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

[AntonSlavik020]

Congrats on the job! Real life obviously supersedes what your doing here, so good luck!

[acquireTigris]

Unusual Tradition

I assume that we were about to go our separate ways at the stairs that separate the boys’ dorm from the girls’, but it seems that Miki has other plans and takes a detour.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“The cafeteria,” she tells me as she drags me along like a child pulling a toy car by the string. “I wanted to treat you to dinner. It’s the least I can do for… not visiting…” She trails off, probably still feeling guilty for what happened.

“Okay,” I say quietly. I wasn’t particularly hungry, but it felt only right that I took up her offer.

Our silence is soon lost in the noises of a small crowd. It was a Saturday afternoon, and most of the students here were killing time before dinnertime. A few of them are crazy enough to study in this noise. Summer break is just around the corner, including quarterly exams, and I guess some of my schoolmates decided that powering through the racket and cramming was the best course of action. I guess people are getting desperate for good grades.

While most of the students in here were in their uniforms, I stuck out like a sore thumb. Having just walked out of the Auxiliary Building for observation, I am wearing a plain shirt and a pair of red shorts. I grow concerned that my casual clothes are going to fetch me strange looks from people, but it seems that no one really cared. I calm down and let my anxiety float away.

Miki and I sit down in the corner of the cafeteria closest to the windows, in front of each other. Not too long after, she stands back up.

“Wait here,” she tells me.

I almost get up to my feet before I replant myself firmly on the bench and nod. Normally my chivalrous nature would’ve kicked in by now, but I know better than to deny Miki’s offer when she wants to do something her way.

Left to my own devices, my eyes wander back to the students swamped with studies. I contemplate on following suit, but I probably don’t need to. Suzu, Miki, and I have already cooked up a few group study sessions, most of which end up with me and Suzu forcing an apathetic Miki to actually learn a thing or two. Thankfully, most of the information seems to have stuck with Miki. It’s not that she’s lagging behind in her academics, it’s just that she doesn’t seem to care if her grades fall.

“What’cha looking at?” Miki’s voice comes up from behind and she sits beside me.

I snap out of my short trance and look, first at her, then at the tray that she was carrying. Seems like she bought the both of us some udon noodles.

“Yeah, sorry. I lost myself there for a second.”

She rests her hand on my shoulder. “You okay there, dude? You look like you’ve got a lot on your mind.”

“It’s nothing, don’t worry.” I smile to reassure her, placing my own hand over hers. We stay like that for a few seconds before common sense overtakes us and we both let go and look away. Well, at least I did.

“You’re not angry at me, are you?” she asks.

“Me? Not really.” I place a serving of the food in front of me and put the empty tray on a receptacle an arm’s reach away. My hand grabs two pairs of metal chopsticks and soup spoons on the way back. “If this is about you not visiting earlier, I already said I was okay with it, and that you’ve already done more than enough to make up for it. I just…” I sigh wistfully. “I just wanted to know why you didn’t come and visit.”

We both fall into a silence sufficiently more awkward than the last one. It would’ve been deafening if it weren’t for the chatter around us.

“To be fair,” I mutter, wanting to clarify, “I wasn’t really thinking about it. I just said it because you brought it up. But I’m definitely not mad.”

Miki nibbles on her lower lip while she pokes at her noodles with her chopsticks.

“I… uhh…” she mumbles, still fishing for wet noodles. “I want to say something. I want to explain. But I don’t… I’m not sure how to put what I want to say in words. You could at least give me a break,” she sighs. “You’re the one who’s good with words, not me.”

“Hey,” I hold her right hand again. “No pressure. You don’t have to tell me, and even if you do tell me, I’ll wait till then.”

This time she’s the one who gives my hand a squeeze. I give her a smile and she gingerly smiles back.

Quite some time passes before Miki’s fingers wiggle to break free from my light grasp.

“If we keep this up, I’m going to starve,” she says in a somber tone as she stares at her soup.

My own bowl is probably getting cold, too. I let go of her hand and make a quiet “let’s eat” chant before realizing that what Miki said just moments ago was the first time I’ve heard her use self-depreciating humor. Instead of digging in, I turn to the girl beside me with a look of disbelief.

“Did you just…?”

Miki glances at me while she’s sipping on her soup, her lips curving upward as she slurps up a noodle noisily, grinning as the pasta disappears into her mouth. She’s beaming at me, a row of neat teeth aglow as she waves at me with her good hand.

“You did, didn’t you?”

She just giggles, gulps, and goes back to digging in.

I roll my eyes and shake my head at her, going back to my own food. Seems like I can never keep a bead on this girl. Still, her playfulness leaves me smiling.

Dinner was great. The food itself, honestly, left much to be desired; typical for a school cafeteria, even if Yamaku isn’t your typical school. But the company was more than enough to compensate for it.

I finish eating before Miki does, clearly an advantage of having two hands that work fine. She’s not in a rush, alternating between spoon and chopsticks as she methodically eats, whereas I ate with chopsticks in my right hand and the soup spoon in my left. In hindsight, I probably looked like a slob while I ate, but if Miki noticed, she doesn’t seem to mind.

Not really able to do much of anything, I straddle the bench, face Miki, and patiently wait for her to finish.

It takes her a while to notice that I’m already done with my meal. Eyeing me sideways, she seems bothered by something.

“Stop doing that,” she grumbles, breaking the silence.

“Stop doing what?” I ask, scratching my head before I place a chin on my knuckle, elbow on the table.

“That,” Miki insists.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Just be straight with me here.” I scoot up closer to her. “Stop doing what?”

She’s nibbling on her lower lip in annoyance.

“Seriously, what are you on about?” I tell her again.

“…op st…” Her cheeks are a lighter shade of bronze than the usual tone.

“Speak up.” I lean closer so I could at least hear her better.

“Stop staring at me,” she finally mumbles and her blush clearly manifests itself, her voice barely audible in the cafeteria.

That was unexpected. The normally brash and strongheaded Miki faltered under my unintentionally fierce gaze. At least I’m assuming she thought it was fierce. Heck, I was just looking at her. It hardly counts as staring, right?

“Stop staring!” She elbows a rib, an impressive feat considering my chest isn’t actually anywhere near her.

