Uncertainty (A Post Emi-Good Ending Story) [Act 1 Scene 9 - Chapter 2, Feb. 17th, 2026]

[StealthyWolf]

Scene 6: Pajamas, Suits, and School Uniforms

Chapter 2: Phantoms I

Tap. Thump. Tap. Thump. Tap. Thump.

The soft background hum of nature is only broken up by the irregular taps from the crutches and unnatural thumps of my foot.

Lifting my leg so high to walk feels unnatural, but it’d probably be a lot worse if I wasn’t used to walking on two prosthetics before this. I thought using a wheelchair was taxing on the arms. This is worse. And agonizingly slow, good gods.

Would this even be any easier on my blades? Or, uh… blade. Singular. Not likely. Those are better when there’s a level of fluidity in my movement and this is anything but that.

Tap. Thump. Tap. Thump.

Only a quarter of the way around the track and I already need a break. Damn. And to think I was expecting to breeze through one lap a moment ago. I glance back at the gap in the fence where I left my chair. It’s so small from this distance. So… fragile. I raise my hand and line it up between my thumb and forefinger. It’s like I could just pinch it, and it’d disappear.

…

Tap. Thump.

With no-one on the bleachers, in the shade under the trees on the hill, or even on the track itself (besides me), it sort of feels like I’m trespassing. Obviously, I’m not; I’ve got the uniform on to prove it and I’m pretty sure I know all the guards or nurses on patrol by name at this point.

Tap. Thump.

I do, right?

Lets see: There’s Kouji Tsuboku, who works mornings on the weekdays; and Sa… ho? Saho Shiroshita in the evenings for the first half of the week; I sometimes run into Toui Taka-something during the weekends; then there’s… yeah I can’t remember the others right now. A little overconfident I guess.

Would any of them even recognize me at this miserable speed? Besides Shige, I mean. Though it’s rare to see him on patrol duty since he’s the Head Nurse.

Tap. Thump.

Halfway around.

It’d be nice if Hisao was here like nor-... Shit. I was trying not to think about him. Would he even have come to the track with me? That’s a dumb question. ‘Course he would. He’s like that. But he wouldn’t talk to me right now – or worse, he’d try small-talk. That’d definitely cause friction.

I can picture it. There’d be an awkward silence as we ambled around the track – nothing breaking up the quiet except his soft footfalls and the piercing creak of these crutches – then he’d try to fill the silence by making some comment on his recovery or my progress while he scratches his chest. I’d get annoyed and start getting snappy with him, making a jab at him while responding. He’d quiet down and we’d continue in silence for way too long.

Tap. Thump.

Yeah, that’s probably how it’d go.

Maybe he’d ask me about it at the end or something. Who knows.

…

Damn, my arms hurt. Am I really going to reach a point where I can “walk” like this all day? I wonder how much muscle mass my arms will gain from this, and if it’ll ruin my form if- when I get back to running. If I’m able to get back into it before winter break I might be able to correct it before-

Before college.

I shake my head.

Tap. Thump. Tap. Thump. Tap. Thump.

What’s Hisao scared of? Being vulnerable? That I might leave him if he is… well… scared? He has every reason to be scared though! Car crashes are terrifying. I would know. At this point I may as well have been through hundreds of them. No one worth the air they breathe would think less of him because of it. If he doesn’t think the same then I’d have to kick his ass for lying to me a third time about not thinking I’m broken – which is essentially what he’d be saying. Don’t tempt me, Hisao.

…

Actually, knowing Hisao, he’d probably appreciate the physics of what it would take for me to kick him on these things. What’s that thing called that Mutou keeps on his desk? Frenulum? No, wait. That’s something else.

A pendulum! Yeah. That.

…

Actually, don’t pendulums involve a whole row of balls slapping each other?

…

Heh heh.

…

Almost there; 100 meters to go. Looks like Dad’s not showing up.

Jerk.

Tap. Thump.

Sorry.

Tap.

Thump.

How long has it been? About ten minutes? I should head straight to the dorms after this. Mimi’s probably in the common room – if she’s not on her way back from the library. Though she probably stopped by there before even unpacking.

Sounds like something Hisao would do.

Tap.

Thump.

Do I naturally draw them in with some sort of nerd attractor or something?

Tap.

Thump.

I thought I’d get a little more out of Shige. Summer usually wears him down, but it’s never this bad. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with bags that dark under his eyes. Then there’s the fact that there was no bullshit or jokes or… anything from him during the exam. Just straight talking – almost like it was before we got to know each other.

To be fair, it’s not like I tried either, but for him to be in that state… I get the feeling he’s neglecting his sleep again. He should know better. I’ll have to mention it to Mom; she’ll know what to do.

Tap.

Thump.

Then again, does Mom really need anything else on her plate right now? The way she’s been acting lately… I’m pretty sure she’s keeping herself up at night for my sake again. That’d explain how exhausted she’s been.

I mean, she’s been there every time – like this morning, which I appreciate because it was an especially bad one, but most aren’t nearly that bad and she’s still been there.

Maybe I’ll keep the Shige situation to myself for now.

Tap.

Thump.

I stop and roll each arm. This really sucks.

Mom’s putting on a brave face, but I know what it does to her. I’m trying to act like myself around her at the very least, but she can see through it more than anyone.

Maybe I should try to help around the house more, at least until all this passes. Holing up in my room like I have been the past two weeks has probably done nothing but make her worry even more. There’s far too much of that going around right now.

And dammit, this defeatist streak I’ve been on today isn’t helping in the slightest. Come on, Emi! These. Things. Happen. So are you planning on moping around all day for months on end?

No. Of course not. Never again.

Tap.

Thump.

Finally back to the chair. I support myself with the side of it as I hang the crutches on the back, then sit down. Do I really have sweat on my forehead? After just one lap? And it’s not even hot out. I owe Hisao an apology. I might not have been able to handle five laps without the chair after all… buuuut he doesn’t have to know that.

Ah crap- I’ve gotta go up the hill now, don’t I? No wonder students in wheelchairs stick to the gym for practice. For a school designed for the disabled, this is one hell of an oversight.

