And here (finally) is the latest chapter (I just have to hope I haven't made any further keyboard slip ups).
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Slow Steps
Tuesday morning started with a bang... From me hitting my alarm clock.
I move my head to look at the blank display on my now buggered alarm clock.
It had served me well for the past two years, but that hit was the last straw as the top had now caved in and had probably broken the internal components as well.
After getting out of bed, I quickly unplugged the now useless alarm clock before going about the task of getting ready for the day.
Once I'd got dressed, my attention went to the box that was taking up space on my desk.
I hadn't touched it since I left it in here before heading out to the track.
With a bit of time left before I had to leave to get to class on time, I picked up the package and went about opening it.
When I got the wrapping off, all I was left with was a note from my parents apologising for not bringing what was in the package when they brought all my stuff over, and a box that contained a mobile phone.
With this little addition I had some way to wake up in the morning, and with time ebbing away I got it set up, placed in a pocket and picked up my bag before leaving the room.
I got to class just before the bell rang, and headed straight to my desk.
The morning was another droning monotone lecture from Mutou that almost everybody wasn't paying attention to.
I looked over to my right to see Suzu fighting the urge to fall asleep, even with the dull noise that was coming from the front of the classroom.
The lunch bell rang, putting an end to the lecture which didn't impress Mutou that much since he doesn't like being disturbed while he was on a roll.
As everyone sorted themselves out, I woke up the now sleeping Suzu so we could head over to the cafeteria for lunch.
"Did something happen this morning", Lezard asked "I heard a loud bang coming from your room".
"I kinda... broke my alarm clock", I said.
"Will you be able to wake up on time", Taro asked.
"I've got a backup", I said "so I should be fine until I get a more permanent solution".
"You'll have to make sure that you don't break that one", Lezard said.
"That clock lasted just over two years", I said "but I might get something that I don't have to smack to shut down".
Those words ended that conversation and as I'd already finished my food, I headed back to class with Suzu tagging along.
The rest of the day was filled with another lecture, but it allowed me to remember that golden week was just over a week away.
I normally stayed at home during that time, and that probably would go the same way this year unless I'm invited to someone else’s place.
It would be extremely unlikely since I don't really know anyone here for them to do that, so I'd still be spending time at home until I had to come back to school.
When the end of classes finally came, I packed my things away and left class as I had to drop the books that I'd borrowed last week back off to the library.
The route to the library is more familiar then it was last week, but the librarian jumped a mile as I dropped the books down the chute.
After calming Yuuko down, I walked through the library to look for new books.
Once again I managed to find a few books to read, and as I reached the seating area I noticed a familiar figure sitting in her usual area.
When Hanako spotted me, she closed the book she was reading and headed over to where I was standing.
“A-are you... all right... now”, Hanako asked.
“I'm fine now”, I said “it just took a while for the pain killers to kick in, and I only need to use them when necessary”.
Hanako looked relieved after I said that, but she did still look a little troubled.
“I-I... heard that you've joined t-the... track a-and field c-club”, Hanako said “s-so we may never meet a-again”.
“I don't have to be there all the time so there's still opportunities to meet like this”, I said “but you could come down to the track when I'm there, as there aren't that many people watching during practice so you could find a quiet spot to read while watching”.
Hanako's expression changed drastically when I said she could come down to the track, but it went back to normal after I said there aren't that many people watching which would allow her to find a place to sit, and she nodded to say that she accepted my solution.
“I'm on the track this Thursday”, I said “but it's only to get some times down”.
Hanako nodded once again before returning to where she was sitting, and I headed back to the counter to check out the books I was holding.
I got back to my room, placed the books on my desk and sat down on my bed.
It didn't take long for a sudden rumbling from my pocket to break my train of thought, so I fished the phone out of my pocket and answered it.
“So you finally turned it on”, a voice said.
“And hello to you too, mother”, I said “I expected the phone to be here when I started here, not to have it sent through the post since I only got it yesterday”.
“We forgot to bring it with us”, my mother said “so we had to send it by post”.
“You know I rarely check the post”, I said “I didn't even get the phone until it was handed to me”.
“So how have you been”, my mother asked “I hope you haven't been taking any risks”.
“What do you mean by risks”, I asked.
“by joining the track team behind my back”, my mother said.
It looks like the cat is about to jump out of the bag.
“What if it was suggested by the schools head nurse”, I said
“You haven't”, my mother said.
“I'm only on limited attendance”, I said “plus they're limiting my running distances”.
“But what if it puts you back in the hospital”, my mother said, her voice sounding like she was in a panic.
“It'll only take a heavy hit to my back or bad running form to cause any problems”, I said “even then it wouldn't be enough to put me back in the hospital”.
“So you're still going to go ahead with this”, my mother said “even after what I'd said”.
“If I didn't know my limits then I might not have gone through with this”, I said “but since I know what I'm capable of I can't back down, so please just have faith in my judgement”.
A silence hits the line as my mother contemplates what I've just said.
“When is your first event”, my mother asked.
“June 24, I think”, I said “it's the only event I'll be running in”.
“I'll speak with your father to try to get him on your side”, my mother said “but I'm not sure if I can”.
“If you can't, then get him to call me and I'll talk him over to my side”, I said.
“I hope that you can”, my mother said “you know how hard headed he can be”.
“We'll just have to see”, I said “things might turn out differently”.
We said our goodbyes after that, and ended the call.
I've now have my mother on my side, but getting my father to go the same way is going to be really difficult.
I just have to take things slowly and hope that he comes around to my way of thinking.
Facing my Pains
Re: Facing my Pains
Just finished reading through what you've posted so far. It's pretty interesting. Your character seems rather likable, although a few of the side characters come off as a bit bland at times.
A few comments on what was written so far...
It seems a bit odd to me that he keeps referring to these the people that crippled him, but him in the hospital a second time, and repeatedly inflicted horrible amounts of pain on him as "friends." You'd figure by the time he was transferred he would have stopped referring to the people that tortured him as "friends". If it was me I'd probably call them something closer to "some assholes I used to know."
The first scene with Hanako in the library really could have been done better. It reads like you copied the game, except where Hisao can't take his eyes off her, you repeatedly tell us that your character is doing so much better because he wasn't looking at her.
One thing that strikes me as a tad off is how he's friends with Miki, who's on the track club and apparently one of the faster runners, but all his interactions with the club seems to revolve around Emi.
A few comments on what was written so far...
It seems a bit odd to me that he keeps referring to these the people that crippled him, but him in the hospital a second time, and repeatedly inflicted horrible amounts of pain on him as "friends." You'd figure by the time he was transferred he would have stopped referring to the people that tortured him as "friends". If it was me I'd probably call them something closer to "some assholes I used to know."
The first scene with Hanako in the library really could have been done better. It reads like you copied the game, except where Hisao can't take his eyes off her, you repeatedly tell us that your character is doing so much better because he wasn't looking at her.
One thing that strikes me as a tad off is how he's friends with Miki, who's on the track club and apparently one of the faster runners, but all his interactions with the club seems to revolve around Emi.
Not Dead Yet
Re: Facing my Pains
It might be because of the way I'm limiting the speaking sections that makes some of the sub characters come across as a bit bland (plus not knowing what their personalities are like makes things more difficult and I don't want to use other stories as inspiration since I might unconsciously copy things without knowing it).
As for your comments.
His constant referring to what happened is because of how current those experiences are, even though the original injury happened about 4 months before the start of the story the constant aggravation of the injury by his former friends kept everything fresh in his mind (this should start to fade away in the next few chapters).
In the library scene only a few parts came from the game (even though I think I wrote it from memory), the part where Hanako help to pick up the books isn't there along with the part when they meet up with Lilly and leave the library (I wanted Hanako to be a bit more accepting to having company (mainly because as you said and as I wrote the character wasn't looking at her too much and when he does, he's not looking at the scarred side of her face which as Lilly said was the trigger that made Hanako open up to Hisao) as their friendship is going to be a key part of the story to come).
I actually wrote that and the meeting with Lilly to link up with the scene in the game where Hisao goes to the library for the time with Lilly she went there to order the books she collects during the start of the game.
Because Emi was the one who got him into the club, the interactions in the club as it currently stands are more with her then with Miki which will change once he gets started in the club.
Once again time and writers block has stopped me from completing the next chapter in time to post it now.
As for your comments.
His constant referring to what happened is because of how current those experiences are, even though the original injury happened about 4 months before the start of the story the constant aggravation of the injury by his former friends kept everything fresh in his mind (this should start to fade away in the next few chapters).
In the library scene only a few parts came from the game (even though I think I wrote it from memory), the part where Hanako help to pick up the books isn't there along with the part when they meet up with Lilly and leave the library (I wanted Hanako to be a bit more accepting to having company (mainly because as you said and as I wrote the character wasn't looking at her too much and when he does, he's not looking at the scarred side of her face which as Lilly said was the trigger that made Hanako open up to Hisao) as their friendship is going to be a key part of the story to come).
I actually wrote that and the meeting with Lilly to link up with the scene in the game where Hisao goes to the library for the time with Lilly she went there to order the books she collects during the start of the game.
Because Emi was the one who got him into the club, the interactions in the club as it currently stands are more with her then with Miki which will change once he gets started in the club.
Once again time and writers block has stopped me from completing the next chapter in time to post it now.
Re: Facing my Pains
And here's the next chapter.
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Putting My Foot Down
An unfamiliar sound woke me from my slumber.
I turned my head in the direction of the noise, and instead of the alarm clock that was there yesterday the phone I'd gotten was blaring out my alarm call.
After I turned the alarm off, I placed the phone back onto the night table and took a minute to think about what happened yesterday after school.
Even though I'd had my mother on my side after a little convincing, getting my father to go the same way would be a challenge since he was the one who convinced my mother to stop me from going back to running after the accident.
