has a large man in a business suit, dressed more appropriately than the guy with the sword. Rather plain looking, but he looks like he's too big for the frame, like the painter was making him look like a body builder. This one is marked Hiroyuki Satou.
  38.  
  39. Lilly?
  40.  
  41. I guess it would make sense for people with children who have disabilities to donate to a school for them, but if they are related, I never thought either Lilly or Shizune's family had money. I'm reminded that this still is a private school, so it may be considered a little elite, even if it is for people with something wrong with them like me.
  42.  
  43. Walking between the portraits I feel a little chill run up my back, but I ignore it and continue on towards the 'Rehabilitation Center' whatever that means.
  44.  
  45. Soon the plush office look vanishes and after passing through a pair of double door, I find myself back in a more familiar looking hallway, built in the style as the rest of the school. The floors are white tile and the walls are plain with handrails at waist height for those with difficulty walking and maneuvering. Another sign on the wall points me onwards and I follow it.
  46.  
  47. Coming to a line of long windows, I look into a room filled with weight machines and treadmills, the floor a soft but firm mat and mirrors lining one whole wall. This must be where students can work out if that's part of their medical needs, work on their strength and keep themselves in shape.
  48.  
  49. I wonder if I should think about doing that?
  50.  
  51. I find a door and step inside, the smell of cleaning solution in the air and the sound of some music being pumped in from somewhere. I can see more machines, all of them a uniform white and black color, lined up precisely with similar looking machines next to each other and a long bank of some more treadmills next to each other. I've never been much into gyms, but it's clear there's a lot of money tied up into this place. I pick up a barbell from a nearby rack, a small one, and lift it slightly.
  52.  
  53. If I'm going to be at this school, I might as well take advantage of it. It'll be sort of like a free gym membership, right? I really should work on something so I'm not just hanging out in my room all the time or sticking my nose in a book.
  54.  
  55. I put the weight back, the music catching my attention. Trying to find it's source, I notice it's coming from a door that slightly ajar.
  56.  
  57. Curiosity getting the better of me, I look inside.
  58. I can feel my cheeks turn red.
  59.  
  60. Inside a small stereo is playing some music, but it's the person in the center of the room that catches my attention. Inside is a girl with dark hair in a long, tight braid down her back, facing away from me in front of another of the wall length mirrors. She's very tall and I can see she must spend a lot of time in the gym because she's very... toned, I guess I'll say. It doesn't help she's wearing a tight outfit to work out in, enabling me see her muscular calves and legs as she bring a big medicine ball in her hands over her head before bending back down to bring it slowly to the floor in a steady pattern.
  61.  
  62. Her gym shorts bunch up around her legs every time she bends over.
  63.  
  64. I gulp.
  65.  
  66. It doesn't take me long to notice that she's wearing a white, medical eye patch over her left eye.
  67. Or that she's glaring at me through the mirror.
  68.  
  69. Realizing I've been staring, I quickly look away.
  70.  
  71. “What the hell are you looking at?” she says, looking pissed.
  72. “Oh, uh, I wasn't,” I try to stammer, feeling my face grow red hot.
  73. “Yeah, you were! You were staring at my ass!” She puts the heavy ball under one arm to face me, then continues to glare. “Or were you staring at my eye?”
  74.  
  75. I start to slowly back towards the door for an escape. “I wasn't, I swear! I was just looking for....”
  76. “What? Defenseless girls a pervert can peep in on? Maybe get the chance to stare at some cute girl just trying to get a work out in over lunch? Well, you found me instead! You walked into the wrong weight room, little boy!“
  77.  
  78. She starts walking towards me in a menacing matter.
  79. I've got to get out of here! “I'll just be leaving!”
  80.  
  81. I turn for the door, but she's behind me and slams it shut with one arm. “Not until I get an answer!”
  82. With my back against the door, she leans in close to me. I slide down to the floor with her towering above me, my heart beginning to race. I can't help but catch the smell of her sweat and her bubble gum scented shampoo as my life flashes before my eyes. With a loud thump, she drops the medicine ball right between my legs, making me scoot back in alarm. “Answer me; were you staring at my ass or my eye?” she demands, glaring down at me.
  83.  
  84. I think very carefully about my answer, considering it may be my last words;
  85.  
  86. [] Honestly? I was looking at your butt.
  87. [] The eye. I apologize.
  88. [X] Actually... both, sort of. Sorry.
  89.  
  90. She's literally got my back against the wall! I just need to be honest and hope I can get out of this alive. If not, I think she's really going to beat me up! “Actually... both, sort of.” I cringe, waiting for the pain to start. “Sorry.”
  91.  
  92. She looks down at me, her eye narrowed, weighing my words.
  93. She grins. “Well, at least you're an honest peeper.”
  94.  
  95. With her free hand she reaches down towards me to help me up. I blink a couple times before taking it. I'm surprised, but she hauls me off the floor by herself, almost tearing my arm out of it's socket! I guess she doesn't just look strong, she actually is! “The name's Hitomi, peeper. What's yours?”
  96.  
