Dancing: A Miki pseudo-route (Update 7/30/17)

[HoneyBakedHam]

No problem. I figure I'd reread some fanfics and mangas and watch some anime to help figure out the outline for my project.

[Obscuras]

I started reading this story at the start of december, and finished reading the last update before february started.
I have to say, I absolutely adore this story, and I'm sad to see it hasn't been updated recently. Even the latest reply was from january.

I shall continue monitoring the thread tirelessly, hoping for an update.
Off-topic! What is this "Miki-syndrome" I've been reading about? I have not been able to get an answer by searching, so now I'm asking directly.


Best of wishes, Obs.

[Req]

it's a common theme across Miki routes that they don't get finished for whatever reason.

though now that Suriko released one, I can imagine that being just one more killer of Miki routes.

[acquireTigris]

First of all, I'd like to say that me and Dancing are alive and well!

Secondly, I apologize profusely to everyone who's waiting for updates.

I've recently left the USA and returned to my real place of residence. Most of the time I could've spent writing weeks ago was spent getting ready to leave the country. I've been settling in since yesterday and, rest assured, I'm writing as of the moment. Hopefully the next chapter's quality is enough to compensate for the extremely long wait, and for the broken promises I gave you all.

[acquireTigris]

Secret Identity

The alarm beeps, it's boring monotone a stark opposite of what I am feeling. Almost immediately as I wake up, a flood of memories bombards me; Miki and I have finally taken the next big step in a relationship. The feeling is fresh, almost as if it happened just a few seconds ago. I've been feeling this way for the past few days. It wakes me up faster than getting doused with icy water. Energetic and excited for the rest of the day, I jump out of bed, a bit shocked at myself after I actually bothered to fix my bed after weeks of being in Yamaku. I guess it can't be helped; I was on top of the world.

After a change of clothes, I walk out my door ready for the morning's jog. The doorway opposite mine creaks open. Kenji's head pops out and, despite the thickness of his spectacles, I think I can see him squinting at me in the darkness.

"Is that you homie?" he asks, his voice cracking. Did he seriously just call me homie?

"Uhh, it's me, I think. At least I'm sure since the last time I checked myself."

"Oh, good." He pauses to scratch his messy hair. "What are you doing up late?"

"Up late?" I squint back at him. "It's 5:30 AM."

He coughs and straightens up his posture and his wrinkled school jacket. I think he slept in with his uniform on.

"Yeah, I knew that," he mutters. "I was just testing you."

"Sure, Kenji." I roll my eyes. He's practically blind, so I'm positive he didn't see that.

His mouth opens to say something, but he stops when a door creaks from behind me. His eyes slowly open wide and, without warning, I flinch at the sound of him slamming his door shut.

I scratch my head in bewilderment. What scared him off? I guess I couldn't be ungrateful; at least I didn't have to deal with his anti-feminism ramblings for the rest of the morning.

As I turn around to leave, I find someone's torso peeking out of the door beside mine. He's half-naked, ripped, and yawning. I barely recognize him without his glasses.

"Good morning, Kento. I didn't know your room was right beside mine." He's not responding. I blink at him. He's squinting at me. I guess he can barely see without his glasses. Either that or it's just way too early for him to be up.

"It's me?" I speak again, a bit louder this time. "Hisao Nakai?"

He squints even harder and blinks slowly. I feel a massive case of deja vu coming up.

His eyes widen ever so slightly as he gains some cognition of who I am. But they're not wide enough. He's still very sleepy. I don't think he's a morning person.

"Oh... hey Hisao." He yawns again. "What b-brings you up so e-early?"

"Off for a morning jog," I mutter, a bit concerned about him. "Hey, I didn't wake you up, now, did I?" I'm biting the inside of my cheek in unease.

He shakes his head, his hand slipping off the frame of his door as he teeters a bit. Thankfully, he regains his balance before he could plaster his face on the floor."Wh-whoa," he exclaims more calmly than I expected. I think that woke him up quite a bit.

"N-nah, you didn't. I-I'm fine." He waves a hand in front of his face to try and dismiss the issue, but he looks at his feet and frowns right away. "A-actually, y-you kinda d-did. B-but it wasn't a p-problem, r-really!" He's waving both hands in front of me now, half-bowing in quick intervals, his expression more embarrassed than mine. Kento may be humble, and that is a very admirable trait, but sometimes I think he's stooping to doormat levels.

"No, man, it was my fault. I bumped into Kenji and he started a chain of babbling like he always does. Actually, I think it's his fault. I think something scared him away, though..." I trail away when I realize that the guy's squinting at me again, and this time it's not because he can hardly see me.

A few short seconds later, Kento's bursting in laughter. I can literally feel the bulletin board behind me shuddering from his loud guffaws. I'm flinching in embarrassment and discomfort from the volume of his "AHAHAHA!!", silently hoping that he didn't wake anyone up with his uproar.

It felt like an eternity before he stopped. I'm positive that he isn't sleepy anymore while he rubbed off the chortles from his face and eyes. I don't think I'll ever get used to his laughter.

"Oh man," he mumbles. "He was hiding from me again?"

A confused look covers my face. "Does he have a reason to hide from you?"

"I guess? He thinks I'm his doppelganger and that if he sees me, he'll d-die." He shrugs. "That Kenji guy s-sure is supers-stitious."