~ ~ ~

Just as I expected, Mimi’s on a couch in the common room, absorbed in a book. Her long, dark hair is draped neatly over her shoulders instead of in its usual pony-tail, and it blends right in with the rest of her outfit – which is pretty normal. Except maybe her clothes are a little on the simple side today. She mentioned that going through the process of putting on more complex outfits is hard when her muscles stiffen up, so maybe that’s it.

She’s probably happy to have the common room to herself right now with how empty the dorms are.

Chances are she’s expecting to hear my usual approach, which means I have a rare opportunity…

An evil grin works its way across my face.

If I can casually wheel myself into the hallway without drawing her attention, I might have a chance at this.

I pass by behind her and she doesn’t even flinch.

Now to just stand up…

then slowly…

Tap-

and carefully…

Thump-

move…

Tap-

closer.

Thump.

“Ahm.” I softly clamp down on Mimi’s ear with my lips.

She freezes halfway through turning a page, and an almost visible shock-wave climbs her body.

“Gah!” She leaps to the other side of the couch and nearly throws her book right through the ceiling. “What the hell! Emi?”

“Hahahahaha! Oh man, you should see your face!” I lean on the couch to steady myself while laughing; I dropped my crutches when she jumped away.

She scowls at me, then recovers her book from the other side of the table. “You’re lucky I don’t throw this at you next.”

“Aww! You wouldn’t disrespect school property like that, would you?”

“I’d make sure any damage done is wholly to that of personal property.”

“Assault! Very unlady-like.” Accentuated by a click of my tongue and wagging finger, of course.

“Like you’re one to talk.” Mimi huffs as she leans back into the couch, already looking for the lost page she was reading. “Come on, sit down.”

“Give me a moment, I need to grab my chair.”

“Chair? What-” Mimi sits up and turns around as I retrieve my first crutch. Apparently she missed the sound of them crashing into the ground. “Shit! Let me help.”

“No I can-”

“I’m grabbing your chair. You sit down.”

“Fine…” After I tell her where I stashed it, I grab the second crutch and move to the other side of the couch, then collapse into the cushions.

Mimi wheels the chair to my side and inspects me carefully as she sits down on the couch next to me. “Okay… so I’m going to assume that you didn’t get another infection already and that this is something else. So, what happened?” Looks like she’s avoided being swept in by the rumor mill again.

“Car crash.” The words leave my mouth plainly before I can hesitate. I was going to say something more witty, dammit. Though this might be for the best, just telling her as it is.

“Shit… I’d ask if you’re okay but clearly I don’t need to. What’s the damage?”

“I- uhhh-”

“Hey, same deal as always. You don’t wanna say it? Then don’t. I won’t hold it against you.”

“No- it’s fine. It’s just…” Wow, Mimi and I have been something like friends for the better part of a year and a half now, and I don’t know how to talk to her seriously at all. Usually all I do is listen, and she’d let me. She’d never pry, never dig, and ignore any rumors no matter how credible. All despite me never reciprocating and actually talking to her about my shit.

Well, I know where I want to start. “Sorry, for not calling you earlier. I could tell you it’s because I’ve been distracted for the past couple weeks, but that wouldn’t be completely true.”

Her eyes widen. “This happened a couple weeks ago?” Despite asking in an almost monotone voice, it’s clear she didn’t expect it to be something this big.

I shrug. “Yep. Happened after we left school that last Friday. Hisao and I were gonna go on a hike and… well, short version is we got unlucky.”

“So is he okay?”

“I-” Hisao doesn’t really want others to know about his heart. It’s safer if the people around him know, but blabbing to just about anyone might be a bit much. Is Mimi really ‘just anyone’ though? And he did tell Ikuno from what I can tell, but that may have been out of necessity. “Mostly, yeah. He’s got a few broken ribs, but that’s the worst of it.”

“Damn. How’s he managing?”

Not well. To be honest, I should just tell her if my plan is to actually start treating her like a friend because eventually she’d end up being around Hisao more often too. I guess it can wait until we know that’ll happen for sure. “He’s with his parents for a couple weeks. As far as anyone can tell he’s healing up decently, but broken ribs are no joke.”

“That’s good at least. And no one else was hurt, I hope?”

“Mom got some whip-lash, but that’s about it besides some minor cuts and bruises. The guy in the other car took one hell of a beating from what I’ve heard though.” I should probably move past the small talk by now. This is all surface level. The easy stuff.

“I’m glad your mom’s okay.” Mimi finally seems to relax a little. Then she starts looking at me a bit closer. I can see it on her face that she’s connecting the dots. I’m in a wheelchair again. It’s been two weeks. I have crutches. My leg is wrapped up.

“Thanks…” No more small talk. I already told her I wanted to try being more open and honest moving forward. “... but if I’m being honest it’s not completely okay. My leg is pretty jacked up.”

She raises an eyebrow. “We talking ‘few week hiccup’ serious or ‘position on the team’ serious?”

I grimace. “‘Position on the team’ serious.”

“Shit…” Mimuro sits up and it looks like she’s about to continue but something stops her. Then she slightly shakes her head. “Will… Are you gonna be okay?”

She’s testing the boundaries. Seeing how far I’m willing to go. “‘Course I am! Ibarazakis don’t give up.”

“Meaning there’s a chance you’ll be able to get back out there soon?”

“A chance, yeah. Just graduated to one half-leg usage, hence the crutches. They said my chances are looking better if I can handle this much already, but not to get my hopes up too high just yet.”

“When will you know for sure?”

“Best case scenario, four weeks from now. Every week beyond that means my chances get worse and worse – and after twelve it’s likely I’ll have to hang up my blades permanently.”

“Damn. Sorry.”

“Don’t be. These things happen.”

“Still. It sucks.”

“Yeah… it does.” That’s a new one. “On the bright side, they said it’s likely I’ll be able to walk again regardless. But only in low-stress cases. So no running, hiking, or anything like that; hence the ‘maybe’ earlier. Worst case scenario – well okay, not worst worst case, but more likely if it goes bad I’ll have to keep one crutch around for stability. Or a cane, but if the goal is to keep weight off it then a crutch might be better.”

“I’ll be rooting for ‘best case’ then.”

“I’d hope so, haha!”

Mimi smiles. “So uh, don’t take this the wrong way, but why did you accept the invite for today? Normally an invite out of the blue like that gets shot down.”

