Miki Route 2-1: Open Class (Start of Act 2)

label en_M1:

    #Hisao's room, morning

    "My alarm rings to life, blaring through the silence as if it were especially eager to wake me at such an early hour."

    "I aimlessly reach out for the clock, my hand fumbling until it finally finds the snooze button."

    "After giving myself a few seconds to recuperate, I swing my legs off the side of the bed, my feet sinking into the cool carpet."

    "My mind slowly kicks back into gear, and before long my thoughts begin to drift towards yesterday's events."

    "The games, the food, the fireworks streaming through the sky… if nothing else, just spending the day with Miki made the whole thing enjoyable."

    "Today marks the second time I'll be out on the track with her."

    "I don't really care much for the running side of things, but Miki's company more than makes up for that."

    "I quickly throw on some gym clothes and running shoes, glad to finally have something to wear other than my soccer uniform. It doesn't have the same feeling of nostalgia, but at least now I won't be such an easy target for Miki."

    "Before I head for the door, my attention shifts to the medicine on my nightstand."

    "My pharmaceutical breakfast can wait, the last thing I want is to show up late twice in a row."

    #Track

    "It's not until I arrive at the track that I realize I could have taken my time to get ready."

    "Miki isn't here yet, but I find another familiar track partner in her stead."

    #emi running sound fadein

    "Emi looks absorbed in her own routine, the squeak of her running blades echoing throughout the morning air. I doubt she's even noticed me yet."

    "To pass the time I take a seat on the bleachers, watching the twintailed speedster while I wait for Miki to show up."

    "After a while, Emi slows down to a jog. She waves and makes her way over to me."

    "As she draws nearer, I can see her skin is glistening. Even for how early this feels to me, it seems like she's been out here for at least an hour by now."

    #show me an Emi

    emi "Good morning! Why are you sitting out here? Come and run!"

    hi "I was waiting for Miki, we agreed to meet up here and run together."

    emi "Funny how you can keep your agreements with her, huh?"

    "A pang of guilt tugs at my insides. I had hoped our brief talk yesterday would have resolved things."

    "Emi catches my expression and smirks."

    #emi wink

    emi "I'm kidding! You didn't think I'd actually hold a grudge over that, did you? I'm disappointed in you, Hisao!"

    hi "That's a relief… Have you ever considered acting? You were pretty convincing just now."

    emi "No way, I don't think I could ever remember my lines."

    "She glances at a point just over my shoulder and sighs, her grin quickly fading."

    emi "I'd better go, have fun!"

    "When I turn my head, I see that Miki was making her way to the track while Emi and I were talking."

    "With the track meet coming up, I can understand why Emi would want to avoid getting too worked up by being around Miki."

    "It's kind of sad, I think. They're pretty similar. I'm sure if they weren't such fierce competitors they would make good friends."

    "Emi flashes me a smile and leaves for the dorms, passing Miki along the way."

    "When Miki arrives, she chuckles to herself as she begins to stretch."

    mk "You're early, huh? Are you really that excited to run again?"

    hi "Kind of. It would be nice to make it to class on time."

    mk "Don't worry too much about that. Mutou's late more often than not, anyway."

    "I join Miki in stretching. The sensation is nice, especially at this time of day."

    hi "That doesn't mean I shouldn't try to be on time."

    #miki wink

    mk "Nope. Just that it's fine if you aren't."

    mk "Now let's get started!"

    #Short timeskip

    "I had hoped that by now running would be a little easier. I was wrong."

    "Though I manage to run a few laps without any incidents like last time, I feel like I should be capable of more."

    "Especially with how effortlessly Miki is keeping up with me."

    "After the last lap I slow down to a walk. Slowly I regain control of my breathing."

    hi "I think I'm done."

    mk "Yeah, don't push yourself too hard."

    hi "Somehow I don't think that's a problem. It barely feels like any progress at all."

    mk "Sure, but you did a good job. You were able to keep yourself in check, that's pretty important. The rest will come to you soon enough, just keep at it!"

    hi "Thanks. I'll try to think of it that way."

    mk "Don't mention it."

    mk "I think I'll do my own routine now, is that okay with you?"

    hi "Yeah, I was planning on leaving to take a shower anyway."

    "I get the feeling Miki is disappointed by my reply. Maybe when my stamina has improved enough we can run together from start to finish."

    mk "Wouldn't wanna be late, huh?"

    hi "Exactly. See you in class!"

    mk "Later!"

    "With that, Miki takes off at her own pace. For a moment I am captivated by her body in motion, but the feeling of sweat dripping down my back reminds me of my plans."

