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script-a2-Emi

Jul 4th, 2012
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  1. label en_E3:
  2.  
  3. scene black
  4. with dissolve
  5.  
  6. play music music_pearly fadein 1.0
  7.  
  8. play sound sfx_alarmclock
  9.  
  10. "My alarm's beeping shatters the early morning quiet and I find myself wondering why the hell I'm up."
  11.  
  12. scene bg school_dormhisao
  13. with openeye
  14.  
  15. "Class doesn't start for at least a few more hours."
  16.  
  17. "It takes me a moment to remember that I agreed to run in the mornings with Emi."
  18.  
  19. "What the hell was I thinking?"
  20.  
  21. "Oh yes, now I remember. I was thinking about how much I don't want to die."
  22.  
  23. "Really, I'm not that interested in running as a hobby, or even as a possible life-lengthening exercise…"
  24.  
  25. "But for whatever reason I feel obligated to follow through on my promise to Emi yesterday."
  26.  
  27. "Which is why I find myself throwing on some running shorts and a light tee-shirt."
  28.  
  29. scene bg school_courtyard
  30. with locationskip
  31.  
  32. "The cool morning air caresses my face as the morning sunshine causes the dew on the grass to sparkle, nearly blinding me at first."
  33.  
  34. "As I make my way down to the track, an ugly thought strikes me."
  35.  
  36. "What if this was some sort of joke that Emi's playing on me?"
  37.  
  38. "Would that surprise me, really?"
  39.  
  40. "Hell, I'd probably do it to the new guy too, if it were me."
  41.  
  42. "At the least I'll bet Emi and Rin were wagering on whether or not I'd actually show up."
  43.  
  44. stop music fadeout 1.5
  45.  
  46. scene bg school_track
  47. with locationchange
  48.  
  49. "I feel a sense of trepidation as the track comes into view."
  50.  
  51. play music music_emi fadein 0.75
  52.  
  53. show emi basic_annoyed_gym
  54. with charaenter
  55.  
  56. emi "You're late!"
  57.  
  58. "It would seem that Emi is already there. What a relief."
  59.  
  60. hi "Preposterous! You're early!"
  61.  
  62. show emi basic_closedgrin_gym
  63. with charachange
  64.  
  65. emi "Damn. You've got me there."
  66.  
  67. "Emi is sitting on the bleachers, decked out in her running gear, waiting somewhat patiently for me."
  68.  
  69. hi "I'm glad you're actually here. I was afraid that this was a joke or something."
  70.  
  71. show emi basic_grin_gym
  72. with charachange
  73.  
  74. emi "Nah, I'd never make someone get up early for nothing."
  75.  
  76. emi "Plus, Rin owes me 500 yen now. She didn't think you'd actually show up."
  77.  
  78. "I knew it!"
  79.  
  80. "Nice to know she was on my side, at least."
  81.  
  82. "Emi hops off of the bleachers and begins stretching out."
  83.  
  84. "She's remarkably lithe, almost like a dancer."
  85.  
  86. "I set out to stretch myself and realize that I don't remember how exactly to stretch properly."
  87.  
  88. "It's been ages since I stretched for anything, if you don't count my one stint at running last week."
  89.  
  90. "And even then, I don't think I actually stretched beforehand."
  91.  
  92. "The specter of my long hospital stay rises up again."
  93.  
  94. "Although I can't say I was all that active before the hospital stay."
  95.  
  96. "So maybe I'm just being morose."
  97.  
  98. "Emi giggles as she watches me stretch out."
  99.  
  100. show emi basic_shock_gym
  101. with charachange
  102.  
  103. emi "No no no Hisao, you've got to hold it for longer than that!"
  104.  
  105. hi "I'm trying! It kinda hurts a little."
  106.  
  107. show emi basic_happy_gym
  108. with charachange
  109.  
  110. emi "Ha! That's because you're out of shape. You've got to get some flexibility in you, like this."
  111.  
  112. "To demonstrate, Emi reaches down and puts her head through her legs."
  113.  
  114. "God bless you, Emi!"
  115.  
  116. hi "I see. Is that the sort of thing I should strive for?"
  117.  
  118. show emi basic_grin_gym
  119. with charachange
  120.  
  121. emi "Of course! Flexibility is important for any runner. You'll be able to go faster the more you stretch out."
  122.  
  123. "That makes no sense to me, but Emi seems to believe it's true."
  124.  
  125. "With Emi's help, I manage to stretch myself out properly."
  126.  
  127. "I can't help but notice that when she thinks about how to explain things to me, her mouth scrunches up in concentration."
  128.  
  129. "It's adorable."
  130.  
  131. emi "Not bad, Hisao. Come on, we'd better start running."
  132.  
  133. emi "We'll start off with just a mile, okay?"
  134.  
  135. emi "That's four laps around the track, got it?"
  136.  
  137. hi "That sounds fine to me."
  138.  
  139. "This shouldn't be too hard, right?"
  140.  
  141. "A hazy memory of running a mile for gym class surfaces in my mind."
  142.  
  143. "Yeah, it wasn't that bad."
  144.  
  145. "Emi sets a pretty good pace, and I fall in behind her."
  146.  
  147. emi "Try to keep up, okay Hisao?"
  148.  
  149. hi "Roger."
  150.  
  151. hide emi
  152. with charaexit
  153.  
  154. "We round the first curve without incident, though I can already feel my heartrate increasing slightly."
  155.  
  156. "By the second curve, I've started to breathe through my mouth."
  157.  
  158. "Emi doesn't even seem to be breaking a sweat."
  159.  
  160. "As if to punctuate her superiority, she turns around and starts running backwards."
  161.  
  162. show emi basic_closedgrin_gym at center
  163. with charaenter
  164.  
  165. emi "Are you doing okay, Hisao?"
  166.  
  167. hi "Never *pant* better."
  168.  
  169. emi "Oh really? Maybe I should speed up then, hmm?"
  170.  
  171. hi "Oh *pant* *pant* no, *pant* wouldn't want you *pant* to *pant* overex*wheeze*ert yourself."
  172.  
  173. "Emi smiles and turns around again."
  174.  
  175. hide emi
  176. with charaexit
  177.  
  178. emi "You're the boss, Hisao. We'll stay at this pace."
  179.  
  180. "I get the feeling that I'm being mocked."
  181.  
  182. "If I weren't in such terrible shape, I'd probably feel offended."
  183.  
  184. "By the third lap, my breath is coming in ragged gasps."
  185.  
  186. "I'm also awash in my own juices. Gross."
  187.  
  188. "We round the curve to start our fourth lap, and Emi looks back at me with a grin."
  189.  
  190. emi "Here we go!"
  191.  
  192. "She takes off at blinding speed while I stubbornly stick to my slower pace."
  193.  
  194. "By the time I get to the first turn, she's already rounding the second."
  195.  
  196. "As I struggle across the back stretch, Emi continues running and catches up to me."
  197.  
  198. emi "Come on, Hisao! You can do it!"
  199.  
  200. "I'd answer her, but I'm too focused on getting air into my lungs and ignoring the burning in my leg muscles."
  201.  
  202. "Part of me wants to say something like “Maybe {b}you{/b} can, but I'm about to die out here.”"
  203.  
  204. "But again, I doubt I can actually form words right now."
  205.  
  206. "Emi keeps pace with me as I round the second turn and cross the finish line."
  207.  
  208. stop music fadeout 1.5
  209.  
  210. "Her sprint seems to have gotten her sweating."
  211.  
  212. "It's actually caused her shirt to turn slightly translucent."
  213.  
  214. "Emi wears a black sports bra. Who knew?"
  215.  
  216. "I feel a vague stab of guilt for being the sort of guy who stares at a girl's chest, but my legs and chest are burning so badly I can't bring myself to care that much."
  217.  
  218. show emi excited_proud_gym at center
  219. with charaenter
  220.  
  221. emi "Not bad for a first effort, Hisao."
  222.  
  223. play music music_pearly fadein 0.5
  224.  
  225. hi "Ki—*pant* *pant* kind of you *pant* to say *pant* so."
  226.  
  227. "Emi seems to be, if not out of breath, at least breathing a little more heavily than she was before we started running."
  228.  
  229. "It must have been the sprint that did it."
  230.  
  231. show emi basic_grin_gym
  232. with charachange
  233.  
  234. emi "Hey, I've got to get a few sprints in. You should walk around the track to cool down."
  235.  
  236. emi "Then we can stretch out and we'll be all done, okay?"
  237.  
  238. hi "Sounds great."
  239.  
  240. "My legs are on fire, and my breathing is still heavy, but surprisingly my heart seems to be taking the strain well."
  241.  
  242. "Another triumph of medical science, I suppose."
  243.  
  244. emi "You should put your hands behind your head. It makes it easier to catch your breath."
  245.  
  246. hide emi
  247. with charaexit
  248.  
  249. "Surprisingly, she's right. I begin to stroll around the track, happy to feel my breath coming back to me."
  250.  
  251. "There's a blur as Emi sprints by me."
  252.  
  253. "Watching her run is absolutely fascinating."
  254.  
  255. "It's not just because she's on prosthetics, though that is interesting."
  256.  
  257. "The real interesting thing is the way her face changes."
  258.  
  259. "I can only catch glimpses of it as she runs by, but her eyes seem to come alive with a sort of fierce joy."
  260.  
  261. "It's as if there's nothing else in the world but her and the track."
  262.  
  263. "By the time I've gotten to the final stretch, Emi seems to have finished her sprinting."
  264.  
  265. "She's breathing heavily now, but she's wearing a satisfied grin on her face. She waves to me cheerily as I near her."
  266.  
  267. stop music fadeout 2.0
  268.  
  269. show emi basic_grin_gym at center
  270. with charaenter
  271.  
  272. emi "Feeling better, right?"
  273.  
  274. hi "Actually, yeah."
  275.  
  276. emi "D'you want to take another lap around with me? I've got to cool down too, you know."
  277.  
  278. "Part of me would rather sit down, and not move, but something tells me that would be a bad idea."
  279.  
  280. "Besides, if I sit down there may be no getting back up again."
  281.  
  282. hi "Sure, why not?"
  283.  
  284. play music music_daily fadein 0.5
  285.  
  286. "Emi's got her hands behind her head now as well, which makes her seem very relaxed."
  287.  
  288. "The positioning of her arms also pulls her shirt upwards ever-so-slightly so that I can see a small strip of her belly."
  289.  
  290. "I do my best to act the gentleman and not look, but the contrast of her skin against her red running shorts is rather arresting."
  291.  
  292. emi "So how do you feel, Hisao?"
  293.  
  294. hi "Surprisingly good, actually. I'm sore and tired, but… surprisingly good."
  295.  
  296. "As soon as I say it, I realize that it's true."
  297.  
  298. "Sure, part of me wants to lay down and die, but I feel like I've accomplished something."
  299.  
  300. "It's almost like a glow throughout my body that persists despite the soreness."
  301.  
  302. emi "Yeah, that's the runner's high."
  303.  
  304. hi "Runner's high?"
  305.  
  306. emi "Yeah, it has something to do with… adrenaline?"
  307.  
  308. "Emi thinks for a moment as we walk, trying to remember."
  309.  
  310. "Then she shrugs and grins at me."
  311.  
  312. emi "I don't actually remember. It's a good feeling though, isn't it?"
  313.  
  314. show emi basic_happy_gym
  315. with charachange
  316.  
  317. stop music fadeout 0.5
  318. play sound sfx_heartstop
  319.  
  320. emi "Better than sex, right?"
  321.  
  322. "I open my mouth to respond shortly before processing what she's just said."
  323.  
  324. hi "…"
  325.  
  326. "Emi watches my face for a few moments before bursting into laughter."
  327.  
  328. play music music_comedy fadein 0.75
  329.  
  330. show emi excited_laugh_gym
  331. with charachange
  332.  
  333. emi "Sorry, sorry! I couldn't resist! You're just too easy!"
  334.  
  335. hi "Why did I agree to run with you again?"
  336.  
  337. "Emi just laughs harder, and then chances to look at her watch."
  338.  
  339. show emi basic_shock_gym
  340. with charachange
  341.  
  342. emi "Oh no! We'd better get a move on, Hisao!"
  343.  
  344. emi "Class is in an hour, and I need to shower!"
  345.  
  346. hi "I should probably do that as well…"
  347.  
  348. emi "I need to see the nurse too… maybe he'll write me a note for being late!"
  349.  
  350. stop music fadeout 1.0
  351.  
  352. hi "Why do you need to see the nurse?"
  353.  
  354. play music music_daily fadein 1.0
  355.  
  356. "Emi points to her prosthetics, as if that would explain everything."
  357.  
  358. show emi basic_grin_gym
  359. with charachange
  360.  
  361. emi "It's important to check for irritation."
  362.  
  363. emi "You know, from sweat, or friction or anything."
  364.  
  365. emi "Normally I only go after practice, but if we're going to be doing these morning runs then I guess I'll see him twice a day."
  366.  
  367. "Wait, so Emi has only started doing these runs since I showed up?"
  368.  
  369. hi "If it's more convenient for you to run with me at a later time…"
  370.  
  371. show emi basic_grin_gym
  372. with charachange
  373.  
  374. emi "Don't be silly! I've been meaning to start running in the morning for a while now."
  375.  
  376. emi "But if I didn't have a partner to run with, I'd be less likely to keep up a routine."
  377.  
  378. emi "It's always harder to blow off a commitment if you're going to let someone else down, you know?"
  379.  
  380. emi "So you'll be my running partner for the mornings!"
  381.  
  382. emi "We both need the exercise, so it all works out, don't you think?"
  383.  
  384. hi "Yeah, perfect."
  385.  
  386. "Did it have to be me, though?"
  387.  
  388. "Well, I guess I can't complain too much. Emi's pretty fun to hang out with."
  389.  
  390. "And she's right. I do need the exercise. Doctor's orders, even."
  391.  
  392. "Emi waves a quick goodbye to me."
  393.  
  394. show emi excited_happy_gym
  395. with charachange
  396.  
  397. emi "Right, I'm off! Come have lunch with us, okay?"
  398.  
  399. hi "What?"
  400.  
  401. emi "Lunch! You know, the meal? In the middle of the day? Come have it with us!"
  402.  
  403. hi "Where?"
  404.  
  405. emi "The rooftop. Rin likes it up there."
  406.  
  407. hi "When?"
  408.  
  409. emi "Lunchtime, when else? That was a silly question."
  410.  
  411. hi "Yeah, but I sort of felt the need to ask all three for completeness' sake."
  412.  
  413. "Emi laughs and grins. I don't think I've ever seen a girl smile so much before."
  414.  
  415. emi "Not bad, Hisao. See ya!"
  416.  
  417. hide emi
  418. with charaexit
  419.  
  420. "With that, she takes off like a shot for the school building."
  421.  
  422. "I guess she's going to see the nurse first."
  423.  
  424. "I hurry back to my room and hop in the shower, only to find that the water takes a while to heat up."
  425.  
  426. "The shock of the cold water nearly kills me."
  427.  
  428. "I manage to warm the water a bit and spend some quality time feeling my muscles loosen."
  429.  
  430. "Let's review:"
  431.  
  432. "My heart, surprisingly, feels the least bothered by the run."
  433.  
  434. "I suppose that's a good thing, even if it does make me feel like a bit of a wuss."
  435.  
  436. "I mean at least I'd have an excuse beyond “I am out of shape” if my heart were bothering me."
  437.  
  438. "Guess I'll have to keep this running thing up, otherwise I'm sure Emi won't let me hear the end of it."
  439.  
  440. "It's only after I get out and dry myself off that I realize that I've only ten minutes left to put my clothes on and get to class."
  441.  
  442. "Crap."
  443.  
  444. scene black
  445. with fade
  446.  
  447. return
  448.  
  449. label en_E4:
  450.  
  451. play sound sfx_normalbell
  452.  
  453. play music music_daily
  454.  
  455. scene bg school_scienceroom
  456. with fade
  457.  
  458. "The hands on the clock finally set me free from the tedium of yet another fun-filled class."
  459.  
  460. "Getting up from my seat proves to be more of a problem than I anticipated."
  461.  
  462. "My legs are killing me from the morning's run."
  463.  
  464. "Maybe doing these morning runs with Emi isn't such a hot idea after all."
  465.  
  466. "Still, the run's given me a hell of an appetite."
  467.  
  468. scene bg school_hallway3
  469. with locationskip
  470.  
  471. "I'm halfway down the hallway to the cafeteria when I remember that I've got my lunch with me."
  472.  
  473. "My parents saw fit to provide me with some prepackaged stuff when I moved in, and a good thing too."
  474.  
  475. "The hallway is packed with students headed for the cafeteria."
  476.  
  477. "Going back is like swimming upstream—but I've got an appointment to keep on the rooftop."
  478.  
  479. scene bg school_staircase1
  480. with locationchange
  481.  
  482. "It takes me a moment to find the staircase leading up to the rooftop, but I'm willing to bet that Emi and Rin aren't up there by now anyway."
  483.  
  484. "In fact, I think I saw Emi among the bodies in the hallway headed for the cafeteria."
  485.  
  486. "I step out of the door to the roof and take a deep breath."
  487.  
  488. scene bg school_roof
  489. with locationchange
  490.  
  491. "The fresh air blowing against my face and body almost makes my legs hurt less."
  492.  
  493. rin "Maybe if I'm upside down…"
  494.  
  495. "Part of me wants to be surprised that Rin's already up here."
  496.  
  497. "That is the same part of me that wants to believe that there's a reason she's currently throwing her legs over her head."
  498.  
  499. hi "What's that going to accomplish?"
  500.  
  501. rin "Things in the clouds."
  502.  
  503. hi "Couldn't you just…look at them right-side up?"
  504.  
  505. "Rin rolls her eyes in something approaching exasperation."
  506.  
  507. rin "Then I wouldn't get a new perspective."
  508.  
  509. hi "Is upside down really a new perspective?"
  510.  
  511. "Ah ha! That caught her off guard. Rin looks pensive."
  512.  
  513. rin "You may have a point. Maybe sideways."
  514.  
  515. "As Rin lays down on the bench to look at the sky, I give up."
  516.  
  517. "Fortunately Emi chooses that moment to burst through the door carrying two bags."
  518.  
  519. "She nearly takes the door off the hinges."
  520.  
  521. emi "Sorry it took me so long! There were a ton of people in line."
  522.  
  523. "She drops the first bag in front of Rin and takes a seat on the bench next to her."
  524.  
  525. hi "You buy Rin's lunch for her?"
  526.  
  527. emi "Sometimes, yeah. I'd have Rin buy my lunch for me in return, but I'm not sure how she'd carry it."
  528.  
  529. "Did she really just say that?"
  530.  
  531. rin "Plus I'd never buy her lunch."
  532.  
  533. "If Rin's offended by Emi's comment, she doesn't show it. Emi sniffs."
  534.  
  535. emi "How ungrateful of you."
  536.  
  537. "I'm not sure whether the two are joking with one another or if I'm witnessing the beginnings of a cat fight."
  538.  
  539. "The two girls stare at one anther for a few tense moments before breaking into smiles."
  540.  
  541. rin "Hey Emi, do you think being upside down is a new perspective on things?"
  542.  
  543. "Didn't I already have this conversation?"
  544.  
  545. "Emi looks thoughtful, apparently giving the question some thought."
  546.  
  547. "After a deep and profound pause, she speaks."
  548.  
  549. emi "I have no idea."
  550.  
  551. "Well, at least she's as lost as I am."
  552.  
  553. emi "Hey Hisao, you're coming to the track meet, right?"
  554.  
  555. "The question comes out of the blue and catches me off guard."
  556.  
  557. hi "Um… I don't know yet?"
  558.  
  559. "Emi glares at me."
  560.  
  561. emi "Honestly, Hisao, after I went through all the trouble of letting you run with me in the morning, you won't even show up at my track meet?"
  562.  
  563. "Wasn't she the one that asked me to run with her?"
  564.  
  565. "Actually, she didn't even give me a choice in the matter."
  566.  
  567. hi "Wait, no, I didn't say that…"
  568.  
  569. "Emi's face brightens considerably. She beams at me as if I'd just agreed to give her a million dollars."
  570.  
  571. emi "So you will come after all! That's great!"
  572.  
  573. "I didn't say that either!"
  574.  
  575. rin "I'll be going too, so I'll make sure he comes, Emi."
  576.  
  577. "Emi smiles again."
  578.  
  579. emi "Good idea, Rin! Maybe we can get some food or something after the meet's over?"
  580.  
  581. "I feel like I've just been conned, but not by these two."
  582.  
  583. "More like by some outside force, pushing me irrevocably toward my Destiny."
  584.  
  585. "Or maybe I shouldn't read books that feature conspiracy theories so heavily."
  586.  
  587. "Otherwise I might wind up sounding like Kenji."
  588.  
  589. "Still, now I suppose that I've got to show up."
  590.  
  591. "I don't think that I could stand against both of them being disappointed."
  592.  
  593. "I'd never hear the end of it."
  594.  
  595. hi "When is it again?"
  596.  
  597. emi "Next week, silly! I just told you a few days ago."
  598.  
  599. hi "Oh yeah, I forgot."
  600.  
  601. "Emi looks horrified for a moment."
  602.  
  603. emi "You won't forget to come, will you?"
  604.  
  605. hi "Of course I won't! I'll even make a note on a calendar or something!"
  606.  
  607. "Rin nods sagely."
  608.  
  609. rin "That's probably a good idea, you know. Unless time changes its course."
  610.  
  611. emi "It can do that?"
  612.  
  613. "Rin gives a noncommittal shrug."
  614.  
  615. rin "It hasn't yet, but you never know…"
  616.  
  617. "This time it's Emi who gives a shrug."
  618.  
  619. emi "I suppose it can't be helped if it happens."
  620.  
  621. rin "Not unless you're a time traveler or something."
  622.  
  623. hi "You don't actually think that could happen, do you?"
  624.  
  625. "I have to check whether or not these two are being serious."
  626.  
  627. emi "I don't think we do…do we?"
  628.  
  629. "Rin shrugs again. That seems to be her default response to everything."
  630.  
  631. rin "I suppose not. But I reserve the right to change my opinion at a moment's notice."
  632.  
  633. "For Rin, this statement makes a disturbing amount of sense."
  634.  
  635. "The fact that I realize this now frightens me a bit."
  636.  
  637. "I wonder if Emi gets this feeling all the time."
  638.  
  639. "If she does though, she's not showing it. Emi merely nods."
  640.  
  641. emi "As expected."
  642.  
  643. rin "What's that supposed to mean?"
  644.  
  645. "This time, it's Emi who shrugs."
  646.  
  647. "It's like she's using Rin's own weapons against her."
  648.  
  649. emi "Your response is the sort of thing I'd expect from you, that's all."
  650.  
  651. rin "Am I really that predictable?"
  652.  
  653. "Emi smile almost seems gloating."
  654.  
  655. emi "Nah, I'm probably the only person who knows you well enough for you to seem predictable."
  656.  
  657. rin "Well that's alright then. I've got a reputation to protect, you know."
  658.  
  659. "I don't get the chance to see whether or not Rin's being serious or not, as the bell rings."
  660.  
  661. play sound sfx_normalbell
  662.  
  663. "I didn't notice the lunch period slipping by at all."
  664.  
  665. "It was far too interesting hanging out with these two."
  666.  
  667. "Emi jumps up, a look of panic on her face."
  668.  
  669. emi "Oh no! I needed to stop by my room to pick up my notebook for the next class!"
  670.  
  671. rin "Betcha wish you had a time machine now."
  672.  
  673. "Rin seems rather smug as she delivers this line; like she'd just won an argument."
  674.  
  675. "Emi ignores Rin's comment."
  676.  
  677. emi "Sorry Hisao, but could you make sure our garbage gets thrown away?"
  678.  
  679. emi "I usually clean up myself, but I've got to run!"
  680.  
  681. hi "Sure, no problem."
  682.  
  683. "I don't bother asking why Rin couldn't help. She's already gone through the door."
  684.  
  685. "She's probably used to Emi taking care of cleanup, and for some reason I doubt Emi's ever raised the issue with her."
  686.  
  687. "Cleaning up from lunch doesn't take long, so I have plenty of time to toss our garbage and get to class."
  688.  
  689. scene bg school_scienceroom
  690. with locationskip
  691.  
  692. "Misha greets me with a wave and a devious grin as I walk through the door."
  693.  
  694. mi "Didn't see you in the cafeteria, Hicchan."
  695.  
  696. hi "Yeah, I decided it was too crowded there."
  697.  
  698. "Misha's grin gets even wider."
  699.  
  700. mi "Oh really? Are you sure you weren't participating in an illicit rendezvous?"
  701.  
  702. hi "W…what? What are you talking about?"
  703.  
  704. mi "You were on the roof, right? With both Rin and Emi, no less! You Casanova, you!"
  705.  
  706. hi "We… we just had lunch, that's all!"
  707.  
  708. "Misha bursts into laughter, drawing the attention of several of my classmates."
  709.  
  710. mi "Wahahaha! You're so adorable when you blush like that, Hicchan!"
  711.  
  712. "She gives me a conspiratorial wink."
  713.  
  714. mi "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
  715.  
  716. hi "There's no secret!"
  717.  
  718. mi "Oh?"
  719.  
  720. "Misha seems disappointed, and then brightens up again."
  721.  
  722. mi "Time will tell~!"
  723.  
  724. "I don't know what the hell she's talking about, but blessedly our teacher comes in and the class starts."
  725.  
  726. stop music fadeout 1.5
  727.  
