Who would have thought that after I started writing the college courses I need to do would also require that I write "perfectly" (ironic I know) an dafter I was done with their assignments I just had to get sick because my brother got sick and he spread it to everyone else.
And in my sickly stupor I had a thought. Why not release a little progress update before I rewrite this whole thing for a 4th time. BRILLIANT!!!
in all honesty I wouldn't mind some feedback before I keep going and I should just say this now there have been a change of plans.
Don't worry I swear it'll make sense.
Act One: Katawa Kizuna; A familiar Beginning
Scene - I think this was the same way it happened...
I find myself in a park near the school, the cool winter air brushing past me, all of the snowflakes falling down piling up beneath my feet, I see the forest the park is connected to all the trees looking so serene despite their lack of leaves.
The reason I’m here is simple, I got a letter in my locker that told me to wait in this specific place so they can confess their feelings. Honestly, I’m surprised people still do this, but I guess if they’re the nervous type this might have been the best option
“I really hope this isn’t a prank” I say to myself, thankfully there’s no one around since most people went home already when we were told school got canceled early (something about a “crazy person”).
I started to ponder whether or not this is even worth my time, but before I could deliberate further, I heard snow being crunched...
They sounded weird...slow...and I swear there was a... third footstep?
I finally turned around to see...
“Mei?” I said surprised
“h-h-h-hey H-H-H-Hisao" she said as she walked up towards me
So, the person that wrote the letter was Mei Izumi, a classmate of mine at the Yamaku Foundation high school. Like most students at this school, she has a disability two them to be precise. The first was her stutter, something made only worse by the cold weather no doubt, and while she can still speak “normally” (a word I’m starting to hate) conversations can take some time especially if she gets flustered. The second is that she has a limp on her left leg apparently due to an “accident” when she was very young. I think the leg is still usable, but she needs her crutch to get around which explains why I heard that “third footstep”.
With all that being said I’m quite surprised it was her of all people that wanted to confess to me.
“y-y-y-you actually came...I’m s-s-so glad a-a-and sorry I-I-I’m late” she said clearly trying to lessen the stuttering
“it’s fine, pretty sure I came a little earlier than I should have but can you blame me? This has never happened to me before” I said in a joking manner trying to lighten her mood since the expression on her face is very serious yet rather sullen.
Yeah, no shit Hisao if this was a prank she would’ve said a bunch of rehearsed cliche lines to distract you so they could pull the prank. Despite how little you know about Mei a malicious prankster, she is not.
Evidence? She is shaking right in front of you clearly working up the courage to say what she needs too and failing as her heads starts to look down...man this hurts to see she’s really trying hard, but I can tell this is taking a lot out of her. Maybe I should move this somewhere else.
“Hey Mei, before we say or do anything else let’s go someplace warm and then-” before I could finish my sentence, she immediately jerks her head back up.
“n-n-NO!!!!!”
...
I’m taken aback. I’m pretty sure she has never raised her voice at all over...anything, but then she stares at me with what seemed like renewed resolve, and I stare back at her. She’s quite pretty all things considered with her Hazel eyes (greener than brown), red flowing hair, the yellow scarf wrapped snuggly around her neck, and the purple overcoat that hides the green Yamaku winter uniform.
Then there’s me with various shades of blue on my coat and scarf...I need to go shopping. Eventually she speaks up...
“It has to be done here b-b-because no one else is around, a-a-and you're the only one th-th-that needs to hear my feelings.”
I stay silent waiting for just that...
“Hisao Nakai...w-w-w-WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME!?”
...
Hisao: ok
Mei: sigh I u-u-understand th-thank you for...
Naturally she looks quite shocked at my response, probably thinking there must be some mistake, so I’ll make things clear.
“I’ll be honest Mei I don’t know how I feel about you despite the fact we’ve been good friends for long time three years in fact, so I thought instead of rejecting you outright let’s just see if this can work out...if you want too of course.”
I immediately feel dumb at that last point, of course she wants to Hisao she literally just confessed to you, but there’s always a chance she might chicken out and things will only get worse from there so maybe I’m giving her one last chance.
Though her mind already looks made up.
“Alright m-m-maybe it’s too early to start calling us a couple, b-b-but I’m glad you’ve accepted my feelings” she says walking towards me.
“yeah, actually let’s go on a date right now since school ended early, we’ve got time” I say walking towards her
“gasp th-th-that would be wonder-AGH!!!”
I don’t know how (probably hit a rock hidden in the snow), but Mei tripped and started to fall and immediately I went to catch her which resulted in her head hitting me square in the chest...
BUMP BUMP I can hear my heart beating rapidly
“dammit” I could barely say that
My chest feels like it’s on fire.
