Act 1, Scene C: Lunch Break!

Class passes quickly. Mutou seems as eager to have the day finished as anyone else, so he speeds through most of the details, only covering bare-boned concepts and abstract ideas. It's a bit disorienting at first, but I manage to keep up after a short struggle. The rest of the class doesn't appear so lucky. The more studious ones are scribbling furiously, trying to keep up. The rest have thrown in the towel.

My pink-haired neighbor falls into the latter category. She's laid her head face down on her desk, eyelids weary and heavy. I'm surprised Shizune hasn't gotten onto her about it. Perhaps she doesn't notice. Or maybe she doesn't care. It's possible that she's not the iron-fist dictator that I thought she was.

“And that,” Mutou declares, tapping the blackboard firmly with his stub of chalk, “is the core of thermodynamics.” He underlines the formula, finally finished with his proof. Students scribble away with their pens, copying down the last notes before he sweeps them away with his eraser. I swear he almost sighs at seeing such a lack of enthusiasm. I can imagine he just wants someone to be as excited about science as he is.

The midday bell rings. Writing ceases, and note-taking is replaced by the shuffle of papers and books being shoved into bags for the weekend. “Don't forget!” Mutou shouts over the din, cupping his hands over his mouth. “Tomorrow is the festival! Finish up whatever club duties you have and enjoy the festivities!”

“Fried food~!” Misha's bubbling voice, now bursting with energy, erupts into the crowd. “Games~! Activities~!” And she was so tired earlier...

I sling my knapsack over my shoulder, deliberately trying to escape Misha and Shizune before I get caught red-handed. I eye Miki's desk a few times; she's already gone. After having to turn down those two, she better not be bailing on me. I head out the classroom door, looking through the cluttered hallways for any sign of her.

“Hey, knucklehead!” Luckily, her voice is pretty easy to find. “Over here!” I turn my head toward the sound, seeing her wave a bandaged wrist in the air. Somehow, she finds a way to make it visible above the heads of her taller classmates. I weave through the mobs of people, bumping into a few along the way to meet up with her. She taps her foot on the ground, a scowl on her face. “You're late.”

“Late?” I ask rhetorically. “You said lunch right after class.”

“And I /meant/ right after class. Bell rings, we go, no messing around. Got it?”

I can't think of anything else to do at this point than salute her. It feels natural. “Sir, yes, sir!”

She puts her hand on her hip, pointing at me with her wrist. “Sir?! Just where do you think you are, Private?”

I maintain my rigid stance. “Yamaku Academy, ma'am!” I emphasize the change in gender for my address. “Finest school for the physically disabled this side of the Pacific, ma'am!”

She smiles, baring a sliver of teeth at me. “That's more like it. Now, move out!” The hallway has cleared for the most part, mostly devoid of any life aside from the two of us. They must have been in a hurry to grab lunch and enjoy the rest of their day. I start my literal march down the hall, my 'superior officer' not far behind me. “Back straight!” she shouts. “Eyes in front! Hup! Hup!”

“Madam Sargent, where are we going for lunch?” My voice is still formal, stern.

“Unimportant, Private! Keep moving!” She'd make one hell of an officer, that's for sure.

I march down the stairs, taking them in steady rhythm. We reach the ground floor, and Miki pats me gently on the back. “Excellent work. At ease, Private.” I relax my shoulders, eliciting a giggle from my companion. I can't help but laugh along. In between chuckles, she says, “You put on a pretty good show. Should be in theater.”

“Really?” My tone is half-sarcastic. “You think I could make it?”

She shrugs nonchalantly. “Hell if I know. Not my thing. Now...” She puts her hand on her hip again, letting her left arm dangle freely. “Where's lunch?”

“Shouldn't you decide?” I offer. “You know this town better than I do. All I've been to is the Shanghai?”

She cocks her head. “The Shanghai? Who on earth took you there?”

“It was lunch on... Wednesday, I think. With Shizune and Misha.”

The hallway resonates with her laughing, as if she expected some different answer. “Of course. Completely like them to go there.” She spins on her heel, turning her head back so as to project her voice. “Anyways, why don't we just start walking? We can figure out where we're going on the way there.”

It's better than nothing. “Sure, sounds like a plan.”

We step outside onto the grounds, just the two of us. It's weird, some would probably consider this a date. Still, I've only started talking to Miki today. I'd rather not jump to any conclusions, and she doesn't seem like the swinger kind of girl, either.

“So, Hisao Nakai,” she says as we walk through the front gates. “I imagine you know a little bit about me, and yet I know nothing about you.”

I hum thoughtfully. “I don't know about that. I basically only met you today.” I glance at her through my peripheral. “And surely the school gossip crew has already dug up /some/ dirt on me.”

She laughs, as if to say, 'You have no idea.' “You may be right. Still, I'd rather hear it from the horse's mouth. What brings you to Ye Olde Cripple Academy?” Yeah, she definitely has a nickname for everything. What on earth is she going to come up with for me? Heartbreaker? Actually makes sense, given what brought me here.

“I'd rather not talk about it,” I respond solemnly. “Touchy subject, still trying to get over it. Suffice to say that I have a heart condition.” I don't think I've told anyone at school the details yet, actually. Aside from those who already know, of course: Mutou, Nurse... the adults, basically.