  728. return
  729.  
  730. label en_E5:
  731.  
  732. scene bg school_scienceroom
  733.  
  734. play sound sfx_normalbell
  735.  
  736. play music music_tranquil fadein 1.0
  737.  
  738. "Another day of class has finally dragged itself to a close."
  739.  
  740. "Somehow I managed to stay awake for the whole day."
  741.  
  742. "I'm pretty sure that counts as a miracle."
  743.  
  744. "My legs seem unwilling to stand up for a moment."
  745.  
  746. "I guess the run took a lot out of me."
  747.  
  748. scene bg school_hallway3
  749. with locationskip
  750.  
  751. "I head down the hallway and make my way to my room."
  752.  
  753. scene bg school_dormhisao
  754. with locationchange
  755.  
  756. "I sit down and half-heartedly pick at my homework for a while, feeling like a vulture picking at a particularly unsavory carcass."
  757.  
  758. "It knows this is what it eats, but it's not sure that it shouldn't be ordering take out instead."
  759.  
  760. "I don't think I can take this, but it's important to get my work done."
  761.  
  762. hi "Now let's see… what was I supposed to be looking over again?"
  763.  
  764. "I know it's a losing battle, but I fight it anyway."
  765.  
  766. "Halfway through my math homework I put my pencil down."
  767.  
  768. "This isn't working. I need a distraction."
  769.  
  770. "Unfortunately, my options for distractions are rather slim."
  771.  
  772. "Kenji is, unusually, out of his room at the moment."
  773.  
  774. "If I go to the student council room, I'll just have to do work."
  775. #This bothers me a bit since at the moment, it's unclear how much council work Hisao does while getting on Emi's path. Flagged for future review. -SC
  776.  
  777. "And heaven only knows where everyone else is, except for…"
  778.  
  779. "Well, I suppose that's an option."
  780.  
  781. "I grab my shoes and head for the track. Emi's probably down there."
  782.  
  783. scene bg school_track
  784. with locationskip
  785.  
  786. "Track practice is just ending as I arrive at the track."
  787.  
  788. "The sun's beginning to dip low in the sky."
  789.  
  790. "Has it really gotten that late already?"
  791.  
  792. emi "What are you doing down here, Hisao?"
  793.  
  794. emi "Come to spy on me, have you?"
  795.  
  796. "I give a shrug. To be honest I'm not sure why I'm down here."
  797.  
  798. hi "I didn't have anything better to do."
  799.  
  800. "I figure that's about right."
  801.  
  802. "At the moment, Emi's the only person I can think of who I could visit."
  803.  
  804. "Emi looks offended by my statement."
  805.  
  806. emi "So I'm your last resort, am I?"
  807.  
  808. emi "Nobody cool around, so I'll just go see Emi, is that what you thought?"
  809.  
  810. "She actually looks angry!"
  811.  
  812. "A chance for some teasing of my own presents itself."
  813.  
  814. hi "Actually, yeah, I guess you are."
  815.  
  816. "Emi pouts, widening her eyes to give the maximum amount of puppy-dog resemblence."
  817.  
  818. "I feel like I just kicked a baby."
  819.  
  820. hi "Kidding! I was kidding!"
  821.  
  822. "Emi immediately breaks into a grin."
  823.  
  824. emi "So you ARE down here to stalk me!"
  825.  
  826. "Wait, what?"
  827.  
  828. hi "That's not what I meant!"
  829.  
  830. hi "Why would I stalk you anyway? It's not like you require stalking."
  831.  
  832. hi "If you're not asleep or in class, you're down here, right?"
  833.  
  834. "Emi laughs at this comment."
  835.  
  836. emi "Well, you're not all wrong, I suppose—but you forgot about eating. I do that too, you know."
  837.  
  838. "I nod, conceding the point."
  839.  
  840. emi "Plus I hang out with Rin sometimes too…so really I might take some effort to stalk."
  841.  
  842. hi "What do you two do together anyway? You don't seem to have a lot in common."
  843.  
  844. "Emi grins at my observation. She puts her hands on her hips and assumes a superior air."
  845.  
  846. emi "That's what you think. I've got all sorts of hidden hobbies, you know."
  847.  
  848. hi "Oh really? Like what?"
  849.  
  850. "Emi puts her head to one side, as if she's trying to remember what it is she does in her free time."
  851.  
  852. emi "Well, Rin and I go out shopping sometimes."
  853.  
  854. "I guess that makes sense. Emi's a girl, after all. But Rin?"
  855.  
  856. hi "Rin comes with you?"
  857.  
  858. emi "We usually swing by the art supply store."
  859.  
  860. emi "Plus she likes this music store that sells all kinds of weird sounding stuff."
  861.  
  862. emi "She says it helps focus her."
  863.  
  864. "That makes a little more sense."
  865.  
  866. hi "I see. Any other hidden hobbies?"
  867.  
  868. "Emi smiles and wags a finger at me."
  869.  
  870. emi "Now now, why would I go and reveal all my dark secrets to you? We hardly know one another!"
  871.  
  872. "Somehow I think that's all that Emi has in the way of hobbies."
  873.  
  874. "Still, I don't think my question's been answered."
  875.  
  876. hi "Even if you do have a few hobbies, I still don't see why you hang out with Rin so much."
  877.  
  878. hi "I mean, she's kind of weird, isn't she?"
  879.  
  880. "This comment causes Emi to laugh loudly."
  881.  
  882. emi "Ha! That's an understatement, I think."
  883.  
  884. hi "So why? I mean, you're a lot better at conversation and stuff, so I figure you'd hang out with a lot of people, but I think I've only ever seen you with Rin."
  885.  
  886. "Emi seems unusually defensive."
  887.  
  888. emi "Hey, I hang out with plenty of people that aren't Rin! You just don't see me doing it because I'm not in your classes."
  889.  
  890. hi "Okay, but that still doesn't explain why you hang out with Rin."
  891.  
  892. "I'm not even sure why I want to know this."
  893.  
  894. "I guess it is because lunch was so strange."
  895.  
  896. stop music fadeout 1.0
  897.  
  898. "Emi shrugs, looking for a moment very Rin-ish."
  899.  
  900. play music music_emi fadein 1.0
  901.  
  902. emi "It's because we have similar outlooks."
  903.  
  904. "If you were to ask me the least likely answer to my question, that would be it."
  905.  
  906. hi "What do you mean?"
  907.  
  908. emi "It's like…"
  909.  
  910. emi "Okay, Rin paints and stuff, right?"
  911.  
  912. hi "Yes…"
  913.  
  914. "I'm not sure where this is going."
  915.  
  916. emi "Well, I run."
  917.  
  918. hi "And?"
  919.  
  920. emi "And… that's why we're similar."
  921.  
  922. hi "…"
  923.  
  924. hi "You lost me."
  925.  
  926. "Emi frowns, as if trying to figure out her answer."
  927.  
  928. emi "Well, maybe it's that we do things for the same reasons."
  929.  
  930. hi "Huh?"
  931.  
  932. emi "You know, we follow our passions."
  933.  
  934. hi "So you're passionate about running and Rin's passionate about art, is that it?"
  935.  
  936. emi "Well, sort of. Let me think…"
  937.  
  938. emi "Well, Rin explained it to me once, but I don't know how much of it I followed."
  939.  
  940. "Not surprising. I think any explanation from Rin would probably confuse anyone."
  941.  
  942. emi "She says we both chase after an extreme."
  943.  
  944. emi "Like, she's always trying to find a new way to show a particular feeling or something."
  945.  
  946. emi "And I run because of the feeling I get from it."
  947.  
  948. emi "And since we don't allow ourselves to be slowed down by anything, we make a connection based on that."
  949.  
  950. hi "What do you mean “slowed down by anything?”"
  951.  
  952. "Emi looks surprised and points to her legs."
  953.  
  954. emi "You know, because I'm a runner. And Rin's a painter even without arms."
  955.  
  956. emi "So we respect each other's determination."
  957.  
  958. emi "And that's why we hang out."
  959.  
  960. emi "I think."
  961.  
  962. "Well, I'm not sure that made any sense to me…but from Emi's sheepish expression, she's not sure about it either."
  963.  
  964. emi "Honestly, it's not something I think about much."
  965.  
  966. emi "We just get along—I think that's really all that matters."
  967.  
  968. "I suppose she's got a point there."
  969.  
  970. "Another question strikes me, and since I've got nothing better to do, I ask it."
  971.  
  972. hi "So what got you so into running, anyway?"
  973.  
  974. "This brings out a grin on Emi's face."
  975.  
  976. emi "Oh, I've been running since I was really little!"
  977.  
  978. emi "My dad was a runner, and so as soon as I could walk, he started teaching me how to run."
  979.  
  980. emi "It was our father/daughter thing, you know?"
  981.  
  982. emi "Our own mutual hobby."
  983.  
  984. "A shadow crosses her face, and I'm shocked to see her looking… sad."
  985.  
  986. "As if talking about her father depressed her."
  987.  
  988. "Did something happen between them?"
  989.  
  990. "I open my mouth to ask, but Emi suddenly glances at her watch."
  991.  
  992. emi "Man, I don't have a lot of time left."
  993.  
  994. emi "Sorry, but I've got to get a few more laps in before I go see the nurse!"
  995.  
  996. "She races off around the track, hair streaming in the wind."
  997.  
  998. "It seems to me she's going a lot faster than she was this morning."
  999.  
  1000. "As she rounds the track, I catch a glimpse of her face."
  1001.  
  1002. "It's much the same as it was this morning, but her eyes seem to have taken on a harder edge."
  1003.  
  1004. "I guess she's right."
  1005.  
  1006. "I don't really know much about her."
  1007.  
  1008. stop music fadeout 3.0
  1009.  
  1010. "I watch her run for a little while, and then stand up to head back to my room."
  1011.  
  1012. emi "Hey!"
  1013.  
  1014. "She spots me leaving and waves to catch my attention."
  1015.  
  1016. emi "Don't forget! Same time tomorrow morning, got it?"
  1017.  
  1018. hi "Got it."
  1019.  
  1020. "I head back to my room."
  1021.  
  1022. "Homework beckons."
  1023. scene black
  1024. with fade
  1025.  
  1026. return
  1027.  
  1028. label en_E6:
  1029.  
  1030. scene black
  1031.  
  1032. play music music_night fadein 0.5
  1033.  
  1034. "I can't sleep."
  1035.  
  1036. "My body's tired, but my mind is kept awake, staring at the ceiling in the hollow darkness of my room."
  1037.  
  1038. "I grasp desperately for a thread of thought, hoping that I can run my brain into the ground."
  1039.  
  1040. "All I can think of is how I can't think of anything."
  1041.  
  1042. "This is not productive at all."
  1043.  
  1044. "I wonder if this is a side effect of my medication, though it seems odd for it to take so long to show up."
  1045.  
  1046. "Then again, maybe I'm just not as used to my new surroundings as I'd like to think."
  1047.  
  1048. "I don't know, but for whatever reason, I'm awake and I shouldn't be."
  1049.  
  1050. "This is ridiculous."
  1051.  
  1052. "Ignoring my body's stiffness, I get out of bed and look at my clock."
  1053.  
  1054. scene bg school_dormhisao
  1055. with openeye
  1056.  
  1057. "Four in the morning. Last time I checked it was only one, so maybe I slept a little."
  1058.  
  1059. "I don't know."
  1060.  
  1061. "I throw on some clothes and head out of my room."
  1062.  
  1063. "A walk might do me some good."
  1064.  
  1065. scene bg school_courtyard_ni
  1066. with locationchange
  1067.  
  1068. "I'm surprised at how chill the air is compared to the relative warmth of the day."
  1069.  
  1070. "I can almost see my breath as I wander the campus, waiting for the sun to come up or for me to fall asleep."
  1071.  
  1072. "At this point, either option works for me."
  1073.  
  1074. scene bg school_track_ni
  1075. with locationchange
  1076.  
  1077. "I find myself at the track—where for the first time, Emi's not out running."
  1078.  
  1079. "I suppose that makes sense; it's too early, even for her."
  1080.  
  1081. "The bleacher seats are cold, but at this point I welcome the sensation."
  1082.  
  1083. "The sun is starting to show its face over the horizon, and I know with an awful certainty that I'll get no more sleep tonight."
  1084.  
  1085. "The sun's steadily strengthening rays start to warm me up, and I watch the dew on the ground begin to steam slightly."
  1086.  
  1087. "My mind calms down, a little."
  1088.  
  1089. stop music fadeout 2.0
  1090.  
  1091. scene black
  1092. with fade
  1093.  
  1094. "Someone's shaking me."
  1095.  
  1096. emi "Hey, wake up!"
  1097.  
  1098. play sound sfx_rustling
  1099.  
  1100. hi "Huh? Where? Wha?"
  1101.  
  1102. play music music_nurse fadein 0.75
  1103.  
  1104. scene bg school_track
  1105. with openeye
  1106.  
  1107. "I guess I fell asleep after all."
  1108.  
  1109. emi "What are you doing out here? You're going to catch a cold or something!"
  1110.  
  1111. "I rub my eyes and am confronted by Emi, who bends over me with a worried expression."
  1112.  
  1113. "I'm still a little groggy, so my response comes out in a mumble."
  1114.  
  1115. hi "Couldn't sleep. Watched the sun come up."
  1116.  
  1117. "Emi raises an eyebrow quizzically."
  1118.  
  1119. emi "Sounds like something Rin would say."
  1120.  
  1121. "I shrug, feeling the stiffness that comes with sleeping on a bench for several hours."
  1122.  
  1123. hi "Is it? I wouldn't know."
  1124.  
  1125. "Emi grins a little at my (somewhat cranky) response."
  1126.  
  1127. emi "So, couldn't sleep, eh? Obviously we need to run you harder today!"
  1128.  
  1129. "Even though I've only known her for about a week, this seems a very Emi-ish response to the problem."
  1130.  
  1131. hi "Hey, my body was plenty exhausted after yesterday!"
  1132.  
  1133. hi "My mind was just racing, that's all."
  1134.  
  1135. "Emi looks like she doesn't understand me."
  1136.  
  1137. emi "I don't see the difference. If you run hard enough, your brain will get tired too."
  1138.  
  1139. "I'm seriously questioning the wisdom of doing this first thing in the morning."
  1140.  
  1141. "I don't know if my grades will be able to handle me tiring my brain out like that."
  1142.  
  1143. "Emi pulls me up from the bleachers with surprising strength for someone her size."
  1144.  
  1145. emi "Now come on, Hisao! We've got work to do!"
  1146.  
  1147. "I don't actually know if I'm up to this today, to be honest."
  1148.  
  1149. "I mean I obviously didn't get much sleep…and what sleep I got was on the bleachers!"
  1150.  
  1151. hi "I don't know…should I really be running?"
  1152.  
  1153. "Emi glares at me."
  1154.  
  1155. "Good heavens."
  1156.  
  1157. emi "What are you talking about? Of course you should be running!"
  1158.  
  1159. emi "How else do you expect to work out the kinks?"
  1160.  
  1161. emi "You've been sleeping on the bleachers, for heaven's sake!"
  1162.  
  1163. emi "The best way to get that soreness out is to run around a little."
  1164.  
  1165. emi "Now stop hiding in the bleachers and get down here!"
  1166.  
  1167. "There's no arguing that. I'm pretty sure she'd kill me if I didn't do as she said."
  1168.  
  1169. "I get to my feet and hop down to the track."
  1170.  
  1171. "The sun is warming things up rather nicely, I think."
  1172.  
  1173. "Emi and I begin to stretch out, and I find myself once again hard pressed not to stare."
  1174.  
  1175. "If this is how I have to wake up every day, I might be able to get used to this."
  1176.  
  1177. emi "You know Hisao, it's not polite to stare."
  1178.  
  1179. "This is probably one of my more awkward moments."
  1180.  
  1181. hi "I wasn't! I swear!"
  1182.  
  1183. "Emi raises an eyebrow and considers me for a minute, as if evaluating my response."
  1184.  
  1185. "There's a brief moment where I'm afraid for my life."
  1186.  
  1187. "But then she smiles and laughs, shaking her head slowly."
  1188.  
  1189. emi "Honestly, you didn't have to deny it so strenuously."
  1190.  
  1191. "In response, I clap my hands together and go for a change of subject."
  1192.  
  1193. hi "So! That's enough stretching, right?"
  1194.  
  1195. "Emi gives a casual shrug."
  1196.  
  1197. emi "Do you feel stretched? That's really how you tell."
  1198.  
  1199. "Well, I do feel up to the run, if that's what she means."
  1200.  
  1201. hi "Yeah, I feel ready to go."
  1202.  
  1203. emi "Same as yesterday, okay?"
  1204.  
  1205. emi "We'll just run for a mile at a steady pace."
  1206.  
  1207. emi "Don't worry about going really fast, just worry about keeping the pace, got it?"
  1208.  
  1209. hi "You're the boss."
  1210.  
  1211. stop music fadeout 1.5
  1212.  
  1213. "Emi grins again and we take off around the track."
  1214.  
  1215. scene bg school_track
  1216. with fade
  1217.  
  1218. "…"
  1219.  
  1220. play music music_running fadein 1.0
  1221.  
  1222. "…"
  1223.  
  1224. "I think I'm going to die."
  1225.  
  1226. "We're not even done with the first lap, and my legs are on fire."
  1227.  
  1228. "My breath is coming in ragged gasps."
  1229.  
  1230. "I can feel sweat pouring down my brow, and we've only just now rounded the second turn."
  1231.  
  1232. emi "Come on, Hisao! You've got three more laps to go!"
  1233.  
  1234. "I can't do this…"
  1235.  
  1236. "I can't do this."
  1237.  
  1238. "I can't do this!"
  1239.  
  1240. "I think I may hurl."
  1241.  
  1242. "Somehow we're on the second lap. Emi's not even sweating."
  1243.  
  1244. "How can she do this so effortlessly?"
  1245.  
  1246. "For some reason I'm still moving."
  1247.  
  1248. "She's like a machine."
  1249.  
  1250. "Third lap. What happened to the second?"
  1251.  
  1252. emi "Almost there, Hisao!"
  1253.  
  1254. "Liar! We've got another two!"
  1255.  
  1256. "Nothing to be done."
  1257.  
  1258. hi "I…ca…can't…do…this"
  1259.  
  1260. "Emi whirls around and begins running backwards."
  1261.  
  1262. "Her face is a mask of anger that surprises me."
  1263.  
  1264. emi "Never say that!"
  1265.  
  1266. emi "If you say that, you'll have already lost."
  1267.  
  1268. emi "Keep moving! If you're alive, you can keep moving, dammit!"
  1269.  
  1270. "Whoa, language. We're on the fourth lap now."
  1271.  
  1272. "She really seems to want me to keep going."
  1273.  
  1274. "Legs move. Move. Move. They feel so sluggish."
  1275.  
  1276. "I'm in mud, or glue, or tar."
  1277.  
  1278. "I can't go on."
  1279.  
  1280. "I'll go on."
  1281.  
  1282. emi "Final stretch, Hisao! Give it all you've got!"
  1283.  
  1284. "I pump my legs as fast as they'll go."
  1285.  
  1286. "My legs keep refusing to obey my commands."
  1287.  
  1288. "Somehow, I keep moving."
  1289.  
  1290. "Somehow, I finish."
  1291.  
  1292. emi "That's it, Hisao! I knew you had it in you!"
  1293.  
  1294. "The anger Emi showed a lap ago is gone, replaced with pride."
  1295.  
  1296. "She's positively radiant, like she's just won the gold medal or something."
  1297.  
  1298. "I stagger to a stop and fall to my hands and knees, gasping for air."
  1299.  
  1300. "My heart is pounding far harder than it has in a long time."
  1301.  
  1302. "I don't think it's done this since…"
  1303.  
  1304. "Oh God."
  1305.  
  1306. "Please slow down, heart."
  1307.  
  1308. "Just slow down. Stop racing."
  1309.  
  1310. "I cough, and for some reason, feel a grin crossing my face."
  1311.  
  1312. "So this is how I die, huh?"
  1313.  
  1314. "Trying to stay healthy?"
  1315.  
  1316. "How ironic."
  1317.  
  1318. "I'm all ready to give up right there."
  1319.  
  1320. "But then, I feel my heart slow down."
  1321.  
  1322. stop music fadeout 2.0
  1323.  
  1324. "Two hands grab under my arms and tug upwards."
  1325.  
  1326. "I look up and see Emi standing over me, with a mixture of delight and worry."
  1327.  
  1328. emi "On your feet!"
  1329.  
  1330. emi "Come on, you'll never catch your breath that way."
  1331.  
  1332. play music music_nurse fadein 1.0
  1333.  
  1334. "Somehow, I manage to stand. I try to raise my arms above my head, but they feel like lead."
  1335.  
  1336. "I start to walk around the track while Emi keeps close to me, like she's afraid I'll fall over or something."
  1337.  
  1338. "She may not be far off."
  1339.  
  1340. "I feel terrible, and say so."
  1341.  
  1342. "Emi laughs."
  1343.  
  1344. emi "But you finished, didn't you?"
  1345.  
  1346. emi "You said you couldn't, but you did."
  1347.  
  1348. emi "Isn't that worth it?"
  1349.  
  1350. "I'm not sure, and I don't really have the breath to say so."
  1351.  
  1352. "But that small grin I felt on my face earlier hasn't left."
  1353.  
  1354. "So what if my heart's weak?"
  1355.  
  1356. "I still survived this morning."
  1357.  
  1358. "Maybe I'll survive tomorrow, too."
  1359.  
  1360. "Provided I keep taking my pills."
  1361.  
  1362. "As soon as it becomes apparent that I'm not going to suddenly keel over, Emi takes off on her sprints."
  1363.  
  1364. "I don't know how the hell she can manage to sprint after running a mile, but I guess she's in much better shape than me."
  1365.  
  1366. "Once again, as I walk around the track, I can't help watching Emi sprint."
  1367.  
  1368. "It's weird, but she's like a different person when she's pushing herself."
  1369.  
  1370. "Last time I noticed her eyes, but this time it's her mouth that catches my attention."
  1371.  
  1372. "She's not wearing her normal grin."
  1373.  
  1374. "She's still smiling, but there's a tightness to it."
  1375.  
  1376. "It's almost grim, like she's fighting a losing battle but doesn't care."
  1377.  
  1378. "She seems to be running harder, like she did last night."
  1379.  
  1380. "Sweat has started to pour down her face, but she keeps going."
  1381.  
  1382. "Her mouth finally opens as she can no longer get enough air through her nose."
  1383.  
  1384. "As she passes me once more, legs pumping, arms swinging in time, and her lips slightly parted…"
  1385.  
  1386. "She looks beautiful."
  1387.  
  1388. "After we've both taken some laps around the track to cool down, Emi changes back to her usual self."
  1389.  
  1390. "The transformation I saw in her is gone."
  1391.  
  1392. emi "Not bad today, Hisao."
  1393.  
  1394. "There's almost admiration in her voice."
  1395.  
  1396. hi "What do you mean? I would have stopped if you hadn't yelled at me."
  1397.  
  1398. "Emi colors a little, seemingly embarrassed about her outburst."
  1399.  
  1400. emi "Sorry about that, I just…can't stand to see people give up."
  1401.  
  1402. emi "Especially about something like this."
  1403.  
  1404. emi "Saying “I can't go on” is silly when you're obviously going on while you're saying it."
  1405.  
  1406. emi "That's what this is all about."
  1407.  
  1408. hi "What, saying silly things?"
  1409.  
  1410. "Emi sticks her tongue out at me."
  1411.  
  1412. emi "Idiot. I mean showing that you're alive."
  1413.  
  1414. "Showing I'm alive, huh? I didn't know it had to be so painful."
  1415.  
  1416. "But it does feel pretty good, despite that."
  1417.  
  1418. emi "Besides, this is one of the hardest days."
  1419.  
  1420. hi "What do you mean?"
  1421.  
  1422. emi "Whenever you start a workout, it's difficult the first day, really hard the second day, and then the third day is easier."
  1423.  
  1424. emi "You'll still get days that are really hard, but they'll pop up less and less."
  1425.  
  1426. hi "So this will eventually get really easy, huh?"
  1427.  
  1428. emi "Yeah, of course."
  1429.  
  1430. emi "But then you have to increase the difficulty, or you'll never get ahead."
  1431.  
  1432. emi "You'll just get complacent, and you'll lose the sense of accomplishment."
  1433.  
  1434. hi "So I'll have to run more than just four laps, huh?"
  1435.  
  1436. emi "Yep! But not for a while.—You'll have to be careful, you know."
  1437.  
  1438. "A thought strikes Emi, and her face lights up."
  1439.  
  1440. emi "Got it!"
  1441.  
  1442. hi "Got what?"
  1443.  
  1444. emi "You can come with me to see the nurse! That way you won't fall over dead or anything!"
  1445.  
  1446. "How charming."
  1447.  
  1448. hi "Um…when?"
  1449.  
  1450. emi "Right now, of course! You'll need a shower and everything, right? We don't have much time, then!"
  1451.  
  1452. "Grabbing my hand, she's off, pulling me along with her."
  1453.  
  1454. return
  1455.  
  1456. label en_E7:
  1457.  
  1458. play music music_nurse
  1459.  
  1460. scene bg school_nurseoffice
  1461. show nurse neutral
  1462. with locationskip
  1463.  
  1464. nk "Goodness me, you're in a hurry today, aren't you Emi?"
  1465.  
  1466. "I have no idea how we got to the nurse's office so fast, but here we are."
  1467.  
