script-a2-Shizune

label en_S8:

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with openeye

    "The day after the festival, I slowly rise out of my narrow bed rubbing sleep from my eyes and feeling very tired, but pretty happy."

    play music music_twinkle fadein 5.0

    "Brushing my teeth roughly as I try to remember if I had done so yesterday, I keep running over the events of yesterday in my mind."

    scene bg misc_sky_ni
    with locationchange

    "The fireworks were really amazing. They may have been better than ones I'd seen back home, or even on TV, bursting so close; almost over my head."

    "The food had been hot and delicious, and I don't think there is an experience as pleasant as sitting with friends outside on the open grass and watching the fireworks."

    "Remembering how fun yesterday was helps me feel slightly less tired, but my eyelids are still heavy, and I just want to go back to bed."

    stop music fadeout 3.0

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationchange

    "Suddenly, I remember what day it is."

    "Unless I'm wrong, there is an exam today. I instantly snap wide awake with fear. I can't remember anything I studied yesterday, because it's all been eclipsed by my memories of the festival."

    play music music_pearly fadein 1.0

    "My heart almost leaps out of my throat. I wonder if this is some kind of cruel joke, handing out tests immediately following a festival."

    "And I was so confident about it yesterday, too. I shower quickly and then throw open my notes to see what's going to show up on the test, or if there is even more than just one today."

    "To my great relief, I see there is just one exam in my first period class, and that at least half of it is stuff I could do upside-down and blindfolded. Unfortunately, I still don't remember anything I studied yesterday."

    "Quickly cramming as much as I reasonably can, I decide I'll probably be able to do well, with a little bit of luck. I start heading to school a little early to beat the rush."

    scene bg school_dormhallway
    with locationskip

    with Pause (0.25)

    scene bg school_dormext
    with locationskip

    "Along the way, I go over what I just read in my mind, hoping to memorize it, at least until the test is over."

    "As soon as I step out the door, I notice that the festival booths and stalls still haven't been fully taken apart yet. They still stand on the school grounds almost eerily in the vacant silence with no one around."

    scene bg school_courtyard
    with locationchange

    "Halfway to the school, walking between the stalls, I start hearing the grass crunching behind me under someone's feet, and look over my shoulder, feeling slightly creeped out."

    "I see Shizune standing on the grass, holding a bunch of envelopes in her hand. She returns my gaze with a wave and an innocuous look."

    show shizu cross_wut
    with charaenter

    shi "…"

    hi "Hi, Shizune."

    "No sooner than I say it do I realize that she may want something. That would be the worst possible thing right now. As soon as she lifts the envelopes up, I am throughly convinced I am right."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    hi "Hahaha, nice try, but you're not going to get me this time, silly girl."

    "I turn and walk away. The school is within sight, and I can get at least another ten minutes worth of valuable studying in at my desk."

    show shizu cross_rage
    with charachange

    "Shizune swiftly moves in front of me, and I almost bump into her. Frowning, she raises the envelopes above her head like she is going to hit me with them."

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charachange

    "She looks around quickly, then starts slapping her hands together angrily, crumpling everything in her hand."

    "I almost want to point it out, but Shizune seems to notice without my help, and it only makes her angrier."

    shi "…!"

    "I should get going. Taking a quick glance at my watch, I keep walking."

    "Shizune gives up and puts her face in her hands in exasperation, coming in close and holding her hands out around my neck as if she is going to strangle me."

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "Stepping back, she holds up a finger, signalling for me to wait a second, then runs off. She probably went to get Misha."

    "There is no way in hell I'm going to stick around, so I hurry to class and get ready to face my exam head on."

    stop music fadeout 2.5

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with locationskip

    "The questions are a lot less difficult than I'd expected, and I take full advantage of it without a second thought."

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with shorttimeskip

    "After the test, the school day becomes much easier. I get the feeling that I'm not the only one who feels that exams right after the festival was a bad idea."

    "The teachers generally don't seem too focused on their work."

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with shorttimeskip

    play music music_daily fadein 0.5

    "By the time lunch rolls around, I am already thinking of how to dodge Shizune and Misha. I'm sure they will hunt me down like an escaped prisoner, an analogy that grows more apt the more I think about it."

    scene bg school_roof
    with locationskip

    "Eating a very dry sandwich on the school roof, I think about what it's been like here so far. At first I had been a little depressed by the notion of having to go to school here."

    "No matter how I tried to rationalize it, it seemed like I was being sent out to live out my last days in isolation, kind of like being sent to an old folks' home. But it seems like I'm the only one here who thinks that way."

    "I am the only one who keeps thinking like that, unable to stop going back over and over to morbid thoughts."

    "I resolve to try and stop doing it, even if it seems sort of futile."

    "I shift my body to try and lie down. The roof is really a great place for eating lunch."

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    "It's quiet, breezy, and I can eat staring at the open sky. Behind me, the door to the roof opens gently with a click."

    play music music_comedy fadein 0.5

    show misha hips_grin
    with charaenter

    mi "Hi, Hicchan~!!"

    hide misha
    with charaexit

    "I start to make a break for the door, but she closes it deftly with a kick."
    with hpunch

    with Pause (0.34)

    show misha perky_smile
    with charaenter

    mi "What are you doing? Ah! Listen, Hicchan, there's something important we have to talk to you about!"

    hi "We? So then, where is your other half?"

    mi "We split up to look for you, of course! If one of us finds you, we're supposed to signal the other one~!"

    "How are they supposed to do that? How is that even possible?"

    hi "How?"

    show misha perky_confused
    with charachange

    mi "Eh? How what, Hicchan?"

    hi "How are you going to signal her? How is she going to signal you?"

    "They can't yell out to each other, now, can they? "

    "After briefly thinking about it, I am confident the only way they could communicate with each other would be via flare gun or some kind of searchlight."

    "Misha touches her earlobe thoughtfully."

    show misha sign_smile
    with charachange

    mi "Hm… You're right, Hicchan, you're right, I guess we didn't really discuss that…"

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    mi "Well, it's okay! The important thing is you're here! So—!"

    hi "No."

    stop music fadeout 3.0

    play sound sfx_normalbell

    scene bg school_staircase1
    with locationskip

    "I throw open the door and quickly run down the stairs after closing it behind me."

    scene bg school_hallway3
    with locationskip

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with locationskip

    "The bell rings as soon as I make it down to the first floor, and I trudge off to my next class, hastily packing the uneaten half of my food in my bag, and downing the rest of my water."

    play music music_tranquil fadein 1.0

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with shorttimeskip

    "The rest of the day goes pretty smoothly, but it's still draining as school days go. I just really want to go home and sleep."

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with locationskip

    "Ten minutes before the last bell, I'm already thinking of blowing off student council for the day, and formulating my escape route, as well as excuses to use in the event I get caught."

    "I begin to leisurely pack my things after double-checking my notes for the day and making sure they're all in order, and waiting for the bell to ring."

    "I'll slip out with the rest of my classmates and blend in, vanishing in a sea of people."

    play sound sfx_normalbell

    "As soon as the bell rings, I attempt to get up, but at that second a hand on my shoulder pushes me back down."

    show misha perky_smile
    with charaenter

    mi "Hi, Hicchan~!"

    show misha hips_grin
    with charachange

    mi "Again."

    show misha hips_laugh
    with charachange

    mi "Wahahahahaha!"

    show misha hips_grin
    with charachange

    "She leans in uncomfortably close, grinning widely. Shizune quickly pushes her out of the way and moves in front of me, her brow furrowed in grim anger."

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    show bg school_scienceroom at bgleft
    with charamove

    show shizu cross_rage at tworight
    with charaenter

    "I look to see if my classmates see what's going on, but they are all gone, as well as the teacher."

    hi "Hi. What's up?"

    "I decide to play it cool."

    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu cross_rage at tworight
    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Why did you run away from me? Oh, and me, too! Hicchan, you almost locked me on the roof!"

    hi "You can't lock it unless you have the key."

    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "You're right, I was turning the doorknob the wrong way…"

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "But still, that was not very polite!"

    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu cross_rage at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Anyway, Hicchan, we wanted to talk to you, because we have something for you."

    mi "Guess what it is, Hicchan! Come on, guess, guess~!"

    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…!"

    show shizu cross_rage at tworight
    with charachange

    "Shizune seems ticked that Misha isn't taking this as seriously as she would like, and shows her displeasure by signing very angrily."

    "Her hands slapping together harshly to the point where it seems like she is clapping."

    mi "Fine, fine, Shizune. Hicchan, we have some mail for you!"

    hi "That's impossible, I don't get mail. And if I did get mail, it would come to my room."

    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Ah, well, um…"

    "I smile and nod arrogantly, feeling superior for once."

    show shizu behind_frustrated at tworight
    with charachange

    "Shizune rolls her eyes, and quickly grabs the front of my desk and rattles it, shaking me out of my self-satisfaction."

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    with charachange

    hi "Hey, what was that for?"

    show shizu behind_frustrated at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Just come to the student council room, Hicchan, we have a lot of stuff to give you~!"

    "Warning bells start going off in my head. I won't fall for something as transparent as that."

    hi "A lot of stuff to give me? You mean like… work? Oh no you don't."

    shi "…"

    mi "Jeez~! You're in the student council anyway, Hicchan, you should be there anyway!"

    mi "But your trying to get out of it is kind of funny, isn't it, Shizune! Hahahahahahaha~!"

    show shizu behind_frustrated at tworight
    with charachange

    "Shizune closes her eyes and frowns in exasperation as Misha laughs heartily. I take this time to get out of my seat and start walking towards the door."

    show shizu behind_frustrated at offscreenright
    show misha perky_confused at offscreenleft
    with ease

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    "Without warning, the two of them tackle me from behind, Shizune grabbing my arm and Misha grabbing me around the neck, still laughing."

    #I can sorta see this being a CG. -Irina

    play music music_comedy fadein 0.5

    hi "What are you two doing?!"
    with vpunch

    hi "Get off me!"

    mi "No~!"
    with vpunch

    shi "…!"

    mi "No no no no no~! Not until you listen to us! Ahahahaha!"
    with vpunch

    mi "Ahahahahahahahahaha!"

    "Not knowing what to do, I decide to just throw out all my excuses."

    hi "Well, the thing is, I'm kind of tired today, and I may also be coming down with the flu, and I have some shopping to do, and it's my little sister's birthday, and–"

    shi "…"

    mi "Shut up, Hicchan~! We know you don't have a little sister!"

    hi "What? But how?"

    "Misha giggles excitedly, and I can feel her chest pushing into my back. Likewise, Shizune's breasts are touching my arm."

    "I almost forget for a second that the two of them have been responsible for my poor eating, lack of sleep, and overworking. And all that in just one week."

    "I blush involuntarily at the contact."

    "Shizune catches it and throws me and Misha to the floor."
    with vpunch

    shi "…"

    mi "Ahahahaha! Wahahahaha~!"

    stop music fadeout 1.5

    "I stand up as Misha leans against the wall for support, laughing so hard she can barely manage to keep herself up."

    play music music_shizune fadein 1.5

    show misha sign_smile at twoleft
    show shizu behind_frown at tworight
    with charaenter

    shi "…!"

    mi "Hicchan, you're a pervert! We're trying to tell you to come pick up your mail, and you're taking advantage of two girls just doing their job!"

    shi "…"

    mi "How can you do such a thing~? How do you sleep at night?"

    hi "On a hard bed, in a cold room."

    hi "That's when I sleep. Sometimes I don't, like when I have to do stuff like work long, long hours at the student council."

    show misha hips_laugh at twoleft
    show shizu adjust_blush at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Hahahaha!"

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Hicchan, we really do have your mail! Your parents didn't write your room number on it, so it just went to the school, and then the school gave it to us~!"

    show shizu behind_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Usually, when we get strange mail and the school tells us to go deliver it to whoever is supposed to have received it, Shizune just tells me,"

    mi "“Misha, throw that away! We aren't the post office~!”"

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Misha puts her hands on her hips and stands assertively as she says it. It's an inaccurate impression, but I have to struggle to keep from laughing anyway."

    mi "“Misha, this shouldn't be our responsibility! What a lazy person, anyway, it's his fault for not putting down his room number, or his parents' for forgetting it!”"

    mi "“Misha~!, conventional mail is outdated, we are improving the world by promoting the use of better means of communication!”"

    mi "Wahahaha~!"

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    with charachange

    #ideally this would be an insert, 1/5th of screen size

    "At that point, Shizune walks over to Misha and puts her hand over her mouth, partly as a joke, but I can see it's mainly to get her to shut up, out of embarrassment."

    shi "…!"

    mi "Ahahaha! Ah, but because we know you, and we're so nice, we've been trying to give you your mail all day, but you kept running away from us."

    mi "Why?"

    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Because you're a jerk~! And you assumed the worst of us, too. That hurts, Hicchan, that you would assume we would try to pull anything… "

    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Dis—ingenuous?… on you!"

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Your parents seem like nice people, too! I read what they wrote to you, it was very sweet! They even sent some money and snacks. Wonderful~, isn't it?"

    hi "You read my mail?"

    hi "That's… not legal."

    show misha perky_sad at twoleft
    with charachange

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    with charachange

    "Misha gives a nervous laugh as Shizune crosses her arms and smiles a cocky smile, looking inexplicably proud. She stands up as straight as she can, almost on the balls of her feet."

    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    show shizu behind_frustrated at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Hicchan, any mail that is improperly addressed can be claimed by its rightful owner, but after a while, ownership of the mail reverts to the entity holding it, meaning we, the student council!"

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "And to make sure that the mail does not contain dangerous or improper materials, it is our duty to look through the mail… at our careful and thoughtful discretion, of course, of course~!"

    show misha hips_laugh at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Hahaha!"

    show shizu adjust_angry at tworight
    with charachange

    "Shizune adjusts her glasses cooly, pushing them up with one finger."

    hi "But you just looked through my mail for no reason. That's a poor way to rationalize it, anyway. You have a license to snoop?"

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Ahahaha~, you're right, Hicchan."

    shi "…"

    mi "Eh? You're wrong, Hicchan! Well, whatever, whatever, let's go claim your mail, Hicchan!"

    hide misha
    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    scene bg school_hallway3
    with locationskip

    "They seem pretty energetic today, way more than usual."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationskip

    "They both start pushing me towards the student council room, but there's really no need. I want my mail."

    "When we get to the door, I insist on opening the door for them, partly to be polite, but mostly because I am still suspicious of their motives."

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charaenter

    "Fortunately, I was worried for nothing. Shizune hands me a few boxes and some partially crumpled envelopes with the air of a king knighting a squire."

    hi "Thanks."

    "I can see you two did a good job of sealing them back up, to hide the evidence of your crime."

    show shizu behind_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charachange

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    with charaenter

    mi "Don't mention it, Hicchan~!"

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charaenter

    mi "How did you do on your exam? We're not in that class with you."

    hi "I think I did pretty well. I'd forgotten some things because of the festival yesterday, but I recovered enough to do a good job."

    mi "Really, Hicchan? That's great! Me and Shizune don't have any tests until Wednesday, so for now, I'm not too worried! "

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    with charaenter

    mi "It's too early for that! Ahahaha!"

    hi "You should start studying now."

    show misha sign_smile at twoleft
    with charaenter

    mi "Hey! There's such a thing as overstudying too, you know. You can study too hard, and you can study too little."

    mi "I'm just doing the logical thing, Hicchan~!"

    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    show misha perky_sad at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Which is not studying at all?"

    show misha hips_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Hey, that's not fair, Shizune, I never said that!"

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Ah, Hicchan, how were the fireworks last night? I slept through them."

    scene bg misc_sky_ni
    with locationchange

    "I try to go back into my memory of yesterday, and I don't think I remember Misha sleeping through the fireworks. But it is something she would do, and I can imagine her doing it."

    scene bg school_hallway3
    with locationchange

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charaenter

    hi "They were great, I can't believe you slept through them."

    hi "I can't believe the students could get fireworks."

    show misha hips_laugh at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Wahahaha~!"

    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Well, the school is too busy to keep track of things like that, so it's up to the student council to check for fireworks, just like it's our job to do everything else when the festival rolls around."

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    show shizu behind_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Of course, we can't keep track of everything, after all, we're only human."

    mi "Plus, it's a beautiful display, they always have great taste in fireworks, so we're willing to look the other way!"

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Hahaha!"

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "But~! It was a great festival yesterday! Did you enjoy it, Hicchan? See, it was totally worth going to!"

    "I have to say that I did. Originally, I hadn't planned to do anything yesterday but maybe study."

    "I wonder how much I would have regretted it had I not gone. It had been worth going to, like Misha said."

    "Maybe I have taken that social element for granted."

    "I can't really put into words as clearly as I'd like to what Shizune and Misha are to me, but I enjoy the time I spend with them, most of the time, anyway."

    "They are playful and enthusiastic, and always so full of energy."

    "Even if they are a little strange and sometimes have me on edge."

    show shizu behind_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    show misha sign_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Hicchan, have you been taking your medication?"

    "I haven't. Admittedly, I'd forgotten to take it for the past four days."

    "I'm a bit taken by surprise, wondering how she could know, but then I realize they have read my mail."

    mi "Is there anything wrong, Hicchan?"

    hi "No, there isn't. You're right, I haven't been taking it lately. My mom probably wrote that, right?"

    show shizu behind_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Yep~! She was worried you might have forgotten. But really, Hicchan, you should take whatever medication you're taking, for whatever reason you're taking it."

    mi "Hm, why are you taking it anyway? Is it serious, Hicchan? Hmmm?"

    hi "Something like that."

    shi "…"

    show misha sign_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Well, we're all still a little tired from yesterday. You must be, too, right, Hicchan? So, no student council today, at least for you!"

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Wonderful~! Not so much for me, though… Wahahahahahaha~!"

    "Yes, it really is wonderful. I feel a million times better already, although I feel sorry for Misha."

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Ah, Hicchan, and your mom calls you Hicchan, too~! That was interesting, I never knew."

    hi "Yeah, I was meaning to bring it up one day."

    shi "…"

    mi "Shut up, idiot? Go home and study for your exams?"

    mi "That's so mean, Shizune."

    hi "But she's right, I do have a lot of studying to do, too. You guys should get a head start on that as well."

    show shizu adjust_happy at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    with charachange

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    mi "Bye, Hicchan~!"

    hide misha
    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    scene bg school_dormext
    with locationskip

    play music music_soothing fadein 0.5

    "I leave the main building and walk towards the dorms, noticing that a few more stalls have been cleared away, but the majority remain."

    "I wonder if Shizune and Misha will have to take care of this."

    "It seems like a tough job, and I feel almost guilty that I won't be able to help them, but the small stack of mail in my hands keeps growing heavier with urgency to read it."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationskip

    "I reach my dorm room and start reading the mail. It's all pretty general, but it's nice that my parents are concerned."

    "I notice, however, that every letter seems to ask why I haven't been replying to their e-mails."

    "I'll have to write them back and explain how hard it is to get my laptop working up here."

    "When I finish, I open the boxes, which are filled with a few snacks from back home, some canned juice, and even some money."

    "This is very considerate of them, almost a little too much."

    "Making a mental note to write them back telling them to stop worrying so much, I notice the assortment of prescription bottles behind me for the first time in days."

    "My little incident yesterday keeps popping up, and I am forced to admit that these really are a necessity, and I may be forced to deal with that fact for the rest of my life."

    "Gulping them down as according to the directions on each bottle, I try not to be too downed by this. It's just routine stuff, that is how I try to rationalize it."

    "I study for a little while, but after an hour, the realization dawns on me that there is just no way I can go over this stuff more than I already have."

    stop music fadeout 2.5

    "I decide to check up on Kenji and see how he is."

    scene bg school_dormhallway
    with locationchange

    "After knocking on the door, I'm disappointed to get no response. If it were anyone else, I would think he was somewhere else."

    "With Kenji, he is most likely either hiding or dead."

    "I hear someone getting up inside the room, and then a clattering sound, like falling pots and pans, followed by an ominous hissing noise that seems faintly familiar."

    "The door opens after Kenji undoes the unnecessarily huge number of locks he seems to have on it."

    play music music_kenji fadein 0.5

    show kenji tsun
    with charaenter

    ke "Who is it?"

    hi "Hey, Kenji, why do you keep asking that after you open the door?"

    hi "Why do you even put like ten locks on that door if you're just going to open it without even knowing who's knocking?"

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "…Oh, it's you, Hisao."

    "Kenji says after a long pause. I'm amazed at the ease with which he brushes off my question."

    show kenji happy
    with charachange

    ke "What do you want, man? I'm trying to get a head start on dinner. Fried rice with egg, it's going to be delicious."

    "I think of the massive amount of heat needed to make proper fried rice and become very afraid. I wonder if I should request a room change."

    hi "Are you sure that's safe?"

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "What? It's not? Whatever, man, is there anything you need?"

    hi "I was just wondering if you had any tests today. Do you think you did well?"

    "Kenji's eyes widen behind his thick glasses, and he shivers with a grimace on his face. I shouldn't have said anything."

    hi "That bad?"

    ke "I think I had something in Math, but I didn't go."

    hi "You didn't go?"

    show kenji tsun at centeroff
    with ease

    ke "Yeah, that's right, I didn't go. Do you know why I didn't go, man? "

    ke"Because it is my belief that the post-festival exams are part of a vast conspiracy to weaken the kids at this school."

    show kenji tsun
    with charamove

    ke "Starting tests one day after a festival everyone looks forward to… that is some suspicious shit, man."

    ke "I always thought so, and after a lot of research, I think the school schedules it like this so that we, weakened by the festival and seduced by its disgusting temptations of fun and social interaction, accept the exams that follow the very. {w=1.0}{nw}"

    ke "Next."

    ke "Day!"

    show kenji tsun at tworightoff
    with charamove

    ke "Without a fight, so that we're all tired out and unable to do well, then we fall into their trap and get locked into an endless cycle of failure."

    show kenji tsun at center
    with charamove

    ke "Forever!"

    hi "I don't think that's it."

    ke "Yes, it is. It's like the old carrot-and-stick approach. Well, I'm not falling for that crap! I didn't go to the festival, so I am banning the exams."

    hi "Banning?"

    "I don't think Kenji understands the concept of banning."

    ke "Yeah, man, I'm banning exams. Wait, why are you talking to me about exams? I banned them. I thought I told you this."

    show kenji tsun at centeroff
    with charamove

    ke "Shut up, shut up, stop telling me about them! Dammit!"

    "He retreats further into his room, pacing slightly. When he calms down a little, he stops, straightening his posture a little and fiddling with the doorknob nervously."

    show kenji tsun at center
    with charamove

    ke "Is that it, dude?"

    "His eyes narrow suspiciously."

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "Hey, what did you do yesterday, anyway? You didn't go to the festival, did you?"

    hi "I did, I was bored."

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    ke "Damn! Damn! I tried to see if you were up for some bowling, but you didn't answer your door, so I thought that was where you were."

    show kenji tsun at centeroff
    with charamove

    ke "You suck, man. {w=.5}{nw}"

    show kenji tsun at center
    with charamove

    ke "I hate you."

    ke "Do you know the balls it takes to go out into the hall? "

    ke "I can't just go out there for no reason. {w=.5}{nw}"

    ke "It's cold."

    hi "We could go bowling now. I'm up for some bowling. I didn't know there was a bowling alley in around here."

    "Kenji's expression changes to one of total incomprehension. He cocks his head slightly to the side."

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "What the hell are you talking about? I bowl here."

    hi "What?"

    ke "It's hard to bowl, because people keep coming in the building."

    ke "But on the festival it's a ghost town, so I can set up pins at the end of the hall and bowl as much as I want."

    ke "Kinda hard to see how many pins I knock down, though. See, that's why it is a two dude game."

    ke "I could have used you, you could have kept score. But then you could take advantage and cheat."

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    ke "Bastard."

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    "I don't understand Kenji's thought process at all. The thought of him bowling in the hallway is just too much."

    "I want to laugh, but I'm too shocked by how unbelievably random he is."

    "Kenji doesn't seem to notice and starts talking gradually faster and faster."

    ke "Yeah, you probably saw the fireworks with those two crazy student council girls."

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    ke "Did they kick you in the stomach and steal your student ID? That is my greatest fear."

    ke "Were they hot? I hear the student council president is hot, even if she is a frigid bitch."

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "I think I remember her, she passed me in the hall, so I said hi, and she didn't even stop or anything."

    ke "Damn, the arrogance."

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    ke "What a bitch."

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "Damn, what did they do? You shouldn't have gone. Now you're trapped, in their endless vicious cycle of student council work."

    ke "They almost got me with that shit too, way, way back…"

    ke "This crazy one with pink drill hair came up to me and asked me if I wanted to join the student council, but I showed her."

    show kenji happy
    with charachange

    ke "I said “Ha, nice try, but you won't get me with that shit, you crazy authoritarian bitch!” "

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "And then ran back here, still in possession of my freedom and my ID."

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    ke "So close, though. the insanity… {w=.5}{nw}"

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    extend "what insanity."

    "I resolve to make sure that Kenji never, ever meets Shizune or Misha. Then, I consider having them meet."

    ke "I'm hungry. We should continue this later, you can tell me about their schemes."

    show kenji happy
    with charachange

    ke "You can join me in my fight against the vast student council/school/feminist agenda. It'll be fun."

    hide kenji
    with charaexit
    with hpunch

    stop music fadeout 3.0

    "Before I can say anything, he closes the door in my face, leaving me slightly amused, but mostly still in disbelief."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationskip

    "I decide to go back to my room and just sleep for the rest of the day."

    scene black
    with shuteye

    return

#*********************************************************************************************************************

label en_S9:

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with shorttimeskip

    play music music_normal fadein 2.0

    "It's Friday, almost a week has passed since the festival. Right now, though, I'm just thinking about how great it is that after today, I'll finally be done with all my exams."

    "Generally, they haven't been too tough, but if I hadn't studied as much as I have been doing, I'm sure I would think otherwise."

    "I've settled into the routine of taking my pills, but it's still a bit of a hassle having to count all of them out every single day. I'm beginning to get lazy with that already."

    "Shizune and Misha haven't approached me to go help them with their student council duties lately."

    "It's strange, because they did everything short of threats of physical violence to get me to join."

    "I even dropped by the student council room after school on Wednesday, and they weren't there."

    "Not that I'm complaining, though. It's probably because of exams; they are students too."

    "Today, I have an English exam. I'm not really looking forward to it; personally, it may be my weakest subject. But, it can't be helped, I'll have to try, and have faith in my studying skills."

    "After classes are all over and done with, I walk to the dorms basking in the knowledge that I won't be seeing another test for awhile."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationskip

    "Back in my room, I take off my shoes and stretch out on the floor and letting out a yawn. It's been a rough week, but it's almost over now."

    "The stalls outside my window are all gone now, as if they had never been there. I keep wondering who's responsibility it had been to clear them away."

    "Was it Shizune and Misha? It seems that way, and I can't really think of anyone else who would be in charge of such a thing, but it's a very depressing thought."

    "I'm surprised they didn't come to me for help. Could it have been out of concern? Did they read my mail and find out I'm sick?"

    "I can't have that. This is the kind of thing that I was afraid would happen, and for a brief moment a feeling of worry flashes through my mind."

    "I was actually beginning to look forward to student council work, just a little. It's time consuming, but not difficult."

    "But more importantly, it's kind of nice spending time with Shizune and Misha."

    "As much as it may seem otherwise at times, they are nice. It's not like anyone would really turn down a chance to spend a lot of time with two attractive girls, either."

    "But, to be serious, I'm depressed by the thought that they may not have come to me because they found out about my condition."

    "So it's true; I'm going to be defined by this, by something as stupid as a heart problem."

    "I'm not made out of glass."