“Yeowch!” I respond appropriately, and I’m seething in pain. I haven’t been hit like that in a while. The last violent sensation Miki gave me intentionally was a poke to the side and a light jab to the hip.

It looks like she regrets her violence immediately and almost cautiously places her hand on me in an act of comfort. Almost. As soon as it appeared, her mercy was gone. Instead of a careful touch of comfort, I get a long, drawn-out poke on my shoulder.

“I said,” she reiterates, “stop staring!” Her screech comes out as less-than-threatening and cuter than she intended, but the message is, at least, received. It’s my fault for spacing out instead of giving in to her simple request.

“Alright, sorry,” I mutter, rubbing my grievous injuries and look slightly away as to not offend her. “Didn’t even mean to stare. Could you blame me, though? I really enjoyed the view.”

Miki blushes, fumes, squeals as quietly as she possibly could, thrashes around, and slaps my knee. The resulting sensation is significantly less painful than when she elbowed my chest, like she was holding back. Seems like she can’t take my compliment gracefully.

“Could you please stop teasing me?” she groans, instinctively covering her face from my view.

“I don’t think giving you compliments qualifies as teasing, but okay. I’ll stop for you.” I tilt my body away from hers.


Despite the simplicity of the meal, the whole experience felt just as much of a date as the one we’ve been on last night. Maybe the place doesn’t matter. Maybe it’s just the person you’re with that defines a date. Being new to this type of thing, I hope that I’m not wrong, that I don’t make any mistakes with Miki. At least not the mistakes that I’ve already made.

My thoughts wander off for a good long while before I feel a tug on my shirt sleeve from beside me. I turn around to find a much calmer Miki, lightly gripping on my shirt and looking down at the bench. I think she’s still slightly annoyed at me. For what? Telling her that I liked looking at her? Silly girl can’t take a compliment.

“I’m done. Let’s go.” She tugs on my sleeve again.

“Okay,” I reply quietly, and we both get up and leave the cafeteria. Miki is once again holding onto me, but this time I’m the one who’s leading her forward. As we step through the cafeteria’s double doors, twilight has already blanketed the school.

Our return trip to the dorms is quiet and uneventful. Once we reach the junction between the girls’ and boys’ dorms, though, we just stop and stand there.

“I guess this is where we part ways,” I finally say after staying silent for some time.

I start to walk away but I feel a tug on my sleeve.

When I turn around, Miki’s still holding onto me.

“… I’m sorry.”

She’s apologizing again?

“You already made an apology this afternoon. And I already told you, you’ve done more than enough to make up for it.”

“Still…” she mutters. “I might not have the chance to say sorry again. So sorry.”

With that, she gives me a brisk kiss on the cheek and leaves, her good hand awkwardly holding her bad arm as she walks the opposite direction.

I gently rub the warm spot where her lips touched my skin and shake my head.

There’s something weird going on with her, I think. But I’m not too worried. Knowing Miki, she’ll be back to normal in no time.

Meanwhile, I ought to start worrying about exams.

Hand on cheek, I walk through our dorm’s double doors.


Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Tick. Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

I don’t think I can handle the pressure anymore.

The third day, the last day, of examinations is taking its toll on me. A strange predicament, considering that I’m typically apathetic about my grades.

It’s the final exam of the day. Science, as luck would have it, but the mounting stress isn’t helping me focus. My attention to the sheet of paper in front of me wavers, and my eyes wander around the room. I can see that most of my classmates are focused, but a few are as nervous as me, if not more.

I eventually set my gaze upon the backs of two girls sitting right in front of the room. Suzu is, unfortunately, nodding off somewhat, but I can see she’s making a huge effort not to doze off. Miki, on the other hand, seems calmer than I am. On the other hand…

On the other hand.

I quickly realize my slip and almost panic before remembering that I never said anything out loud.


I take a peek at the clock just above the chalkboard. Fifteen minutes until it’s all over. That’s more than enough time for me to finish this exam.
If I can gather enough concentration to actually finish the exam, that is.

Mentally chastising myself for letting my thoughts wander at such a crucial moment, I immediately continue answering my papers.

…

And just like that, my focus is gone again.

Oh well. At least I’ve finished 95% of the questionnaire.

Should I be complacent?

Do I push myself to at least finish the exam?

>I'm fine.
>Finish the exam.

[acquireTigris]

Eh. I’ve already got this test in the bag. A few extra points won’t have a huge impact on my grades.

I flip the test paper on its back and place my elbow over it, resting my chin on my knuckles.

Since I stopped writing, without much to do, my eyes start wandering around the room to observe my classmates again.

Shizune’s dutifully answering her questionnaire, her slender fingers etching down what I assume are answers that she practically memorized. Misha, on the other hand, looks like she’s lost something. Desperate for answers, the pinkette beside me starts staring at the girl beside her, as if the answers have always been on Shizune’s face from the start. From the way she reacted soon after, I’m starting to believe that; a wave of inspiration floods Misha and she writes more answers on her paper, her tongue slowly peeking out the corner of her mouth in concentration. I hope they weren’t using some sort of wordless communication form to cheat.

Accusations of cheating aside, I like seeing them this way. It’s easy to appreciate the duo when they’re not constantly dogging you and forcing you to join the Student Council.

I take a peek at the back of the room and I’m surprised to find Hanako in the room. Her chain of absences led me to get used to seeing her seat empty. What’s even more surprising is that she’s smiling. It’s that silly, dreamy smile, the sort you see when someone’s in–.

Oh. She saw me.

Aaaand she’s burying her face in her hands.

I think I might’ve ruined her day.

I should probably go back to answering.


Tick. Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

“Time’s up, students. Pencils up.”

Mutou, our proctor and homeroom advisor, stops the testing.

A few murmurs of assent rise as some of my classmates complain about not finishing their exam. Their voices are quickly drowned out by the rest who are glad that the entire ordeal is over, and that summer break would be just around the corner.
While I stretch in my seat, my legs cramped, I see Miki walking to the back of the room. She’s approaching Hanako.

I didn’t know they were friends.

The curious part of me wants to listen in on their conversation. Fortunately, the classroom’s ambience drowns their voices out. Besides, I doubt I can hear Hanako from this distance.

Although I can see what they’re doing.

Miki slaps Hanako on the back lightly, and I can almost hear the latter yelp in surprise. The former laughs loudly and goes back to her seat.