  1468. "The nurse grins at Emi and seems to completely ignore me."
  1469.  
  1470. show nurse neutral at twoleft
  1471. with charamove
  1472.  
  1473. show emi basic_grin_gym at tworight
  1474. with charaenter
  1475.  
  1476. nk "You've got plenty of time to get a shower and get to class, you know."
  1477.  
  1478. nk "There's no need to run through the hallways like that."
  1479.  
  1480. nk "I could hear you coming a mile away!"
  1481.  
  1482. "Somehow, it doesn't seem like he's actually scolding Emi at all."
  1483.  
  1484. "It's like this is a sort of routine between the two of them."
  1485.  
  1486. "Emi does a passable imitation of remorse."
  1487.  
  1488. show emi excited_proud_gym at tworight
  1489. with charachange
  1490.  
  1491. emi "I'm sorry! I won't ever do it again!"
  1492.  
  1493. "The nurse and Emi both laugh at some private joke."
  1494.  
  1495. show emi basic_grin_gym at tworight
  1496. with charachange
  1497.  
  1498. "Suddenly, it seems that he notices me."
  1499.  
  1500. show nurse fabulous at twoleft
  1501. with charachange
  1502.  
  1503. nk "Ah, you're…Hisao, was it?"
  1504.  
  1505. nk "What brings you here?"
  1506.  
  1507. hi "Well, I've been—{w=.3}{nw}"
  1508.  
  1509. emi "Hisao's joined me on my morning runs."
  1510.  
  1511. "I start to explain, but Emi cuts me off."
  1512.  
  1513. show emi basic_happy_gym at tworight
  1514. with charachange
  1515.  
  1516. emi "I thought he might need to visit you so that he doesn't die or anything."
  1517.  
  1518. "The nurse raises his eyebrows in mock horror."
  1519.  
  1520. show nurse grin at twoleft
  1521. with charachange
  1522.  
  1523. nk "Yes, that would certainly put me out of a job fast, wouldn't it?"
  1524.  
  1525. nk "Well then Hisao, let's have a look at you."
  1526.  
  1527. nk "Lift up your shirt, would you?"
  1528.  
  1529. "I'm suddenly very conscious of the fact that Emi's in the room with me and blush in spite of myself."
  1530.  
  1531. "The nurse seems to sense my discomfort, but it only seems to amuse him."
  1532.  
  1533. nk "A bit shy, are we?"
  1534.  
  1535. "He makes an apologetic bow to Emi."
  1536.  
  1537. nk "Sorry Emi, I tried to get you a free show but it doesn't seem to have worked."
  1538.  
  1539. "Emi stiffens slightly and fires a look of annoyance at him."
  1540.  
  1541. show emi basic_annoyed_gym at tworight
  1542. with charachange
  1543.  
  1544. emi "You're an asshole."
  1545.  
  1546. show emi basic_grin_gym at right
  1547. with charamove
  1548.  
  1549. "Emi bows to me apologetically."
  1550.  
  1551. emi "I'll wait outside, okay Hisao?"
  1552.  
  1553. hide emi
  1554. with charaexit
  1555.  
  1556. show nurse grin at center
  1557. show bg school_nurseoffice at bgright
  1558. with charamove
  1559.  
  1560. "I begin to stammer that it's not really a big deal, she doesn't have to leave, but she's already out the door and the nurse is laughing as he watches her go."
  1561.  
  1562. nk "Still got it! Ha!"
  1563.  
  1564. hi "I don't follow."
  1565.  
  1566. "He laughs again, like he's in on some joke that's over my head."
  1567.  
  1568. show nurse neutral at center
  1569. with charachange
  1570.  
  1571. nk "I can still get her flustered. It's a competition of sorts we've had going on for a while now."
  1572.  
  1573. "That sounds incredibly sinister to me, and it seems as if the nurse realizes that too."
  1574.  
  1575. nk "That sounded a lot worse than it actually is, come to think of it."
  1576.  
  1577. hi "I wasn't going to say anything…"
  1578.  
  1579. show nurse concern at center
  1580. with charachange
  1581.  
  1582. nk "No, you're right. I should fill you in so that I don't lose my job."
  1583.  
  1584. "I guess he's worried that I'm getting the wrong idea."
  1585.  
  1586. nk "I'm actually relatively new here, you see. I got hired on the same year Emi started going here."
  1587.  
  1588. nk "Before that, I worked with Emi during her initial rehab following her accident."
  1589.  
  1590. nk "We had to amputate her legs after a really nasty car wreck. It nearly killed her, and succeeded—well, that's not my place to say."
  1591.  
  1592. "He seems embarrassed, like he's done something stupid."
  1593.  
  1594. "I wave a hand to let him know it's not a big deal."
  1595.  
  1596. #"Emi's already told me about the accident, after all."
  1597.  
  1598. #hi "I know. She told me about it."
  1599.  
  1600. #"The nurse raises an eyebrow at this statement, as if he's surprised-but-not-really."
  1601. #Lines remarked since Emi HASN'T told Hisao about her accident. Either save this for later or, and I advise so, rework subbing the clear info about the accident with more vague info about her rehab.
  1602. #Also, need to match to info in E24. -SC
  1603.  
  1604. nk "Probably one of the first things she told you, too. Get it out in the open immediately. That's just like her."
  1605.  
  1606. "He almost seems proud of her, like a father who watches his daughter win a track meet or something."
  1607.  
  1608. show nurse neutral at center
  1609. with charachange
  1610.  
  1611. nk "She's quite indomitable, you know."
  1612.  
  1613. hi "What do you mean?"
  1614.  
  1615. nk "You didn't see her learning to walk. She'd go for so much longer than the others in the hospital. She refused to quit."
  1616.  
  1617. nk "Normally it takes years to get to a point where you can even think about running again. Emi did it all in about a year."
  1618.  
  1619. nk "Hell, she'd probably have done it faster if not for the fact that we wouldn't let her."
  1620.  
  1621. hi "Wouldn't let her? Why not?"
  1622.  
  1623. show nurse concern at center
  1624. with charachange
  1625.  
  1626. nk "Because she'd go for so long that her legs would start bleeding where they met her prosthetics."
  1627.  
  1628. nk "It's a real problem—it's why she comes by every day after she runs."
  1629.  
  1630. nk "To say nothing of the risk of infection—if her legs get cut up and her prosthetics are dirty."
  1631.  
  1632. nk "It would be a real problem for her."
  1633.  
  1634. show nurse fabulous at center
  1635. with charachange
  1636.  
  1637. nk "But enough about that."
  1638.  
  1639. nk "If we don't get you on your way soon Emi will think we're up to something."
  1640.  
  1641. "As he says this, he gives a wink and begins checking my heartbeat."
  1642.  
  1643. "The stethoscope is way too cold."
  1644.  
  1645. "He really should have heated it up or something before he used it."
  1646.  
  1647. "After a few moments he leans back, satisfied."
  1648.  
  1649. show nurse neutral at center
  1650. with charachange
  1651.  
  1652. nk "Well, you sound pretty good to me, Hisao. You didn't have any chest pains while you were running, did you?"
  1653.  
  1654. hi "No, not really. I had some trouble catching my breath, though—and my heart was racing by the end, too."
  1655.  
  1656. show nurse concern at center
  1657. with charachange
  1658.  
  1659. "The nurse frowns as I say this, but then shrugs."
  1660.  
  1661. show nurse neutral at center
  1662. with charachange
  1663.  
  1664. nk "It's probably just because you're out of shape… But if you don't improve, then you should let me know, okay?"
  1665.  
  1666. nk "Don't push yourself too much—and of course if you have any chest pains, come to me immediately, right?"
  1667.  
  1668. "I put my shirt back on, and the nurse leans out of the doorway to call in Emi."
  1669.  
  1670. show emi basic_annoyed_gym at offscreenright
  1671. with None
  1672.  
  1673. show nurse neutral at twoleft
  1674. show emi basic_annoyed_gym at tworight
  1675. show bg school_nurseoffice at center
  1676. with charamove
  1677.  
  1678. emi "What took you so long? Now I'm going to be late!"
  1679.  
  1680. stop music fadeout 1.5
  1681.  
  1682. show nurse fabulous at twoleft
  1683. with charaenter
  1684.  
  1685. "The nurse gives me a significant look."
  1686.  
  1687. nk "I was just seducing Hisao, that's all."
  1688.  
  1689. play music music_comedy fadein 0.5
  1690.  
  1691. emi "What!? Nurse, what have I told you about seducing my friends?"
  1692.  
  1693. "I'd expected Emi to be shocked by this, but instead she seems merely annoyed, scolding the nurse as if he were a child stealing cookies."
  1694.  
  1695. "Meanwhile, I try hard not to blush at the nurse's innuendo."
  1696.  
  1697. nk "I'll try not to do it again, though I fear young Hisao may be lost to the female gender forever!"
  1698.  
  1699. hi "Not bloody likely."
  1700.  
  1701. show nurse grin at twoleft
  1702. show emi excited_laugh_gym at tworight
  1703. with charachange
  1704.  
  1705. "I didn't mean to say that out loud, but both the nurse and Emi regard me for a moment before bursting into laughter again."
  1706.  
  1707. emi "Told you he was funny, didn't I?"
  1708.  
  1709. "Huh. I guess Emi talks to the nurse about a lot of stuff."
  1710.  
  1711. show emi basic_grin_gym at tworight
  1712. with charachange
  1713.  
  1714. nk "Well Hisao, you should probably get moving. You still need a shower before class starts, don't you?"
  1715.  
  1716. "Crap! He's got a point, and it looks like I've only got a half hour!"
  1717.  
  1718. hi "Thanks for your time. I'll see you later, Emi!"
  1719.  
  1720. scene bg school_hallway3
  1721. with locationchange
  1722.  
  1723. "I dash out of the room as the nurse begins to remove Emi's prosthetics."
  1724.  
  1725. "As I head down the hallway, I can just barely hear his voice drifting after me."
  1726.  
  1727. nk "Emi, you've got to be more careful…"
  1728.  
  1729. stop music fadeout 1.0
  1730.  
  1731. scene bg school_dormhisao
  1732. with locationskip
  1733.  
  1734. "I make it back to my room and shower in record time. It occurs to me that I've already been up for four hours and class hasn't even started yet."
  1735.  
  1736. "This is going to be a really, really long day."
  1737.  
  1738. "I hope I don't fall asleep in class or anything."
  1739.  
  1740. scene black
  1741. with fade
  1742.  
  1743. return
  1744.  
  1745. label en_E8:
  1746.  
  1747. "The morning sunlight streaming through my window wakes me up instead of my alarm, and I realize that it must be Sunday."
  1748.  
  1749. "Emi had kindly deigned to give me weekends off from our morning runs."
  1750.  
  1751. "I don't actually know if I woke up at all yesterday, or if I just slept through the entire day."
  1752.  
  1753. "My legs groan in protest as I lever myself out of bed."
  1754.  
  1755. "All this running has really taken it out of me."
  1756.  
  1757. "Still, I can't deny that Emi wasn't lying to me."
  1758.  
  1759. "It has gotten a little easier."
  1760.  
  1761. "I'd been worried that the runs would start to wear on my nerves, but thus far I haven't minded them that much."
  1762.  
  1763. "Well, it's only been a week."
  1764.  
  1765. "I suppose there's plenty of time for me to start dreading the sound of my alarm in the morning."
  1766.  
  1767. "Not that I could ever skip out now."
  1768.  
  1769. "As Emi said, it's harder to stop a routine when there's another person."
  1770.  
  1771. "And frankly, I don't think I'm equipped to deal with a disappointed Emi."
  1772.  
  1773. "She'd give me those puppy-dog eyes and I'd feel terrible about myself, probably."
  1774.  
  1775. "Which reminds me…wasn't I supposed to be somewhere today?"
  1776.  
  1777. #Flashback go go go
  1778. emi "Hey, you're coming to my track meet on Sunday, right?"
  1779.  
  1780. emi "What am I talking about, of course you are."
  1781.  
  1782. emi "Right?"
  1783.  
  1784. "Those puppy-dog eyes again."
  1785.  
  1786. hi "Of course I'm going!"
  1787.  
  1788. hi "I owe you, right?"
  1789.  
  1790. emi "Exactly! So don't forget, okay?"
  1791.  
  1792. #That is enough flashbacking Jesus Christ stop it already you should be ashamed of yourself.
  1793.  
  1794. "Crap! Emi's track meet!"
  1795.  
  1796. "I'd better get a move on if I don't want to miss her running."
  1797.  
  1798. "Which, considering she's the only reason I'm even entertaining the idea of going, would defeat the whole purpose of going."
  1799.  
  1800. "So it is that I find myself quite suddenly surrounded by a crowd of people, all turning out to see our track team compete with another school like this one."
  1801.  
  1802. "I'll admit it, it's almost comforting to know we're not the only school like this."
  1803.  
  1804. "After you see that there can be {b}two{/b} schools with a bunch of…defective kids, well."
  1805.  
  1806. "You stop feeling so defective."
  1807.  
  1808. "You also stop feeling unique, which in most cases would be a bad thing, but in this case it sure as hell isn't."
  1809.  
  1810. "Which is part of Yamaku's draw, I suppose."
  1811.  
  1812. "Learn you're not unique—hell, learn there's a lot of others who would {b}kill{/b} to be saddled with your problem instead of whatever they're dealing with."
  1813.  
  1814. "Some of the kids here aren't here because they're missing a leg or they have a heart condition."
  1815.  
  1816. "Some of them are here because they're as good as dead in two, maybe three years if they're lucky."
  1817.  
  1818. "And that's only if they get the right sort of care."
  1819.  
  1820. "It's a bitter sort of comfort to be able to say “Well, at least I've got a {b}chance{/b} of being alive through college,” but there it is."
  1821.  
  1822. "I'm brought out of my rather morbid musings by the appearance of Rin at the entrance to the bleachers."
  1823.  
  1824. rin "You came."
  1825.  
  1826. hi "Of course. I said I would, didn't I?"
  1827.  
  1828. rin "That doesn't necessarily imply that you had to follow through."
  1829.  
  1830. rin "Lots of people say things and don't mean them."
  1831.  
  1832. hi "Well, I don't."
  1833.  
  1834. "Rin shrugs, and seemingly bored with our conversation, turns to enter the stadium."
  1835.  
  1836. rin "I owe Emi money now."
  1837.  
  1838. hi "Why's that?"
  1839.  
  1840. rin "I didn't think you'd show up."
  1841.  
  1842. rin "Emi did."
  1843.  
  1844. rin "So I owe her 500 yen."
  1845.  
  1846. hi "You two bet an awful lot, don't you?"
  1847.  
  1848. "Another shrug from my armless companion."
  1849.  
  1850. rin "I don't think so."
  1851.  
  1852. "We enter the stadium, and Rin nods upwards into the bleachers."
  1853.  
  1854. rin "Up there."
  1855.  
  1856. rin "I came out to see if you'd come."
  1857.  
  1858. "For the bet, I presume."
  1859.  
  1860. "Rin leads the way, and soon we've settled down on an almost empty bench."
  1861.  
  1862. "There's an older woman sitting next to Rin—someone's parent, I assume."
  1863.  
  1864. "She's got rather long hair done up in a braid, and a grin on her face at seeing Rin that seems oddly familiar."
  1865.  
  1866. "Woman" "Well, this is surprising."
  1867.  
  1868. "Woman" "I thought you went to get a snack, not a boy."
  1869.  
  1870. hi "Huh?"
  1871.  
  1872. rin "A snack?"
  1873.  
  1874. rin "I wondered why I was down there."
  1875.  
  1876. "The woman laughs, again in a way that seems familiar."
  1877.  
  1878. "Where have I seen her before?"
  1879.  
  1880. "Woman" "Well, I suppose you've always been one to go out for one thing and bring back another."
  1881.  
  1882. "Woman" "But I'm being rude! I haven't introduced myself."
  1883.  
  1884. "Woman" "I'm Emi's mother, Mrs. Ibarazaki."
  1885.  
  1886. emm "Pleased to meet you."
  1887.  
  1888. "Well, that explains it."
  1889.  
  1890. "She's like a taller, older, (better endowed, a voice identified as my sex drive notes) Emi."
  1891.  
  1892. "Apart from the brown hair instead of Emi's blonde, there's really no mistaking the resemblance."
  1893.  
  1894. hi "Sorry, I'm Hisao. Hisao Nakai."
  1895.  
  1896. hi "And really, you don't have to apologize for not introducing yourself."
  1897.  
  1898. hi "That's really Rin's job in this situation, isn't it?"
  1899.  
  1900. "Another laugh from Emi's mother."
  1901.  
  1902. emm "I take it you've not known Rin for that long, then."
  1903.  
  1904. emm "It's best not to expect her to remember something like that."
  1905.  
  1906. emm "She's got other things to think about, I assume."
  1907.  
  1908. "Rin nods, seeming pleased by this assessment."
  1909.  
  1910. rin "She's right."
  1911.  
  1912. rin "I was thinking about sunsets."
  1913.  
  1914. emm "You see? It's really up to us to make introductions and the like."
  1915.  
  1916. "For lack of any better response, I nod."
  1917.  
  1918. "Mrs. Ibarazaki leans back a little on her seat and raises an eyebrow."
  1919.  
  1920. emm "So, how long have you and Rin been dating?"
  1921.  
  1922. "My response consists of silence as my brain lurches into gear, but just before I can begin a hastily babbled explanation Emi's mother bursts into laughter again."
  1923.  
  1924. emm "Ha! You're a blusher, aren't you?"
  1925.  
  1926. "I don't know if there's any way to keep my dignity in this situation, so I settle for a muttered response."
  1927.  
  1928. hi "Maybe."
  1929.  
  1930. emm "So this must be a new romance then, mustn't it?"
  1931.  
  1932. hi "We're not—" #reminder for the potential {nw} break
  1933.  
  1934. "Another laugh."
  1935.  
  1936. emm "I know that Hisao, but it's funny to watch you squirm."
  1937.  
  1938. emm "I'm sorry. Forgive an old woman her amusements."
  1939.  
  1940. "Old woman?"
  1941.  
  1942. "She sure doesn't look that old to me."
  1943.  
  1944. "Clearly Emi gets her youthful features from her mother."
  1945.  
  1946. hi "I suppose I can let it go."
  1947.  
  1948. emm "How kind of you."
  1949.  
  1950. rin "It's starting."
  1951.  
  1952. "I direct my attention to the track, where they're preparing for the first sprint."
  1953.  
  1954. "It looks like the 400m dash."
  1955.  
  1956. "My eyes scan the runners, before finding Emi."
  1957.  
  1958. "She's smiling, with an almost cocky look on her face."
  1959.  
  1960. "The starter raises his pistol and fires."
  1961.  
  1962. "Emi explodes off the block, disappearing from the starting line in a blur."
  1963.  
  1964. "It's amazing."
  1965.  
  1966. "By the time she rounds the final turn, a few of the other runners have caught up with her."
  1967.  
  1968. "But she puts on a final burst of speed that leaves them at least a half second behind."
  1969.  
  1970. "Mrs. Ibarazaki whoops and cheers, applauding wildly and generally looking like any other parent at a sporting meet."
  1971.  
  1972. "Emi bounds off the track looking pleased with herself."
  1973.  
  1974. "I cheer right along with the rest."
  1975.  
  1976. "The announcer (sounding suspiciously like Misha), gleefully gives the results."
  1977.  
  1978. emm "I think she's gotten faster since the last time."
  1979.  
  1980. hi "That was incredible."
  1981.  
  1982. "Mrs. Ibarazaki grins proudly."
  1983.  
  1984. emm "Emi's a heck of a runner."
  1985.  
  1986. "We fall silent as the next event prepares to start."
  1987.  
  1988. "I'm surprised to see Emi striding out on the track again."
  1989.  
  1990. hi "Wait, didn't she just run?"
  1991.  
  1992. "Emi's mother nods."
  1993.  
  1994. emm "Yes, but she runs multiple events for the team."
  1995.  
  1996. emm "Especially the sprints."
  1997.  
  1998. emm "It's a lot of running, but Emi can handle it."
  1999.  
  2000. "From the looks of things, she's right."
  2001.  
  2002. "Emi doesn't appear to be tired, or indeed to have run the previous event at all."
  2003.  
  2004. "If not for the sweat visible on her shirt, you'd never know."
  2005.  
  2006. hi "Which event is this?"
  2007.  
  2008. emm "The 200m."
  2009.  
  2010. emm "Emi will do this one, the 100m, and the relay."
  2011.  
  2012. hi "I see."
  2013.  
  2014. "Once again the starter's pistol sounds, and once again Emi flies off the block."
  2015.  
  2016. "A thumping sound draws my attention away from the race."
  2017.  
  2018. "It's Rin's foot."
  2019.  
  2020. "She seems completely absorbed in the race."
  2021.  
  2022. "Emi's mother cheers again, and I assume that the race is over."
  2023.  
  2024. "Sprints don't seem to me like they'd take a long time to complete."
  2025.  
  2026. hi "Your foot."
  2027.  
  2028. rin "Hmm?"
  2029.  
  2030. hi "Your foot was bouncing on the bleachers."
  2031.  
  2032. rin "Oh."
  2033.  
  2034. hi "You seem pretty into this stuff."
  2035.  
  2036. hi "I'm surprised."
  2037.  
  2038. "Rin looks at me quizzically."
  2039.  
  2040. rin "Why wouldn't I be?"
  2041.  
  2042. hi "No reason, I just thought stuff like sports wouldn't interest you."
  2043.  
  2044. rin "Hmm, I suppose you're right."
  2045.  
  2046. rin "It's not that interesting."
  2047.  
  2048. rin "But I'm watching Emi, not the sport."
  2049.  
  2050. hi "I don't follow."
  2051.  
  2052. rin "Emi's the most Emi when she runs."
  2053.  
  2054. rin "You don't get to see Emi at her Emiest very often."
  2055.  
  2056. rin "But here you can, see?"
  2057.  
  2058. "She directs my attention toward the track again, where the 100m is about to start."
  2059.  
  2060. "I watch Emi closely."
  2061.  
  2062. "As she gets into the starter's blocks, her whole body seems to relax, but it's a false relaxation."
  2063.  
  2064. "I can see that she's actually like a coiled spring."
  2065.  
  2066. "As the starter tells everyone to get set, her head snaps up, and her eyes narrow slightly."
  2067.  
  2068. "Her mouth curls upward in what could be a grin and could be a growl."
  2069.  
  2070. "When the pistol goes off, it's as if she's been unleashed from a cage, like she was always moving at her blinding speed but we couldn't see until the starter's pistol dispelled the illusion of her motionlessness."
  2071.  
  2072. "It's all over in a few seconds, but in those few seconds I feel like I just witnessed something very personal for Emi."
  2073.  
  2074. "As soon as she crossed the finish line, the fierce look was replaced by her normal grin."
  2075.  
  2076. "The conquering general returning to his farm."
  2077.  
  2078. hi "Amazing."
  2079.  
  2080. hi "She's really amazing."
  2081.  
  2082. hi "I've never seen someone move that fast."
  2083.  
  2084. emm "Well don't look at me, I'm far too relaxed to run that fast."
  2085.  
  2086. emm "No, I think Emi's prowess all came from her father's side."
  2087.  
  2088. "At the mention of Emi's father, Mrs. Ibarazaki looks wistful, almost sad."
  2089.  
  2090. emm "He got her into running, you know."
  2091.  
  2092. hi "Yeah, she told me."
  2093.  
  2094. "I'm uncertain as to whether or not it would be rude of me to ask after Emi's father."
  2095.  
  2096. "But after that look on her face a few nights ago, I feel compelled to ask."
  2097.  
  2098. hi "Where is her father now, if I might ask?"
  2099.  
  2100. "Emi's mother hesitates, clearly not willing to answer the question but at the same time not wishing to appear rude."
  2101.  
  2102. emm "He…isn't around anymore."
  2103.  
  2104. emm "He died almost eight years ago."
  2105.  
  2106. hi "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."
  2107.  
  2108. hi "Emi just seemed a little sad when she mentioned him earlier."
  2109.  
  2110. emm "That's not surprising, considering."
  2111.  
  2112. hi "Hmm?"
  2113.  
  2114. emm "They were very close."
  2115.  
  2116. hi "I see."
  2117.  
  2118. "A beeping noise suddenly eminates from Mrs. Ibarazaki's pocket, and she pulls out a cell phone."
  2119.  
  2120. emm "Honestly, text messages?"
  2121.  
  2122. emm "What is he, sixteen?"
  2123.  
  2124. hi "Hmm?"
  2125.  
  2126. emm "Oh, nothing."
  2127.  
  2128. emm "I've got to go meet up with a friend of mine."
  2129.  
  2130. emm "Tell Emi that I'm very proud of her and I'll call her later tonight, won't you?"
  2131.  
  2132. hi "Of course."
  2133.  
  2134. "For a while, I'll admit that I zone out."
  2135.  
  2136. "I almost don't notice that the relay's about to begin."
  2137.  
  2138. "I don't see Emi."
  2139.  
  2140. hi "I thought Emi ran the relay."
  2141.  
  2142. rin "She runs anchor."
  2143.  
  2144. rin "So she won't be runnning for a while yet."
  2145.  
  2146. hi "Ah."
  2147.  
  2148. rin "Did you see it?"
  2149.  
  2150. hi "Huh?"
  2151.  
  2152. rin "Emi at her Emiest."
  2153.  
  2154. hi "Maybe."
  2155.  
  2156. rin "Hmm. Maybe this time."
  2157.  