    "This is kind of silly when I think about how hard I tried to get out of helping Shizune and Misha out before."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationskip

    "I head down to the student council room. The main building is deserted, and deathly quiet. I'm having second thoughts as to whether Shizune and Misha are even here today."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationchange

    #I'd like an insert here, 1/3rd of screen of S & M

    "I open the door, and see Shizune tapping her pen on her desk as she contemplates over a piece of paper that makes medical insurance forms look simple in comparison."

    "Misha sits in the corner at a table, her arms folded in front of her and a serious look on her face. At first, I think she is deep in thought, but her drooping head shows me that she's just asleep."

    "Seeing that she hasn't noticed my presence, I decide to sneak up on her and make my way towards the desk as steathily as possible, but she lifts her head at the last second and sees me."

    "Realizing I've been caught, I try to laugh it off."

    hi "Haha, you caught me. What are you doing, Shizune?"

    show shizu cross_rage
    with charaenter

    "To my surprise, she looks angrier than I've ever seen her, gritting her teeth and shaking almost unnoticibly with quiet rage."

    show shizu adjust_angry
    with charachange

    "Turning around just a bit away from me, she adjusts her glasses, slowly and deliberately, then turns towards me again seeming to have regained her composure."

    show shizu behind_frustrated
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charachange

    "She signs something curtly towards me."

    hi "Sorry, I don't understand. You know I can't understand you."

    hi "In fact, that's why I came here."

    hi "I was wondering if they have a sign language course here, but I thought that maybe you two could teach me a little, since we hang out so often."

    hi "Of course, you don't understand anything I'm saying right now."

    "Shizune gets out of her chair and starts heading towards me."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    "She stops right in front of me, looking at me expectantly as if I'm supposed to know what she wants me to do."

    show shizu basic_frown
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    hi "Hey, I don't know what that means."

    "I shrug to show my incomprehension, but that only makes Shizune sign more angrily."

    "I wonder if I should wake Misha up."

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charachange

    "Shizune jabs a finger in my chest repeatedly when she sees me getting distracted, and I wonder if I should do the same to her."

    "The opportunity is there, it's just about considering the consequences."

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "Before I can decide, Shizune throws up her arms, having had enough, and walks over to Misha briskly before picking up two staplers and hitting them together very quickly in front of the sleeping girl."

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    "The sound wakes up Misha, who almost falls out of her chair."

    play music music_comedy fadein 0.5

    show misha cross_laugh at twoleft
    show shizu behind_frown at tworight
    with charaenter

    mi "Ahaha! I wasn't sleeping!"

    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "I was just…"

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Oh, hello, Hicchan~!"

    hi "Hello."

    mi "What brings you here?"

    show shizu adjust_angry at tworight
    show misha hips_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Misha keeps looking at Shizune nervously out of the corner of her eye, maybe hoping that Shizune will forget about the fact that she was sleeping, but it doesn't seem like it's going to happen."

    show shizu behind_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    hi "I thought I was a part of the student council."

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Wow, Hicchan, you want to help out?"

    hi "No, of course not. It's the principle of the thing."

    hi "I spent at least a combined 24 hours thinking up excuses I could use to not have to come here, and it was all for nothing?"

    hi "Misha, shouldn't you be signing this back to Shizune?"

    show misha perky_sad at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "I'm scared…"

    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    "…"

    show shizu cross_rage at tworight
    show misha sign_sad at twoleft
    with charachange

    "……"

    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    "………"

    show shizu behind_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    "Misha turns to Shizune tentatively and signs what seems to be an apology."

    "Shizune's reply seems unusually lengthy and complex, so I don't think she is saying anything like “OK.”"

    play music music_daily fadein 1.0

    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    "…"

    show shizu cross_rage at tworight
    show misha hips_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Ah, that's not it, Shizune! I wasn't sleeping, I was just… thinking!"

    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    "…"

    show shizu behind_frown at tworight
    show misha perky_sad at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "What do you mean that's impossible?"

    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Oh well. Hicchan, there isn't anything for us to do here today, either."

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Except some forms that came by while I was asleep~"

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "What?"

    show misha hips_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "That's not a confession!"

    mi "That's just what you said!"

    mi "Shizune~!"

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Fine, fine. Hicchan, if you want to do anything today, you're out of luck. Sorry~?"

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    mi "But you probably would have tried to get out of doing any work if we had any, so I guess this saves us some trouble anyway~."

    "The trouble of what? More coercion?"

    mi "We decided not to come to you this week because we thought you could use a little rest."

    "I respond quickly because I don't want to think about the implications of what she said."

    hi "It's a good thing you're awake—" #reminder for the potential {nw} break

    show misha hips_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "I wasn't asleep~!"

    hi "—because I wanted to ask you if there are any sign language classes here."

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Here?"

    hi "At the school."

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "There are! Isn't that where I learned sign language? Yep~! It's where you learned sign language?"

    hi "Who?"

    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "I don't know."

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "This school does have sign languages; it'd be weird if it didn't, Hicchan. But the window of opportunity for you to sign up for them is long gone."

    shi "…"

    mi "Why do you want to learn sign language, Hicchan?"

    hi "Well, I'm going to be doing a lot of student council work. I can't keep talking through you. You're not a phone."

    show misha hips_laugh at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Hahahaha~!"

    "Or is she? Insert 100 yen to continue making your call."
    #push Misha, receev translation

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Well, Hicchan, I could teach you some sign language!"

    hi "Really? That'd be great, it was my first idea. It wouldn't be too much trouble?"

    mi "Not too much trouble at all~! Wahahahaha~!"

    "Not too much trouble? You're supposed to say it isn't any trouble at all. I stop to contemplate whether Misha is doing it wrong or just being witty."

    hi "Alright, thanks."

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "We're going to be teaching you together! I'll teach you how to sign, and then Shizune can test you!"

    mi "You must be really dedicated, to want to learn sign language just for this."

    hi "It's good to speak a variety of languages."

    shi "…"

    mi "Okay~, let's get started, then! It's time for your first lesson!"

    hi "Right now?"

    mi "I guess so! Have a seat, Hicchan!"

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    hide misha
    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "I pull up a chair and take a seat. Shizune pulls up a chair next to mine and looks at Misha patiently, sitting with her legs crossed."

    play music music_nurse fadein 1.0

    "I guess she wants to observe Misha's teaching skills."

    "We both look at her, waiting for her to start, but she only stares back blankly."

    show misha perky_sad
    with charaenter

    mi "What is it, you two?"

    shi "…"

    mi "Right, right. I want to be a teacher one day, so of course I know what I'm doing…"

    show misha perky_confused
    with charachange

    mi "Uh…"

    mi "…mmm…"

    show misha hips_grin
    with charachange

    mi "Ahahaha~…"

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    "She looks like she's on the verge of having a nervous breakdown."

    "I look to my left to see Shizune's reaction and see that her head is in her hands in an expression of either laughter or despair."

    "Suddenly, Shizune leans forward and starts signing angrily towards Misha, her hands moving like those of a conductor conducting an orchestra."

    "It doesn't look like Shizune is saying anything so much as it looks like she is yelling on mute."

    show misha perky_confused
    with charachange

    mi "Um… Sign language was invented in the 18th century by a Frenchman named… ah… whose name I can't pronounce, and he started the first public school for the deaf in 1755, but the unwritten history of sign language is said to…"

    hide misha
    with charaexit

    show shizu cross_wut
    with charaenter

    "Shizune reels backwards like she's in pain and continues to writhe in agony until Misha sees her and stops talking."

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    with charamove

    show misha perky_sad at twoleft
    with charaenter

    mi "Hm? What is it, Shizune?"

    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "I don't really know where to start. Well~, what better place to start than the history of sign language?"

    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…!"

    show shizu behind_frown at tworight
    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "The alphabet it is, then!"

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    show misha perky_smile at center
    with charamove

    mi "Okay, Hicchan~! First off, the alphabet! This is pretty basic stuff, although some people think that this is all of signing, and forget there are all kinds of specific gestures and words."

    mi "But you can't really get anywhere else without the basics, right?"

    show misha hips_grin
    with charachange

    mi "Right?"

    mi "…?"

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    #This whole segment needs something… more.
    #Either like an insert or a CG. Text alone doesn't seem to do this justice.

    mi "Okay~! So, the alphabet! This is A. Do you see it? Now, you try!"

    hi "Alright. Like this?"

    mi "Hahaha! Yeah, that's it."

    mi "Now, this is B, "

    mi "and this is C."

    "Misha makes one symbol with each hand, without specifying which is which."

    mi "And now D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, "

    mi "VWXY…"

    mi "… 'n' Z!"

    "Immediately, I can see this is probably not going to be as fun as I'd imagined."

    hi "Hey, guys, there's really no student council stuff that has to be done?"

    shi "…"

    mi "Nope. Come on, I'll do it again! A, B, C, D, F, G, H, I, J, K… Your turn~!"

    hi "So there's really no student council work, or anything like that?"

    mi "What are you talking about, Hicchan? Come on, sign, sign!"

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charamove

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charaenter

    shi "…"

    mi "Yeah, that's right, come on!"

    show shizu adjust_happy at tworight
    with charachange

    "Shizune flashes me a devilish smile, and I look at Misha, wondering if the two of them are messing with me again, but it doesn't seem to be that way."

    hi "Like this?"

    mi "No, like this!"

    hi "Like…"

    mi "This!"

    hi "Uh… huh…"

    shi "…"

    mi "What? Okay, we'll do this together."

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Hahaha, that's how sign language is taught most of the time, anyway, with two instructors~! Did you know that, Hicchan?"

    hi "No."

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    "I fall back in my chair and let my brain run through all the possible scenarios of what this is going to be like."

    "The best case scenario would be if I were to actually learn something."

    "The worst case scenario is that Shizune and Misha will give a lesson so bad that it will put me off learning for the rest of my life."

    "In fact, I have the sneaking suspicion that they might teach me everything wrong on purpose, as a joke."

    show shizu behind_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    mi "So~! let's start off with the basics again! First, your name. We already know it, but it might come in useful one day~!"

    mi "Like this, like this: Shizune wants to show you."

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Hisao Nakai! Neat, huh? Now, you try!"

    shi "…"

    mi "A little clearer now?"

    hi "Yeah."

    "Much clearer now, actually. I watch Shizune sign my name again, and then do my best to copy her."

    "I manage to accomplish it pretty easily, and Shizune gives a small nod and an uncharacteristically cheerful brief clap at my success."

    show shizu adjust_happy at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "No matter what, a person should always know their name before anything else. Or else, how would they know who they were?"

    mi "Wahahaha~!"

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Listen carefully, Hicchan: A big benefit of sign language is that you are afforded time to think about what you're going to say before you say it."

    shi "…"

    mi "So don't say anything stupid to me, okay~?"

    mi "And now, I'm supposed to hit you! But I won't, Hicchan! I don't mind if you say anything stupid, either!"

    hi "Gee, thanks. Really."

    show misha hips_laugh at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "A~hahaha! Hahahahahaha! "

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    with charachange

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    mi "On to the next part of the lesson, moving on, moving on!"

    scene bg school_council
    with shorttimeskip

    play music music_tranquil fadein 1.0

    "For the next two hours, they teach me how to sign the alphabet, their names, and a few useful phrases that really didn't seem all that useful to me, namely their favorite foods."

    "Regardless, at the end of the day I am pretty sure I have learned something."

    "It isn't until I'm walking back to my room that the realization hits me that they haven't taught me “hello,” “goodbye,” or “thank you.”"

    "Sign language doesn't seem as hard to learn as I'd initially thought."

    "It seems as if there is a fair amount of room that I can afford to even mess up some gestures just a little."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationskip

    "Back in my room, I get started on my homework so that I'll be totally free of any obligations for the weekend."

    "Of course, this isn't factoring in the possibility I may have to do something at the student council."

    "But I can remember Misha saying way back that the workload goes down by a huge amount after the festival, so maybe it won't be too much."

    "Then again, Shizune and Misha have a different definition from mine when it comes to what constitutes a lot of work."

    "It seems like I have some conflicting feelings about the student council. I enjoy spending time with Shizune and Misha, but no matter how you look at it, work is work."

    "Learning sign language is kind of nice, though."

    "They are definitely more engaging than my other teachers, and if I can learn it, I won't feel as left out as I do sometimes when Misha forgets to translate for me as well."

    "I'll also be able to talk to Shizune without having to go through Misha, although I'm sure Misha doesn't really mind filling in that role."

    "Looking back on it, though, there never was that much work to be done, and both of the girls always did more than their fair share."

    "And Misha had said that they hadn't asked me to help them out because they thought I needed to rest."

    "It depresses me that they know there's a problem and that I consequently have to acknowledge it, but I'm cheered up by their consideration."

    "With that in mind, I resolve to stick with my student council duties. I'll give it my all, for at least tomorrow. Then I'll go back to trying to get out of it."

    "I toss that idea back and forth in my head, half jokingly, half seriously, as I take my pills for the night."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with shorttimeskip

    "The time gets closer and closer to midnight, and I still can't sleep. I lie awake on my bed, idly practicing the sign language alphabet to pass the time."

    "My thoughts turn to what Misha had said again, that the two of them hadn't asked me for anything because they thought I could use a rest."

    "There is no dodging the fact that they likely know that I'm not all well."

    "Maybe I'm just overthinking things."

    "I shift my thoughts towards what Shizune had said: That sign language is useful because more thought can be put into each word."

    "Is that how Shizune thinks? I wonder what it must be like, thinking so hard about the impact of your every word."

    "Does that mean that it's almost impossible to know what's going on inside of her head? Does she enjoy the fact that she has to think everything she has through?"

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    "Could it mean that Shizune is incapable of seeing herself as even slightly spontaneous?"

    scene black
    with shuteye

    return

    #*****************************************************************************************************************

label en_S10:

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with openeye

    play music music_pearly fadein 0.5

    "I wake up feeling oddly refreshed, other than a slight cramp in my neck."

    "Glancing at the clock on my desk, I see that I'm up later than usual. I quickly get ready for school after taking my pills; something that took far longer than I expected."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationchange

    "Taking another look at the clock, I see that I'm cutting it a little close if I want to beat the rush."

    "Sliding everything on my desk into my bag hastily, I throw open the door, and am immediately thrown back into the room."

    scene bg school_dormhallway
    with locationchange

    "I move forward instinctively to push back, and accidentally throw Shizune into the hall. She flies backwards, hitting Kenji's door with a bang."

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    "Mortified, I run forward and offer her a hand to help her up, but almost change my mind when I see her shaking with anger, her mouth set in a grim line and her fingers curled as if she wants to crush something between her hands."

    play music music_shizune fadein 1.0

    "Like my head."

    "Suddenly, I hear an explosive laugh behind me, and look up to see Misha hovering right next to me."

    ##### Set off screen maneuver here ####
    show misha hips_grin at offscreenright
    with None

    show misha hips_grin at tworight
    with charamove

    mi "Ahaha~hahaha~! Stop sulking, Shizune! …Shizune?"

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_sad at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Help you up? Ah, okay! Hicchan, can you help me pull Shizune up? She says she doesn't want to use her arms."

    shi "…"

    show misha sign_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "That's right, that's right~! I refuse to use my arms to lift myself up, I have a policy against it!"

    show misha hips_laugh at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Hahaha!"

    hide misha
    with charaexit

    "Misha grabs one of Shizune's arms, and I grab the other. We pull her up as she pouts, seeming a lot less mature than usual."

    show shizu cross_rage at twoleft
    show misha perky_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Now, dust me off as well!"

    show shizu adjust_blush at twoleft
    with charachange

    hi "What? "

    hi "No."

    "A lesser man would jump for a chance to caress a high school girl's body, opening himself up to the inevitable sexual harassment lawsuit."

    show shizu behind_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Do it!"

    hi "No."

    show misha hips_laugh at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Wahaha!"

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "Shizune gives me a halfhearted shove and then turns away from me towards Misha, signing slowly and deliberately, but from the way her hands are moving, I can see that she is excited."

    show shizu behind_blank at twoleft
    show misha hips_grin at tworight
    with charachange

    "She seems to be in a good mood today."

    show shizu behind_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_blank at twoleft
    show misha perky_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Hicchan, want to skip classes today?"

    "It's hard to believe these two are really in the student council. I don't think I've ever heard of student council members skipping classes."

    "The extortion and forced labor may be slightly more common."

    hi "Aren't you two in the student council?"

    mi "It's okay, it's a Saturday! And we have important student council business, anyway! Anyway, anyway~! Let's go to the Shanghai!"

    hi "You want me to blow off going to class so I can hang out with you two and have tea? I'm not really against it, but you two are in the student council, right?"

    "What terrible influences on the rest of the school."

    "I weep for the future."

    show shizu behind_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu basic_sparkle at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Well, it's not really like skipping classes… This is work, not just fun and games~! Come on, come on~!"

    mi "We already took care of all the paperwork, too, so it would almost be a waste for you to go to school, and we haven't seen you in awhile!"

    "Didn't I just see them yesterday?"

    stop music fadeout 3.0

    "I agree to go with them in the end, because they do have a point, and we haven't been learning anything new in class for awhile. The Saturday classes especially."

    hide shizu
    hide misha
    with charaexit

    scene bg school_road
    with locationskip

    play music music_tranquil fadein 1.0

    "We make our way to the tea house, Misha demanding the right to take the lead. Shizune hesitantly shrugs and tells her to go ahead."

    show shizu behind_frustrated at twoleft
    show misha perky_confused at tworight
    with charaenter

    shi "…"

    mi "Ha! Like I'll get lost this time! I brought along a map!"

    scene bg suburb_roadcenter
    with locationchange

    "There are multiple times when I want to point out that Misha's map seems uncomfortably vague and badly drawn, and a few times when I actually see the Shanghai a few blocks down, but Misha ends up leading us away from it."

    "But every time I try to bring it up, Shizune seems to predict what I'm out to do and silences me, waving her hands in front of my face to signal for me to stop before giggling soundlessly."

    scene bg suburb_shanghaiext
    with shorttimeskip

    "Eventually, we make it to the Shanghai, and Shizune taps Misha on the shoulder and gives her a thumbs up, I assume to congratulate her on her navigational skills."

    scene bg suburb_shanghaiint at bgleft
    with locationchange

    "The first thing I notice is that the shop is totally empty, which is incredibly strange seeing as how it's almost noon on a Saturday. It's so desolate that even the waitress is sitting slumped over at one of the tables."

    "It's Yuuko, the same waitress who is always here. I wonder if this place only has one waitress. There isn't even anyone at the register."

    "The shop seems dangerously understaffed, maybe it's a good thing that there are no customers right now."

    "Shizune and Misha walk in, Shizune scanning the tea house as if we hadn't all seen from outside how deserted it was."

    "Misha doesn't notice, and gives a loud, cheerful shout to Yuuko that breaks the silence like a bomb blast."

    mi "Hi~!!"

    show yuuko smile_shang
    with charaenter

    yu "Hi."

    "She leaps out of her seat quickly enough to almost flip over the table and bows so suddenly she nearly flips her skirt over."

    show yuuko neurotic_shang
    with charachange

    yu "Oh, I mean, welcome! Welcome!"

    show yuuko smile_shang
    with charachange

    yu "What would you like today?"

    shi "…"

    mi "It's okay, Yuuko! It's only us! In this entire place, actually."

    show yuuko neutral_shang
    with charachange

    yu "Oh. Yes, I know that. But I have to say it."

    mi "Can you get us the usual? We're here for an important student council meeting~!"

    "The strange amount of emphasis Misha puts on “important” shows me that she doesn't mean a word of it."

    show yuuko worried_shang
    with charachange

    "Yuuko stretches her arms out and then covers her mouth to suppress a yawn before carefully walking to the counter and pouring coffee with an unusual amount of concentration."

    "I take a seat, and Shizune immediately frowns."

    show yuuko neutral_shang
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    hide yuuko
    with charaexit

    show misha sign_smile at twoleft
    show shizu cross_rage at tworight
    with charaenter

    mi "Hicchan!"

    hi "What?"

    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu cross_rage at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "You took a seat! Before offering us seats! You didn't even hold our chairs for us! How could you?"

    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Well, whatever~! Do you know why we asked you to come here today, Hicchan?"

    hi "To talk about some student council things."

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Wahahaha! Nope, that's not it at all! Well, maybe~! School will be out for the summer in a month?, do you have any plans?"

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charachange

    "I don't like the sound of that “maybe.” "

    "To be honest, I hadn't even thought of summer vacation until just now. It kind of snuck up on me."

    "If I say that I don't have anything planned, they might want me to come in for student council work, even over the summer."

    "It's not unheard of. I wouldn't be lying if I were to say that I have plans, would it?"

    "Just because I don't have plans now doesn't mean that there is no hope of plans materializing in the future."

    "My plan is to have plans… whatever that means."

    hi "Yeah, I'm… very busy. Very busy."

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Ah, well, okay~!"

    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Misha shrugs, and I think of nodding smugly in accomplishment and relief, but Shizune seems to catch Misha letting me off easy and cuts in."

    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    show misha hips_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Ah, well, that's not okay~!"

    shi "…"

    mi "You're obviously lying, Hicchan~! Although I couldn't tell, so maybe you're a little better than before!"

    show misha hips_laugh at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Not something to be proud of, though. …Ahahahahaha!"

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Hey, Hicchan, we're supposed to be teaching you sign language, aren't we?"

    show shizu behind_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "That's right! See, Hicchan? That sign meant “yes!” Now you try!"

    hi "I'd have to see it again."

    show shizu basic_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    show misha sign_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "I never repeat myself~!"

    "Another policy? I try to remember if there's ever been an instance of Shizune having repeated herself. I'm sure she's done it at least once."

    show shizu behind_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Okay~! Sit down, we're going to teach you how to order using sign language!"

    "Shizune cracks a smile and quietly slides into the chair to my right, between me and Misha."

    "She makes a few quick signs towards Yuuko, who isn't really looking in our direction."

    mi "Yuuko~!"

    yu "Yes?"

    mi "Come here!"

    "Yuuko grabs a platter with two cups on it next to her, which I assume are Shizune and Misha's drinks, before walking cautiously to our table, holding the cups far out in front of her as if they are dangerous."

    show yuuko smile_shang at offscreenright
    with None

    #lawl adanced maneuvers

    show shizu behind_blank at center
    show misha perky_smile at Position(xanchor=0, xpos=-80)
    show bg suburb_shanghaiint at bgright
    show yuuko smile_shang at right
    with charamove

    yu "Here are your drinks. Sorry to have kept you waiting. Thank you for patronizing this establishment."

    mi "Wahahahahaha~! Yuuko, it's only us!"

    show yuuko worried_shang at right
    with charachange

    yu "Oh… I know. But I have to say it."

    yu "If I don't say it, I wouldn't be doing my job right."

    "The way she speaks is very calm and measured, but also soft and shy, way more than I would have thought."

    hi "You're very hardworking."

    show shizu behind_blank at offscreenleft
    show misha perky_smile at Position(xanchor=0, xpos=-600)
    show yuuko worried_shang at center
    with charamove

    hide misha

    hide shizu

    show yuuko neurotic_shang
    with charachange

    "She turns sharply to look in my direction, and then her whole upper body drops to a 45 degree angle with the speed of a falling hammer."

    "Yuuko's head swings so close to the edge of the table that Shizune, Misha, and I all stiffen up slightly, worried for a second that she almost just hit herself on it."

    "She starts talking quickly, but the tone of pitch of her voice remain flat, and doesn't change at all."

    yu "I'm sorry! Sorry! I saw you come in with Shizune and Misha, and I never asked what you wanted to drink."

    yu "It's because I was asked to get the usual! And I've only seen you here before twice… and that's… that's…"

    yu "Well, it's not really enough times to establish a “usual,” right? Right? I'm sorry! Sorry! Sorry!"

    yu "It's not normal for a waitress to be so inconsiderate, is it? "

    yu "I mean, I don't want to presume. It's normal for a lot of people to presume, but being that bold and just guessing someone's preference on two visits, that's not normal, is it?"

    yu "I'm sorry! Is there anything I can get you? Sorry!"

    "Really, I still have only a vague idea of what they serve here. To this day I haven't seen the menu. That would be a good place to start."

    hi "Well, I don't really know everything that you serve here. So, I guess what I'd like the most is a menu."

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    show yuuko worried_shang
    with charachange

    "Yuuko frowns."

    play music music_kenji fadein 1.0

    yu "That's right, this cafe doesn't have a menu. That's not normal, for a cafe to not have a menu. It goes against Japanese society itself."

    shi "…"

    mi "That's okay, Yuuko, because this isn't a Japanese-style tea house!"

    show yuuko neurotic_shang
    with charachange

    yu "That's true. But… the tea ceremony was created in Japan. But… this is a western-style tea house. But… it has a Chinese name."

    "Yuuko hangs her head down, looking at her feet as she fidgets, tapping the toes of her shoes together. Finally, she straightens up."

    yu "I can't work in such an illogical place."

    hide yuuko
    with charaexit

    "Shizune reaches over and hits me in the back of the head."

    show shizu behind_frustrated
    with charaenter

    "I turn to her, and see her flailing her arms angrily, not even signing anything."

    "This must be the sign language equivalent of gibberish."

    "Misha leans in towards me, and starts talking in a very loud whisper."

    mi "Hicchan! Why did you do that? Now Yuuko is going to quit again!"

    hi "What? I didn't know, I didn't do it on purpose."

    hi "I just asked for a menu."

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "Before I can explain myself further, Shizune pushes her chair outwards and stands up, grabbing me by the arm and forcing me to do the same."

    scene bg suburb_shanghaiint
    with locationchange

    "Without a moment's notice, she pulls me towards a corner of the store with Misha trailing behind."

    show shizu behind_frustrated at tworight
    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    with charaenter

    shi "…!"

    show shizu adjust_angry at tworight
    show misha hips_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Hicchan! How could you? Why do you have to say those kinds of things?"

    show shizu behind_frustrated at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu cross_rage at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Honestly, how many lives do you have to ruin? When does it end?"

    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Misha shrugs."

    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Oh, well~! Yuuko~!"

    yu "Yes?"

    "I'm amazed at how calm Yuuko seems to be, when she seemed like she was on the verge of some kind of nervous breakdown just minutes earlier."

    show shizu adjust_angry at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    mi "Hicchan is ready to order. What do you want, Hicchan?"

    hi "A menu."

    show shizu behind_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    "Shizune subtly presses her foot down on mine."

    hi "Maybe some coffee. So I can drink it as I look at the menu."

    show misha hips_laugh at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Ahahahaha!"

    "I can feel her pressing down harder, almost grinding the toe of her shoe into mine."

    "I wonder if it'll leave a noticible scratch. Either way, it's well worth it to see Shizune's cheeks puffed out with anger."

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "You heard him, Yuuko, he wants coffee~! We'll take our seats again now~!"

    stop music fadeout 3.0

    hide shizu
    with charaexit
    with charaexit

    "Shizune and Misha take their seats and start drinking their tea, watching me the whole time."

    "Shizune's analytical stare and Misha's wide, clueless stare are interesting in contrast. I take my seat."

    #preferably insert here, but I'll put in sprites anyway

    show shizu behind_frown at tworight
    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    with charaenter

    play music music_nurse fadein 1.0

    mi "So, Hicchan, let's learn more sign language!"

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Now that we went over… whatever we went over yesterday, how about we learn some basic, useful phrases?"

    shi "…"

    show misha sign_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Okay~! Now, look at this:"


    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "This is how you say: Espresso! And this is the word for latte, and this is when you want them to use a French press, and this…"

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charachange

    "This is neither basic, nor useful. Not only that, but she's going way too fast."

    hide misha
    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "I look over in Yuuko's direction, and see she's measuring out sugar cubes extremely carefully and extremely slowly over my coffee."

    "What dedication to her job, but I really wish she'd hurry it up."

    show shizu behind_smile at tworight
    show misha sign_smile at twoleft
    with charaenter

    mi "…And this is Arabic, while this is French Roast! And this is French vanilla~! See, can you tell what the sign for “French” is yet, Hicchan?"