I knew it would be close to impossible to get him to change his mind, but I wasn't going to let him dictate terms on how I led my own life even though I knew my limits.
With the impending doom of what my father was going to say ringing through my head, I got changed into my uniform and headed to class.
I wasn't going to let what might be coming ruin my happy mood.
My good mood continued through the morning since we were doing group work and not having to hear Mutou's monotone voice for a majority of the day.
Once again, I teamed up with Suzu, Miki and Molly for this session and my good mood seemed to be rubbing off on those I was working with as there were smiles all around.
Lunch was also a group affair, with a lot of interest in my mood.
"You seem to be in a good mood today", Taro said "something must've happened to you".
"I spoke with my mother yesterday", I said "and I've gotten her on my side in regards to my being in the track and field club".
"That's great", Miki said with a huge grin on her face "you made it sound like it'd be really hard to get your parents on your side".
"My mother was the easy one, it's just my father is the problem", I said "he always wants things his way and won't take no for an answer".
"So he must have been the one that told you to stop running", Suzu said.
"He told my mother to convince me to stop all my track activities", I said "even though they knew that I could still run with limits".
"I'm certain that you'll turn him around to your side", Miki said with that grin still on her face.
"He definitely has a plan", Akio said "he couldn't be in this kind of mood if he didn't".
I do have a plan if I can't get through to him, but it would mean getting a bit snappy
"By the way", Miki said "I didn't know that you had a phone".
"You know the box that loud mouth put on my desk on Monday", I said "it was in that".
That little nickname I'd just made up for Misha got everyone laughing, and I ended up looking around to see if her drill-ness was in earshot.
After all the laughing ended, everyone started to clear everything away to head back to class.
The afternoons lessons started where the mornings lessons left off, with more group work.
Even if there had been a lecture it wouldn't have wrecked my good mood, but that would be wrecked after classes had ended.
Once classes had ended Miki asked if I wanted to go down to the track, and since Suzu was going I decided to tag along.
We barely got outside the school building before my phone started to ring, and I didn't have the opportunity to speak before my ear was assaulted.
“Who said you could join the track team”, a voice boomed out of the phone.
That's my father for you, he shouts to get his point across and I think that was loud enough for Miki and Suzu to hear.
“So you've been told”, I said in a calm manner.
“I didn't think you'd convince your mother behind my back”, my father said without changing the tone of his voice “You've been told that you couldn't do running any more”.
“That was just you”, I said “we were told that I could still do running with some limits”.
“You've been told not to do running any more”, my father said “and I expect you to do as your told”.
I'd had just about enough of this and it looks like Miki and Suzu are concerned about this, so it's time to take a deep breath and.
“Just shut up and listen to me”, I shouted “you never listen to anyone once you've made up your mind, even after we'd been told that I could still do running you didn't listen and I'm fed up with it now. I'm going to start running again and I'm going to do it within the limits that I'm allowed to, and I'm not going to listen to your ranting about this any more”.
And with that, I ended the call and put the phone back into the pocket it was in.
"Are you sure you should have done that", Miki asked.
"He can be a complete asshole when he's like this", I said "that was at least two months in the making, and I'm glad that I finally said that".
Miki started grinning again and placed her arms around mine and Suzu's shoulders, with me getting the stumped arm.
"It sounded like you spoke your mind there", Miki said "so lets get down to the track and forget this little episode".
We didn't even get five steps away from where we were before my phone went off again.
"If you're going to shout at me again, then I'll just hang up now", I said.
I heard nothing from the other end, and was about to hang up when someone finally spoke up.
"Are you sure you can do this", my father asked in a rather rushed tone.
"If I hadn't been told about my limits then I wouldn't be doing this", I said.
"Then make sure you take first place in all the events that you'll be running", my father said.
"I'm only running two races", I said "but I'll make sure that you'll be proud of me when I'm done".
"Then make me proud", my father said just before the line went dead.
Miki's grin said it all.
"Now you've got everyone on your side", Miki said "you've got a lot on your shoulders".
"At least you won't have to hide this", a familiar voice said from behind us.
I turned around to find Emi standing there.
"Just how long have you been standing there", I asked.
"Long enough to hear you have a go at your father", Emi said "I didn't think that would get him on your side".
"It's actually the first time I've managed to do that", I said "at least putting my foot down got him on my side".
"That it did", Emi said "as Miki just said, you've got a lot on your shoulders now".
"I'll never hear the end of it if I fail", I said.
"Then you'll have to make sure that you don't", Miki said "so lets get down to the track so you can be inspired".
And then Miki lead the two of us to the track, with Emi walking ahead of us.
After two hours, I went back to my room and laid down on my bed.
I'd finally gotten everyone on my side, I've just got to come in first in the two races I'll be running in.
I didn't get a chance to think about it any further before someone knocked on my door, and when I opened it I found Suzu on the other side.
"You don't mind if I come in", Suzu asked.
I didn't answer her, as my going back to my bed while leaving the door open was enough, so she walked in and sat down on the bed.
"I was a bit worried that you left early", Suzu said.
"I just had a few things to think about", I said
Suzu sighed and unexpectedly placed her left hand on mine.
"My father is almost like yours", Suzu said "he's just not as hard headed".
"Considering your... condition", I said "that would be expected if it's more about any relationship you might have".
"I'm not sure about that", Suzu said "but I hope he does approve of my boyfriend when one comes around".
"And when would that be", I asked.
"Hopefully it'll be soon", Suzu said "I'm still not sure about it yet, or when I should confess".
"Then you should take your time", I said "and hope that he won't take advantage of you when you're asleep".
"He hasn't done that yet", Suzu said "so I'm certain that he won't do that when we become a couple".
Suzu got off the bed and started to walk towards the door.
"I'd better be going now", Suzu said "I've got to tell Miki not to worry about you leaving early".
Once Suzu had left, I ended up with another crisis on my hands.
For the whole time that Suzu's hand was on mine my heart was going a mile a minute, and even thinking about her made my heart race.
It never happened the last time Suzu and I were alone in here, so it could only mean one thing.
I get off my bed and walk over to the window, all the time wondering what had just happend.
It couldn't be that.... could it.
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Putting My Foot Down
An unfamiliar sound woke me from my slumber.
I turned my head in the direction of the noise, and instead of the alarm clock that was there yesterday the phone I'd gotten was blaring out my alarm call.
After I turned the alarm off, I placed the phone back onto the night table and took a minute to think about what happened yesterday after school.
Even though I'd had my mother on my side after a little convincing, getting my father to go the same way would be a challenge since he was the one who convinced my mother to stop me from going back to running after the accident.
I knew it would be close to impossible to get him to change his mind, but I wasn't going to let him dictate terms on how I led my own life even though I knew my limits.
With the impending doom of what my father was going to say ringing through my head, I got changed into my uniform and headed to class.
I wasn't going to let what might be coming ruin my happy mood.
My good mood continued through the morning since we were doing group work and not having to hear Mutou's monotone voice for a majority of the day.
Once again, I teamed up with Suzu, Miki and Molly for this session and my good mood seemed to be rubbing off on those I was working with as there were smiles all around.
Lunch was also a group affair, with a lot of interest in my mood.
"You seem to be in a good mood today", Taro said "something must've happened to you".
"I spoke with my mother yesterday", I said "and I've gotten her on my side in regards to my being in the track and field club".
"That's great", Miki said with a huge grin on her face "you made it sound like it'd be really hard to get your parents on your side".
"My mother was the easy one, it's just my father is the problem", I said "he always wants things his way and won't take no for an answer".
"So he must have been the one that told you to stop running", Suzu said.
"He told my mother to convince me to stop all my track activities", I said "even though they knew that I could still run with limits".
"I'm certain that you'll turn him around to your side", Miki said with that grin still on her face.
"He definitely has a plan", Akio said "he couldn't be in this kind of mood if he didn't".
I do have a plan if I can't get through to him, but it would mean getting a bit snappy
"By the way", Miki said "I didn't know that you had a phone".
"You know the box that loud mouth put on my desk on Monday", I said "it was in that".
That little nickname I'd just made up for Misha got everyone laughing, and I ended up looking around to see if her drill-ness was in earshot.
After all the laughing ended, everyone started to clear everything away to head back to class.
The afternoons lessons started where the mornings lessons left off, with more group work.
Even if there had been a lecture it wouldn't have wrecked my good mood, but that would be wrecked after classes had ended.
Once classes had ended Miki asked if I wanted to go down to the track, and since Suzu was going I decided to tag along.
We barely got outside the school building before my phone started to ring, and I didn't have the opportunity to speak before my ear was assaulted.
“Who said you could join the track team”, a voice boomed out of the phone.
That's my father for you, he shouts to get his point across and I think that was loud enough for Miki and Suzu to hear.
“So you've been told”, I said in a calm manner.
“I didn't think you'd convince your mother behind my back”, my father said without changing the tone of his voice “You've been told that you couldn't do running any more”.
“That was just you”, I said “we were told that I could still do running with some limits”.
“You've been told not to do running any more”, my father said “and I expect you to do as your told”.
I'd had just about enough of this and it looks like Miki and Suzu are concerned about this, so it's time to take a deep breath and.
“Just shut up and listen to me”, I shouted “you never listen to anyone once you've made up your mind, even after we'd been told that I could still do running you didn't listen and I'm fed up with it now. I'm going to start running again and I'm going to do it within the limits that I'm allowed to, and I'm not going to listen to your ranting about this any more”.
And with that, I ended the call and put the phone back into the pocket it was in.
"Are you sure you should have done that", Miki asked.
"He can be a complete asshole when he's like this", I said "that was at least two months in the making, and I'm glad that I finally said that".
Miki started grinning again and placed her arms around mine and Suzu's shoulders, with me getting the stumped arm.