  2158. "The race begins, and I cheer Emi's teammates along as they pass the baton."
  2159.  
  2160. "Finally, I see Emi sprinting on to the track to take the final handoff."
  2161.  
  2162. "Once again I'm taken aback by how graceful she looks when she runs."
  2163.  
  2164. "It really is beautiful."
  2165.  
  2166. "And with that look of determination and fearlessness on her face, it only adds to the picture."
  2167.  
  2168. "Emi at her Emiest, I suppose."
  2169.  
  2170. "But then, as she crosses the finish line, I see her stumble slightly."
  2171.  
  2172. "It's only slightly, but it's a definite stumble."
  2173.  
  2174. "Rin inhales sharply, and actually looks concerned for a second."
  2175.  
  2176. rin "Aw, Emi…"
  2177.  
  2178. hi "Did she hurt herself, do you think?"
  2179.  
  2180. "Rin seems surprised."
  2181.  
  2182. rin "You noticed it too?"
  2183.  
  2184. rin "It must be bad."
  2185.  
  2186. "She frowns, as if deciding on the next course of action."
  2187.  
  2188. "Eventually that proves to be too tiresome, and she shrugs again."
  2189.  
  2190. rin "Well, let's go down."
  2191.  
  2192. rin "Gotta crown the victor."
  2193.  
  2194. rin "See if you can find an olive branch."
  2195.  
  2196. hi "They seem scarce."
  2197.  
  2198. "Rin shrugs."
  2199.  
  2200. rin "At least we tried."
  2201.  
  2202. "Well, we didn't really try all that hard."
  2203.  
  2204. "Or at all."
  2205.  
  2206. "But hey, whatever."
  2207.  
  2208. "Emi is surrounded by her teammates, all of them congratulating her on the run."
  2209.  
  2210. "Rin seems to be waiting for Emi to notice that she's arrived."
  2211.  
  2212. "Oh yeah, I guess she can't exactly wave Emi over."
  2213.  
  2214. "Then again, I'm not sure that Rin would do such a thing even if she had arms."
  2215.  
  2216. "It doesn't seem her style to draw attention to herself."
  2217.  
  2218. "Or to emote beyond shrugging."
  2219.  
  2220. "Either way, I'm not willing to wait, so I wave to Emi, who looks up and grins happily at me—er, us."
  2221.  
  2222. emi "Hey, you showed up!"
  2223.  
  2224. emi "Guess Rin owes me money, huh?"
  2225.  
  2226. rin "We would have brought you a crown of olives, but Hisao didn't find one."
  2227.  
  2228. hi "Hey, neither did you."
  2229.  
  2230. rin "It wasn't my job to look."
  2231.  
  2232. hi "When did we assign jobs?"
  2233.  
  2234. rin "When I said “See if you can find an olive branch.”"
  2235.  
  2236. rin "Try to keep up."
  2237.  
  2238. "I shrug. Guess Rin's rubbing off on me."
  2239.  
  2240. hi "Sorry, guess it's my fault, Emi."
  2241.  
  2242. "Emi laughs at Rin and I."
  2243.  
  2244. emi "It's okay, I'm sure you'll make it up to me somehow."
  2245.  
  2246. hi "Uh, sure."
  2247.  
  2248. emi "Good! How'd I look?"
  2249.  
  2250. "I stop myself from blurting out “beautiful” or “amazing” and settle for the substantially safer “Very impressive.”"
  2251.  
  2252. "Emi seems pleased by this assessment."
  2253.  
  2254. "I don't mention how much more impressive her performance is given her lack of legs, because I figure she knows that already."
  2255.  
  2256. "Also, it seems like it would take away from her efforts, somehow."
  2257.  
  2258. emi "Great to hear! I was worried that I looked a little slow on the relay, but I guess I did fine, huh?"
  2259.  
  2260. hi "Actually, I noticed—" #reminder for the potential {nw} break
  2261.  
  2262. "Rin kicks me and keeps me from finishing my sentence."
  2263.  
  2264. "Emi looks confused."
  2265.  
  2266. emi "What was that all about?"
  2267.  
  2268. rin "He noticed it. At the end."
  2269.  
  2270. "Emi frowns."
  2271.  
  2272. emi "Hmm, that's no good."
  2273.  
  2274. emi "Guess the nurse will look at it for me later."
  2275.  
  2276. "There's a carelessness in her voice, as if it isn't a big deal, but I quite suddenly notice a slight twitch on her face."
  2277.  
  2278. "Like she's trying to hide the fact that she's in pain."
  2279.  
  2280. "It's then that I notice her breathing is a little shallow, too."
  2281.  
  2282. "I guess she really is hurt."
  2283.  
  2284. "She must notice my concern, because she quite suddenly skips up to me and gives me a friendly pat on the shoulder."
  2285.  
  2286. emi "Hey, you look a little worried!"
  2287.  
  2288. emi "I'm fine, really!"
  2289.  
  2290. emi "Just sore from all the running, is all."
  2291.  
  2292. emi "And come on, a little pain isn't going to stop me."
  2293.  
  2294. hi "Oh no?"
  2295.  
  2296. "Emi grins, and for a moment she looks like she did during her sprint, fierce and unconquerable."
  2297.  
  2298. "Or to put it another way, really beautiful."
  2299.  
  2300. emi "Hasn't yet."
  2301.  
  2302. hi "Well then."
  2303.  
  2304. hi "I guess I shouldn't worry, huh?"
  2305.  
  2306. emi "Damn right! I'm Emi Ibarazaki, fastest thing on no legs!"
  2307.  
  2308. emi "I don't stop for anything!"
  2309.  
  2310. hi "Impressive."
  2311.  
  2312. "Emi giggles, and then seems to remember something."
  2313.  
  2314. emi "Oh, before I forget:"
  2315.  
  2316. emi "Rin and I are going to do something next Saturday as a post-track meet celebration!"
  2317.  
  2318. emi "You should come along!"
  2319.  
  2320. emi "Normally we do it the day after, but since the track meet was on a Sunday I've got homework and class and all that stuff to take care of."
  2321.  
  2322. emi "Plus our morning run, of course."
  2323.  
  2324. hi "Right, of course."
  2325.  
  2326. hi "Oh yeah, your mother says she's proud of you."
  2327.  
  2328. hi "And she'll call you later tonight."
  2329.  
  2330. "Emi's grin grows wider."
  2331.  
  2332. emi "I thought I saw her in the stands!"
  2333.  
  2334. emi "I'm glad she made it!"
  2335.  
  2336. emi "Used to be my dad showed up to my meets, but Mom's done a pretty good job of taking over."
  2337.  
  2338. "She shivers slightly, and I realize that she's still all sweaty."
  2339.  
  2340. "A breeze has started to blow, too."
  2341.  
  2342. "I'm not cold at all, and I've got my jacket with me, so without a word I throw it around her shoulders."
  2343.  
  2344. "Emi jumps slightly and then grins at me."
  2345.  
  2346. emi "Hey, thanks!"
  2347.  
  2348. emi "It's getting a little cold, I guess."
  2349.  
  2350. hi "Yeah, looked like it."
  2351.  
  2352. "Just as I begin to wonder whether or not giving Emi my jacket could be taken the wrong way, a boy in a track uniform approaches."
  2353.  
  2354. "Teammate" "Hey, Emi! You're going to miss the medal ceremony!"
  2355.  
  2356. emi "Oh yeah, thanks!"
  2357.  
  2358. "She turns to Rin and myself."
  2359.  
  2360. emi "You don't have to stick around for this part."
  2361.  
  2362. emi "It takes forever."
  2363.  
  2364. emi "Besides, you should get cracking on your homework so you aren't up too late, Hisao."
  2365.  
  2366. emi "Morning run tomorrow! Don't forget!"
  2367.  
  2368. hi "How could I?"
  2369.  
  2370. emi "Good point. I mean it's spending time with {b}me{/b}, after all."
  2371.  
  2372. "With this, she waves quickly and dashes off to receive her medals, or whatever they happen to be passing off as medals these days."
  2373.  
  2374. "Rin and I head away from the track, Rin remaining deep in whatever thoughts it is she has for most of the walk back to her dorm."
  2375.  
  2376. "As I see her off, she speaks up."
  2377.  
  2378. rin "You're probably not getting that coat back, I think."
  2379.  
  2380. hi "I'm sure I'll get it back eventually."
  2381.  
  2382. rin "Interesting. Take it as it comes, huh?"
  2383.  
  2384. rin "Very Emi-ish."
  2385.  
  2386. "With this odd statement, she turns and heads into the building."
  2387.  
  2388. "Honestly, was it that big of a deal?"
  2389.  
  2390. "Emi was cold, and unless I'm mistaken, in pain."
  2391.  
  2392. "Giving her a solution to at least one of those problems seems like an obvious reaction."
  2393.  
  2394. "Though I guess there is a chance I could lose my jacket if Emi never remembers to return it."
  2395.  
  2396. "I guess Rin has a point."
  2397.  
  2398. "Still, I can't bring myself to muster much worry over the whole thing."
  2399.  
  2400. "After all, it's been getting warmer lately."
  2401.  
  2402. "I don't need a jacket."
  2403.  
  2404. "Odd. I think I used to be a little more responsible with my stuff."
  2405.  
  2406. "“Emi-ish,” huh?"
  2407.  
  2408. "Maybe that's not really a bad thing."
  2409.  
  2410. return
  2411.  
  2412. label en_E9:
  2413.  
  2414. play music music_nurse fadein 0.5
  2415.  
  2416. nk "You haven't been forgetting to take your medicine, have you?"
  2417.  
  2418. scene bg school_nurseoffice
  2419. with fade
  2420.  
  2421. nk "I'm catching a little murmur."
  2422.  
  2423. nk "You should take it easy for a few days."
  2424.  
  2425. "The nurse's words hurt me far more than the exhaustion of the morning run ever could."
  2426.  
  2427. "Take it easy for a few days?"
  2428.  
  2429. "I knew I should have kept quiet."
  2430.  
  2431. "I keep my eyes on the floor, feeling like a complete idiot."
  2432.  
  2433. "Of course I hadn't been remembering to take my medicine."
  2434.  
  2435. "I've been rushing out of my room to get to the track before Emi."
  2436.  
  2437. "After the track meet a few days ago, I felt…inspired."
  2438.  
  2439. "So I've been running warm-up laps in the morning before Emi shows up."
  2440.  
  2441. "But then today while Emi and I were running I felt a little pain in my chest."
  2442.  
  2443. "It was only slight, and it was only for a second, so I mentioned it to the nurse."
  2444.  
  2445. hi "Honestly, it wasn't that bad."
  2446.  
  2447. hi "I mean I kept running and finished just fine, so really it couldn't have been that bad…"
  2448.  
  2449. "Why do I feel like I'm making excuses to the nurse?"
  2450.  
  2451. "Moreover, why do I feel a need to justify continuing to run despite the pain?"
  2452.  
  2453. "Really it comes down to my being unwilling to concern Emi, who seemed concerned anyway."
  2454.  
  2455. "I'm not sure how she was able to tell there was anything wrong, but she claims I stumbled a little."
  2456.  
  2457. "She's the one who insisted I tell the nurse, so now I feel bad for worrying her at all."
  2458.  
  2459. "The nurse is shaking his head ruefully while Emi paces outside the room."
  2460.  
  2461. nk "Hisao, I know it's difficult for you get into a new routine, but if you don't want to find yourself in a lot of trouble you're going to have to try harder."
  2462.  
  2463. nk "You can't afford to forget your pills."
  2464.  
  2465. nk "And you can't push yourself too hard."
  2466.  
  2467. hi "But if I don't push myself, how will I improve?"
  2468.  
  2469. "I don't know where that came from."
  2470.  
  2471. "The nurse seems to have an idea."
  2472.  
  2473. nk "Now where have I heard that before?"
  2474.  
  2475. "He laughs and pats me on the shoulder."
  2476.  
  2477. nk "Ha! She's rubbing off on you, I guess."
  2478.  
  2479. "His expression changes again, and he's back in serious-mode."
  2480.  
  2481. nk "Look, I'm not saying you shouldn't push yourself."
  2482.  
  2483. nk "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be taking your medication,"
  2484.  
  2485. nk "And it doesn't mean you shouldn't stop if your chest starts to bother you."
  2486.  
  2487. nk "I'd prefer not to have any fatalities while I'm on staff here."
  2488.  
  2489. nk "A bit of a lofty goal, to be sure, but I'm always up for a challenge."
  2490.  
  2491. "I hate to admit it, but I think he's right."
  2492.  
  2493. "I've got to remember to take my medication."
  2494.  
  2495. hi "You're right. I'm sorry to worry you."
  2496.  
  2497. nk "Who's worried? You're a smart kid, right?"
  2498.  
  2499. nk "I know you can be responsible, Hisao. A situation like yours, you've got to learn to be responsible fast."
  2500.  
  2501. hi "I know, I know."
  2502.  
  2503. "His expression suddenly becomes devious."
  2504.  
  2505. nk "I suppose you've started to enjoy your runs with Emi then, eh?"
  2506.  
  2507. hi "Yeah, they've really been helping me."
  2508.  
  2509. hi "I mean until today I was feeling a lot more healthy."
  2510.  
  2511. hi "Plus it's really impressive to see Emi run. Did you see her at the track meet?"
  2512.  
  2513. hi "She was incredible!"
  2514.  
  2515. "The nurse nods, grinning all the while."
  2516.  
  2517. nk "That she was, Hisao. I watched her first couple of races before I had some business to take care of, but she told me all about it."
  2518.  
  2519. nk "Kind of you to loan her your jacket, by the way."
  2520.  
  2521. hi "Huh? Oh yeah, it wasn't that big of a deal."
  2522.  
  2523. "I had honestly forgotten all about that. I still haven't gotten it back."
  2524.  
  2525. "The nurse gets a smile that makes me feel like he's just made a joke."
  2526.  
  2527. nk "Not to you, but Emi certainly appreciated it."
  2528.  
  2529. nk "And I know she appreciates your running with her in the mornings."
  2530.  
  2531. "This one catches me off guard a little. Sure, she mentioned that it's easier to keep to a schedule with an extra person, but I didn't think that I was doing her a favor at all."
  2532.  
  2533. hi "I thought she was doing me the favor of helping me follow the doctor's orders."
  2534.  
  2535. nk "She tries harder when you're around."
  2536.  
  2537. nk "If there's someone else running with her, she's going to push herself more."
  2538.  
  2539. nk "And she tries even harder when you're around because, well, it's you."
  2540.  
  2541. hi "What the heck does that mean?"
  2542.  
  2543. nk "Oh ho, you'd love to know, wouldn't you?"
  2544.  
  2545. "He laughs in the style of evil megalomaniacs."
  2546.  
  2547. nk "No seriously, it's because you're her friend."
  2548.  
  2549. nk "If Rin ran with her, I'm sure she'd do the same."
  2550.  
  2551. nk "Well, probably."
  2552.  
  2553. nk "But that's not the point."
  2554.  
  2555. nk "The point is, you're helping her, even if you don't know you are."
  2556.  
  2557. nk "And she's grateful for that, even if she never says it."
  2558.  
  2559. hi "What do you mean “even if she never says it?”"
  2560.  
  2561. nk "Emi doesn't talk a lot, but she and I have known each other long enough that I can read her most of the time."
  2562.  
  2563. "I'll admit it. I have no idea what he's talking about."
  2564.  
  2565. "Emi always seems pretty talkative to me."
  2566.  
  2567. hi "I see."
  2568.  
  2569. "The nurse suddenly realizes that he's been rambling and stops talking, looking a little embarassed."
  2570.  
  2571. nk "Anyway, you don't have to stop doing your morning exercise."
  2572.  
  2573. nk "Just walk the track instead of running for a few days. Let things calm down."
  2574.  
  2575. nk "And take your damned medicine!"
  2576.  
  2577. scene bg school_hallway3
  2578. with locationchange
  2579.  
  2580. "I laugh as I exit the office, bumping into Emi as I do so."
  2581.  
  2582. hi "Whoops, sorry about that."
  2583.  
  2584. emi "Are you okay? What did the nurse say?"
  2585.  
  2586. emi "Do you need to go to a hospital?"
  2587.  
  2588. #Switch to a shocked sprite here
  2589.  
  2590. emi "Omigosh, it was my fault, wasn't it?"
  2591.  
  2592. emi "I've been pushing you too hard, haven't I?"
  2593.  
  2594. emi "I'm a horrible person!"
  2595.  
  2596. "The words pour forth like a torrent. She's really agitated."
  2597.  
  2598. "I didn't expect her to be this concerned about me, to be honest."
  2599.  
  2600. stop music fadeout 1.5
  2601.  
  2602. "Gotta calm her down…but how the hell do I do that?"
  2603.  
  2604. "I do the only thing I can think of."
  2605.  
  2606. play music music_serene fadein 1.0
  2607.  
  2608. "I give her a hug. Emi tenses up slightly, so I pat her head in what I hope is a reassuring manner."
  2609.  
  2610. hi "Hey, settle down!"
  2611.  
  2612. hi "I'm fine, okay? No worries."
  2613.  
  2614. "I can feel Emi's body relax as I continue to assure her I'm fine."
  2615.  
  2616. "Her arms wrap around me, as if she's trying to confirm that I'm not about to fall over dead."
  2617.  
  2618. "I catch a whiff of her hair. It smells like sweat, or how adrenaline should smell. It's the scent of activity."
  2619.  
  2620. "And a hint of strawberries. From her shampoo, I suspect."
  2621.  
  2622. hi "I just need to remember to take my medicine, that's all."
  2623.  
  2624. hi "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault."
  2625.  
  2626. emi "You're sure?"
  2627.  
  2628. "Her voice is muffled, mostly because at the moment her face is pressed into my chest."
  2629.  
  2630. hi "Yeah, I'm sure. I just need to take it a little easy for the next few days."
  2631.  
  2632. "It suddenly occurs to me how close the two of us are."
  2633.  
  2634. "It also occurs to me how nice being this close feels."
  2635.  
  2636. "I can feel Emi's heartbeat calming down, and I have to resist the urge to rest my chin on the top of her head."
  2637.  
  2638. emi "Thank goodness."
  2639.  
  2640. emi "You really had me worried there, Hisao."
  2641.  
  2642. stop music fadeout 1.5
  2643.  
  2644. nk "Emi, you going to come in here any time soon?"
  2645.  
  2646. nk "…Oh, I'm sorry. Was I interrupting?"
  2647.  
  2648. "The two of us spring apart like the other is on fire."
  2649.  
  2650. "Emi brushes her hair back nervously and laughs."
  2651.  
  2652. play music music_emi fadein 1.0
  2653.  
  2654. emi "'course not!"
  2655.  
  2656. emi "I'll uh… see you later, okay?"
  2657.  
  2658. emi "Oh, and Hisao?"
  2659.  
  2660. hi "Hmm?"
  2661.  
  2662. emi "Take your damn medicine!"
  2663.  
  2664. "This last phrase is punctuated by a punch to the shoulder."
  2665.  
  2666. hi "Yeah, yeah, I'll remember."
  2667.  
  2668. hi "See you later."
  2669.  
  2670. stop music fadeout 1.5
  2671.  
  2672. "The nurse smiles again like he's in on some joke and waves to me as I head for my room, feeling a burning in my cheeks."
  2673.  
  2674. scene bg school_dormhisao
  2675. with locationskip
  2676.  
  2677. play music music_soothing fadein 1.0
  2678.  
  2679. "I need a shower."
  2680.  
  2681. "A cold one, if the thoughts running through my head now are any indication."
  2682.  
  2683. "She was really soft."
  2684.  
  2685. "Stop that! No perverted thoughts about your friends!"
  2686.  
  2687. "My pills are waiting for me when I make it to my room."
  2688.  
  2689. "I swallow them without a second thought."
  2690.  
  2691. "I don't know why I didn't think of waiting until after the runs to take them."
  2692.  
  2693. "For some reason I figured it was when I woke up or not at all."
  2694.  
  2695. "But they only need to be taken every twenty-four hours."
  2696.  
  2697. "Time of day doesn't factor into things."
  2698.  
  2699. "Wow. I'm really an idiot."
  2700.  
  2701. "My thoughts drift back to the hug in the hallway."
  2702.  
  2703. "It's weird, you'd expect someone to smell foul after a run, but for some reason…"
  2704.  
  2705. "Emi smelled…right. That tinge of sweat just seemed to fit her."
  2706.  
  2707. "I really need that shower."
  2708.  
  2709. stop music fadeout 2.0
  2710.  
  2711. scene black
  2712. with fade
  2713.  
  2714. return
  2715.  
  2716. label en_E10:
  2717.  
  2718. scene black
  2719.  
  2720. "Strange that it feels so natural for me to go up to the roof these days."
  2721.  
  2722. "I never would have done such a thing at my old school."
  2723.  
  2724. "In those days I always sat at a large table in the cafeteria, surrounded by people."
  2725.  
  2726. "I always figured that's the sort of person I was, but it appears I was wrong."
  2727.  
  2728. "Then again, I also thought I was the sort of person who had a normal heart, so there you have it."
  2729.  
  2730. "I don't know myself that well."
  2731.  
  2732. scene bg school_roof
  2733. with dissolve
  2734.  
  2735. play music music_soothing fadein 0.5
  2736.  
  2737. "Now I'm on the roof so that I can have lunch with only a couple of people."
  2738.  
  2739. "A far cry from a jam-packed cafeteria table."
  2740.  
  2741. "Oddly enough, I feel closer to Emi and Rin than I felt to anyone at my old school."
  2742.  
  2743. "Somehow I get the feeling they'd at least visit me if I wound up in the hospital."
  2744.  
  2745. "That sounded incredibly bitter, even in my own head."
  2746.  
  2747. "I focus on the view from the roof, banishing such thoughts from my head."
  2748.  
  2749. "There's a light breeze blowing, and the sun is shining high in the sky."
  2750.  
  2751. "The sky itself is a deep blue, with hardly a cloud in it."
  2752.  
  2753. "It's gotten pleasingly warm, and as I sit down to wait for my friends, I close my eyes and enjoy the feeling of the sun seeping into my skin."
  2754.  
  2755. #Fade to black
  2756. scene black
  2757. with shuteye
  2758.  
  2759. "Voices intrude upon the edge of hearing."
  2760.  
  2761. emi "—seems to have fallen asleep on us, Rin."
  2762.  
  2763. rin "Maybe he's faking, to lull us into a false sense of security."
  2764.  
  2765. emi "Why would he do that?"
  2766.  
  2767. rin "No idea."
  2768.  
  2769. emi "Still, you make a good point."
  2770.  
  2771. emi "We should kick him or something to make sure he's really asleep."
  2772.  
  2773. stop music fadeout 1.0
  2774.  
  2775. hi "Huh? What?"
  2776.  
  2777. #Switch back to the rooftop background, with both girls present.
  2778. scene bg school_roof
  2779. with openeye
  2780.  
  2781. play music music_nurse fadein 0.5
  2782.  
  2783. "Emi looms over me like only a short girl can, peering at me intently."
  2784.  
  2785. emi "Oh, you're awake. I guess we don't have to kick you then."
  2786.  
  2787. rin "Was it part of your master plan?"
  2788.  
  2789. hi "What are you talking about?"
  2790.  
  2791. "Emi shrugs, her ponytails bouncing with the motion."
  2792.  
  2793. emi "I'm not sure either."
  2794.  
  2795. emi "You must be pretty tired to fall asleep out here."
  2796.  
  2797. emi "Although it's pretty comfortable, I suppose."
  2798.  
  2799. "She plops down next to me and begins to eat."
  2800.  
  2801. "Rin sits opposite from the two of us, a move which only makes me more aware of the girl sitting next to me."
  2802.  
  2803. "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear Rin did it on purpose."
  2804.  
  2805. "I concentrate on my food, willfully tuning out the majority of the conversation that Rin and Emi are having."
  2806.  
  2807. "Despite my best efforts, however, I still find myself glancing over at Emi whenever she speaks."
  2808.  
  2809. "I notice how she purses her lips when she's thinking about something, squinting slightly as if that would improve her thinking ability."
  2810.  
  2811. "Rin says something that makes Emi laugh, and I notice (perhaps for the first time) how she laughs with her whole body, rocking back and forth, head thrown back, almost like she's about to fall over."
  2812.  
  2813. "I probably look like a creep."
  2814.  
  2815. "It's about this time that I realize Emi's looking at me. Her voice raises up slightly, so she's probably just asked me a question."
  2816.  
  2817. hi "Huh? Sorry, I kinda zoned out for a moment there."
  2818.  
  2819. "Emi rolls her eyes, while a slight quirk of the eyebrow is the only sign that Rin's even paying attention."
  2820.  
  2821. emi "I said, did you get a career survey in your class too?"
  2822.  
  2823. emi "You know, one of those “What do you want to do after high school?” things?"
  2824.  
  2825. "Did I? I don't actually remember."
  2826.  
  2827. hi "I don't…think so. Maybe we'll get one tomorrow."
  2828.  
  2829. emi "What are you going to put down?"
  2830.  
  2831. "That's a really good question."
  2832.  
  2833. "I guess I always figured I'd go to college after high school, but I've no idea what I'd do once I got there."
  2834.  
  2835. "And with the heart attack and all, I'd really been concentrating on each day as it came rather than making many plans."
  2836.  
  2837. "Though I suppose I can safely start planning ahead again."
  2838.  
  2839. "I've always liked having at least a vague plan for my future, so it'll be nice to come up with one again."
  2840.  