    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    hi "No."

    show shizu behind_frown at tworight
    show misha hips_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    mi "Jeez! Hey! Pay attention!"

    "The two of them make the exact same annoyed expression, with the same pose as well. I can't help but laugh."

    show shizu behind_smile at tworight
    show misha hips_laugh at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Ahahahaha~!"

    show misha hips_grin at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "What's so funny, Hicchan?"

    show yuuko neutral_shang at offscreenright
    with None

    show shizu behind_smile at center
    show misha hips_grin at left
    show yuuko neutral_shang at right
    with charamove

    yu "Here is your coffee. Thank you for patronizing this establishment!"

    show yuuko smile_shang at right
    with charachange

    "Yuuko suddenly appears behind me, putting my cup of coffee down on the table before her top half rockets forward in another one of those extreme bows."

    show misha sign_smile at left
    with charachange

    mi "Yuuko, stop doing that, it's just us…"

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_smile at left
    with charachange

    mi "Ah! Hey, Yuuko~! Want to help us teach Hicchan here how to do sign language?"

    show yuuko worried_shang at right
    with charachange

    yu "Huh? Oh. Okay… sure…"

    mi "Sit down, then! Stop being so stiff, Yuuko!"

    "Yuuko takes the seat she is offered."

    show yuuko neutral_shang at right
    with charachange

    yu "What do I do now?"

    show misha perky_confused at left
    with charachange

    mi "Hm… I don't know! I don't know!"

    show shizu cross_wut
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_smile at left
    with charachange

    mi "Okay! Yuuko, what words do you think Hicchan should know how to say? We already taught him names and the alphabet, and some useful phrases."

    hi "Their usefulness remains to be seen."

    yu "How about basics like “here it is” or “there it is?” Or greetings? Or questions like “what are you doing?” Oh, you said you already taught him useful phrases…"

    "For a second I worry that she's going to apologize again. If she bows sitting down as she is now, she might break the table in half like a martial artist."

    show misha perky_confused at left
    with charachange

    "Misha runs her tongue along the top row of her teeth, seemingly at a loss for words."

    hi "They didn't actually teach me those."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_smile at left
    with charachange

    mi "But~! We were going to!"

    shi "…"

    mi "And we are going to!"

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_grin at left
    with charachange

    mi "Right now!"

    show misha hips_laugh at left
    with charachange

    mi "Wahahahahaha~!"

    "I bury my face in my hands. It took three of them to teach one useful thing."

    scene bg suburb_shanghaiint
    with shorttimeskip

    "We spend another hour in the tea house, Shizune and Misha running through phrases that are more common than the ones they were thinking of before while nursing their drinks."

    "Yuuko put way too much sugar in my coffee, but since she is sitting right there, I can't just not drink it."

    stop music fadeout 2.5

    scene bg suburb_shanghaiint
    with shorttimeskip

    "After about an hour, other customers start coming in, and Yuuko excuses herself to attend to them."

    play music music_daily fadein 1.5

    "At that point, Shizune seems to get a little anxious to leave, and we leave the Shanghai after paying for our drinks and leaving Yuuko a tip."

    scene bg school_road
    with locationskip

    "The walk back to school is mostly silent, punctuated only by the sound of birds."

    show shizu behind_smile at twoleft
    show misha perky_smile at tworight
    with charaenter

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "So, Hicchan, what are you going to do over the summer?"

    hi "To be honest, I haven't really thought about it. I had almost forgotten how late I've started school."

    hide misha
    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    scene bg school_road
    with locationchange

    scene bg school_gate
    with locationchange

    show misha perky_smile at tworight
    show shizu behind_blank at twoleft
    with charaenter

    "We reach the front gate of the school, and I can see that the grounds are filled with students fresh out of class and getting ready to enjoy the rest of their Saturday. What perfect timing this was."

    "I can hear them chattering excitedly back and forth to each other, and the topic of choice seems to be how soon the school year is ending."

    shi "…"

    mi "It's likely that Shizune and I won't be going back home for the summer. What about you, Hicchan?"

    hi "I'll probably also be spending it here."

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Okay~! That's good! Then we'll be able to spend it together!"

    show misha hips_grin at tworight
    show shizu behind_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Ahahaha!"

    show misha perky_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "See you tomorrow, Hicchan."

    hide misha
    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "They leave, waving goodbye as they run towards their dorms. It looks like they're not as busy today as usual."

    "That's nice. Even I can see that the two of them, Shizune especially, put a lot of work into their student council duties."

    "I can only imagine how much work they have to do when I'm not around."

    "There's no way to measure it, the volume of what Shizune likely has to put up with that I don't know about. Those two probably work almost constantly."

    "My thoughts go back to what they said. So, I'll be spending my summer vacation with them."

    "I guess there are worse ways that I could be spending my break. I let myself indulge in the idea that it's almost, kind of, like a date. I can dream, after all."

    "They're so nice. Misha, always cheerful, and Shizune, playful under her everpresent stoicism. If it asn't for them, it's likely that I wouldn't be able to stand this place, or stand myself."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationskip

    "I head back to my room and take off my shoes before sitting down at my desk."

    "I think I'm beginning to get sign language, just a little."

    "Of course, I've only been learning for a day, but it's something. And sign language is nowhere near as hard to learn as I'd thought."

    "Misha said that Shizune and her wouldn't be going back home for summer break. I wonder why."

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    "Reflecting on it, there's a lot I don't know about the both of them. If anything, I'll have a chance to remedy that."

    scene black
    with shuteye

    return

    #*****************************************************************************************************

label en_S11:

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with locationskip

    play music music_normal fadein 1.0

    "After a weekend that was pretty uneventful aside from some rain, I find it a little harder to concentrate in class than before."

    "My teachers, Mutou in particular, seem to be slacking off, knowing the end of the year is close."

    "The atmosphere around the school seems to be very laid back."

    "Personally, I think that about five and a half weeks is a reasonably long time, so this all seems a little premature to me."

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with shorttimeskip

    "In Math class, the teacher stands up to loudly announce that finals will be coming up in a few weeks, but it falls flat unheard over the sound of chairs being pushed back and a little less than two dozen pairs of feet walking out the door."

    "I haven't seen Shizune or Misha all day. They're most likely in the student council room. It's clear that they were stretching the truth a little when they said that there isn't a lot of work this time of year."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationskip

    "After packing my things, I make my way over to the student council room, weaving my way through the crowds of students."

    "I get to the room, turn the doorknob, and push in. The door doesn't open, and I walk facefirst right into it."

    "I raise my hand to knock on the door, then stop myself. Maybe there's no one in there."

    "Alternatively, maybe it's just Shizune. In that case, knocking wouldn't do much good anyway."

    "I decide to try it anyway, there's nothing to lose. The second I try to knock on the door, it suddenly swings open, leaving my hand right in front of Shizune's face."

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    "She turns bright red and pushes it out of her way."

    mi "Hi, Hicchan~!"

    play music music_shizune fadein 1.0

    hi "Hello."

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_smile at tworight
    show shizu adjust_blush at twoleft
    with charaenter

    mi "We were going to come and get you~! Ah, we're eating right now, though. Do you want anything? There's a sandwich, and… do you like pretzels?"

    hi "I have no really strong feelings on pretzels."

    show misha perky_confused at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "What, Hicchan? So does that mean you want them?"

    hi "I'm not really hungry."

    show shizu cross_wut at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Shizune taps her foot on the floor loudly and impatiently, drawing my attention as she looks back and forth from me to Misha, following our conversation on sight alone."

    show shizu behind_frustrated at twoleft
    with charachange

    "It looks cute; the kind of childish behavior Shizune seems to try so hard to hide. Noticing me looking at her, she frowns and looks away to the side, biting her lip."

    show shizu behind_frustrated at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Then, she looks right at me and takes the opportunity to sign excitedly to Misha in exaggerated, sweeping motions punctuated here and there by her striking her right hand against her palm."

    show shizu basic_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    shi "…!"

    show shizu cross_rage at twoleft
    show misha hips_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Hicchan!"

    show misha sign_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "That's so rude! You should always take food that's offered to you, no matter what! It's just common sense! We live in a society, after all…"

    show misha hips_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "We're about to eat, but you had to come! And now just that, you're not hungry. Now, we'll be eating, and you will be sitting there, or, even worse, standing there, watching us eat!"

    show shizu cross_wut at twoleft
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "That's unforgivable, absolutely unforgivable! Do you know how much pressure that puts on the eater?"

    mi "Why do you think salarymen go out for drinks after work and drink-drink-drink-drink-drink~ until they are sick, when all they want to do is go home and sleep?"

    shi "…!"

    mi "It's because it's the only correct thing to do, and the only polite way to do things!"

    "Shizune stands proud and upright as Misha shouts her words at me."

    hi "I'm just not that hungry. I had a big lunch."

    show misha perky_confused at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Eh, really? "

    show misha hips_laugh at tworight
    show shizu behind_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Wahahahaha! Wahahahahaha~!"

    "Shizune sighs inaudibly and then her shoulders slump as she balks wearily."

    show misha hips_smile at tworight
    show shizu behind_blank at twoleft
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_grin at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "You just don't get it, Hicchan…"

    mi "Ahahaha~!"

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_smile at twoleft
    show misha perky_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Eat eat eat!"

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "Shizune grabs a candy bar off the nearest table and presents it to me, but I nod my head to refuse it."

    show shizu behind_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    hide misha
    with charaexit

    show shizu behind_frown at center
    with charamove

    stop music fadeout 3.0

    "Hands on her hips, Shizune stands on the tips of her toes to match my height and stares into my eyes, her face uncomfortably close to mine, her mouth turned up in a frown and her eyes blazing with spirit."

    mi "What are you doing, Shizune?"

    hi "Yeah, what are you doing?"

    scene bg school_council
    with locationchange
    #This most likely requires a CG.

    "She grabs onto my collar with both hands to keep from tipping over, pushing us both roughly against the door behind me. I can feel her chest against mine."

    "This is pretty erotic. I try not to give the impression that I find it that way."

    #"I don't know what I should do."

    return

label en_choiceS11:
    # 1) Try to kiss Shizune
    # 2) Try to push her away
    menu:
        with menueffect

        "I don't know what I should do."

        "Try to kiss Shizune.":
            return m1

        "Try to push her away.":
            return m2

label en_S11a:

    "I decide to try and kiss her, weighing the risks in my head in a split second."

    "It seems like a surefire ticket to a sexual harassment suit, and she may also pummel me. On the other hand, maybe Shizune will have a sense of humor about it."

    "Raising my hands protectively around my head just in case, I go for it, plunging forth daringly."

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "As soon as I lean forward, Shizune's eyes widen and she throws her head backwards before slamming her forehead into mine."
    with hpunch

    play music music_running fadein 0.5

    "My head slams back into the door behind me, making it seem like I was attacked from two sides at once."

    "Shizune turns bright red and jumps back, bristling like a cat. She looks angry; it's like a vein is about to burst in her head."

    show shizu adjust_blush
    with charaenter

    shi "…!"

    mi "Ah, Shizune, what is it?"

    show shizu behind_frustrated
    with charachange

    shi "…!"

    show shizu adjust_blush
    with charachange

    mi "But, that's… I can't… say… that… hahaha…"

    "Misha sheepishly taps her fingers together, weakly cracking a nervous laugh. Shizune crushes the candy bar still in her hand with an audible crunch."

    show shizu behind_frustrated
    with charachange

    shi "…!"

    show shizu cross_rage
    with charachange

    shi "…!!"

    show shizu behind_frustrated
    with charachange

    mi "But…"

    show shizu cross_rage
    with charachange

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    scene bg school_council
    with locationchange

    "Shizune shoves me out the door and into the hallway, and draws a marker from her pocket as if it were a sword. Biting off the cap, she scrawls on the door:"

    stop music fadeout 1.5

    $ written_note("{b}WAIT HERE 20 MINUTES{/b}")

    "and then slams it closed."
    with vpunch

    play music music_tranquil fadein 2.0

    "My first thought is that that likely won't wash off very easily. I rub my finger against the words. It's permanent."

    "I can't be expected to just stand here for 20 minutes. Is that a joke? I still don't feel hungry, but I am feeling a little thirsty."

    "I check the machine right beside the door to see if they have my favorite kind of juice, but it seems they're all out."

    "There is another machine outside; I've seen it a couple of times but never used it."

    scene bg school_courtyard
    with locationchange

    "Picking up my bags, I leave the building and start walking around the perimeter to look for it."

    "As soon as I find it, my hopes sink like a stone. Everything is sold out. The machine is also partially covered in spiderwebs; it looks like they don't refill this one very often."

    "I know there is a third one by the dorms. I've come too far over a stupid can of juice to stop now, I have to get what I came for."

    scene bg school_dormext
    with locationchange

    "I make up my mind to go back to the dorms. Afterwards, though, I doubt I'll have the energy to go back to the student council room."

    "I may as well finish up my homework and take a nap. I've been having trouble sleeping lately, and those lost hours of sleep are building up."

    show shizu cross_wut
    with charaenter

    "As soon as I turn around, I find Shizune right behind me."

    "I'm startled and surprised by her presence. I didn't even hear her sneak up on me."

    show shizu basic_frown
    with charachange

    shi "…!"

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charachange

    "She starts signing something slowly and deliberately, looking at me every few seconds to see if I'm following her."

    "Of course, I have no idea what she is saying, although I can see a few words I recognize."

    hi "I don't understand."

    show shizu basic_frown
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charachange

    "She continues signing, and I wonder just what I have to do to show her that I don't get what she's saying. Even if I manage to, it's likely Shizune will just keep at it."

    show shizu behind_sad
    with charachange

    "She pauses, her hands falling limp at her sides as she hangs her head despondently. It's only for a second, but it's the first time I've seen Shizune looking sad."

    hi "Hey, are you alright?"

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    "Shizune takes out a pad and pen, tapping the pen against her ear as she contemplates what to write on it."

    "Finally, she scrawls on the paper quickly and holds it up in front of me so I can read it."

    $ written_note("We're done eating now, you can come back now.")

    "She pulls the pad back and flips to the next page, writing in something else before she thrusts it in my face again. This time it says:"

    $ written_note("I apologize.")

    "Almost immediately, she tears out the page and tears it apart, before shredding even those pieces."

    "The only way she could more thoroughly dispose of it is if she were to eat it."

    "Without warning, she grabs my hand, pausing as if to see my reaction. As if to allow me to react."

    "When I don't do anything, she squeezes my hand firmly. Shizune's fingers are warm and smooth as they brush my palm."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationskip

    "Pulling me along, she tries to take me back inside the building."

    "When we reach the door, I hook my foot onto the doorway to put up a little resistance."

    "Shizune doesn't even notice until she is jerked to a dead halt so suddenly that it almost seems as if she'll fall over."

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charaenter

    "Swinging around sharply on the heel of her shoe, she glares at me harshly."

    show shizu adjust_blush
    with charachange

    "Then, her expression softens."

    show shizu adjust_blush
    with charachange

    "She touches her hand to her mouth as if to hide a smile, and then tugs at my arm harder, until I decide to let go."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationchange

    "We get back to the student council room, where Misha is waiting, lazily staring into space with a pen tucked between her nose and upper lip."

    show misha perky_confused
    with charaenter

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    mi "Hm?"

    play music music_nurse fadein 1.0

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    mi "Ah, hi Hicchan~! Shizune~!"

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charamove

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charaenter

    mi "Hicchan, do you want to learn some more sign language today? We have a lot of time today, so~! Let's make use of it~!"

    show shizu behind_smile at tworight
    with charaenter

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Let's learn how to sign today! As much as you can! Let's bring your sign language skills up! up! up~! Wahaha!"

    return

label en_S11b:

    "The best thing to do would probably be to just move her away. I put my hands on her shoulders and push her back slowly."

    "Frowning, she tenses up as if to push back."

    show shizu adjust_blush
    with charachange

    "But then she steps backwards, calmly readjusting her glasses, which have fallen slightly forward on her nose."

    shi "…"

    show shizu adjust_blush at twoleft
    with charamove

    show misha hips_frown at tworight
    with charaenter

    play music music_shizune fadein 1.0

    mi "Hicchan~!"

    shi "…"

    mi "Come on, just have a little to eat! You know, you should eat regularly, even if you aren't hungry."

    show shizu basic_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Besides, we don't want you to just wait while we eat. If we're going to be together, we should do everything together."

    show misha perky_confused at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Huh?"

    show misha hips_laugh at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Ahahahahahaha~!"

    show shizu behind_blank at twoleft
    with charachange

    "I look at Shizune. Her expression isn't as hard-edged and severe as it usually is."

    "Her features are soft and feminine, as much in the amber sunlight now as they were in the soft moonlight back at the festival."

    show misha hips_grin at tworight
    with charachange

    "She sees me looking at her and frowns before tearing open the candy bar wrapper in her hand and taking a bite of it almost spitefully."

    hi "I thought that was for me."

    show misha hips_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "It's okay, Hicchan, there's plenty of other things here! Ah, I know~! This is the last juice from the machine outside, do you want it?"

    show misha sign_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "If you don't, I'll drink it~! Going~ once, going twice…"

    hi "I'll take it, I'll take it."

    hide misha
    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "I sit down at the table next to Misha, and Shizune immediately sits down in the seat at my right."

    shi "…"

    mi "Wahaha! Hicchan, so rude! You're supposed to pull a chair out for a lady!"

    hi "A lady?"

    mi "Hahahahaha~!"
    with hpunch

    "Shizune swiftly kicks the leg of my chair as soon as Misha signs that to her."

    scene bg school_council
    with shorttimeskip

    show misha perky_smile at tworight
    show shizu behind_frown at twoleft
    with charaenter

    "We eat, with Misha taking the time to tell me what they did that day between bites of her sandwich."

    "It seems like work has gotten kind of heavy lately with the end of the year so near."

    "Apparently, it wasn't like this before, but a lot of things in the school have changed, and the student council is still adjusting. It must be hard, with just two people."

    hi "Why didn't you two ask me for help? I remember doing a lot of student council work just in my first week here, you know…"

    hi "Not that I miss the extortion."

    show shizu behind_blank at twoleft
    show misha hips_laugh at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Hahaha!"

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_grin at tworight
    with charachange

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    "Shizune nurses a canned coffee in her hand, sipping from it pensively. She downs the rest in a single gulp and raps her knuckles sharply against the table to get Misha's attention."

    play music music_nurse fadein 1.0

    show shizu behind_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Okay~! Time for more sign language! Time to learn more sign language~! More and more!"

    mi "Ready, Hicchan? Okay! Then it's settled! Don't fall asleep, or we'll make you regret it~!"

    return

label en_S11c:

    scene bg school_council
    with shorttimeskip

    "Surprisingly, their teaching skills have vastly improved since last time. I find myself actually learning something."

    "Misha beams as soon as I tell her that, and Shizune leans back in her seat, her arms crossed over her chest and a pleased expression on her face."

    "Unfortunately, because of this, the lesson just goes on and on with no end in sight."

    "Every time I try to leave, they both do everything short of physically binding me to the chair to keep it going."

    stop music fadeout 3.0

    scene bg school_courtyard
    with locationskip

    "As soon as they let their guard down, I make a break for it and manage to escape."

    "It's already dark out."

    play music music_normal fadein 1.0

    "Just how long have I been here?"

    scene bg school_dormhallway
    with locationskip

    "I make my way back to the dorms under the cover of darkness, buying a can of juice from the vending machine before I head to my room."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationchange

    "Once inside, I take my nightly regimen of pills. My hands are so sore from all that signing that I have some difficulty opening the childproof caps. Something that doesn't give me a particularly nice feeling."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with shorttimeskip

    "By the time I wrap up all my homework, I feel too tired to even go to the bathroom and brush my teeth."

    "I fall backwards onto my bed and decide to just go to sleep."

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    "This is a bad way to start the week."

    play music music_twinkle fadein 0.5

    "As I lie in the dark, waiting to sleep, I find my thoughts returning again and again to what I did today."

    if seen_scene("S11a"):

        scene bg school_council
        with locationskip
        #If the CG moment from earlier is made, then it would fit in here.

        "That was pretty dumb of me. And, Shizune hits surprisingly hard."

        "I remember how her face looked as she blushed, as she balked, as she apologized. It's been a while since I've been able to see her so girlish and cute."

    else:

        scene bg school_council
        with locationskip
        #Instead of the CG, it will be better to go with a regular flashback for this one.

        "Shizune seemed different today. As if she had been upset."

        "The wistful look on her face is clear in my memory; that melancholy expression on her face that looked like mixed happiness and regret. I've never seen her looking so vulnerable."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationskip

    "Lately, I've been thinking about Shizune a lot. In retrospect, I remember the first time I met her."

    "The first week, even. Every time she “talked” to me, she looked at me. But I think that I was probably listening to, and talking to, Misha."

    "I wonder what it's like for them, if they ever think about it."

    "Are there any times when Misha might feel like a two-way radio? "

    "No… "

    "Misha seems cheerful enough that she wouldn't resent Shizune for that, or be depressed by it."

    "…"

    "Does Shizune ever feel lonely knowing that even when she talks to someone, she has to talk to someone else, and hear through someone else?"

    "I practice the signs I learned today. I really should get serious about this, and try harder."

    stop music fadeout 2.5

    scene black
    with shuteye

    return

#**********************************************************************************************************
label en_S12:

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with shorttimeskip

    play music music_soothing fadein 1.0

    "It's already been three days, and I've been trying to learn a little sign language on my own. Shizune and Misha are decent enough at teaching, but don't seem to know exactly what to teach."

    "In the meantime, I've taken the liberty of taking some books on sign language from the library."

    "A few turned out to be interesting reads on the history of it, but not practical for learning it at all. On the other hand, I managed to find a sign language dictionary."

    "The sign language class also happens to meet on Saturdays. Since I barely have any school on Saturday, I should look into it."

    "Misha said that the class was full, but with some luck maybe I can at least sit in."

    scene bg school_gardens
    with locationskip

    "At lunch time, I see Shizune and Misha hanging out on the school grounds, Misha stealing sleep under a tree as Shizune slowly and carefully eats lunch from a plastic container, pausing to push up her glasses when they start to fall down her nose."

    "They look as if they're tired, so I decide to try and go find the sign language teacher. Unfortunately, it seems to be very hard to get ahold of her. Well, at least I've found out who she is, where she teaches, and when the class meets."

    "Seems like I won't be able to actually talk to her today, though."

    play sound sfx_normalbell

    scene bg school_cafeteria
    with locationskip

    "I buy lunch from the cafeteria and barely manage to finish it before the bell rings, signalling the end of lunch."

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with locationskip

    "The rest of the day goes by uneventfully."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationskip

    "When classes are through, I head to the student council room."

    "Thinking about it now, I realize that teaching me sign language is probably why Shizune and Misha are so tired lately. If there is really less student council work, they're losing time teaching me to sign."

    "If it's the same amount of work as before, which I think is more likely, then they have to make up all that work sometime."

    "That's right. These past few days, I've never seen them leave."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationchange

    "I open the door, which is unlocked today. Pushing it open as quietly as possible, I look inside. Misha is hard at work rearranging files, although it seems like she's not doing a very good job."

    "Shizune is looking over what appears to be a record book of some kind that has to be at least two inches thick, twirling a pencil around in her fingers. There is an open can of coffee to her right."

    hi "Hi, Shizune, Misha."

    "Misha looks up from her work and immediately stands up, stretching her arms over her head and straightening out her back stiffly."

    show misha perky_smile
    with charaenter

    mi "Hi, Hicchan~!"

    mi "Ah, Shizune! Hicchan is here!"

    hide misha
    with charaexit

    "She rushes over to Shizune and grabs her shoulders to get her attention. Shizune looks at Misha, then notices me and closes the book in her hands."

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    "Standing up, she takes off her glasses to clean them, then carefully places them back on."

    play music music_normal fadein 1.0

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charaenter

    shi "…"

    mi "Hi, Hicchan~!"

    hi "You just said that."

    show misha perky_sad at twoleft
    with charaenter

    "As soon as I say that, I realize I was wrong and regret it."

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    with charaenter

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charaenter

    mi "You're here early, Hicchan. We're just finishing some student council work, then we can learn more sign language!"

    mi "Today is kind of a busy day, Hicchan. So much work, so we haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately. But it'll ease up soon!"

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charaenter

    shi "…"

    mi "That's right, that's right~! Anyway, we're almost done, so it'll just be a few more minutes!"

    hide shizu
    hide misha
    with charaexit

    "Shizune drinks the rest of her coffee and throws the empty can into the wastebasket, where it clatters against however many similar cans must be in there."

    "It's obvious to me that they're tired. Shizune especially. She looks as if she'll fall asleep at any second."

    "It dawns on me that at lunch today, she wasn't eating slowly, she was eating sluggishly, as if she barely could."

    "And lately, I haven't been doing anything. How long are they here every day? How many hours a week?"

    "I tap Shizune's desk to get her attention."

    hi "Do you need any help?"

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charaenter

    shi "…"

    mi "Hicchan, you want to help? It's okay, we're nearly done, so…"

    hi "Even if it's a little bit, I can help. Work goes faster when it's split three days, you know. That's simple math."

    mi "Ah… math, huh?"

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    #Wait what. Isn't this supposed to be a signing sprite?

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    mi "Okay, then~! Hicchan, you can take over filing for me! "

    mi "It's simple, all you have to do is put these papers in the folders of the students they belong to, unless the colors don't match! Then, I can take care of it!"

    mi "Okay? Okay!"

    scene bg school_council
    with shorttimeskip

    "By the time I'm finished filing everything, almost forty minutes have passed. That was hardly fast, and I can see that Shizune is still working, having moved onto what looks like a list of clubs."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    "Shizune sees me looking at her and stops. She lifts her hands up as if to sign, but then hesitates. She signs anyway."

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    play music music_shizune fadein 1.5

    "To my surprise, I can understand it. Not well, but I get the gist of it. She's asking me if I want to stop working. I could reply. I could sign back to her, “no,” “yes,” “why?”"

    "But she doesn't give me enough time, and signs again, without hesitation, more strongly this time:"

    ssh "Do you want to stop working now?"

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    "Everything after that is lost on me."

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "Shizune quietly slides out of her chair."

    "I can see that Misha is asleep, her head down on the table she is sitting at."

    "She looks out the window, and the rays of sunlight fall over her like long amber ribbons. Again, she looks tired, as if she is about to fall asleep."

    hi "You seem tired today."

    show shizu cross_wut
    with charaenter

    "She frowns, clearly displeased that I'm talking to her when I know she can't hear me, but she doesn't make any move to stop me."

    hi "You should probably get some sleep. I don't know how you two manage to do all your homework and study on top of all the student council stuff."

    hi "I'm going to go early, then."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    "Shizune continues to stare at me analytically through her glasses, a neutral expression on her face."

    "I lift my hands to try and sign something to her, but give up before I even begin. There is no way I am competent enough right now."

    #Going for a knockout punch combination here

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    "Shizune starts signing something tentatively, but is interrupted by a need to yawn."

    show shizu adjust_blush
    with charachange

    "Clasping her hand over her mouth, she tries her best to hide it."

    show shizu adjust_blush
    with charachange

    "She blushes, her cheeks flushing a deep red. I don't know why she's so embarrassed."

    show shizu cross_wut
    with charachange

    "Spotting the confused look on my face, Shizune points her finger towards the door, looking both agitated and abashed."

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    stop music fadeout 2.5

    "Waving goodbye, I pick up my things and leave, buying a drink from the vending machine before heading back to the dorms."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationskip

    "Closing the door to my room behind me, I've barely taken off my shoes before there is a knock at the door."

    scene bg school_dormhallway
    with locationchange

    "I turn around and open the door, but there is no one in the hallway. What the hell? A doorbell prank? "

    "No one even does that in the city, and here, there aren't even any doorbells."