"It sounded like you spoke your mind there", Miki said "so lets get down to the track and forget this little episode".
We didn't even get five steps away from where we were before my phone went off again.
"If you're going to shout at me again, then I'll just hang up now", I said.
I heard nothing from the other end, and was about to hang up when someone finally spoke up.
"Are you sure you can do this", my father asked in a rather rushed tone.
"If I hadn't been told about my limits then I wouldn't be doing this", I said.
"Then make sure you take first place in all the events that you'll be running", my father said.
"I'm only running two races", I said "but I'll make sure that you'll be proud of me when I'm done".
"Then make me proud", my father said just before the line went dead.
Miki's grin said it all.
"Now you've got everyone on your side", Miki said "you've got a lot on your shoulders".
"At least you won't have to hide this", a familiar voice said from behind us.
I turned around to find Emi standing there.
"Just how long have you been standing there", I asked.
"Long enough to hear you have a go at your father", Emi said "I didn't think that would get him on your side".
"It's actually the first time I've managed to do that", I said "at least putting my foot down got him on my side".
"That it did", Emi said "as Miki just said, you've got a lot on your shoulders now".
"I'll never hear the end of it if I fail", I said.
"Then you'll have to make sure that you don't", Miki said "so lets get down to the track so you can be inspired".
And then Miki lead the two of us to the track, with Emi walking ahead of us.
After two hours, I went back to my room and laid down on my bed.
I'd finally gotten everyone on my side, I've just got to come in first in the two races I'll be running in.
I didn't get a chance to think about it any further before someone knocked on my door, and when I opened it I found Suzu on the other side.
"You don't mind if I come in", Suzu asked.
I didn't answer her, as my going back to my bed while leaving the door open was enough, so she walked in and sat down on the bed.
"I was a bit worried that you left early", Suzu said.
"I just had a few things to think about", I said
Suzu sighed and unexpectedly placed her left hand on mine.
"My father is almost like yours", Suzu said "he's just not as hard headed".
"Considering your... condition", I said "that would be expected if it's more about any relationship you might have".
"I'm not sure about that", Suzu said "but I hope he does approve of my boyfriend when one comes around".
"And when would that be", I asked.
"Hopefully it'll be soon", Suzu said "I'm still not sure about it yet, or when I should confess".
"Then you should take your time", I said "and hope that he won't take advantage of you when you're asleep".
"He hasn't done that yet", Suzu said "so I'm certain that he won't do that when we become a couple".
Suzu got off the bed and started to walk towards the door.
"I'd better be going now", Suzu said "I've got to tell Miki not to worry about you leaving early".
Once Suzu had left, I ended up with another crisis on my hands.
For the whole time that Suzu's hand was on mine my heart was going a mile a minute, and even thinking about her made my heart race.
It never happened the last time Suzu and I were alone in here, so it could only mean one thing.
I get off my bed and walk over to the window, all the time wondering what had just happend.
It couldn't be that.... could it.
Re: Facing my Pains
And the next chapter (once again delayed by my now slowing writing pace)
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The Second Run
The still unfamiliar sound of my phone rings in the next day.
I knew that I had to do my second set of timed runs this afternoon, but I'm still plagued by what happened yesterday.
I wasn't sure if what happened yesterday was what I thought it was, so to clear my head I got changed into my uniform and headed to class early.
There were only a few students there when I arrived so I didn't have to worry about things, but when Miki and Suzu things changed completely.
The moment I caught sight of Suzu my heart skipped a beat, but even this wasn't enough to confirm what I thought it was.
Not that I had any experience in this, since this is the first time I've had any interest in a girl in this kind of fashion... at least I think it is.
The mornings lecture didn't help to clear my mind since the source of all those problems was sitting next to me, and every time I looked at her my heart skipped a beat again.
I wanted to be on my own for lunch, but Miki intercepted me and dragged me to the cafeteria.
I wasn't really that talkative during lunch, but then it didn't look like anyone was paying attention to my sudden change in personality or it could be that they think that I'm paying attention to my food too much to talk.
The afternoon went pretty much like the morning, and I was thankful when the bell rang so I could do something other then think why my heart keeps skipping beats whenever I look at or even think about Suzu.
I didn't hang around in class since I needed to go back to my room to change, and it would give me enough time to straighten myself out before I ran my 200 metre timed runs.
The sight of the track as I walked towards it helped me to clear my mind, but there were still some thought I didn't need swimming around in my head.
Emi greeted me when I walked onto the track, and everyone got ready for my second set of timed runs.
As I got to my starting position on the track I started to clear out the rest of the errant thoughts, and as I looked around I noticed that someone had taken what I'd said to heart since I spotted Hanako sitting in one area reading a book.
When she spotted me, she closed the book she was reading and put it away.
Knowing she was here was enough for me to be able to focus on the three races to come.
Now that the track is the only thing I'm focusing on, I get into my starting position and get ready for the start of the first run.
Once I hear the starting signal, I launched myself off the start line to start the first run.
The run was good as I crossed the finish line with no pain coming from my back which would mean that my running form wasn't messed up this time.
As I cross the finish line after the second run, I find that I'm now getting more used to the starting posture I'm using.
The third run is a carbon copy of the last two, except this time I pushed myself as hard as I could without causing any problems for my back.
When I crossed the line after the third run, I was greeted with a round of applause mainly from Emi and Miki.
Once I'd caught my breath, I headed over to where they were standing.
“That last run was amazing”, Miki said “I didn't expect that you'd be able to run that fast”.
“It was only a matter of time before we saw his true form”, Emi said “it takes some time to get used to any change in running style”.
“I'm not sure about that”, I said “this is the first time I've run a 200 meter race since I've only ever run 100 meter races in the past”.
“You should do better in your 100 meter races now”, Emi said “it might be possible for you to run even longer distances or at least be a part of the relay team”.
“Why don't we let the captain decide that”, I said “I don't want to get pushed into something I can't do”.
“There's still time before your first track meet”, Emi said “so you can be put in for longer distances or even the relay later on”.
After I'd looked at the times for each of the runs, I turned to look at where Hanako had been sitting only to find nobody there, so I headed back to my room.
Once I'd returned to my room, I got straight onto my bed to rest for a bit.
It wasn't long before the door opened and Suzu walked in.
"I'm sorry for walking in like this", Suzu said "but there's something I have to ask you".
"Go ahead", I said.
"Is there something wrong", Suzu said "you've been acting strangely all day".
"How so", I asked.
"You wasn't talking that much", Suzu said "and you didn't seem to want to join us for lunch".
"I just had a few things on my mind", I said "and I wasn't in a talking mood".
It was true that I had a few things on my mind, but those things related to the person who is in my room right now and seems to be a lot more attentive then I thought she was.
Suzu suddenly sat down on my bed.
"There's something I need to tell you", Suzu said.
I waited to listen to what she was going to say, but nothing followed and when I looked at her I found that she was still sitting there with her eyes closed.
Talk about bad timing.
Suzu wanted to say something that sounded like it was important, and she went and fell asleep before she could get the important part out.
However, seconds later she fell onto the bed and started making her way towards me.
In under a minute she was right on top of me, and even though she was still sleeping I could see what she was about to do as her body lowed down on top of mine.
Within seconds out lips were inches from contact, and I was in a blind panic as to what might happen if Suzu woke up while we were in this situation.
There was now barely a centimetre between our lips, but I was saved from giving my first kiss to a girl that was sleeping at the time as she suddenly slipped off me and onto the unoccupied part of the bed.
I finally had a chance to catch my breath and to calm my rapid heart beat, but I ended up with another problem.
This bed could just allow two people to sleep on it, but since I'm up against the wall and since I didn't want to go over Suzu to get to the floor I'd have to stay here until she woke up.
After an hour, Suzu finally stirred from her slumber and looked at me.
"How did I end up like this", Suzu asked rather sleepily.
"It'd take a long time to explain everything", I said "but the short version is that you got into that position yourself".
“Did I do anything weird”, Suzu asked.
"Not a thing", I said
Suzu got up off the bed and started to walk towards the door.
"You said there was something you wanted to tell me", I said
"It's nothing", Suzu said rather dejectedly "I should go now".
And with those words, Suzu left the room.
As soon as I couldn't hear her footsteps any more, I got off the bed and started to get changed.
While I was getting changed, I started to think again about what had happened yesterday and just over an hour ago.
I knew that I had fallen in love with Suzu (at least I think that I have), but I wasn't sure if she felt the same way.
Her actions after she fell asleep might have been what she was going to say, but without knowing what she was going to say I couldn't say for certain if that action was her unconsciously telling me her feelings.
I'd just have to wait and see if she'll tell me what she was going to say, but at least I'll should be able to stay a bit calmer either thinking about her or looking at her.
I just hope that I can.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Second Run
The still unfamiliar sound of my phone rings in the next day.
I knew that I had to do my second set of timed runs this afternoon, but I'm still plagued by what happened yesterday.
I wasn't sure if what happened yesterday was what I thought it was, so to clear my head I got changed into my uniform and headed to class early.
There were only a few students there when I arrived so I didn't have to worry about things, but when Miki and Suzu things changed completely.
The moment I caught sight of Suzu my heart skipped a beat, but even this wasn't enough to confirm what I thought it was.
Not that I had any experience in this, since this is the first time I've had any interest in a girl in this kind of fashion... at least I think it is.
The mornings lecture didn't help to clear my mind since the source of all those problems was sitting next to me, and every time I looked at her my heart skipped a beat again.
I wanted to be on my own for lunch, but Miki intercepted me and dragged me to the cafeteria.
I wasn't really that talkative during lunch, but then it didn't look like anyone was paying attention to my sudden change in personality or it could be that they think that I'm paying attention to my food too much to talk.