She’s not wrong. I haven’t been the best friend to her, usually turning her down unless we’re planning the meet-up some time in advance. Though, hearing her voice the question like that really puts how bad it’s… how bad I’ve been to them in perspective. “It’s like I said before Summer started: I want to hang out a bit more often. With you, with Ryu, with Rin, maybe some others… if they can handle me!” That gets a smirk out of Mimi. “I know I’ve been prickly in the past, but I’d like for us to get to know each other a little better. If that’s okay.”

Mimi’s eyes widen, then she turns her head away. “I- I’d be okay with that.”

“Hey! What’s with that reaction?” I lean closer to her and as I do she leans further and further away. “It’s rude not to look at someone when they bare it all to you!”

“Phrasing, Emi!” Mimi keeps leaning away, shielding her face from me.

“But it’s true! Stop looking away!”

“What are you, some needy girlfriend?”

“My needs are perfectly normal! Now, face me!”

“You’re being childish.”

“Mimi~!” I whine. I risk latching onto her. “Why won’t you look at me when you talk!”

“Woah- hey!” She shakes me off. “Fine, fine… Sheesh.” I giggle and give her space. Mimi takes a deep breath and turns to me. Are her cheeks red? “I’d l-like to get to know you more too, Emi.”

“Yay!” I can’t help but grin and pull her into a hug.

“Argh!” She stiffens up at first, then awkwardly rests her hand on my back. “What am I going to do with you?”

I shrug. “Guess we’ll find out. You’re surprisingly bashful, aren’t you?”

“Alright, that’s enough.” She pushes me off of her.

“Awww!” I pout.

Mimi clears her throat. “Have you told Ryuunosuke about the crash yet?”

I shake my head. “He’s visiting his brother, so I’ll wait until he’s back.”

“Ah… Well, while you’re here want to do something?”

That sounds fun! “How’s about we st-roll on down to one of the cafes in town?”

“Oh- uhm, can we do that another day? Sorry, it’s not a great day for me to move around all that much.”

“Balance or fatigue?”

“Both, and then some. Your surprise attack made me move more than I have voluntarily all day.”

I rub the back of my head and grin sheepishly. “Sorry about that.”

“I’ll just have to get my revenge when you least expect it.”

“I’ll be watching the shadows.”

“Noted.”

Footsteps round the corner behind us and a familiar voice calls out, “So that’s what caused the thunderstorm earlier?” Natsume looks like a crazy cat lady minus the cats and towel in her hair, though her hair’s still a mess. Her glasses make her bloodshot eyes look just a little too small for her face, not to mention the far too fluffy robe she’s draped in all adding to the image. Huh, I never noticed it before now but I think her eyes are equally irritated, yet the different colors make her right eye look worse than the other.

Mimi points an accusatory thumb at me. “Yeah, Emi is trying to give me a heart attack.” No, that’s Hisao’s job. Hmm, not as funny as usual. “Made me lose my page and everything…” She sighs and picks her book back up.

“Well keep it down! Us old folk are trying to sleep.”

“It’s nearly noon; even I don’t sleep in that late.”

Natsume ambles around to my chair, which she promptly plants herself in. “When you reach my age, you’ll understand.”

“I’ll hit you up next month then.”

Natsume chuckles. “Kidding. So, you really are back in the chair again huh, Emi?”

“Hmm, looks like you’re the one in the chair actually.” I rub my chin in exaggerated fashion.

She hugs herself. “I’m right at home here.” All her movements have been a bit sluggish.

“Oh no, are you having a bad day too?”

“You could say that. I only came out here because there was nothing to do in my room and something drew me out.”

“Well, welcome to the party!” I make a grand gesture to the empty room.

Mimi adds, “Sorry, forgot the streamers and balloons. Though I’m not sure you’d care for my color palette.”

“You mean black, gray, and dark gray?” I tease.

Natsume leans her head onto her shoulder and says, “She might even throw in dark red if she’s feeling spicy.” She pops her hands open and waggles her fingers as they fall back into position on her lap.

“Good thing I didn’t make the effort then.” Mimi shrugs and flips through pages until she finds the one I’m assuming she was on earlier, then saves it with a bookmark. “Hey Emi, if you’re okay with a stay-in sort of day would you want to watch some anime? I finally got my hands on Mamoru Hosoda’s newest film!”

“Didn’t you watch that in theaters? And who says film these days?”

“I had pretty bad insomnia that week and ended up falling asleep in the middle of the movie. Never got the chance to go again so I still haven’t finished it. And me. I do.”

“What’s it even about?”

“It’s good!”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“Oh come~ on. Trust me. At least I’m not making you watch Naruto. Which you should.”

I cross my arms. “Just how many multi-hundred episode long shows do you think I have time for?”

“So the rumors are true:” Natsume uses the wheels to roll back and forth in the chair a few inches, “you two are closet Otakus.”

“Haha! Nah, nothing like that.” I wave her off. “I just picked up a few anime and manga a long time ago and sometimes catch up with a couple. Mimi on the other hand…”

Mimi glares at me, probably because I used the nickname around someone else. Definitely that. She loves it and she knows it. Maybe this year I’ll actually go out of my way to get her a giant pink cow-girl hat, frills and all. She turns back to Natsume. “And I’m not really in the closet. Besides, I consider myself to be a connoisseur of the fine arts, personally.”

“Name an artist you love.” I press.

“Satoshi Kon. Speaking of which, I also managed to grab his newest movie too!”

I roll my eyes. “I meant like, an actual artist.”

“Who are you? Nomiya? Satoshi-sensei makes modern art, so he’s an artist.”

“Fine. What about a musician? A- err- classical one.”

“If you want to be pedantic, I don’t think that’s technically a ‘fine art’ either.”

“And movies are?”

“That’s not-”

Natsume yawns loudly. “Ladies, ladies! While I’d love to sit here and listen to you debate the minutiae of the liberal arts, I’d much rather be relaxing in my room. So if you’ll excuse me…”

“Want to come watch the movies with us?” I think I surprise both Natsume and Mimi with that one. After the shock wears off, they mirror each other with a look of intrigue on their faces. “If Mimi’s okay with another guest at least.” I give a nice pout to help convince her.

Mimi sighs. “I mean… sure, why not? What do you think, Natsume? We’re pretty much roommates out here anyways.”