    "Suddenly, I hear a voice call out to me."

    play music music_kenji fadein 1.0

    # This Kenji part has no sprites because you can barely see him.
    # It'd be best to go with an insert for this part.

    ke "Hey, Hisao… Over here."

    "I notice that Kenji's door is open a crack, and he is pressed against it, waving his hands in a way that could not possibly be more unnoticible to call for my attention."

    ke "Damn, it's about time you got here. Where were you? I haven't seen you in like nine thousand billion years."

    ke "I thought you were dead. Were you dead? It's happened before."

    hi "No, I've been alive for a while."

    "Saying that bothers me, so I try to change the subject."

    hi "So that was you? What do you want?"

    "Kenji pushes his head into the hallway sharply, seeming newly energized."

    ke "I wanted to talk to you about that thing you go to. The fascist council of fascism."

    hi "The student council?"

    ke "Of fascism?"

    ke "Yeah, whatever, that… I have this expenses form, and I filled it out and everything."

    ke "Can you give it to them, man? I'd really appreciate it, you know. It'd be a huge help to me, personally. I'd be in your debt."

    return

    #if you chose to kiss Shizune in S11
label en_S12a:

    ke "I actually went down there myself, but then… something horrible happened… Something that jaded me. Changed me in a way that I will never forget."

    hi "What happened?"

    "Kenji pushes his glasses up to the bridge of his nose; disturbingly similar to what Shizune does."

    hi "What the hell? Where did you get that?"

    ke "Huh?"

    hi "Nevermind. What happened?"

    ke "So, yeah, my expenses form. I had it all filled out, and I did a real minimal amount of lying this time too."

    ke "So I took it down to the student council office today early in the morning, and there were words on the door."

    ke "Someone wrote “Wait here, 20 minutes” on it. I figured it was that girl you hang out with. The student council one."

    hi "There are two."

    ke "It doesn't matter."

    ke "But, anyway… I waited there for 20 minutes. And then for a really long time. Like, so long I lost my perception of time."

    ke "Then the janitor came by and told me that the student council wasn't in… "

    ke "I felt stupid and ashamed."

    ke "But he's a janitor, so I thought maybe I could make him feel more shamed than me. Then I would have beaten him, since I'd have slightly less shame. With that in mind, I…"

    "At this point, I stop listening and try to tune Kenji out. I turn my head to look out the window instead. The trees look nice from here."

    return

label en_S12x:

    hi "Why are you so scared of them? They're not so bad. They're actually pretty nice."

    ke "What? No, they are raw evil. Damn, we've been over this before. Do I have to say my thing again? "

    ke "They are the enemy."

    ke "And here you are… aiding the enemy. Haven't you ever heard of “bros before hos?”"

    "I have to struggle to keep a smile from breaking out over my face. I probably look like I'm in pain right now."

    ke "So, yeah, I went down there, so I'm not scared of them. But then the door was locked. So I knocked on the door, and nothing."

    ke "But I could hear someone moving around in there, so I kept knocking."

    ke "But nobody would answer. So I started kicking the door, and eventually the evil one who doesn't talk opened the door."

    ke "The crazy one wasn't there, though. I started talking to her, asking her why she didn't open the door, and she didn't respond."

    ke "Then I thought maybe I offended her and thought she would abuse her power as student council president to kick me in the stomach and steal my student ID… my greatest fear."

    "His eyes narrow, and Kenji shivers as if recalling a terrible memory. I start contemplating the possibility that it's actually happened to him before."

    "I almost want to ask him, but decide against it. He seems in full rant mode now, anyway."

    ke "But she still wouldn't say anything. And then I got scared. I threw my ID at her and ran here."

    "He pauses as if for effect, staring off into the distance like an old man trying to remember where he put his dentures."

    ke "…And that's why I can never go back. Hey! Are you listening, man?"

    ke "Damn, I didn't even get to turn in this form. It's not like I need to. I don't even need… stuff."

    hi "Stuff? That's kind of vague. There's a lot of “stuff.”"

    ke "Everything. Everything a dude could ever need to live, I have it in my room."

    ke "It's badass."

    ke "I could spend the rest of my life here without ever having to go out and buy something."

    ke "…That reminds me, are you going to go into town anytime soon? I need milk."

    hi "I'll keep that in mind."

    ke "And can you try and get me my ID back, too? Unless it'll put your life on the line… then you can let them have it. Damn… my ID…"

    "I assure Kenji that I'll get him his ID back, and also that I'll pick up some milk the next time I head into town, although looking back on it, I really haven't been down there a lot. Exploring the town has been something I have neglected."

    stop music fadeout 2.5

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationchange

    "I go back to my own room and open up my book on sign language."

    "After reading it for awhile, I remember my homework, and stop to finish it before resuming my sign language studies."

    "The thought occurs to me that this is a pretty long way to go just to be able to communicate with one person."

    "It seems a little much. I don't think I've seriously thought about why I decided to learn sign language yet."

    "But for some reason, I don't feel in the mood for that kind of thinking tonight. Reminding myself to talk to the sign language teacher tomorrow, I go to sleep."

    scene black
    with shuteye

    return

#*************************************************************************************************************
label en_S13:

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with shorttimeskip

    play music music_daily fadein 1.0

    "It's already July 1st. Summer is approaching fast, and it hasn't even been that long since I transferred here."

    "It's hard not to think about all the happenings I must have missed in this school before my arrival, or the things that might have happened in my old school since I've been gone."

    "I've been sneaking into sign language classes at every chance my schedule permits it and there is a class going on. It didn't take much work to convince the teachers to allow it."

    "It's still a trial-and-error process for the most part, as a real sign language “conversation” is much faster than how it is in class. It seems like that, at least, is the same for every language."

    scene bg school_council
    show shizu cross_wut
    with locationskip

    "After classes, I go to the student council room again to find Shizune sitting in front of the door and frowning at me the second I open it, as if she has been waiting like this for hours."

    show shizu basic_frown
    with charachange

    shi "…!"

    show shizu cross_wut
    with charachange

    hi "What?"

    "I can't understand a thing she said, meaning that she either signed something I haven't learned yet, or something that a school would frown on it's students knowning."

    "Misha tackles me from behind, almost knocking me over." with vpunch

    show bg school_council at bgleft
    show shizu cross_wut at twoleft
    with charamove

    show misha hips_grin at tworight
    show shizu behind_blank at twoleft
    with charaenter

    mi "Surprise! Surprise, Hicchan!"

    mi "Weren't you wondering where I was? "

    show misha hips_laugh at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "A~hahahahaha!"

    hi "No, not really."

    show misha hips_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    "Misha recoils like she was knocked back by some massive invisible force, her mouth open in shock. Her expression quickly changes to one of indignation."

    mi "Hey! That hurts, Hicchan~! I didn't know Hicchan could be so cold! Did you hear him, Shizune?"

    show misha sign_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    show misha hips_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    show shizu basic_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    show shizu behind_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    # and thus ends the last use of the signing sprites
    #Thank god. My job will be like 9000x easier now.

    "It strikes me that is a weird choice of words, but I can't really say anything about that."

    "She is signing everything she says, although not to Shizune in particular. Maybe Misha is so used to signing that she is doing it unconsciously."

    ssh "Yes, I did. How rude."

    mi "Really, really!"

    show shizu cross_rage at offscreenleft
    show misha hips_frown at offscreenright
    with None

    "Shizune pushes up her glasses before standing up, shoving her chair off to the side offhandedly with her foot."

    show shizu cross_rage at twoleft
    show misha hips_frown at tworight
    with charamove

    "Her arms crossed in front of her, she puffs out her chest like a rooster, and her and Misha both start circling me like a pair of wolves."

    ssh "Where were you? You're late!"

    mi "Where were you, Hicchan? You're late~! Late late late~!"

    ssh "We're done for today, so there isn't anything for you to do. I can't believe you! "

    ssh "First, you're late. Now, look at you, you don't even look guilty. Do you know how long I've been sitting here waiting for you to come in?"

    mi "…Well, it's good that you're here, Hicchan, but we don't have any work today!"

    "I nod slowly, fighting a smile. I had always thought that I was missing losing something in translation."

    "The thought of Shizune sitting there for an hour in that pose just to make me feel guilty when I came in is strangely cute."

    "What a childish thing for her to do, she is supposed to be the mature one."

    ssh "Do you understand a word I'm saying? I'm talking to you, Hisao. Idiot, I can't believe you don't understand me. And after all those lessons. You clearly don't study enough, that is your problem."

    show shizu cross_wut at twoleft
    with charachange

    ssh "Misha, we should hit him. It's important to study. More studying means less beatings!"

    show misha sign_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    shi "……"

    shi "…!"

    shi "…"

    "She continues ranting on, her motions becoming so wide, sweeping, and grandiose that I start having trouble understanding a thing she is signing. So it really is just like any other language."

    show misha perky_confused at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Ah… I don't think I'll say… that…"

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Hicchan, let's learn more sign language today! How about it? "

    show shizu behind_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Oh, we have never really tested you on what you know yet! So let's see what you learned in all this time!"

    mi "Don't worry, Hicchan~! I'm sure you'll pass with flying colors! After all~!"

    "She pauses for effect."

    mi "We're your teachers!"

    "The two of them throw their arms out like they are announcing the opening of a store. Are they a comedy duo?"

    show shizu adjust_blush at twoleft
    with charachange

    "When I don't respond, Shizune turns bright red and draws her foot back like she is going to kick me."

    show shizu cross_rage at twoleft
    with charachange

    "She stops, and then, after mulling it over a bit, chooses to just sulk."

    ssh "Stop, stop stop! It's test time!"

    show misha hips_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Okay, okay~! Time for your test, Hicchan~!"

    mi "Hm~, let's start off on easy mode! What is this?"

    hi "That's your name, isn't it?"

    mi "That's right!"

    shi "…"

    mi "Now, this!"

    hi "My name?"

    ssh "Well, you learned something, but… This is too easy."

    show shizu behind_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Shizune pouts, still pursing her lips in a tight frown."

    ssh "This, what is this?"

    mi "Okay~! Try this, Hicchan, what does this mean?"

    "Shizune starts making a very complicated series of signs that seems to go on without end."

    "I have never seen anything like it. It even includes shadow puppets and a couple of silly-looking full body movements."

    "Misha bursts out laughing. I wonder if I have been insulted."

    hi "…What was that?"

    show misha perky_confused at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "So you don't know?"

    hi "Clearly I do not."

    show shizu basic_sparkle at twoleft
    with charachange

    ssh "It did not mean anything."

    show misha hips_grin at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "It didn't mean anything, Hicchan. Trick question!"

    show misha hips_laugh at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Wahahaha!"

    show misha hips_grin at tworight
    with charachange

    "I try to make the most severe and displeased expression I can imagine to show I am not amused."

    show shizu cross_wut at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Misha responds with a look of blank confusion, whereas Shizune seems to take it as an insult."

    shi "…!"

    show misha perky_confused at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Hey, what's with that expression?"

    mi "I don't know, I don't know!"

    hi "This is my serious face. Can't you tell?"

    show misha hips_laugh at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Hahahahaha~!"

    show shizu cross_rage at twoleft
    show misha hips_grin at tworight
    with charachange

    "Shizune grinds her teeth together, her hands clenched in fists."

    ssh "Hey! Are you mocking me? I'll show you a serious face!"

    show misha hips_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Hicchan, Shizune wants to show you her serious face, too! This sounds like a fun game~!"

    "I can almost see the steam about to shoot out of Shizune's ears. She grabs Misha by the shoulders and shakes her."

    shi "…!"

    show misha hips_grin at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "What? Okay, okay! Okay! Okay~! Hicchan~! Let's learn more sign language."

    show shizu behind_blank at twoleft
    with charachange

    hi "I already know some sign language. I've been reading up on it on my own. And going to the sign language courses. And coming here."

    show misha perky_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Wow, really? That's great!"

    "Misha excitedly signs what I said to Shizune, who uncrosses her arms and seems pleasantly surprised by the news."

    show shizu behind_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    "The two of them start to clap, Shizune smiling warmly at me with pride."

    show shizu adjust_blush at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Then she stops and turns pale."
    #Irina dislikes comma.

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_confused at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Ah, Hicchan, so you understood… everything?"

    hi "Everything?"

    ssh "Everything."

    hi "I understood most of it."

    ssh "This can't be happening."

    show shizu adjust_blush at twoleft
    show misha perky_sad at tworight
    with charachange

    "Shizune and Misha blush profusely, Misha stammering incomprehensibly while Shizune's arms flail about, windmilling in every direction quickly enough to generate lift."

    show shizu cross_rage at twoleft
    show misha hips_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    "The two of them nod to each other and immediately start pushing me out the door, Misha laughing nervously, the whole time. Shizune is still red-faced, her eyes open in a mixture of shock and fear."

    hi "What are you two doing?"

    mi "W—w—well, Hicchan, we, ah…"

    mi "Aha…hahaha, we can't tease Hicchan anymore! We have to change our strategy! So~, um… can you wait out here for a second, please?"

    hi "What?"

    show misha hips_grin at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Thanks, Hicchan!"

    scene bg school_council
    with hpunch

    "The door slams shut in my face, and I can hear them running around hectically behind it."

    scene bg school_council
    show shizu cross_rage at tworight
    show misha hips_frown at twoleft
    with locationchange

    "After about two minutes, it opens again, and they pull me back inside."

    hi "So forceful."

    ssh "Idiot, stop saying such dirty things."

    hi "What?"

    mi "You say that a lot, Hicchan~! Anyway, we have been discussing it, and we're very happy you learned sign language."

    show misha perky_sad at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "And it seems like you did it for us. That's…"

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Anyway~! You're really fast, to learn that much in… how long? There is still a lot I don't know. One day, Hicchan might surpass me."

    mi "Let's celebrate and go out somewhere! We can go to the Shanghai; they sell cakes~! Come on! Come on!"

    scene bg suburb_roadcenter
    with locationskip

    "We head down there, Shizune and I competing with Misha to get in front of her so we don't end up following her and getting lost again. When we reach the tea shop, it seems to be another slow business day."

    scene bg suburb_shanghaiext
    with locationchange

    scene bg suburb_shanghaiint
    with locationchange

    "Aside from us, there are only two other people. I wonder what the profit margins for this place are."

    "We take a seat at a table by the window, and Yuuko quickly walks over to us, balancing three cups carefully on a plate, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrates on not dropping them."

    show yuuko smile_shang
    with charaenter

    yu "Hello. Welcome! Thank you for choosing this establishment!"

    "I can see Shizune and Misha tense up, as if they are ready to grab the plate of drinks in case she bows again."

    yu "I saw you coming up the street, so I made you your usual drinks. Please enjoy them!"

    show yuuko worried_shang
    with charachange

    yu "Also, our last meeting made me think very deep thoughts. I have made a list of other strange and illogical things about this shop. If it isn't too much trouble, I would like your opinion on it."

    "Yuuko puts our drinks down in front of us carefully, then removes a sheet of paper from her pocket and unfolds it, getting ready to read it."

    show yuuko neutral_shang
    with charachange

    mi "Hahahaha! Yuuko, Hicchan here learned sign language~! So we came here to celebrate! Do you have any cakes left?"

    "I almost want to congratulate Misha on the nice save."

    show yuuko smile_shang
    with charachange

    yu "Huh? Oh. Cakes. Yes, we have cakes left. But it is a whole cake, and for some reason we do not sell it by the slice. It's not normal… {nw}"

    show yuuko worried_shang
    with charachange

    extend "this is… {nw}"

    show yuuko neurotic_shang
    with charachange

    extend "another illogical thing."

    hi "You could say it makes this place unique."

    show yuuko worried_shang
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    mi "Wahaha~! You are such a flirt, Hicchan!"

    "Misha seems to find it funny, but it doesn't look like Shizune thinks the same way. She slowly screws her heel into the toe of my shoe under the table."

    "Yuuko looks flustered."

    yu "Flirting… but… I have a boyfriend. I have not seen him in a year, though. I think he is hiding from me."

    mi "Wow, I didn't know Yuuko had a boyfriend~! Who is it? Who?"

    yu "Oh, I haven't brought you your cake, and I'm distracting you from drinking your drinks."

    show yuuko neurotic_shang
    with charachange

    yu "I'm sorry! Sorry!"

    "She bows sharply, almost colliding with Misha."

    show yuuko worried_shang
    with charachange

    yu "I will cut it into slices for you. I do not understand why we do not sell the cake by the slice, when when we serve it we cut it into slices."

    yu "This is another strange thing."

    yu "I… "

    show yuuko neurotic_shang
    with charachange

    yu "I just don't understand this place."

    hide yuuko
    with charaexit

    "Shizune hits in the back of the head me as soon as Yuuko's back is to us." with vpunch

    show shizu cross_rage at tworight
    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    with charaenter

    ssh "Idiot!"

    ssh "She is going to be like this forever, now! Do you realize what you have done?"

    hi "You should switch those sentences around."

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    with charachange

    shi "…!"

    show misha hips_laugh at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Shizune starts signing incomprehensibly as Misha laughs."

    hide misha
    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "Eventually, Yuuko comes back with the cake, which is very good, even though I think it is almost too sweet."

    "After a lot of prodding from Shizune and Misha, she sits down with us and has a slice when the three of us manage to convince her that her worries about charging us for something she ate a piece of are groundless."

    show shizu behind_blank at center
    show yuuko neutral_shang at right
    show misha perky_smile at left
    with charaenter

    mi "Yuuko~! Tell us about your boyfriend!"

    yu "I haven't seen him in a year. But he was very nice. He took me bowling once."

    yu "Is the cake good? I made this cake."

    show yuuko smile_shang at right
    with charachange

    ssh "Very good."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    mi "It's delicious!"

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    hi "It is."

    hide yuuko
    with charaexit

    "At that moment, a group of people walk in, and Yuuko shoots out of her chair to deal with them as if she had been preparing for it the whole time. Knowing her, that might actually be it."

    "I try to pitch in and help pay for everything we ate, which turns out to have been quite a lot, but Shizune insists on paying and nudges me towards the exit."

    scene bg suburb_shanghaiext
    show shizu behind_frown
    with locationchange

    ssh "Idiot. Who pays the cost of a party held for them? You should be smarter than that."

    ssh "Let's walk faster, it's getting cold."

    scene bg suburb_roadcenter
    with locationchange

    "She is right, it's getting dark out, and the wind is picking up. It's kind of chilly for spring, but not too unusual."

    "I look at Shizune, watching her tuck her hands farther into her sleeves to keep them warm. She lets out an almost undetectable shiver, then catches me looking at her and bites her lip."
    #Possible CG moment here. A variation of this CG (if it's made) would be needed. One for Shizune tucking her hands into her sleeves, and another with Hisao's jacket on Shizune, who blushes.

    "I take off my jacket and drape it across her shoulders before she has the chance to protest."

    show shizu adjust_blush
    with charaenter

    shi "…"

    mi "Wow, Hicchan! How romantic of you!"

    "Shizune pulls the front of my jacket over her head to hide her face."

    hi "I didn't mean…"

    mi "Hahahaha! Hahahahahaha! It's okay, Hicchan! Okay? Okay~!"

    "Misha slaps me hard across the back, which knocks the wind out of me." with vpunch

    mi "It's been a while since the last time she did that."

    scene bg school_gate
    with locationskip

    "When we get back to the school, Shizune hands me back my jacket, and we part ways."

    "As I put it back on, I notice my jacket smells faintly of perfume. I never noticed Shizune wore perfume until now."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationskip

    "When I reach the dorms, I almost collapse on my bed, feeling extremely tired despite all the sugar I have probably consumed today."

    "I go to sleep without even taking off my shoes."

    scene black
    with shuteye

    #DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHLLLLLLLLL

    return

#********************************************************************************************************************************
label en_S14:
    nvl clear

    play music music_normal fadein 1.0

    n "A week has passed since then. Lately, the student council has been getting enough work for me to have to help out."

    n "It's clear that the amount of filing, planning, budget balancing, reviewing forms, and filling out applications that we do was meant to be handled by a large group of people, a group far larger than just us three."

    n "It also strikes me that Shizune and Misha handle far more than would be expected of any student council."

    n "I would think that with how the students here have it pretty easy in terms of classes, the same philosophy would extend to the student council."

    nvl clear

    scene bg school_council
    with locationchange

    n "Reporting to the student council room a little later than usual because I sat in on another sign language class today, I slide the door open with my foot while practicing my gestures."

    n "My problem is that I can understand sign language pretty quickly, but it's a little harder for me to keep up in a conversation. Basically, I can understand it, but can't “speak” it. Apparently, not an uncommon problem in any language."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationchange

    n "As soon as I enter the room, I notice that it seems especially hectic today. Misha chews the end of a pencil nervously as she pours over a messy pile of papers spread out on her desk."

    n "Even Shizune looks anxious; her usually neat hair is noticibly ruffled, and I see her pick at her collar while she flips through a thick, leatherbound book, one of several stacked to her left."

    n "I announce my presence, and Misha puts her papers down to give me an energetic wave. Shizune catches a glance at me out of the corner of her eye and does the same, although with a lot more restraint."

    nvl clear

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charaenter

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charaenter

    mi "Hi~. Hicchan!"

    ssh "Hello."

    hi "Hey. It looks like you're both busy really busy today."

    mi "That's right, we are busy! Very busy!"

    ssh "We had to excuse ourselves from class today. It was the only way to get a head start on all the work."

    hi "Skipping class again?"

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    with charachange

    "Shizune crosses her arms, frowning, her eyes looking off to the side evasively. She signs something curtly."

    shi "…"

    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Well, Hicchan, it was really the only way~! I want to go home today, you know, you know!"

    mi "Sorry we're not all diligent students like you."

    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Misha shrugs, her words infused with teasing sarcasm that fits Shizune's playful smile perfectly."

    show misha perky_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "Hahahaha~! Hicchan looks upset, Shizune."

    show shizu basic_sparkle at tworight
    with charachange

    "I look upset? I try to recoup, stepping forward and taking a small bow."

    hi "Well, I would never have imagined that Shizune would ever be apologizing to me."

    hi "But, thank you for the compliment. It's true, I walk a righteous path."

    show shizu behind_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    with Pause (0.5)

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    with charachange

    with Pause (0.5)

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charachange

    "Shizune's frowns, then raises an eyebrow, looking perplexed. She thinks over her answer for what seems like an eternity."

    shi "…"

    show misha perky_confused at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "What does that mean, Hicchan? You mean like Kamen Rider?"

    hi "Well, no."

    show shizu behind_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    "Shizune betrays her severe expression with a slight, wry smile."

    show shizu behind_frown at tworight
    with charachange

    ssh "Stop being silly. Do you want to help us out or not?"

    hi "What? So you mean I have a choice? Well, in that case—" #reminder for the potential {nw} break

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "No you don't!"

    play music music_comedy fadein 1.0

    hide misha
    with charaexit

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "Both of them leap into action, closing the distance between us before their chairs hit the floor."

    extend "Shizune grabs me, pinning my arms to my sides, and Misha's arms clamp around my leg."
    with vpunch

    mi "Stop struggling!"
    with hpunch

    "If someone were to look through the window right now, they might get the wrong idea. It would lead to potentially great and greatly awkward misunderstandings. Although, it's not like this is unpleasant or anything."

    hi "Let go of me."

    mi "Ahaha~! Only if you promise not to run, Hicchan!"

    hi "I wasn't going to anyway. I was joking."

    mi "Okay, okay~!"

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    with charaenter

    show shizu adjust_happy at tworight
    with charaenter

    "They let me go, and then ask again if I want to help out. I think about saying no, but they seem ready to grab me again at any time."

    play music music_shizune fadein 1.0

    "Shizune nods with an uncharacteristic amount of good cheer when I agree to help out, and then places a huge pile of class and club rosters in front of me."

    ssh "Thank you. Because you are so thoughtful, I'll give you the smallest possible assignment."

    hi "This is not small. You have to be kidding."

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charaenter

    "Shizune's eyes dart expectantly to Misha, waiting for her to translate my reply. When Misha does so, Shizune smiles softly and nods her head from side to side."

    hi "So you're not kidding…"

    scene bg school_council
    with shorttimeskip

    "For the next two hours, I find myself going back and forth through the rosters to move all the information contained in them into one massive student and faculty omnibus. I see Kenji's name and suddenly remember I have to find his ID."

    "Putting the thought aside for now, I continue working, but keep getting distracted. It's just a very repetitive task, and involves an obscene amount of backtracking and double-checking."

    "Shizune's face inches into my field of vision, a stern look on her face."

    show shizu cross_rage
    with charaenter

    ssh "What are you doing? Why aren't you working?"

    hi "I could ask you the same thing."

    show shizu adjust_blush
    with charachange

    with Pause (0.2)

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charachange

    "She blinks, then her mouth crunches into a frown. It looks like I've caught her there. Finally."

    "Shizune puts her hands on her hips and looks out the window, scanning her brain for the most appropriate answer."

    ssh "…This is all your fault."

    ssh "Always with the backtalk. I feel bad for any girl that falls for you."

    ssh "Hisao, I thought you knew sign language."

    hi "I do."

    "Her eyes fix themselves sharply on mine. She stands on the tips of her toes so that we are on the same level."

    show shizu cross_rage
    with charachange

    ssh "Stop that."

    hi "Stop what?"

    show shizu behind_frustrated
    with charachange

    ssh "What is the point of understanding sign language if you can't sign it? I thought you told Misha she isn't a phone. When you're talking to me, you should talk to me."

    hi "Misha, you told her I think of you as a phone?"

    "Misha's shoulders slump, and her smile quickly falls through, a pained, hurt expression appearing on her face."

    mi "Hicchan, you think of me as a phone? What does that mean, Hicchan?"

    hi "What?"

    ssh "What you have done now? All you do is hurt people."

    show shizu cross_rage
    with charachange

    extend"You are a monster."

    hi "No, I'm not. This is all a misunderstanding."

    ssh "What are you saying? I can't understand you at all, idiot. I told you not to do that.Why are you still doing it?"

    mi "What kind of phone?"

    hi "Stop, too many questions!"

    ssh "I thought I told you to stop doing that."

    stop music fadeout 3.0

    scene bg school_council
    with shorttimeskip

    "By the time I manage to straighten things out with both of them, I notice that it's gotten dark out, and I'm still not finished."

    play music music_soothing fadein 1.0

    show shizu behind_blank at twoleft
    with charaenter

    show misha hips_smile at tworight
    with charaenter

    with Pause (0.2)

    show shizu cross_wut at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Shizune peeks at my watch over my shoulder, and then jumps back as if stung by something."

    ssh "Look at the time! Hurry up, hurry up! I want to go home tonight."

    show misha hips_laugh at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Wahahaha! Yeah, let's hurry up~! Hicchan, we're can't leave here until all of us are done with everything!"

    show misha hips_grin at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "So~! That means you can't hold us up, okay?"

    show shizu behind_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    ssh "We're counting on you."

    show shizu adjust_happy at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Shizune pushes up her glasses and tries to brush back her toussled hair with her hand, blushing and shooting me an angry look when I catch her in the act."

    "Before she can compose her thoughts, Misha throws her arms around her from behind."

    show misha perky_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Alright! Alright alright alright~! I'm finished! Hm, I wonder if I should go home now? Eh? Eh?"

    show shizu behind_blank at twoleft
    with charachange

    mi "I'm off~!"

    "Shizune looks around, disoriented, then gets her bearings and pushes her chair back, getting up to stop Misha."

    hide misha
    with charaexit

    "At that second, I complete my own work and decide to pull a vanishing act of my own. I place the finished rosters on Shizune's desk and give her a polite nod."

    show shizu behind_blank at center
    with charamove

    hi "Well, Shizune, I'm done here too. I guess this means I'll be leaving now."

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charachange

    "Shizune opens her mouth as if to say something, but instead fumes quietly and starts signing."

    ssh "You're going to leave me alone here?"

    show shizu cross_wut
    with charachange

    "Without even giving me a chance to answer her, she crosses her arms, her eyebrows turned sharply downwards in a cold stare, but her gaze evasive and unfocused."

    ssh "I can't believe you. You're supposed to offer to help me."

    extend "Do it properly, please."