The afternoon went pretty much like the morning, and I was thankful when the bell rang so I could do something other then think why my heart keeps skipping beats whenever I look at or even think about Suzu.
I didn't hang around in class since I needed to go back to my room to change, and it would give me enough time to straighten myself out before I ran my 200 metre timed runs.
The sight of the track as I walked towards it helped me to clear my mind, but there were still some thought I didn't need swimming around in my head.
Emi greeted me when I walked onto the track, and everyone got ready for my second set of timed runs.
As I got to my starting position on the track I started to clear out the rest of the errant thoughts, and as I looked around I noticed that someone had taken what I'd said to heart since I spotted Hanako sitting in one area reading a book.
When she spotted me, she closed the book she was reading and put it away.
Knowing she was here was enough for me to be able to focus on the three races to come.
Now that the track is the only thing I'm focusing on, I get into my starting position and get ready for the start of the first run.
Once I hear the starting signal, I launched myself off the start line to start the first run.
The run was good as I crossed the finish line with no pain coming from my back which would mean that my running form wasn't messed up this time.
As I cross the finish line after the second run, I find that I'm now getting more used to the starting posture I'm using.
The third run is a carbon copy of the last two, except this time I pushed myself as hard as I could without causing any problems for my back.
When I crossed the line after the third run, I was greeted with a round of applause mainly from Emi and Miki.
Once I'd caught my breath, I headed over to where they were standing.
“That last run was amazing”, Miki said “I didn't expect that you'd be able to run that fast”.
“It was only a matter of time before we saw his true form”, Emi said “it takes some time to get used to any change in running style”.
“I'm not sure about that”, I said “this is the first time I've run a 200 meter race since I've only ever run 100 meter races in the past”.
“You should do better in your 100 meter races now”, Emi said “it might be possible for you to run even longer distances or at least be a part of the relay team”.
“Why don't we let the captain decide that”, I said “I don't want to get pushed into something I can't do”.
“There's still time before your first track meet”, Emi said “so you can be put in for longer distances or even the relay later on”.
After I'd looked at the times for each of the runs, I turned to look at where Hanako had been sitting only to find nobody there, so I headed back to my room.
Once I'd returned to my room, I got straight onto my bed to rest for a bit.
It wasn't long before the door opened and Suzu walked in.
"I'm sorry for walking in like this", Suzu said "but there's something I have to ask you".
"Go ahead", I said.
"Is there something wrong", Suzu said "you've been acting strangely all day".
"How so", I asked.
"You wasn't talking that much", Suzu said "and you didn't seem to want to join us for lunch".
"I just had a few things on my mind", I said "and I wasn't in a talking mood".
It was true that I had a few things on my mind, but those things related to the person who is in my room right now and seems to be a lot more attentive then I thought she was.
Suzu suddenly sat down on my bed.
"There's something I need to tell you", Suzu said.
I waited to listen to what she was going to say, but nothing followed and when I looked at her I found that she was still sitting there with her eyes closed.
Talk about bad timing.
Suzu wanted to say something that sounded like it was important, and she went and fell asleep before she could get the important part out.
However, seconds later she fell onto the bed and started making her way towards me.
In under a minute she was right on top of me, and even though she was still sleeping I could see what she was about to do as her body lowed down on top of mine.
Within seconds out lips were inches from contact, and I was in a blind panic as to what might happen if Suzu woke up while we were in this situation.
There was now barely a centimetre between our lips, but I was saved from giving my first kiss to a girl that was sleeping at the time as she suddenly slipped off me and onto the unoccupied part of the bed.
I finally had a chance to catch my breath and to calm my rapid heart beat, but I ended up with another problem.
This bed could just allow two people to sleep on it, but since I'm up against the wall and since I didn't want to go over Suzu to get to the floor I'd have to stay here until she woke up.
After an hour, Suzu finally stirred from her slumber and looked at me.
"How did I end up like this", Suzu asked rather sleepily.
"It'd take a long time to explain everything", I said "but the short version is that you got into that position yourself".
“Did I do anything weird”, Suzu asked.
"Not a thing", I said
Suzu got up off the bed and started to walk towards the door.
"You said there was something you wanted to tell me", I said
"It's nothing", Suzu said rather dejectedly "I should go now".
And with those words, Suzu left the room.
As soon as I couldn't hear her footsteps any more, I got off the bed and started to get changed.
While I was getting changed, I started to think again about what had happened yesterday and just over an hour ago.
I knew that I had fallen in love with Suzu (at least I think that I have), but I wasn't sure if she felt the same way.
Her actions after she fell asleep might have been what she was going to say, but without knowing what she was going to say I couldn't say for certain if that action was her unconsciously telling me her feelings.
I'd just have to wait and see if she'll tell me what she was going to say, but at least I'll should be able to stay a bit calmer either thinking about her or looking at her.
I just hope that I can.
Last edited by demonix on Wed Jun 06, 2012 5:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Facing my Pains
Just a couple of things I found weird here.
Anyway keep going, I like your story.
You weren't talking that much.demonix wrote: "You wasn't talking that much"
Is there a sentence from Suzu missing here?demonix wrote: "It'd take a long time to explain everything", I said "but the short version is that you got into that position yourself".
"Not a thing", I said
Suzu got up off the bed and started to walk towards the door.
Anyway keep going, I like your story.
Re: Facing my Pains
I think if you switched the places of "her drill-ness" and "that loud mouth" it would read better. It seems odd that everybody is laughing at the nickname "that loudmouth" when he has a better one in his narration."You know the box that loud mouth put on my desk on Monday", I said "it was in that".
That little nickname I'd just made up for Misha got everyone laughing, and I ended up looking around to see if her drill-ness was in earshot.
Not Dead Yet
-
Mirage_GSM
- Posts: 6148
- Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2010 2:24 am
- Location: Germany
Re: Facing my Pains
I think in an earlier chapter you said he would run only short distances now because of his injury. Why would that even be an issue if he only ever ran the 100m anyway?
Somehow the second half of this chapter felt like someone had pushed the fast forward button.
There are a few other things that put me off this story as well. Neither is major,but all of them combined...
1. I wonder why your character is inlove with Suzu (and vice versa) when she's about the girl he interacts with the least.
2. The OC has a few more Mary Sue tendencies than I'm comfortble with. Even though he can't run full strength, he easily gets on the track team, impressing even Emi - heck, even almost beating Emi on his first try. He gets along with all the girls he meets, gets an almost confession after only afew days...
3. You sometimes have a tendency to repeat yourself too much. In this chapter for example, there are three or for instances of "my timed race"
Somehow the second half of this chapter felt like someone had pushed the fast forward button.
There are a few other things that put me off this story as well. Neither is major,but all of them combined...
1. I wonder why your character is inlove with Suzu (and vice versa) when she's about the girl he interacts with the least.
2. The OC has a few more Mary Sue tendencies than I'm comfortble with. Even though he can't run full strength, he easily gets on the track team, impressing even Emi - heck, even almost beating Emi on his first try. He gets along with all the girls he meets, gets an almost confession after only afew days...
3. You sometimes have a tendency to repeat yourself too much. In this chapter for example, there are three or for instances of "my timed race"
Emi > Misha > Hanako > Lilly > Rin > Shizune
My collected KS-Fan Fictions: Mirage's Myths
My collected KS-Fan Fictions: Mirage's Myths
Sore wa himitsu desu.griffon8 wrote:Kosher, just because sex is your answer to everything doesn't mean that sex is the answer to everything.
Re: Facing my Pains
Boy do I feel sheepish (rough translation: I'm not even sure how that happened unless that second part was meant to be spoken by Suzu).Dippeggs wrote:Is there a sentence from Suzu missing here?demonix wrote: "It'd take a long time to explain everything", I said "but the short version is that you got into that position yourself".
"Not a thing", I said
Suzu got up off the bed and started to walk towards the door.
I'll have to go over that before I start the next chapter.
As for the other comments (and if I can keep typing properly)
I thought Misha would be more known for her booming wahahaha's then her bobbing drills which is why I went for loud mouth (it started out as big mouth before I changed it) and her drill-ness was never spoken.
Most of the interactions are greatly unwritten so it just looks like they don't interact that much, and as for that plus the rest of it just watch this space as I haven't fully covered those parts yet.
Unfortunately, due to not being able to get on my computer early enough and the headache I had at the time, I haven't even started on the next chapter yet (and I couldn't start it now since I have to focus on writing my other story at this point in time).
Re: Facing my Pains
I agree with Mirage on all these, especially the Mary Sue thing, the character should be likable, unless your goal is to make them a hated character, but when everything they do seems to turn out for the best, no matter what, it looses believe ability by leagues. And a confession in two days? That is pretty goddamn ridiculous.Mirage_GSM wrote:I think in an earlier chapter you said he would run only short distances now because of his injury. Why would that even be an issue if he only ever ran the 100m anyway?
Somehow the second half of this chapter felt like someone had pushed the fast forward button.
There are a few other things that put me off this story as well. Neither is major,but all of them combined...
1. I wonder why your character is inlove with Suzu (and vice versa) when she's about the girl he interacts with the least.
2. The OC has a few more Mary Sue tendencies than I'm comfortble with. Even though he can't run full strength, he easily gets on the track team, impressing even Emi - heck, even almost beating Emi on his first try. He gets along with all the girls he meets, gets an almost confession after only afew days...
3. You sometimes have a tendency to repeat yourself too much. In this chapter for example, there are three or for instances of "my timed race"
First Play through: Lilly>Hanako>Emi>Rin>Shizune
Second Play Through: Hanako>Rin>Lilly>Shizune>Emi
I'm a music enthusiast.
Second Play Through: Hanako>Rin>Lilly>Shizune>Emi
I'm a music enthusiast.