“h-h-h-h-h-h-Hisao!?”
I can hear it ringing in my ears.
Breath in...
Focus...
Breath out...
Repeat your mantra...
You took your medications, you are calm, you are fine, you’ve done this before, and you can do it again.
...
Nothing, the beating has stopped...good, now for the blubbering mess
“ ImsosorryididntmeantocausethaticantbelieveimsostupidyoumighthavediedanditwouldhavebeenmyfaultandiwouldntknowwhattodoandijustconfessedtouyoupleasedontleavemeIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouI-”
“MEI!” I yelled though not too loudly
She snapped back to reality looking up at me with tears in her eyes not realizing that I’m holding her and were on the ground on our knees.
“I’m fine see?” I gesture to myself while saying this, probably looking a bit arrogant. “you gave me a shock, but it was never going to kill me unless I MYSELF made things worse and at most I might have just passed out.” Smooth Hisao as if that’s better than just dying outright, what else can I do? Oh.
“Come on get up” as I say this, we stand up while Mei picks up her crutch “see all better like nothing happened” she grimaced a that
“uh um...d-d-d-d-d-do you still w-w-want to go on the d-d-d-date" she said still looking very shaken
“yes” I said immediately
She once again seemed surprised by this, but I just smiled, and she smiled back.
We make our way to the bus stop outside the park, and I see she has a wheelchair parked there. She immediately sits down looking very relieved which makes sense, probably psyched herself up a lot so she could finally confess to me, and it almost went wrong (in her mind). I on the other hand think to myself why she even has a wheelchair since I’ve never seen her with one as she walks around the school all the time.
She sees me staring and explains “I d-d-don’t like to use this m-m-much but sometimes it’s just e-e-easier for me to-”.
A put up my hand up to stop her
“Your reasons are yours alone, and while I want to get to know you more let’s save our...’problems’ for later” while I say this, I get behind her and start pushing the wheelchair.
“u-u-u-u-u-uh you don’t have to!” she says blushing a bit and waving her hands erratically trying to lightly push me away
“I know but I want to” I say with probably the smuggest grin I’ve had in a while
Hopefully she doesn’t take this as pity or something, she needs to recharge, and I want to take her somewhere, so this works out.
Time passes
Scene - Speed Date
It’s nighttime now, thankfully we’re not past curfew but it’s awfully close.
We found ourselves at a crossroads both literally and figuratively. Literally in the sense that the roads we’re on lead to our homes but in opposite directions.
Figuratively speaking, I like Mei a lot, yet I still haven’t reached a decision regarding how we should see each other (despite everything we did) and Mei for better or worse won’t press me for one despite confessing her feelings to me.
“I’m sorry if this sounds demeaning but can you get back by yourself?” I said holding her hand while she was still in the wheelchair.
“n-n-Not at all Hisao it’s been a while since I’ve been out this l-l-late that’s why my parents called me, s-s-sorry to cut our d-d-date short” she blushes at that and so did I our hands clutching each other even tighter.
“If that’s a short date then what's a long one?” I mumble to myself covering my mouth with a free hand “you said they’ll pick you up halfway?” I ask her
She nods.
Flashback
Our date wasn’t really anything special, first I took her out to lunch since we were both hungry after today’s events, so we just got some ramen not the most romantic of lunches, but she ate quite a bit more than me.
Afterwards she wanted to show me more about herself, specifically where she and her friends would go for fun and to my surprise it was the mall of all places.
I pegged her (kek) as an introvert and for the most part that’s true, but there we were in the middle of a busy outlet going through all the shops, eating more food cause apparently, she skipped breakfast (3 guesses as to why), and played some arcade games in where I found out she’s disarmingly good at shooters and absolutely demolished those master of drums games leaving me in the dust.
It may have seemed mocking when I wanted to play some dance dance revolution to restore my...completely shattered ego, yet when I suggested it, she was absolutely giddy at seeing me “bust a move”. I won’t lie I’ve played at this machine countless times practically mastered every song and have found ways to look as “cool” as possible along with every other slang word people my age use, but when I started to pick a song there was this...apprehension I haven’t felt in a long, long time. I don’t know how to describe it, I just felt like...if I had messed up my “performance” as it were in front of her the lyrics to the song, I just picked would come true in my own life.
That sounded dumb as hell when I thought that, but it didn’t help that I knew the translation of the lyrics thus adding to my paranoia. Then I saw her face...man she was just beautiful her lips creating a beaming infectious smile, a smile that said, “I’m having the time of my life with the boy I like...the boy I love”. I froze once again at that thought remembering the outburst she gave when I had my little flutter and some of the words, she said...
Then I pressed start.
...