    "Grabbing a sheet of paper off of the desk, I write on it:"

    $ written_note ("{b}How much do you have left?{/b}")

    show shizu adjust_blush
    with charachange

    "Shizune takes off her glasses and rubs her eyes as if exasperated."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    ssh "I needed that, why did you write all over it? And with a pen, too… "

    extend "Now you are obligated to help me."

    ssh "But it's only two more ledgers to look over. We can split the work. All you have to do is write down the expenses in red."

    ssh "Onto this form, that you wrote all over. I'll copy them onto a fresh one tomorrow morning."

    "Shizune hands me one of the thick books she was working from, then fills out the last two boxes on her own form and slams the ledger shut with a deafening boom."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    ssh "I'm done!"

    "She smiles gleefully, like an excited child. It's an expression that I could never have imagined on Shizune."

    ssh "Now I've done my share, so it's all on you, Hisao!"

    hi "Oh, come on."

    show shizu basic_sparkle
    with charachange

    "Her hands clasped behind her, Shizune grins mischievously and bounces up and down on the balls of her feet."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    ssh "I'm just kidding. You offered to help, so I'm satisfied."

    ssh "Let's go home; I'll take care of everything tomorrow morning."

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    scene bg school_council
    with locationchange

    "We leave the building together, Shizune taking the initiative and going on ahead of me. `

    `She stands near the door, her finger hovering playfully over the light switch, urging me to speed it up."

    "Turning off the light just as I reach her, she runs towards the exit, pausing every now and then to wave impatiently at me."

    scene bg school_courtyard
    with locationchange

    "When we get outside, Misha is leaning against the side of the building, hiding behind the doorframe."

    show misha perky_smile
    with charaenter

    mi "Wow, that took a long time, Hicchan, Shizune."

    mi "I've been out here for at least ten minutes~!"

    hi "I thought you went back to your room."

    show misha hips_laugh
    with charachange

    mi "Wahahaha~! "

    show misha hips_grin
    with charachange

    extend "No, I could never do that!"

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    mi "Hey, Hicchan, that reminds me."

    mi "Do you have any free time after class on Saturday?"

    hi "Yeah, most likely. Why?"

    show misha perky_sad
    with charachange

    mi "Nothing, nothing~."

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    "Misha talks leaning against her hands, which are behind her back. Shizune's head appears over my shoulder, surprising me."

    show misha perky_smile at tworight
    with charamove

    show shizu cross_wut at twoleft
    with charaenter

    shi "…?"

    mi "Ah, it's getting really late. Come on, Shizune~! Let's go back to the dorms!"

    "A puzzled expression lingers on Shizune's face, but she dismisses it and starts leaving ahead of Misha."

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    hide misha
    with charaexit

    "As they head off, I wave goodbye, then decide to go back and grab something from the vending machine, since it's close by and I can't wait to use the one by the dorms."

    "Drinking a can of juice, I wonder what Misha was talking about just now. What strikes me is that she wasn't signing everything she was saying, as usual."

    "But I'm probably looking too deeply into it. It's likely that it didn't mean anything at all."

    scene bg school_dormext
    with locationchange

    with Pause (0.5)

    scene bg school_dormhallway
    with locationskip

    with Pause (0.5)

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationskip

    "Throwing the empty can out on my way back to my room, I practice signing to myself, probably looking very silly to the few students I pass along the way."

    scene bg school_council
    with shorttimeskip

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charaenter

    "I think about how Shizune acted earlier; so cheerful and energetic. I haven't seen Shizune hanging out with a lot of people. I think that it is, more or less, just her and Misha."

    "If she showed that bright side of her personality more, then she would probably be more popular. I guess that's what it means to be at the top, in the high house. But she doesn't pity herself. That is admirable."

    "I would like to see more of her playful, girlish side. I wonder if those are glimpses of the person that Shizune really is, outside of her student council duties."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with dissolve

    "About to go to sleep, I shoot up out of bed when I realize I still haven't done my homework today, and there was quite a lot of it to do."

    stop music fadeout 4.0

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with shorttimeskip

    "By the time I finish that, it is almost midnight, and the snoring of my fellow students is unbearable. I suppress a yawn and go to bed, trying to calculate how many hours of sleep I'll be able to catch tonight."

    scene black
    with shuteye
    return

#*****************************************************************************************************************************

label en_S15:

    play music music_pearly fadein 1.5

    "Saturday arrives quietly, almost creeping up on me. Lately I'm swamped with so much student council work that there are moments when I lose track of the time. It's not too big a stretch to rationalize that I could lose track of the day as well."

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with dissolve

    "Sitting in class with just a few minutes to go before I can enjoy the rest of my weekend, the thought of dodging student council duties today pops into my mind."

    "It's very tempting, and the more I think about the veritable skyscraper of paperwork that probably awaits me today, the more attractive the concept seems."

    "I have been working myself to the bone these past few days. I look out the window at the sky. I haven't seen the daytime sky in over a week, because we almost never leave the student council room until well after sundown."

    "I shake my head. It can't be helped: I'm going to have to take a rain check on today's duties."

    "What would Shizune say if she knew? She would probably frown, give me a sharp stare, cross her arms, push up her glasses grimly with her index finger, then say something like, “Hisao, I can't believe you, trying to abandon your responsibilities.”"

    scene bg school_council
    with dissolve
    #flashback!
    # -- should be a CG of the scene this is referring to, not just an insert

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charaenter

    "An image of Shizune's face, her mouth turned down in displeasure, her eyes leering at me over her glasses, fills my mind. The image of Shizune pulling the lapels of my jacket tighter around her to hide her reddening face immediately replaces it."

    "What the hell?"

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with locationskip

    show muto normal
    with charaenter

    mu "Is there something wrong, Nakai?"

    "I had momentarily forgotten that I'm still in the middle of class."

    hi "No, I just got distracted."

    mu "Oh, really? By what? Something interesting? Is it still there?"

    "For a second, I think he's pulling my leg, but apparently he is serious."

    "Mutou quickly rushes over to my desk and looks around furatively, searching for the source of my distraction. What a weird teacher."

    mu "I don't see anything. Is it outside? …No, I don't see anything out there, either…"

    hi "It was nothing."

    mu "Really? Well, if you say so."

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with shorttimeskip

    "The bell rings a few minutes later. As soon as I hear it, I hurriedly push myself into the crowd of outgoing students to camouflage myself within them." with vpunch

    "There's no sign of Shizune or Misha, but it's too early to call it safe just yet. Keeping low to the ground, I head for the exit, moving continuously as I go."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationchange

    "When I get out, a new problem strikes me: How to make it across the school grounds without being spotted. The realization dawns on me that I am putting a strangely large amount of effort into this."

    "But I disregard it and just consider my options: I can leave the school and walk around the outside wall, then climb over the wall behind the dorms, or make a suicidal mad dash for the dorms, plowing through anyone who gets in my way."

    "Eventually, I regain my common sense and opt to just walk there like a normal person."

    scene black
    with shuteye

    extend "Before I take one step, I feel a pair of hands cover my eyes."

    mi "Guess who~!"

    hi "Gee, I wonder who it could be."

    scene bg school_council
    with openeye

    "Misha takes her hands off my face and jumps in front of me."

    show misha hips_smile
    with charaenter

    mi "It's me~! Hicchan, you really didn't know it was me?"

    "She looks a little hurt. I guess Misha has trouble picking up on sarcasm."

    hi "No, I knew it was you. I was just kidding around."

    "I scan the area for Shizune, but don't see her anywhere."

    hi "Where's your better half?"

    show misha hips_frown
    with charachange

    "Misha frowns."

    mi "Neither of us is better than the other, I think."

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    mi "Anyway, it's good that you're here, Hicchan~! I've been waiting for you! Remember, I asked you if you had some free time today? Remember? Remember?"

    hi "Yeah, I do. What is it? More student council work?"

    mi "No, Hicchan, I wouldn't need to ask you if that was it, would I~?"

    show misha perky_confused
    with charachange

    mi "Hm… where can we talk? "

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    extend "I know! Let's go to the roof, Hicchan! Hurry, hurry~!"

    "There is something off about her today. Her voice has a strange sense of urgency in it that seems hollow in its unfamiliarity."

    "In fact, this whole situation strikes me as somewhat unusual, although I can't place why."

    scene bg school_council
    with shorttimeskip

    "I follow Misha through the school, which is already mostly deserted. After awhile, I notice the sound of Misha's footsteps has changed."

    "Our shoes click against the hard floor and resound quietly through the empty hallways."

    scene bg school_staircase1
    with locationskip

    "Misha's typically bouncy, wide, quick strides have slowed, and she seems lost in thought, her head tilted slightly downwards. We stop at the stairs to the roof."

    show misha hips_frown
    with charaenter

    mi "Don't try to look up my skirt or anything like that, Hicchan."

    hi "Hey, you think I would do something like that? You must have a very low opinion of me."

    mi "No, I trust you, Hicchan."

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    scene bg school_roof
    with locationchange

    show misha perky_sad
    with charaenter

    "Opening the door to the roof, Misha immediately heads towards the fence."

    play music music_drama fadein 1.0

    mi "Hicchan, do you know what is coming up in a month?"

    "The only thing I can think about that is about a month off is tanabata."

    mi "That's right, Hicchan, tanabata. The reason I wanted to talk to you today is because it's so close."

    "She turns to me, her mouth set in a determined line."

    mi "Hicchan, do you have a girl that you like?"

    "I freeze. To be more accurate, for me, it's as if everything has frozen. Misha is just as lacking in tact as ever. I find myself unable to respond at all."

    "I'd never imagined that she would confess to me, but she is cute. If she confesses her feelings to me, I think I could accept them."

    mi "Answer the question, Hicchan."

    "There is a hard note in her voice. Before I can say anything, Misha continues."

    mi "Hicchan… Are you going to confess to Shizune?"

    "My heart jumps in my chest. I don't know what to say. Misha doesn't take any notice of my shock, although it also looks as if she was expecting it. She giggles uneasily."

    mi "Hicchan, how do you feel about her?"

    "I have never really though about that before."

    scene bg school_council
    with dissolve

    show shizu behind_frustrated
    with charaenter

    "Looking back over my memories of Shizune, I begin to realize that it's possible I have some feelings towards her."

    "I am attracted to the playful, cheerful girl behind the stoic expression and those harsh, analytical eyes."

    "The part of her that seems to trickle through to the surface every now and then like water through the cracks of a dam."

    "If I could see more of that side of her, or if she would let me see more of that side of her, then I think I could fall for her. I believe I would fall for her."

    stop music fadeout 3.0

    scene bg school_roof
    with locationskip

    show misha perky_confused
    with charachange

    "Misha looks at me expectantly, waiting for an answer."

    play music music_menus fadein 0.5

    hi "I like her."

    "As soon as I say it, I'm a little surprised at how quietly it was delivered compared to the weight of the words."

    "Misha's response is equally quiet."

    show misha perky_sad
    with charachange

    mi "I see."

    mi "Shizune likes you, too. I can tell, because of the way she acts around you. But, Shizune will never make the first move."

    mi "She is an old-fashioned girl, even if it doesn't act that way. She runs the water when she uses the bathroom."

    mi "That is why if you like her, Hicchan, you shouldn't delay it. I just want Shizune to be happy, because I am her friend."

    mi "Even though Shizune shines the most when she is wistful."

    #mi "That is why I wanted to talk to you today. It would be selfish of me not to, and I wouldn't be able to call myself her friend."

    return

label en_choiceS15:
    # lol choices
    menu:
        with menueffect

        mi "That is why I wanted to talk to you today. It would be selfish of me not to, and I wouldn't be able to call myself her friend."

        "I'll confess to Shizune.":
            return m1

        "The person I really like is you.":
            return m2

label en_S15a:
    # 1)

    scene bg school_council
    with dissolve
    #It may be good to show an array of Shizune's expressions in this short flashback.

    show shizu adjust_blush
    with charaenter

    "I think about what Misha said. I can recall the moments when I have seen Shizune unguarded; when that sad, distant, longing look filled her eyes."

    scene bg school_dormext
    with locationchange

    show shizu adjust_happy
    with charaenter

    extend "Innocent, vast, and faded, like a pastel painting of the sea."

    "No, Misha is wrong. Shizune is brighter when she is filled with that childish excitement that seems to show itself to rarely."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationchange

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charaenter

    "The air of confidence. Those shimmering eyes. Her posture, the way she stands, with her legs straight and just slightly apart."
    #Especially here.

    scene bg school_roof
    with dissolve

    show misha perky_confused
    with charaenter

    hi "A tanabata confession seems slightly cliche, doesn't it?"

    hi "I guess if that is how it has to be, though, then there's nothing I can do about it, is there?"

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    "Misha grins, quickly reverting to her usual demeanor."

    mi "That's right, Hicchan!"

    "An uncomfortable silence drifts between the two of us."

    mi "So… You're going to tell Shizune that you love her."

    hi "Yeah."

    mi "I'm glad."

    return

label en_S15b:
    # 2)

#It is also possible to use the effect on choice 1 with this one, more concentrated on an array of Misha's expressions, but I'll let you guys decide.

    "There is a loneliness in Misha's voice that casts a melancholy shade over her words."

    "I like them both. In the beginning, I think I could only see Misha. These days, there are still times when I see them as one, because they are always together."

    "I like Shizune, but I also like Misha as well."

    hi "Misha, I've always liked you too."

    "Misha lets out a weak, tuneless laugh and cluches the chain links of the fence behind her in the hands, her eyes cast downwards."

    mi "I see, Hicchan."

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    mi "But I'm not an option."

    mi "Just as I can't like Shizune in this way… I can't like Hicchan in that way."

    show misha perky_confused
    with charachange

    extend "Or something like that…"

    show misha hips_grin
    with charachange

    "She laughs again. It's so forced that I want to tell her to stop."

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    mi "Hicchan, have you ever heard the expression “unable to see the forest because of the trees?”"

    mi "Well, nevermind about that."

    mi "I know you like her too, Hicchan. Or else you wouldn't have tried to so hard to learn how to speak to her."

    mi "Hicchan… please accept her feelings."

    hi "Okay. I will."

    return

    #blah blah blah end splits
label en_S15c:

    "Misha smiles faintly and straights up, walking towards the door with a tiny bit of the spring back in her step."

    mi "Okay, Hicchan. I'll remember what we talked about today, so you should too."

    show misha perky_sad
    with charachange

    mi "I have things of my own to take care of. So, today, Hicchan, I'm going to entrust Shizune to you."

    "Slowly, her usual good mood seems to be coming back to her."

    hi "Hey, stop talking like that. You sound like her father."

    mi "…Hm…"

    "She opens the door and leaves quietly, and I hear her footsteps clapping down the stairs. I wait until they die out and take a seat on the roof."

    "I like Shizune enough that I can confess on my own. When I do, it will be with my feelings."

    scene bg misc_sky_ni
    with dissolve

    "I try to imagine her reaction. Tanabata, with its warm, summer night air. The dark skies lit up by fireworks. What will she do? What would she say?"

    scene bg school_roof
    with dissolve

    "After indulging myself in the possible scenarios that could play out, I decide to check up on Shizune. After all, the time is eventually going to come when I'll ask her to be my girlfriend."

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    scene bg school_staircase1
    with locationchange

    with Pause (0.3)

    scene bg school_council
    with locationskip

    with Pause (0.5)

    scene bg school_council
    with locationskip

    "I find her in the student council room, looking over what appears to be today's notes. I step in front of her and wave to get her attention."

    hi "Hi, Shizune."

    "She nods, and closes her book."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charaenter

    "I don't know what to say to her."

    hi "Is there anything I can do?"

    "I sign out my words as I say them carefully, making sure to get them right."

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charachange

    ssh "No, not today."

    "She looks at her hands, drumming her fingers thoughtfully on the desk. I consider telling her how I feel right now. Alone as we are, it seems like a good opportunity, but something holds me back."

    "The warm sunlight streams through the window behind her and spills across her head and shoulders, the motes of light circling her like falling snow."

    "Shizune adjusts her glasses offhandedly and plays with the corner of her notebook."

    #Possible cg moment time.

    play music music_serene fadein 1.0

    hi "I love you."

    "I don't sign it to her. The words have barely left my mouth when I realize how strange and vulnerable they sound, hanging in the still air."

    hi "Shizune."

    "She looks at me inquisitively, catching my mouth movements from the corner of her vision."

    hi "Did you find someone's ID around here?"

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "She nods and opens a drawer to her right, and then hands me Kenji's ID before returning to staring at her notebook."

    hi "If there is nothing for me to do, I'll be going."

    "Before I can leave the room, I feel something grab my sleeve."

    "I look down and see Shizune's thin fingers pinching the cuff of my jacket, holding tightly to one of the buttons."

    show shizu behind_sad
    with charaenter

    "She lets go and signs deliberately:"

    ssh "Wait."

    "Tenting her fingers in thought, she considers her next words before continuing."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    ssh "You can keep me company."

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "She turns and walks back to her desk. I take a seat in the nearest chair I can find and watch her pack her things."

    "I start talking, more to myself than to her, knowing she can't hear me."

    hi "Do you really like me?"

    hi "Someone told me something interesting today. They said that when you're sad, you shine the most brightly."

    "I can feel her eyes watching me, frowning slightly as she sees that I'm not signing any of this."

    hi "You can't understand me, can you? For what it's worth, I wanted to tell them that they were wrong. I think there are lots of other times when you are cuter than that."

    hi "I think you are cute all the time. A little. Most of the time."

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charaenter

    shi "…"

    "Shizune pushes up her glasses roughly, tinkering with them tentatively for about ten seconds."

    ssh "I can't understand you at all."

    ssh "I want to thank you for helping me with the student council all this time."

    ssh "I wish that we could have met sooner."

    hi "It's nothing, really."

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    ssh "Are you thirsty? It'll be my treat."

    hi "Yeah. Thanks, I'll take anything. Surprise me."

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    play music music_soothing fadein 1.0

    "She leaves, and returns a minute later with two cold cans of melon soda, beaming with pride. Setting them both down temporarily on a desk, she opens her can with a pop."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charaenter

    ssh "We're lucky! Usually, these are sold out almost instantly. In fact, these were the last two in the machine."

    ssh "It must be fate."

    hi "Hey, you're supposed to give the other person their drink before you start on your own."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    "Shizune gives me a small half-smile."

    ssh "You're right."

    ssh "But that doesn't change the fact that you're never grateful, Hisao."

    ssh "Here."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    "She holds the can out to me. I extend my arm to take it, and she pushes the can into my hand gently."

    "Her fingers briefly overlap my own, slowly, folding over mine one at a time before she pulls away."

    "Whenever she handed me anything, it's always been like this, with her fingertips touching mine so carefully."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    extend "I had just never noticed until now."

    scene bg school_council
    with shorttimeskip

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charaenter

    "When we finish our sodas, I throw them both out and see Shizune looking at me, that familiar unfanthomable, neutral expression on her face."

    ssh "Hisao, walk me to my dorm."

    "She frowns and tenses up, pre-emptively getting indignant."

    ssh "It's a long walk."

    hi "Okay. I didn't say that it wasn't. Let's go."

    ssh "Are you trying to sound cool, Hisao? Are you going to take the lead?"

    hi "You can go ahead, if you want."

    "She smiles coyly, shaking her head from side to side and standing in front of the door, her back to it, refusing to budge."

    hi "Let's go together?"

    ssh "Bingo. That is the right answer."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationchange

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charaenter

    "But when we leave the room, she walks ahead of me anyway, running past me and peering over her shoulder to urge me to follow her pace."

    stop music fadeout 1.5

    scene bg school_courtyard
    with locationskip

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charaenter

    play music music_twinkle fadein 1.0

    "Halfway across the school grounds, Shizune slows down, swinging her bag back and forth strongly as if she were ringing a bell."

    "Suddenly, she stops, and turns around."

    #If the Shizune at night with jacket CG will have ever been made, it can be reused here, with the background of the CG switched to something that resembles the inside of the school, and in sunset.

    ssh "Your dorm is closer, so you can leave now, if you want."

    hi "Alright, then. I'll see you tomorrow."

    "Shizune stares at my face, studying it intently without moving a muscle."

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charachange

    ssh "You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

    ssh "So dense."

    ssh "And I told you to stop doing that. If you're going to say something, you have to sign it as well, or it's meaningless to me. You never listen, your problem is you never, ever listen."

    "She rubs the toe of her right shoe against her left and runs her finger back and forth over the top rim of her glasses."

    show shizu cross_wut
    with charachange

    ssh "Give me your jacket."

    hi "What?"

    ssh "You could at least offer me your jacket. It's getting chilly."

    ssh "You don't need it, anyway. Idiots don't catch colds."

    "I take off my jacket and hand it to her. She dusts it off and wraps it around her shoulders like a shawl."

    hi "You're welcome."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    ssh "Thank you."

    hide shizu
    with charachange

    "I watch Shizune walk off to her dorm. When she gets to the door of her building, she turns around to see if I'm still there and waves before vanishing through the doorway."

    "I guess that's my cue to head to my own room."

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    scene bg school_dormext
    with locationskip

    with Pause (0.3)

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationskip

    "Sliding Kenji's ID under his door with my foot, I open the door to my room and don't even bother to turn on the light."

    "Making a beeline for my medication, I gulp it down and sit in the single chair availible to me."

    play music music_serene fadein 1.0

    "Looking around my room, I think it is a pretty bleak area for a place a person lives. I wonder what Shizune's room looks like."

    "It could be as spartan as her personality, but I like to imagine that it's cute and girly."

    "Remembering the doll I won for her back at the festival, I think about whether or not she still has it, sitting on a shelf somewhere."

    "Leaning back in my chair, I am left to contemplate the weight of my future actions, and what I'll be saying to her in just under a month."

    "This time, I'll be on the other end of the confession. The confesser, not the confessee."

    "I look at the clock. It's still early, and I do have homework. I decide to start it to take my mind off Shizune for awhile."

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    scene black
    with shuteye

    return
#********************************************************************************************************************************
label en_S16:

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with openeye

    "The next day, I am jolted from my sleep by a loud knocking on my door."

    "Rolling out of bed, I grab my clock on the way down and look at it. It's not even eight o'clock yet. Looking out the window, I can see the sun is barely up."

    hi "Who is it?"

    "I realize that it could be Shizune, here to return my jacket. If that's the case, she wouldn't be able to hear or answer me."

    hi "Just a minute!"

    scene bg school_dormhallway
    with locationchange

    "I yell it out of habit, quickly trying to straighten out my hair and rubbing the sleep from my eyes."

    "Opening the door, I find Kenji standing out in the hall, his eyes nervously darting from side to side."

    play music music_kenji fadein 0.5

    show kenji neutral
    with charaenter

    hi "Oh, it's you."

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    ke "Yeah, it's me. What kind of reaction is that?"

    hi "Well, I'd be able to give you a more personalized response if you had answered when I asked who it was."

    "Kenji frowns and pushes up his glasses exactly like Shizune."

    hi "What the hell, where did you get that?"

    ke "What are you talking about, man? Anyway, I didn't answer because I didn't want my presence known. Duh."

    "His voice is thick with sarcasm, and he sighs as if what he just said was the most obvious thing in the whole world. I try to think of a snappy comeback, but am forced to put my hand up to my mouth to hold back a yawn."

    hi "Jeez, it's so early. It's a Sunday morning. What do you want?"

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "I just wanted to give you my thanks for getting me back my ID. It's… it's nice to have it back. It's been a weird few weeks, man. I was starting to forget who I was."

    ke "You could have come through for me a little quicker, though. I've endured many hardships."

    hi "Yeah? Like what?"

    ke "It's not important."

    ke "I'm just happy I have it back. You really did me a big favor, and I appreciate it, man. What did you have to do to get it back? Did they make you jump through all kinds of crazy hoops? Fill out a form? Where was it, anyway?"

    "He glares suspiciously off in the general direction of the main building with a mixture of contempt and curiosity."

    hi "It was in a drawer in the student council room. It wasn't even locked or anything. I just asked Shizune if she had found an ID lying around somewhere, and she gave it to me."

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    "Kenji's face contorts in horror, and I hear his breath catch in his throat."

    ke "She just gave it to you?"

    hi "Yeah."

    ke "That's even worse… I knew this administration couldn't be trusted. Freely distributing someone's important and precious shit without their knowledge or express written consent? She should have just destroyed it. Damn."

    extend "It's a maaaadhouse."

    hi "But you said—" #reminder for the potential {nw} break

    ke "A madhouse!"

    hi "Yeah, someone is clearly insane here."

    "To my disappointment, he doesn't catch my jab."

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "Damn, what unethicalness… Which one is Shizune? Bubblegum head?"

    hi "No, that's Misha."

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    ke "Misha? That doesn't sound like a very Japanese name. How suspicious."

    ke "A foreigner? A spy? A foreign spy? Who is she? Who is she working for? What could she be after?"

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "No, wait, I'm getting off track here. So Shizune is the other one? The evil one who doesn't talk? I've always been kind of afraid of her."

    ke "It's her eyes. Those analytical, staring eyes. Those eyes that judge you, and pierce into your soul and make your life force slowly start wasting away, like an abyss, like the frozen, eternal vacuum of space…"

    show kenji happy
    with charachange

    ke "What amazing boobs, though."

    "Kenji cups his hands around the air in front of him, measuring an imaginary chest."

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    hi "I'll tell you something, but you cannot tell anyone. You have to swear to secrecy. This has to stay absolutely clandestine and between the two of us only, no one else can know. Okay?"

    ke "Okay."

    hi "Really?"

    ke "Yeah. How bad is it?"

    hi "What? You think it's bad news? What makes you think it's bad?"

    ke "It's not bad?"

    hi "No, it's not bad. What the hell, Kenji. What do you think it is, anyway? What did you think I was going to say?"

    ke "I dunno, something like that you found out the student council is just a front, and they're really part of some vast feminist conspiracy… "

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    extend "and that they are here to explore the possibility of moving their worldwide feminist headquarters here."

    "Even though he mumbled it, he said it with a totally straight face."

    hi "…No, that's not it at all. You're way off. You're way, way off. Do you know how crazy that sounds? How could there even be a worldwide feminist headquarters in the first place?"

    ke "You're saying there isn't?"

    hi "It would have to be huge, there is no place on earth they could hide something like that."

    ke "Who said it's on earth?"

    "I don't know where this is going."

    hi "…No. Anyway, that's not it at all. Try again."

    "Kenji rubs his chin in thought, chewing lightly on part of his scarf. Finally, he opens his mouth and says plainly:"

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "They are aliens."

    hi "What? No."

    ke "Espers?"

    hi "No."

    ke "Time travelers!"

    hi "Agh, no! No, no, no. As far as how close you are is concerned, you're not even in the same sport. Fine, I'll tell you."

    "I lower my voice, suddenly realizing how loudly we have been talking out in the hallway. Kenji seems to notice that he is in the hallway, and pushes forward until he is in my room."

    hi "Alright…"

    hi "I like Shizune."

    hi "Tanabata is coming up. When it does, I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend."

    "I try to gauge what his reaction will be, but to my puzzlement, he doesn't seem affected at all."

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    ke "Why?"

    hi "What the hell do you mean, “why?” Because I like her! She's cute, and nice. She's very girlish and gentle."

    ke "Oh, yeah? How come every time I said hello to her, she doesn't even look at me? No response. That's not very polite."