  2841. "Of course, that doesn't change the fact that right now I've got absolutely…"
  2842.  
  2843. hi "No clue."
  2844.  
  2845. hi "I always kind of assumed I'd figure it out in college."
  2846.  
  2847. hi "Or just become a salaryman. That's pretty popular."
  2848.  
  2849. "But do I really want to? That's a rough question."
  2850.  
  2851. "I guess I don't really want to do anything."
  2852.  
  2853. emi "You don't sound very excited about that one, do you?"
  2854.  
  2855. "She laughs as she says this, and I'm caught up in her laugh again."
  2856.  
  2857. "It's so…girlish. High and giggly, like a…well, pardon the cliche—like a babbling brook."
  2858.  
  2859. "It bubbles out of her, starting in her stomach and working its way up her throat."
  2860.  
  2861. "I can't help but laugh myself—it's infectious."
  2862.  
  2863. hi "Yeah, I guess I'm pretty unhappy with the salaryman idea."
  2864.  
  2865. hi "But to be honest, I haven't given much thought to the future recently."
  2866.  
  2867. hi "I suppose I've been more concerned with living in the moment recently."
  2868.  
  2869. "Emi considers this for a moment, and grins."
  2870.  
  2871. emi "That's a pretty good idea, Hisao!"
  2872.  
  2873. emi "I just wrote down pirate."
  2874.  
  2875. "I'm momentarily stunned, then I start laughing."
  2876.  
  2877. "I stop myself and manage to gasp out a question."
  2878.  
  2879. hi "You're not actually serious, are you?"
  2880.  
  2881. "Emi looks mock offended."
  2882.  
  2883. emi "Well I've got the legs for it already, so I just kind of figured…"
  2884.  
  2885. "Even Rin seems amused by this."
  2886.  
  2887. emi "Just you wait, I'll be the terror of the high seas!"
  2888.  
  2889. emi "I'll show you all!"
  2890.  
  2891. emi "I've even been working on my pirate voice!"
  2892.  
  2893. "She suddenly springs up and begins swaggering up and down the rooftop shouting orders."
  2894.  
  2895. emi "Yar, me hearties, give 'em a broadside with the long guns!"
  2896.  
  2897. emi "We'll wear their guts for garters!"
  2898.  
  2899. rin "Do you even know what that means?"
  2900.  
  2901. "Rin's unexpected interruption stops Emi in her tracks."
  2902.  
  2903. "A sheepish look crosses her face."
  2904.  
  2905. emi "Not really."
  2906.  
  2907. "She brightens again."
  2908.  
  2909. stop music fadeout 1.0
  2910.  
  2911. emi "But it's all in the delivery!"
  2912.  
  2913. play sound sfx_normalbell
  2914.  
  2915. "The ringing of the bell prevents her from demonstrating her point further."
  2916.  
  2917. "Emi dashes off immediately, leaving Rin and myself alone on the roof."
  2918.  
  2919. play music music_rin fadein 1.0
  2920.  
  2921. "Rin stares at me intently for a few moments."
  2922.  
  2923. hi "Is there… something wrong?"
  2924.  
  2925. "Rin considers this question closely for a moment."
  2926.  
  2927. "After a lengthy pause, she shakes her head."
  2928.  
  2929. rin "Nope."
  2930.  
  2931. hi "Oh, um… "
  2932.  
  2933. extend "why the staring, then?"
  2934.  
  2935. "Rin shakes her head again."
  2936.  
  2937. rin "Nope, I don't get it."
  2938.  
  2939. hi "Get what?"
  2940.  
  2941. rin "The staring thing. You two seem to, but I don't."
  2942.  
  2943. "Great. She saw me staring."
  2944.  
  2945. "Now she thinks I'm a pervert or something, probably."
  2946.  
  2947. "Actually, probably not. This is Rin we're talking about, after all."
  2948.  
  2949. "Still, I feel the need to defend myself."
  2950.  
  2951. hi "I wasn't staring, I was just tired."
  2952.  
  2953. "Rin actually snorts at this, but she doesn't say anything."
  2954.  
  2955. hi "No really! I was just… distracted, is all."
  2956.  
  2957. rin "Mmm."
  2958.  
  2959. stop music fadeout 2.0
  2960.  
  2961. "Eager to end this conversation, I head back down to class."
  2962.  
  2963. scene bg school_scienceroom
  2964. with locationskip
  2965.  
  2966. "I'm greeted by the twin specters of Shizune and Misha, looking businesslike."
  2967.  
  2968. "Well, Shizune looks businesslike, anyway."
  2969.  
  2970. "Misha just looks like she's about to start laughing at any minute."
  2971.  
  2972. mi "Up on the roof again Hicchan~?"
  2973.  
  2974. mi "You know that's dangerous, don't you~?"
  2975.  
  2976. shi "…"
  2977.  
  2978. mi "That's right~!"
  2979.  
  2980. mi "The school cannot be held responsible for any injury that comes from being up there, you know~!"
  2981.  
  2982. mi "Furthermore, we could report you for breaking the rules~!"
  2983.  
  2984. "Misha leans in and whispers conspiratorially."
  2985.  
  2986. mi "But we won't, Hicchan~!"
  2987.  
  2988. mi "You three are too cute together~!"
  2989.  
  2990. "She straightens up again, laughing at my sudden blush."
  2991.  
  2992. mi "Wahahaha~!"
  2993.  
  2994. mi "You're too easy to tease, Hicchan~!"
  2995.  
  2996. hi "Hey, come on."
  2997.  
  2998. hi "I'm still new here, sort of."
  2999.  
  3000. hi "Isn't it mean to pick on the newcomer like this?"
  3001.  
  3002. mi "Nope~!"
  3003.  
  3004. mi "It's to help you get acclimated to your new surroundings~!"
  3005.  
  3006. hi "Ah, I see."
  3007.  
  3008. hi "Well…do you have to be so overzealous about it?"
  3009.  
  3010. mi "Yep~!"
  3011.  
  3012. "Mutou enters the room and Misha waves a quick goodbye as she heads to her seat and I make my way to mine."
  3013.  
  3014. "It's only after I've settled down at my desk and the teacher's started talking about something or other that something odd strikes me."
  3015.  
  3016. "What did Rin mean, “You two seem to?”"
  3017.  
  3018. "Was Emi staring at something too?"
  3019.  
  3020. "For a brief moment, I consider the possibility that Emi was staring at me the way I was staring at her."
  3021.  
  3022. "Of course, that's ridiculous."
  3023.  
  3024. "Still, I can't deny that I wouldn't mind if it were true…"
  3025.  
  3026. "But it's best not to think of that."
  3027.  
  3028. "No need to get my hopes up."
  3029.  
  3030. "Come to think of it, when did I start having hopes like that anyway?"
  3031.  
  3032. "I shake my head in an attempt to clear it, and focus on the lesson."
  3033.  
  3034. "After class I make my way to my room."
  3035.  
  3036. "Mutou piled on the homework today."
  3037.  
  3038. "Before I can open my door, however, I am suddenly intercepted by Kenji, who has just exploded out of his own room in a flurry of papers."
  3039.  
  3040. ke "Hey, we need to talk."
  3041.  
  3042. ke "These rooftop shenanigans of yours, man."
  3043.  
  3044. ke "They've gotta stop."
  3045.  
  3046. hi "What?"
  3047.  
  3048. ke "Your running around on the rooftop with the limbless wonders!"
  3049.  
  3050. ke "They're women, man!"
  3051.  
  3052. ke "You'll get yourself killed running around like that!"
  3053.  
  3054. hi "I don't follow."
  3055.  
  3056. "Kenji sighs and adjusts his glasses, before explaining himself (or what he thinks counts as explaining, anyway) patiently."
  3057.  
  3058. ke "Look, we're friends so I'm telling you this for your own good."
  3059.  
  3060. ke "But if I were going to kill someone, I'd do it by throwing them off the roof and making it look like an accident."
  3061.  
  3062. ke "And if I've thought of it, you can be sure they've thought of it too."
  3063.  
  3064. ke "They're crafty—almost as crafty as I am."
  3065.  
  3066. hi "I see."
  3067.  
  3068. ke "Good!"
  3069.  
  3070. ke "I'm glad we had this chat."
  3071.  
  3072. ke "Loan me 500 yen."
  3073.  
  3074. hi "…I'm sorry?"
  3075.  
  3076. ke "I need to get a drink, man!"
  3077.  
  3078. ke "I've been inside all day!"
  3079.  
  3080. ke "And the tap water's been compromised, I'm sure of it!"
  3081.  
  3082. ke "So I need something canned, got it?"
  3083.  
  3084. ke "But to do that, I need 500 yen."
  3085.  
  3086. ke "And since I've just saved your life with my timely advice, you can at least spare me 500 yen."
  3087.  
  3088. "You know, if it'll make him go away, 500 yen is a bargain."
  3089.  
  3090. "I hand the money over to Kenji, who nods in thanks and dashes off down the hallway, but not before he locks his door."
  3091.  
  3092. "What an exhausting person."
  3093.  
  3094. "Now, about that homework."
  3095.  
  3096. return
  3097.  
  3098. label en_E11:
  3099. play music music_daily fadein 1.0
  3100.  
  3101. hi "So what's the plan for today anyway?"
  3102.  
  3103. scene bg school_dormhallway
  3104. with fade
  3105.  
  3106. "I'm waiting patiently in the hallway of the girls' dormitory just outside of Emi and Rin's rooms."
  3107.  
  3108. "Emi is apparently helping Rin with getting dressed."
  3109.  
  3110. "I suppose that makes perfect sense, as I've no idea how Rin would get dressed otherwise."
  3111.  
  3112. emi "Picnic!"
  3113.  
  3114. hi "Picnic?"
  3115.  
  3116. emi "That's what I said!"
  3117.  
  3118. hi "Sounds pretty exciting."
  3119.  
  3120. emi "I know, right?"
  3121.  
  3122. "Rin chooses this moment to make an observation about the weather."
  3123.  
  3124. rin "The sky seems threatening today."
  3125.  
  3126. "Actually, I noticed that on my way over."
  3127.  
  3128. "Despite the sunshine of the early morning, the afternoon seems to have taken a turn for the gloomy."
  3129.  
  3130. "There's a heaviness to the air as well that usually heralds a rainstorm."
  3131.  
  3132. "I wonder if I should have brought an umbrella…"
  3133.  
  3134. hi "She's got a point."
  3135.  
  3136. hi "Emi, you sure that you still want to risk getting caught in the rain?"
  3137.  
  3138. "I don't even know why I bothered asking."
  3139.  
  3140. "Emi pops out of Rin's room into the hallway looking shocked that I'd even suggest cancelling our plans."
  3141.  
  3142. emi "Of course!"
  3143.  
  3144. emi "What, the threat of rain's supposed to stop me?"
  3145.  
  3146. "I can't help grinning at her belligerent response."
  3147.  
  3148. "It's almost like she's daring the rain to come."
  3149.  
  3150. "If Mother Nature were walking down the street, I think Emi would probably start a fight with her."
  3151.  
  3152. "Or at the least challenge her to a race."
  3153.  
  3154. "In fact, Emi seems almost agressively cheerful today."
  3155.  
  3156. "Rin wanders out into the hallway, looking her usual self."
  3157.  
  3158. hi "Well then, are we all ready to go?"
  3159.  
  3160. emi "I'm ready!"
  3161.  
  3162. "Rin nods and says a single word."
  3163.  
  3164. rin "Basket."
  3165.  
  3166. hi "Beg pardon?"
  3167.  
  3168. rin "The basket. In Emi's room. You should carry it."
  3169.  
  3170. "Emi claps a hand to her mouth, embarrassed."
  3171.  
  3172. emi "Omigosh! I almost forgot all about it!"
  3173.  
  3174. emi "Nice save, Rin!"
  3175.  
  3176. "Emi darts into her room and emerges with what looks like a very well-stocked picnic basket."
  3177.  
  3178. "As she hands it over to me, I note that it feels heavy enough to be one, too."
  3179.  
  3180. "Good Lord, how much food did she pack?"
  3181.  
  3182. "More to the point, where'd she get the money for all of this?"
  3183.  
  3184. hi "So, are we set to head out?"
  3185.  
  3186. emi "Yep!"
  3187.  
  3188. "Rin gives another nod and we head out of the dormitory."
  3189.  
  3190. scene bg school_courtyard
  3191. with locationchange
  3192.  
  3193. "I can't help but frown when I notice how gray the sky's gotten in the ten minutes I was inside."
  3194.  
  3195. "Still, Emi does not seem concerned by such petty concerns as the color of the sky."
  3196.  
  3197. "She's positively skipping as we walk."
  3198.  
  3199. "Which reminds me…"
  3200.  
  3201. hi "Where are we going?"
  3202.  
  3203. "This brings Emi up short and she shoots me an embarrassed look."
  3204.  
  3205. emi "You know, I hadn't really thought of that."
  3206.  
  3207. emi "What do you think, Hisao?"
  3208.  
  3209. "Well, there's the spot where we ate during the festival, but it might be nice to leave the campus for a while."
  3210.  
  3211. "I'm not sure if there's any good places to do that in town."
  3212.  
  3213. "Just as I'm about to open my mouth, Rin unexpectedly interjects with a suggestion."
  3214.  
  3215. rin "There's a park in town near the art shop."
  3216.  
  3217. emi "Great idea, Rin! I totally forgot all about that place!"
  3218.  
  3219. "Whew. Crisis averted."
  3220.  
  3221. hi "Do you know how to get there, Rin?"
  3222.  
  3223. "Rin shrugs."
  3224.  
  3225. rin "It's pretty likely."
  3226.  
  3227. emi "Good enough for me!"
  3228.  
  3229. "I would prefer to know for sure…but what the hell."
  3230.  
  3231. "A little adventure never hurt anyone, right?"
  3232.  
  3233. hi "Lead on, Rin."
  3234.  
  3235. "The three of us quickly make our way off campus and take the road down into town."
  3236.  
  3237. scene bg school_road
  3238. with locationskip
  3239.  
  3240. "I hope that the park is close by."
  3241.  
  3242. scene bg school_road
  3243. with locationchange
  3244.  
  3245. "This basket's a bit heavy."
  3246.  
  3247. scene bg suburb_roadcenter
  3248. with locationchange
  3249.  
  3250. "We pass the art supply store, Rin slowing her pace slightly as we go by."
  3251.  
  3252. "Emi notices Rin's change of pace and stops."
  3253.  
  3254. emi "You wanna go in, Rin?"
  3255.  
  3256. "Rin shrugs."
  3257.  
  3258. rin "Nothing I need."
  3259.  
  3260. "Emi leans forward, an impish look on her face."
  3261.  
  3262. emi "Are you suuure?"
  3263.  
  3264. "There's the slightest flutter of a smile on Rin's face, quickly replaced with her usual expression."
  3265.  
  3266. rin "Life's uncertain, but on this at least I am pretty sure."
  3267.  
  3268. rin "Nice of you to offer."
  3269.  
  3270. emi "Well it's not like I'm the one carrying the basket."
  3271.  
  3272. emi "But I'll bet Hisao wouldn't have minded anyway, right?"
  3273.  
  3274. hi "Oh, of course not."
  3275.  
  3276. hi "This is hardly a heavy load."
  3277.  
  3278. "I flex for emphasis."
  3279.  
  3280. "Emi stifles a snort of laughter by pointing to the park at which we've suddenly arrived."
  3281.  
  3282. scene bg suburb_park
  3283. with locationchange
  3284.  
  3285. emi "Oh, I remember this place!"
  3286.  
  3287. emi "I ran into you on the sidewalk here once, didn't I Rin?"
  3288.  
  3289. "Rin's eyebrow raises slightly."
  3290.  
  3291. rin "Maybe."
  3292.  
  3293. rin "I'm unwilling to say for certain one way or the other."
  3294.  
  3295. rin "Memory's a tricky thing, you know."
  3296.  
  3297. "Well I'll be. We made it in one piece after all."
  3298.  
  3299. "The sun's still nowhere to be seen, but neither Emi nor Rin seem to mind."
  3300.  
  3301. "We find a spot to sit on the grass and I set the basket down gratefully."
  3302.  
  3303. "There's a surprising amount of food prepared."
  3304.  
  3305. "Maybe we're to be joined by some more of Emi's teammates or something?"
  3306.  
  3307. emi "I'm starving! Dig in!"
  3308.  
  3309. "She attacks the food as if she's had nothing to eat for years."
  3310.  
  3311. stop music fadeout 2.0
  3312.  
  3313. "I'm just reaching for the food myself when I feel the first drop of rain land on the back of my hand."
  3314.  
  3315. hi "Uh oh."
  3316.  
  3317. hi "Looks like the weather's not going to cooperate with us after all."
  3318.  
  3319. "Emi glares at the sky as if that alone will hold back the rain."
  3320.  
  3321. "I very nearly believe she can do it."
  3322.  
  3323. "It's a heck of a glare."
  3324.  
  3325. emi "It had better cooperate."
  3326.  
  3327. emi "You hear me sky? You stop that raining right this instant!"
  3328.  
  3329. play music music_soothing fadein 1.0
  3330.  
  3331. "The sky doesn't seem inclined to listen to her, despite the commanding tone she's taken on."
  3332.  
  3333. "Instead, the rain seems to increase."
  3334.  
  3335. "Rin wrinkles her nose in distaste for this turn of events."
  3336.  
  3337. rin "Regrettable."
  3338.  
  3339. emi "What do you mean?"
  3340.  
  3341. "Rin shrugs."
  3342.  
  3343. rin "I could paint this if I weren't out here. Shame to miss it, is all."
  3344.  
  3345. "She doesn't seem angry or annoyed about it, just a little disappointed."
  3346.  
  3347. "Emi laughs in response to Rin's comment."
  3348.  
  3349. emi "Guess we should have stopped in that art supply store after all, huh?"
  3350.  
  3351. "The rain increases a little more, offended that we haven't fled yet."
  3352.  
  3353. "Despite the warm temperatures we've been enjoying, the rain is rather cold."
  3354.  
  3355. "I wish I'd brought my umbrella."
  3356.  
  3357. hi "Hey, we should probably head inside to keep dry."
  3358.  
  3359. emi "We're already pretty wet, Hisao."
  3360.  
  3361. hi "Yeah, but we can dry off this way and maybe wait out the storm."
  3362.  
  3363. hi "You don't want to catch a cold or anything, do you?"
  3364.  
  3365. "Emi considers this for a moment."
  3366.  
  3367. "I can tell that part of her wants to stay out in the rain just to spite the weather."
  3368.  
  3369. "Unfortunately for her, the weather hardly cares what we do."
  3370.  
  3371. emi "I suppose you're right."
  3372.  
  3373. emi "Where could we go?"
  3374.  
  3375. "I don't have an answer for her."
  3376.  
  3377. "The area's still pretty new to me."
  3378.  
  3379. "Though I guess I'm slowly getting used to the school itself, the surrounding town remains a mystery."
  3380.  
  3381. "All I know is the art supply store, and that's only because we've just passed it."
  3382.  
  3383. "Fortunately, Emi soon snaps her fingers in triumph."
  3384.  
  3385. emi "That's it! There's a tea shop nearby!"
  3386.  
  3387. emi "We could have some tea and dry out, no problem!"
  3388.  
  3389. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea."
  3390.  
  3391. hi "Great! You know where it is?"
  3392.  
  3393. "Emi nods, looking fairly confident."
  3394.  
  3395. emi "Sure do!"
  3396.  
  3397. #Were I a directing type, I'd suggest Emi's confident sprite being replaced with her less-than confident sprite here.
  3398.  
  3399. emi "I think."
  3400.  
  3401. #And now, switch back!
  3402.  
  3403. emi "But it'll be an adventure either way, right?"
  3404.  
  3405. hi "Adventure, huh?"
  3406.  
  3407. hi "Well, I suppose we could use a little adventure."
  3408.  
  3409. "I think as long as we get out of the rain I'll be happy."
  3410.  
  3411. "The picnic basket is a little lighter now, at least."
  3412.  
  3413. hi "Lead on!"
  3414.  
  3415. scene bg suburb_roadcenter
  3416. with locationchange
  3417.  
  3418. "Rin and I follow Emi as she weaves through the streets with something approaching confidence."
  3419.  
  3420. emi "Now, a left here…"
  3421.  
  3422. emi "There! The Shanghai!"
  3423.  
  3424. "Emi beams triumphantly as she points to the tea shop."
  3425.  
  3426. scene bg suburb_shanghaiext
  3427. with locationchange
  3428.  
  3429. "Come to think of it, I believe I've been here before."
  3430. #Whole shenanigans in need of conditionals, since it's possible to get through Act 1 without ever going to the Shangai, I think? -SC
  3431.  
  3432. "It seems fairly crowded inside; a symptom of the sudden rain, I'm sure."
  3433.  
  3434. scene bg suburb_shanghaiint
  3435. with locationchange
  3436.  
  3437. yu "Welcome! Can I— Oh, it's you."
  3438.  
  3439. "The waitress (was her name Yuuko? I can't remember) seems to know Emi."
  3440.  
  3441. "Emi grins brightly, pleased to be remembered."
  3442.  
  3443. emi "Hey Yuuko! Got room to seat us?"
  3444.  
  3445. "Yuuko nods in the affirmative and leads us to a corner booth."
  3446.  
  3447. yu "What will you have?"
  3448.  
  3449. emi "Cake! And some tea too, I guess."
  3450.  
  3451. yu "What kind of cake?"
  3452.  
  3453. emi "Surprise me!"
  3454.  
  3455. "Yuuko looks uncomfortable at the thought of surprising anyone, but she gives a nod and turns to Rin."
  3456.  
  3457. yu "And for you?"
  3458.  
  3459. "Rin merely shrugs at Yuuko, who nods."
  3460.  
  3461. yu "Coffee and a straw. Got it."
  3462.  
  3463. "Huh. I guess Rin comes here often?"
  3464.  
  3465. yu "And you, sir?"
  3466.  
  3467. hi "Just tea, I think."
  3468.  
  3469. "Emi would probably yell at me if I ordered cake."
  3470.  
  3471. emi "Aw, come on Hisao! Don't let me be the only one with food, I'll feel like a pig!"
  3472.  
  3473. hi "Just trying to eat healthy."
  3474.  
  3475. hi "Your orders, after all."
  3476.  
  3477. emi "Well… today is your day off! You can be healthy tomorrow!"
  3478.  
  3479. hi "Well then, I suppose I will have some cake after all."
  3480.  
  3481. "Yuuko seems slightly irritated that I'm changing my mind."
  3482.  
  3483. yu "What kind?"
  3484.  
  3485. "I glance at Emi and grin."
  3486.  
  3487. hi "Surprise me."
  3488.  
  3489. "Yuuko sighs and nods."
  3490.  
  3491. yu "Very well. Your order will be out soon."
  3492.  
  3493. "Despite the crowd, our order does indeed arrive quickly."
  3494.  
  3495. emi "Thanks Yuuko!"
  3496.  
  3497. "Yuuko nods in appreciation."
  3498.  
  3499. yu "This is a different guy than usual, isn't it?"
  3500.  
  3501. "What? Different guy?"
  3502.  
  3503. "Emi must notice my confusion, because she seems a little embarrassed."
  3504.  
  3505. emi "W—what? Oh, yeah, I guess he is."
  3506.  
  3507. emi "This is my friend Hisao."
  3508.  
  3509. hi "We've met, I think."
  3510.  
  3511. "Yuuko looks confused."
  3512.  
  3513. yu "Have we? Are you sure?"
  3514.  
  3515. hi "Reasonably confident, yeah."
  3516.  
  3517. yu "Huh. Small world."
  3518.  
  3519. yu "Well, let me know if you need anything."
  3520.  
  3521. "With that, Yuuko takes off like a shot to wait on some other tables, leaving me to ponder her comment."
  3522.  
  3523. "Different guy, huh? I guess it makes sense, right?"
  3524.  
  3525. "Emi's pretty popular, or so I've been told."
  3526.  
  3527. "It's probably that kid from the track team."
  3528.  
  3529. "This is stupid. I can just ask Emi."
  3530.  
  3531. hi "So who's this other guy, huh?"
  3532.  
  3533. hi "You got a secret lover or something?"
  3534.  
  3535. "Emi laughs again, only I get the feeling it's from nervousness as much as anything else."
  3536.  
  3537. emi "It's just the track team captain."
  3538.  
  3539. emi "He likes coming down here after practice sometimes."
  3540.  
  3541. emi "So if we have anything to discuss I tag along."
  3542.  
  3543. "Hmm, sounds mighty suspicious to me…"
  3544.  
  3545. hi "Oh, I see."
  3546.  
  3547. "I could let the matter drop, but I can't resist at least getting another dig in."
  3548.  
  3549. hi "So it {b}is{/b} a secret lover!"
  3550.  
  3551. hi "I knew it!"
  3552.  
  3553. "Rin sips at her coffee, seeming mildly amused before muttering something that I don't quite catch."
  3554.  
  3555. rin "… y'anyway"
  3556.  
  3557. hi "Huh?"
  3558.  
  3559. emi "what?"
  3560.  
  3561. "Rin jerks back from wherever her mind wandered off to."
  3562.  
  3563. rin "Huh?"
  3564.  
  3565. hi "What did you just say?"
  3566.  
  3567. rin "Huh."
  3568.  
  3569. hi "No, before that."
  3570.  
  3571. rin "No idea."
  3572.  
  3573. hi "Oh. Well."
  3574.  
  3575. hi "Okay."
  3576.  
  3577. "I let the matter drop, but I can't help notice that Emi seems relieved that Rin interrupted the conversation."