PERFECT! The machine sounded off, I wanted to lie down in exhaustion even though the song I picked wasn’t all that stressful if anything it was more of a comfort/practice song. After I finished “recovering” I finally turned around and found myself in the middle of a crowd all of them clapping over my accomplishment, guess it’s been a while since I’ve done that, and it felt good to be acknowledged although I wonder how I didn’t notice them until now since I did a lot of spins in my dance. Eventually Mei came up to me from her wheelchair and kissed me in the lips an action I did not push back against in fact I embraced her which led the crowd to go from applauding to cheering.
Afterwards we went to the movies, I don’t remember what we watched other than it being an anime shonen drama and this weird “X” over people’s faces which I think represents something. The rest of the date was spent talking about nothing in particular, just random things like telling me about her love for sketching mostly characters from games and anime and how she's been thinking about becoming an illustrator one day. When she mentioned that I began to remember all the times her and Ryo would hang out with each other even though their “art” are two different mediums, hm, maybe it’s a friendly give and take where one inspires the other with something.
We also talked about how she never liked crowds but how she felt safe when she was around the right people. She told me that hanging out with me at the mall, despite the noise and busyness, felt different. More comfortable. Overall, it was pretty much your standard casual first date and it was pretty fun all things considered.
Unfortunately, I can’t say our date was an entirely positive experience. Throughout the whole thing there were so many people staring at us, or more specifically at Mei. There wasn’t any big problem per se it was more so the stares that got on my nerves, sometimes they were stares of pity probably out of genuine concern so I shouldn’t assume anyone’s feelings, but I’m sure no one likes that look. Other times they were stares of annoyance like all of a sudden, they had to watch their step around her since she could fall at any moment when she got up or if they spoke to her, they must deal with her stuttering. Very few were stares of disgust, usually from those who seemed very dismissive of people like Mei probably think I’m wasting my time going on this date with her instead of with someone more “healthy” or “normal” not knowing anything about me of course.
Tch! Hypocrites all of them...
Eventually we had to leave because her parents called to make sure she was okay and since our homes were quite far, we had to go now.
Back to the present
And now we were here still holding hands unable to let go.
“s-s-see you t-t-tomorrow?”
“of course, Always.”
Yet just like that...separated and we walked our own ways.
During my walk I began thinking again about our date.
Funny, I said our date wasn’t anything special, but it felt like...she was rushing things a little bit. I mean it was our first date and it was my idea so maybe she was running on some kind of high, I surely was at points, yet there was this tinge of desperation to her actions like if she didn’t do this now, she would never get the chance to ever. Maybe I was overthinking things.
“Brrr” A chill runs through my spine...
Eventually I make it home hoping the warmth will calm me down and maybe give me some answers. Because I really need them...
Part of a later scene I really liked writing for but may need some improvement
Scene – What's Up?
SLAM
“HA! Beat ya teach ,” said the overly enthusiastic scared girl as she jumps in the classroom
“pant it was never pant a race *pant you could’ve just told me where the classroom was”! said the barely breathing and clearly inexperienced replacement teacher that Akemi mentioned
“But that wouldn't have been as fun” adding a cheeky grin that she flashes to the rest of the classroom while walking to her seat...which of course is right behind me.
After she sits down, I can hear her leaning against the desk to “loudly whisper” something to me “he seem’s like a wimp but in terms of looks he might give you a run for your money prince” ...I compose myself...
the teacher does the same, sweeping a hand through his tousled hair with a chuckle that feels almost too smooth for someone who just sprinted across the campus. His suit, though simple in design, fits him perfectly, as if tailored to showcase his lean frame rather than restrict it. There's an effortless elegance about him, the kind that makes you question if he’s genuinely disheveled from the run or just putting on a show.
"Right, my class of little devils" he says in a voice that drips with an almost theatrical charm, pausing to flash a dazzling, borderline arrogant smile. His eyes gleam mischievously, as though he’s already plotting the next joke at his own expense. "Let's get started, shall we? I’m sure I’ll catch my breath... eventually."
The room is silent for a beat too long, caught off guard by the sudden shift from near collapse to utter self-assurance despite his embarrassment of a first impression. He commands attention—not by trying too hard, but as if he expects it, and to be fair, he’s probably used to getting it.
"Ah right Introductions, I'm Tomomi Yoshimitsu" he says, his voice smooth, almost playful, as though he’s introducing himself at a cocktail party rather than a classroom. His eyes scan the room, making brief but intense contact with each student, lingering a second longer than expected, as if he’s sizing us all up, cataloging us in his mind for later amusement.
