Advertisement
Thanatos02

Akira Route - Act 3-2 - Progress

Nov 13th, 2012
1,474
0
Never
Not a member of Pastebin yet? Sign Up, it unlocks many cool features!
text 22.62 KB | None | 0 0
  1. The tapping of chalk against blackboard, the drone of a long-winded lecture, and the hum of an automated AC all mix together to create a sound whose only purpose is to remind me that I'm back in class.
  2.  
  3. “We're going to be having a test over everything in chapters eleven and thirteen on Wednesday, so make sure you're taking time to study. I'm not going to be grading anything on a curve this time.” Mutou announces before going onto the next part of the lesson, which involves a heinous amount of unit converting.
  4.  
  5. With the exception of that one girl in the front row, everyone in class is awake today. Even the most lethargic of us has elected to pay attention, thanks to the threat of exams drawing closer with each passing day.
  6.  
  7. Still, I can't believe it's already near the end of the first trimester. I've been here for a little less than a month and the first part of the school year is already narrowing to a close. It's jarring, really; the fact that I've only been in class for a third of the usual time. It doesn't feel like very long compared to the endless madness I spent in the company of white walls, white floors, and white ceilings.
  8.  
  9. And like always, I still need to get off of that. I keep telling myself that I'm going to move forward from here, and yet my mind is always going back to that. It helps that I've found some things to distract me from that past, like spending time with Akira, but at this rate I'm never going to be free of it.
  10.  
  11. Speaking of Akira, she and Lilly left yesterday, didn't they? I wasn't there to say goodbye or wish them well, but she's the sort to stick to schedule as far as I can tell.
  12.  
  13. One week. No being invited to that empty classroom for tea or awkward discussions about Lilly's sister. No running into Akira by pure chance time after time, like she were some kind of fairy just waiting for the moment to appear before me.
  14.  
  15. At least she's only a phone call away, right? Too bad the message I sent this morning has yet to be returned. Wouldn't that be something; if the number she gave me was wrong. Or hell, maybe she realized she doesn't want me to bother her while she's away. Regardless, I can't stop from getting my hopes up no matter the situation.
  16.  
  17. I manage to look up and see Mutou finishing writing something on the board, his eyes scanning the peanut gallery as he looks for today's victim.
  18.  
  19. “Hisao, would you like to come up and solve this problem for us?”
  20.  
  21. “Oh, sur-”
  22.  
  23. That...
  24.  
  25. It's not hard to solve, since I've made a habit of reading ahead in the book, but...
  26.  
  27. That's a lot of numbers. And most of them are in incompatible measurements. I don't care who you are -- dimensional analysis sucks, moreso when you don't have a calculator. Why can’t we just have one unified unit across the globe? Everything could be measured in poofs.
  28.  
  29. Farenheit? Poofs. Kelvin? Poofs. Atmospheres? Poofs. Molarity? Poofs. It's all poofs. A poof is equal to a poof is equal to a poof.
  30.  
  31. But wait, that doesn’t make sense, as much as I want it to. Things like temperature and weight are two entirely different spectrum of measurement. That's why it exists in the first place. At least I understand how it all works though.
  32.  
  33. *************
  34.  
  35. “And there you have it. See, it’s not that hard once you get the hang of it like Mr. Nakai here.” Mutou calls out to the class, brimming with enthusiasm as I write the answer to three decimal places on the board at the end of a long bout of hapless arithmetic.
  36.  
  37. My arm hurts. I must have been up there for at least fifteen minutes.
  38.  
  39. “Sadly, that’s all we have for today. Before you leave, though, make sure you’ve got these dates written down. Those of you who are planning to get a jump start on your higher education ought to pay attention here.”
  40.  
  41. Without waiting for a response from the student body, Mutou pulls a small flyer out of his briefcase and begins copying a list of times and locations onto the board in two columns; one for exam locations and another for test dates.
  42.  
  43. College entrance exams, the bane of every Japanese high school student. It doesn’t matter if you’re a student of Yamaku or one of the many other high schools in the country; it’s nothing to joke about. It doesn’t help that I’ve finally made up my mind on going to college, so I can’t just beat around the bush with the excuse “I don’t know what I want to do with my life” looming over my time here.
  44.  