    "Kenji looks a little angry, recalling the times Shizune has supposedly snubbed him. I consider telling him about her condition."

    hi "…She is really shy. The silent type. I'll introduce you to her sometime, if it works out."

    ke "No!"

    ke "Are you insane? She is the last person I want to see right now."

    ke "Damn, don't you understand? She had access to my student photo ID. She has my name and my face."

    ke "From now on I am… Quick, help me think of an alias. Be a pal."

    hi "No."

    ke "Screw you, dude. Fine, I'll meet her, but you cannot mention my name to her. And I'll have to conceal my identity."

    ke "Maybe with a mask. What do you think I should go with: Cat, paper sack, or Kamen Rider?"

    hi "I think she likes Kamen Rider. And cats."

    ke "I see. Paper sack is my only option, then."

    "I nod slowly, mentally running through the possible scenarios of their meeting. If anything, it will be interesting to see."

    ke "Hisao, have you thought about what she's going to do if she rejects you?"

    "I recall yesterday's talk with Misha. The things she said, and her presence there alone. Shizune's face floats by in my memories, and her expressions from every time we have met. Her soft, imperceptible smile, as brief as a falling star."

    hi "I'm confident she won't. I think I have a good chance. Guess I'm lucky to be able to have that kind of confidence, huh?"

    ke "Yeah, you are. I was going to tell you to do it with no regrets, but it seems like you don't need to hear that, right?"

    hi "Thanks for the advice."

    ke "No problem. Hey, are you going into town today? I have some …stuff I need you to pick up for me at the post office. Some delicate and secret stuff."

    hi "You can have your mail sent directly here, you know."

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "Yeah, I don't trust the student council… A lot of dudes here don't get half their mail. I bet it's the fascist council. They probably root through everything and take all the free swag they can grab."

    ke "Damn, so corrupt."

    "At once, the image of Shizune and Misha plunging their hands into the school's unclaimed mail fills my mind, and I decide it's best not to tell Kenji how right he is."

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    hide kenji
    with charaexit

    "There are some things man was not meant to know."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationchange

    "Promising to pick up his mail for him, I wait until he leaves and then letout a sigh of relief when he's gone. I'm still extremely tired, and just want to go back to sleep."

    scene black
    with shuteye

    play sound sfx_alarmclock

    "The second my head hits the pillow, a painfully loud ringing sound assaults my ears, and I realize it's my clock. The alarm going off means that right now, it is the time I was supposed to wake up in the first place."

    "On weekdays."

    "I pick it up and throw it without looking up. It gets wedged between the bed and the wall, the noise not stopping. In fact, it seems to grow louder."

    hi "This is not a good morning."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with openeye

    play music music_daily fadein 1.0

    "Pulling myself back up, my dig out my clock from the alcove between my and and the wall, then turn the alarm off with a decisive and showy motion."

    "There is really no way I can get back to bed now."

    "After showering, I take my medication. I'm actually very hungry today. I went without dinner yesterday, and before that, just a very small lunch."

    "I eat the pills, chomping on them like a leg of lamb. They are unspeakably bitter and disgusting."

    "Good medicine tastes bad. Or, nobody takes medicine for the taste. Something like that."

    "Sneaking into the kitchen, I grab as much ready-to-eat food as I can find and fashion myself an eclectic but servicible late breakfast."

    "Feeling full, I read for a little while, but soon am left with nothing else to do other than stare at the wall."

    "I decide to get my jacket back from Shizune. It's the only one I have, so I'm a little attached to it."

    scene bg school_dormext
    with locationskip

    with Pause (0.5)

    scene bg school_council
    with locationskip

    "When I arrive at the student council room, I am surprised to find the door unlocked, but the room itself is totally empty."

    "Considering the possibility that Shizune could just be out somewhere, I wait for a few minutes before it becomes clear to me that no one's coming."

    "Maybe she is in her dorm. It's a Sunday morning, so there is always the possibility that she may even still be asleep."

    "I wouldn't expect a forceful person like Shizune to do normal things like sleep in late on Sundays, but she does do a lot of things that I wouldn't think a student council president-type would do."

    "As I'm about to head back to my room, a girl carrying a heavy stack of folders calls out to me."

    "Girl" "Hey! Wait!"

    "I don't think I've ever seen her before. She lets the folders in her arms drop to the floor unceremoniously and lets out a great sigh."

    "Girl" "Are you with the student council?"

    hi "Yes, I am."

    "Girl" "Oh, good. Do you know where the student council president is? I've been trying to find her for days."

    hi "Today is a Sunday."

    "Girl" "I know that."

    "She seems angry that I would suggest she doesn't know what day it is."

    "Girl" "They're usually here every day, those two. They weren't in their dorms either, neither the president or the other one."

    "I had her pegged as one of Shizune's or Misha's friends, but I guess she isn't."

    hi "They're not in their dorms?"

    "Girl" "That's what I just said. You're slow for a student council member. They just take anyone, don't they?"

    "She quickly makes an about-face and starts running back the way she came without looking back."

    "Girl" "I'm out of here! Tell them I fulfilled my obligations to them and I'm free now!"

    "After I gather up the folders she dropped, I put them on the nearest desk in the student council room I can find and then take a seat in the nearest availible chair."

    "So, she isn't in her dorm either. Maybe I should have asked that girl where Shizune's dorm is. Would that be going too far?"

    "…"

    "In the end, it appears I'm not going to be getting that jacket back today. Accepting it is painful, but gives me a sense of closure."

    "Well, there's nothing I can do about it, I suppose. Maybe I should head into town and pick up Kenji's mail. I have a few things I want to pick up anyway."

    scene bg school_courtyard
    with locationchange

    with Pause (0.3)

    scene bg school_gate
    with locationchange

    with Pause (0.3)

    scene bg school_road
    with locationchange

    with Pause (0.3)

    scene bg school_road
    with locationchange

    "The walk into town is quiet, punctuated by the sound of cars and other students, a lot of them from another school."

    scene bg suburb_roadcenter
    with locationchange
    #Yes. This needs a background, even if it's a oneshot. Who knows, A22 might use it again, or maybe someone else.
    # Oh no it doesn't. One-off backgrounds can go burn in hell.

    "At the post office, I pick up Kenji's mail, which consists of two letters and an obscenely large box that I can barely hold in both arms."

    "I wonder if this will even fit through Kenji's door. Luckily, it isn't as heavy as it looks."

    scene bg suburb_roadcenter
    with shorttimeskip

    "Out on the street, I can hear people laughing at me. I can't even tell who is doing it, because the box is so large I have to struggle to see over it."

    "Suddenly, someone takes the box out of my hands."

    show shizu cross_wut
    with charaenter

    shi "…"

    "I'm surprised to see Shizune here."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    hi "Where were you? I've been looking for you all morning."

    shi "…"

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charachange

    "Shizune's slightly smile collapses into a disapproving frown. That's right, she can't communicate with me if she's holding that box, can she?"

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "Shizune drops the box, not flinching at all when it hits the ground with an unnerving sound. I guess that solves that problem. Her solution to it was as direct as I'd expect from her."

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charachange

    ssh "Even when you sign, I can't reply holding something like that in my hands, can I? You should be smarter than that."

    ssh "But at least you remembered to sign. That can be considered a small accomplishment."

    hi "Thanks."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    ssh "What is in the box?"

    hi "I don't know. It's not mine."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    ssh "I want to know. Let's open it."

    hi "I don't want to know."

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charachange

    ssh "You're no fun, Hisao."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    "Shizune's eyes glitter mischievously. It's impossible to know whether she is joking or not."

    ssh "I'm hungry. Do you want to get something to eat? Come on, it'll be my treat."

    "Those bright, darting eyes and that infectious, wry half-smile on her face are stunning. It really is as if there are two sides to Shizune's personality."

    scene bg suburb_roadcenter
    with shorttimeskip

    "When I don't answer fast enough for her, Shizune grabs me by the hand, hoisting Kenji's box onto one of her shoulders and leading me to a stand at the end of the street."

    "A delicious smell from an assortment of cooking food wafts from it."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    ssh "What do you want, Hisao?"

    hi "I don't know, I've never been here, so I wouldn't know what's the best thing to get."

    ssh "What? Come on, you should at least have a general idea, though, A favorite, common dish that you can always turn to."

    ssh "Show some daring! I'll trust you enough to let you order for me, too, but just for today, okay?"

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "I order two orders of dumplings and two sodas, then take the box from Shizune so that she can take our plates."

    "We look around for a place to eat, and settle for a conveniently placed bench across the street."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    ssh "Dumplings? What a safe choice, Hisao. Well played."

    "Shizune signs quickly, holding her chopsticks in her mouth."

    hi "“Well played?” Was this some kind of test?"

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    ssh "No. Well, maybe just a little."

    hi "Did I pass or fail, then? You don't like dumplings?"

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    ssh "I like them. It's a normal choice. They are normal, but I don't mind them. Just like you."

    "Hurring through her words, she starts eating casually after spritzing her dumplings with some soy sauce."

    "So she does have feelings for me. The more time I spend with Shizune alone, the more I want to tell her how I feel right away."

    # hopefully, insert here

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "Finishing her dumplings in a matter of minutes, Shizune dabs at her mouth with a napkin before popping open her can of soda with relish, rocking back on the bench as she does."

    "The spray from the soda puts a thin curtain of mist over her glasses, causing Shizune to blush."

    "She shakes, an action I find unfamiliar until I realize what it is. She's laughing, even though there is no sound of laughter coming from her."

    "She stops suddenly, looking a little embarrassed. I wonder if she knows. If she also thinks she must look strange; a girl laughing with a muted laugh."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charaenter

    ssh "Hisao, let's go to the Shanghai."

    hi "You just had dumplings and a soda, now you want coffee, too?"

    ssh "That was lunch, and it wasn't a big lunch, anyway. Now I want dessert."

    hi "Dessert? Isn't dessert something you have after dinner?"

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    ssh "Don't be a spoilsport. I'll buy you a parfait, unless you think it would be too girly."

    "Her eyes drop to the package on the floor."

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    extend "She jumps off the bench and scoops it up in one fluid movement, then waves her head, a playful smile on her face."

    "She is telling me that the only way to get it back is going to be to follow her."

    hi "Give that back."

    "She shakes her head “no” emphatically."

    hi "Hey, come on."

    "Shaking her head even more defiantly, she starts trotting backwards, then spins around on her heel and starts running in the direction of the tea shop. I have no choice but to chase after her."

    "She picks up speed, going faster and faster each time I close in on her, and I start to feel out of breath."

    "The smell of her perfume, light and soothingly sweet, is carried to me as we both run forward against the breeze."

    scene bg suburb_shanghaiext
    with locationchange

    scene bg suburb_shanghaiint
    with locationchange

    "When we reach the Shanghai, Shizune heads for the front door, but then stops, freezing in her tracks."

    show shizu adjust_blush
    with charaenter

    hi "What's wrong?"

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    shi "…"

    ssh "Nothing."

    "She waves her hand dismissively. I take the box from her and open the door, holding it open until she steps in tentatively."

    show shizu behind_blank at twoleft
    with charamove

    show yuuko smile_shang at tworight
    with charaenter

    yu "Welcome! Thank you for choosing to patronize this establishment!"

    hi "Hi, Yuuko."

    yu "Hello."

    "She spots Shizune and bows, her head crashing into the box in my hands."

    "It crashes to the ground, looking greatly damaged from having now impacted the floor three times and Yuuko's head." with vpunch

    show yuuko neurotic_shang at tworight
    with charachange

    extend"Yuuko herself tilts backwards, dazed."

    yu "Owww, ow ow ow, my head… My head hurts… why?"

    show shizu behind_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    ssh "She doesn't seem like a university student, does she?"

    hi "Yuuko, you go to uni?"

    show yuuko neutral_shang at tworight
    with charachange

    yu "Oh… Yes, I do. I'm studying anthropology. One day, I will be an anthropologist."

    hi "Anthropology? That's an interesting choice. I'm surprised."

    show yuuko worried_shang at tworight
    with charachange

    "Yuuko's eyes widen, and a confused expression appears on her face."

    yu "What… does that mean? Why are you surprised? Is it not the career choice for me?"

    "Shizune stares daggers at me."

    show shizu behind_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    ssh "What did you do? What did you say to her?"

    "She buries her head in her hands, and I take it as a sign to drop this line of discussion immediately."

    hi "Yuuko, can you get us a parfait?"

    show yuuko neutral_shang at tworight
    with charachange

    yu "Oh. Yes, I'll do that right away. Please sit anywhere you like."

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    hide yuuko
    with charaexit

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "I pull out a chair for Shizune at the table right next to us, then take a seat."

    play music music_nurse fadein 1.0

    "Yuuko eventually brings us a parfait, and I give it to Shizune, but she doesn't eat it with her usual relish, instead picking at it disinterestedly."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charaenter

    hi "Not hungry anymore?"

    shi "…"

    "She isn't even looking at me. I touch her arm to get her attention."

    hi "What's wrong?"

    shi "…"

    "Shizune starts to dissect her parfait methodically, but does begin eating it. I take a quick glance around the shop to see what is bothering her."

    "Behind me, I spot Yuuko carefully handing drinks to two familiar people. It looks like Hanako and Lilly. I haven't seen them in a long time."

    "Hanako looks back at me, and I wave at her."

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charachange

    "Turning back to Shizune, I can see her watching us apprehensively, her eyes sliding from me, to Hanako, to Lilly."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    ssh "Hisao, why were you looking for me?"

    hi "I had nothing to do and thought I'd get my jacket back. Where is it, anyway?"

    ssh "It's in my dorm. When we go back, I could give it to you."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    ssh "…But I won't."

    "She seems to be making an effort to regain her good sprits."

    hi "You're not? Why? I'm very attached to it, you know."

    ssh "That is exactly why you're not getting it back. It's fun to tease you."

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    "The way she cleans at her fingernails methodically shows me she is still bothered. The only thing that could be affecting her is Hanako and Lilly's presence."

    play music music_night fadein 1.0

    show shizu behind_smile at twoleft
    with charamove

    show lilly basic_ara at tworight
    with charaenter

    li "Hello."

    show shizu cross_wut at twoleft
    with charachange

    "I almost choke when I hear Lilly's voice behind me."

    hi "Hello."

    li "My, my, we haven't met in a long time, have we?"

    "Her tone is friendly, but guarded."

    show lilly basic_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    li "We saw you come in, and thought to say hello. How have you been?"

    hi "Things have been going pretty smoothly."

    show shizu behind_blank at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Shizune looks at Lilly coolly, looking almost bored. The expression on her face is the aloof, analytical one I'm accustomed to seeing, but I can tell she is angry."

    "She stands up, pushing her chair out loudly. Lilly's head turns in her direction, as if acknowledging her presence for the first time."

    show shizu behind_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    ssh "We are leaving."

    "Putting some money on the table to pay for her order, she walks briskly outside."

    hide lilly
    with charaexit

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    hi "Sorry, you caught us at a busy time. I'll see you two later."

    ha "B—bye."

    li "Have a good day."

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    scene bg suburb_roadcenter
    with locationchange

    "Grabbing the box, I run out the door after Shizune and catch up with her up the block. I balance the package on my head so I can at least sign to her with one hand."

    hi "Something wrong?"

    show shizu cross_wut
    with charaenter

    play music music_drama fadein 0.5

    shi "…"

    ssh "I hate that person more than anyone. She pretends that I do not exist."

    ssh "So we are enemies."

    hi "Why?"

    ssh "When you can't hear someone or see them, their existence is going to affirm something about you that you may not like."

    ssh "Therefore, it's easier to not acknowledge them."

    "I see. So that's what it is."

    "The rest of the walk back to school is painfully awkward."

    scene bg school_road
    with locationchange

    scene bg school_road
    with locationchange

    scene bg school_gate
    with locationchange

    "At the gate, Shizune stops."

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charaenter

    ssh "I'll give you your jacket back tomorrow. It looks like it'll be warm, so you won't be in trouble if I hang onto it a little longer."

    hi "Alright."

    "Shizune picks at her fingernails, suddenly looking very fragile and very small."

    ssh "Hisao."

    ssh "I really hate disabled people."

    scene black
    with dissolve

    return

#*************************************************************************************************************************
label en_S17:

    nvl clear

    scene bg school_gate
    with locationskip

    play music music_drama

    n "It's been three days since then, when Shizune told me that, spelling the words out in the still afternoon air with those delicate hands, her legs bent so weakly, as if her body could barely stand under the weight of her words."

    n "I can still remember what she had said a while back, that with sign language, an upside is that you have the opportunity to think about what you'll say before you say it."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationskip

    n "When you carry those words, waiting to use them, do they grow heavier the more you hesitate? "

    n "Maybe for Shizune, a word requires more courage because it can't be chalked up to just being idle chatter. And, in the same vein, it can't be taken back."

    n "Then I start to think about what she actually said."

    n "I can't imagine that Shizune would hate herself."

    scene bg school_dormhallway
    with locationskip

    n "Monday, she handed me my neatly laundered jacket at lunch without a word, just a single nod."

    n "The melancholy expression on her face made it hard to believe that it was the same girl as the one I had seen just a day before."

    nvl clear

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with locationskip

    n "I haven't talked with her since then. The student council room is locked each time I go there after school, and I haven't seen her around at lunch."

    n "I get worried that it's somehow my fault, but something tells me that's not it."

    n "Even in class, she seems to be distracted. No, it's more than that. She doesn't even attempt to take down notes with her usual fervor."

    n "Misha's seat remains empty next to hers, although it's as close to Shizune's desk as if she were there. I wonder where she went, that she is still not back."

    n "What could she be doing? That is probably why Shizune doesn't even look up at the front of the classroom."

    n "Today, if Misha still isn't back, I'll sit next to her and translate for her. When I think about the idea, a nervous feeling makes my stomach tighten."

    n "How will she look at me? What will she think? How much of her thoughts will she tell me?"

    nvl clear

    scene black
    with locationskip

    stop music fadeout 5.0

    "Realizing it's time for class, I decide to stop dwelling on these thoughts, and attempt to jump out of bed feet first."

    "Immediately, I feel my feet catch on something and know I've made a bad move."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with hpunch

    "Arms flailing, I try to grab whatever I can to keep from crashing forward into the wall and barely manage to stop myself."

    "I almost tripped on Kenji's stupid box. It's been sitting in my room for three days, proving to be an object that is very hazardous to my good health."

    "This is probably the second time I've almost broken my neck tripping over it."

    "I tried to give it to him Sunday, but apparently it was so large that he didn't have the space for it in his room and asked me to hold onto it for a little longer."

    "I briefly consider just throwing open the door and hurling the box into the hallway."

    "Before I can, there is a knock at the door."

    scene bg school_dormhallway
    with locationchange

    play music music_kenji fadein 1.0

    show kenji neutral
    with charaenter

    ke "Hey, what's up, man? I came to pick up my box."

    ke "I had to rearrange a lot of stuff to make enough room for it. It was like Tetris. Extreme mode."

    "I all but shove it at him."

    hi "Finally. Get it out of here, I almost died."

    ke "Yeah… whatever that means. Thanks again, man."

    "He turns around, nudging the door to his dorm open with his foot."

    hi "Wait."

    ke "Huh?"

    hi "What's in the box?"

    "He cringes, instantly turning very defensive and uncomfortable."

    show kenji happy
    with charachange

    ke "It's some secret stuff. I can't tell you, because then it wouldn't be very secret and shit. It's nothing important."

    hi "If it's nothing important, you can tell me."

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    ke "Why do you have to know?"

    hi "Why can't I know?"

    ke "Why are you answering my questions with questions?"

    hi "Why won't you answer my first question?"

    ke "Why won't you answer my last question?"

    "I realize our voices are getting higher with each reply. Down the hall, a door pops open and someone sticks his head out quizzically to see what is going on. This could get awkward unless I end it soon."

    hi "Dammit, what's in the box?"

    #ke "…Alright, I'll tell you. It's (___________)."

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "…Alright, I'll tell you. It's {image=vfx/garbage.png}."

    #oh shit it's mad libs

    hi "What?"

    #ke "It's (a limited edition Losstarot action figure with voice and four interchangable heads)."

    ke "It's {image=vfx/garbage.png}."

    hi "No, I heard you. I mean, what? Are you kidding me? You're kidding me, right?"

    ke "…Uh, yeah…"

    "He is an extremely bad liar. I rub my face with my palm."

    #hi "I can't believe you wasted my time for something as stupid as (a book of mad libs). Do you know what I went through because of your damn (vintage Playboys)?"
    hi "I can't believe you wasted my time for something as stupid as {image=vfx/garbage.png}. Do you know what I went through because of your damn {image=vfx/garbage.png}?"

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    ke "Shut up, not so loud!"

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "Was it like what you went through to get my ID back?"

    #hi "No, it was way harder. Way harder! I can't believe this. What? Honestly? (the Speed Grapher complete box set)?"
    hi "No, it was way harder. Way harder! I can't believe this. What? Honestly? It was a {image=vfx/garbage.png}?"

    "Of course, I'm angry that I had to carry and store something so dumb."

    #"I assumed that due to the size of the box and the amount of sheer annoyance it provided me, it was something way more important than (a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Launcher)."
    "I assumed that due to the size of the box and the amount of sheer annoyance it provided me, it was something way more important than {image=vfx/garbage.png}."

    "But right now, getting to class is far more important. Shooting a glance at my watch, I grab my jacket with one hand, my bag with my other, and leap into my shoes."

    hi "We will discuss this later."

    #"I say to Kenji, feeling that the great insult of having gone through so much over (a betamax tape Star Wars Christmas Special) is not something that can be left alone and forgotten."
    "I say to Kenji, feeling that the great insult of having gone through so much over {image=vfx/garbage.png} is not something that can be left alone and forgotten."

    stop music fadeout 1.5

    hide kenji
    with charaexit

    scene bg school_courtyard
    with locationchange

    "With that, I run out the door and start walking briskly towards the main building."

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with locationchange

    "In my class with Shizune, I arrive ahead of her. She enters the room only seconds after I do, almost right behind me."

    "I stop and look over my shoulder."

    play music music_tranquil fadein 1.0

    hi "Oh, hey, Shizu—" #reminder for the potential {nw} break

    scene bg school_council
    with hpunch

    show shizu cross_wut
    with charaenter

    "Before I can finish, Shizune yanks me out the door and starts signing quickly. As confused as I am by her pulling me out of class, she seems back to her old self. That's good, at least."

    ssh "I obtained permission for you to skip out on your classes today."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    ssh "Of course, it wasn't without purpose. We are going to be extremely busy today, and I'll need your help."

    ssh "If it wasn't for me, you would be in class right now. I bought you your freedom. Now you are obligated to help me, if you have any concept of honor."

    "I look at her face carefully, studying the stoic, serious expression on her face. Is she playing with me?"

    "I've always thought that it's impossible to guess correctly all the time exactly when Shizune is joking and when she is serious."

    "How nostalgic, that solemn expression on her face; the severe frown that in retrospect seems to look as if she is trying so hard to hold it, the way she fiddles with her glasses and crosses her slender arms over her chest as she waits for my reply."

    hi "Okay."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    "Lately, we have only been reviewing old material in class. I'm sure I'm not missing much. Shizune looks pleased."

    "She rubs her chin thoughtfully with a mischeivous expression on her face. I find it cute but at the same time unnerving."

    hi "What are you thinking?"

    "Panning her head to look around the hallway, her eyes home in on a few scattered students, and she glares at them threateningly when they dare to look back at her."

    ssh "Nothing, nothing. Let's go."

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    scene bg school_council
    with locationchange

    "When we get to the student council room, it becomes clear that she wasn't joking, there really is a lot of work."

    "Stacks upon stacks of papers, folders, and notebooks dated as far back as ten years ago litter the top of Shizune's desk. This is beyond daunting. I can feel the color draining out of my face."

    show shizu cross_wut
    with charachange

    "Seeing the expression on my face, Shizune's neutral expression quickly turns into a grimace."

    stop music fadeout 0.5

    ssh "You aren't thinking of running out, are you?"

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    play music music_comedy fadein 0.5

    "Without even giving me a chance to respond, her hand clamps down on my wrist like a vice." with vpunch

    "Deciding to play with her a little, I open the door behind me with my free hand and try to walk out. Shizune firmly plants her feet on the ground, fully intending to keep me from leaving."

    "I begin walking out anyway, straining as I have to pull her with each step. She grabs the doorframe with her other hand, a determined look on her face."

    "If I were to just pull away in one motion, I could definitely shake her off, but this is fun. Suddenly, I feel her let go of me and her hands clamp around my ankles as Shizune sits on the floor."

    # d'aaawwww… insert here

    "She is going to try to slow me down by using herself as dead weight. I can see her looking up at me, her eyes blazing with a mixture of mirth and intense competition. I had almost forgotten about this side of her."

    "Laughing, I wave my hands above my head in the universal sign of surrender."

    hi "Okay, okay, I give up."

    stop music fadeout 1.5

    "Shizune rises and dusts herself off."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charaenter

    ssh "It's not as much work as it looks like, stop being such a little girl."

    play music music_daily fadein 1.0

    #"It's funny, since she is at least five inches shorter than I am. I want to pat her on the head."

    return

label en_choiceS17:
    #oh shit it's choices
    #1) Pat Shizune's head
    #2) Don't do it
    menu:
        with menueffect

        "It's funny, since she is at least five inches shorter than I am. I want to pat her on the head."

        "Pat Shizune's head.":
            return m1

        "Don't do it.":
            return m2

label en_S17a:
    #1)
    show shizu cross_wut
    with charachange

    "I reach my hand out towards Shizune's head, and instantly see her stiffen up, looking uncertain and confused."

    "Her hair is soft beneath my fingers."

    show shizu adjust_blush
    with charachange

    extend "I see Shizune turn bright red, and feel her getting hotter under my hand."

    show shizu adjust_blush
    with hpunch

    "She grabs my hand between her palms and pushes it away."

    show shizu cross_wut
    with charachange

    ssh "What do you think you're doing?"

    ssh "Don't do something like that so casually."

    show shizu adjust_blush
    with charachange

    "Gritting her teeth, she won't look directly at me. Flustered, she tries to brush her hair back with her hand, running her fingers through it slowly, trembling just slightly."

    ssh "Don't do something like that."

    return

label en_S17b:
    #2)

    show shizu adjust_happy
    with charachange

    "No, it's probably a bad idea."

    return

label en_S17c:
    # lolol split ends

    "Shizune straightens up and adjusts her glasses."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    ssh "Let's get started."

    scene bg school_council
    with shorttimeskip

    "It really isn't as much work as it appears to be at first glance, but it still takes a very long time."

    "When we are done, I find that I wrap up everything just as soon as the bell rings to signal that classes are over for the day. What timing."

    "Shizune spins her pen between her fingers deftly and kicks the drawer of the filing cabinet back in with her foot."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charaenter

    ssh "We're done!"

    "She walks over to my desk and leans in close, her face inches from mine, before she steps back and signs confidently:"

    ssh "I gave you the lighter half, so you should hurry it up!"

    hi "Well, I was finished five minutes ago. And I find it hard to believe this was the lighter half of the workload."

    "I crack my knuckles, my fingers feeling cramped and aching from working so long without a single break. I'm feeling hungry, too. I haven't eaten anything all day."

    ssh "Are you hungry?"

    hi "Yes, how did you know?"

    ssh "I'm only asking because I am, too."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    ssh "I made lunch today."

    "She takes out two plastic containers from her bag and puts them side-by-side on the nearest table."

    ssh "You can have this one. The food shifted in my bag and now some of it is mixed together."

    "She hands me one of the containers. I open it. It looks delicious, if a little simple."

    "She hands me a pair of chopsticks, as if she had just remembered to, and I eat what looks like some grilled beef."

    hi "It's very tasty."

    hi "You don't like your food touching other food?"

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charachange

    ssh "I do not."

    hi "You're very picky."

    "Frowning, she goes back to eating, quickly and efficiently consuming her food with relish. I decide to eat my own lunch. It really is delicious."

    "She took the time to make this for me. Everything here is the safest choice, the easiest thing to make well; the hardest thing to mess up: Eggs, beef, rice, and onions."