  3578.  
  3579. "Maybe I went a little too far…"
  3580.  
  3581. "Conversation dies down for a moment as Emi and I busy ourselves with cake."
  3582.  
  3583. "Mine is strawberry, and surprisingly good."
  3584.  
  3585. "Emi seems to think so too, as she suddenly reaches over with her fork and steals a bit."
  3586.  
  3587. hi "Thief!"
  3588.  
  3589. emi "Pirate. There's a difference."
  3590.  
  3591. hi "We're not on water!"
  3592.  
  3593. emi "Well, no. But there's a lot of water outside, so it still works, right?"
  3594.  
  3595. emi "Besides, you can have some of mine. I think it's blueberry or something."
  3596.  
  3597. emi "I should have asked for the strawberry."
  3598.  
  3599. emi "I like strawberries."
  3600.  
  3601. hi "Feel free to help yourself to mine, if you really must."
  3602.  
  3603. "For some reason, I feel compelled to add:"
  3604.  
  3605. hi "Seeing as how you've already done it once, and all."
  3606.  
  3607. "Emi sticks her tongue out at me, but that doesn't stop her from appropriating my cake."
  3608.  
  3609. "I try some of hers."
  3610.  
  3611. "Raspberry."
  3612.  
  3613. "It's pretty good."
  3614.  
  3615. rin "The rain's let up."
  3616.  
  3617. "It would appear that Rin is correct."
  3618.  
  3619. "Good timing, too. I've finished my food, and it looks like Emi has as well."
  3620.  
  3621. hi "Well, we'd better pay and get a move on before it starts raining again."
  3622.  
  3623. "It takes a few minutes to get Yuuko's attention, but we pay and get out pretty quickly."
  3624.  
  3625. scene bg suburb_shanghaiext
  3626. with locationchange
  3627.  
  3628. scene bg suburb_roadcenter
  3629. with locationchange
  3630.  
  3631. emi "So, do you want to return to the park?"
  3632.  
  3633. "My jaw nearly drops."
  3634.  
  3635. hi "Are you kidding?"
  3636.  
  3637. hi "It's probably going to rain again!"
  3638.  
  3639. "In fact, I think I just felt some raindrops."
  3640.  
  3641. emi "Hmm…you may be right."
  3642.  
  3643. emi "Well okay, I'll let you off the hook this time, but you owe me a picnic now, got it?"
  3644.  
  3645. "I don't know if she's addressing me, Rin, or the both of us."
  3646.  
  3647. hi "Fine, fine."
  3648.  
  3649. emi "Now hurry up! I wanted to get some laps in at the track, and it would be nice to do it without the rain."
  3650.  
  3651. hi "I thought this was your day off!"
  3652.  
  3653. emi "Well…"
  3654.  
  3655. "Emi suddenly seems reluctant to explain herself."
  3656.  
  3657. emi "I need the practice."
  3658.  
  3659. emi "And I need to burn off that cake, anyway."
  3660.  
  3661. "Why do I get the feeling that she's leaving something out?"
  3662.  
  3663. hi "Are you sure? It wasn't that much cake…"
  3664.  
  3665. emi "No, it wasn't that much cake for YOU. I ate most of it."
  3666.  
  3667. "She's got a point there."
  3668.  
  3669. "Still, I feel like I should at least offer to run with her…"
  3670. #Choice split: Offer to run with Emi/Do Nothing.
  3671.  
  3672. #If you offer to run with Emi
  3673. hi "Hey, I'll run with you."
  3674.  
  3675. hi "I might as well, right?"
  3676.  
  3677. "Emi shakes her head emphatically."
  3678.  
  3679. emi "No you won't, Hisao."
  3680.  
  3681. emi "Rest is critical for you, remember?"
  3682.  
  3683. emi "I won't allow you to push yourself too hard."
  3684.  
  3685. "I guess she's better at giving advice than taking it."
  3686.  
  3687. hi "Whatever you say, Emi."
  3688.  
  3689. "I think it's probably best not to press the issue."
  3690.  
  3691. scene bg school_dormext
  3692. with locationskip
  3693. #If you selected to do nothing, skip to here.
  3694.  
  3695. "Come to think of it, she looks like she'd rather be alone right now."
  3696.  
  3697. "I decide to keep my offer to myself."
  3698.  
  3699. #End split
  3700. "As we approach the girls' dormitory, it starts to rain again."
  3701.  
  3702. "Emi's expression sours slightly."
  3703.  
  3704. emi "Aw, man…"
  3705.  
  3706. emi "Stupid rain."
  3707.  
  3708. hi "Hey, it'll let up soon enough."
  3709.  
  3710. hi "Then you can go running."
  3711.  
  3712. "Emi snorts, seemingly amused."
  3713.  
  3714. emi "Like I'm not going to run in the rain."
  3715.  
  3716. hi "Well you shouldn't! You could catch a cold!"
  3717.  
  3718. "Emi waves her hand airily."
  3719.  
  3720. emi "Ridiculous! I don't get colds."
  3721.  
  3722. emi "My immune system is far too strong for something like that."
  3723.  
  3724. "I can't help but laugh."
  3725.  
  3726. "Typical Emi."
  3727.  
  3728. hi "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, okay?"
  3729.  
  3730. emi "Yeah!"
  3731.  
  3732. emi "Thanks for coming! And for carrying the picnic basket!"
  3733.  
  3734. emi "I'll bring it for lunch tomorrow. We can have our picnic on the roof!"
  3735.  
  3736. hi "Sounds good to me. See you then!"
  3737.  
  3738. "Emi grabs the basket from me and shoots through the door."
  3739.  
  3740. "Rin gives me a sort of half-nod and ambles indoors as well."
  3741.  
  3742. "Damn, it's wet out here."
  3743.  
  3744. "I need to get back to my room and into some dry clothes."
  3745.  
  3746. "I'm soon in front of my door, but I am intercepted by the sudden appearance of Kenji, who appears to be carrying a stack of books."
  3747.  
  3748. ke "Hey man, give me a hand, would you?"
  3749.  
  3750. hi "Huh?"
  3751.  
  3752. "The books are unceremoniously dumped into my arms as Kenji fumbles with his room key."
  3753.  
  3754. ke "Thanks, you're a lifesaver."
  3755.  
  3756. ke "If you weren't around I'd have to keep my door unlocked, and that's just begging for trouble."
  3757.  
  3758. ke "The perfect opportunity to set up an ambush, or maybe just plant a bomb if they don't want to get their hands too dirty."
  3759.  
  3760. ke "Probably don't."
  3761.  
  3762. ke "Afraid they'll break a nail or something if they have to stab me."
  3763.  
  3764. ke "Women."
  3765.  
  3766. "My mind thinks about digesting the verbal torrent that's just been unleashed, but elects to remain comfortably in the dark."
  3767.  
  3768. hi "Uh…huh."
  3769.  
  3770. ke "Anyway, where have you been, man?"
  3771.  
  3772. ke "I could have used some help carrying these back from the library!"
  3773.  
  3774. ke "I knocked on your door, but you weren't there."
  3775.  
  3776. hi "Oh, sorry."
  3777.  
  3778. "Not really. You appear to think I'm some kind of pack mule."
  3779.  
  3780. hi "I was out with Emi and Rin."
  3781.  
  3782. "Kenji staggers back in shock."
  3783.  
  3784. "It looks like I've just shot his dog, if he had a dog."
  3785.  
  3786. ke "The limbless ladies again?"
  3787.  
  3788. ke "What'd you do this time?"
  3789.  
  3790. hi "Well, we wound up at the Shanghai—" #reminder for the potential {nw} break
  3791.  
  3792. "I'm prevented from continuing by a sudden exclamation of despair."
  3793.  
  3794. ke "The Shanghai?"
  3795.  
  3796. ke "Why the Shanghai?"
  3797.  
  3798. ke "No no no no, man, you can't just go to the damn Shanghai!"
  3799.  
  3800. ke "It's the most dangerous place in the city!"
  3801.  
  3802. ke "A veritable stronghold of their best agents!"
  3803.  
  3804. ke "I know! I've met them!"
  3805.  
  3806. ke "They'll stop at nothing to lull you into a false sense of security, and then BAM!"
  3807.  
  3808. "He hits his door for emphasis."
  3809.  
  3810. ke "Wallet's gone. Bus pass? Gone. Identity? Fuckin' {b}gone{/b}, man!"
  3811.  
  3812. ke "Promise me you won't go there again!"
  3813.  
  3814. "He seems so vehemently opposed to the idea of the Shanghai that I'm willing to lie a little in order to get to my room."
  3815.  
  3816. hi "Sure, I won't go there again."
  3817.  
  3818. "Or at least, I won't ever tell you I've gone there again."
  3819.  
  3820. "This seems to mollify my spectacled companion."
  3821.  
  3822. ke "Good, good."
  3823.  
  3824. ke "Sorry to come on so strong, but I know the danger there too well to let you just wander into the lion's den again."
  3825.  
  3826. ke "You got out of there alive once, but twice is pushing it."
  3827.  
  3828. "I refrain from mentioning that this was already my second trip."
  3829.  
  3830. "I don't want to be here all night."
  3831.  
  3832. hi "Yeah, well I need to get changed and uh, do homework."
  3833.  
  3834. hi "So I'll see you later."
  3835.  
  3836. ke "Huh?"
  3837.  
  3838. ke "Oh, sure. Whatever."
  3839.  
  3840. "I suddenly remember that I'm still holding his books."
  3841.  
  3842. hi "You'd better take these."
  3843.  
  3844. "I catch a glimpse of one of titles, something about cryptography."
  3845.  
  3846. "What a weirdo."
  3847.  
  3848. "Kenji grabs his precious cargo from me and disappears through his doorway."
  3849.  
  3850. "I open my own door and walk in, grateful to get out of my soaking wet clothes."
  3851.  
  3852. "The rain outside picks up, and I find myself hoping that Emi's not out running in this weather."
  3853.  
  3854. "She seemed so adamant about doing the run alone, I can't help but wonder if her leg's still bothering her."
  3855.  
  3856. "I try to remember whether or not I'd seen her limping at all today, but I can't."
  3857.  
  3858. "Guess I was too caught up in enjoying the day, even if it did rain on us."
  3859.  
  3860. "And as I think back over the events of today, I keep finding myself focusing on my running partner."
  3861.  
  3862. "Her complete refusal to allow the rain to spoil her plans was incredibly cute."
  3863.  
  3864. "But there was something else there, too."
  3865.  
  3866. "Sort of an unflappable attitude when it comes to enjoying the day as it comes."
  3867.  
  3868. "I really like that quality."
  3869.  
  3870. "Maybe I need to do a little of that myself."
  3871.  
  3872. scene black
  3873. with fade
  3874.  
  3875. return
  3876.  
  3877.  
  3878. label en_E12:
  3879.  
  3880. "The sound of my alarm brings me out of a dream involving pirates and some other stuff I can't really remember."
  3881.  
  3882. "I'm a little bleary-eyed, and it feels like it takes me longer than usual to get dressed and down to the track."
  3883.  
  3884. "A glance at my watch reveals that I was right, and I am in fact running a little late."
  3885.  
  3886. "The only thing is…"
  3887.  
  3888. "There's no Emi."
  3889.  
  3890. "That's odd. She should be here."
  3891.  
  3892. "She definitely should be here."
  3893.  
  3894. "I mean, I was {b}late{/b}."
  3895.  
  3896. "I guess I wasn't the only one who had trouble getting up this morning."
  3897.  
  3898. "The thought crosses my mind that it never quite stopped raining yesterday."
  3899.  
  3900. "Did she go running anyway?"
  3901.  
  3902. #if you offered to run with her
  3903.  
  3904. "It seems likely."
  3905.  
  3906. "Emi's a lot of things, but cautious isn't one of them."
  3907.  
  3908. "She probably figured the rain wouldn't stop, and that's why she was so adamant about running alone."
  3909.  
  3910. "Still, I would have gladly run with her, even if it was in the rain."
  3911.  
  3912. "Heck, if anything I would have been able to convince her to come in once it got really bad."
  3913.  
  3914. "Which is why she didn't want me along, of course."
  3915.  
  3916. #If you didn't offer to run with her
  3917.  
  3918. "I should have offered to run with her."
  3919.  
  3920. "Then I could have talked her out of the idea."
  3921.  
  3922. "Or at the least known that she was okay."
  3923.  
  3924. "What if she got struck by lightning or something?"
  3925.  
  3926. "I'd never forgive myself."
  3927.  
  3928. "…"
  3929.  
  3930. "Okay, that's probably a little stupid."
  3931.  
  3932. "Emi's a resourceful girl."
  3933.  
  3934. "I doubt even she'd stay out in a thunderstorm."
  3935.  
  3936. "I trust her judgment in that matter, at least."
  3937.  
  3938. #end split
  3939.  
  3940. "Even so, I can't help wanting to know where she is."
  3941.  
  3942. "Well, nothing for it."
  3943.  
  3944. "I'd better stretch and run, and hope that Emi shows up with a grin and an excuse."
  3945.  
  3946. #Time passes
  3947.  
  3948. "On my cooldown lap, I am forced to admit that Emi isn't showing up."
  3949.  
  3950. "Furthermore, I have no idea where she is."
  3951.  
  3952. "Anxiety gnaws at me while at the same time I wonder just why I'm so worried over her."
  3953.  
  3954. "The run helped to take my mind off it for a little while, but now that I'm finished I'm back to worrying."
  3955.  
  3956. "It was weird not having her here."
  3957.  
  3958. "Downright unnerving."
  3959.  
  3960. "It suddenly dawns on me that I've been running to hang out with Emi as much as I've been running to stay healthy—probably more to be with Emi, now that I think of it."
  3961.  
  3962. "It's one of those things that are completely obvious yet somehow, I never realized it."
  3963.  
  3964. "She really is someone I enjoy being with."
  3965.  
  3966. "As revelations go, it's hardly world-shaking."
  3967.  
  3968. "All the same, I find myself feeling slightly shocked."
  3969.  
  3970. "When did this happen?"
  3971.  
  3972. "Well, no time to think about this—though I want to ponder this new development, I have a greater desire to find out what's happened to Emi."
  3973.  
  3974. "I'll ask the nurse when I stop in to see him."
  3975.  
  3976. #Hop to the nurse's office
  3977.  
  3978. nk "Well, you seem to be in good shape, Hisao."
  3979.  
  3980. hi "That's good to hear."
  3981.  
  3982. "I replace my shirt, and stand to leave as usual."
  3983.  
  3984. "Except instead of leaving, I ask a question."
  3985.  
  3986. hi "Hey, where's Emi?"
  3987.  
  3988. hi "She didn't show up this morning."
  3989.  
  3990. hi "Is she okay?"
  3991.  
  3992. "While I try valiantly to conceal the anxiety in my voice, the nurse's expression suggests that I've failed miserably."
  3993.  
  3994. nk "You mean she didn't tell you?"
  3995.  
  3996. #the following statement is an aside
  3997. nk "She must really be sick…"
  3998.  
  3999. hi "What? Sick?"
  4000.  
  4001. "The nurse shrugs."
  4002.  
  4003. nk "Yeah, she came to my office early this morning with a fever."
  4004.  
  4005. nk "To be honest I'm surprised she made it here."
  4006.  
  4007. nk "She was burning up when she got here."
  4008.  
  4009. nk "I believe she'd planned to let you know, but she asked me to tell you—oops."
  4010.  
  4011. hi "Oops?"
  4012.  
  4013. "The nurse gives me a sheepish smile that seems at least partially sincere."
  4014.  
  4015. nk "I told her I'd stop by the track to let you know in case she forgot to."
  4016.  
  4017. nk "But we don't need to tell Emi I forgot, right?"
  4018.  
  4019. "I return the nurse's smile with a devious one of my own."
  4020.  
  4021. hi "Oh, of course not."
  4022.  
  4023. hi "This is fine blackmail material."
  4024.  
  4025. hi "I'll save it for whenever I need a favor from you."
  4026.  
  4027. "The nurse laughs."
  4028.  
  4029. nk "Well, I guess I deserve that."
  4030.  
  4031. nk "But you know, I've got tons of blackmail on you that you're not even aware of."
  4032.  
  4033. nk "So don't push your luck, okay?"
  4034.  
  4035. "I don't know, and I don't think I want to know."
  4036.  
  4037. "My expression earns another laugh from the nurse."
  4038.  
  4039. nk "I'm just kidding, Hisao."
  4040.  
  4041. nk "But seriously—don't tell Emi I forgot, okay?"
  4042.  
  4043. hi "Your secret is safe with me."
  4044.  
  4045. nk "Oh good."
  4046.  
  4047. nk "Now go on, get out of here."
  4048.  
  4049. hi "Wait, I've got one more question."
  4050.  
  4051. nk "Shoot."
  4052.  
  4053. hi "Is she going to be okay?"
  4054.  
  4055. nk "Oh yeah, definitely."
  4056.  
  4057. nk "Her fever was high, but it was already starting to go down by the time she came by my office."
  4058.  
  4059. nk "I'll probably check up on her again at lunch to be sure, but I expect she'll be up and about by the evening no matter what I tell her."
  4060.  
  4061. hi "Hmm, maybe I should visit her after class."
  4062.  
  4063. "It takes me a second to realize I've spoken aloud."
  4064.  
  4065. "The nurse raises an eyebrow and gives me a searching glance for a moment."
  4066.  
  4067. nk "Hmm…"
  4068.  
  4069. nk "Well, it might not be a bad idea."
  4070.  
  4071. nk "You could let me know if she'd taken a turn for the worse, I guess."
  4072.  
  4073. nk "But no funny business, you got it?"
  4074.  
  4075. nk "I know what meds you're on, after all."
  4076.  
  4077. "I think that's a threat against my life."
  4078.  
  4079. "But I'm not sure."
  4080.  
  4081. "Either way, I assure the nurse that my intentions are chaste and exit the office"
  4082.  
  4083. "Interesting that the nurse sees me as some sort of potential suitor to Emi."
  4084.  
  4085. "Even more interesting is how pleased that makes me feel."
  4086.  
  4087. "I need a shower."
  4088.  
  4089. #Timeskip/locationskip to the classroom
  4090.  
  4091. "The lunch bell rings and I find myself disinclined to make my way up to the roof."
  4092.  
  4093. "After all, I'm betting Rin knows where Emi is, and if that's the case then I doubt she'd bother going up there."
  4094.  
  4095. "More to the point, I doubt we'd have any sort of scintillating conversation if she did."
  4096.  
  4097. "Chances are she'd prefer to be alone up there anyway, so I don't accidentally ruin her train of thought or something."
  4098.  
  4099. "Unfortunately, I don't really feel like heading to the cafeteria either."
  4100.  
  4101. "Guess I'll go to the library instead."
  4102.  
  4103. "I need a new book to read anyway, having finished my other one yesterday before bed."
  4104.  
  4105. "Maybe I can find more by the same author."
  4106.  
  4107. #Zip to the library
  4108.  
  4109. "I love libraries."
  4110.  
  4111. "They smell like dust and paper and ink."
  4112.  
  4113. "All these stories and facts and opinions crowded together in one place makes the air come alive with potential."
  4114.  
  4115. "I'm not sure how to navigate Yamaku's library yet, having mostly stuck to books I brought with me, so I search for the librarian to ask for help."
  4116.  
  4117. "…"
  4118.  
  4119. "Hmm. I suppose she's not arou—" #reminder for the potential {nw} break
  4120.  
  4121. yu "…can't believe it."
  4122.  
  4123. "Yuuko, looking rather distracted, suddenly emerges from one of the aisles."
  4124.  
  4125. #"Is she the librarian?"
  4126.  
  4127. #"Certainly she looks official enough, though in a very haphazard way."
  4128.  
  4129. hi "Er, excuse me."
  4130.  
  4131. #yu "Do I know you?"
  4132.  
  4133. #yu "You seem awfully familiar, but I don't think I've ever seen you in here."
  4134.  
  4135. #hi "We met at your other job."
  4136.  
  4137. #hi "The Shanghai."
  4138.  
  4139. #"Her eyes widen in memory."
  4140.  
  4141. #yu "Yeah, that's it!"
  4142.  
  4143. #yu "The new guy with Emi and Rin!"
  4144.  
  4145. #yu "Now I remember."
  4146. #Lines remarked since with new Act 1, there's enough unavoidable conversation with Yuuko to be sure the two know each other. -SC
  4147.  
  4148. yu "Oh, can I help you?"
  4149.  
  4150. hi "Actually, I was looking for a book…"
  4151.  
  4152. yu "So am I!"
  4153.  
  4154. yu "{b}Advanced Cryptography{/b}. We just got it in, and now it's gone missing."
  4155.  
  4156. yu "I really, really wanted to read that one!"
  4157.  
  4158. hi "Cryptography?"
  4159.  
  4160. yu "Yeah, my…er, that is…"
  4161.  
  4162. yu "This guy I knew. Know. Um."
  4163.  
  4164. yu "Not sure how to describe it…"
  4165.  
  4166. hi "Skip to the end."
  4167.  
  4168. yu "He got me interested in cryptography only now the book's gone and I think it's been stolen!"
  4169.  
  4170. hi "Sounds pretty terrible."
  4171.  
  4172. yu "Yeah, especially because now I have to search the whole library for it!"
  4173.  
  4174. yu "Even though it's probably not even here!"
  4175.  
  4176. hi "You seem…busy."
  4177.  
  4178. yu "A little."
  4179.  
  4180. "She dashes off down another aisle, and I resign myself to finding my own damn book."
  4181.  
  4182. "Hmm, plenty of choices."
  4183.  
  4184. "Oh come on, how did I get lost?"
  4185.  
  4186. "These aren't even printed books!"
  4187.  
  4188. "They're all in braille."
  4189.  
  4190. "Guess that makes sense in a school like this, but honestly it's a little annoying."
  4191.  
  4192. li "I'm sorry, is someone there?"
  4193.  
  4194. "A lilting voice drifts out from behind one of the cubicles set up for research."
  4195.  
  4196. "As I approach, I see that Lilly's been reading a book while I've been stomping about the aisles."
  4197.  
  4198. hi "Oh no, I should be apologizing."
  4199.  
  4200. hi "I didn't mean to make so much noise."
  4201.  
  4202. li "My, is that you Hisao?"
  4203.  
  4204. li "I've not heard from you in quite some time."
  4205.  
  4206. li "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten all about me."
  4207.  
  4208. hi "Er, sorry."
  4209.  
  4210. "Lilly laughs in that refined manner of hers and shakes her head."
  4211.  
  4212. li "I'm only teasing you, Hisao."
  4213.  
  4214. li "From what I hear, you've been busy."
  4215.  
  4216. li "Morning runs with Emi Ibarazaki {b}and{/b} lunch on the rooftop, if I'm not mistaken."
  4217.  
  4218. hi "Heh, yeah."
  4219.  
  4220. hi "Guess word gets around pretty quickly."
  4221.  
  4222. li "That and poor Hanako can't go on the roof anymore."
  4223.  
  4224. li "You three are always up there instead."
  4225.  
  4226. "She chides me gently, though it's pretty clear she's just teasing me again."
  4227.  
  4228. "Still, I feel an odd need to apologize."
  4229.  
  4230. hi "Sorry, we could eat lunch somewhere else if it's a real problem—" #reminder for the potential {nw} break
  4231.  
  4232. li "Oh no, I wouldn't worry about it."
  4233.  
  4234. li "Hanako and I have found other things to do at lunch."
  4235.  
  4236. li "Such as read in the library, as you can see."
  4237.  
  4238. hi "Oh, Hanako's here too? I didn't see her."
  4239.  
  4240. "Lilly smiles, a bit enigmatically."
  4241.  
  4242. li "Oh, she's around somewhere."
  4243.  
  4244. li "But I'm surprised, Hisao."
  4245.  
  4246. li "You're in here, instead of up there."
  4247.  
  4248. li "What brings you to the library?"
  4249.  
  4250. hi "Well, Emi's ill, so there's no lunch on the rooftop to keep me occupied…"
  4251.  
  4252. "Lilly raises an eyebrow at my statement before giving another chuckle."
  4253.  
  4254. li "My, poor Rin must feel left out."
  4255.  
  4256. hi "It's not like that!"
  4257.  
  4258. li "Ah, but I'm sure it isn't."
  4259.  
  4260. li "Emi tends to be the life of whatever group she's in."
  4261.  
  4262. li "It's a shame to hear she's fallen ill."
  4263.  
  4264. li "Will she be okay?"
  4265.  
  4266. "Somehow I get the feeling that Lilly's just inquiring out of politeness, but I respond anyway."
  4267.  
  4268. hi "The nurse thinks so."
  4269.  
  4270. hi "I'm going to swing by and see how she's doing after school myself."
  4271.  
  4272. "Another raised eyebrow."
  4273.  
  4274. li "My, what a noble gentleman you are, Hisao."
  4275.  
  4276. hi "It's nothing, really."
  4277.  
  4278. hi "Just checking on my friend, after all."
  4279.  
  4280. li "Ah, so it's just friends, is it?"
  4281.  
  4282. li "How disappointing."
  4283.  
  4284. "I blush, glad that Lilly can't see it."
  4285.  
  4286. "But somehow she knows that I've been flustered by her comment anyway, and laughs."
  4287.  
  4288. li "I'm sorry, Hisao. I'm teasing you again."
  4289.  
  4290. li "Do please tell Emi that I hope she feels better, won't you?"
  4291.  
  4292. "A glance at my watch reveals that I'm very nearly out of time to find my book."