While the rest of our classmates were making small talk while getting ready to leave the classroom, I walk over to where Miki and Suzu were seated. One of them was sleeping, the other was acting motherly and keeping her good hand on Snoozu’s back.

“Poor kid,” Miki mutters as I take the empty seat behind Suzu while the room slowly empties itself.

“Did she burn herself out?” I ask, legitimately worried about Suzu’s wellbeing.

“Nah, she’s fine. It’s almost like you forget who we’re talking about,” Miki smirks.

“Right,” I grunt.

“Wanna join me, keep her company?” she asks.

“Sure.”

By this time, the classroom is completely deserted. Even Mutou, who minutes ago was organizing his papers, already left.

The hallways are the only sources of sound, now. It’s quiet in the room.

“Good run today, by the way,” Miki muses. “You’re definitely improving. If it weren’t for your heart thing, I would’ve knocked your laps up by a notch.”

“Don’t patronize me,” I mutter. “I was wheezing by the time you were already done.”

“You’re always gonna be wheezing by the time I’m done.” She smirks.

I roll my eyes at her, but I can’t help but smile a bit. A compliment’s a compliment, so I’ll take it.

Somehow my reaction, or maybe my lack of it, makes her seem disappointed.

“So…” Miki drags on. “Any plans for summer break?”

“Not really,” I admit. “If my parents aren’t going to take me home, I could maybe stay in the dorms until classes start again.”

“Wow.” She whistles, a sharp tone that would echo if it weren’t so noisy outside. “You’re boring.”

“I know,” I agree. “And you stuck with me for some reason.”

“Here’s an idea,” she says. “How about you spend next next week at my place?”

Was that an invitation?

“Was that an invitation? Are you sure about that?”

“Pshah!” She waves a hand at me dismissively before placing it back on Suzu’s shoulder. “I’m positive. It’ll give you a chance to meet the fam’.”

“Well that’s a cheerful thought.”

“Is that sarcasm I hear? You’re gonna be fine! It’s gonna be fine. Trust me. They’re a great bunch of people.” Miki moves her hand from Suzu’s back and places it on my desk, then she smiles to reassure me. Her smile alone was more than enough to convince me.

Instinctively, I wrap my own hand over the back of hers.

“Alright, sure. I’ll go with you.” I sigh. “But I’m going to have to call my parents first.”

“Sure thing. Wouldn’t want them to worry too much about their precious Hicchan going missing for a week.”

I have an incredulous look on my face. She cackles at me.

“Misha made that nickname, not me,” she shrugs. “Besides. You kinda do look like a Hicchan.”

“…I’m going back home, maybe spend some time at the beach,” a sleepy voice wafts through the now-quiet room.

“Suzu!” Miki exclaims. Her hand shoots away from underneath mine. “How long have you been awake?”

“Long enough,” Suzu mumbles and yawns. She leans back, stretches, then gives the both of us a dopey smile. Cute.

“So you heard about going back to my folks?” Miki asks.

Suzu nods.

“You’re welcome to come with us.”

Suzu shakes her head. “I’m going back home. I still have stuff to do there, and mom would flip if she knew I would spend the break somewhere away from home.

“Sorry for being such a buzzkill, guys,” she frowns.

“Aww, no~,” Miki croons. The taller girl gets up, bends over slightly, and hugs Suzu, her hand patting the other’s hair every once in a while. “You’re not a buzzkill. Well I mean -,” she gazes into the other girl’s eyes, “you kinda are. But we totally understand. Don’t we Hisao?”

I nod.

“Stop that,” Suzu grumbles. “I’m not a kid.” But despite her knotted eyebrows, she smiles slightly and hugs Miki back.

Next|Previous|First

[acquireTigris]

Alright, I’ve got this. And why not? Science is, by far, the easiest subject in school.

It’s still going to take a while until the time ticks down. I might as well finish the exam while I’m at it.


Tick. Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

“Time’s up, students. Pencils up.”

Mutou, our proctor and homeroom advisor, stops the testing.

A few murmurs of assent rise as some of my classmates complain about not finishing their exam. Their voices are quickly drowned out by the rest who are glad that the entire ordeal is over, and that summer break would be just around the corner.

While I stretch in my seat, my legs cramped, I see Miki walking to the back of the room. She’s approaching Hanako.

I didn’t know they were friends.

The curious part of me wants to listen in on their conversation. Fortunately, the classroom’s ambience drowns their voices out. Besides, I doubt I can hear Hanako from this distance.

Although I can see what they’re doing.

Miki slaps Hanako on the back lightly, and I can almost hear the latter yelp in surprise. The former laughs loudly and goes back to her seat.

While the rest of our classmates were making small talk while getting ready to leave the classroom, I walk over to where Miki and Suzu were seated. One of them was sleeping, the other was acting motherly and keeping her good hand on Snoozu’s back.

“Poor kid,” Miki mutters as I take the empty seat behind Suzu while the room slowly empties itself.

“Did she burn herself out?” I ask, legitimately worried about Suzu’s wellbeing.

“Nah, she’s fine. It’s almost like you forget who we’re talking about,” Miki smirks.

“Right,” I grunt.

“Wanna join me, keep her company?” she asks.

“Sure.”

By this time, the classroom is completely deserted. Even Mutou, who minutes ago was organizing his papers, already left.

The hallways are the only sources of sound, now. It’s quiet in the room.

“Good run today, by the way,” Miki muses. “You’re definitely improving. If it weren’t for your heart thing, I would’ve knocked your laps up by a notch.”

“Don’t patronize me,” I mutter. “I was wheezing by the time you were already done.”

“You’re always gonna be wheezing by the time I’m done.” She smirks.

I roll my eyes at her, but I can’t help but smile a bit. A compliment’s a compliment, so I’ll take it.

Somehow my reaction, or maybe my lack of it, makes her seem disappointed.

“So…” Miki drags on. “Any plans for summer break?”

“Not really,” I admit. “If my parents aren’t going to take me home, I could maybe stay in the dorms until classes start again.”

“Wow.” She whistles, a sharp tone that would echo if it weren’t so noisy outside. “You’re boring.”

“I know,” I agree. “And you stuck with me for some reason.”