I nod slowly, acknowledging Kenji's typically strange behavior. No wonder I felt the strongest sensation of deja vu a moment ago. But despite agreeing with him, I'm still skeptical about certain things.

"Wait. If you know that he thinks that looking at you will kill him, how did you find out without asking him? Knowing Kenji, he'd be practically invisible if he didn't want to be found... or at least he'd think he is."

"M-my E-English tutor t-told m-me," he stammered out, looking a bit ashamed. "I'm p-probably not supposed t-to say this since sh-she's not one t-to g-gossip, b-but she said that sh-she made an exception b-because it was f-for my own s-sake." He scratches the back of his head. "P-please don't tell anyone I told you."

I don't exactly know who he was referring to, but he seemed genuinely worried about talking about her. Though to be honest, I have the slightest inkling that I know who Kento's talking about.

"Sure thing," I confirm to him irregardless and nod. "My lips are sealed."

He sighs in relief. "Th-thanks Hisao. And h-hey, didn't you h-have a j-jog to run off t-to? I think I ate up s-some of your t-time..." He fiddles with the nails of his thumb and index finger, as if considering on biting on them, digging them into each other, or both.

It finally dawns on me that I've been killing way too much time in the boy's dormitory. I hurriedly check my watch. It's a few minutes to 6, and I was supposed to be at the track ten minutes ago. Dammit.

"Thanks for the reminder, Kento!" I rush out, giving him a half-assed nod goodbye before I dart into the lobby and out the door. I didn't really have time to stay around to wait for his reply, but I'm sure he understands.



I reach the track as fast as I could, but apparently I wasn't fast enough. My trainer, my jogging partner, my... my girlfriend, is waiting for me, and she doesn't look very happy. In fact, cross-armed and equally-crossed eyebrows, she looks like she's about to pop a vein. I don't want to think about how long I've made her wait.

"Do you have any idea how long I've had to wait?" Miki says as soon as I stop running. She's read my mind yet again. She's tapping one foot discontentedly. I hold my hand in front of her, signaling her to wait a few more seconds while I catch my breath, but she glares at me harder. I immediately regret doing that.

"Sorry," I cower, wary for any random blow that she might be planning to hit me with. I don't think Miki is a sufficiently violent girl. I mean she's been known to hit me playfully a few times but... You can never be too sure...

"I got distracted," I attempt to continue to explain, "by small talk from my floor mates, you see, and-."

"Ah, ah, ah! No alibis. No weaseling out of this. I don't want your explanations. I just want you to be here fifteen minutes ago." I flinch at her words, slightly surprised by the lack of slap or angry poke.

"Fine," I sigh. "What I did was inexcusable. I think I ruined my track record with that one." Pun not intended, I think, but only to myself. I don't want to inflame this already sensitive position I've gotten myself in. "To be frank, I think you're starting to sound like Emi."

Her expression changes; she looks as though someone doused cold water all over her. I think I just caused her inner turmoil. So much for defusing the situation...

"You're right." She lowers her head in shame. "That was uncalled for."

...Heartbreaker to HQ, I just defused the situation. Over and out.

"But I really am sorry about coming late. It won't happen again. I just wanted to make sure you know that."

"Okay," she puffs. "No empty promises."

"No empty promises," I echo. "And here I thought that being your boyfriend meant I'd get perks," I say mostly to myself.

"Well you won't," Miki glowers. "In fact, what's going to happen this morning is that you'll jog two less laps than normal because I know we're pressed for time. With you obviously being late and all." I shrink at her words. "But tomorrow, you're going to jog two extra to compensate." Dammit all. I shouldn't have opened my big mouth.

"I ran as fast I could all the way here!" I protest. "Doesn't that already count as part of my lap? Can't you at least let me run just one extra tomorrow instead?"

She rests her chin on a hand while she looks up at the slowly-brightening sky, contemplating on my suggestion. After some deep thought, she nods at me.

"Fine," she agrees. "In return, you buy me dinner somewhere fancy." A sly grin creeps up her face.

I cover my face with both hands, slowly reaching up to pull my hair in protest. "Fine," I give in a bit too quickly. "Let's just get this over with. You said you didn't want to be late."

"I knew having a boyfriend meant getting perks," Miki grins while I start stretching ahead of her, the routine practically habit by now. I simply grunt in annoyance.



"What are we doing here again?" I begrudgingly ask Miki as I slide into the corner of the booth.

"You're taking me out to dinner. I thought we talked about it this morning." She slides to my left.

"By again, I mean, why the Beijing again?" A waitress passes us two menus. It looks like Taro and Lezard don't have their shifts today. A bit understandable, since today was a school day.

"Because A, you suggested the Shanghai. You know we never go to the Shanghai." She hides her face behind her menu. "And B, we both don't know any other good restaurants in this tiny town, so we might as well hang out here. And what's with that getup?"

I look down at myself, moving my arms away to get a better look. I'm looking semi-formal, with slacks, my leather school shoes, a white collared shirt, and an argyle sweater vest. In contrast, she's sporting her usual trip-to-town clothes: a button-down flannel shirt and jeans. "Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?" I ask, painfully aware that I was a tad bit overdressed. "From what I can tell, I don't have any stains on my shirt."