Natsume raises an eyebrow, inspecting both of us. “I’m not sure anime’s really my thing.”

A devious grin sweeps across Mimi’s face. “That’s what they all say. Trust me, these two make some of the best you’ll find out there. Anime or otherwise.”

“Hmm. Naomi might get upset that I watched one without her though.”

I smile. “That just means you’ll have something new to do with her too!”

Another moment of silence passes as Natsume debates whether or not to join us. She finally settles on an answer. “Alright, fine. I guess I can give it a shot; not doing anything else anyway.”

“Woo!” I cheer. I guess it’s settled then, which means I need to stand up. “Hey Mimi, do you still have that one with the talking fire? I liked that one.”

“Hehe- of course I have that one. It’s another classic.” She says flatly with a smirk.

Natsume sees me standing and sits up. “Give me a sec and I’ll be out of your way.”

“You can use it if you want. I don’t mind this short of a walk.” Though my arms are feeling it from that little trip to the track earlier. I guess I have been moving around a lot more than usual today. Eh, it’ll be fine. Nurse said to stop if my leg hurts – nothing about anything else.

“Well in that case, Mimi would you mind helping the battered and broken get to your room?”

Mimi scowls at her. “Don’t you dare start using that name too.” Then she turns the glare towards me. Hey! I didn’t tell her to do that! I stick my tongue at her.

“Okay, okay, sorry. Mimuro, might you lend a helping hand? Would you be so kind as to aid one in such dire straights as mine? Is it in your nature to-”

“Yes, Natsume, I’d be happy to help since you asked so nicely.” Mimi shakes her head, but I detect a smile there too.

I catch her attention. “Will you be okay?”

She shrugs. “If something happens I'll have a nice fluffy cushion there to catch me.”

“Hey now, don’t get any funny ideas. This robe is fluffy, but it’s no cushion.” Natsume glares at Mimi, daring her to test the statement, then smiles. “And speaking of not getting funny ideas, I’m not going to be the bridge between the goth and the ray of sunshine. I’m doing this because I was bored and invited.” Natsume and I laugh while Mimi gives a bigger smile than usual. Then we make our way – slowly and awkwardly – to Mimi’s room.

All things considered, today wasn’t that bad.

com-stealthy-hallway.png (7.67 MiB) Viewed 2776 times

Artist: Raneblu or found here.

---

Table of Contents | Previous Scene: Scene 6 - Chapter 1: Midnight Storms | Next Scene: Scene 6 - Chapter 3: Phantoms II

And that wraps up part two of this Scene! Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed this more light-hearted chapter of Uncertainty! Honestly, it was a chapter I needed to write after the few that came before, with how intense things have been for our two leads. Mimuro, ironically, gave way for a much brighter moment in this story and I'm happy to have finally been able to introduce her properly!

I always thought it'd be fun for Emi to have a friend that is nearly her complete opposite, both visually and in personality. The visual novel makes it pretty clear that Emi is pretty emotionally closed off from everyone, not just people trying to get close to her romantically, so I figured she'd be just as distant from people who might normally be in her social circle. We only ever hear of her being friends with "the track captain" and outside of that, it's just Rin. Let's be honest, if the only meaningful friend Emi is shown to have is Rin, then it feels like it's making a point about her tendency to keep relationships scarce. But I don't think she's anti-social. In fact, most evidence in the game pointed to otherwise. Basically, what I'm getting at is that I thought it'd be fun to explore that interesting gap in Emi's life we never get to see in the game and felt Mimuro's character would be a fantastic fit for the role.

I could keep rambling but I feel like I should cut myself off now before this section's as long as the chapter itself. Once more, thanks for reading and the comments! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well as the image, and are excited to see what comes next! See you then!

Bonus fun fact: This chapter officially marks 100k words in the story . That's not a milestone I could've conceived of when I started this story, and I hope you've enjoyed that as well as the next 100k to come - because let's be honest, it will.

P.S. I'll try to get the chapters out at a more reasonable hour next time. I forget sometimes

[Silentcook]

com-stealthy-hallway.png (7.67 MiB)

Jesus fucking Christ.

[Peorth]

“Oh comeon.

Weird text formatting on 'on', probably a forum issue, it's really tiny. No other issues, good update! Can't wait for more.

Jesus fucking Christ.

Language!

[StealthyWolf]

Jesus fucking Christ.

Listen, I didn't feel like going through the trouble of shrinking the image, so we out here.

Weird text formatting on 'on', probably a forum issue, it's really tiny. No other issues, good update! Can't wait for more.

Fixed it a bit back. Thanks for pointing it out!

Language!

I imagine the SilentCook response to this would be a firm

[StealthyWolf]

Scene 6: Pajamas, Suits, and School Uniforms

Chapter 3: Phantoms II

The colorful imagery of my dream is engulfed by flames coming from my legs. My eyes snap open and I instinctively reach down to try and rub the pain away, but my hands only find air at the pain’s source.

Shit.

Biting my knuckle does little to ease the pain in my missing limbs, so before I start bleeding I better find a better distraction. Damn- this really hurts. It’s been a long time since I’ve dealt with one this bad. What usually helped? Talking. Mom’s probably gone. Phone. Who? I’ll try Hisao. We usually talk around this time. Wait, it’s this late already?

He needs a moment. Please be fast. I take a deep breath in, then try to focus on controlling my breathing. It really, really itches. So bad it burns. Stupid brain, why don’t you-

My phone rings and I scramble to pick it up. He instantly calls out in a panic, “Is everything alright?”

When I don’t respond immediately he repeats the question more urgently. This time I’m able to tell him about the pain; it takes him a moment, but he catches on quickly. That’s good. It’s hard to talk too much while in pain.

“I’m sorry I can’t be there.” He sighs.

I wouldn’t mind if he was here right now either, it’d probably be a better distraction than just talking on the phone. “Honestly Hi- Hisao. I’m fine. Been through much worse, remember? Talking’s nice though.” I take a sharp breath in to try and steady myself.

Didn’t he say he forgot to mention something earlier? I ask as much. Ah, that’s right; I forgot he mentioned going to karaoke earlier. I should let him-

“I’m free to talk.” Hisao responds a bit too fast.

“You sure?”