    "I can see her efforts to make everything as neat as a pre-packaged lunch. Those were probably the model she worked from."

    hi "If you want, I can translate for you, so that you can take notes in class."

    hi "At least until Misha gets back."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    ssh "That's not necessary."

    ssh "You should worry about yourself more. Finals are coming up soon."

    "She genuinely doesn't seem to think she is missing out on much. Maybe she'll do well on the finals."

    "They have classes for the deaf. I wonder why Shizune isn't in one of those classes. It seems like it would even be a rule, that she would be in one of them."

    "I decide to drop the subject."

    "I start to wonder what kind of yukata Shizune will wear for tanabata. What color would she look the best in? What kind of pattern? "

    "Her appearance is both dignified and delicate; so she would look great in anything."

    "That is if she decides to wear one at all. At the last festival, she didn't dress up. Shizune is pragmatic enough that she might not, but this is tanabata…"

    hi "Are you going to wear a yukata for tanabata?"

    "She stares at me for a long time, as if trying to wrap her mind around what I just signed. So much so that I begin to wonder if I did it correctly."

    ssh "Yes."

    hi "What color?"

    ssh "It's a surprise. You really are interested, aren't you?"

    ssh "What color do you think it will be?"

    #"Does that mean “what color do you think suits me?”"

    return

label en_choiceS17a:
    #moar choices
    #1) blue
    #2) yellow
    #3) pink
    #4) green
    menu:
        with menueffect

        "Does that mean “what color do you think suits me?”"

        "Blue.":
            return m1

        "Yellow.":
            return m2

        "Pink.":
            return m3

        "Green.":
            return m4

label en_S17ca:
    hi "Blue?"
    return

label en_S17cb:
    hi "Yellow?"
    return

label en_S17cc:
    hi "Pink?"
    return

label en_S17cd:
    hi "Green?"
    return

label en_S17d:

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    "Shizune smiles."

    ssh "That is an interesting color."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    "She looks right into my eyes, picking up a lone chopstick in her right hand and flicking back and forth like a metronome before she puts it down and continues."

    ssh "Student council activities have been suspended for this week so that we can study for the finals."

    ssh "I'm taking them seriously, as should you."

    ssh "That means this is the last time for a while that we can stay here carefree."

    "I want to say that we could always study here, but another aspect of sign language is that it's hard to interrupt someone."

    "Knowing Shizune, if she says she wants to study, then she probably is very serious about it, too."

    "It's likely she wouldn't think highly of that solution."

    ssh "I had to fight to get the work we did today, just as hard as I had to fight to have them let us skip out. It was hard."

    ssh "But I'm very persuasive and I never give up…"

    "She pauses and drums her fingers across her desk, as if searching for her next words."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    ssh "After our finals, let's go somewhere."

    "She still looks at directly at me, but with her eyes half-closed as if to hide behind her long eyelashes."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    ssh "Are you done eating?"

    hi "Yeah."

    "I put the lid back on the container she gave me and put it on her desk. Shizune packs it into her bag neatly with her own."

    "It feels like there is more I could do. It feels like there is more that I could say to her, but time won't allow it."

    "She seems anxious, as if the room itself is a colder place for her than it was all the times before, when it was her castle."

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "Shizune moves towards the door to leave, pulling it open, but then holds it open and looks at me expectantly, her sharp eyes telling me to follow her."

    "I guess it's because she's the only one with the key, so she has to lock up, anyway."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationchange

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    "Alone in the hall with her, I can hear her footsteps slow to match my own, so that we are walking side by side, and again I want to tell her that I like her, but somehow it seems like the wrong place, and the wrong time."

    scene bg school_courtyard
    with locationchange

    "Even her usual stoic expression seems to be tainted by elements of melancholy, and her fingers grope around the strap of her bag, shifting uneasily as if it strains her to carry it."

    scene bg school_dormext
    with locationchange

    "She walks back to her dorm that way; an unusually somber parting."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationchange

    "When I get to my own room, I immediately regret all the things that I could have said to her and didn't."

    "Lately, Shizune has seemed so down. Seeing how she was like on Sunday, I'm concerned, and it's depressing me."

    "I wonder what's going on inside her mind."

    "Is it something I did? Is it because Misha is away? "

    "I guess there is no way for me to know."

    "The way things are now, I don't know if I can wait as long as tanabata to confess to her."

    "My thoughts go back to the lunch she made me. She likes me enough to do something like that."

    "Her cheeks reddening as she was saying how she doesn't like her food touching other food gave it all away for me."

    "She likes me, but it looks like it will have to be me who makes the first move. I'll have to accept her feelings by presenting her with my feelings."

    "Playing it safe again… It's just the behavior that I would expect from her."

    "I laugh, thinking at how much even this is like a game. Could she feel the same way? She is competitive enough."

    "…"

    "Okay, I'll try my best."

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    scene black
    with shuteye

    return

#*****************************************************************************************************

label en_S18:

    nvl clear

    play music music_tranquil fadein 1.0

    scene bg school_dormext
    with locationskip

    n "Studying for finals has taken up a lot of my time. Initially, I hadn't been as concerned about them as I could have been, but there comes a point when they become unescapable."

    n "The entire school is focused on them. A week before the exams, it was as if a switch was flipped and the entire student body was forced to scknowledge their severity."

    scene bg school_courtyard
    with locationskip

    n "It's been very quiet around the school lately because of this."

    n "When the day comes for me to take my final exams, I find myself thinking of the meaning behind them. To me, they are more than a gauge of academic ability."

    n "It seems strange, taking final exams in a school that is still new to me, in a lot of ways. It's unusual. When does such a thing ever happen?"

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with locationskip

    n "During a bit of last minute cramming scant minutes before my first period final, I glance a familiar haircut bobbing impatiently over the top of my textbook."

    n "It looks like Misha is back, just in time for exams. She sure cut it close."

    n "Noticing me, she waves hi, then quickly starts flipping through her own textbook."

    n"I guess she is going to attempt to learn a week's worth of stuff in approximately sixty seconds. How bold."

    nvl clear

    n"Shizune still isn't here. The feelings of disappointment that I feel at this are still surprising to me."

    n "I guess this means that I really do like her, if I can miss her when she isn't here."

    n "Because we had to study for the exams, we haven't seen each other since the last time we spoke."

    n "Today, though, it'll be over. I think about what Shizune said."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationskip

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charaenter

    n "“After our finals, let's go somewhere…”"

    n "“Said,” huh? I've been using that word to describe how we communicate. How would Shizune feel if she knew that?"

    n "She would probably think it's kind of strange."

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with locationskip

    n "Shizune walks into the room. Less than a second later, the bell rings. It seems like this means it's time for us to take our finals."

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    nvl clear

    #Some kind of fade to show the passage of time

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with locationskip

    "It's lunch time, and I feel immensely appreciative of that fact."

    play music music_tranquil fadein 2.0

    "When the bell rang, I could hear a wave of relieved sighs going around the room. That last exam was particularly grueling."

    "Being able to stretch my arms and legs and breathe the fresh air is reinvigorating. I feel like a man stranded on an island after seeing a rescue plane overhead."

    scene bg school_courtyard
    with locationskip

    "Buying my usual sandwich in the cafeteria and my usual canned coffee from the vending machine, I decide to eat on the roof."

    "Not only does it seem like the most relaxing place to be right now, but it's pretty close to my next class."

    scene bg school_roof
    with locationskip

    show misha perky_smile
    with charaenter

    "When I open the door, I find Misha already there."

    mi "Oh… Hi, Hicchan."

    mi "I was just going to go looking for you, but it looks like you came to me. Lucky, lucky~."

    hi "Welcome back."

    mi "Thank you~!"

    "She acts as if she was barely gone. It wasn't exactly a run to the corner store."

    hi "You were away for a while. Where were you?"

    "Her eyes dart to the side for just a second."

    mi "I went to go see my family."

    hi "You couldn't wait until the summer?"

    mi "Don't be silly, Hicchan. It's already the summer. Besides, I wanted to get it out of the way, so I could spend the summer with you and Shizune."

    mi "How have you been?"

    show misha sign_smile
    with charachange

    "Spying the sandwich and drink in my hands for the first time, she waves her hand dismissively."

    show misha hips_grin
    with charachange

    mi "Ahahaha~! That's right, it's lunch time. You can eat first, if you want, Hicchan. I can wait."

    hi "Do you want anything?"

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    mi "No, I ate already."

    "After I polish off my sandwich, which was a bit difficult with Misha all but glaring at me the entire time, she resumes the conversation exactly where it left off the last time."

    mi "How have you been?"

    "She says it in even the exact same tone of voice as she did before. Amazing."

    hi "Studying for exams, constantly. They suspended all student council activities too, just for the finals. It's been kind of boring, lately."

    hi "Aren't you going to talk to Shizune? I'm sure she missed you. Where is she?"

    mi "I already talked to Shizune. She is studying for her next exam. Isn't that just like her? "

    mi "If she has something to do, she throws all her strength into it, even up to the last possible minute."

    show misha perky_confused
    with charachange

    mi "Do you think it's because she wants to get the most out of it, or because she wants to do her best at it?"

    hi "Aren't those the same thing?"

    "Misha turns her eyes to the sky thoughtfully, mulling it over in silence. Finally, her gaze snaps back to me and she winks."

    show misha hips_grin
    with charachange

    mi "Hahaha! That's a very good point, Hicchan~! I guess you could say that, I guess."

    "The way she says it, though, tells me that she doesn't really think that way."

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    mi "By the way, Hicchan, that thing regarding Shizune… it's coming up soon. Have you been thinking about it?"

    "She tiptoes around the words, clearly uneasy talking about it, but it's just as clear that this was what was on her mind since the moment we saw each other. You're very transparent, Misha."

    hi "Yeah."

    hi "I've even been thinking about how I'm going to go about it, and what I'll say. It's a lot of planning, isn't it?"

    hi "I haven't even thought about what she might say."

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    show misha perky_sad
    with charachange

    "Misha sighs."

    play music music_menus fadein 1.0

    mi "“What Shizune might say.” That's interesting, Hicchan."

    hi "You think it's weird too, don't you? That I can talk about a mute person's voice?"

    show misha sign_smile
    with charachange

    mi "No, it's not weird, I think, because I think the same way. Just because a person can't speak doesn't mean they don't have a voice, right? That is how I've always thought about Shizune."

    mi "I thought, “Shizune does have a voice,” and I could even hear it, maybe, like you can feel the wind and know it's there even though you can't see it."

    show misha perky_sad
    with charachange

    mi "So, Hicchan… I'm actually very happy right now that you said that, really, really."

    "Misha looks sad, like there is a great burden on her shoulders. There is nothing but regret in her expression."

    hi "Misha, are you okay?"

    "She quickly reverts back to her usual personality."

    show misha hips_smile
    with charachange

    mi "Yeah yeah~! I'm fine, Hicchan, don't worry. It's just been very tiring lately, and I always get a little depressed around this time of year."

    mi "Maybe it's the finals, maybe? Don't worry about it~!"

    "It's disconcerting. This Misha and the Misha I'm used to are so different."

    "Things come out more easily when you can just talk, it seems. It's obvious that things would change when there's so little delay from your mind to your mouth."

    "Misha's head turns in my direction, although her eyes are focused elsewhere, towards the things beyond this mountain."

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    mi "Hicchan, what do you think Shizune's voice is like?"

    hi "I'm sure it's nice."

    "I wasn't expecting such a question. My answer came out very typical; perhaps even no answer at all would have been better."

    "If Misha feels that way, though, she is doing very well in not showing it."

    show misha perky_confused
    with charachange

    mi "I see."

    "Such a short reply, lacking that rising, falling, swaying, lilting up-and-down intonation that gives her voice so much character."

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    show misha perky_sad
    with charachange

    play music music_sadness fadein 1.0

    mi "In a really short time, Hicchan, you managed to learn how to sign. I think… we are equal now, in that."

    mi "Do you know how long I've been trying to learn how to sign, Hicchan? And how much farther I still have to go?"

    mi "Even now, I forget some things sometimes, if I am not signing constantly. Hicchan, did you notice? I'm not doing it right now."

    "She rubs her hands together slowly, as if they are made of porcelain and could crack at any minute."

    mi "When I went back, they kept saying to me: “What is that? What are you doing, those strange movements? "

    mi "Like an idiot, like some sort of idiot, what are you doing anyway? You're always, always…”"

    mi "I am afraid. I am afraid that I'll forget something, and I'll never be as good when I forget that thing as I was before."

    mi "The more I forget, I'll slowly become weaker and weaker at signing, and then…"

    mi "…But all that… is nothing. It's not important. Hicchan, have you been keeping up in your sign language studies?"

    "I can barely muster the energy to shake my head “no.”"

    mi "That's no good, Hicchan. That won't do. Just because I've been away, and Shizune has been studying."

    "She is struggling to work herself back up to her normal self, but it's too late, it still feels strange to me; hollow and unfocused."

    mi "You should always be studying, Hicchan. It's important; study study study study or it'll fall out of your head and the day's lesson went to waste."

    mi "You have to study until you know it forever."

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    mi "Okay?"

    "I can hear her draw in her breath to laugh, but nothing comes out."

    "I can't look Misha in the eyes. A painful silence falls between us. Even the wind dies down to nothingness, leaving only us."

    show misha perky_sad
    with charachange

    "Suddenly, the bell rings, tiny and muffled where we are, but it is loud enough to me to make me wince."

    hide misha
    with charaexit

    extend "Almost immediately, Misha takes off, running towards the door."

    "I wait a few seconds before I take my leave."

    scene bg school_scienceroom
    with shorttimeskip

    "It's very hard to sit through the next few exams. I find myself distracted by our conversation."

    "At the end of the day, the only thing I'm sure I aced was my physics exam."

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    "Everything else, I'm confident I scored well on. The question is how well. Hopefully, well enough."

    scene bg school_courtyard
    with locationchange

    "I don't know where Shizune will be, so I wait near the front of the school and keep an eye out for her. It's pretty easy today, with how quickly the other students disperse."

    show shizu behind_blank at twoleft
    with charaenter

    show misha perky_smile at tworight
    with charaenter

    "Eventually, she comes outside, lugging her bag, which is bulging with textbooks. Misha is right behind her, looking infinitely more chipper than before."

    show shizu behind_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    ssh "Hello."

    mi "Hi, Hicchan~!"

    hi "Hello."

    show shizu behind_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    play music music_normal fadein 1.5

    "Shizune looks pleased."

    hi "You look happy. Did you do well on your exams?"

    show shizu cross_wut at twoleft
    with charachange

    "I don't sign it to her, which causes Misha to snap into action. Shizune frowns."

    ssh "Do you think since Misha is back, you can slack off? You'll get rusty."

    hi "No, I don't think that at all."

    "I've already heard this once today."

    show shizu behind_blank at twoleft
    with charachange

    ssh "Have you been waiting here long? I'm glad that you remembered."

    hi "Yeah."

    hi "Where do you want to go?"

    "Shizune hitches her bag up higher on her shoulder and taps her temple rhythmically with one finger in thought."

    "She isn't acting as if this is the first time we have seen each other in quite a while."

    "Somehow I expected a different reaction, but she is as casual as if we had seen each other yesterday."

    "I start thinking: Did she practice this reaction? I had also decided to treat this as any other day."

    "Well, maybe a slightly more special day than usual. Did she do the same?"

    ssh "I know."

    ssh "Let's go to the student council room."

    hi "The student council room?"

    show misha hips_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Hm? Oh, I get it, Shizune~! You haven't been there in a while, right?"

    mi "Time makes any place a special place, right, right? "

    show misha hips_grin at tworight
    with charachange

    extend"Wahahahaha~!"

    show misha hips_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    "Misha is right, although I don't think I've heard that phrase before."

    "I guess that room really is Shizune's sanctuary."

    scene bg school_council
    with locationskip

    "Shizune opens the door of the student council room, turning the key in the lock almost joyfully, her head bobbing almost imperceptibly from side-to-side."

    "Stepping inside, she looks around the room quickly and takes a short walk around it, half with happiness at being back, half with an analytical eye, like she is inspecting the level of dust that has settled."

    "Pulling her favorite chair out, she sits down in it and crosses her arms, a look of contentment on her face."

    show misha hips_laugh
    with charaenter

    mi "A~hahahaha~!"

    show misha hips_smile
    with charachange

    mi "Shizune looks happy, doesn't she, Hicchan?"

    hi "…Yeah."

    "Shizune does look very cute sitting there in almost the exact center of the room, an exaggerated regal air about her, like an empress sitting on top of the world."

    "But Misha's emotional about-face is still bothering me."

    show misha perky_smile
    with charachange

    mi "Mmmm… Shizune~! I'm hungry, is there anything to eat?"

    mi "I kind of wish we had gone somewhere else… we could have gone to a restaurant! "

    show misha hips_grin
    with charachange

    extend"Wahahaha!"

    ssh "I prepared ahead of time for this."

    hide misha
    with charaexit

    "Opening her bag, she produces a wide assortment of food, although I can easily see that ninety percent of it or more was pilfered from the lunch room."

    "Nevertheless, there are some rare items here that sell out almost instantly every day."

    hi "The veal cutlet bread is always sold out in the first minute of lunch. I'm impressed you managed to obtain one."

    hi "And on that note, it's what I'll be eating. Thank you."

    "I reach for it quickly, but Shizune immediately makes a grab for it as well."

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    "Her hand goes slack for a second when it touches mine, but she immediately pushes forth with doubled effort, that blazing, competitive flashing dangerously in her eyes."

    play music music_running fadein 0.5

    "I don't budge an inch, prepared to fight for this bread with my life. I may never have another chance to eat this."

    "I am fully aware that if we continue like this, we could crush the bread, greatly reducing its edibility."

    show shizu cross_wut at twoleft
    with charaenter

    show misha perky_smile at tworight
    with charaenter

    hi "Misha… Tell her that unless she lets go, the bread is going to be crushed."

    mi "Hmmmmm? Why can't you do it yourself?"

    hi "Isn't it obvious? I can't let go of the bread."

    show misha perky_confused at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "I can't tell Shizune that, then."

    "She puts her palms up to the sky and shrugs, a wide grin on her face."

    hi "Why not?"

    show misha sign_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Because~! You have a stake in this, so I can't trust you~! If Shizune wants to reply, she will have to let go of the bread, and then you win."

    mi "Who knows, who knows, maybe that's what you want, Hicchan?"

    mi "It wouldn't be fair, so I'm going to be neutral! Like Switzerland~!"

    hi "Switzerland?"

    mi "Do you know about Switzerland?"

    hi "Of course I do… it's neutral."

    show shizu behind_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Shizune stares at me cockily, the tip of her tongue sticking out slightly from between her teeth as she continues to tug firmly at the veal cutlet bread between us."

    "Suddenly, she lets go and holds her hands up, palms facing outwards. The universal gesture of peace."

    show misha perky_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    ssh "This seems like a poor way to settle this, doesn't it? And we might crush the bread."

    show shizu cross_wut at twoleft
    with charachange

    "She glares, and her passive expression quickly plummets into a disapproving grimace."

    ssh "Hisao! Drop the bread! We are negotiating now!"

    "I drop the bread."

    "Misha's hand darts in from the side, her fingers drumming across the table as it makes its way over."

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    show misha hips_smile at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Ah~! Don't mind me, I don't even really like veal. I'll just take this sandwich right here~! And this juice, too…"

    "Picking them up cautiously, she immediately retreats."

    play music music_shizune fadein 1.0

    "She has the right idea. I could just pick something else, there are lots of delicious things here."

    "The chicken katsudon bread is also a popular seller, ranking high in taste and demand. But I have already eaten one."

    ssh "You're so immature, Hisao. This wouldn't be a problem if you would pick something else. The chicken katsudon bread is delicious."

    hi "But I have already eaten that."

    show shizu behind_frown at twoleft
    with charachange

    ssh "You are acting like a child."

    hi "Why don't you eat it?"

    ssh "That's not important."

    show shizu behind_smile at twoleft
    with charachange

    "Turning bright red, she smiles wryly and continues."

    ssh "There is no reasoning with you. So it looks like there is only one way to settle this: We are going to play for it."

    "Somehow, I expected this. It's the logical conclusion."

    "Shizune has been studying for a long time. Pretty much continuously up until now. With our finals over, I guess that surplus energy has to go somewhere."

    hi "Play what?"

    show shizu behind_blank at twoleft
    with charachange

    ssh "The oldest game known to man, upon which the fate of nations has been known to rest: Rock, Paper, Scissors."

    "There is no humor in her expression, she is dead set on this."

    hi "Okay, okay."

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    hide misha
    with charaexit

    "She draws her hand back, and I mirror her."

    hi "Go!"

    "We both put out rock. A draw. I had thought I had the perfect plan. Rock is unbeatable. Shizune frowns, deeply upset by this unexpected turn of events. Not as planned?"

    ssh "Again!"

    "Two papers."

    hi "Damn."

    ssh "Again!"

    "We both throw out two rocks again, but a third hand is among us representing scissors."

    mi "This looks like fun, can I play?"

    mi "Hahahaha~!"

    ssh "This is a duel! You aren't supposed to interrupt a duel! Don't you know anything about dueling conduct?"

    shi "…"

    shi "……"

    "The faster she signs, the harder it is to follow. In fact, it looks like even Misha is having trouble keeping up."

    hi "What's she talking about?"

    mi "Hmm… Something about Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro, and how nobody interrupted their duel."

    hi "Sasaki Kojiro did not exist."

    ssh "Shut up! One more time!"

    "We tie again. Every time, Shizune demands a rematch, eventually skipping that step altogether and throwing rock, paper, or scissors out unendingly with reckless abandon."

    "Even playing completely randomly, we continue to tie."

    "Misha hovers above us, watching it all and laughing each time we draw. After twenty five rounds, Shizune pushes her chair away from the table and stands up."

    show shizu cross_wut
    with charaenter

    ssh "Enough of this. I see what I have been doing wrong. This will all be over in the next round, so brace yourself."

    ssh "I have studied your thought process. I see how you play. I'm anticipating your next move and will combat it expertly."

    "This is all news to me, as I can't really remember what we are doing this over and haven't been trying for the last ten rounds."

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "Shizune grins confidently, a look of fearless daring on her face. Her cool eyes flash with pure competitive spirit as she draws her hand back, goading me wordlessly to do the same."

    "Two papers."

    "Shizune's body immediately goes slack, rubbing and she rubs her temples with a look of exasperation on her face as she lets out a sigh so long it sounds like a tire deflating."

    show shizu behind_frown
    with charaenter

    hi "This has gone on far enough. We can just split it."

    "I break the bread in half and offer one half of it to Shizune. She takes it."

    show shizu behind_smile
    with charachange

    ssh "Thank you."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    "She looks at the bread in her hand, studying it."

    show shizu behind_sad
    with charachange

    ssh "But, this feels hollow, somehow."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charachange

    "Regardless of how she feels, she still eats it."

    "All of a sudden, I see Misha observing the scene out of the corner of my eye."

    show shizu behind_blank at tworight
    with charamove

    show misha hips_smile at twoleft
    with charaenter

    mi "Hicchan~…That was very romantic, I think."

    hi "Oh, come on."

    show misha hips_laugh at twoleft
    with charachange

    show shizu cross_wut at tworight
    with charachange

    mi "Wahahahahaha~!"

    "She laughs and takes a bite of her second sandwich."

    stop music fadeout 1.0

    scene bg school_council
    with shorttimeskip

    play music music_soothing fadein 1.0

    "We eat in silence for a while, Shizune and I managing to avoid any other contests."

    "This is the Shizune I prefer: Energetic, confident, girlish, and carefree, with that unrestrained smile on her face."

    "After we finish eating, the three of us talk about the most obvious thing there is to talk about: The exams, how we think we did on them, and how we hope we did on them."

    "I start feeling tired unusually early, and so do Shizune and Misha. In Misha's case, I guess it's from returning so recently and then taking the exams right after."

    "Shizune has probably been studying unceasingly for who knows how long up until a few hours ago today, I'm not surprised she feels drained."

    show shizu behind_blank
    with charaenter

    hi "You don't have to push yourself so hard."

    ssh "I do."

    hi "You shouldn't, though."

    "Her chin resting on her hand, she looks at her hand and starts spinning a pen between her fingers."

    "I wonder if she did that on purpose, so she doesn't have to reply."

    hide shizu
    with charaexit

    "Feeling increasingly tired as time goes on, I tell Shizune and Misha that I'll see them tomorrow and leave."

    scene bg school_gardens
    with locationskip

    "Walking back to the dorms, I laugh as I recall Shizune's face during our gamble. That intensity and dedication, even to something to small."

    "Is that the way she faces everything in life?"

    "Victory or defeat… Shizune really is old fashioned."

    scene bg school_dormext
    with locationchange

    "It's not far off now. In a few days, school will be out for the summer. Then, tanabata."

    "It's not very far off at all."

    "Soon, the sky above me will be dark, lit only by fireworks. I wonder what Shizune will look like in their glow, dressed in her yukata."

    "I've come this far, and with each memory of her I remember, I like her more. There is no turning back."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationchange

    "All I can do is plunge forward without regrets. I smile. That is Shizune's approach to everything."

    "Sitting on my bed in my room, I realize it's still pretty early, but today, I'm eager to fall asleep."

    stop music fadeout 2.0

    scene black
    with shuteye

    return

#***************************************************************************************************************
label en_S19:

    scene bg school_gardens
    with locationskip

    nvl clear

    n "School has been out for a few days now."

    n "Today is the day. Tanabata."

    n "I can't hide my nervousness at what I'm prepared to do tonight. All I have to do is say a few words, but I'm still hesitant."

    n "Then again, with the way things are now, I don't think that I can not do it."

    n "There is always a moment in life when you can't go back, and the only way is forward."

    scene bg school_dormext
    with locationskip

    n "Until recently, I had been fortunate to have never encountered that kind of situation, but now, they just keep on coming."

    n "The first time I can remember facing such a situation was probably when I had to come to this school."

    n "No, that is a stupid direction of thought. It's foolish of me to think of comparing this to that."

    n "There is nothing forcing me to tell Shizune that I love her, just as there is nothing forcing me to love Shizune."

    n "What I will do, and what I will say… Everything will be mine and mine alone."

    nvl clear

    scene bg school_council
    with locationskip

    n "I wonder what kind of yukata Shizune will wear. That time that she asked me to guess, I never did get a proper answer."

    n "Either way, I'm sure she will look beautiful under the night sky, the light shining off her hair, reflected in passing on her fingernails as her hands shape themselves into signs in front of her."

    n "My thoughts shift to what I'm going to be wearing today."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationskip

    n "Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of spare clothing, and since I just took a lot of my clothes to be cleaned, my options are even more limited than usual."

    n "There are a few students walking around outside, some of them even dressed in their yukatas this early to show them off, but there is a lot of time to kill before the festival actually begins."

    n "After taking my morning regimen of pills, I decide to fix myself a quick breakfast in the dorm kitchen, although I'm sure that with the amount of medication I just took my stomach is already half full."

    nvl clear

    n "Finding a can of soup stashed discreetly behind the toaster, I contemplate whether or not I should eat it."

    n "It looks very tasty; a hypothesis backed up by the fact that someone took the time to hide it."

    n "I'm going to go for it."

    nvl clear

    "When the soup is ready, I quickly eat it before the smell of cooking food wakes up anyone else, then head back to my room after putting the bowl in the sink."

    "Moments later, I hear a frantic banging on my door. Before I open it, I take a guess as to who it could be."

    scene bg school_dormhallway
    with locationchange

    show kenji neutral
    with charaenter

    ke "Hey, man."

    "I was right. I slowly start closing the door, but Kenji moves into the doorway, almost as if he had anticipated it."

    scene bg school_dormhisao
    with locationchange

    ke "What's up, dude?"

    hi "Not much."

    show kenji happy
    with charachange

    ke "Hahaha, I know how that feels."

    "Suddenly, he gets serious."

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "Did you eat breakfast yet?"

    hi "Yeah."