Re: Facing my Pains
I'd like to know where this supposed confession is since I know I haven't written one in, and the only parts that might be are only little hints from Suzu that the main character doesn't think are directed at him.
And here's the next chapter (it probably reads like a pile of crap since I wanted to tie up the loose ends from the previous chapter).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorting Things Out
Another day, with a few more things to think over.
After I'd turned off the alarm, I knew there were a few things that I had to sort out.
First were those comments from Emi and Miki after I'd done my timed runs, since if I had run faster during that last run then I should be able to better the last time I had on my 100 meter run, even though I'd done only one 200 meter run in the past and made a complete mess out of it which is why I stuck with 100 meter races.
The second was how I would deal with Suzu when I saw her in class, but then I still wasn't sure if what I was feeling actually what I was feeling, and even then I didn't know what she was going to say before she dozed off.
It could be that she was going to tell me that she liked someone else, and since I doubt any girl would drop hints to the guy they liked plus her actions after she fall asleep could be just a form of sleep walking or something like that.
Those problems I'd face when they came up, now I just got dressed and headed to class.
A few of my classmates were already in their seats when I got there, so I sat down at my desk and waited for the first thing I had to sort out to come through the door.
After a few more minutes and a few more students walked through the door, Miki and Suzu finally walked in.
However, there was no reaction when I saw Suzu which made me think about this.
Maybe I'd jumped the gun when I admitted to myself that I'd fallen for her.
Maybe this was just a fleeting moment and there was nothing to it.
Maybe I should stop thinking about this too much since Mutou has just walked in and is going to set things out for the morning session.
The morning consisted of group activities with me teaming up with Miki, Molly and Suzu with no reaction even when I was looking directly at her.
It made me come to more of a conclusion that yesterday was just a fleeting moment, an even Suzu holding my hand might have been a coincidence since she was sitting close to it and she had her other hand on the bed as well.
Lunch went by without incident, although I talked about as much as I did yesterday which was more because I was actually focusing on the food then I was on conversation this time.
The afternoon was made up of lectures which kept me from thinking about anything else.
Once the bell rang at the end of classes, I headed back to my room to get changed so I could sort out the last problem that needed to be sorted out.
I arrived at the track constantly looking around to make sure Emi and Miki didn't see me.
The captain did, and walked over to me.
“So what brings you here”, the captain asked “this isn't your usual attendance day”.
“I didn't know I had set attendance days”, I said “I just wanted to do some 100 meter timed runs”.
“Would this be something to do with what you was told yesterday”, the captain asked.
“Something like that”, I said “I just want to have things confirmed myself”.
“Then knock yourself out”, the captain said as he called two people over to act as the starter and to do the times.
I walked over to the starting position on the track to prepare for the first run, and once I'd gotten into my starting posture the starter made their signal and I took off down the track at the same pace I used on the last run yesterday.
When I crossed the line, I took a few seconds to catch my breath before checking the time on the stopwatch.
As expected, my time hadn't improved one bit.
The following four runs ended the same way as the first, with the times coming in as the same as the last run on Monday.
So it looks like Miki and Emi were seriously exaggerating my running abilities yesterday.
When the captain noticed that I'd finished my runs, he started to walk back over which is a good thing since I had a question for him.
“Why was I accepted into the team”, I asked “there must be better runners with fewer problems then I have”.
“Why would you say that”, the captain asked.
“I thought that my trial run and what happened afterwards would've been enough”, I said “I got well and truly beaten by Emi, and the beating I got afterwards would've been enough to keep me off the team”.
“You only got lost because you slowed down”, the captain said.
“I only slowed down after Emi had crossed the line”, I said “there wouldn't have been any need to go all out after I'd lost”.
“You can still run”, the captain said “and that's all that matters even if you're not able to get back to your best”.
“Even though I'm doing more then short sprints”, I said “I only did one 200 meter run before and it didn't go that well”.
“It seems that your short sprints have made you better at the longer sprints”, the captain said “you could even go for the 400 meter race”.
“One thing at a time”, I said “I don't think the nurse would be happy if I went beyond the limits that have been imposed on me”.
“He did say that, but he thought you could do 400 meter races”, the captain said “I just hope you're not considering leaving the team”.
“After what I'd said to my parents, I wouldn't be able to do that”, I said “but if I can't handle 400 meter races then we'll just leave it at the shorter distances”.
“Then we'll do the timed runs on Monday”, the captain said “and I'll make sure there's no more exaggerations”.
“So Monday and Thursday would be my attendance days”, I asked.
“Exactly”, the captain said “it should give you the time to get back in form for the meet”.
I was happy with the answer I'd gotten, so I left the track and headed back to my room.
As I walked back to the dorms, I went over what had happened today.
I wasn't sure now if I did have feelings for Suzu, but it could be that what happened yesterday was a fleeting moment that came too soon and would most likely come back later.
The track and field club wanted me because I could still do what I used to do even though it would be unlikely that I would get back to my previous form in my known discipline.
All in all, today was a good day with at least one of my problems sorted out and the other one is still to be sorted out.
It might take a while to clear that one up.
And here's the next chapter (it probably reads like a pile of crap since I wanted to tie up the loose ends from the previous chapter).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorting Things Out
Another day, with a few more things to think over.
After I'd turned off the alarm, I knew there were a few things that I had to sort out.
First were those comments from Emi and Miki after I'd done my timed runs, since if I had run faster during that last run then I should be able to better the last time I had on my 100 meter run, even though I'd done only one 200 meter run in the past and made a complete mess out of it which is why I stuck with 100 meter races.
The second was how I would deal with Suzu when I saw her in class, but then I still wasn't sure if what I was feeling actually what I was feeling, and even then I didn't know what she was going to say before she dozed off.
It could be that she was going to tell me that she liked someone else, and since I doubt any girl would drop hints to the guy they liked plus her actions after she fall asleep could be just a form of sleep walking or something like that.
Those problems I'd face when they came up, now I just got dressed and headed to class.
A few of my classmates were already in their seats when I got there, so I sat down at my desk and waited for the first thing I had to sort out to come through the door.
After a few more minutes and a few more students walked through the door, Miki and Suzu finally walked in.
However, there was no reaction when I saw Suzu which made me think about this.
Maybe I'd jumped the gun when I admitted to myself that I'd fallen for her.
Maybe this was just a fleeting moment and there was nothing to it.
Maybe I should stop thinking about this too much since Mutou has just walked in and is going to set things out for the morning session.
The morning consisted of group activities with me teaming up with Miki, Molly and Suzu with no reaction even when I was looking directly at her.
It made me come to more of a conclusion that yesterday was just a fleeting moment, an even Suzu holding my hand might have been a coincidence since she was sitting close to it and she had her other hand on the bed as well.
Lunch went by without incident, although I talked about as much as I did yesterday which was more because I was actually focusing on the food then I was on conversation this time.
The afternoon was made up of lectures which kept me from thinking about anything else.
Once the bell rang at the end of classes, I headed back to my room to get changed so I could sort out the last problem that needed to be sorted out.
I arrived at the track constantly looking around to make sure Emi and Miki didn't see me.
The captain did, and walked over to me.
“So what brings you here”, the captain asked “this isn't your usual attendance day”.
“I didn't know I had set attendance days”, I said “I just wanted to do some 100 meter timed runs”.
“Would this be something to do with what you was told yesterday”, the captain asked.
“Something like that”, I said “I just want to have things confirmed myself”.
“Then knock yourself out”, the captain said as he called two people over to act as the starter and to do the times.
I walked over to the starting position on the track to prepare for the first run, and once I'd gotten into my starting posture the starter made their signal and I took off down the track at the same pace I used on the last run yesterday.
When I crossed the line, I took a few seconds to catch my breath before checking the time on the stopwatch.
As expected, my time hadn't improved one bit.
The following four runs ended the same way as the first, with the times coming in as the same as the last run on Monday.
So it looks like Miki and Emi were seriously exaggerating my running abilities yesterday.
When the captain noticed that I'd finished my runs, he started to walk back over which is a good thing since I had a question for him.
“Why was I accepted into the team”, I asked “there must be better runners with fewer problems then I have”.
“Why would you say that”, the captain asked.
“I thought that my trial run and what happened afterwards would've been enough”, I said “I got well and truly beaten by Emi, and the beating I got afterwards would've been enough to keep me off the team”.
“You only got lost because you slowed down”, the captain said.
“I only slowed down after Emi had crossed the line”, I said “there wouldn't have been any need to go all out after I'd lost”.
“You can still run”, the captain said “and that's all that matters even if you're not able to get back to your best”.
“Even though I'm doing more then short sprints”, I said “I only did one 200 meter run before and it didn't go that well”.
“It seems that your short sprints have made you better at the longer sprints”, the captain said “you could even go for the 400 meter race”.
“One thing at a time”, I said “I don't think the nurse would be happy if I went beyond the limits that have been imposed on me”.
“He did say that, but he thought you could do 400 meter races”, the captain said “I just hope you're not considering leaving the team”.
“After what I'd said to my parents, I wouldn't be able to do that”, I said “but if I can't handle 400 meter races then we'll just leave it at the shorter distances”.
“Then we'll do the timed runs on Monday”, the captain said “and I'll make sure there's no more exaggerations”.
“So Monday and Thursday would be my attendance days”, I asked.
“Exactly”, the captain said “it should give you the time to get back in form for the meet”.
I was happy with the answer I'd gotten, so I left the track and headed back to my room.
As I walked back to the dorms, I went over what had happened today.
I wasn't sure now if I did have feelings for Suzu, but it could be that what happened yesterday was a fleeting moment that came too soon and would most likely come back later.
The track and field club wanted me because I could still do what I used to do even though it would be unlikely that I would get back to my previous form in my known discipline.
All in all, today was a good day with at least one of my problems sorted out and the other one is still to be sorted out.