“Absolutely.” I can’t stop him right now. I know I should, but his voice is a lighthouse in this storm. “I can’t even sing too much thanks to my ribs so this is a relief honestly. Fushi- Kai has an interesting taste in music-” He mentioned something about her yesterday. His ex’s friend, I think. “and a strange sense of humor.” Didn’t he say something like that about me a while back? I might like her. Yet despite the light-heartedness of the conversation, there’s a voice in the back of my head I can’t ignore.

This is wrong.

“Why do… you say that?” I ask between grunts and groans.

“Well, get this. I walk in a little late, and you want to know the first thing she says to me?”

“What?”

“Mind you- I’ve never actually met this girl before, but she immediately calls me ‘new kid’ and pulls me into a song without a moment’s hesitation. But that’s not even the worst of it…” He should be with them right now.

“Okay…”

“You remember that Western movie, Titanic? Specifically, that really cheesy song that played during the credits? Yeah, she chose that one.”

I close my eyes and replay that song the best I can. It was in English, but I think… oh. Oh! “Did she- know?!”

“Yep. She knew. She had this devious smirk that would’ve made you proud.” Why’s he wasting a night out with his friends on the phone with me? “Honestly, it was pretty funny. Everyone besides Shin instantly caught on, and after I started playing along even he had a good laugh. But it gets worse.” He’s acting so happy - so carefree. But he’s not and he’s hiding it and filling the conversation with empty talk. “Couple songs later, she gets Iwanako to sing ‘Don’t go Breaking My Heart.’ You’ve heard it right? Well, the name’s pretty descriptive.” Am I just overthinking this? Is it so bad for him to enjoy a day out and a call with me? “Hahaha… so yeah, strange sense of humor. Everyone else’s song choice has been pretty normal. It sucks that singing too much makes my chest hurt, so I’ve been sitting it out most of the night. Still, it’s been nice to just hang out with them.” So why aren’t you in there right now? Are you doing this for me? You should be focusing on yourself or them or at least giving me something more than filler. Right?

So why can’t I stop you? “Sounds like… it’s been a good night.”

“It has been, yeah. Needed the distraction after this morning.”

“Oh? Something happen?” We don’t need to keep going. Go back to your friends, Hisao.

He half-chuckles, half-sighs. “Yeah, my parents-” He hesitates after mentioning them. For a moment it sounds like he’s going to tell me something important. Something like what I’ve been waiting for. Then he says, “…ambushed me with college questions and whatnot, so I went for a walk. Then, while I was out, I ran into Shin’s grandma and… well it was nice to see her but she’s always been a handful.” He hesitated again. Two more things he doesn’t want to talk to me about. If we’re not gonna actually talk, if all we’re gonna do in this call is hide what’s going on with us, what’s the point of this call? What’s the point of wasting your friends’ time? “Then I ran into Shin afterwards, he was on his way to go visit her. Apparently he hasn’t visited her much since I left. It makes sense since he only got a chance to visit her while on the way to my place, but still, you’d think he’d take the time. Maybe… Well either way, he visited her again today so that’s good.”

“Yeah…” Why don’t I just ask him? Why can’t I ask him any of this? Why can’t we just talk? We should be able to do that much right? We’ve done that much and more already, multiple times even.

“After that I didn’t do much until Karaoke. Went home, read that book I was telling you about yesterday, then ended up falling asleep. Friends made the mistake of trusting me to get myself there on time, so I was late. You know-” He needs to stop.

“We’ve been talking for a while. Don’t want to keep your friends waiting. Thanks for talking to me, Hisao.”

“You sure you’re fine? I don’t mind talking for longer.” It’s clear you don’t want to actually talk.

“Hisao, don’t be an ass to your friends. You’re there to have fun, not talk on the phone with your girlfriend.” Or maybe I just don’t want to listen. I’m not even sure anymore.

“I can do both.”

“Be an ass and talk to your girlfriend? Yeah, that’s the point.”

“That’s not what I-”

“Talk to you later. Love you.”

“W-” I snap the phone shut before he can say anything else.

Dammit.

You’ve committed to talking to him Emi, so fucking talk to him! Say something! Ask him what he’s avoiding. Tell him to stop trying to coddle you. Do something. Do anything!

The phone buzzes. ‘love you too’ I squeeze the phone until it creaks under my grip. “Dammit.” I slam the phone shut again, pinching my fingers as it closes. “Dammit!” My fingers tighten into a ball around it. “DAMMIT!” I turn and launch my phone towards the wall behind me – it thumps softly against a rack of coats hanging from the closet door, then clatters across the ground.

It settles in a patch of sunlight streaming in from the window, and dust stirred from the coats give the light shape.

This is stupid.

After a moment, I twist back around and lean my head against the wall, letting my arms fall flat at my side.

I’m being stupid.

Silence hangs in the air for a moment, then a cicada in the distance blares its desperate call for sex, destroying my solitude.

Hisao’s being stupid.

The sun vanishes behind the horizon, and a shroud of darkness swallows the room. I pull my legs into my chest, and bury my head in my knees.

So why am I crying?

~ ~ ~

Two-twenty-five… Room two-twenty-five. There it is! I lift my hand off the crutch and knock.

“Might that be Emi?” Lilly’s muffled voice calls out from the other side of the door.

“Yep, it’s the one and only me!”

“You can come in, the door is unlocked.”

Opening the door reveals pretty much the exact room I imagined Lilly to have with few deviations – spare one obvious splash of vibrant color: her tea set. Besides the series of moving boxes in the corner waiting to be unpacked, it seems like everything has its own home in the room and has been carefully arranged. Weird, I would’ve expected Lilly to be the type to completely unpack at the first opportunity available and be done within a day, but it looks like she’s taking her time. I step inside and close the door behind me, then take a closer look at the room.

Behind the boxes is an empty bookshelf waiting to be filled, and a nightstand yet to be moved back into place. Outside of the bed and desk there isn’t much else in the way of decor except for a low table, where Lilly is patiently waiting for me to join her at. “Nice room!” I say.

“I appreciate the compliment, but I’m fully aware of its plain nature.”

“Plain is nice too. What’s the point of fancy decorations and colorful stuff if you can’t see them?”