“Here’s an idea,” she says. “How about you spend next next week at my place?”

Was that an invitation?

“Was that an invitation? Are you sure about that?”

“Pshah!” She waves a hand at me dismissively before placing it back on Suzu’s shoulder. “I’m positive. It’ll give you a chance to meet the fam’.”

“Well that’s a cheerful thought.”

“Is that sarcasm I hear? You’re gonna be fine! It’s gonna be fine. Trust me. They’re a great bunch of people.” Miki moves her hand from Suzu’s back and places it on my desk, then she smiles to reassure me. Her smile alone was more than enough to convince me.

Instinctively, I wrap my own hand over the back of hers.

“Alright, sure. I’ll go with you.” I sigh. “But I’m going to have to call my parents first.”

“Sure thing. Wouldn’t want them to worry too much about their precious Hicchan going missing for a week.”

I have an incredulous look on my face. She cackles at me.

“Misha made that nickname, not me,” she shrugs. “Besides. You kinda do look like a Hicchan.”

“…I’m going back home, maybe spend some time at the beach,” a sleepy voice wafts through the now-quiet room.

“Suzu!” Miki exclaims. Her hand shoots away from underneath mine. “How long have you been awake?”

“Long enough,” Suzu mumbles and yawns. She leans back, stretches, then gives the both of us a dopey smile. Cute.

“So you heard about going back to my folks?” Miki asks.

Suzu nods.

“You’re welcome to come with us.”

Suzu shakes her head. “I’m going back home. I still have stuff to do there, and mom would flip if she knew I would spend the break somewhere away from home.

“Sorry for being such a buzzkill, guys,” she frowns.

“Aww, no~,” Miki croons. The taller girl gets up, bends over slightly, and hugs Suzu, her hand patting the other’s hair every once in a while. “You’re not a buzzkill. Well I mean -,” she gazes into the other girl’s eyes, “you kinda are. But we totally understand. Don’t we Hisao?”

I nod.

“Stop that,” Suzu grumbles. “I’m not a kid.” But despite her knotted eyebrows, she smiles slightly and hugs Miki back.

Next|Previous|First

[acquireTigris]

Okay, so I lied about shelving Dancing. Big whoop.

With all the writing I've been doing with the Rosin crew, somehow it sparked just enough drive for me to want to push this chapter forward ahead of procrastination time or behind original intended schedule, since my intended deadline was months ago.

So yeah. Chapter's out. Please do criticize me.

[HoneyBakedHam]

I imagine the very slight differences between the two choices are gonna make an effect later, correct?

Otherwise, not sure what the point was.

[Mirage_GSM]

A few instances of past tense slipping in here and there, nothing else to criticize...

...except for the choice point.

I think I've made it known that I hate such a thing in prose fiction, since it always interrupts immersion, and in this case the whole difference (as far as I could tell - I only skipped over the second version of the last scene) was a few extra lines.

Rest of the chapter was good, though!

[acquireTigris]

I imagine the very slight differences between the two choices are gonna make an effect later, correct?

Otherwise, not sure what the point was.

That's the initial plan, yes.

A few instances of past tense slipping in here and there, nothing else to criticize...

...except for the choice point.

I think I've made it known that I hate such a thing in prose fiction, since it always interrupts immersion, and in this case the whole difference (as far as I could tell - I only skipped over the second version of the last scene) was a few extra lines.

Rest of the chapter was good, though!

Ahh, Mirage. You know I'm prone to making tense mistakes. ._.

You've definitely made a point that you dislike choice points in the forums. And I think I've already apologized for it. But I'm going to apologize again, because choices are part of the medium that I've adopted. In the long run, I want player choice to deeply affect the story. Or at least that's what I hope will happen.

[Snicket]

A Miki story that's made it beyond the first arc? How about that. I found this thread, while in search of another and ended up checking out this one instead.

I gotta say, you've done a great job flushing out Miki as a character and even managed to make Suzu a lot more interesting than what I've seen. (Granted it's been a while since I was last here, but still.)

Keep up the good work, I look forward to seeing where this story goes.

[acquireTigris]

Detective Comics

“We don’t talk about Shanghai,” Miki declares, her fierce voice intoning the finality of her statement.

“Oh come on, it wouldn’t hurt to try and see if it’s any good there,” I reason with her.

“No means no, Hisao. What part of that don’t you get?” She growls again.

“Shh, you two, I’m trying to read here,” Suzu hisses from inside the beanbag chair she’s half-buried in, staring intently at a book that’s hovering a few inches above her face. I’ve long since given up on reading mine, holding it while using my index finger as a bookmark.

In hindsight, hanging out at the library wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever cooked up, but it’s practical to a degree. It’s a Saturday, our exams have been over since this morning, and no one is using this place except for the Lit Club students. And even if the rest of the club is here, they’re too distracted with boredom to actually bother reading any books and pay much attention to the bickering that’s happening in our little corner. Even if Yuuko was here, and she’s not for some reason, she’d be too overcome with her usual bashfulness to tell us off for making noise.

Despite all this, I’m trying my best to keep my voice to a down-low, mostly out of courtesy. Meanwhile, Miki’s voice resonates throughout the corners of the library.

“Alright, fine. Have it your way. We’re not going there.” I raise my hands in submission. “I just really want to know what made you think that the Shang-.”

Miki’s glaring at me. I catch myself before I can say anything more.

“Yep. Shutting up now.”

“I’m still wondering why I even bother to hang out with you bookworms,” Miki grumbles. She manages to fish out an ugly look from Lezard before he goes back to contemplating on his boredom.

“Is it because you love us both and you can’t live without us?” Suzu says. It seems like she’s too distracted to even bother to read anymore judging from how she’s holding her book. Or rather, not holding it. It’s practically blanketing her face right now.

“I second the motion,” I whisper.

“Eh, you guys are probably right.” I can tell that she’s contemplating on wrapping me and Suzu in a hug. But judging from our awkward position (we’re facing each other and Suzu’s lying down in the middle) and the distance of our beanbag chairs, she’s probably going to give up.

“There’s no need to get sappy on us, Miura,” I whisper-tease. “I can tell that you want to do something between the three of us. And in front of Lezard and Akio, too.”

“Wh-what?” she stammers. “I was not trying to be sappy!”