  4293.  
  4294. hi "Of course."
  4295.  
  4296. hi "Hey, I've got to find a book before lunch is over, so I'd better get moving."
  4297.  
  4298. hi "See you later."
  4299.  
  4300. "Whoops."
  4301.  
  4302. "That was probably not the best phrase to use."
  4303.  
  4304. "Lilly, however, takes my gaffe in stride."
  4305.  
  4306. li "Until we meet again, Hisao."
  4307.  
  4308. "I never do find the book I was looking for, but I walk out with something else instead."
  4309.  
  4310. "My stomach growls slightly, letting me know that I should have taken some lunch."
  4311.  
  4312. "Oh well."
  4313.  
  4314. "I'll grab something before I visit Emi tonight."
  4315.  
  4316. return
  4317.  
  4318. label en_E13:
  4319. play music music_normal
  4320.  
  4321. scene bg school_scienceroom
  4322. with locationskip
  4323.  
  4324. "It seems as if time has decided to slow down for the express purpose of annoying the hell out of me."
  4325.  
  4326. "Class feels like it drags on for ages."
  4327.  
  4328. "I suspect that my being consumed with worry probably has something to do with it."
  4329.  
  4330. "Blessedly, the bell rings and I dash out of class, drawing a few raised eyebrows, I'm sure."
  4331.  
  4332. scene bg school_hallway3
  4333. with locationchange
  4334.  
  4335. "I have spent the majority of the day fretting as unobtrusively as I know how."
  4336.  
  4337. "Even though the nurse thinks that Emi is perfectly okay, I want to see for myself."
  4338.  
  4339. scene bg school_dormhallway
  4340. with locationskip
  4341.  
  4342. "It doesn't take long to get to the girl's dormitory and make my way to Emi's room."
  4343.  
  4344. "Standing outside her door, I suddenly pause."
  4345.  
  4346. "What if she's resting?"
  4347.  
  4348. "I'd hate to wake her up, especially if she's still feeling ill."
  4349.  
  4350. "Then again, if she sleeps all day then it could throw off her sleeping schedule."
  4351.  
  4352. "But rest is important if you're ill, isn't it?"
  4353.  
  4354. "I can't decide what to do, so I settle for standing outside the door looking like an idiot."
  4355.  
  4356. "Then I hear Emi's voice from behind the door."
  4357.  
  4358. emi "Thanks for your concern, but I really am okay."
  4359.  
  4360. "Is she talking to me?"
  4361.  
  4362. emi "I'll see you at practice tomorrow!"
  4363.  
  4364. "Guess not."
  4365.  
  4366. "Still, clearly she's not asleep, so I can knock without worry."
  4367.  
  4368. "So why this clenched feeling in my gut?"
  4369.  
  4370. "I wasn't nervous about dropping by the other day, so why today?"
  4371.  
  4372. "Granted, I still haven't really had time to figure out this newfound interest in Emi's well-being."
  4373.  
  4374. "I don't have a lot of experience in the matter, of course, but certainly this seems to go beyond feelings of mere friendship."
  4375.  
  4376. "But could I take that step?"
  4377.  
  4378. "Could I even bring myself to risk what I have right now?"
  4379.  
  4380. "I mean it's enough to be friends with her, isn't it?"
  4381.  
  4382. "Either way, shouldn't I just open the door and see how she's doing?"
  4383.  
  4384. "That's why I came here…right?"
  4385.  
  4386. stop music fadeout 1.5
  4387.  
  4388. "What if she's not dressed yet?"
  4389.  
  4390. scene bg school_dormhisao #to be replaced?
  4391. with locationchange
  4392.  
  4393. #Fantasy
  4394.  
  4395. play music music_serene fadein 1.0
  4396.  
  4397. emi "G—geeze, Hisao, what are you staring at?"
  4398.  
  4399. "The image that flashes through my mind nearly causes me to fall over."
  4400.  
  4401. #return to the dorm hallway
  4402.  
  4403. "I should probably not ever think those thoughts again."
  4404.  
  4405. "Not if I want to avoid a heart attack."
  4406.  
  4407. "I suddenly realize I'm still standing in the hallway looking like an idiot."
  4408.  
  4409. "Emi still seems to be in conversation, but I knock anyway."
  4410.  
  4411. "Hopefully she won't mind the interruption."
  4412.  
  4413. stop music fadeout 1.0
  4414.  
  4415. emi "You worry too mu—Come in!"
  4416.  
  4417. emi "The door's unlocked."
  4418.  
  4419. "So it is."
  4420.  
  4421. "I open the door and step in, which is about where my thought process comes to a grinding halt."
  4422.  
  4423. play music music_daily fadein 1.5
  4424.  
  4425. "Emi is sitting up in bed, her hair tousled from a day spent asleep."
  4426.  
  4427. "A tee-shirt several sizes too large hangs loosely from her frame."
  4428.  
  4429. "The neck has carelessly shifted to the side, baring the skin of her right shoulder, very nearly baring her chest."
  4430.  
  4431. "A pair of shorts that earn their name more than any other pair of shorts I've ever seen complete the sum total of Emi's clothing."
  4432.  
  4433. "Her legs lay bare on the sheets."
  4434.  
  4435. "I've never seen Emi without prosthetics before."
  4436.  
  4437. "And here she is, slender legs terminating in stumps just below her knees."
  4438.  
  4439. "But as odd as the sight is, I find myself more captivated by everything north of the waist."
  4440.  
  4441. "It seems that Emi had finished her conversation with whoever was on the phone with her, and is now watching my reaction closely."
  4442.  
  4443. "Her expression, far from being embarrassed, is rather one of amusement."
  4444.  
  4445. "A grin tugs at the corner of her mouth that for a brief moment seems almost flirtatious."
  4446.  
  4447. "It is soon replaced by a full blown smile, and the smile is replaced by the sound of her laughter."
  4448.  
  4449. "I can do nothing but remain in a state fluctuating between fear, confusion, and not a little bit of lust."
  4450.  
  4451. emi "You seem a bit caught off guard, Hisao."
  4452.  
  4453. "A new wave of laughter erupts from her, and I find myself grinning and rubbing the back of my head ruefully."
  4454.  
  4455. hi "Sorry, I've just…"
  4456.  
  4457. "Never seen someone so disheveled look so attractive."
  4458.  
  4459. "Never seen you without your legs on."
  4460.  
  4461. "Never seen you look so…"
  4462.  
  4463. hi "Um, sorry."
  4464.  
  4465. "Emi giggles again and moves to sit up a little straighter."
  4466.  
  4467. "I'm caught up in the movements of her shirt, very nearly losing myself."
  4468.  
  4469. emi "I was wondering what your reaction would be."
  4470.  
  4471. emi "Rin called and told me you were going to drop by, you see."
  4472.  
  4473. emi "And I know you haven't seen me… well, you know."
  4474.  
  4475. emi "Without legs."
  4476.  
  4477. "I respond in a tone of casual surprise."
  4478.  
  4479. hi "Oh, you don't have them on?"
  4480.  
  4481. hi "I didn't notice."
  4482.  
  4483. "This is almost the truth. I very nearly didn't."
  4484.  
  4485. "I'm not trying to be suave or anything, mind you."
  4486.  
  4487. "Somehow I think Emi would get offended by that."
  4488.  
  4489. "Instead, she sticks her tongue out at me and chucks a pillow at my head."
  4490.  
  4491. emi "Ass."
  4492.  
  4493. "I deftly catch the pillow and take careful aim before throwing."
  4494.  
  4495. "Emi laughs and rolls to one side, dodging my shot, the shifting of her shirt distracting me enough so that the next thrown pillow hits me right between the eyes."
  4496.  
  4497. hi "Oof!" with hpunch
  4498.  
  4499. "I retaliate, of course."
  4500.  
  4501. "And once I've retaliated twice, well, a war was bound to break out sooner or later."
  4502.  
  4503. "And really, when Emi appears to have far better aim than me, well…"
  4504.  
  4505. "It was just a matter of time before I'd have to resort to a suicidal charge."
  4506.  
  4507. hi "Gotcha!"
  4508.  
  4509. emi "Eep!"
  4510.  
  4511. "{size=40}BAM!{/size} {w=0.5}{nw}" with vpunch
  4512.  
  4513. extend "{size=40}SMACK!{/size} {w=0.5}{nw}" with hpunch
  4514.  
  4515. extend "{size=40}BIFF!{/size}" with vpunch
  4516.  
  4517. #A vpunch or something would be nice here. I'm gonna leave that up to the directorial type to come through here later, though.
  4518.  
  4519. "And once the charge was accomplished, well, of course I'd have to wrestle the pillows away from her."
  4520.  
  4521. stop music fadeout 4.0
  4522.  
  4523. "And with that kind of struggle, of course we'd wind up in this sort of position."
  4524.  
  4525. "And so I find myself staring down at her from my position atop her."
  4526.  
  4527. "She's grinning, eyes sparkling with amusement, maybe a little sweaty now from our tussle."
  4528.  
  4529. "Her chest is heaving up and down, sucking in air."
  4530.  
  4531. "The small bit of my brain that is not currently enraptured by the sight and the smell of her observes that she must still be ill, because her stamina's not what it should be."
  4532.  
  4533. "We stay that way for a while."
  4534.  
  4535. "I'm not sure how long, because everything seems to go fuzzy."
  4536.  
  4537. "Everything that isn't her, anyway."
  4538.  
  4539. "Her eyes meet mine, and deep inside them I almost catch a glimpse of… what, fear? Longing?"
  4540.  
  4541. "Hope?"
  4542.  
  4543. hi "Emi…?"
  4544.  
  4545. "A cough suddenly convulses her, and I'm almost stumbling in my haste to get off, to apologize for everything."
  4546.  
  4547. play music music_daily fadein 3.0
  4548.  
  4549. hi "Sorry, I shouldn't have…"
  4550.  
  4551. emi "It's fine, it's fine."
  4552.  
  4553. "She gives me a reassuring pat on the shoulder."
  4554.  
  4555. emi "So…"
  4556.  
  4557. emi "What brings you here?"
  4558.  
  4559. "She's still breathing hard, and that causes her voice to shake slightly."
  4560.  
  4561. hi "Well, before I was so rudely assaulted by pillows, I came to see how you were doing."
  4562.  
  4563. "{size=40}WHAM!{/size}" with hpunch
  4564.  
  4565. "This earns me another shove, and I very nearly fall off her bed."
  4566.  
  4567. "Emi's eyes sparkle again, and I wonder how I never noticed how attractive they are before."
  4568.  
  4569. emi "Consumed with worry, were you?"
  4570.  
  4571. "Her tone is mocking, haughty. Teasing."
  4572.  
  4573. "She throws her arm across her forehead dramatically, grin still apparent from underneath."
  4574.  
  4575. emi "Couldn't bear the thought of me laying deathly ill?"
  4576.  
  4577. "As we both recover from our brief (too brief, a small voice in the back of my head complains) wrestling match, Emi appears to fall back on teasing me."
  4578.  
  4579. hi "Well, I wouldn't say consumed with worry, but after you didn't show up this morning like a total wuss…"
  4580.  
  4581. "And so do I."
  4582.  
  4583. "Emi pouts, crossing her arms petulantly and sticking her lower lip out."
  4584.  
  4585. emi "It's not my fault."
  4586.  
  4587. emi "Nurse wouldn't allow it."
  4588.  
  4589. hi "Sure he wouldn't. I completely believe you."
  4590.  
  4591. "Emi sticks her tongue out again."
  4592.  
  4593. emi "You're such a jerk, Hisao."
  4594.  
  4595. hi "So how was your day then, eh?"
  4596.  
  4597. hi "Did you enjoy slacking off?"
  4598.  
  4599. emi "Not really, the phone woke me up pretty early on."
  4600.  
  4601. hi "The phone?"
  4602.  
  4603. emi "Yeah, the captain of the team called to make sure I was doing okay."
  4604.  
  4605. emi "Also to let me know it was okay to skip practice."
  4606.  
  4607. "Good, at least she wasn't alone all day."
  4608.  
  4609. "Someone checked up on her."
  4610.  
  4611. "Although I can't help but think that it should have been me."
  4612.  
  4613. hi "Oh, that's good."
  4614.  
  4615. hi "He really keeps an eye on you, huh?"
  4616.  
  4617. "Emi shrugs."
  4618.  
  4619. emi "It's his job."
  4620.  
  4621. emi "Part of being the captain means you know where your team members are when they're not in school."
  4622.  
  4623. emi "Still, I guess it was nice of him to call, huh?"
  4624.  
  4625. hi "Yep. Sure was."
  4626.  
  4627. "Emi yawns and shimmies down into a more comfortable position."
  4628.  
  4629. emi "So how was your day?"
  4630.  
  4631. hi "Kind of uneventful, you know?"
  4632.  
  4633. hi "I went ahead and ran by myself, and talked with the nurse about how you were doing…"
  4634.  
  4635. stop music fadeout 2.0
  4636.  
  4637. scene bg school_dormhisao #subject to change
  4638. with fade
  4639.  
  4640. #Time passes indicator
  4641.  
  4642. "I meander through the day's events, none of which are particularly engrossing."
  4643.  
  4644. "That's when I'm distracted by an arm finding its way across my waist."
  4645.  
  4646. "It seems that Emi fell asleep while I was talking."
  4647.  
  4648. "She's rolled over on to her side, and now one leg is thrown over my legs, effectively trapping me."
  4649.  
  4650. play music music_twinkle fadein 0.5
  4651.  
  4652. hi "Hey."
  4653.  
  4654. "It seems a shame to wake her, but I have things to do."
  4655.  
  4656. "I gently shake her, but in response she only tightens her arm's grip on me and sighs a little."
  4657.  
  4658. "My resistance to this position crumbles rather quickly."
  4659.  
  4660. "The feeling of her body's breathing steadily is both relaxing and incredibly stimulating at the same time."
  4661.  
  4662. "My breathing cannot decide if it wants to relax or speed up."
  4663.  
  4664. "Relaxation wins, and I find myself putting an arm around Emi."
  4665.  
  4666. hi "I think I'm in love."
  4667.  
  4668. "The words slip out and hang in the air unnoticed."
  4669.  
  4670. "At least I hope they've gone unnoticed."
  4671.  
  4672. emi "*Whimper*"
  4673.  
  4674. "Emi's grip suddenly tightens again, and for the first time since I've known her, I see tears running down Emi's face."
  4675.  
  4676. "It feels like my heart is about to break."
  4677.  
  4678. "I instinctively tighten my own grip and stroke her hair in what I hope is a comforting manner."
  4679.  
  4680. "Words of comfort, meaningless in this situation, spring to mind."
  4681.  
  4682. "Maybe I should wake her."
  4683.  
  4684. "Are you supposed to wake people having nightmares?"
  4685.  
  4686. "I can't for the life of me remember."
  4687.  
  4688. "The decision is taken from me as Emi suddenly jerks awake with a cry."
  4689.  
  4690. stop music fadeout 0.5
  4691.  
  4692. emi "Dad!"
  4693.  
  4694. hi "Hey, you okay?"
  4695.  
  4696. "What a silly question."
  4697.  
  4698. emi "Huh? What?"
  4699.  
  4700. emi "Hisao?"
  4701.  
  4702. "She shakes her head as if to clear it and quickly wipes her eyes."
  4703.  
  4704. hi "You had a nightmare."
  4705.  
  4706. hi "I think."
  4707.  
  4708. "Emi shudders again and glances up at me a little cautiously, as if unsure whether or not she's actually up."
  4709.  
  4710. emi "Y-yeah, I guess so."
  4711.  
  4712. hi "You wanna talk about it?"
  4713.  
  4714. emi "Hmm?"
  4715.  
  4716. "A speedy internal debate seems to be going on in her head, which resolves itself with a shrug."
  4717.  
  4718. emi "Nah, I don't really remember much of it."
  4719.  
  4720. "I'm pretty sure she's lying to me, but somehow I don't think I should press the issue."
  4721.  
  4722. play music music_normal fadein 2.0
  4723.  
  4724. "Emi shudders again and turns toward me, looking a little sheepish."
  4725.  
  4726. emi "Sorry for falling asleep on you like that."
  4727.  
  4728. "I keep my voice as soothing as I can."
  4729.  
  4730. hi "Hey, don't worry about it."
  4731.  
  4732. hi "You've been ill."
  4733.  
  4734. emi "Yeah, I guess that cold medicine's just made me a little drowsy."
  4735.  
  4736. hi "I guess so."
  4737.  
  4738. "Emi does not strike me as the sort of person who'd fall asleep at the drop of a hat."
  4739.  
  4740. "Rin, maybe. But Emi's far too energetic."
  4741.  
  4742. "Emi gives a half-smile at my response, and then just like that she's back to her old self."
  4743.  
  4744. emi "Well, prepare yourself for tomorrow morning Hisao!"
  4745.  
  4746. emi "We'll have to go twice as hard to make up for today!"
  4747.  
  4748. hi "But I went running this morning!"
  4749.  
  4750. emi "No excuse!"
  4751.  
  4752. hi "Oh fine, I'll be ready for you!"
  4753.  
  4754. "Emi nods, satisfied."
  4755.  
  4756. emi "Good."
  4757.  
  4758. "I take this as my cue to exit."
  4759.  
  4760. hi "Well, I'd better get going."
  4761.  
  4762. hi "Especially if I want to get enough sleep for tomorrow."
  4763.  
  4764. "I hop off the bed and head for the door."
  4765.  
  4766. emi "Hey, Hisao…"
  4767.  
  4768. hi "Hmm?"
  4769.  
  4770. "I pivot neatly on my heel and face Emi."
  4771.  
  4772. "She opens her mouth to say something, and then in another first, I see her falter slightly."
  4773.  
  4774. "She closes her mouth, and opens it again."
  4775.  
  4776. emi "…Thanks."
  4777.  
  4778. emi "For dropping by, I mean."
  4779.  
  4780. emi "You're kind of the first visitor I've ever had who wasn't Rin."
  4781.  
  4782. "Now that's surprising."
  4783.  
  4784. "I would figure that Emi'd have people dropping by all the time."
  4785.  
  4786. "She's certainly popular enough, or so I thought."
  4787.  
  4788. "Always talking to people in the hallways."
  4789.  
  4790. "Emi hesitates again."
  4791.  
  4792. emi "And thanks for staying around after I… well."
  4793.  
  4794. "A look of pain flits across her face."
  4795.  
  4796. emi "You know."
  4797.  
  4798. emi "It helped."
  4799.  
  4800. "She brightens back up and waves cheerily at me."
  4801.  
  4802. emi "See you tomorrow!"
  4803.  
  4804. hi "Yeah, see you later."
  4805.  
  4806. "I'm just about to exit the door when something makes me turn around again."
  4807.  
  4808. hi "Hey, Emi."
  4809.  
  4810. emi "Hmm?"
  4811.  
  4812. hi "Anytime you need to talk, let me know, okay?"
  4813.  
  4814. "Emi seems taken aback by this offer."
  4815.  
  4816. "Her grin gets even wider."
  4817.  
  4818. emi "Sure thing, Hisao."
  4819.  
  4820. emi "See you in the morning!"
  4821.  
  4822. "I exit Emi's room with my head in a whirl."
  4823.  
  4824. scene bg school_dormhallway
  4825. with locationchange
  4826.  
  4827. "Should I have even left?"
  4828.  
  4829. "Was she really okay?"
  4830.  
  4831. "I want to turn around and march back down the hallway, open the door and tell her…"
  4832.  
  4833. "Tell her I love her, tell her I think she's beautiful, tell her that I'll be there when she needs me."
  4834.  
  4835. "I want to stay with her, to hold her close as she falls back to sleep."
  4836.  
  4837. "How many nights has she woken up like that?"
  4838.  
  4839. "Only to find that nobody's there."
  4840.  
  4841. "I want to be that person she can be with when that happens."
  4842.  
  4843. "It's a silly thought, I know."
  4844.  
  4845. "We don't know each other that well, do we?"
  4846.  
  4847. "The whole idea, while exhilarating, also makes me feel worry."
  4848.  
  4849. "Worry, perhaps, that I'd overstep my bounds."
  4850.  
  4851. "And now to add to my troubles, it seems as if Emi herself already has an interest in someone else."
  4852.  
  4853. "This track captain of hers who seems so interested in her well-being."
  4854.  
  4855. "True, I've only seen the two of them together a few times, but that doesn't change the fact that they seem better suited to one another."
  4856.  
  4857. "There's really nothing to be done about that."
  4858.  
  4859. "I need to take my mind off of this whole situation."
  4860.  
  4861. "I've got homework to do."
  4862.  
  4863. "Maybe that will distract me."
  4864.  
  4865. stop music fadeout 2.0
  4866.  
  4867. scene black
  4868. with fade
  4869.  
  4870. return
  4871.  
  4872. label en_E14:
  4873.  
  4874. scene bg school_dormhisao
  4875. with fade
  4876.  
  4877. play music music_pearly fadein 1.5
  4878.  
  4879. "A night of restlessness has left me feeling fairly groggy this morning."
  4880.  
  4881. "The events of the previous day keep intruding upon my mind."
  4882.  
  4883. "The memory of how Emi felt against me."
  4884.  
  4885. "The memory of our wrestling match."
  4886.  
  4887. "And most bothersome, the memory of her nightmare."
  4888.  
  4889. "She was in so much pain."
  4890.  
  4891. "I can't stop wondering what it must be like for her to wake up with nobody there."
  4892.  
  4893. scene bg school_dormbathroom
  4894. with locationskip
  4895.  
  4896. "The shower shocks me awake with hot water."
  4897.  
  4898. "Awake, but still worried."
  4899.  
  4900. "What will happen today?"
  4901.  
  4902. "Will things just go back to normal?"
  4903.  
  4904. "End of the episode, back to the status quo?"
  4905.  
  4906. "There was a connection yesterday."
  4907.  
  4908. "Something that nearly pushed us past the boundaries of normal friendship."
  4909.  
  4910. "Would that have been so bad?"
  4911.  
  4912. "My mind goes back to the look in Emi's eyes after our pillowfight."
  4913.  
  4914. "It almost seemed like she was daring me to go on."
  4915.  
  4916. "Almost."
  4917.  
  4918. "But I can't know for sure."
  4919.  
  4920. "Anyway, the track captain's probably first in her affections."
  4921.  
  4922. "But even as I say that, my mind is already snorting derisively."
  4923.  
  4924. "I'm just looking for an excuse."
  4925.  
  4926. "A reason for everything to go wrong."
  4927.  
  4928. "A reason to not try."
  4929.  
  4930. "It's not as if I've even seen the two of them together outside of track practice."
  4931.  
  4932. "And clearly he's never visited."
  4933.  
  4934. "Emi said as much herself."
  4935.  
  4936. "If they were close, surely he'd visit."
  4937.  
  4938. "I'm such a wuss."
  4939.  
  4940. "I ought to just go for it anyway, damn the consequences."
  4941.  
  4942. "That's what Emi would do, I think."
  4943.  
  4944. "Hell, I {b}know{/b} that's what she'd do."
  4945.  
  4946. "Which is partially why I'm convinced there's no interest on her end."
  4947.  
  4948. "She hasn't acted either."
  4949.  
  4950. "Maybe because of this track captain."
  4951.  
  4952. "It's possible she's got a bit of an unrequited crush thing going on."
  4953.  
  4954. "But who would be able to clarify their relationship?"
  4955.  
  4956. "It sure as hell can't be Emi."
  4957.  
  4958. "She'd probably just laugh and ask why I wanted to know…and I'm not ready to answer that yet."
  4959.  
  4960. "Rin… Rin would probably just give me some cryptic answer or something."
  4961.  
  4962. "And then with my luck, she'd just ask Emi, who would ask me why I wanted to know, and I've already covered that problem."
  4963.  
  4964. "I wonder…"
  4965.  
  4966. "Could I get away with asking the nurse?"
  4967.  
  4968. "He seems pretty protective of Emi."
  4969.  
  4970. "I'm sure he'd know if something was up…"
  4971.  
  4972. "And he owes me for not letting Emi know he forgot to tell me about her being ill, so he'll keep quiet."
  4973.  
  4974. "What if he asks me why I want to know, though?"
  4975.  
  4976. "I can shake him off. Just say I'm curious as a friend."
  4977.  
  4978. "He'll buy that, won't he?"
  4979.  
  4980. "Of course!"
  4981.  
  4982. "That's settled, then."
  4983.  
  4984. "After the run, I'll talk to him while Emi's waiting outside the office."
  4985.  
  4986. scene bg school_track
  4987. with locationskip
  4988.  
  4989. #Shift to the track
  4990.  
  4991. "There's no sign of Emi when I arrive at the track."
  4992.  
  4993. "Is she still too ill?"
  4994.  
  4995. "I decide to give her ten minutes."
  4996.  
  4997. "I'm a little early, and she was ill yesterday, so if she takes a while to show up it shouldn't be surprising."
  4998.  
  4999. "Still, I'd hate to just waste my time, so I occupy myself by stretching and pacing back and forth anxiously."
  5000.  
  5001. "What if I went too far yesterday?"
  5002.  
  5003. "What if she doesn't come because she's embarrassed?"
  5004.  
  5005. "What if…"
  5006.  
  5007. emi "You're early again, Hisao!"
  5008.  
  5009. emi "I'm impressed!"
  5010.  
  5011. "Just like that, I feel some of the tension leaving my body."
  5012.  
  5013. "Emi seems to be bright and cheerful as usual, with no sign that she'd even been ill the other day, much less had a less-than restful sleep."