She gives a soft smile. Lilly herself is wearing a dark blue, silky, long-sleeved shirt and matching shorts that show a generous amount of skin. Shame, given the right training I’d bet she’d be a queen of the track. I’d never noticed before since she wears such long skirts all the time. That, coupled with her height, means she could really be a beast out there. If you wouldn’t mind sharing some of those genetic advantages, Lilly, I’d appreciate it.

When I realize I’m staring, a flash of my misunderstanding on the phone call the other day comes back and I need to shake away the heat in my face, as well as pull my eyes from her legs.

The other thing her outfit does is let me know I’ve waaaay overdressed for this thing. She said ‘comfy’ which I interpreted as ‘casual’, not actual pajamas… though she did mention that she and Hanako usually wore those. Awww! I think I left some in my room and I just came from there.

Later then, if I need to change. Right now all I want is to relax!

I move closer to the table, and as I do Lilly asks, “Not in a wheelchair anymore?”

“Sorta. I left it up in my room. It’s easier to move around with crutches if I’m not going far, and I didn’t want it to be cramped in here.”

“It would have been no bother. I had space set aside for it – ahh, but let’s not worry about that.” I look beside her and sure enough there’s a generous clearing next to the boxes that my chair would’ve easily fit in.

I feel bad that she went so far out of her way for my sake, but appreciate the thought and thank her in kind.

“Of course! You are my guest after all. If that’s everything, we can begin the night. Shall I pour you some tea to get started?”

“Sure! Give me a moment to sit down.”

Lilly’s hand was already halfway to the kettle before I finished speaking, but it freezes mid-movement. “Oh my- I’m terribly sorry Emi; I failed to consider your current situation when suggesting this activity and I’m afraid my room isn’t all that accommodating. We could move to the common room if that would be easier?”

“Don’t worry about it. I can still sit on the ground, it just takes a little longer than usual right now.”

“Are you sure? I’d hate for-”

“Really, Lilly. I’m fine.”

Her face twists for a moment, and I fear she might offer to try and help me sit down or go out of her way in some other fashion, but in the end she just says, “If you are certain then I won’t press.”

“Thanks.” While I situate myself onto the ground, Lilly resumes preparing the tea. I finally get a closer look at the pot, seeing as it was what caught my eye first. It has a deep red color and an ornate flower print on the outside. The only other thing in the room as visually interesting is Lilly herself…

No! Stop it, brain.

“It cool if I leave my crutches at the end of the bed?”

“That would be perfectly fine.”

“Sweet. You look cute, by the way.”

Her movements hitch, and I think I see her blush a little, but she turns away before I can verify. Maybe I’m not the only one with a drifting imagination. “Thank you very much. Akira helps me pick out some of my outfits.”

“She has a good eye then! It suits you. Although you shoulda told me to come in pajamas! I thought you meant casual-wear.” I whine, looking at my outfit again.

“Ah, my apologies for the confusion.” Hurt washes over her face. The worst part is Lilly never looks like she’s faking it or anything. She’s genuinely sad that there was a miscommunication even though it’s not that big of a deal. “If you need a change of clothes I’m sure I could find something suitable.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I have some in my room still, so I’ll run up there later if I need to.”

“Very well. So did you come in your usual outfit?”

“Yep! They’re still comfy so it’s fine.”

Lilly tilts her head. “Hmm. I don’t believe I’ve had the privilege of hearing about any of your outfits outside of your gym-wear.”

“Want me to describe it?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

“Course not! I’m wearing…” I do my best to describe as many details of the outfit as I can, from the type of shirt to the colors, why I like wearing this one, how it matches the other parts and accessories, and everything in between.

Lilly listens quietly until I finish. “Pink hair ties? Hanako mentioned you typically wear yellow ones that match your hair. I imagine pink stands out much more.”

“I had these out from a couple days ago so I decided to wear them again. Been experimenting a little bit and they’re kinda cute, I think.”

“An apt description for your whole outfit as well.”

“Awww! Thanks!”

Lilly nods. Then her lips sag into a frown. “I must apologize again for the misunderstanding earlier. You went out of your way to wear such nice clothes – I feel I am under-dressed in comparison.”

“It’s no biggie! I mean it, and you’re exaggerating how nice it is. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cute, but it’s not like I dressed for a-... a date or anything, haha. If you want, I can go change real quick.”

Lilly scrunches her eyebrows. At this rate I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t grow to have worry lines in her skin as she gets older. “I wouldn’t want to put you out of your way.”

“Hmm. If this turns into a sleepover I’ll do it.”

“Oh my! You mentioned not dressing for a date, but might our discussion on the phone have been more serious than I originally thought?” She says it in an almost monotone and dismissive tone but the grin spreading across her face tells another story. Is this turning into some sort of game between us?

Well, if it’s a game we’re playing I’m not holding back, so you better be ready, Lilly! I’m out for revenge! “Hisao’s hanging out with his ex and a girl he’s known since they were kids - and especially after the incident with Nurse, I figured it was my turn!”

Lilly’s face goes red almost immediately and she bites her knuckle in a vain attempt to mask the embarrassment. It doesn’t take much to get to her, huh? She was joking about that earlier, right? I’m not sure anymore. Then I explode into a fit of laughter at the absurd back and forth I’ve been on. “Oh man, your face is amazing!”

She giggles and relaxes a little. “Sorry, I’m not used to such… forward jokes coming from anyone other than Akira.”

“I had a feeling she and I could make a good team.”

“Speak of the devil…”

“Huh?” A moment later I hear the doorknob twist and click, then a flash of yellow and black bursts through the door.

“Akira Satou is in the house, so let’s get this party started! Sup Emi.” She kicks the door shut behind her and strides over to the table, setting a tall bag on the ground next to her. Immediately after sitting down she reaches into it and pulls out its contents: two massive glass bottles with foreign text on the labels. “And I bring presents!” She shoots me a wide smirk and a wink.

Lilly turns to face her. “What is it?”

My mouth gapes open. Despite not being able to read a word on the bottles it’s obvious what they are. Is this really okay? Here? “It’s… wine.”

Akira’s grin widens a little more as she says, “Specifically it’s a red and a white wine. Wasn’t sure which one was Emi’s type and I’ve been eyeing these two for a good while now.”