It might take a while to clear that one up.
Re: Facing my Pains
Here's the next chapter delayed once again by time constraints, and contains a rather weird equation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't Panic
The light of a Saturday morning streams through the window as I pick up my phone and...
Oh shit I'M LATE.
I throw the covers off the bed and look at the phone again.
Not only did I forget to set the alarm last night, but I've overslept and classes had started ten minutes ago.
Now wasn't the time to be panicking, but that didn't seem to matter as I got changed into whatever was lying around my room at the time and ran out the door.
I didn't stop running until I got to the classroom, which shocked almost everyone inside as I came crashing in with the finesse of a heard of rhinos and extremely out of breath.
After catching my breath and explaining why I was late to Mutou I took my seat, but that wasn't the end of the matter as a note was passed to me after about five minutes had passed.
Being a new student here, you might not be aware that running in the corridors is not allowed here.
Please don't do it again.
Shizune Hakamichi
It's not like I had a choice in the matter as I was late and walking here would've made me even later, so I tore out a blank sheet of paper from my notebook and wrote a reply.
Would you have scolded me if I'd turned up ten minutes later then I did? Since that is what would have happened if I'd walked here.
I saw it as the lesser of two evils, and since I was rushing to get here it was the only option I could take.
What would you have done if you'd woken up late on a school day?
I have a feeling you'd disregard the rules to not get here any later.
Karou Nomura
I folded up the piece of paper and placed it on Shizune's desk, and after about twenty seconds the familiar wailing of her drill-ness echoed through the classroom which was silenced quite quickly by Mutou.
As I settled into the lecture, a sudden pain went through my body and an equation went through my mind as to why this is happening.
Waking up late, plus rushing to get ready, multiplied by running to class without bothering about your own condition equals PAIN.
I managed to stop myself from vocalising the pain that was going through my body, but my expression would've been noticed by several people in class, including Suzu who was looking in my direction at the exact time the pain made itself present and she looked a lot more concerned then she did before I started feeling the pain.
Even though classes end at the start of lunch, I knew that this was going to be a really long day since I didn't have access to any of my pain killers.
I breathed a sigh of relief as the final bell rang.
The pain had subsided, but not by that much so my first stop after I'd left the classroom would be my room and the medication I needed to keep the pain at bay for the rest of the day.
After I downed what medicine I needed to take, I had to deal with the issue of sorting out a replacement alarm clock.
After what happened this morning I couldn't depend on my phone as an alarm, so I needed to get a permanent replacement.
Since I knew there was a town nearby there should be a place there that had what I need, so I got changed and headed out to the town.
After descending the hill that led from the school to the town and walking around for a few hours, I didn't find any place that sells alarm clocks so I ended up walking around for a bit longer until I came to a stop outside one building.
It looked like an ordinary building apart from the signs that decorated the entrance with all of them, including the one above the entrance displaying the name of the establishment.
Inside it looked more like a traditional teahouse, with everything looking like it came from the same lump of wood.
I stood near the sign that had 'please wait to be seated' written on it, and waited for someone to come.
Ten minutes passed and there was still no one coming to take me to a seat, so I decided to look around from my position at the entrance.
The rest of the teahouse looked as empty as the entrance which made me think that there wasn't any staff here, until I noticed some people sitting in one of the booths.
I immediately recognised Lilly, and the one with her back to me looked like Yuuko which made me wonder how they managed to get seated.
That was until I noticed more movement from inside the booth, along with a flash of dark hair in a style which could only be Hanako.
After a few seconds, Hanako started looking directly at me which made the other figure turn around to follow what Hanako was looking at.
When Yuuko noticed me standing at the entrance, the look on her face was priceless just before she appeared in front of me, almost like she teleported from the other side of the room.
"Welcome to the Shanghai", Yuuko said in a panic "I'm sorry that you had to wait so long".
Her head came down in a bow that looked like an axe chopping through wood.
"There's no need to go into a panic", I said "you'll end up making more mistakes that way".
Like I'm one to talk, since I ran around in a panic this morning to get to class and ended up doing myself a mischief.
“I'll do that”, Yuuko said with a very unconvincing look on her face “would you like to order anything?”
“Just a cup of tea and some sandwiches”, I said.
“What kind of sandwiches would you like”, Yuuko asked.
“Surprise me”, I said with a hint of a smile on my face.
The look on Yuuko's face was one of blind panic which made me think that what I'd said before hadn't sunk in, but she calmed down after a few seconds.
“I'll bring out your order shortly”, Yuuko said “you can take any seat you like”.
Yuuko then walked away leaving me still standing at the entrance.
While I was looking around to find a place to sit, I quickly caught sight of Lilly and Hanako again.
Lilly was looking straight ahead (if you could call it that), but Hanako was still looking at me and then nodded which looked like an invitation to sit with them.
I walked over and sat down in one of the vacant seats.
“I didn't know that you came here as well”, Lilly said.
“This is my first time”, I said “I was out looking for something else when I ow!”
I stopped talking as a surge of pain went down my right arm, but my sudden vocalising of the pain made Lilly worry.
“Is anything the matter”, Lilly asked.
“I woke up late this morning and didn't take care as I ran to class and done my back in”, I said “and I'm still paying for that mistake”.
“Did your alarm go off”, Lilly asked.
“It wasn't set at all”, I said “I broke my original alarm clock a few days ago and I forgot to set the replacement last night before I went to bed”.
“Is that why you're in town”, Lilly asked.
“Yep, I was shopping for a replacement alarm clock”, I said “and not succeeding”.
“There might be somewhere in the city that might sell them”, Lilly said
“Then that'll be where I'll go tomorrow”, I said.
Our conversation was stopped by Yuuko who had returned with what I'd ordered.
The tea was really nice, and the sandwiches, even though there wasn't that much of then, were a surprise.
After I'd finished, the three of us headed back to the school which was a good thing since I might have gotten lost on the way back.
The only other thing I knew was that my plans for tomorrow were already set out.
Another trip out to get a new alarm clock.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't Panic
The light of a Saturday morning streams through the window as I pick up my phone and...
Oh shit I'M LATE.
I throw the covers off the bed and look at the phone again.
Not only did I forget to set the alarm last night, but I've overslept and classes had started ten minutes ago.
Now wasn't the time to be panicking, but that didn't seem to matter as I got changed into whatever was lying around my room at the time and ran out the door.
I didn't stop running until I got to the classroom, which shocked almost everyone inside as I came crashing in with the finesse of a heard of rhinos and extremely out of breath.
After catching my breath and explaining why I was late to Mutou I took my seat, but that wasn't the end of the matter as a note was passed to me after about five minutes had passed.
Being a new student here, you might not be aware that running in the corridors is not allowed here.
Please don't do it again.
Shizune Hakamichi
It's not like I had a choice in the matter as I was late and walking here would've made me even later, so I tore out a blank sheet of paper from my notebook and wrote a reply.
Would you have scolded me if I'd turned up ten minutes later then I did? Since that is what would have happened if I'd walked here.
I saw it as the lesser of two evils, and since I was rushing to get here it was the only option I could take.
What would you have done if you'd woken up late on a school day?
I have a feeling you'd disregard the rules to not get here any later.
Karou Nomura
I folded up the piece of paper and placed it on Shizune's desk, and after about twenty seconds the familiar wailing of her drill-ness echoed through the classroom which was silenced quite quickly by Mutou.
As I settled into the lecture, a sudden pain went through my body and an equation went through my mind as to why this is happening.
Waking up late, plus rushing to get ready, multiplied by running to class without bothering about your own condition equals PAIN.
I managed to stop myself from vocalising the pain that was going through my body, but my expression would've been noticed by several people in class, including Suzu who was looking in my direction at the exact time the pain made itself present and she looked a lot more concerned then she did before I started feeling the pain.
Even though classes end at the start of lunch, I knew that this was going to be a really long day since I didn't have access to any of my pain killers.
I breathed a sigh of relief as the final bell rang.
The pain had subsided, but not by that much so my first stop after I'd left the classroom would be my room and the medication I needed to keep the pain at bay for the rest of the day.
After I downed what medicine I needed to take, I had to deal with the issue of sorting out a replacement alarm clock.
After what happened this morning I couldn't depend on my phone as an alarm, so I needed to get a permanent replacement.
Since I knew there was a town nearby there should be a place there that had what I need, so I got changed and headed out to the town.
After descending the hill that led from the school to the town and walking around for a few hours, I didn't find any place that sells alarm clocks so I ended up walking around for a bit longer until I came to a stop outside one building.
It looked like an ordinary building apart from the signs that decorated the entrance with all of them, including the one above the entrance displaying the name of the establishment.
Inside it looked more like a traditional teahouse, with everything looking like it came from the same lump of wood.
I stood near the sign that had 'please wait to be seated' written on it, and waited for someone to come.
Ten minutes passed and there was still no one coming to take me to a seat, so I decided to look around from my position at the entrance.
The rest of the teahouse looked as empty as the entrance which made me think that there wasn't any staff here, until I noticed some people sitting in one of the booths.
I immediately recognised Lilly, and the one with her back to me looked like Yuuko which made me wonder how they managed to get seated.
That was until I noticed more movement from inside the booth, along with a flash of dark hair in a style which could only be Hanako.
After a few seconds, Hanako started looking directly at me which made the other figure turn around to follow what Hanako was looking at.
When Yuuko noticed me standing at the entrance, the look on her face was priceless just before she appeared in front of me, almost like she teleported from the other side of the room.
"Welcome to the Shanghai", Yuuko said in a panic "I'm sorry that you had to wait so long".
Her head came down in a bow that looked like an axe chopping through wood.
"There's no need to go into a panic", I said "you'll end up making more mistakes that way".