  45. Akira’s advice tends to get mixed in with that thought now, however. I want to go to college, and I want to be prepared for a real job in the field, but I don’t know what I could ever do as a back-up plan. What if life doesn’t wait for me to finish my education? How could I possibly deal with that?
  46.  
  47. As if he timed it to the second, the lunch bell rings right as Mutou puts the final note on the board, finishing up our science lesson for the day. The class doesn’t wait for permission to leave as they all hop out of the seats and file out the door, ready to fill their daily quota of waiting in line.
  48.  
  49. My attempt to join them is met with a gesture from the teacher at the front of the room, followed by a cordial “very good work today, Hisao!”
  50.  
  51. “Ah, thanks. I think I could have worked that problem a little quicker, though.” I respond.
  52.  
  53. “Don’t worry about it, you did fine. I actually picked the wrong problem, so you solved something from tomorrow’s lesson.”
  54.  
  55. Oh, well THAT explains it.
  56.  
  57. “I’m quite amazed you got through it, in fact. We haven’t gone over ionization energy yet, so there was actually a part of the question you wouldn’t have been able to answer if you weren’t reading ahead.” he asserts, eyeballing me with a mixture of pride and joy.
  58.  
  59. “Well, yeah, I have been reading ahead…”
  60.  
  61. Most of the time it’s because I get carried away, however. I wish I could claim that I were this amazing, devoted student; but in reality I run out of things to do, so instead of doing the bare minimum I decide to keep reading in the chapter until I get so bored that I can’t stay awake.
  62.  
  63. “And that’s great! Think you’re ready for that upcoming test?” he asks, not even having to look down at the desk as he works the many piles of paper into one unified stack.
  64.  
  65. “It shouldn't be a problem. I've been able to keep up for the most part.”
  66.  
  67. “How about entrance exams; got a school picked out yet?”
  68.  
  69. And that's where my problem begins.
  70.  
  71. There so many different options in Japan – how am I supposed to just pick one?! There's regional colleges, schools just for science, general preparation schools to get you ready for a college or university; hell, I could shoot for the stars and apply to Tokyo U.
  72.  
  73. I don't even know what I want to specialize in anyway. A generic 'sciences' degree probably won't get me very far, but I don't want to be stuck in school for a decade trying to get my Ph.D in theoretical astronomy. I may as well just pick two things and flip a coin to decide between them, because I'm never going to make up my mind at this rate.
  74.  
  75. “Uhhhhh...”
  76.  
  77. “Don't worry, you have time.” Mutou responds with a smile, “we were all there at one point.”
  78.  
  79. “Are entrance exams particularly difficult?”
  80.  
  81. At this, the duster-clad man before me drops whatever he was going, his entire body going stiff as he stares me down.
  82.  
  83. “I want to say it depends on where you apply, but I'm not going to lie to you. Even the lower tier schools will throw some tough material at you.”
  84.  
  85. Ooh, yeah, that’s exactly what I want to hear. Why should anything be easy? That would be boring.
  86.  
  87. “It’s not impossible by any means, but you’re going to have to do some outside learning if you want to ace it, or at least increase your chances.” he states.
  88.  
  89. “What do the tests cover?”
  90.  
  91. He scratches at the disheveled scruff on his chin, trying to think of the appropriate response.
  92.  
  93. “That also depends on where you apply. I went to a prefectural college, so mine covered multiple subjects, even though I had already declared myself as a chemistry major on the application.”
  94.  
  95. Great. Can’t find out what’s on the test until I figure out where I want to go. It’s like solving for ‘X;' nothing else matters until I get that one little variable sorted out.
  96.  
  97. “Any ideas on where I should apply? I’m still on the fence about which discipline I want to pursue, but there’s got to be a school of general science, right?”
  98.  
  99. “Well, most schools do have a generic 2-year science program. It’s not enough for some careers though; you might have to head to a university if you want to specialize in say, sociobiology or theoretical chemistry.” Mutou answers, his inability to restrain his enthusiasm quite apparent.
  100.  
  101. “Okay, so, where should I get started?” I ask.
  102.  
  103. There’s a lot of extraneous information here. What I need to do afterwards doesn’t really matter until I get the first step down.
  104.  
  105. “You know you want to work in the field of science, right?”
  106.  
  107. I nod my head.
  108.  