Before I can even think of responding Lilly says, “Akira! That’s-”

“Relax. It’s not like this is the first time you’ve had this stuff here, and Shizune’s still at her dad’s so there’s no risk of her showing up here to scold you.”

I finally find my voice. “Won’t we get in trouble if the school hears about it?”

“I ain’t squealin’. And based on that thirsty look in your eyes you don’t plan to either, huh?” Akira raises her eyebrows a couple times.

I mean, fair enough. I’ve never had much wine before, and the one time I did steal a sip of some Ryu’s brother snuck him in, it wasn’t terrible. I give her a shrug. Really, I was just surprised to see something like that in Lilly’s room.

“Hah! I knew you were a woman of good taste.”

Lilly sighs, “Just please-”

“Not a word to anyone at the school, I know I know. And I think Emi gets the idea already so let’s get started!” Akira peels the foil from the top of one of the bottles fluently.

“You’re joining? Are you able to stay for the night then?”

“Nah, I’ve gotta get back later tonight, but I can stay for a few hours so I can have a little.” A shiver runs down my spine. It must be obvious because Akira’s face reminds me of Lilly’s. “Hey, don’t worry, kid. I ain’t even gonna notice a few sips, and by the time I leave it’ll be outta my system completely.”

“Right… Yeah, of course. Haha, sorry about that.” I do my best to brush it aside.

Unfortunately that wasn’t enough to convince Lilly. She frowns. “Emi, if you are uncomfortable with this, please say so. We can continue the night as otherwise planned and put the bottles away.” This was why I avoided Lilly more often than not before now. She’s persistent and it’s harder to wear a mask effectively around someone who can’t see it. That or my skills are waning already.

“It’s not that…” I glance towards the bottle in Akira’s hand. The cat’s outta the bag already, but do I really want to be a downer when they’ve done all this to welcome me?

“Seriously, kid. I can handle my liquor no problem. I’m not aiming to get sloshed here.”

“I… don’t doubt that, it’s just-” I take a deep breath. I really hate talking about this, but I think I need to now. I’ll keep it brief. Besides, it’ll help me get used to this whole ‘letting people in’ thing, if only a little. “Well, bad memories sprang to mind. This-” I gesture to my bad leg “-wasn’t my first rodeo with car crashes.” Lilly rests her hands in her lap and Akira stops fiddling with the foil on the bottle, so I’m sure they realize the weight of what I’m telling them. “The first one wasn’t really an ‘accident’ per se.”

The way both of their faces contort tells me I don’t have to spell it out for them, not that I think I could at this point. My stomach twists into a knot and I don’t want to push it. Akira turns the bottle in her hand a few times before setting it on the table. “Shit, well in that case I’ll abstain tonight.”

“No- you don’t have to!” I try to reassure her. “It was just a few bad memories popping up and-”

She raises her hand. “This is my choice. I’ll have plenty of opportunities to enjoy a glass or beer some other night when I ain’t got somewhere to be.” She rubs the back of her head. “Sorry Emi, had I known I wouldn’ta brought these.”

I shrug. “I’ve had alcohol before… that’s not what bothered me. And honestly, I think I might need something to take the edge off right now. Haha… sorry, didn’t mean to ruin the mood.”

Lilly finishes pouring a cup of tea for Akira and sets it in front of her. “If you are certain, Emi, then we can indulge in a few drinks tonight. But please, don’t feel obligated to.”

“Honest; I’m cool with it.” We need something to bring the mood back up. “So, you’ve done this before then? I’d love to hear about that.”

“Ah, that.” Lilly sits down and takes a sip of her own cup before continuing, “Akira brought a couple bottles on an earlier occasion to celebrate- an… event. Hanako and I shared a few glasses.”

“A few?” Akira scoffs. “You two damn near emptied both bottles in one night!”

My jaw drops. If they were as big as these two… “Damn!” Lilly tries to scowl at her sister but its effect is weakened by her red cheeks.

I chuckle and add, “Well, a pirate’s liver needs training!”

Akira snorts mid-sip of her tea and ends up coughing while saying, “‘Scuse me?! What was that?”

“A pirate!” I proudly declare again. I committed to the bit a long time ago and I’ll keep it going any chance I get! “Sail the seven seas, drink rum, plunder treasure, and- you know- pirate stuff! It’s even on my career survey.”

Akira recovers from choking and lets out a boisterous laugh. “Well in that case, I’ll get a glass poured for you two.”

While she’s doing that I ask Lilly, “Hey, if we're drinking it’d probably be best if I stayed the night, right?”

Lilly directs Akira to the box with the glasses she hadn’t unpacked yet, then turns to me. “Hmm, that would likely be for the best.”

“In that case I should get in some pajamas. Let me head up to my room and I’ll be right back down.”

Akira sets the glasses on the table. Then stops me and says, “I can go snatch em if you’d like.”

“I can make it.”

“Eh. Not what I meant. You’re the guest here, so relax.”

“Fine…” I give her my key and tell her what to grab and where to find it.

She finishes pouring our glasses and heads for the door. “Now pace yourselves, girls. Night’s just gettin’ started!” She winks and closes the door, leaving Lilly and I to start in on our drinks.

She’s got a point: tonight is just getting started, and there’s a lot of wine for two people here.

---

Table of Contents | Previous Scene: Scene 6 - Chapter 2: Phantoms I | Next Scene: Scene 6 - Chapter 4: Midnight Mania

And with that, we approach the final chapter of Scene 6, coming in two weeks! Next chapter is gonna be a longer one, so get ready for that (about twice the length of these past 3, individually). Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

I don't have all that much to say about the specifics of this chapter. Just that I enjoy writing interesting combinations of characters and Emi/Lilly is one of the, thus Lilly's introduction to the story back in Scene 1. Though we don't get to see how their relationship started, I think the way they test the waters around each other is a fun exploration of where the two are in their lives right now. There's a lot of drama and what-not surrounding the characters in this story, but that doesn't mean they are constrained to being mopey all the time, and casual moments of fun are a a nice way to take a step back from the heavier stuff. In any case, before I ramble on, I'll cut this one short here.

Once again, thanks for reading and I hope you are liking the developments as they come! See you in the final chapter of Scene 6!

[Peorth]

This makes me want an Emi x Lilly route.
Akira steals the show as always. Best girl.