  97. Still taken aback, I stammer a little before I can respond. “Uh, Hisao. Hisao Nakai.”
  98. Hitomi smiles. “Nice to meet ya', Hisao! Sorry for the rough greeting, a girl can't be too careful!“ She turns back around, switching the radio off. ”Can I help you? Are you here for rehab or something? They don't usually have any of the trainers down here during lunch.“
  99.  
  100. I shake my head, still trying to catch my breath after her near attack on my person. “No, nothing like that. I heard there was a pool at the school and I wanted to see it.“
  101.  
  102. Hitomi smirks, taking a towel from a bench and wrapping it around her shoulders. “You're lucky! I was going to head over there in a little while and help out a friend. I still have a little time for my work out left, but if you stick around, I can show you myself.“
  103.  
  104. The invitation is friendly, at odds with her attitude when she caught me watching. “If it's not any trouble...”
  105. “No trouble at all!” she says, waving her hand.
  106.  
  107. She picks up the radio and heads back into the room I came in from. “Could you grab that ball for me?” she says before walking out.
  108.  
  109. I nod, reaching down to pick it up.
  110.  
  111. It weighs a ton! I can barely lift it!
  112.  
  113. This girl was lifting it over her head like it weighed nothing! How strong is she?
  114.  
  115. Struggling slightly, I take the ball back into the large workout room. Hitomi has set the radio next to a gym bag under a bench. Turning back to me, she almost blushes when she realizes I'm struggling a little with my burden. She takes the ball with one hand, showing no sign of difficulty, placing it with others in a row against the wall. She shrugs sheepishly. “Sorry about that, I forgot I was using one of the heavy ones.“
  116.  
  117. “You must work out a lot. I could barely move that thing.“
  118. “I do spend a lot of time here, I'll admit. I don't get much chance to work with so many students in and out for rehab during the day and the gym closes right after classes let out. Before class in the morning and lunch is about the only time I get to be alone when there isn't anyone to distract me.“
  119. “Ah, I'm sorry.”
  120. She smiles. “It's not a big deal. I was almost done like I said.”
  121.  
  122. She walks over to a wall where a bar is set at waist height like out in the hall. Setting her leg on it, she begins stretching, cooling down from her exercise.
  123. I try not to stare again, I don't want to get smacked like I almost did, but Hitomi doesn't seem to concerned about me watching as she keeps up the conversation. “So, are you checking out the facilities? You going to be working out here?“
  124.  
  125. “No, I was just curious, I guess.”
  126. She smiles. “Almost got yourself in trouble.”
  127. I shrug. “Sorry about that. I didn't mean to interrupt you.”
  128. “Stop apologizing, I said it was cool. Are you planning on doing any exercise?“
  129. I take a look around the gym at all the weights and machines. “I've never really been that physically active, but I guess I'll have to do something at some point. I don't have much of a choice.“
  130.  
  131. She switches legs, not taking her eye off of me. “Why?”
  132. “I just...”
  133.  
  134. I stop talking. I'm not really that comfortable revealing my reasons for being at Yamaku to people I've just met. Some I've told, others it sort of just got blurted out. It's not something I really want to have casual conversation about, at least not yet. I'm still not fully embracing the idea of my condition.
  135.  
  136. Hitomi sees my hesitation and shrugs. “It's okay, man. I understand. A lot of people here aren't cool with talking about their stuff either.“ She winks or maybe blinks at me. “You're lucky. Everyone can tell what's wrong with me.“ She looks me up and down. ”There's nothing wrong with you on the outside, so it must be something inside, right? That's okay, I won't pry.“
  137.  
  138. I nod gratefully, though I'm a little uncomfortable with her candor over her own condition. If anything, she treats it sort of like a joke.
  139.  
  140. She rights herself and leans against the bar, facing me. “So, like I said, you going to be hanging out around here?“
  141. “I don't know, maybe. I just wanted to see what they have to offer.“
  142. “It's a pretty sweet set-up, actually. The hours are a pain, but they have pretty much anything you could need right here and there's usually someone around who can help you if you need it. So what are you interested in? Upper body? You don't look like you need to lose weight.“ She looks me up and down. ”Actually you're a little scrawny.“
  143.  
  144. I grimace and she must see it because she grins and puts a hand on my head, rubbing my hair roughly. It hurts a little, but it's a well meaning gesture. “You should definitely work out! Get some muscle on you!“
  145.  
  146. I shrug. “Maybe.”
  147.  
  148. She leans back, arms over her head, continuing to stretch. I avert my eyes.
  149. “Yeah,” she says, “I was pretty bummed about coming to Yamaku until I saw they had this place. There's nothing like this back home, at least nothing I could afford a membership to. Like I said, it's a sweet setup.“
  150.  
  151. “Are you new here at Yamaku?”
  152. “Nah, I've been here since late last year. Are you?”
  153. “Is it that easy to tell?”
  154. She laughs, reaching down to touch her toes. “Yeah, it is. Experienced students rarely get lost looking for the pool.“
  155. “I'm still trying to get used to it.”
  156. “Used to all the people missing parts of themselves?“
  157. I try not to, but I chuckle a little. She must be pleased that I laughed because she grins again, an easy expression for her.