Quite a peculiar reaction, especially coming from you, Miki. You claim that it isn’t happening, but the reddish tinge on your cheeks determine that it’s a lie.

“Sure, Miki. I believe you,” I say.

“Anyway, aren’t you supposed to be training at the track by now?” I continue.

With great confidence, she eyes me like I’m a naïve child. “I’ve got plenty of time until four-thirty. I might as well kick back and chill for a bit longer. Besides, the air outside’s starting to get a bit muggy. I’d rather cool down in here.”

I cock up my own eyebrow, look at my watch, look back at her, and then tap it as I put it in front of her face. 4:35 PM. Miki freezes like a deer caught in headlights, then lets out a resound sigh.

“Fine, I’m leaving. I honestly thought you’d be all ‘Oh Miki, don’t leave me here by myself, I’ll miss you, boo hoo’.” She crosses her arms.

“A, I’ll be with Suzu, Lezard, and Akio. B, I’m not clingy. At least not as clingy as you think I am. Please stop making this weird for us.”

I can hear Lezard cackling as silently as he could behind me. The face of the girl in front of me suddenly contorts into a signboard that clearly says ‘death threat’, and the cackling stops. Her antics bring a quick grin to my lips.

“C, you’re way too relaxed for someone who’s going to attend the Junior Paralympics.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ve practically got this in the bag.” She grazes her nostrils with the tip of her thumb like a prizefighter taunting her enemy.

I roll my eyes at her. “Fine, Miki, you’ve already won first place. Now go. You’re already late as it is.”

Miki smiles and bends forward, as if to kiss me, before she hesitates. I think having the rest of the club behind me is giving her second thoughts. Thinking better of it, she pats my head and ruffles my hair before getting up and leaving, and I end up being more embarrassed than if she kissed me instead. Thankfully, I don’t think she did any real damage to my hair.

I scratch my chin with the corner of my book. Despite her façade of confidence, I’m starting to think she’s hiding something from me.

“Hey Suzu,” I tap the girl a couple of feet away from me. “D’you think Miki’s been acting weird lately?”

“She’s always weird,” she mumbles a barely audible reply.

“I meant more than usual,” I tell her back.

I get silence and no stirring.

“Suzu?” I tap her arm again.

Her book slides down the side of her face to reveal closed eyes and a half-open mouth. Of course she’s asleep.

Shrugging, I try to force myself to get interested in my book again.

The key word is try.

Unfortunately I’m too bothered by how odd Miki’s been acting as of late that I didn’t actually want to read anymore. Overcome with curiosity, I decide to tail Miki.

“Akio, Lezard, would you guys mind looking after Suzu for a while? I’m sure you two are probably used to this by now.” I grimace, quite aware of the fact that they probably don’t want to be treated like babysitters.

“You do realize that we’ve been doing this even before you joined the Lit Club, right?” Akio quips.

“Oh, right,” I mutter.

“Just go, Hisao. We’ve got you covered.” Akio gives me a thumbs up. Beside him, Lezard gives me an annoyed look but motions his head toward the door to get me going.

“Thanks guys,” I tell them before I take my leave and follow Miki.

As I walk out the library’s double doors, I found no sign of her. It’s the first time I’ve tried my hand at PI work and already the trail’s gone cold. Good work, detective Nakai.

Maybe Miki really was just going to the track.

At this point I’m convinced that she really was just practicing for the Paralympics, but a nagging feeling told me to check up on her just in case.

I make my way to the track, half-complacent, half-doubtful.

When I get there, I’m met with most of the track team doing laps and stretching; I don’t find Miki anywhere. I grow disappointed at her.

I halfheartedly look around for someone I know to ask for Miki’s whereabouts, scared that I might find Emi. I don’t want any more drama with her since our last meeting. Luckily, I find the team Captain instead, supervising everyone’s training from the bleachers.

“Hey,” I say as I slowly jog over to him. “Have you seen Miki anywhere? She told me she’d be at practice today.”

He smiles at me with recognition, but frowns as soon as I ask him the question. “Sorry. I haven’t seen her in quite a while, actually. She’s been missing out on practice, probably far more than you know.” He sighs. “Shame. I would’ve wanted her to join in the Paralympics, too.”

My eyebrows knit together. Miki’s definitely up to something.

“Thanks, man,” I tell him. “I think I’ll go look for her elsewhere.”

“Good luck with that,” the Captain says. “Something tells me you’re going to need it.”

I’m sure I do.

I almost leave before I jog back to him for a follow-up question. “Do you have any clue where she might be right now?”

The Captain shakes his head. “Sorry. No idea.”

“Ah…” I trail off. “Thanks anyway.”

Lost and unsure where to go, I wander through the school’s halls for a while, thinking of the best possible place where Miki would be while peeking into random classrooms every once in a while to see if she’s there. No dice. I can’t think of anywhere that she might be, and all the rooms I peek into turn out empty.

Eventually, I give up.

My first thought is to go back to the library and check on Suzu to see if she’s awake. After checking my watch, though, I find out that it’s time to take my meds and decide against it. I leave the main building and make my way to my room.

Just before I could walk through the boys’ dorm doors, a stuttering voice calls me from behind.
“H-hey Hisao. I k-kinda wanted to talk to you about something.”

I turn around to face Kento as I push a door open. He’s holding a bag of groceries with him.
“Hey, Kento. Sorry if I can’t stay long and talk. I’m in a bit of a hurry.” I frown at him and keep on walking.

“W-well I could t-t-talk to you on the way up,” Kento insists and follows my pace. “W-we’re h-hallmates after a-all.”

I shrug. “Alright, fine.” At this point we were both walking up the stairs to our wing.

“I j-just wanted t-to say sorry for th-the other day,” he stutters.

“What do you mean?” I ask, looking puzzled. Kento has a half-apologetic, half-guilty look on his face, like he’s genuinely ashamed of doing something I don’t even remember he did.

“A-about walking i-in on y-you and y-your g-g-girlfriend…”

I still have a confused look on my face as I stop in front of my door.

“I m-meant when I t-t-tried to visit you i-in the Auxiliary B-Building,” he tries to explain. “I th-thought you t-two p-probably needed t-time to talk after w-what happened to you.”