Like I'm one to talk, since I ran around in a panic this morning to get to class and ended up doing myself a mischief.
“I'll do that”, Yuuko said with a very unconvincing look on her face “would you like to order anything?”
“Just a cup of tea and some sandwiches”, I said.
“What kind of sandwiches would you like”, Yuuko asked.
“Surprise me”, I said with a hint of a smile on my face.
The look on Yuuko's face was one of blind panic which made me think that what I'd said before hadn't sunk in, but she calmed down after a few seconds.
“I'll bring out your order shortly”, Yuuko said “you can take any seat you like”.
Yuuko then walked away leaving me still standing at the entrance.
While I was looking around to find a place to sit, I quickly caught sight of Lilly and Hanako again.
Lilly was looking straight ahead (if you could call it that), but Hanako was still looking at me and then nodded which looked like an invitation to sit with them.
I walked over and sat down in one of the vacant seats.
“I didn't know that you came here as well”, Lilly said.
“This is my first time”, I said “I was out looking for something else when I ow!”
I stopped talking as a surge of pain went down my right arm, but my sudden vocalising of the pain made Lilly worry.
“Is anything the matter”, Lilly asked.
“I woke up late this morning and didn't take care as I ran to class and done my back in”, I said “and I'm still paying for that mistake”.
“Did your alarm go off”, Lilly asked.
“It wasn't set at all”, I said “I broke my original alarm clock a few days ago and I forgot to set the replacement last night before I went to bed”.
“Is that why you're in town”, Lilly asked.
“Yep, I was shopping for a replacement alarm clock”, I said “and not succeeding”.
“There might be somewhere in the city that might sell them”, Lilly said
“Then that'll be where I'll go tomorrow”, I said.
Our conversation was stopped by Yuuko who had returned with what I'd ordered.
The tea was really nice, and the sandwiches, even though there wasn't that much of then, were a surprise.
After I'd finished, the three of us headed back to the school which was a good thing since I might have gotten lost on the way back.
The only other thing I knew was that my plans for tomorrow were already set out.
Another trip out to get a new alarm clock.
-
Scissorlips
- Posts: 308
- Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2012 6:21 am
Re: Facing my Pains
Although your writing is still rough around the edges (you need to work on making your dialogue feel more natural, as well as giving your characters a distinct personality - try giving your narrator a more clear voice, have him ask questions in his head, have him react to things, have him stop and get mad or really think about something hard), I want to say that you do seem to have improved since starting this story, and I'm also impressed at the consistent rate of your updates. It's nice having a new chapter to read almost every time I stop by.
Re: Facing my Pains
I'm pretty much still in my learning phase (I only started work on my first project four months ago, and since it had a longer delay between updates I started this one with the limited knowledge I'd obtained after I'd posted my first story) so every comment helps me improve (if it does since I'm prone to making silly mistakes like missing out parts of the story I thought I'd put in).
My daily updates when I started were based on how much I could write in a couple of hours (although some time constraints and writers block have extended that by a day or so, but then sometimes I've been able to complete a chapter by working on it for a hour or so on my laptop before I go online since I keep a copy of the file in my dropbox folder).
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to complete the current chapter in time, so it'll be completed and posted tomorrow (unless I get it into my mind that I can complete the chapter I'm working on as well as another chapter).
My daily updates when I started were based on how much I could write in a couple of hours (although some time constraints and writers block have extended that by a day or so, but then sometimes I've been able to complete a chapter by working on it for a hour or so on my laptop before I go online since I keep a copy of the file in my dropbox folder).
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to complete the current chapter in time, so it'll be completed and posted tomorrow (unless I get it into my mind that I can complete the chapter I'm working on as well as another chapter).
Re: Facing my Pains
And here is the next chapter (finally).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shopping Trip
The sound of my phone signals the start of another day.
At least I managed to set the dammed thing this time.
Even though it isn't a school day, I had to get up early so I could get to the city and to avoid running into Miki in case she wants to drag me somewhere else with Suzu and leave the two of us again.
Once I'd gotten myself sorted out and as far as getting out of the dormitory, I used ninja like sneaking to get from the dormitory to the schools main gate so I could avoid running into Miki.
I made it to the gate and then the bus stop without incident, and at the right time as a bus turned up just seconds after I got there.
The journey on the bus was as uneventful as the walk to get to the bus stop, and after an hour or so I arrived at my intended destination.
The view that greeted me as I got of the bus was vastly different from the city I'd known for most of my life.
I shook off the amazement I was experiencing as I had to go find somewhere that sells alarm clocks, and since I didn't know where to start I'd have to go with the mindless wandering option I went with yesterday.
After an hour of mindless walking I hadn't found any place that had what I needed, but it looked like I was just going around in circles for about the past half an hour.
Once I'd gone in a different direction then I had for the past hour I managed to find a place that sells alarm clocks, but it took me another hour to find it and it only sold mechanical alarm clocks.
Since I didn't want to look around any more, I decided to go in and see what they had.
There were clocks as far as the eye, but I only wanted to look as the alarm clocks.
There were plenty to choose from with differing appearances, but there was one that stood out from the rest.
It had the look of the classic alarm clock with the two bells and the hammer that swung to hit each one, and with the catch that locks the hammer down to stop it from hitting the bells it was the perfect choice for a replacement alarm clock that wouldn't be subject to being hit every morning.
With the purchase done with, my stomach told me that I needed to get myself something to eat.
After about half an hours walking, and several audible announcements from my stomach, I managed to find some place to get some food.
I managed to find a more then good enough place to eat, as the food here is even better then what I had at the Shanghai.
The problem is that this place is too far away from the school, so when I'm coming from school I'd have to go to the Shanghai.
Once I'd filled my stomach and checked my watch to find I had more then enough time spare, I decided to take another walk around.
I didn't have any destination this time as I'd gotten what I really needed to get, but as I walked past a clothes shop I thought I recognised someone that is inside.
After looking at the figure for a bit, it moved slightly and I saw a bandaged left arm which told me that it must be Miki.
A few more seconds went by, and another figure joined what I thought was Miki wearing a more that familiar uniform and then it dawned on me that the other person is Suzu.
Considering they're in a clothes shop, at least one of them would be shopping for clothes and seeing the pile of clothes draped over Suzu's arm it would be more then likely that she is the one that is buying.
Then I remembered that my parents hadn't brought much in the way of casual clothes, and since this place does sell men's clothing it's a good excuse to go inside and expand my wardrobe.
As I walked towards my required area, I managed to catch some of what Miki and Suzu were saying
"Are you sure he's going to like these", Suzu asked.
"I'm certain he will", Miki said "I'll guarantee it".
"But what if he doesn't like me", Suzu said.
"You shouldn't doubt yourself, Suzu", Miki said "if you do then you'll have lost him".
I decided that I should walk a bit faster since this is girls talk and I shouldn't be listening in.
Besides, it looks like they're shopping so that Suzu can impress some other guy and not me.
The selection here is impressive, but I only needed t-shirts, trousers, jumpers and a coat or two since I had more then enough stuff when it comes to underwear.
After picking out several items that I thought would look good, I checked to make sure I could afford everything and headed to the counter to pay for everything.
When I got to the counter, I thought that Miki and Suzu had already left until I heard a familiar voice from behind me.
"I thought that was you looking in a little while ago", Miki said.
I turned around to find Miki standing behind me with Suzu standing just behind her, with her arms laden with clothes.
"So what brought you in here", Miki asked.
I lifted my clothes laden arms.
"Seeing you two in here that I needed to get some casual clothes", I said "because my parents decided not to pack that much when it comes to casual wear".
"It doesn't look like that's all you came here for", Miki said.
"I tried looking around the town near the school for a replacement alarm clock", I said "and I didn't find one, so I came here on the advice of another student".
"You mean Lilly", Miki said.
"How did you know that", I asked.
"Because I saw you walking back onto the school grounds yesterday with her and Hanako", Miki said.
"I ran into them in the Shaghai", I said "and I followed them back since I would've gotten lost on my own".
I lifted a finger in an attempt to ask for a pause as I turned around so I could pay for the goods that I was holding.
Once I'd finished and had picked up the two bags that contained my purchases, I moved aside to allow Suzu to pay for the clothes that were draped over her arms.
After Miki and Suzu left the counter, with Suzu carrying more bags that I was, we left the shop together.
I wasn't really sure why I waited for them, but since we would be heading in the same direction after this it would be pointless to leave after making my purchases as we'd meet up again at he bus stop.
While we were waiting for the bus to arrive, Miki seemed to have something on her mind.
“Why'd you get a new alarm clock”, Miki asked “surely your current one is good enough”.
“After what happened yesterday, I thought I'd get something that I can just flick a switch or something like that to arm the alarm”, I said as I looked at Miki “and don't call me Shirley”.
I didn't expect that I'd be able to use that old pun, but it came out anyway.
Miki didn't seem to get it, but Suzu's laughing told me that she had gotten it.
“Would you care to enlighten me on the joke”, Miki asked.
“It's a play on words, since they both sound almost identical”, I said “it was in a classic comedy film, but I'd doubt that you've watched it since it you had then you would've gotten the joke”.
Our conversation was halted by the arrival of the bus that would take us back to Yamaku.
After we took our seats on the bus, Miki seemed to have something else her wanted to say.
“I just remembered that we haven't swapped numbers yet”, Miki said as she pulled her phone out of the pocket she had it in.
“You'll be the only people that will be giving numbers”, I said “since I don't even know my own number”.
“You're joking, aren't you”, Miki said with a look of surprise on her face.
“I'm not”, I said “my parents seem to be the only ones that know it”.
“Then we'll have to do this the hard way”, Miki said.
She then reeled out her number followed by Suzu's, which was said over a stack of protests from Suzu.
“Come on, Suzu”, Miki said “you said that you wanted to give him your number”.