  109. “There’s small community college in the city. I’ve got their testing dates right here on the board. Applying isn’t that hard either.” he replies, pointing to a stack of handouts on the desk, which happen to be the only papers he hasn’t haphazardly shoved into his briefcase.
  110.  
  111. On one of the white sheets is information for entrance exams for three different colleges in the area, all of which are quite a ways off.
  112.  
  113. “Not due for another three months.” I comment aloud.
  114.  
  115. “I told you, you have a bit of time to get yourself sorted out.” Mutou responds with an amused smile. “I think you’ve got everything you need. I’ve got to go run some material off for another class, so I’m going to have to leave you here, feel free to ask me anything you want later on.”
  116.  
  117. With that said, he snaps the brown carrying case shut and lets it dangle from one lazy arm as he takes his leave from the classroom, leaving me here in silence.
  118.  
  119. I don’t want to procrastinate on getting this stuff in and beginning to prepare for the exam, but… three months. I have ninety days to get this done. There shouldn’t be a rush at all.
  120.  
  121. Speaking of exam preparation, is there any way to find out what’s going to be on the exam? What about study guides? Does the library here have anything of that sort? Even a generic “one-hundred steps to college success” guide is better than what I've got now.
  122.  
  123. I may as well take a trip to the library anyway. There's these two books I checked out near the beginning of the year that I've lost interest in, and I'm sure they're past due date by now. I don’t have any cash on me though, so if there is a system for overdue charges then they’ll just have to wait.
  124.  
  125. It takes only a few minutes to leave the classroom and make my way to the Yamaku stockpile of fiction and nonfiction, stepping onto that carpeted floor for the first time in weeks.
  126.  
  127. The musty smell of aged paper causes my brain to spring to life for something other than science or existential moping for the first time in a while. It's a nice feeling, although it doesn't do anything to deter the guilt I feel for avoiding the library these past few weeks.
  128.  
  129. Being lunchtime, there’s not a very high attendance rate; as far as I can tell, it’s just me. Even Yuuko has managed to disappear.
  130.  
  131. Is there more than one librarian, or is Yuuko the only one tasked to the library? What about the Shanghai – I’ve never seen any other waiters or waitresses or any other staff there at all, really. Does she work both the library and the cafe at the same time? Running back and forth whenever a motion sensor detects that someone has entered the other location?
  132.  
  133. That could be why she’s never here when I’m first walking in! Taking care of something under the counter is just a clever ruse – she’s just getting here through some sort of underground passage!
  134.  
  135. Are there two Yuukos? Maybe she has a twin sister, or a clone. Or even worse, the Yuuko that works in the library is actually a Yuuko from a parallel universe, and I never see both her and our universe’s Shanghai Yuuko together because reality would collapse if they were to m-
  136.  
  137. Book. Turn in. For the love of all that is holy, I’m starting to sound like Kenji. That night on the roof messed me up in more ways than one.
  138.  
  139. I grab the pair of novels from my book bag and slide them into the return slot, which in turn sets off…
  140.  
  141. ‘THUMP’
  142.  
  143. “Owww, you could have warned me!” a voice calls out from beneath the library desk.
  144.  
  145. Within the moment; an injured Yuuko pops up, rubbing the back of her head in pain.
  146.  
  147. “Oh, Hisao! It’s been a while since you’ve come in here.” the auburn-haired girl across from me comments, still wincing from the collision.
  148.  
  149. “Sorry, I’ve had a lot of other things going on. Haven’t been able to make it to the library.” I reply.
  150.  
  151. “It’s alright. We don’t get new books in very often, so I don’t blame you for putting it at the bottom of your priority list.” she states.
  152.  
  153. Rather forward, as always.
  154.  
  155. “Does Yamaku have a policy on overdue books?” I ask, hoping to change the subject as fast as possible.
  156.  
  157. “Ah, we don’t.” she starts. “I think we should though. There’s a lot of people who come in and borrow books, then never return them. But there shouldn’t be fines, I say we make them re-catalogue everything, so they know how frustrating it is having to leave an empty spot on the shelf for those books that never seem to want to come back.”
  158.  
  159. I guess anyone can be passionate about their job, huh.
  160.  
  161. “That’s what book-ends are made for, aren’t they?”
  162.  