“I know what you’re all thinking ‘such a serious Japanese name on some clearly foreign looking fellow’ well that has a good explanation” he straightens out a bit trying to look more serious before saying “my father was a gruff Japanese businessman and my mother a sweet multilingual translator who came from the great British isle’s, both them met when fathers company had a ‘deal of a lifetime’ they couldn’t pass up and my mother ever the one to go above and beyond wanted to make sure everything went as smooth as possible which certainly impressed a very young, impressionable, and soon to be father.” I feel there are more details he wants to say, but we can learn them later or never (preferably never).
"If you’re wondering no, I don’t have a syllabus." He flashes another grin, this one sharper, more dangerous, as though he's daring anyone to ask. "We’ll figure things out as we go. Consider it... an adventure. And don’t worry, I’m a quick learner, though before any of that I was left with some last-minute instructions, courtesy of your former instructor of course." He winks at Akemi, who can’t help but feel...”annoyed” (that’s what I chose to think anyway as it’s probably much worse).
“Now, I suppose some of you are still wondering about your original instructor.” His voice lowers a notch, still carrying that easy charm, but with a hint of something more cautious to his speech “Your previous teacher had to, ah… resign due to some complications.” he somehow looks nervous when he says this.
"But no need to worry," he continues, the smile returning in full force, though this time with a trace of mischief that feels just a bit too calculated. "I’m here now. And if you’re wondering what kind of ‘complications’ I’ll be bringing to the table… well, you’ll just have to wait and see.” He pushes himself off the desk, standing upright again with a slight flourish, as if wrapping up a monologue.
The teacher claps his hands together, the sharp sound cutting through the whispers. "Right, today is your lucky day you little creatin's for due to my sudden...insertion” there is so much wrong with how he said that “today is a free class, however-” he picks up a marker and goes to the white board to write up something “this is your assignment/homework and of course if you finish with time to spare you’re allowed to do almost anything else until class ends. Any questions?”
One student raised their hand and asked “how will you teach us Mr. Yoshimitsu” dammit! don’t fall for his spell that what he wants!
As expected, the teacher seemed excited at the question “Well I don’t care much for boring textbooks or mindless memorization. We’re going to shake things up a bit. Get a little messy. Maybe cause some... complications of our own." ...Oh dear “ The syllabus, if I had one, would probably just say: 'Life.' But since that’s a bit broad—and I suppose I should give you something to tell your parents—I’ll throw in a bit of literature, maybe some philosophy. You’ll get a mix of everything, really." He shrugs, as if this is the most natural thing in the world. "But I guarantee, you won’t forget it."
...
This is a science class...
...
He turns to the board again and this time with a flourish, writes in large letters: "Question Everything." He steps back, admiring his own work for a moment before turning to face us again. "That’s your first lesson. Don’t accept things just because someone tells you to. Not even from me. Especially from me." He then realized the obvious and I want to throw him out a window to see if he can fly “Oh you will have to do assignments unfortunately as I need something to grade” he says still trying to be smooth...yeah, can’t wait to punch him.
Finally, we’re done with...whatever that was and I as look to Akemi she’s already trying to get the assignment done while the teacher is already on his phone talking to someone and it doesn’t look good by the looks of it...I’d feel sorry. I open my textbook to look for-
“HEY HEY HEY! What's going on Hisao!”
I found the pages to start my assignment, doesn’t look too hard but I’ll need too-
“uh I said, HEY HEY HEY! What's going on Hisao!”
...After reaching for my pencil I start to solve the problems hoping that the classroom annoyance on my desk will finally get the hint and-
“I heard that! You mumble when you think too hard y’know!”
“Darling please keep things down I’m trying to douse one to many fires, that shouldn’t even be there!” saying that last part at the phone making it clear that something is wrong, and he is rightfully taking the heat for it
“But teach~ he’s ignoring me and I want his help”
“Then maybe you said something to offend him in that ‘discrete’ whisper of yours and the only thing I caught from that was you calling him a prin-”
SNAP
...
My pencil broke...I didn't think I was pushing that hard, but clearly, I was.
I don’t even have to look around to know that everyone is looking at me in silence.
A long sigh escapes me, and I slowly raise my head to meet the gaze of Eiko Katsumi and I see her face is now in state of fear and realization which makes me wonder why she thought calling me ‘prince’ was a good idea. Akemi shoots me a glance from her desk, eyebrows raised as if asking Are you okay? No I’m not.
The teacher, still on the phone and clearly stressed, glances in our direction but seems too occupied to intervene. "Can you both just—handle it? Please?" he mutters before getting up from his desk returning to his conversation “I’m in a classroom you idiot! One that I now must leave because your incompetence at keeping track of the simplest things has made this a hundred times worse than what it should be!” he walks out and closes the door his voice rising as things somehow get worse.
also welcome to the forums lol.