    "I leave her to her routine, taking the path back in search of a shower and a change of clothes."

    #Timeskip, Hisao's room

    "After taking my shower and getting dressed, I pause by the nightstand, staring at my collection of pill bottles."

    "Taking seventeen pills a day is still a little daunting. I want to get it all over with in one go."

    "It's more convenient this way, but the sheer volume makes me lose my appetite."

    "Once I've swallowed the last one, I grab my bag and leave for class."

    #Classroom, short pan

    "The first thing I notice upon entering the classroom is exactly how burned out the other students are."

    "The usual chatter seems to be surprisingly subdued, and I can see a few classmates trying to get a couple more seconds of rest in before the bell tolls."

    "I suppose the festival managed to do a number on them, even if I don't exactly feel the effects of it myself."

    "The next thing I notice is Mutou's absence."

    "Miki doesn't seem to be here yet either, though I can see Suzu sitting at her desk. I guess Miki doesn't accompany her all the time, then."

    "I consider introducing myself to Suzu, since we have a mutual friend, but she looks preoccupied with the book she's reading."

    "Instead I take a seat at my own desk, getting my things ready for when the lesson starts."

    "It seems Miki was right, since Mutou is still nowhere to be seen. If it weren't for the other students expecting him to show up, I'd wonder if he had fallen ill."

    "Before I can even manage to settle down, a familiar shadow bounces its way across my desk, closely followed by another."

    #show Misha and Shizu, music cue

    "At first thought, I probably would have expected these two to be the most exhausted ones here, considering the kind of hours they had to put in…"

    extend " but I guess even a full blown festival isn't enough to extinguish Misha's vivacity."

    "I can't read the expression on Shizune's face, but Misha's is a dead giveaway."

    "She's smiling at me the way a child does when they're about to ask for something."

    mi "Good morning, Hicchan~! Did you have fun at the festival yesterday?"

    "The disparity between her booming hello and the quietness of the rest of the class is startling, to say the least."

    "I watch the students who were previously resting slowly lift their heads towards the culprit, their faces filled with what I can only describe as contempt."

    hi "Yeah, I had a good time. How about you two? Did you manage to enjoy yourselves between running the events?"

    "Misha's hands almost seem independent from the rest of her, as she effortly translates our conversation for Shizune."

    "Shizune's face flashes with pride as she signs out a response for Misha to relay."

    mi "Thanks to Shicchan's planning, we didn't have to work at all during the festival~!"

    "I look over my shoulder at the door, half expecting to see Mutou, but it looks like he still hasn't arrived yet."

    "Shizune signs another message to Misha. Whatever it is, it can't be good since it makes the girl laugh out loud."

    mi "So Hicchan, we saw you with Miki at the festival. How romantic! Shicchan is impressed by how efficient you are."

    hi "What are you talking about? We were just spending the day together."

    mi "Aww… You're not a couple then?"

    "Misha relays the message, but I don't think she needed to in this case. Shizune could probably tell from my reaction alone what the answer was."

    "A coy smile appears as she quickly signs another question to Misha."

    mi "Do you like her?"

    "Where's all this coming from? I don't want to answer their questions, but I get the feeling that no matter what I say, they'll interpret it as a confession on my part."

    "Fortunately Mutou comes to the rescue, resting his bag on the front desk with a thud."

    mu "Good morning. Everyone take your seats, please."

    "Both Shizune and Misha look disappointed that they didn't get an answer, though I doubt this will be their only attempt."

    "I look to my right at Miki's empty desk. What's keeping her?"

    "Mutou has noticed her absence as well, but seems less bothered by it than I am."

    "With no further delay, he starts the lesson."

    #Short timeskip.

    "I take a quick glance at my watch, wondering if Miki is ever going to show up. A good ten minutes have passed and there's still no sign of her."

    "Mutou is in the middle of rambling about electromagnetic fields when the door swings open, revealing a visibly fatigued Miki."

    "She looks like she rushed to get here, but Mutou only seems concerned that his lecture was cut short."

    mk "Sorry teach, I lost track of time at the… uh, track."

    "I hear a few snickers from our classmates, but Mutou looks annoyed more than anything else. I get the impression it's more from the interruption than her tardiness."

    mu "Time is a finite resource in school, Miss Miura. Please use it a little more carefully in the future."

    mu "Your grades have already been slipping enough to warrant some concern."

    "Miki looks less than impressed by the remark."

    mk "Yes sir. Won't happen again."

    "She quickly takes her seat as the class' attention focuses back to the lesson at hand."

    "We make eye contact, and she flashes me a smile that I return before I even realize it."

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