  163. “Well, yes, but… I like to plan ahead.” she counters. “There are some books I don’t even get to place on the shelf, though. We just got a new shipment last week, including a copy of a text on cryptography I ordered for the library on my own time. It went missing before I could even mark it as received!”
  164.  
  165. What does a high school need with a book on cryptograpy? What could anyone who attends this place need with encryption methods? And more importantly; why would they need it so badly that they’d steal it from a library?!
  166.  
  167. “But anyway, is there something else you need?”
  168.  
  169. I’d very much like to leave at this point, considering that my books are already dropped off. But, well, I’m already here, so I might as well take care of something else.
  170.  
  171. “Do we have any study guides here? Like, for college entrance exams?”
  172.  
  173. Yuuko jerks back in terror at the mere mention of the term ‘entrance exams’ and without a word, points to the row of book cases near the back of the library with a jittery hand.
  174.  
  175. That doesn’t answer my question in the slightest, but I think I’m good enough at randomly finding things to be well off without specific instructions. I nod to her and back away from the counter, careful to keep from making sudden movements as I inch my way over to the other accumulation of books and other texts.
  176.  
  177. The cataloging system the library uses is a foreign concept to me, considering that the hospital didn't organize their stock and I was never interested in reading before my bout with, well, death. As such, I assume that my best bet to find something is to wander the shelves up and down in search of anything that could be classified as a college preparation text.
  178.  
  179. Computer science… psychology… social sciences… English…
  180.  
  181. It doesn’t help that this library is rather large compared to anything we had at my old school. I want to know how you get to half of these books if there’s no stepping stools or ladders around. Am I supposed to scramble up and down the shelves like some kind of ape before Yuuko can come back and catch me?
  182.  
  183. At any rate, I’m not finding what I’m looking for. For all I know, there could be a one-hundred book series on exam prep, and I wouldn’t be any wiser since I’m not eight feet tall.
  184.  
  185. …What I can find, however, is a stash of bean bag chairs, with one occupied by a certain dark-haired girl. She seems to be in the middle of her lunch, as indicated by one cheek puffed outward in mid-chew.
  186.  
  187. She’s frozen in place, bookbag at her side and lunchbox open in her lap. Those amethyst-tinted eyes gaze up at me with uncertainty as half of a sandwich lingers between her lithe fingers.
  188.  
  189. Before any words can hop out of my mouth in response, Hanako swallows the hunk of sandwich she was chewing and asks me “n-not to tell Yuuko.”
  190.  
  191. Honestly, it makes sense that we wouldn’t be allowed to eat in the library. I don’t blame her though, since I wouldn’t want to go up to that empty classroom and eat by myself either, and I’m not enough of an honor student to even want to tell on her.
  192.  
  193. “Ah, don’t worry about it. Sorry if I’m bothering you.” I answer.
  194.  
  195. “Y-you’re not bothering me…” she replies after a pause, looking away as a slight blush emerges on her cheeks.
  196.  
  197. “Alright.” I respond, unable to think of anything other than that single word. My thoughts also appear to be trailing off in other ways, as the first thing I do is sit down on a bean bag chair opposite her, relieving my shoulder of the strap of my bag and letting it slump down beside me.
  198.  
  199. She looks me up and down with suspicion before resuming her secretive meal, taking small bites out of what appears to be egg salad on white bread. The box in her lap seems to contain the standard fare; a pocket of rice, some bits and pieces of mixed fruit, and a cookie.
  200.  
  201. I wonder if she makes it all herself. She seems like the ‘natural-born cook’ type, unlike me. I wouldn’t say I’m a bad chef, considering how much I had to learn on those many nights I was left home alone by working parents; but there’s no way I’d be able to prepare something like that, though.
  202.  
  203. “So, do you come here often?” I ask in an attempt to alleviate the silence.
  204.  
  205. …Did I really just say that? Oh my god, that sounded like a pick-up line! It helps to relax so I don't look like I'm forcing myself to talk to her, but that's just too much!
  206.  
  207. Hanako doesn’t jump when I speak, although she still gives me a look of surprise as she tries to compute the misworded question.
  208.  
  209. “Only for this w-week.” she answers.
  210.  
  211. “Yeah, I wouldn’t feel right eating in that classroom by myself either.” I respond, unsure of what to say or how to progress the conversation.
  212.  