“Pfft,” I blurt out. “You mean Suzu? She’s not my girlfriend. She’s just a friend.” A couple of gears start grinding in my head. “Were you the one who slammed the door shut back then?”

The big guy suddenly looks like a puppy I just smacked on the head with a slipper, trying his best not to groan out in pain and shame.

“Y-yes…” Kento mutters. “I-if I w-was d-disturbing you in a-any way b-back th-then, I’m s-s-sorry…” The poor guy is half-bowing as we’re walking.

I sigh and smile gently at the guy. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You just wanted to visit, right?”

“W-well, yeah,” he mumbles. “Isn’t that wh-what friends do?” He swings his plastic bag around idly.

“I guess,” I shrug.

Kento’s words stir something in me. I get a sense of genuine admiration for how sincere he is, but his words remind me of what Miki didn’t do in the Auxiliary building, and that caused me pain. I thought I already got over the fact that she didn’t visit. Apparently, that wasn’t the case.

Speaking of Miki.

“Anyway, I’m looking for someone named Miki Miura. Do you, by any chance, know her?” I ask Kento.

He shrugs. “N-not really. I d-don’t know a l-lot of people in s-school.”

“Oh,” I deflate. “Okay. But you might at least know how she looks? Long, dark hair, dark skin, brown, almost purplish eyes, has… uhh…” I hesitate for a couple of seconds. “She only has one hand.”

“Oh, h-her?” Kento exclaims, not the least bit bothered by my underhanded comment about Miki. “I p-passed her while I was g-going back t-t-to the dorms f-for g-grocery sh-shopping.” He lifted his grocery bag as evidence to this fact.

Quickly adding two and two together, I hold him by the shoulders.

“Take me to her,” I command.

Kento visibly shrinks at my touch. “Uh, s-sure…” he mutters uncomfortably.

Noticing his discomfort, I immediately let go. “Sorry about that. I might’ve been a bit too overenthusiastic there.”

“It’s o-okay,” he dismisses it with a wave of his hand. “I think i-it’s just b-because she’s important t-to you, isn’t sh-she?”

I feel my cheeks growing slightly warm. “W-well, yeah. Kind of.”

“Ah. Right.” Kento turns around and unlocks the door to his room without much comment. I appreciate his discretion.

“A-anyway,” he continues, “g-give me a moment t-to put away m-my groceries.”

“Sure,” I say. “I’ll just take my meds while you do.” He nods as he closes his door. In truth, I’m worrying about the time we’re wasting not looking for Miki. The trail’s growing colder by the second.

As soon as I walk back into the hallway, Kento pops out of his room.

“After you?” I quip.

“Uh-huh,” he quietly replies.



Our walk to the school gate was uneventful. Kento looks like he’s deep in thought, every step seemingly heavy and deliberate.

“Something on your mind?” I ask him once we walk through the school’s gates.

“Hmm?” he reacts distractedly. He goes back to his thoughts, taking a good ten seconds to process what I said. “Oh. S-sorry,” he apologizes, once again bowing while walking. “It’s n-nothing you sh-should w-worry about.” He waves his hand in front of his face dismissively, but I feel like I should ask him about it.

On second thought, maybe I shouldn’t. I don’t want to pressure someone who’s doing me a favor. The mid-afternoon sunlight illuminates the road going down Yamaku Hill.

“What do you do here, anyway?” I ask him. Maybe a little too bluntly, now that I realize what I just said.

“H-huh? What’s th-that s-supposed to mean?” He looks at me, puzzled.

“Oh. Sorry,” I apologize. “What I meant to say was ‘what do you do for fun in school’?”

“Y-you mean like h-hobbies or s-sports?” Kento asks.

I nod while wiping a little sweat off my brow.

He shrugs. “S-same as everyone e-else I g-guess. I r-read books, and l-love to play v-video games… I w-wish I could say I c-can p-play the g-guitar and s-sing, but I r-really can’t.” He chuckles to himself. “The st-stuttering doesn’t h-help with m-my singing.”

“Oh,” he exclaims quietly. “And I g-guess I’m the l-lone member of th-the school’s S-Swim Team.”

“We have a Swim Team?” I ask, my surprise evident in my voice. That explains why he’s so muscular.

“W-well, yeah. I d-did just say that I w-was the only m-member.” Kento shrugs. “Th-the only r-reason they’re not d-disbanding it is b-because I’m a s-sports scholar.” He chuckles. “There’s a l-lot of th-things you’d know from p-people if y-you asked.”

It makes sense, now that I think about it. “I guess,” I say, shrugging. “I probably just never thought of bothering anyone about the details.”

“I guess,” Kento echoes. “I m-mean, usually I’d b-be too sh-shy and ashamed t-to ask anyone a-anything. I u-used to be the b-butt of all j-jokes in my old s-school. I almost s-stayed the same w-way when I first enrolled in Y-Yamaku. But I r-realized that y-you couldn’t g-get much out of l-life if y-you c-can’t be a little a-assertive, including a-asking people about c-certain details in th-their life.” He beams at me.

I nod quietly.


We talk some more as we reach the foot of the hill, and Kento makes a turn. The street we’re walking on seems familiar, but I can’t really put my finger on it.

“Where’d you say you saw her?” I ask.

“W-we crossed each other wh-when I walked o-out of Aura Mart,” he replies just as we walk past the location in question.

“So you don’t know where she is exactly?” I ask exasperatedly.

“I d-do,” Kento insists.

“So you followed her?” I ask.

“N-no,” he admits, “b-but that doesn’t mean I d-don’t know where she went."

That didn’t make much sense, but I’ll humor him. I continue to follow him, wiping some sweat off my forehead.

I continue to follow the guy. He turns a corner and I immediately see a small sign above a door at the far end; it reads Shanghai.

I scratch my head.

“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” I’m confused. “I don’t think Miki would be caught dead in this place. I think she hates it here.”

“Huh?” Kento’s hand is on the door’s handle. “I’m p-positive we’re in the r-right place.”

Before I can formulate a counterargument on how wrong he is, he pushes the door open and a little bell tinkles. The air conditioning hits my sweating face, its coolness very welcome against my warm body.

The Shanghai is slightly crowded. That’s not saying much, though. It’s a pretty small place. Even though Kento’s blocking the way, I can pretty much see every nook and cranny of the tiny shop. Compared to the Beijing’s more modern decor, the Shanghai has a more rustic feel to it. I don’t see any menus anywhere; instead, all their products are listed on a chalkboard above the bar. It seems like their menu changes regularly, because I can see a lot of smudged chalk marks on the board.

“Hello,” a familiar voice sings, “and welcome to the Shanghai. Would you like anything today?”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

Kento’s back obstructs my view, so I walk through the shop’s door to get a better view of whoever’s voice that was. His shoulders give way to reveal a familiar face, her long hair wrapped in twin buns. She’s wearing a maid uniform. The black sleeves and the pink apron accentuates her shoulders really well. But before I get thoroughly distracted, I look at the girl’s face, and she looks at mine.

“Oh, I didn’t see you there!” Miki says cheerily. “Would you like anyth-…” Her voice slows down as realization dawns on her face.

Kento steps aside, his expression cautious as he steps away from between me and Miki. “Umm… I th-think I sh-should g-give you t-two some t-time to talk.” He looks around for a while before he scurries into a booth.

Miki and I stare at each other, both of us unsure what to do at this point.

…

“I’ve got questions-.”
“I’m sure you’ve got questions-.”

…

“You go first-.”
`“You go first-.”

…

Miki starts opening her mouth again before another familiar face pops out from behind the bar. She looks different from how I’m used to seeing her. Without her glasses and with her hair bunned up in a similar manner to Miki’s, it makes her look much younger than she is.

“Miki, I’m really sorry, but we’re running short on help!” Yuuko whines. I don’t think she notices me judging from how busy she is. “If you could go back to work p-please, that would be really great.”

“Y-yeah, sure thing Yuuko,” Miki mumbles, waving her off. “I’ll be there in a sec.”

We both stare awkwardly at each other for a few more moments before I finally break the silence.

“We’ll talk later. You should go. You guys are already short-handed as it is.”

Her stoic expression melts into an exasperated grin and she awkwardly smacks me on the rib

“Ow,” I hiss, a bit out of breath, but I’m smiling anyway.

Miki lightly waves at me before grabbing a tray of food on the counter and walking toward one of the full booths. I walk toward the one Kento sat in, the one closest to the exit.

“S-so… Is she your g-girlfriend?” he asks me as nonchalantly as he could, which is to say, not very.

“Yeah…” I confirm as I trail off, my eyes still focused on the girl in question.

“She’s pretty,” he says bluntly. “G-gorgeous even. S-seems like she knows what she’s d-doing t-too.”

“Excuse me?” I eye Kento.

“Oh, I d-don’t mean t-to offend or a-anything.” He bows at me reflexively. “I’m j-just appreciating your g-girlfriend. I h-have this d-dumb habit of p-people watching and… well… You’re very l-lucky to have her.”

“I’m p-pretty sure sh-she’s amazing,” he continues, “the s-same w-way she’s amazing a-at waiting.”

“I guess she is,” I agree. Despite having only one hand, Miki’s doing a great job at serving food and drinks. She favors her good hand heavily when carrying trays and moving plates around, but she occasionally uses her stump to balance empty trays whenever she’s in the middle of serving food. She’s a natural at it. The way she slides the food toward customers like they’re cards she’s dealing is elegant. I’d have to say the only things she does better than waiting are running and dancing.

Speaking of running, I’ll talk to her about the subject once she’s a bit free.

“Hey,” I say, turning to Kento. “Why were you so sure she was here in the Shanghai? Didn’t you say you just crossed paths, and that you didn’t follow her?”

“Y-yes,” he replies. “I g-guess it’s a people watching th-thing. After sh-shopping, I s-sort of did a double t-take on her when I w-walked by (s-sorry, she’s very pretty) a-and saw her turn toward Sh-Shanghai. Judging from how f-fast she was walking, I’d s-say she was l-late for s-something. So I a-added t-two and two together, and g-guessed th-that she w-worked there.”

I nodded. It wasn’t very sound proof, but it pointed me to the right direction in the end anyway.

“Thanks for that, Kento,” I smile at him. “Let me treat you to something on the menu.

“Oh!” he exclaims, his hands waving my direction while he looks down onto the table. “I c-couldn’t p-possibly… I m-mean I c-could p-pay for my own…”

“Hey,” I reach over and pat the guy on the back. “Don’t sweat on it. I insist. It’s the least I could do for all the things you’ve done for me so far.”

He looks visibly torn.

“I know you’re working on the whole ‘get assertive’ thing, but let me treat you how a friend is supposed to treat a friend. This has got nothing to do with your assertiveness, alright?” I smile and pat Kento on the back again.

After a short moment, he lets out a loud sigh and yields. “F-fine. Th-thanks.” He looks back up at me and gives me the most genuine grin I’ve ever seen on his face.

“Good,” I smirk.

As if on cue, Miki appears beside me. “Care to introduce me to your friend?” she says.

“This is Kento Nobuo,” I motion to the guy.

Palms on his thighs, Kento bows to Miki. “It’s a p-pleasure t-to m-meet you.” She smiles and lightly bows back.

“And Kento,” I touch her by the small of her back. “This is my girlfriend, Miki Miura. Apparently she works here.”

“Apparently,” she echoes, her tone slightly stiff.

“We’ll talk about that later,” I reassure her. She deflates at my words.

“So,” Miki exclaims to shoo away the awkward air. “Are you two getting anything?”

“I’ll just have a tuna sandwich, please,” I declare after scanning the chalkboard menu for a bit. “Maybe some peppermint tea, too.”

“I-I’ll g-get a p-pineapple pie, th-thanks,” Kento stutters.



Miki continues to work, and I stay in the booth to wait for her. Kento’s already left for the dorms, but he told me he had a fun time, even though the time we spent was pretty much pulled out of the blue.

It’s not closing time yet, but it seems Yuuko’s letting Miki leave early. It seems like someone’s replacing her, too. A new girl with a backpack walks behind the counter towards the employee’s lounge.

Miki walks toward my booth, a sling bag behind her, her good hand in her pants.

“Hey,” I say.

“Hi,” she says back.

“You wanna talk on the way up?” I ask.

She pauses to think for a while, and then nods a few times.

“You know,” she starts, the bell of the Shanghai’s door tinkling in the night air as we walk outside. She tucks a few strands of her hair behind her ear. “I was really worried when you first came into the restaurant.”