  158. “More like getting used to the whole thing. My school wasn't anything like this one and I'm trying to wrap my head around all this new stuff. The people, the way things are here. I grew up a long distance from here, so I'm not even used to being this far from a city.“
  159.  
  160. Hitomi's eye lights up. “You grew up in the city?”
  161. “Outside Tokyo, actually.”
  162. “Hey! I grew up right in the middle of it! It's about time I meet another urban kid here! Did you spend much time there? Maybe we hung out at the same places!“
  163. “Actually, parents were pretty busy with work, so I spent most of my free time home alone when I wasn't hanging out with friends. I used to wander around late at night by myself, though. Went pretty far, actually.“
  164.  
  165. Hitomi nods fondly, reaching across her body with an arm to loosen up her shoulders. “I used to do the same thing! Man, I miss the city! I know what that's like, just wanting to wander the streets, not thinking about anything. My friends and I would spend hours in the park near our apartments and just hang out all day! We'd hang out at this one bench of ours and just people watch.“
  166. “People watch?”
  167. “Yeah! You never know what kind of people are going to visit the park. Some guy in a suit could just be an office worker, but he might be a secret agent or a millionaire slumming it! That couple holding hands might be happily married or maybe she's cheating on her husband with his best friend!“
  168.  
  169. “Why would you think that?”
  170.  
  171. “Why not? You can't judge someone by what they look like. They could be anyone! Anything! Me and my friends would make up stories about the people we saw until the cops chased us out of the park.“
  172. “Why would the cops chase you?”
  173. “Cops hate it when kids aren't in school.”
  174. “You used to skip school?”
  175.  
  176. She shrugs. “Yeah, well, school was boring and overrated. I guess I was a little bit of a delinquent back then.“
  177.  
  178. I smirk. “How about now?”
  179. Hitomi smiles at me. “Still am, a little.”
  180. She shakes her head. “I'm not used to this clean air crap! What I wouldn't give to smell bus exhaust again or hear traffic! I never thought I would say this, but I miss the stress of a big city.“
  181. “I'm getting used to it too, but I guess it's nice in it's own way. I do kind of miss home.“
  182. Hitomi nods, standing straight and rotating her shoulders. “You and me both, kid.”
  183.  
  184. She finishes her stretching, wiping her forehead with her towel. “You want me to show you the pool now?”
  185. “Yeah, that would be great.”
  186. “Give me a minute to clean up and I'll be right with you.“
  187.  
  188. Hitomi takes some time returning items to where they belong and setting some in a locker marked with her name. She doesn't even bother changing, just making her way out of the gym, her towel still wrapped around her shoulders. “Aren't you going to change, maybe take a shower?”
  189.  
  190. She looks back at me over her shoulder, made slightly difficult because of her eye. “Why? You going to try and sneak a peek at me when I'm showering?
  191. “No! Why would I do that?”
  192. “Because I'm a cute girl and guys like to watch cute girls in the shower?“
  193. “Well, I don't.”
  194. “Am I not cute?“
  195. I turn away. “Do you always tease people you just met?“
  196. “It's better than what I usually do to guys I just met.“
  197. “What's that?” I ask with slight trepidation.
  198. She smiles brightly. “I beat them up!“
  199. She must see the look on my face, because she laughs. “I'll shower later, I don't want to keep you waiting. Besides, my friend should be ready soon and she hates to wait for anything.“
  200.  
  201. The two of us leave the gym side by side. I'm a little uncomfortable next to her with her still wearing her revealing clothes, but she doesn't seem to take notice at all. I guess it would be a little strange if someone just found us, but we're technically still near the gym and pool, so I guess that's a good enough explanation.
  202.  
  203. Taking a look at Hitomi, I'm again struck by her appearance. She's almost as tall as I am, and like I imagined before, she must work out a lot because she's probably the most fit person I've ever met before. She's muscular, but it doesn't make her look rippling with muscle, just very strong and trained.
  204. I have to be careful, though; if she catches me looking again, I don't know how much teasing I could take from her.
  205.  
  206. “So how come you haven't asked me about my eye?” she says.
  207. “Well, isn't that personal?”
  208. “Maybe, but it's also interesting. It's a pretty funny story if you look at it a certain way. Come on, don't tell me you're not curious?“
  209. “I just don't think it's polite to go around asking people why they're here.“
  210. “I already said that you were lucky, you're a mystery. Everyone knows why I'm here, just not how I got here. Come on, we can share! Hey, if you tell me what's wrong with you, I'll let you see what's under the eye patch! It's actually kind of cool!“
  211.  
  212. I shake my head. “No deal.”
  213.  
  214. She laughs. “Ah, you're such a prude, Hisao!” She puts an arm around my neck and puts me into a gentle headlock. “You know what? I like you! I could carry you around in my pocket if I wanted!“
  215.  
  216. I can't help but smile at her friendliness despite my discomfort. She seems to mean well, she's just very... physical, I guess.
  217.  
  218. “Come on, I'll introduce you to my friend!” Hitomi says, releasing me. “You'll like her, she's a prude too!”
  219.  
  220. Part 2: Making Waves (Meeting Hachisame): http://pastebin.com/hArmuKsn
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