  213. The dark-haired girl nods and finishes the last corner of her main course, content to let things remain quiet as she pulls out a pair of chopsticks and pops slices of apple into her mouth.
  214.  
  215. No other terrible conversation starters take form in my head as I’m left looking among the scenery of the library. It’s no doubt for the best; otherwise I’d wind up annoying her with questions about how she feels about Lilly’s absence.
  216.  
  217. It takes no time at all for Hanako to finish her meal, however, as she places the lid back on the small wooden box and slides it into her book bag, hands emerging from within the pack with…
  218.  
  219. “Oh, I know that book.” I comment, unable to keep the statement to myself.
  220.  
  221. There’s no way I could forget it. I’d have stared up at the ceiling and turned into a vegetable if it wasn’t for Arthur Dent and Ford Perfect keeping my brain functional.
  222.  
  223. Hanako glances up at me with a degree of uncertainty before responding with “d-do you?”
  224.  
  225. This time, I decide to answer with a little more restraint, lest she run away like a scared rabbit for the second time. “Yeah, I read it a few months ago. Are you liking it so far?”
  226.  
  227. “Y-yes.” she answers in a curt fashion, hiding part of her face behind the cover.
  228.  
  229. Scratch that, it’s starting to feel like a repeat of the first time I came to the library.
  230.  
  231. Rather than fidgeting around and looking for a way to escape, however, Hanako sets the book down and continues with “I-I’m on chapter five, I’ve b-been having fun reading it s-so far.” she stammers out, as if she were using every ounce of will in her body to try and keep the talk going.
  232.  
  233. “Oh, uh, yeah, it’s a pretty good read.” I reply. “Have you gotten to the part with the Vogons yet?”
  234.  
  235. “I’m j-just getting there.” she answers, a quiet giggle escaping her throat.
  236.  
  237. Is that because that’s one of the funniest parts of the book, or is she laughing because I somehow guessed right? Either way, it’s something.
  238.  
  239. And then, as if to spite me and laugh in the face of my meager success; the lunch bell rings, signaling the end of free time and a call to return to the relative tyranny of the classrooms.
  240.  
  241. Knowing that there’s no point in salvaging what little of a conversation we had going, I hop up to my feet and swing my bag around my shoulder, unable to keep from offering a hand to Hanako as she starts to rise up off of the bean bag chair.
  242.  
  243. She glances between my outstretched fingers and my expression before taking my hand with a bit of hesitation.
  244.  
  245. Even with something as minor as this, I can feel how frail she is. Slender fingers, pallid complexion, and a thin frame. Even with as little muscle as I have, it's easy to help her up to her feet.
  246.  
  247. Her footsteps match mine as we make the trek to the classroom, or at least they match for half of the way as she splits and heads in the opposite direction the second we step out of the library. I can’t help but call out a soft “I’ll see you around, Hanako.” as she paces in the opposite direction.
  248.  
  249. A timid “b-bye” follows as she waves back. It would seem that we aren't both headed for the next class, as she soon disappears into the stairwell down the hallway. I'm not sure why she's going somewhere else, since we have the same schedule, but I'm not going to think on it too hard. She tends to disappear a lot, as far as I can tell.
  250.  
  251. Well, let's look at the bright side for once; the fact that I got a response at all means that I at least made progress today. Considering the circumstances that led me to her in the first place, and the borderline-embarrassing amount of awkward silence it took to get a talk going; that's a bit of an achievement in its own right.
  252.  
  253. I wonder how Akira managed to become acquainted with her, considering her generally brash personality. Is it because of how relaxed Akira is at all times? Or maybe the Satou family radiates some kind of Hanako pacifying aura...
  254.  
  255. There's got to be some kind of a story behind that; I don't think the two met under the same circumstances as myself and Hanako.
  256.  
  257. But still, I hesitate to call it a ‘talk;' we exchanged maybe three or four sentences before the bell cut us off. Regardless, it was enough to actually get acquainted beyond names. With that in mind, it shouldn't be too difficult to try talking to her again. If anything, I can just give Akira a call and find out what kind of wizardry she employs to keep a conversation going.
  258.  
  259. Hell, maybe there will come a day in the future where I can join Hanako and Lilly for tea and not feel out-of-place.
Advertisement
Add Comment
Please, Sign In to add comment
Advertisement