[StealthyWolf]

This makes me want an Emi x Lilly route.
Akira steals the show as always. Best girl.

I'm surprised there hasn't been more meaningful Emi/Lilly explorations, though I guess the size of the fandom means there's still a lot of room for exploration. Either way, I love to encourage new ships

And Akira is always a joy to write!

[StealthyWolf]

Scene 6: Pajamas, Suits, and School Uniforms

Chapter 4: Midnight Mania

“So wait, wait, wait… let me get this straight.” Akira rolls onto her stomach, further messing up Lilly’s formerly pristine bed. “Your boyfriend goes home to see his ex-”

“Hey now! He didn’t plan this.” I cock an eyebrow at her. “You’re making it sound sketchy.”

“Riiight… Anyways, he ‘ends up reconnecting’…” Akira emphasizes her skepticism by making air quotes on top of the exaggerated tone. I huff, roll my eyes with equal attitude, then go to finish off my second glass of wine while Akira continues. “... with his ex – alone and in the middle of the night, mind you – only after just telling you about this childhood best friend, who’s also a girl, all while halfway across the country, and you’re not even slightly worried?”

I set the now empty glass down. “I mean, yeah.” Lilly must’ve been able to pick up on the fact that I emptied it because she’s quick to pick up the bottle and silently offer more, so I hand her my glass. I get the feeling she’s been holding herself back because she’s steadily drinking more than me, yet never pours herself a glass before I’m on my next as well.

As for Akira, she’s been drinking tea and enjoying watching us. I turn my attention back to her. “What do I have to be worried about?”

“Gee, I don’t know… the fact that he’s with someone who cared about him enough in a romantic sense to send him an actual letter… in the mail… and who he crushed on hard enough to have a literal heart attack over, being left alone together!” I was feeling bad that Akira wasn’t drinking tonight, but not anymore. She’s a handful as is.

“Come on, it’s not like that. You’re leaving out the part where he gave her the cold shoulder for literal months and that in the end she still abandoned him.”

“I’ve seen worse forgiven a hell of a lot sooner with a hell of a lot less work.”

“I trust Hisao.” I meet her eyes and intensify my glare.

Akira shrugs. “Then you’ve got one on me, kid. If it were me… Shit, I don’t know what I’d do. You say you trust him and I guess that’s what counts.”

Lilly finishes another long drink of her wine. Is her cup already half-empty again? Jeez. She carefully places it back on the table. “Come now, Akira. You’re still bitter over what happened with Hajime.” An ex, perhaps?

Akira scoffs. “So what if I am. He’s being an ass.”

“That’s not the impression I got.”

“Then it’s a good thing he’s my ex, not yours. And hey! Slow down.” Looks like I wasn’t the only one who noticed Lilly’s speed. That said, I hate falling behind so I sneakily try to catch up to her progress while Akira’s turned away. “That’s imported Pestoni Cabernet Sauvignon, not some corner-store grab-and-go shit.” Aaaand I stop drinking immediately. I suddenly feel way, way outside of my class; this stuff sounds leagues above my tax bracket. “It’s supposed to be sipped and enjoyed, not guzzled down for a quick buzz.”

Lilly lowers the glass from her mouth again and somehow I’m almost just as far behind as I was before. “I’d say I’m enjoying the flavor thoroughly, from my perspective. If you take issue with how I choose to experience my drink, you should have considered that before offering it!” Given her tone, I thought Lilly would have a serious expression, yet she’s almost smiling.

“Ehhh, fair enough. It is pretty good stuff.” Akira chuckles.

Should I really be so casually drinking this? How much did it even cost? Akira notices me hesitating and staring at the cup for probably way too long and leans over. “Hey, don’t worry about the price, kid.” She pushes herself into a sitting position. “As Lils said, I wouldn’ta brought it over if I was worried about bringing any back for myself. Drink up!”

“Well…” I pick up the glass with a new appreciation for what’s inside. “I can’t refuse an offer like that, can I? Thanks!”

“Nope, you can’t!” She picks up her cup of tea and cheers with us.

While I finish taking a sip, I look over and Lilly has a weird expression on her face. She’s worried about something. As if sensing my coming question, she says, “There is something I am curious about, Emi.”

“Shoot.”

“I know we touched on the subject briefly back when we visited you in the hospital, and I understand that you don’t want to hold a grudge against anyone for the accident, but are you actually okay with being here – around us?” Her hands fold over one another in her lap.

Akira sighs and sits back up, straightening her back. “I’ve gotta admit, I’ve been wondering the same thing. It’s one thing to say you don’t blame anyone – another to actually believe it – but it’s something else entirely to go through with being friendly with people you have every… emotional reason to take issue with.” The edge in her voice and her choice of words make it clear she’s not entirely comfortable with the implications a conversation like this could have. I guess we’ve still got some work to do before they’re more comfortable around me.

If this is what we’re going to talk about right now I need this buzz to upgrade to a nice, dulling background throb. I take a couple large gulps from the glass then lean against the dresser and stare at the roof. “What I said back then is exactly how I feel: ‘these things happen’. If I sat here getting mad at you or that driver, or even the world, what would that change? I’d still be in recovery. Hisao would still have a series of broken ribs. Mom would still- Well, you get the point.”

Lilly forces her hands on top of the table in an attempt to stop moving them around so much. “Even still, you would be well within your rights to want to avoid us. Instead you extended an olive branch and went so far as to accept my, err, bold invitation.”

She’s not wrong. There should be that part of me that irrationally hates them right now, but that’s just it. It’s irrational. “Until very recently I probably would have given you some sort of attitude, or at the very least spat something back in your face in self defense. I was in the mindset that it was me versus the world, but the truth is really something like it’s us versus the world. All of us. I’m sick of living in ‘what-ifs’ and the past, and someone special showed me that doing this shit alone is stupid. So now I’m trying to live in the present in a new light by not facing tomorrow alone. Besides, every good pirate needs a loyal crew to face the wrath of the sea.”

“Heh, that’s…” Akira sighs, then shakes her head. “That’s surprisingly profound, kid. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders.”

The heavy atmosphere lifts away and I can’t help but chuckle. “Yeah, I know.” Lilly and Akira join in as well.

“Well then, I think the fitting response is to say-” