Advertisement
Not a member of Pastebin yet?
Sign Up,
it unlocks many cool features!
- 4
- Walking, straight ahead.
- Never straying from the path.
- Never wavering or doubting.
- Always, and forever.
- Forever?
- (plink plink)
- 5
- I can barely play at all anymore... the sound's totally off.
- (plink)
- (plink)
- Do you wish you'd gone to music college?
- Where's this coming from, Mom?
- Well, you have always loved the piano, Minato. Maybe that's the road you really wanted to go down?
- What? Sure, I like it, but... it's just a hobby! I never even studied it seriously.
- 6
- Really?
- Yeah! I never even considered music college.
- Well, I suppose it's fine then...
- I'm just grateful I got to go to college at all. I know we don't have much money.
- Ah! Sorry, I shouldn't have been standing around talking... I'm late for work.
- What!? Don't tell me you're going dressed like that!?
- Isn't that a little plain? You don't want to wear something a little... brighter?
- Urgh... always the worrier...
- You won't make a bad impression coming in your first day like that?
- I-... it's fine. Nobody even sees what you come in. I'll change to my uniform as soon as I get there.
- What about that one-piece I bought you before? It's so adorable, but you never wear it...
- (slide)
- Ehmm... sorry, I gotta go!
- 7
- Oh, yeah! Once I'm done work, I'll come back to pitch in here.
- Thanks for always helping out, Minato. I'm so lucky to have such a good kid.
- (Ah ha...)
- What are you saying, after all this time?
- It's just you and me in this family, Mom. Bye, now!
- 8
- When I was in third grade, my parents divorced. At this point I don't even remember my father's face anymore.
- Since then my mother has raised me on her own, running a restaurant out of our house at the same time.
- I'm a 22-year old working adult... I can at least decide what to /wear/ on my own.
- (Some cutesy one-piece is out of the question...)
- Of course I'm grateful that she cares so much about me, but...
- Just not making problems for her, not causing her any worry...
- That's the life I've become accustomed to.
- Sometimes it all... feels a little heavy.
- 9
- Error!?
- Paper jam!?
- Eegh... what do I do about this...
- First step is... open it up...
- (clunk)
- Just a second, Shimada-san.
- What do you think you're doing!? You're not finished yet?
- Ah! P... please forgive me!
- 10
- Eeghh...
- Somebody scary showed up!!
- My boss, Oota-san!
- If you don't hurry up and get it fixed, you'll be making /me/ stay overtime!
- Um... yes, of course. So... how exactly do you fix...?
- What!?
- You don't even know that!?
- You've been here more than a month, and are /still/ asking questions like that!? You know you're being paid for this, don't you!? Am I getting through to you??
- Hyeegh...!!!
- Pardon me.
- 11
- If the employees aren't learning, that would be the supervisor's fault.
- Anyway, hurry up and get it done!
- (Phew...)
- (gasp!)
- 12
- Um... thank you very much.
- Er... I believe this is Asami-san, from my department.
- I wouldn't mind getting home on time myself, and I've got an urgent copy to make. Step aside and I'll fix it.
- Ahm... is it all right if I watch from the side? Wouldn't want to run into this situation again...
- Do what you like.
- Of course...
- The world's a cold place.
- (whirrrrr)
- And that's how it's done.
- 13
- Turn the power back on, and you're set.
- (beep)
- Ooh, you fixed it!
- I'll be using it first.
- (whrrr whrrr)
- I learned a lot! Thank you very much!
- (bow)
- You're welcome.
- She was a bit curt, but she still went through all the steps for me... maybe she's actually really nice?
- One thing's for sure... she certainly is pretty...
- Have you gotten used to working here?
- Yes, one way or another...
- (whrrr whrrr whrrr)
- That harpy treats all the newcomers like that.
- I got the same when I started out.
- Huh!? Even you, Asami-san!?
- 14
- But she left me alone once I talked back to her.
- What!? You talked back!?
- If I hadn't, I wouldn't have survived here long. I'm not going to put up with that nonsense...
- Why not kick up a fuss yourself, Shimada-san?
- Eh...
- (snicker)
- Maybe not.
- Hey, Asami...
- 15
- What are you doing over here? Not picking on the rookie, are you?
- 'Scuse me?
- That's not it! Asami-san was just showing me how to fix the copier!
- (whirl)
- Pardon me, but I'm in a hurry.
- Hope that didn't foul up her mood... she was being so nice to me, too...
- You all right? Minato!
- H- H- H- Haruto! ...I mean, Mase-san!
- Not too cute, is she? That Asami.
- Brushing everybody off, out the door the minute the day ends...
- Nothing like our hard-working Minato.
- (pat pat)
- 16
- Ooh, right! I'll be stopping by your place after work today, 'kay?
- Uhm...
- Uhm, hey, Haruto?
- We agreed you wouldn't call me "Minato" at work, didn't we?
- Oh, did we?
- You don't remember? Really?
- In the office we're supposed to be strangers, just two co-workers.
- But that's just unnatural! I mean, we've known each other 20 years at this point.
- Unnatural or not... it's what we've got to do.
- 17
- They're already so rough on me just for being a newcomer.
- What do you think they'd say if they knew I only got the job because of /you/?
- What's the problem? I referred you, but Human Affairs are the ones who hired you, nothing to do with me. Why worry?
- Oh, I'm worried... You don't know how cruel a woman's world is, Haruto.
- (slump)
- Well, the bosses /are/ all pretty strict... Oota-san, for one...
- Hey. Minato!
- Hold it in a little, would you? Haru-kun's the one watching out for you.
- Thanks so much for everything you've done for her, since she was little. I hope I can continue to count on you!
- Leave her to me, auntie! I plan to keep on looking after her my whole life.
- Hey, hold up! What do you two think you're saying!?
- 18
- Aw, what's the problem? I'm just making sure we're set for the future.
- Don't decide that yourself!
- No one in the world knows more about taking care of Minato than I do.
- Picking her up from nursery school...
- Even taking baths together...
- Haruto, age 10
- Minato, age 6
- (Hold still!)
- (Uegh!! I hate shampoo!)
- Jeesh, cut it out! Don't dig up that ancient stuff!!
- Minato-chan! Two more draughts, this way!
- Haruto is my childhood friend, 4 years my elder. And as you see, he comes pre-approved from my mother.
- But approved or not, to me he's a dependable big brother more than anything.
- I've never had what you'd call romantic feelings toward him.
- Coming right up!
- (Sorry for the wait)
- Still, he's been with me all this time.
- 19
- Will things just keep going on like this?
- What was /with/ that guy? Calling you "Minato-chan!"
- Stay away from guys like that, Minato. They're bad news when they're drunk.
- He was just a customer.
- You're the one who drank too much, Haruto! Are you really okay? We /do/ have work tomorrow.
- No no, he was definitely angling for you, Minato!
- He was looking at you different! I can tell!!
- Yeah, yeah.
- I'm not a kid anymore, so I can watch out for that stuff myself.
- Thanks to you hanging over me worrying all the time, I've never had a boyfriend in my life!
- I'm your childhood friend! I have a duty to protect you!
- Geez... what are you even saying?
- But that's how it is.
- What I said earlier... wasn't necessarily a joke.
- 20
- I want to look after you the rest of my life.
- I hope you'll give that some real thought.
- Eh...
- Good night!
- What!?
- 21
- Whoo, that startled me... What he just said, that was... a proposal, wasn't it.
- So Haruto's... really had that on his mind?
- Well, what do I do now?
- I've never considered it in any kind of concrete way...
- And I only just started working... I know Mom would be all for it, though.
- I have to give some kind of answer.
- 22
- "I'm so lucky to have such a good kid."
- My mother,
- sacrificing herself to raise a kid on her own.
- "I want to look after her the rest of her life."
- Haruto,
- with his sincere and earnest concern for me, every since I was little.
- 23
- I have to...
- honor their expectations.
- It feels... hard to breathe, somehow...
- 24
- Haruto's out all day... That's lucky. After yesterday, I wouldn't know how to face him...
- Shimada-san.
- Bind these materials up, just like the sample shows. We'll need 50 copies.
- We're using them first thing in the morning on Monday. It shouldn't take long, right? Hopefully you can at least manage this quickly.
- Yes... of course!
- This much work, right at the end of the day... guess I'm looking at overtime...
- (Sample)
- (Hoo, boy...)
- Looks like they've buried you under another real pile there.
- Asami-san!
- 25
- Should've turned it down. It wasn't fair to just dump it on you like this.
- Turn it down...? I can't do that.
- With that attitude, you'll always just be dancing on other people's strings.
- I'll help you out.
- N... no, that's all right!
- There really... seemed to be some bite in her words.
- If you try to do this yourself, who knows when you'll finish?
- I'm fine.
- And... "dancing on strings?" I mean, this is our job...
- Oh.
- Sorry, did I offend you?
- 26
- You just always seem so constricted, Shimada-san.
- Ooh, there you are!
- Har-... Mase-san.
- Huh?? Why is he here!?
- Can I have a second?
- Oh... sure...
- What's up? Working overtime?
- Yeah... but weren't you going straight home, Haruto?
- 27
- Well... I couldn't get yesterday off my mind, so I came back, hoping you'd still be here.
- Eh...
- I was hoping we could get things decided quickly, I guess... I think that would be best for you too, Minato.
- We wouldn't have to hide anything here at work, either.
- Ahm...
- What do I do... I have to say something...
- Should we bring your mother in and all have a talk tonight?
- Wai... wait just a second, Haruto...
- Hm?
- Oh, I can just kill time until you're finished work. We can still go home together.
- N... No, that's not...
- It's only been a day!
- I haven't had time to think at all!
- I...
- (tap)
- 28
- Um...
- Pardon me, Mase-san.
- She and I had plans to go out drinking after this.
- Ooh, prior engagement?
- And with Asami? That's rare.
- It's a girls-only gathering at my house, so I hope you'll understand why I can't invite you.
- (So cold...)
- 29
- Um... thanks so much. Your intuition really saved me there.
- Still, I never imagined Mase-san was your childhood friend, and almost your fiancΓ©.
- Well, why not get married?
- He's serious and successful, probably headed for good things. You'd have security.
- (Plus he's fairly good-looking)
- Don't just come out and say it...
- It's just like you said, Asami-san!
- (slam)
- I'm just dancing on other people's strings!
- I'm constricted!!
- But people love you. That's not happiness?
- I know that! And I know I'm being awful to Haruto by running away like this!
- Oh? Am I... drunk?
- But somewhere along the line...
- The words are really just... spilling out...
- I got caught up thinking... am I really okay with this?
- 30
- I'm from a single-parent household, so I've always had my mom looking after me...
- always had Haruto protecting me...
- Maybe my world is just too narrow?
- Like everything's beginning and ending inside that little bubble.
- If I get outside it, maybe I could see something different.
- There might be all kinds of possibilities I never knew about.
- 31
- Eeek!!
- Th... that's /cold/!!
- What are you, some spoiled little kid?
- 32
- What a happy little situation you've got yourself in.
- You want possibilities? You want to see something new?
- Yet you've been surrounded by good people all your life, and can't do a thing on your own.
- People like you should just snuggle down nice and warm in your safe, comfortable burrow and keep quiet.
- I- It's not like...
- Iγdo these things because I /want/ to!
- [I'm not sure what specifically she's referring to here]
- 33
- I just feel like... this is the best way for everyone.
- Even now, I don't really think I'm wrong about that.
- Then quit complaining.
- What is this...
- Why do I have to talk about this stuff with /her/?
- And I bet you've never once in your life had something /you/ wanted to do? To the point that you're causing problems for other people?
- I have!
- I did! But...
- 34
- I knew we didn't have that kind of money!
- So I couldn't say... I wanted the piano to be /more/ than a hobby!
- I'm going home.
- See? You /can/ say it.
- 35
- It might not get you anything, but things are so much easier when you can say it out loud.
- I'm sorry for taunting you like that.
- But you seemed to be suffering so much.
- I wanted to release you.
- 36
- Huh!? Wha!?
- What are you /doing/!?
- I wanted to lick you.
- (Your tears)
- Wh... I... I have no idea what you're talking about!!
- 37
- No. I guess not.
- I got your clothes wet.
- I'm sorry.
- (Huh...? Hey!!)
- I'm all right!
- I can do it myself, you don't have to... Asami-san!
- Ouch!
- 38
- Want to stray off the path a bit?
- Huh?
- If you're in for a little infidelity, I'm game.
- No... what?
- Infidelity? What are you talking about?
- You're... a woman, Asami-san...
- 39
- You said you wanted to see something different, didn't you?
- If you've only known men, it might be a fresh experience.
- Known men...?
- No, I've never... Hey, are you drunk...?
- No, I'm not drunk.
- If you want me to stop, I will.
- 40
- When you don't like something, just thrust it away.
- [assuming this line is meant to have wider implications]
- The smell of tobacco...
- and a lot of alcohol.
- 41
- A bolt of the extraordinary...
- piercing my world.
- I couldn't...
- thrust that away.
Advertisement
Add Comment
Please, Sign In to add comment
Advertisement