Miki was looking directly at Suzu so I couldn't see if she'd winked, but whatever she did was enough to stop the protesting.
I had started composing text messages once Miki had calmed things down, and two different sets of beeping, one more muffled then the other, told me that the messages had been delivered.
By the time Suzu had gotten her phone out, Miki had already stored the number in her phone.
When we made it back to Yamaku, everything had been sorted out with regards to numbers.
After I got back to my room, I packed all the clothes away and turned my attention to the alarm clock.
Once I'd set the time, alarm, wound it up and released the catch on the hammer, I placed it on the night table.
My admiration of the new alarm clock was interrupted by a knock on the door, and when I opened it I found Suzu standing in the corridor.
“If your going to ask about yesterday”, I said “it only happened because I didn't take care on my way to class”.
Suzu nodded in response, and I allowed her to come in so she didn't have to stand out in the corridor for the whole time.
“How did you know that was what I was going to ask about”, Suzu asked.
“Because you looked concerned after the pain started”, I said “and you didn't come over when I was here yesterday”.
“I did come over”, Suzu said “but it must've been when you were in town”.
“I thought you would have come over after class”, I said “unless you had something else you had to do”.
“I did”, Suzu said before she went back to the reason she came here to begin with “you could've left class to get your medication”.
“I have to face up to this”, I said “this is who I am now and I have to face up to the face that there might be times like yesterday where I have to cope without any painkillers”.
Suzu suddenly wrapped her arms around me, which came as a shock.
“Just don't do anything that's too risky”, Suzu said.
“I'll try”, I said “but I can't guarantee anything”.
Suzu released her grip on me and left my room without uttering another word.
I was taken aback by her sudden hug, but then I wasn't even sure of my own feelings so I wouldn't even know if that was a sign that she had feelings for me or if it was just something else.
I'd just have to wait and see how thing went.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shopping Trip
The sound of my phone signals the start of another day.
At least I managed to set the dammed thing this time.
Even though it isn't a school day, I had to get up early so I could get to the city and to avoid running into Miki in case she wants to drag me somewhere else with Suzu and leave the two of us again.
Once I'd gotten myself sorted out and as far as getting out of the dormitory, I used ninja like sneaking to get from the dormitory to the schools main gate so I could avoid running into Miki.
I made it to the gate and then the bus stop without incident, and at the right time as a bus turned up just seconds after I got there.
The journey on the bus was as uneventful as the walk to get to the bus stop, and after an hour or so I arrived at my intended destination.
The view that greeted me as I got of the bus was vastly different from the city I'd known for most of my life.
I shook off the amazement I was experiencing as I had to go find somewhere that sells alarm clocks, and since I didn't know where to start I'd have to go with the mindless wandering option I went with yesterday.
After an hour of mindless walking I hadn't found any place that had what I needed, but it looked like I was just going around in circles for about the past half an hour.
Once I'd gone in a different direction then I had for the past hour I managed to find a place that sells alarm clocks, but it took me another hour to find it and it only sold mechanical alarm clocks.
Since I didn't want to look around any more, I decided to go in and see what they had.
There were clocks as far as the eye, but I only wanted to look as the alarm clocks.
There were plenty to choose from with differing appearances, but there was one that stood out from the rest.
It had the look of the classic alarm clock with the two bells and the hammer that swung to hit each one, and with the catch that locks the hammer down to stop it from hitting the bells it was the perfect choice for a replacement alarm clock that wouldn't be subject to being hit every morning.
With the purchase done with, my stomach told me that I needed to get myself something to eat.
After about half an hours walking, and several audible announcements from my stomach, I managed to find some place to get some food.
I managed to find a more then good enough place to eat, as the food here is even better then what I had at the Shanghai.
The problem is that this place is too far away from the school, so when I'm coming from school I'd have to go to the Shanghai.
Once I'd filled my stomach and checked my watch to find I had more then enough time spare, I decided to take another walk around.
I didn't have any destination this time as I'd gotten what I really needed to get, but as I walked past a clothes shop I thought I recognised someone that is inside.
After looking at the figure for a bit, it moved slightly and I saw a bandaged left arm which told me that it must be Miki.
A few more seconds went by, and another figure joined what I thought was Miki wearing a more that familiar uniform and then it dawned on me that the other person is Suzu.
Considering they're in a clothes shop, at least one of them would be shopping for clothes and seeing the pile of clothes draped over Suzu's arm it would be more then likely that she is the one that is buying.
Then I remembered that my parents hadn't brought much in the way of casual clothes, and since this place does sell men's clothing it's a good excuse to go inside and expand my wardrobe.
As I walked towards my required area, I managed to catch some of what Miki and Suzu were saying
"Are you sure he's going to like these", Suzu asked.
"I'm certain he will", Miki said "I'll guarantee it".
"But what if he doesn't like me", Suzu said.
"You shouldn't doubt yourself, Suzu", Miki said "if you do then you'll have lost him".
I decided that I should walk a bit faster since this is girls talk and I shouldn't be listening in.
Besides, it looks like they're shopping so that Suzu can impress some other guy and not me.
The selection here is impressive, but I only needed t-shirts, trousers, jumpers and a coat or two since I had more then enough stuff when it comes to underwear.
After picking out several items that I thought would look good, I checked to make sure I could afford everything and headed to the counter to pay for everything.
When I got to the counter, I thought that Miki and Suzu had already left until I heard a familiar voice from behind me.
"I thought that was you looking in a little while ago", Miki said.
I turned around to find Miki standing behind me with Suzu standing just behind her, with her arms laden with clothes.
"So what brought you in here", Miki asked.
I lifted my clothes laden arms.
"Seeing you two in here that I needed to get some casual clothes", I said "because my parents decided not to pack that much when it comes to casual wear".
"It doesn't look like that's all you came here for", Miki said.
"I tried looking around the town near the school for a replacement alarm clock", I said "and I didn't find one, so I came here on the advice of another student".
"You mean Lilly", Miki said.
"How did you know that", I asked.
"Because I saw you walking back onto the school grounds yesterday with her and Hanako", Miki said.
"I ran into them in the Shaghai", I said "and I followed them back since I would've gotten lost on my own".
I lifted a finger in an attempt to ask for a pause as I turned around so I could pay for the goods that I was holding.
Once I'd finished and had picked up the two bags that contained my purchases, I moved aside to allow Suzu to pay for the clothes that were draped over her arms.
After Miki and Suzu left the counter, with Suzu carrying more bags that I was, we left the shop together.
I wasn't really sure why I waited for them, but since we would be heading in the same direction after this it would be pointless to leave after making my purchases as we'd meet up again at he bus stop.
While we were waiting for the bus to arrive, Miki seemed to have something on her mind.
“Why'd you get a new alarm clock”, Miki asked “surely your current one is good enough”.
“After what happened yesterday, I thought I'd get something that I can just flick a switch or something like that to arm the alarm”, I said as I looked at Miki “and don't call me Shirley”.
I didn't expect that I'd be able to use that old pun, but it came out anyway.
Miki didn't seem to get it, but Suzu's laughing told me that she had gotten it.
“Would you care to enlighten me on the joke”, Miki asked.
“It's a play on words, since they both sound almost identical”, I said “it was in a classic comedy film, but I'd doubt that you've watched it since it you had then you would've gotten the joke”.
Our conversation was halted by the arrival of the bus that would take us back to Yamaku.
After we took our seats on the bus, Miki seemed to have something else her wanted to say.
“I just remembered that we haven't swapped numbers yet”, Miki said as she pulled her phone out of the pocket she had it in.
“You'll be the only people that will be giving numbers”, I said “since I don't even know my own number”.
“You're joking, aren't you”, Miki said with a look of surprise on her face.
“I'm not”, I said “my parents seem to be the only ones that know it”.
“Then we'll have to do this the hard way”, Miki said.
She then reeled out her number followed by Suzu's, which was said over a stack of protests from Suzu.
“Come on, Suzu”, Miki said “you said that you wanted to give him your number”.
Miki was looking directly at Suzu so I couldn't see if she'd winked, but whatever she did was enough to stop the protesting.
I had started composing text messages once Miki had calmed things down, and two different sets of beeping, one more muffled then the other, told me that the messages had been delivered.
By the time Suzu had gotten her phone out, Miki had already stored the number in her phone.
When we made it back to Yamaku, everything had been sorted out with regards to numbers.
After I got back to my room, I packed all the clothes away and turned my attention to the alarm clock.
Once I'd set the time, alarm, wound it up and released the catch on the hammer, I placed it on the night table.
My admiration of the new alarm clock was interrupted by a knock on the door, and when I opened it I found Suzu standing in the corridor.
“If your going to ask about yesterday”, I said “it only happened because I didn't take care on my way to class”.
Suzu nodded in response, and I allowed her to come in so she didn't have to stand out in the corridor for the whole time.
“How did you know that was what I was going to ask about”, Suzu asked.
“Because you looked concerned after the pain started”, I said “and you didn't come over when I was here yesterday”.
“I did come over”, Suzu said “but it must've been when you were in town”.
“I thought you would have come over after class”, I said “unless you had something else you had to do”.
“I did”, Suzu said before she went back to the reason she came here to begin with “you could've left class to get your medication”.
“I have to face up to this”, I said “this is who I am now and I have to face up to the face that there might be times like yesterday where I have to cope without any painkillers”.
Suzu suddenly wrapped her arms around me, which came as a shock.
“Just don't do anything that's too risky”, Suzu said.
“I'll try”, I said “but I can't guarantee anything”.
Suzu released her grip on me and left my room without uttering another word.
I was taken aback by her sudden hug, but then I wasn't even sure of my own feelings so I wouldn't even know if that was a sign that she had feelings for me or if it was just something else.
I'd just have to wait and see how thing went.