"Or your vest," she laughs. "You look like a total dork." I would be scowling right now if it weren't for her smile that was as bright as Creation's day. Instead, I settle for pursing my lips and letting my arms fall beside me.

"Hey, are you sure Suzu's okay with us hanging out without her? She was asleep all day. More than usual, I mean."

"She said she was feeling under the weather," Miki confides. "To be honest I was a bit worried about her, but she told me she'd be fine. She did want us to have some alone time, and right now's the first time we've had that in a while. That said... I'll go check on her when we get back."

The waitress comes back to take our orders. "What will our lovely couple be having tonight?" she says. I quail a bit from her words; I'm still not used to this relationship stuff.

"A tofu rice bowl and water, I guess." I think it's plainly obvious that I'm trying my best to lower my dinner bill for us both.

Miki shrugs. "I'll have a bowl of fried pork cutlets and grape soda. Oh! And add a pudding to the order, will ya?" I'm eyeing the girl beside me with pursed lips while she grins mischievously. She's definitely making the best of things right now.

"Don't you have a figure to watch?" I murmur to her as soon as the waitress is out of earshot.

"Figure shmigure," she replies. "I always end up burning off what I eat."

I think I might've looked annoyed, since Miki slowly leans up against me and starts cuddling me from the side, head on my shoulder. "Come on, Hisao. Stop being such a pissbaby. Just enjoy the moment! You can splurge a little if you want." I look down at her inquisitively. "As your health instructor and friend, I am personally recommending it. We both deserve a break."

"You're not a licensed health instructor," I quip.

"I'm the closest thing to a lifeline you have," she replies.

Sighing, I lean my cheek against her head. "Fine. You win. At least I get to enjoy this."

"Good boy." She smiles.

And just like that, we both grow awkwardly quiet.

...

..

.

We're too quiet.

Miki looking placid. I wonder if she's comfortable in the silence. I mean, I know I am. I'm definitely cozy when a girl is leaning against me and I her. It's just that the thought that she'd prefer if we talked about something, or if I did something with my hands, or whether or not I could toy around with her hair. Maybe if I move, the friction between our skin might make her uncomfortable. I think I should-.

The waitress appears with our tray of food. Anxiety gets the best of me and I almost immediately slide towards her to receive our order. Miki's head wobbles from its support suddenly disappearing. I yelp at my slip-up, almost dropping everything on the tray, and adding another notch of my mistakes for tonight. Thankfully, my reflexes saved every morsel and drop from spilling. A slightly shaken waitress turns to me.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" she asks.

I pause and think for a while. "I'll have a decaf latte, please" I finally decide. "And a few extra napkins."

"I'll be back with your order shortly," she says before bowing and leaving our booth.

I leisurely place all our food in front of their respective owners. As soon as I'm finished, Miki jabs my ribs with a thumb. I let out a very dignified noise that did not sound like a squeal at all.

"What was that for!?" I hiss.

"Dropping me," she replies. If she was pissed a minute ago, she isn't now, her smile a frozen giggle. Clearly a reaction from my not-squeal.

"Sorry about that," I sigh. "I'm not very used to... uh..."

"Touchy feely stuff?"

"I was going to say physical intimacy, but yeah. That."

"Relax, you dweeb," she snickers before turning slightly more somber. "At least you're vocal about it. It doesn't really show, but I'm actually pretty nervous about this."

"You sure?" I ask skeptically. "You seem like you're enjoying yourself."

"Just because I'm having fun doesn't mean I'm not anxious, Hisao," Miki confesses.

"True enough," I admit. "Despite our feelings, I guess we barely know each other."

"Which is why," she begins, hugging my left arm, "we should start now." Our proximity makes me blush.

"Hehurm," I cough. "Maybe we should eat a bit first." She pulls away and paws at a piece of pork cutlet and I get a breather.

"Or maybe," she pops the pork in her mouth, "we can eat and talk. Ever thought of that, Einstein?"

"Why does everyone have to compare the geek with Einstein?" I complain as I chew on my food.

"So you're admitting that you're a geek?" Miki teases, elbowing me lightly. "It's mostly because you made me see things in a different perspective," she admits. "You know, the whole relativity thing? I may not be a huge fan of science, but at least I know that much." I can tell that she's a bit embarrassed after confiding me this.

"That was actually kinda sweet," I grin. In return, I get a quick jab to the hip, and I only barely lessened the blow by shifting away too late.

"Don't expect anything as sweet any time soon," she threatens me, but her serious face melts into a smile and a chuckle. We both look at each other with tenderness on our faces before the embarrassment causes me to look away. I'm almost too abashed to check if Miki did the same, but a quick glance tells me that she shied away as well. We start to eat in silence.

The awkwardness was thick enough to cut with a knife. Having the waitress serve my latte in the middle of the quietness didn't make it better; she left just as awkwardly. Although it started off well, my first date is already beginning to spiral down into a crash. So, after five minutes of painful silence, I try and save face.

"I used to play soccer in middle school." I'm pushing stray bits of rice around my bowl with my chopsticks. "I mean, I wasn't good at it or anything. I just played it, partially for fun, but mostly because my friends were part of the soccer club.