  5014.  
  5015. "Still, I have to ask."
  5016.  
  5017. hi "Sleep well last night?"
  5018.  
  5019. "It's just a throwaway question. Small talk."
  5020.  
  5021. "The sort of thing people ask someone they bump into in the cafe while getting their morning coffee."
  5022.  
  5023. "But not for us. At least, not for me."
  5024.  
  5025. "I don't know if Emi realizes that I'm actually concerned about how well she slept last night, but the question does give her pause."
  5026.  
  5027. "After a short pondering that seems genuine, she nods."
  5028.  
  5029. emi "Yep! Sure did!"
  5030.  
  5031. "Was it because of me?"
  5032.  
  5033. "Did I actually help?"
  5034.  
  5035. "Or are you just saying that to get me to stop asking questions?"
  5036.  
  5037. hi "Good to hear."
  5038.  
  5039. "Emi grins and begins warming up."
  5040.  
  5041. emi "So, ready to begin?"
  5042.  
  5043. hi "Pfft, am I ready? Of course I'm ready! I was born ready!"
  5044.  
  5045. "Emi laughs at my bravado and we take off running."
  5046.  
  5047. "I keep a steady pace the whole time, breathing steadily."
  5048.  
  5049. "I still feel dead at the end, but at least I don't gasp like a fish out of water now."
  5050.  
  5051. "Emi is positively beaming after the run today."
  5052.  
  5053. emi "Nice job, Hisao!"
  5054.  
  5055. emi "You're improving!"
  5056.  
  5057. emi "You'll be half as fast as me in no time!"
  5058.  
  5059. "This last line is delivered with a teasing grin that I've grown all too used to."
  5060.  
  5061. hi "How exciting!"
  5062.  
  5063. "Emi begins to run her sprints while I take a cool-down lap."
  5064.  
  5065. "She's really pushing herself today."
  5066.  
  5067. "By the time I'm done with my lap, she's laying across one of the bleachers, looking exhausted."
  5068.  
  5069. hi "Goodness me, not pushing it a little too much today, are you?"
  5070.  
  5071. hi "You did just have a cold, you'll recall."
  5072.  
  5073. "Emi gives an annoyed snort and sits up."
  5074.  
  5075. emi "Bah! I'm just trying to make up for lost time, that's all."
  5076.  
  5077. emi "I went twice as hard today, you know."
  5078.  
  5079. emi "A good run always gets the kinks out, you know."
  5080.  
  5081. emi "Clears the mind, too."
  5082.  
  5083. hi "Oh?"
  5084.  
  5085. "Emi nods vigorously."
  5086.  
  5087. emi "Yep! It's a great outlet for that sort of thing."
  5088.  
  5089. "She does not explain further, and I don't ask."
  5090.  
  5091. "I suspect I know the real reason she went so hard today."
  5092.  
  5093. "Being sick had nothing to do with it."
  5094.  
  5095. "Something's bothering her."
  5096.  
  5097. "Maybe the nightmare. Maybe something else."
  5098.  
  5099. "But it's not my place to pry."
  5100.  
  5101. "She'd tell me if she wanted me to know."
  5102.  
  5103. hi "I'm sure that comes in useful."
  5104.  
  5105. emi "You have no idea."
  5106.  
  5107. "The sincerity in her voice confirms my suspicion."
  5108.  
  5109. "The only problem is…"
  5110.  
  5111. "Even though I know she'd tell me if she wanted me to know, I still want to know."
  5112.  
  5113. hi "Something on your mind, then?"
  5114.  
  5115. "Emi doesn't seem surprised by my question."
  5116.  
  5117. "Instead, she shrugs."
  5118.  
  5119. emi "Nah, it's nothing worth getting worried about."
  5120.  
  5121. "She seems as if she's trying to convince herself as much as she's convincing me."
  5122.  
  5123. "I open my mouth to ask if yesterday is responsible for her current state of mind, but think better of it."
  5124.  
  5125. "Too much risk of her taking the question the wrong way."
  5126.  
  5127. "Besides, I'm not even sure myself what to think about yesterday."
  5128.  
  5129. "Really I can only get about as far as how it felt to have Emi sleeping next to me before my brain shuts down."
  5130.  
  5131. "Having her before me now, covered in sweat and looking wryly at me, she's making it difficult to think."
  5132.  
  5133. hi "Yeah, I hear you."
  5134.  
  5135. "Emi glances at her watch."
  5136.  
  5137. emi "We'd better hurry to see the nurse."
  5138.  
  5139. emi "We're running short on time."
  5140.  
  5141. hi "Aren't we always?"
  5142.  
  5143. "Emi laughs at this, a dry chuckle that seems most un-Emi-like."
  5144.  
  5145. emi "Too true."
  5146.  
  5147. "For a brief moment, she looks old, worn down by some old hurt."
  5148.  
  5149. "But just like yesterday I can almost see her shouldering the burden and straightening up slightly."
  5150.  
  5151. "And then she's back to being Emi again."
  5152.  
  5153. emi "Come on then Hisao. Race ya!"
  5154.  
  5155. "With a sudden smile, she darts off."
  5156.  
  5157. hi "Hey! No fair!"
  5158.  
  5159. "I take off after her, knowing I won't catch her but not caring."
  5160.  
  5161. "Even if there's no chance of catching her, I'll still run after her."
  5162.  
  5163. stop music fadeout 1.5
  5164.  
  5165. scene bg school_nurseoffice
  5166. with locationskip
  5167.  
  5168. #Shift to Nurse-kun's office
  5169.  
  5170. play music music_nurse fadein 1.0
  5171.  
  5172. "Emi's waiting for me at the door as I arrive."
  5173.  
  5174. emi "Well well, look who's finally shown up!"
  5175.  
  5176. hi "Yeah, yeah."
  5177.  
  5178. hi "Enjoy your victory while you can."
  5179.  
  5180. "Emi grins as the nurse pokes his head out of the door."
  5181.  
  5182. nk "Well, there you are."
  5183.  
  5184. nk "Come on in, Hisao."
  5185.  
  5186. "In what has become a familiar routine by now, he checks my blood pressure and my heart-rate."
  5187.  
  5188. nk "A bit fast today, isn't it?"
  5189.  
  5190. hi "Yeah, I kind of raced Emi here."
  5191.  
  5192. "The nurse laughs."
  5193.  
  5194. nk "That's never a good idea!"
  5195.  
  5196. "He leans in to whisper to me in a conspiratory manner."
  5197.  
  5198. nk "I don't know if you've heard… but Emi's a bit of a track star."
  5199.  
  5200. "I reel back in mock surprise."
  5201.  
  5202. hi "Really? She never mentioned it before!"
  5203.  
  5204. "The two of us share a laugh at the idea of Emi being quiet about her athletic activities."
  5205.  
  5206. nk "She do okay today?"
  5207.  
  5208. nk "Cold seem to bother her?"
  5209.  
  5210. hi "Why don't you ask her?"
  5211.  
  5212. "He rolls his eyes in exasperation."
  5213.  
  5214. nk "Of course I'm going to ask her too, but she'll tell me that she didn't have any problems regardless of whether or not she did."
  5215.  
  5216. nk "So I'm asking you, because you're her friend and would probably tell me if she had trouble today."
  5217.  
  5218. "When he puts it that way, it makes a lot more sense."
  5219.  
  5220. hi "She seemed pretty good today, if a little more tired than usual."
  5221.  
  5222. hi "She was already feeling better when I dropped by yesterday, so I'm not that surprised."
  5223.  
  5224. "The nurse nods, though I notice he tenses slightly when I mention yesterday's visit."
  5225.  
  5226. nk "Well, that's good to hear."
  5227.  
  5228. nk "I figured it was just a 24 hour thing."
  5229.  
  5230. nk "Emi tends to recover quickly from colds and the like."
  5231.  
  5232. hi "Hey, speaking of Emi…"
  5233.  
  5234. hi "Are she and the track captain…? Well, you know."
  5235.  
  5236. "A look of suspicion crosses his face."
  5237.  
  5238. nk "Why do you ask?"
  5239.  
  5240. hi "Well, it's just that they seem kind of close, and I was just curious, you know?"
  5241.  
  5242. hi "And I'd never ask her, because that would be kind of embarrassing."
  5243.  
  5244. "So far, so good. Now to really sell it."
  5245.  
  5246. hi "Besides, I think they'd make a cute couple."
  5247.  
  5248. "The nurse laughs."
  5249.  
  5250. nk "Well, I don't suppose you're the first to think that."
  5251.  
  5252. nk "But I think I can say with some certainty that the two of them will never do anything like that."
  5253.  
  5254. hi "Certainty?"
  5255.  
  5256. nk "Yep."
  5257.  
  5258. nk "Not that I could tell you, of course."
  5259.  
  5260. nk "Confidentiality and all that."
  5261.  
  5262. hi "Yeah right, you just like holding a secret over my head."
  5263.  
  5264. "He grins widely."
  5265.  
  5266. nk "That too."
  5267.  
  5268. nk "Right. Get out of here."
  5269.  
  5270. nk "I'm a busy man, you know."
  5271.  
  5272. "I roll my eyes at his last statement and head out the door, motioning to Emi to go in."
  5273.  
  5274. "The whole time, I'm trying to keep from doing a celebratory dance."
  5275.  
  5276. nk "The two of them will never do anything like that."
  5277.  
  5278. "That's precisely the sort of thing I wanted to hear."
  5279.  
  5280. scene bg school_hallway3
  5281. with locationchange
  5282.  
  5283. "I'm half-tempted to make some sort of a move on Emi right now, but I think the nurse would probably disapprove."
  5284.  
  5285. "Besides, I still don't know exactly how Emi feels about me."
  5286.  
  5287. "I mean it's obvious that she cares about me as a friend, but something more than that?"
  5288.  
  5289. "I can't be certain."
  5290.  
  5291. "Even so, I can't help but feel hopeful."
  5292.  
  5293. "I just need to figure out a good time to tell Emi exactly how I feel."
  5294.  
  5295. "That puzzle should keep me occupied for the rest of the day, at least."
  5296.  
  5297. stop music fadeout 2.0
  5298.  
  5299. return
  5300.  
  5301. label en_E15:
  5302.  
  5303. scene bg school_roof
  5304. with fade
  5305.  
  5306. play music music_tranquil fadein 1.0
  5307.  
  5308. "The rooftop is completely deserted."
  5309.  
  5310. "Normally I could count on Rin to be up here before me, but she's strangely absent."
  5311.  
  5312. "I wonder if she decided to accompany Emi to the cafeteria for once."
  5313.  
  5314. "Seems pretty unlikely, but that's all I can think of right now."
  5315.  
  5316. "Part of me wants to go look for Rin, but a far larger part of me is too pleased with the way the sun feels on my skin to care."
  5317.  
  5318. "I pick idly at my lunch while I wait for Emi and Rin to show up."
  5319.  
  5320. "It does not take long for me to hear the sounds of someone coming up the stairs."
  5321.  
  5322. "I wait until the door begins to open before talking."
  5323.  
  5324. hi "Took you long enough."
  5325.  
  5326. hi "Keeping me waiting for you, honestly."
  5327.  
  5328. hi "The two of you are…"
  5329.  
  5330. hi "Huh?"
  5331.  
  5332. "Well that's odd."
  5333.  
  5334. "The only person standing in the doorway is Emi, who looks mildly confused."
  5335.  
  5336. emi "What do you mean, “huh?”"
  5337.  
  5338. emi "It's me! You know, Emi! We run in the mornings."
  5339.  
  5340. "She grins, and I feel my heart jump slightly in my chest at the sight."
  5341.  
  5342. hi "Yes, I knew that."
  5343.  
  5344. hi "I'm just confused…"
  5345.  
  5346. hi "Where's Rin?"
  5347.  
  5348. "Emi's grin is replaced by a rather guilty-looking expression."
  5349.  
  5350. emi "Yeah, about that…"
  5351.  
  5352. emi "I kind of…sort of…"
  5353.  
  5354. emi "Gavehermycold."
  5355.  
  5356. hi "Oh dear."
  5357.  
  5358. hi "Am I at risk too?"
  5359.  
  5360. "It would make sense, after all."
  5361.  
  5362. "Emi and I were in close contact the other day…"
  5363.  
  5364. "So what did she and Rin do that got her ill?"
  5365.  
  5366. "…"
  5367.  
  5368. "Steady on old lad."
  5369.  
  5370. "Don't go down that road."
  5371.  
  5372. "Rin's just probably got a worse immune system than me."
  5373.  
  5374. "Emi seems shocked by my comment, like she hadn't considered that before."
  5375.  
  5376. emi "I hope not!"
  5377.  
  5378. emi "I'll feel terrible if you get ill because of me, Hisao!"
  5379.  
  5380. hi "Oh man, I think I feel a fever coming on…"
  5381.  
  5382. "Emi looks horrified, and then quickly shifts into a more angry expression."
  5383.  
  5384. emi "Hisao!"
  5385.  
  5386. emi "You stop getting sick this instant!"
  5387.  
  5388. emi "I won't have it!"
  5389.  
  5390. "Impulsively she seizes me by the collar."
  5391.  
  5392. emi "Are you listening to me, Hisao's immune system?"
  5393.  
  5394. emi "Get your ass in gear!"
  5395.  
  5396. "I give a smart salute."
  5397.  
  5398. hi "Duly noted ma'am."
  5399.  
  5400. "Emi steps back and nods, satisfied."
  5401.  
  5402. emi "Good."
  5403.  
  5404. emi "You are not allowed to miss any of our morning runs, after all."
  5405.  
  5406. hi "But you missed a morning run!"
  5407.  
  5408. "Emi crosses her arms and looks at me haughtily."
  5409.  
  5410. emi "Yes, but that's a special case."
  5411.  
  5412. emi "It was me, and not you."
  5413.  
  5414. hi "That's not an explanation at all."
  5415.  
  5416. "Emi looks flabbergasted."
  5417.  
  5418. emi "You're kidding, right?"
  5419.  
  5420. emi "That explanation makes perfect sense!"
  5421.  
  5422. hi "No it doesn't!"
  5423.  
  5424. hi "It's a blatant double standard!"
  5425.  
  5426. emi "I don't see what that has to do with anything."
  5427.  
  5428. hi "Oh, fine."
  5429.  
  5430. "Emi seems pleased by her victory."
  5431.  
  5432. hi "Anyway, is Rin going to be okay?"
  5433.  
  5434. hi "She's not terribly ill, right?"
  5435.  
  5436. "Emi shakes her head."
  5437.  
  5438. emi "Nope! She'll be fine."
  5439.  
  5440. emi "I got her some cold medicine that should help her."
  5441.  
  5442. emi "Although I probably should have made sure she didn't try to take them all at once…"
  5443.  
  5444. emi "She's done it before, you know."
  5445.  
  5446. "Somehow, I don't find this all that surprising."
  5447.  
  5448. "I doubt Rin is one to pay attention to maximum dosages and such."
  5449.  
  5450. hi "You should probably check in on her later, then."
  5451.  
  5452. hi "Just to make sure."
  5453.  
  5454. "Emi shrugs."
  5455.  
  5456. emi "I'll stop by after practice. She'll be fine until then."
  5457.  
  5458. "I nod, figuring that line of conversation is over with."
  5459.  
  5460. "The only problem is, I don't know what else to talk about."
  5461.  
  5462. hi "So…"
  5463.  
  5464. hi "You got anymore track meets coming up?"
  5465.  
  5466. "This is a terribly roundabout way of trying to see if she's free on the weekend."
  5467.  
  5468. "If she's free, then maybe I can ask her on a date or something."
  5469.  
  5470. "Assuming I can get myself to actually form the words."
  5471.  
  5472. "Emi shakes her head."
  5473.  
  5474. emi "Nah, not for another couple weeks, I think."
  5475.  
  5476. emi "The season's winding down."
  5477.  
  5478. "Oh yeah."
  5479.  
  5480. "I came in right in the middle of things, didn't I?"
  5481.  
  5482. "Does that mean exams are coming up soon? I should probably look into that."
  5483.  
  5484. hi "What do you do on weekends if there's not a meet?"
  5485.  
  5486. "An eyebrow goes up, and Emi gets a teasing look on her face."
  5487.  
  5488. emi "You're awfully inquisitive today, aren't you?"
  5489.  
  5490. "I shrug and hope it looks casual."
  5491.  
  5492. hi "Just making conversation."
  5493.  
  5494. hi "I don't know what it's like to be a track star, after all."
  5495.  
  5496. emi "Pfft, flattery."
  5497.  
  5498. "She waves a hand idly."
  5499.  
  5500. emi "I'm not actually that good, you know."
  5501.  
  5502. emi "You just so happened to see me on a good day, is all."
  5503.  
  5504. hi "You liar."
  5505.  
  5506. emi "Heh, yeah."
  5507.  
  5508. emi "But humility is the sign of a good athlete."
  5509.  
  5510. emi "At least that's what my dad used to say."
  5511.  
  5512. "She shrugs and tries unsuccessfully to hide the rather troubled expression her face has taken on."
  5513.  
  5514. hi "Hey, what's up?"
  5515.  
  5516. hi "You seem bothered by something."
  5517.  
  5518. "Emi starts to deny it, then sighs in defeat."
  5519.  
  5520. "I wonder if she's too tired from being sick to get herself to deny it like usual."
  5521.  
  5522. "Or if she actually just trusts me enough at this point to open up."
  5523.  
  5524. emi "Well, you remember last night?"
  5525.  
  5526. "Do I ever."
  5527.  
  5528. "I settle for nodding."
  5529.  
  5530. emi "That's not the first time that's happened to me."
  5531.  
  5532. emi "Actually, I get them kind of…"
  5533.  
  5534. "She pauses, as if it's suddenly occurred to her what she's doing."
  5535.  
  5536. "It's almost like she's breaking some sort of personal rule here."
  5537.  
  5538. "But she starts up again, choosing her words carefully."
  5539.  
  5540. emi "Well, not often, but…"
  5541.  
  5542. emi "On occasion."
  5543.  
  5544. emi "It's just been one of those weeks where that's what happens."
  5545.  
  5546. "A sigh escapes her, and she looks terribly frustrated."
  5547.  
  5548. "I reach over and give her a hug, which unlike last time doesn't seem to shock her."
  5549.  
  5550. "Instead, she seems to relax as my arms wrap around her."
  5551.  
  5552. "We stay that way for a while."
  5553.  
  5554. hi "Hey, you know I was serious last night."
  5555.  
  5556. hi "You really can talk to me if stuff like this is bothering you."
  5557.  
  5558. hi "It's always difficult to do this sort of thing solo, you know?"
  5559.  
  5560. "Emi smiles and breaks the embrace, but stays leaning on my shoulder."
  5561.  
  5562. emi "Thanks, Hisao."
  5563.  
  5564. emi "I'll be fine, I think."
  5565.  
  5566. "I can already see her reassembling herself, getting ready to bottle it all up again."
  5567.  
  5568. "Guess that topic's closed, now."
  5569.  
  5570. hi "So hey, given any more thought to that career survey?"
  5571.  
  5572. emi "Can't say I have."
  5573.  
  5574. emi "I don't tend to plan very far ahead, you know."
  5575.  
  5576. emi "Although I suppose I could at least start looking into college, huh?"
  5577.  
  5578. "I shrug."
  5579.  
  5580. hi "I suppose, unless you were serious about that pirate thing."
  5581.  
  5582. hi "Last I checked, pirates didn't have much need for universities."
  5583.  
  5584. hi "Unless there's like, a pirate university out there somewhere."
  5585.  
  5586. "Emi giggles and starts to look a little like her old self, but there's a new element to her expression."
  5587.  
  5588. "Impish. That's how I'd describe it."
  5589.  
  5590. "Emi looks impish, looking up at me with her head nestled into my shoulder."
  5591.  
  5592. emi "Would you come with me if I ran off to be a pirate?"
  5593.  
  5594. hi "Of course I would!"
  5595.  
  5596. hi "Who in their right mind would pass up the opportunity to be pirates with you?"
  5597.  
  5598. emi "Well, when you put it that way, I'm not sure."
  5599.  
  5600. "She giggles again."
  5601.  
  5602. "I notice that my heart seems to have sped up."
  5603.  
  5604. "It's probably due to Emi's proximity to me."
  5605.  
  5606. "The hint of strawberries again."
  5607.  
  5608. "I can't help but grin as I gaze down at her."
  5609.  
  5610. "She's happy again."
  5611.  
  5612. emi "Hey, Hisao."
  5613.  
  5614. hi "Hmm?"
  5615.  
  5616. stop music fadeout 5.0
  5617.  
  5618. emi "If you're going to kiss me, you should probably do it soon."
  5619.  
  5620. emi "I think the lunch bell is about to ring."
  5621.  
  5622. "My thoughts grind to a sudden halt."
  5623.  
  5624. "I'm pretty sure my mouth is hanging open in shock."
  5625.  
  5626. "All I can manage is a strangled “Huh?”"
  5627.  
  5628. "This amuses Emi even more."
  5629.  
  5630. emi "You were thinking about it, weren't you?"
  5631.  
  5632. "She sits up, bringing her face level with mine."
  5633.  
  5634. emi "I'd probably enjoy it, you know?"
  5635.  
  5636. emi "You're a really…"
  5637.  
  5638. emi "…Well."
  5639.  
  5640. "She briefly composes herself, looking like she's about to say something important."
  5641.  
  5642. play music music_serene fadein 1.5
  5643.  
  5644. emi "If you hadn't figured it out by now, I think I've developed a bit of a crush on you."
  5645.  
  5646. emi "You're going to have to do something about that."
  5647.  
  5648. "This time her grin short circuits several important thought processes."
  5649.  
  5650. "At some point I turned toward her, and at another point her arms moved to around my neck."
  5651.  
  5652. "At yet another, my arms wrapped around her waist."
  5653.  
  5654. "I'll be damned if I could tell you precisely when that happened."
  5655.  
  5656. "Because at the moment, there's only a voice in the back of my head yelling at me to kiss her."
  5657.  
  5658. "I look into Emi's eyes."
  5659.  
  5660. "There it is."
  5661.  
  5662. "The thing I saw yesterday on the bed."
  5663.  
  5664. "It's there again."
  5665.  
  5666. "It suddenly strikes me that she's worried that I'll reject her."
  5667.  
  5668. stop music fadeout 1.5
  5669.  
  5670. "What a silly worry for her to have."
  5671.  
  5672. "Her lips taste faintly of strawberries."
  5673.  
  5674. "She leans into the kiss, and her arms tighten around the back of my head, making sure that I don't pull away."
  5675.  
  5676. "Not that there was any danger of that."
  5677.  
  5678. "There's a churning feeling in my gut."
  5679.  
  5680. "The world falls away."
  5681.  
  5682. "There's just me, and her, and this bench."
  5683.  
  5684. play music music_romance fadein 0.5
  5685.  
  5686. "My arms tighten, drawing her waist closer, entranced by the feel of her."
  5687.  
  5688. "I inhale the scent of her, my mind trying desperately to memorize everything about how she tastes, how she smells, how she feels."
  5689.  
  5690. "The ringing of the bell snaps us both back to reality, and we break the kiss."
  5691.  
  5692. "Emi's cheeks are slightly flushed, and she seems to be catching her breath."
  5693.  
  5694. "In her defense, so am I."
  5695.  
  5696. "We stand there for a few moments, trying to wrap our heads around what we've just done."
  5697.  
  5698. "Emi is the first to break the silence."
  5699.  
  5700. emi "So…"
  5701.  
  5702. emi "… Wanna grab dinner after I'm done with practice?"
  5703.  
  5704. hi "What a coincidence."
  5705.  
  5706. hi "I was about to ask you the same thing."
  5707.  
  5708. "Well, actually I suppose it was going to be some kind of proper date on the weekend or something."
  5709.  
  5710. "But the thought was there, I think."
  5711.  
  5712. "Emi gives me a playful shove."
  5713.  
  5714. emi "Yeah right."
  5715.  
  5716. emi "You were still in shock from how incredibly awesome I am at kissing."
  5717.  
  5718. "We begin to head down the stairs back to our respective classrooms."
  5719.  
  5720. scene bg school_hallway3
  5721. with locationchange
  5722.  
  5723. hi "Hey, I didn't see you talking immediately afterwards either."
  5724.  
  5725. "Emi grins."
  5726.  
  5727. emi "That I didn't."
  5728.  
  5729. emi "See you after practice, Hisao."
  5730.  
  5731. "She leans in quickly and gives me a quick kiss in the middle of the hallway, sending me into another brief state of mental freefall."
  5732.  
  5733. "As I head into my classroom, a giggling Misha greets me."
  5734.  
  5735. mi "Why Hicchan, you romantic, you~!"
  5736.  
  5737. mi "Did you confess on the rooftop? Did you~?"
  5738.  
  5739. hi "Er, actually I think it was the other way around."
  5740.  
  5741. "This sends Misha into a fresh fit of laughter."
  5742.  
  5743. mi "As expected of Emi~!"
  5744.  
  5745. mi "She's a good kisser, isn't she Hicchan~?"
  5746.  
  5747. hi "Er…"
  5748.  
  5749. "Before I can respond, Mutou's entered the room and Misha skips off to her seat, giggling all the while."
  5750.  
  5751. "I suspect that I'll get a lot of that sort of conversation now."
  5752.  
  5753. "Especially seeing as how Emi kissed me right in the middle of the hall."
  5754.  
  5755. "But somehow, I don't care about that."
  5756.  
  5757. "For the first time since arriving here, my heart feels light."
  5758.  
  5759. return
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