“Fair enough. Not my place to butt in on your personal life.” That's... actually considerate of you, Miki. I might be warming up to her already. She turns her head and winks at me. “At least not yet.”

“You're awfully confident of yourself,” I retort. “What makes you so sure I'll be your friend?”

“You're on a lunch date with me, Hisao. Like I'm going to let you off the hook after this.”

“And what exactly is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you're stuck with me, at least in some sense. Plus, you're running with us tonight. Even more to seal the deal.” Oh, right. I was planning on turning in early for the night after catching up on homework. How did I forget about that in the span of a few hours? I chalk one up to absentmindedness.

We come up on a small delicatessen. “This seems good enough,” Miki suggests. “Mind if we stop here? Can grab some quick sandwiches and enjoy the weather.”

“Sure.” The word comes off more curt than I intend it to be, but she doesn't seem to notice.

Stepping inside, the odor of fresh-cut meats assaults my nose. A man in a paper apron stands behind the counter, donning a pair of plastic gloves. “Afternoon,” he says, snapping the second glove over his hand. I notice that he doesn't stare at Miki's obvious deformity. Maybe the local townsfolk are used to seeing Yamaku students that they've learned to look past the superficial? “What can I get for you kids today?”

Miki eyes a laminate menu spread out on a nearby table. As far as lunch goes, it looks like a sandwich is probably the best option. “This one, if you don't mind,” she replies, pointing to a line on the menu. He leans over the counter, discerning her choice.

“Coming right up, miss.” He pulls a pair of eggs out of a nearby fridge, lowering them into what looks like a steamer. I read the description of what she ordered: chopped, soft-boiled egg, lettuce, and a touch of mustard. The clerk approaches the counter again. “And for you, sir?”

“I'll have what she's having,” I respond with a smile. He repeats the same process as before, and we take a seat at a nearby table to wait for our sandwiches. She rests her neck against her palm, in the same position that she did earlier this morning. Her gaze focused on the exterior window, she hits her wrist against the table repeatedly, almost like she would be tapping her fingers.

“Something wrong?” I ask. Her eyes shift, but her body doesn't. “I thought this was supposed to be simple, fun.”

She puts up a smile. “Just thinking. I like watching people. It's interesting to see them walk past each other, how they talk and how they... you know what I mean?”

I force my attention outside. A few pedestrians pass by the window, some of them alone and some in pairs or packs. Some look like average townsfolk, some are still in the trademark green and white uniforms. The groups talk amongst themselves, occasionally stumbling on a familiar face. I can pick out a couple intricacies in their hand gestures, almost like hints at what they talk about.

“Yeah, I think I understand.” I nod my head once, just for the additional emphasis. “It's like getting into their heads, in a way, right?”

“Kind of. Not really. I just think it's entertaining.”

The sound of crumpled paper emanates from the counter behind us, followed by the clerk's voice. “Two chopped egg sandwiches, up and ready.” We both stand from the table, pick up our lunch, and hand the man our payment before walking out the door.

“So...” I say, looking into my little white bag. “Now what?”

She thrusts her hip outward, stump placed on the bone, tapping her foot on the concrete and humming to herself. “You decided you like people-watching, yeah?”

It's not hard to see where she's going with this. “Pick a bench, keep at it?”

“Exactly.” She smiles and starts running further away from the school grounds.

“Hey! Wait!” I shout after her. A futile effort. Impulsively, I start running after her, slowly at first and accelerating into something more resembling a sprint. As the distance between us only increases, I realize how stupid I'm being by trying to race a member of the track team. This is as ridiculous as trying to keep up with Emi yesterday. But it's not like I can't handle it, right? I'm not going anywhere near as fast as I was then.

A lurching in my chest makes me suddenly aware of my racing heart. It screams at me, 'You idiot, you pushed it hard enough yesterday, and now you're doing it again!' I swear I can see fractured pulses of red in front of me. Up ahead, Miki has stopped, standing triumphantly with her legs spread apart. As if she's taunting me.

My feet start stumbling, my thighs burning like hot lead. Am I going to fall again? Is this just going to be a repeat of the track and Nurse's office? I force myself to stop, hunched over with hands on my knees and gasping for air. But my heart keeps pumping faster. Come on, Hisao, routines. Deep breaths, calm thoughts...

“You okay?” I look up, seeing Miki standing over me with a concerned look on her face.

I summon the strength to stand up straight. After a few more pants, I reply, “Yeah, I think so.”

She rubs the top of her head with her stump. “Um... sorry.” She's... apologizing? Why?

“For what?”

“For pushing you. You even told me about it today, and I was stupid enough to forget.” Her stump meets her forehead. “Yeah, you don't need to be pushing yourself that much. For a while, at least.”

“Well, uh... thanks, I guess.”

A simple smile. One showing self-forgiveness and relaxation simultaneously. “Not a problem. That's enough excitement for today, though, don'tcha think?” I could go with not having my life threatened for the rest of the day. There'll be running later tonight, but I can worry about that later. Another simple response via nod. She steps into the nearby grass, right across the street from the line of shops. “Let's just claim a spot here, then. Hard to beat soft grass!”