"Most of the time I played as the goalkeeper. Nothing ever happened on my side of the field since Shin and Takumi were too good for each other. They'd always be on opposite teams since we'd split everyone up evenly, and they'd never let up on the offensive. Now that I've looked back on all that, I kinda wished that I played a more active role in the team. But at the same time, I'm kinda glad that I didn't really run around much. I might not be here if I did."

I gather up my courage for my next words.

"I... uhh... I have arrhythmia," I finally tell her, confirming all those times that I've implied that I have a fatal affliction. "It's a condition where your heart sucks at being a heart, and it doesn't beat the way it should. I have to drink a mountain of pills every day, I can't overexert myself when I exercise, I can't drink real coffee anymore, and I probably won't live to see the age of 30."

At this point, Miki, who was somber while listening to me, made a disgusted face. "Ugh, Hisao, why do you have to be so morbid?" She holds my left hand with her right. "You'll live a long life as long as I have a say in it." I'm not a hundred percent reassured, but her words at least bring some comfort. I smile slightly, and she smiles back.

"I guess this is the part where I pour out my heart and soul to you?" she asks, half-sarcastically.

"I guess," I echo.

"Hmm," she ponders. "Where do I start... Oh, I know!

"I just wanted to clear this out. I used to dance. A lot. I didn't really care what style it was as long as I could feel my body moving to a beat. You probably saw me do a bit of a ballet-jazz piece that night you, uhh, wandered around school." Urgh. Just the thought of how stupid I was back then makes me cringe.

"Anyway, I run here in Yamaku because I needed something to replace dancing. I needed to exhaust my heart enough for it to feel a steady beat and my feet to follow that rhythm."

"Wow, Miki. I didn't know you could be so poetic," I tell her flatly.

"Shut up." She elbows me playfully.

"My dad and my big brother were extremely supportive to my interests. I love them both to bits. They used to take me everywhere just so I could experience some new dance. Though..." Miki grows solemn. "It all changed after the accident. Not to sound cheesy, or anything."

Of course there was an accident.

"I... umm... It really sucked for me. It sucked a lot. My friends in my old school were too freaked out by the accident. It's for the best, I guess, since it probably means that they weren't much of friends. I lost a hand, obviously. I lost-."

"Oh man, I am so sorry," I interrupt. I couldn't help it; the need to apologize was too compelling. "Your dad and brother, are they...?"

"What?" Miki replies blankly. "Oh. OH! No, no, no! They're fine. They're alive. Everyone's alive, okay?"

Well this is sufficiently awkward.

I must've made a really embarrassed face because Miki is giggling like there's no tomorrow. Even during our most serious moments, I manage to screw things up.

"You are too cute," she wheezes.

Maybe 'screw things up' is too strong of a term.

“Hey,” Miki says after glancing at a clock above the counter. "It's getting kinda late."

I check the clock myself. 8 PM. I smirk. "Isn't it a little too early for your tastes?"

"Normally yes, maybe. But we really have to go back to Yamaku. I'm kinda worried that I left Suzu alone for too long, and there's class tomorrow, obviously."

"Obviously," I echo before I let out a resounding sigh. "And I was starting to have fun, too..."

"Hey," she reassures me. "Tomorrow's half-day. We could hang out some more in the afternoon with Suzu. And it's not like we're going to spend some time walking there. Stop being such a Debbie Downer."

"Fine," I huff. "I might as well enjoy the rest of the night."



We make our ascent slowly, making the long, long uphill climb.

It's amazing how a climb that, at first, I could barely just make without triggering a heart attack, would become such a trivial chore. Sure, I'm breaking a sweat, but my chest feels completely normal. I really am thankful for the girl beside me, in more ways than one.

The familiar darkness of the Yamaku night is welcoming. The tips of our fingers occasionally graze as our hands swing idly from our sides. Aside from the crickets chirping and our footsteps clanging against the concrete road into the twilight, it's quiet. We're quiet. Despite the silence I'm quite enjoying the moment, but I can't quite help but want to break it.

"You know, ever since I saw you first do it, I've always wanted to see you dance."

Miki looks at me as we're walking, a quizzical expression on her face. It soon slowly melts into one of pride.

"I could show off for you if you want," she tells me a little too cockily.

"Your confidence will be your undoing," I smirk back at her. "Sure, I'll take up your offer."

Miki's slightly flushed while she walks backwards and faces me. "This might be a bit awkward since we don’t have any music. I don't always do this in front of others, you know. I've never even told Suzu that I dance, and she's practically my sister! The only reason you’re getting to see anything like this is because you already saw me, so you shouldn’t feel so special.”

“Sure, sure,” I reply, finding her excessive defensiveness a bit endearing as I try not to smile too broadly.

The pavement is her stage, the moon her spotlight, and I, the audience, am on the leaf-carpeted edge, sitting on the knee-high railings with my hands in my pockets.

She starts off slowly, both arms raising forward for balance as her leg slowly reaches backward. Transitioning between standing on one foot back to two, I slowly get what she meant when she said that it would get awkward without music. I didn’t know what to expect from her performance, but she did. It was like attempting to nod to the beat of a song without drums or bass, but you still wanted to get the rhythm. I couldn’t tell when she’s supposed to be moving fast or slow. All I know is that she’s moving to her own beat, her own rules.

Her dance made was awesome and perplexing. There were times when I knew that her poses were a thing of beauty, but at one point her movements made her look like a gorilla. A very graceful gorilla. I’m not one to critique her since I wasn’t a dancer so I silently watch on, immensely glad that Miki’s voluntarily showing me this side of her.

Without warning, her dance takes a turn for the worst when she gasps and falls. It must’ve been the incline of the hill, I think for a split second, before diving forward and catching her. With my help, she manages to land on a knee and her good hand, but her left shoulder hits my chest. I grunt and fall on my butt, buckling from the sudden impact. My eyes water and my vision goes black while my heart feels like it’s slowly being stabbed by a long needle. I can only faintly hear Miki’s distressed voice, like I was underwater, but I was more concerned about trying to make sure I don’t lose consciousness or stop breathing.

An agonizing eternity later, I find myself in a fetal position on the cold pavement drenched in my own sweat. I’m breathing heavily, but I’m breathing. I look up and find a kneeling Miki bent above me, covering her face as she’s sobbing.

“Hey...” I wheeze and feebly pat on her knee, “I’m okay...”

“H-Hisao!” she wails. “I was so scared. I wanted to go find help, but I couldn’t just l-leave you. I didn’t know what to do and I… Oh Hisao!”

This was the second time I saw the normally strong Miki Miura at her weakest. I slowly get on my own knees and hug her, letting her drench my sweatervest in her warm tears. Considering that I just had a heart flutter and that I’m exhausted, that was probably the most that I could’ve done for her.

We sat like that at the side of the road for some time; I stayed there because I needed time to recuperate, she stayed there because she needed time to put herself together.

“Pull me up?” I whisper to Miki after she’s fallen quiet for some time. She takes her hand away from her face and nods as she gets up, her eyes puffy and red from the crying. When I’m back on my feet, I wrap my left arm around her shoulder for support. In a deafening silence that was worse than at the foot of the hill, we continued to walk.

Next|Previous|First

[HoneyBakedHam]

Love it haha

[Mirage_GSM]

"Up late?" I squint back at him. "It's 5:30 AM."
...
I hurriedly check my watch. It's a few minutes to 6

Time is sure going very quickly at Yamaku…

I don't want to inflame this already sensitive position I've gotten myself in. "To be frank, I think you're starting to sound like Emi."

He doesn't want to inflame the situation and immediately follows with THAT line? Does he remember what happened the last time? It seems to work out in this case, but boy is that a case of foot in mouth disease…

and an argyle sweater vest.

Did I mention how I hate that meme?

She did want us to have some alone time, and right now's the first time we've had that in a while.

Except for, you know, that morning or the night before...

…I'm almost too abashed to check if Miki did the same, but a quick glance told me that she shied away as well. We started to eat in silence.
The awkwardness was thick enough to cut with a knife. Having the waitress serve my latte in the middle of the quietness didn't make it better; she left just as awkwardly. Although it started off well, my first date is already beginning to spiral down into a crash.

Most of the story is now consistently present tense, but here and there a few lines of past tense have snuck in. A few more towards the end of the chapter.

and I probably won't live to see the age of 30."

Where does he get this idea? Simply pessimism?

I think for a split second, before diving forward and catching her. With my help, she manages to land on a knee and her good hand, but her left shoulder hits my chest.

I can't quite picture how this scene is supposed to work out^^° Is he jump-diving beneath her to break her fall? The heart flutter incident seemed a bit forced in general.

Good to see this continue. Your Miki is still nicely different from other depictions.

[AntonSlavik020]

I agree about the heart flutter scene. It was kinda confusing what exactly happened. That aside, solid chapter. And I knew Mirage was going to comment about the sweatervest. He mentioned how much he hates that meme recently.

[HoneyBakedHam]

Personally, I don't know why there's so much hate for the sweater vest. Sweater vests are nice: casual yet still classy. I guess Japan is just full of plebes.

[Randleifr]

You have been doing an amazing job, i honestly couldn't help myself by adding some of KS's music from the jukebox for some background noise, i literally played some on every part of your story. Great Job! Can't wait for the parts to come!

[Remuz]

Awesome story, loving it. Hoping it won't follow the rest of the Miki fanfic's fate.

[Hunny Rockafella]

Love your story, cant wait for more! whenever that may be.

[acquireTigris]

Hi guys! Sorry for the long (understatement) delays. I've been trying to catch up with my studies. My stay in the USA set me back a semester and I've been doing my best to compensate for lost time. Rest assured that I'll be checking up and cleaning up on Dancing within the next month.

NO CURSES!

tl;dr Still doing college stuff.

[acquireTigris]

Backstage Pass

"I said I'm fine!" I insist. But the Nurse wouldn't have it.

To be honest I'm probably not, but I really do feel a lot better than a few minutes ago. I almost puked from the pain that was gnawing through my chest.

A while ago, Miki was half-carrying me to Yamaku, grief-stricken but somehow calm. Right now I'm in the Nurse's office, propped up on my elbows on the examination table with my shirt buttoned off and my vest under my knees. He prodded my chest with a cold stethoscope a while ago and I gasped like I was branded, but with the metal cold instead of blazing hot.

"No, Mister Nakai, I need you to stay in my clinic for observation." I lie back down in submission. Worry lines running across his forehead, he buzzes an intercom and calls in an assistant nurse to help him out. "Thank goodness Miki was with you when the heart flutter happened. I can't imagine what your case would be right now if it weren't for her."