    "Kenji rubs his chin, lost in thought."

    ke "I see. In the dorm kitchen, right? Who else was there?"

    hi "No one. Why?"

    ke "My stove broke, so I went out to make some soup… But then, something else came up."

    ke "Something that I absolutely had to do, that was of the utmost importance and could not, no, refused to, be put off…"

    hi "What?"

    ke "I had to use the bathroom."

    "I let out an involuntary sigh."

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    ke "So I hid my soup behind the toaster, and then when I came back, someone had stolen it."

    ke "Who steals a can of soup, Hisao? There is no honor in this world. Dark times, man, dark times…"

    ke "It was the really good stuff, too, not like that condensed soup. Beef stew… a hearty meal. The soup of men."

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    "I wonder if my face would give me away and try to maintain a stoic expression."

    hi "That's terrible, man."

    ke "I know. I would never expect something like this to happen to me, since I'm usually so on top of things. I would expect this kind of thing to happen to you."

    hi "What?"

    hi "Well, anyway… Do you have any plans today?"

    ke "No. Why? Wanna hang?"

    hi "No."

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    "He frowns."

    ke "That was a little fast. You never want to hang. How come you don't want to hang out with me? "

    ke "It's not like I'm some kind of red-headed delinquent-type dude, either, just a normal dude living his normal life."

    hi "Normal? No, never mind that."

    hi "It's not like that. I've got things to do later on. Today is tanabata, after all."

    "Kenji's frown deepens, and he starts tugging frenetically on the edge of his scarf."

    ke "Tanabata, huh? I remember the last tanabata I spent with a girl…"

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    "His expression is nostalgic, but gradually contorts into one of fear and revulsion the longer he recalls it."

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    extend "Kenji shudders."

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "I guess you're going to spend it with that student council girl, right? Drill hair?"

    hi "No. I'm going to spend it with Shizune, the other one. I'm going to tell her I like her."

    hi "We've been over this."

    ke "Really? That's right, you are. Good luck, man."

    show kenji happy
    with charachange

    ke "…You think she'll have underwear on?"

    hi "What? …What?"

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "You're not supposed to wear underwear under a yukata… it's just how it is. Do you think they'll do that? "

    ke "The pink-haired one, I can see not wearing underwear, but ice queen seems more conservative."

    ke "Then again, she does look like the old fashioned type, so there is a chance…"

    hi "You're an idiot."

    "Although it is a very interesting thought."

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    ke "That hurts, man. Well, you can't fool me, I know you're thinking about it."

    ke "Be careful out there. Don't turn your back on her. You're too trusting."

    hi "Too trusting?"

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "Yeah, you have a naive face. You look like someone who is really trusting and really lucky, it's the kind of face that makes people want to rob you."

    hi "Rob me? Even you?"

    ke "…Maybe. Yeah, a little."

    hi "You would rob me? Some friend you are. Why would you rob me?"

    ke "Because you're too trusting, duh. I would be teaching you a lesson."

    hi "Teach me a lesson?"

    hi "Okay, so say you did rob me. What if you did, and I didn't learn my lesson?"

    "Kenji closes his eyes and rubs his temple in deep thought, before saying plainly:"

    ke "I guess I would do it again."

    hi "What if I just somehow keep finding my way into more money each time you rob me? "

    hi "Like immediately after being robbed I trip over a sack of money lying in the middle of the road and still learn nothing? What then?"

    show kenji tsun
    with charachange

    ke "…Well, I'd rob you again. And since I would be able to keep making money, I guess I would say “ballin.”"

    "This is a strange line of discussion."

    show kenji neutral
    with charachange

    ke "Anyway, I've been working on what I like to call my “Greater Misogyny Algorithm.” It's almost done."

    ke "When it is, I'll be able to prove that feminism is evil… and I'll be able to back it up with math. I'll run it by you real quick…"

    "I have to get out of here right now."

    hi "I just remembered I have something I've got to do. Tell it to me later, alright?"

    ke "What? Damn, okay."

    hide kenji
    with charaexit

    "I grab my wallet and my jacket, then leave the dorms."

    scene bg school_courtyard
    with locationchange

    "Once I taste the fresh air, I am forced to confront the fact that I don't have anywhere to go."

    "I look for Shizune and Misha, but can't find them in the student council room or on the roof."

    "I can't imagine anywhere else they would be besides maybe their dorms."

    "It is still pretty early; barely even noon. They could still be asleep."

    "I decide to get some coffee at the Shanghai, partly because the vending machines seem out of canned coffee, but mostly because the atmosphere up here is too lonely."

    scene bg school_gate
    with locationchange

    "A lot of students went home for the summer holiday."

    scene bg school_road
    with locationchange

    "A part of me likes the newfound serenity, but at times it makes the school seem very cold, and more isolated than it already is."

    scene bg school_road
    with locationchange

    scene bg suburb_roadcenter
    with locationchange

    "It's livelier in town. I can see a lot of girls in their yukatas, showing them off to their friends and even posing for photos as they giggle excitedly."

    "It's not even dark out yet. In fact, it's only just noon."

    "Farther up the street, I can see all kinds of hastily-but-carefully built wooden stalls ready to be taken to the town's shrine for tanabata."

    "I am seized by a disconcerting urge to inspect their craftsmanship, having built a lot of similar festival booths for Shizune."

    "Turning away, I find the Shanghai."

    scene bg suburb_shanghaiext
    with locationchange

    scene bg suburb_shanghaiint
    with locationchange

    "Peering through its windows, I can see that it is looking pretty deserted in there. The only person there seems to be Yuuko."

    "Pushing the door open, I step inside."

    hi "Hello."

    show yuuko smile_shang
    with charaenter

    "Yuuko runs over to me so quickly that for a second it looks as if she teleported."

    "The upper half of her body dives forward with a speed that threatens to flip her skirt over her head."

    yu "Welcome! Thank you for choosing to patronize this establishment!"

    hi "Hi, Yuuko. It's just me, you really don't have to say that…"

    show yuuko neutral_shang
    with charachange

    "She nods, then starts fidgeting uneasily in front of her, staring at her shoes. It's very hard to believe she is a university student."

    "I guess I have different expectations of a college-aged woman."

    yu "I would get you your usual drink, but then you may want to drink something else today, and I would have overstepped my bounds and gotten you something you didn't even want…"

    show yuuko worried_shang
    with charachange

    yu "Unless you don't want anything different from what you usually order… then… then… I have already failed, because I am not making it, right?"

    show yuuko neurotic_shang
    with charachange

    yu "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

    "Yuuko seems more distraught today than usual. Maybe it's because I'm the only customer in here, so she's trying extra hard."

    hi "It's okay, calm down!"

    show yuuko neutral_shang
    with charachange

    "Yuuko instantly regains her composure, although she still looks a bit flustered."

    "I'm more than a little surprised that she was able to instantaneously pull herself together because I told her to. Do Shizune and Misha know about this ability of hers?"

    "It makes me slightly nervous."

    hi "I'll just have a cup of coffee today, so, just the usual. I'm not in a rush, either."

    hide yuuko
    with charaexit

    "Yuuko nods and puts a fresh pot of coffee on. It looks as if I might actually the first customer of the day."

    "I decide to raise the question with her when she brings my coffee over."

    hi "Hey, Yuuko, is it usually this slow today? It is a holiday and all."

    show yuuko neutral_shang
    with charachange

    yu "Oh… yes, but it will be much busier later on."

    hi "You should sit down."

    yu "Um…okay."

    hide yuuko
    with charaexit

    "Giving a small, shaky bow, Yuuko pulls out the chair across from me and sits down, her hands folded timidly across her lap."

    show yuuko neutral_shang
    with charaenter

    "Yuuko stares at me intensely when I take a sip of my coffee, as if to analyze my face for any signs that I am displeased with it. Her dedication to her job is really something."

    hi "How long have you been working here?"

    yu "How long? Two years, three months, and… four days… I think?"

    "There is no response to that."

    hi "Hey, there are no other customers. Don't you want something to drink, too?"

    yu "Ah. It would have to come out of my paycheck, though…"

    hi "There's no one here besides me, and I'm sure you've earned it, since you're working so hard."

    "Yuuko looks longingly at the cup in my hands. A nervous smile breaking out on her face, she turns her eyes away from me."

    yu "You sound exactly like those two."

    hi "Who?"

    yu "Shizune and Misha."

    "She has a point there. Trying to find ways to circumvent the rules and tempting the innocent? Yeah, it seems to fit their modus operandi. I laugh."

    yu "Huh…?"

    hi "Nothing. Come on, you can get yourself a drink. I'll pay for it, if you want."

    show yuuko worried_shang
    with charachange

    yu "No! No, a customer buying a drink for a waitress is improper, and that… {w=1.0}{nw}"

    show yuuko neurotic_shang
    with charachange

    extend"wouldn't do, I mean, it's not… {w=1.0}{nw}"

    extend "I can't… {w=1.0}{nw}"

    "After I assure her that it's no problem, she finally relents and pours herself her own cup of coffee, then sits back down across from me and takes a long sip."

    show yuuko neutral_shang
    with charachange

    "Placing it down carefully on the table, using a napkin as a coaster, she looks at me."

    yu "Thank you very much."

    "“Please don't bow,” I repeat to myself mentally."

    hi "Yuuko, how do you know them, anyway? Shizune and Misha, I mean."

    yu "I can't remember, actually. But, they say that is how you know you have great friends, if you can't remember how you met them."

    yu "It's alright, as long as you know you will always remember your friends."

    hi "I've never heard that one before."

    "Yuuko nods, and takes another sip of her coffee. Then another. And another."

    yu "They are so nice, though. I feel like I can talk to them about anything. What do you think of them?"

    hi "They have grown on me."

    yu "Really? Do you know what day today is? It's tanabata! Hey, what are you going to wish for?"

    yu "Is that childish? You know, there aren't a lot of opportunities in the year when you can wish for anything you want and have all of Japan wish with you, so you should take advantage of this one."

    "This kind of energy is atypical of Yuuko."

    "She downs the rest of her coffee, then excuses herself to pour herself some more. I wonder if I'll have to pay for this one too."

    yu "So, where were we? Right! What are you going to wish for? I'm going to wish for… I don't know, what do you think I should wish for? "

    yu "There are just so many things. Money, doing well on all my exams, or even a new boyfriend?"

    yu "Those are all normal things to wish for, aren't they? Don't you think?"

    show yuuko smile_shang
    with charachange

    yu "Hahahaha!"

    "I don't think I've ever heard Yuuko laugh before. She isn't acting like herself. This is unusual. Yuuko stops laughing and takes another drink from her cup."

    show yuuko neutral_shang
    with charachange

    hi "That must be really good. What are you drinking?"

    yu "This? It's… what do you call it? An Irish coffee! One part coffee, with cream and sugar to taste, then topped off with one part whiskey, stirred…"

    yu "An Irish coffee? Do you think that's Irish? Isn't that weird? There is really nothing Irish about this tea shop, so an Irish drink would be out-of-place, wouldn't it?"

    show yuuko worried_shang
    with charachange

    yu "Okay! So it's a western-style tea shop, with a Chinese name, serving mainly tea from India, and we also have Irish coffee! "

    yu "And there is no mention of the tea ceremony, even though the tea ceremony is one of the prides of Japanese culture."

    show yuuko neurotic_shang
    with charachange

    yu "It's so weird, isn't it? Isn't that weird? Wow, it really… really doesn't make any sense at all! Hahahahaha!"

    yu "I can no longer work here. I'll turn in my letter of resignation tomorrow."

    hi "Let's not be too hasty, here."

    "She suddenly lunges over the table, almost causing me to spill my coffee on myself."

    show yuuko worried_shang
    with charachange

    yu "What am I going to do for my anthropology thesis? Ah, I should have just gone to one of those two-year women's colleges… "

    yu "But it's so weird, those are harder to get into than a university."

    hi "Yeah, I wouldn't know anything about that."

    "I try to steer this discussion back to slightly more familiar grounds."

    show yuuko neutral_shang
    with charachange

    hi "You wanted to know what I'm going to wish for tonight, right? Well, I guess I'm going to wish for good luck."

    yu "Really? Good luck? That seems so {a=qm_word}plain{/a}. That's so general."

    yu "Do you have anything specific in mind that you would need good luck with? It can't be exams, those are over… A girl? Is it that? You're about that age…"

    hi "You could say that."

    yu "Really? Who? Is it someone I know? You should bring her around here sometime, I want to see who it is! "

    yu "If everything goes well for you, of course! Did you tell her how you feel already?"

    hi "Not yet."

    yu "Good luck!"

    yu "But, you know, maybe you should talk a little more. You're so quiet, the exact opposite of my last boyfriend."

    show yuuko worried_shang
    with charachange

    yu "He was always talking about something. Usually about how “they” were infiltrating his school and taking over Japan."

    hi "What?"

    show yuuko neutral_shang
    with charachange

    yu "Oh, no, look at the time! I have to start getting ready for the late afternoon rush!"

    hi "Wait, I want to hear more about that!"

    yu "Sorry! Sorry!"

    #"Yuuko tries to get out of her chair and bow simultaneously, leading her to lose her balance and narrowly avoid falling over."

    return

label en_choiceS19:
    menu:
        with menueffect
        #1) Leave the shop
        #2) Take advantage of drunken Yuuko
        #The above choices are fake

        "Yuuko tries to get out of her chair and bow simultaneously, leading her to lose her balance and narrowly avoid falling over."

        "Leave the shop.":
            return m1

        "Take advantage of drunken Yuuko.":
            return m2

label en_S19a:

    "Helping her up, I decide that it's probably time for me to leave. The festival has already begun, as far as I can tell, even though it's still light out."

    "After paying for her drink and mine, I head outside and start looking around town. A real tanabata festival sounds interesting. Even at a glance, I can tell it's much different from the ones where I'm from."

    "The elaborate paper streamers hanging from every lamp post and storefront are just one sign of how here, this is really more than just another holiday."

    "Apparently, tanabata is a really big event in this town."

    "Buying some fried rice from a booth near the park, I sit on a bench and eat. Does this count as a meal? If so, which? It's way past lunch, but not really close to dinner, either."

    "More importantly, where is Shizune? I guess I didn't think my grand plan through. I have no idea where her or Misha are. For all I know, they could still be at school. Even if they aren't, this town is huge, they could be anywhere."

    "I don't even know their phone numbers. I don't even know if Shizune even has a phone. Would she have a phone? She can't hear, but she can still send and receive text messages, right? And this is Japan, everyone has a phone."

    "That really doesn't matter next to the question of where exactly Shizune and Misha are, though. Right now, I find that much more pressing. The worst part is, considering the search radius I'll have to cover, it could take me forever to find them."

    "As I'm despairing over this unfortunate turn of events, I hear a high, lilting laugh pierce the air. Looking up, I find Misha staring into my face. Her hands are planted firmly on her hips, holding onto the sash of her yukata."

    mi "Hi, Hicchan~!"

    mi "We thought it was you! And it's a good thing it was, too, or this could have been really, really awkward!"

    "She is wearing a strange green yukata with a garish yellow sash that looks like it will unravel any second. That's probably why her hands haven't moved an inch from her hips; if she lets go, it'll fall off."

    "I look over Misha's shoulder at Shizune. Our eyes meet for a second before she turns away, retreating behind the folding curtain of her eyelashes."

    "The ornament in her hair catches my eye: A blossoming flower with multicolored petals rimmed in pearl. It looks very old and very expensive."

    "Her (color picked in S17) yukata has a pattern that manages to be both simple and elegant as it climbs across her sleeves like ivy."

    #Yeah I hope the artists enjoy doing 5 versions of one outfit

    "She looks very ladylike in her yukata, delicate and pretty, like a porcelain doll."

    "Catching me looking at her, Shizune smiles shyly, her cheeks turning a pale shade of rose. Suddenly, she frowns."

    ssh "It's customary to gawk at a girl on tanabata, so that is tolerable for today, but it's also customary to compliment how she looks, you know."

    mi "Ahahahaha~! That's right, Hicchan, you're not going to comment on our yukatas?"

    hi "Right. Sorry, I'm still kind of new to this thing. You both look really nice."

    mi "You're not just saying that? Hmmm… that sounded kind of halfhearted, Hicchan."

    "Misha laughs, then struggles to keep her sash up."

    mi "Hicchan, do you know how to tie one of these? Shizune wouldn't do it for me."

    hi "I can't help you there, sorry."

    ssh "Oh well. It can't be helped. You seem more like the type who would pull her sash, anyway."

    hi "What kind of person do you think I am?"

    hi "It's a real stroke of luck that you two are here. I was wondering where you were, and realized I had no way of contacting you."

    ssh "Yes, we were also looking for you. Luckily, Yuuko said she had just seen you in town."

    ssh "And I know that you still don't know this area too well, so I thought you couldn't have gotten too far."

    "She smiles teasingly, making a playful swirling gesture with her hand before pulling it into one of her cavernous sleeves."

    ssh "It's going to be dark soon, if you have anything you want to do, we should get going now before it gets busy."

    ssh "We should go see the games first, before anything else. All the best prizes will still be there, ripe for the winning."

    mi "Really? That's a good idea, Shizune~! Hicchan, promise me that you will win me something this time! And it has to be just as nice as what you won for Shizune last time, okay? Okay~!"

    hi "I didn't agree to anything yet."

    "At the mention of the doll I gave to her at the last festival, Shizune rubs her hands together. I guess she still remembers it, too. I wonder where she keeps it in her room. There is a possibility that she sleeps with it, like a stuffed bear."

    "But that doesn't seem like something Shizune would do. Although she can be like a kid at times, this idea stretches into the realm of the extremely improbable."

    ssh "What are you doing? Let's go."

    "She frowns at me over the thin rims of her glasses before carefully repositioning them on her nose."

    ssh "We have to be quick if we want to beat the rush."

    hi "There is no hurry."

    "“Beating the rush…” Shizune really loves that phrase. No, more correctly, she loves speediness. It's not enough to be punctual, you have to be early. It's not enough to get it done on time, you have to have it done ahead of time."

    "It probably stems from her competitiveness."

    "As we walk through the streets of the town, Shizune slowly becomes less and less animated. Her signals, so excited and quick initially, turn into little more than frail waves so slight that if I blinked, I would miss them."

    "Night falls, and me Misha and I play one game after another. I manage to win a doll shaped like a bird, which Misha pounces upon instantly."

    "Shizune reacts with good humor at first when Misha waves it above her head, but then shoots me a look that seems to say that she wants one too. It doesn't seem too serious, though. I'm confident she won't hold me to it."

    "Shizune still refuses to play, shaking her head adamantly when I try to get her to take a shot."

    hi "You know, if you were to help us out, our chances at winning one of these games would go up."

    "She touches the tips of her fingers together, but nothing more. Her face reddens, and she tries her best to look disinterested, but I can see that she is bothered by something."

    "It finally hits me. Maybe Shizune is actually feeling self conscious. In this sea of people, her signing would be very noticeable."

    "Even Shizune probably feels like that sometimes. It's funny, I had never thought that she would be affected by it so much. She has never let this stop her before from saying what's on her mind, but I guess even she has her limits."

    hi "Hey, it's past dinner time. I can see a lot of people are eating, so it might be a good idea to get something to eat ourselves, huh?"

    mi "That's a great idea, Hicchan~! Let's eat eat eat~! Everything here is Shizune's favorite food, so we're in luck!"

    "Shizune nods once, and the three of us start looking around to decide what we should eat."

    "Settling on the usual fried foods, we start eating. I think I have a little too much food, actually. I mean, I just ate before this, it hasn't been that long. Shizune and Misha don't seem the be facing the same problem, though."

    "Shizune drills her chopstick into a dumpling with an artistic flourish before putting it in her mouth. What a strange way of eating. Seeing that I am looking at her, she stops and holds her chopstick in her mouth to sign to me."

    ssh "Why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face?"

    ssh "It's impolite to stare at someone when they eat. You are making me lose my appetite. How would you feel if I stared at you while you ate?"

    hi "I wouldn't mind."

    mi "I wouldn't mind either, Shizune~!"

    "Confused by this unexpected turn of events, Shizune bites down on her chopstick, chewing on it as if planning her next move."

    ssh "I think that if I were to, you would find yourself feeling very uncomfortable and would be rendered unable to eat."

    hi "Well, I just ate before this, so I'm not really hungry right now anyway. Even if you were right, you couldn't prove that I lost my appetite because of you staring at me."

    shi "…"
    "That is a new one. I don't know what that means. I turn to Misha for clarification."

    mi "Hm… she said, “do you think that will stand up in court?”"

    hi "In court?"

    ssh "That's right, I'll challenge the validity of your argument in court if I have to."

    hi "What a waste of taxpayer money. The legal system isn't a toy."

    hi "And anyway, you're being excessive."

    "Shizune pouts, puffing up the side of her mouth to show how little she thinks of my opinion. She splits her last dumpling in two and maneuvers one half it around her plate to soak up the remaining drops of soy sauce like a sponge before eating it."

    hi "I didn't know you played with your food."

    "She jabs me with her chopstick and then snakes it around my arm to spear one of my dumplings. She closes her eyes and pumps her fist to congratulate herself on her success."

    ssh "You are as slow as ever. Your defense is just as bad as your academics."

    hi "Hey, I'm an ace physics student."

    "The sound of drums causes Misha to shoot up from her seat, scattering rice everywhere."

    mi "Do you hear that~? Now it's time for the formalities, Hicchan! Do you know what happens now?"

    hi "We write down a wish on a tag, and then…"

    mi "And then~! You can put it in the river so it floats somewhere, or hang it on some bamboo! Of course, we're going to do the latter, of course~!"

    mi "And we should hurry up, or we'll be late! We should go. Let's go, Hicchan, Shizu~chan~!"

    mi "Wahahahaha!"

    "It seems like this is Misha's favorite part. Grabbing Shizune with one hand and me with the other, she pulls us along the sidewalk, her sash tied into a messy bow at her side, its tails billowing out behind her."

    "I stand by as they write down their wishes and hang them onto a long stalk of bamboo. There isn't really anything that I want, so I hang back and take the time to wonder what to put down for my wish."

    #"Just “good luck” is pretty general. I can always fall back on Yuuko's suggestions."

    return

label en_choiceS19a:
    #lawl moar choices. These, however, are real
    #1) Wish for good luck with exams
    #2) Wish for good luck with money
    #3) Wish for good luck with relationships
    menu:
        with menueffect

        "Just “good luck” is pretty general. I can always fall back on Yuuko's suggestions."

        "Wish for good luck with exams.":
            return m1

        "Wish for good luck with money.":
            return m2

        "Wish for good luck with relationships.":
            return m3

label en_S19b:

    "After hanging up my tag, pushing through a densely packed mob of people to do so, I find Shizune and Misha, who have already started headings towards a less crowded area."

    hi "You didn't wait for me."

    mi "Sorry, Hicchan~!"

    ssh "But, you know, tanabata is essentially over now. We have done everything, so we could just go home right now."

    "I look at my watch. It's still pretty early, but I have to tell Shizune how I feel soon. I can't keep stalling like this."

    "Shizune and Misha walk ahead of me, then Shizune turns around to face me, barring my path."

    ssh "Walk faster!"

    hi "Be careful, watch where you're going. You'll trip."

    "Over her shoulder, I can see Misha looking at me, her eyes drifting towards Shizune. This whole time, it's been on her mind? I feel guilty, since confessing to Shizune had even slipped my mind temporarily."

    "It's not like I had a choice, though. Everything went differently than how I had seen it in my head. The timing, the opportunity, everything was either all wrong, or never came. I'll accept, however, that I should have adapted accordingly."

    mi "Hey, Hicchan, Shizune, I heard they are going to have fireworks, should we stick around to see those?"

    ssh "It's so crowded. We can see them from the school, can't we? It will be a much better view, and a lot quieter."

    "“Quieter…” The word doesn't escape me. I know she means that there will be less people. With how the crowd is jostling around, I share her feelings on that, but, “quieter?”"

    "Arriving at school, I find how deserted it is very strange. There are almost no people other than the few odd couples here and there who are likely out to see the fireworks just like us."

    "The only light comes from the glow of vending machines and dormitory windows."

    hi "Where should we watch the fireworks?"

    ssh "How about… the hill we saw the fireworks from the last time? Or would it feel too familiar?"

    hi "No, it's fine."

    "What little light there is catches on the petals of her hair ornament, shining dully in the night and casting scattered fragments of light over her dark hair and pale skin."

    "Misha curls her hair around her finger and pulls at it, watching it snap back like a rubber band."

    mi "Hicchan, I'm going to get drinks for us. There is a chance I can find some food as well, do you want anything?"

    "Her voice is noticibly different, although this is one of her better attempts at acting."

    hi "No."

    mi "Okay, okay~! What about you, Shizune?"

    ssh "No, thank you."

    mi "I see."

    mi "Okay~! Misha will bow out now."

    ssh "Don't take too long, you are going to miss the fireworks."

    mi "Really? No, I don't think so! Don't worry about that, don't worry~!"

    "With a laugh, she turns around and walks away."

    "I understand. It really is now or never, I suppose."

    "…"

    "Climbing the hill, following behind Shizune as she marches up it confidently, her back straight and her chest thrust out like an intrepid explorer, I'm struck by a feeling of nostalgia."

    "It was just a few months ago that I was on this same hill with Shizune. Looking back on it now, that was probably the moment that I fell in love with her, as she stood against the backdrop of stars, emanating that feeling of freedom."

    "When we reach the top, she doesn't sit down, choosing instead to stand."

    hi "You don't want to sit down?"

    ssh "No. Besides, Misha might bring too much food again, and she might need help carrying it, so I know better than to get too comfortable."

    hi "I don't think you're going to have to worry about that."

    "A thought comes into my mind."

    hi "Shizune, why don't you ever play the games at these events?"

    "She smiles, but doesn't answer."

    hi "You barely even signed today, at the festival."

    hi "Did you feel embarrassed?"

    ssh "…Embarrassed?"

    "For a second, I think I've offended her, but she taps her fingertips together in thought, her eyes glancing around as if to see if anyone is watching."

    ssh "No, that isn't it."

    ssh "I wouldn't be embarrassed. Just like you or Misha aren't embarrassed when you speak. Unless, of course, you say something stupid, in which case you are justified."

    hi "Hey…"

    "Shizune giggles silently, showing off that rare, white-toothed smile that seems much more genuine than her usual one."
    ssh "If someone stared at me for this, I would meet them with double the force."

    ssh "It's just that today was… a good day. Anything that I would have done, or could have done, would only have spoiled it."

    ssh "…I was content to just appreciate it."

    "She touches the frame of her glasses delicately, running her finger along it until she reaches her ear."

    "As if drained of energy, she leans against the base of a tree and stares up at the sky."

    ssh "It's beautiful, isn't it? And infinite."

    ssh "Like human potential."

    "She seems distant. Now, I guess, is the time to close the gap between us."

    hi "Shizune?"

    "I wave to her, and she turns her head towards me, cocked slightly to the side."

    "Her hands are clasped together in front of her. Those smooth, white fingers curling around each other, tense in expectation underneath the patterned shrouds of her sleeves."

    "Carefully, I arrange my thoughts and run through them over and over again, but in the end, all that I can manage to sign is:"

    hi "I like you."

    hi "Please be my girlfriend."

    "I try to look at her face, but her eyes are turned down towards the ground. There is a pinkish glow spreading across her face."

    "Her hands rise, as if to sign something, but then fall back down in front of her."

    "After a few seconds, I feel her fingers wrap around my hand. She squeezes it lightly, as if taking in its texture."

    "Almost immediately, she starts pulling me down as she takes a seat on the soft, springy grass."

    "She still won't look directly at me, but then, I see her nod her head. It seems like she can't find her words. Maybe, for this situation, for Shizune, there are no words."

    "A minute passes in silence, and then turns into two, then three."

    "Her hand lets go of mine, and then forms a sign."

    ssh "Okay."

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