“Because I was going to interrogate you?” I ask.

“No. Well, yes,” she admits, “but not at the start.”

“Hmm?”

“I was actually worried that going down the hill would be…” she fiddles with the hem of her jean pocket. “Too much for you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I narrow my eyes.

“W-well…” she blinks a few times. “You’re not exactly the healthiest guy I know.”

“Ah.” I nod.

“When you walked into the Shanghai behind your friend, you were barely out of breath. Barely. But you were practically drenched in sweat, though.” Miki chuckles. “I’m betting old you would be gasping if you walked all the way from Yamaku to Aura Mart.” She emphasizes her last words as we walk right by the place in question.

“I guess…” I admit.

“Looks like all that jogging and training paid off, huh?” she grins meekly at me.

“Yeah, speaking of training…” I start.

She cringes. “Shit. I shouldn’t have said the T word.”

“I thought you were supposed to be training for the Junior Paralympics.” I cross my arms as I walk.

She sighs. “Fine. I’ll come clean.”

Miki fidgets with the hem of her pocket again. It takes her some time to say anything.

“I quit the Track Team,” she finally admits.

“What?!” I blurt out. “Why?”

“Mostly because I wasn’t feeling it anymore.” She kicks a tiny pebble off the road. “I just didn’t have the drive to run. I feel the wind in my hair, the blood pumping in my veins, but somehow it feels more like a chore to actually run than anything else. So I quit.”

“And… Umm…” even in the evening light, I can see her biting the side of her lip. “I may or may not want to see Emi ever again.”

My shoulders slump. “Isn’t that a bit shallow? You had your spat a couple of weeks ago.” A few gears start grinding in my head.

“Does that mean you stopped going to practice since then?” I ask.

She pouts and nods solemnly.

I exhale and knead my temples with a thumb and forefinger. “You really need to get your priorities straight. I bet Emi’s not even mad at you anymore.”

“Stop taking her side!” Miki snaps at me. “I’m your girlfriend for crying out loud!”

I’m taken aback by her sudden outburst. “I’m not taking sides, I’m just…” I let out a sigh. “Fine. You don’t have to go back to the Track Team.”

She grumbles audibly at me.

“Sorry,” I say, pulling her into a tight, quick, and slightly awkward mid-walk hug. Her shoulders slowly lose their tension.

“Are you feeling better?” I ask her.

She nods into my ear. My right arm lets her go, and now we’re walking with my left arm around her hip.

We walk in silence for a while.

“How’d you find me anyway?” she asks suddenly.

“Kento said you two crossed paths when he went shopping at Aura Mart,” I reply.

“Oh.”

We both go quiet again.

“What’s his deal, anyway?” Miki asks. “Does he have a speech impedimuh-whatsits?”

“Speech impediment,” I correct her. “He has Tourette’s.”

“Oh. That sucks.”

…

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask.

“About what?”

“That you worked at the Shanghai?” I ask.

“You never asked. Everyone knows I work there part-time. Even the Wonder Twins know.”

I roll my eyes. Of course I should’ve asked.

“A family friend actually owns the place. I’ve decided to work there to have enough money to travel back to the province for summer break. Not a lot of people know that.

“Though, truth be told,” she admits, “I probably wouldn’t have told you about it anyway. Working in that uniform is a bit embarrassing. It’s actually the number one reason I’ve never wanted you to go to the Shanghai.”

“Are you kidding?” I reply. “You looked amazing in that maid uniform. Beautiful, even.”

Because of our close proximity, I can almost feel Miki’s face grow warmer. She rams my side with her hip.

“Hey! Can’t a guy give his girlfriend and honest compliment?”

She sighs beside me.



We spend the rest of our time walking back up Yamaku Hill in silence. The cicadas were chirping in the early summer evening. I’ve learned some things about Miki. Although apparently, I’ve only scratched the surface. She remains very secretive about a lot of things. I think I’ll just give her some time to warm up to me. Or maybe I’ll ask, because apparently that’s what everybody does.

Despite our quietness, we’re both very comfortable with each other’s company. We did have to let go of each other once we walked through Yamaku’s gates because… you know… it would’ve been embarrassing for the guard to see us being super close like that. But back in the emptiness of the school’s grounds, we were stuck to each other again.

At the junction between the Girls’ and Boys’ dorms, we stand. The only thing holding us together are the tips of our pinkies. I actually wanted to let go, but this was Miki’s idea; she hung on at the last second. I decide to humor her.

“Hey, you ready for next week?” Miki asks. “Going to my folks’ place, I mean.”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I reply. “Bags packed and all set.”

She knits her eyebrows together. “We’re not leaving till Monday. Aren’t you a little too early to be packing?”

“You can never be too prepared,” I tell her. “And don’t tell me you haven’t packed yet?”

She grins at me proudly. “Not even going to, at least until the last minute.”

I sigh. Typical Miki.

“I’m going to miss Suzu,” she sniffles.

“Suzu’s going to be fine,” I try to reassure her. “She’ll be with family.

“Anyway, I’m calling it a night. Good night.” I move closer to squeeze Miki’s hand gently before letting go. I wave at her, and she waves back.

“Night, Hisao,” she calls out, never moving from her spot. I’m not exactly sure how long she stood there at the crossroads, but I never stayed long enough to find out.

Next|Previous|First

[Mirage_GSM]

Nice to see you back again.
Not as many tense problems as in earlier chapters either

I have to admit I don't quite remember all the details from before... A long hiatus will usually do that...

[acquireTigris]

It's nice to be back.

I know I haven't been very diligent with pumping out new chapters, and that's really unfortunate. Life hasn't been very agreeable with me lately, but hey. At least I'm still working on something. Better late than never, I guess.

[HoneyBakedHam]

Miki in a maid uniform?

*drools in thought*

[acquireTigris]

I'm back. Well, sorta.

The next chapter will be up soon, hopefully. In the meantime, I had a good friend of mine work up an art commission for Dancing, and man does it look amazing.



Other than that, there really isn't much to look forward to except for a chapter in the near future and another art commission. Toodles!

[Hesmiyu]

Sugoi!

That must have taken a while to do by the looks of it. Also, are they a fan of the game?