Actually, she's the reason why I'm here in the first place, but no hard feelings, I think to myself. I couldn't say that out loud. There was no need to rile up the Nurse even more.

"Miki's still waiting outside, isn't she?" I ask, more worried about her than me. She wasn't acting herself. The once foolhardy and confident Miki was reduced to a tearful mess. I'd like to think that she probably just cares about me way much more than I deserve, but maybe that's just me getting full of myself.

"She is," the Nurse confirms after he peeks through the blinds. He pauses as he looks at me, assessing how I feel before adding, "I think I'll send her off to the girls' dorm."

I think he's got a knack for reading people.

He exits the room and leaves me alone. Half-naked. Cold. I'm too exhausted to move from the pain and worry and too worried for the exhaustion to lull me to sleep. Barely having any options, I decide to think back on the things that happened tonight and maybe make sense of how it all happened. Everything is a blur.

First, Miki and I went to the Beijing for dinner. It was nice.

The emotions I went through come gushing through in a blur. I contemplate melting under the happy thoughts before the dull sensation in my chest pulls me back to reality.

Oh, right. Where was I?

It was getting late, so we went up Yamaku Hill. Sometime during the climb, I dared her to dance. A stupid decision; I shouldn't have said that. Despite the moon being out, it was dark, the road wasn't level, maybe there were cracks, maybe she was tired. She tripped. And my heroic antics caused a heart flutter.

I bang my head against the makeshift bed. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Miki half-carried me all the way back to school. A security guard helped her the rest of the way to the Auxiliary Building, a.k.a. School Hospital. She was still slightly hysterical when the Nurse told her to stay in the hall. I hope she calmed down before she left.

I decide to do something about the cold. Buttoning my shirt back up, I lie on my side, facing the wall, and curl myself slightly. I stay in that position for some time before the clinic's door opens up again.

"Hisao? Are you awake?" the Nurse's disembodied voice rings out. I grunt in response.

"Oh, good," he replies. "I was worried you were -."

"Dead?" I ask darkly.

I can almost hear his eyebrows knit together. "No," he replies sharply, "I was worried you were asleep because I'm supposed to wheel you off to a more comfortable room for the night, where we can observe you." He sighs. "Look, whatever you're worrying about - and don't tell me you're not worried about anything - sleep on it. It can wait until morning.

"So for now," I feel his hand touch my shoulder and turn to the other side. "Just rest up, okay?" Despite the tired smile he's showing me, he's doing his best to reassure me that I'm going to be fine.

There's a knock on the door, and a female nurse walks in pushing a wheelchair.

"Miss Komine, I'm glad you could make it in time." Despite his smile, I can tell that Nurse meant quite the opposite; the nurse-in-training grins back meekly.

A while ago, I would've protested that I could walk by myself, but I decide against it. Nurse means well, and I know he doesn't need me to be a heavier burden as it is. I simply, silently and slowly, sit up.

The shamed assistant nurse wheels me to a smaller, better-furnished room. It isn't a stretch to call it a hospital room; it fits the description well. The walls are painted a drab teal. The lone, wide window is curtained up to keep the light and sound emanating from the outside from coming in. A hospital bed, already draped with fresh sheets, is in the corner, flanked by a mahogany side table with a lamp and phone on top. Attached to the wall right beside the bed is an old, yellowing intercom. A small couch is in the opposite corner facing an equally small coffee table. To my immediate right, a wooden door leads to what I presume to be a bathroom. The whole place smells heavily of antiseptic.

Being here doesn't sit right with me. This feels like some sort of punishment. The memories of darker days during my stay in a real hospital resurge. Despite the sick feeling that's growing in the pit of my stomach, the heaviness of my eyes draws a heavier toll. Too tired to be depressed, I simply climb into the bed, wrap myself in the blankets, and close my eyes. I can faintly hear the sound of the assistant nurse trying to tell me about 'changing into more comfortable clothes', but I am indifferent to her wishes. Soon enough, she gives up, and I am enveloped in the shade of night.



The moment I open my eyes, it's already morning. It seems that my night's rest was peaceful and dreamless, despite the uncomfortable medical bed I slept in. There's a dull ache in my neck, probably attributed to sleeping on a tiny pillow. I peek at a clock above the room's only door. 5:00 AM, it says, my typical wake-up time. Though I'm awake this early, there won't be any morning jogging for me. With nothing to do and unable to go back to sleep, I waste my time staring at the ceiling.

After what seems like an eternity, the door creaks open. It's Nurse, and he's closing the door carefully as to not disturb me, probably thinking that I'm still asleep. After turning around, he sees that it isn't the case.

"Good morning, Hisao," he says with his typical cheer. He's wearing a stethoscope around his neck and carrying a small clipboard with him.

"Yeah, morning," I reply, my voice a whisper but still distinct.

"I wasn't expecting you to be up this early," he admits, smiles all around.

"Me neither. But I guess force of habit just does these kinds of things."

"So I've heard. And I've also heard that you've been jogging with Miki instead of Emi." He winks.

Despite my unpleasant mood, his astute observation and implication surprises me and makes me grin slightly. "You know, I never thought you'd be one for gossip."

"Oh?" He eyes me down, amused. "Just so you know, being the school nurse means I have information on practically everyone in campus. Ah, with patient privacy in mind, of course," he adds after noticing the worried look on my face. "We can't let any unwanted information slip out, now, can we?

"Besides, your, hmm... relationship with Miss Miura isn't exactly news. I do occasionally see you two doing your morning runs. The clinic offers a good view of the track and field, you know."

Admitting his unsolicited surveillance makes me feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. He might as well call himself a peeping tom. I pull the scruff of my collar, feeling the room temperature rise a few degrees.

"I'm just teasing, Hisao," he chuckles.

"Yeah, I got that the first time. And you're doing a pretty good job at it." I massage an ear to help cool it down. "When did you say that you guys were letting me go?"

The Nurse's expression turns serious. "I'm afraid I can't say just yet. You're still under observation.”

My mood plummets again. I wasn't really expecting much of an answer from the Nurse anyway. I guess I’m going to spend another day in another hospital, just like back then...

I'm pretty sure he read my expression as I was moping on my bed, because he tucks his clipboard under his arm and walks over to me. "I wouldn't worry about a thing if I were you. By the end of the day you'll be back to living a normal life, I assure you. We're just going to keep you around for a bit longer." He punctuates his declaration with a smile.

I'm not exactly reassured by his words. I know that his definition of normalcy is purely related to school life. I'm positive that I'm not going to live a normal life with my defective heart. But at least I'm sure that it's better than I thought it would be, especially with the people around me. Despite my doubts, I manage to crack my own smile. I'm not particularly sure if it's just for show or if it's genuine, but it's a start.

"Now," he says as he lets go of my back and scrawls down notes on the clipboard. "I'm going to have to check your heartbeat, just like last night. Would you mind unbuttoning your shirt for me?"

"Mhmm," I murmur in compliance as I sit up straight and start undoing my buttons. I don't feel as weak as I should be. Then again, I might just be thinking too positively.

I can still remember the coldness of the stethoscope from last night. Thankfully, this one isn't as frigid, but I still can’t help but flinch at its touch from the anticipation. Nurse just quietly listens to my heart, and I calmly wait for his assessment.

He hangs the stethoscope back around his neck before jotting down more notes on his clipboard. "Oh, before I forget, we've already stocked you with medicine, all arranged on the bathroom counter for your convenience."

"I'll leave you alone, for now. If you need anything, you can use the intercom beside your bed, or if you want, you could walk to my office just down the hall." He smirks. "I'm sure you know where it is by now."

As he closes the door behind him, I can't help but wonder. Was that his way of telling me that my current situation is much better than expected? Maybe. But for now, I decide to kick back and relax as I buzz the intercom for some favors before I hit the shower and drown myself in meds.



Nurse Komine was kind enough to bring me a new change of clothes and a book from my room hours ago. I've been liking it so far. I'm not a big fan of fantasy novels, but the author explains magic in a way that's almost scientific, I can't help but enjoy it.

While I browse through the pages, I hear a knock on the door before it opens. I'm positive that it’s not going to be a nurse; it’s probably still too early to check on me again.

My suspicions are confirmed as a student with aquamarine hair walks into the room. Suzu comes bearing gifts.

"Hi, Hisao!" she pipes up. "Miki says she's sorry that she can’t visit you during lunch break, but at least I'm here, right?" She's grinning, holding a small lunchbox wrapped in cloth with both her hands.

"Hey, Suzu," I greet back. "Is it really lunch time already?" I guess I was so engrossed in my book that I didn't bother to check the time.

"Yup!" She cheerfully swings the bundle back and forth.

"You really didn't have to bring me food," I tell her. "I could've just eaten whatever the medical staff would give me."

"Boo, you, Lord Killjoy," she sticks out her tongue as she makes her way to the couch and plops onto it. "I'm already here, so you might as well eat anyway."

"Right. We wouldn't want your visit to be a waste, now, would we?" I gloat.

Suzu rolls her eyes at me. "Under different circumstances, I would've thrown this lunch box at you by now. You're lucky we're friends."

"Yup, great friends." I smile at her, half-teasingly, half-sincerely.

She smiles back. But for a fraction of a second, it is almost looks like she is about to crack. I probably shouldn't tease her like that.

"Thanks for visiting," I tell her to at least cheer her up a bit. "Getting visitors means a lot to me."

"I'm just glad to be here," she says.

"By the way, why isn't Miki with you?" I ask her.

Suzu's grin wanes. "She didn't want to visit."

I feel my own good mood spiral downward. "I can't imagine why."

"Me neither," Suzu tells me. "She was supposed to come with me, but she said she didn't feel like it. I mean, you'd think that she'd be one of the first people to visit, all things considered."

She's my freaking girlfriend, of course she's supposed to visit.

"But at least I'm here, right?" This time it's her that's attempting to reassure me. Sadly, she really isn't doing that good of a job.

Taking notice of the obvious fact that her attempts at cheering me up are failing spectacularly, she leaves the lunch box on the table and hops up onto the hospital bed with me. Since it's too high for her, though, it takes her quite a few times before she actually gets a proper seat. It takes a huge effort just to not laugh at her feeble attempts; it is cute.

Suzu pats my back heartily. "Hey, cheer up. She's probably still worried for you. Heck, I'm sure the whole class is worried for you. Everyone's probably just busy doing... something..." She trails off, once again not doing a spectacular job at consoling me, but her efforts are commendable. At least it made me crack a smile.

"Thanks, Suzu," I say, before I hear the door slam shut behind me. I turn with a start, but no one is there. Sighing with relief, I turn back to Suzu only to find her patting at her chest.

"Crap! I thought I was going to die for a second there." Her face is beaded with perspiration. "Who the heck was that?"

As the most-likely person to die from a heart attack in the room, I'm completely surprised that she's the one who said that and not me. An overwhelming surge of power bursts forth from my lungs, and I suddenly begin to laugh.

"What?" Suzu asks me, clearly unamused. "What did I say?"

"It's n-nothing, not important," I manage to utter after finally controlling my outbursts. The utter irony of it all manages to be hilarious in context, at least, to me.

I guess if it weren't for Miki, I’d probably be in a worse state. The vast improvement to my health is all thanks to her efforts to keep me jogging, even when I didn't want to.

"I guess if it weren't for Miki..." I mumble, my words echoing my thoughts.

"Hmm? You said something, Hisao?" Suzu asks me, her annoyance abated.

"Like I said before, it's nothing. Hey, we should probably start eating before that food of yours gets even colder." It is safe to assume that she prepared her food in the morning. There is no way that anything in that box would be warm.

"Are you kidding?" she scoffs. "Sandwiches aren't supposed to be hot! Unless they're toasted, I mean."

I make an unimpressed expression. "Sandwiches? I was expecting something a little more regal, like tonkatsu, or gyoza."

"Pshah! You're not entitled to any of those things." She tries to keep up a facade of displeasure from my ungratefulness, but she ends up puffing her cheeks while she tries to stifle a giggle.

"I'm sorry!" she blurts out. "I can't keep up the act."

I chuckle along with her. "Since we're both being honest here, sandwiches are good, too. No one should turn down free food, especially if friends made it."

"Hear, hear!" Suzu cheers.



Lunchtime is over, and Suzu's already left for the dorms. I'm glad that she didn't doze off during her visit. Since it's a Saturday, the rest of the afternoon is class-free. I'm actually pleasantly surprised by the slow trickle of people that come pouring into my room. A part of me is telling me, it knows that it's just for show. But at the very least people have been kind enough to give me the courtesy of a proper hospital visit.

There are a couple of unfamiliar faces that visit me. A few of which are the classmates that I barely ever interact with, unless it's in group discussions and activities. And I swear that some of them aren't even my classmates. Honestly, it's times like these that I wish that I was better with names.

Shizune and Misha bother to stay for a while, and I listen to Misha (though I'm pretty sure it's Shizune) tell me about the lessons that I skipped out on. I get an earful on "keeping my health a top priority~" and "being more careful about catching diseases, especially since Summer's just around the corner~." It wasn't like I caught the flu, but I probably shouldn't rile Shizune up even more by telling her that I almost had my heart literally crushed within my ribcage.

At one point, I thought I could see a curious eye curtained by purple hair peeking through a crack in the doorway. But as soon as I checked again, it's gone.

The orange glowing beams of the afternoon sun soon wafts through the cracks between the curtains and the Nurse comes into my room, presumably for another check-up.

"You're free to go, Mr. Nakai," he declares instead.

"I bet," I reply. "You had a play in this, didn't you?" There was something nagging at the back of my head that told me the Nurse had planned this entire afternoon, that I was supposed to be checked out earlier this morning. I know that this might be borderline Kenji-conspiracy theory, but I honestly believe that he kept me in the Auxiliary Building, even if I didn’t need to be there. The fact that I didn't get a heart flutter from the surprise door slam earlier tells me that I'm right.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the Nurse tells me nonchalantly. "I'm simply giving a sick student the day's rest that he oh so truly deserves."

I can't help but grin at him as I get up from the bed and stretch my arms and legs. "Alright, fine, thanks."

"I'm just doing my job, kid. There's no need for thanks." I take my leave.

As soon as I reach the building's exit, I find a familiar silhouette on the foot of its stairs. A tall and gangly teenaged girl is sitting there, her face tucked in front of her knees.

I walk over to her and make my presence known by casting my shadow over her. She looks up and, upon seeing my face, smiles.

"Hey," I say.

"Hi," Miki says back.

"I knew you'd at least visit at one point in the day, even though it barely counts as a visit anymore."

"And I knew you'd be fine. Completely, totally fine."

She stands up and kisses me on the cheek. The sudden act of affection brings a slight blush to where her lips touched me. I should be used to that by now.

"I'm sorry," she tells me.

"What for?" I ask.

"A lot of things. Like not visiting sooner."

"Don't worry, you've already made up for it," I assure her.

"How?"

"You've done a lot of things," I echo.

I see her honest smile for the second time today.

"You wanna walk me back to my dormitory?"

"Sure," she says.

And so she does, and we bathe in the silence and the light of the eventide.

Despite the pleasing mood that my current situation brings, I can't help but think that I've forgotten something.

...

..

.

Oh right.

I left my sweater vest in the clinic.

...

I think I'll leave it there for a while.

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[LONINFINITY]

Already finished the new chapter. Glad to see you're still going strong with it!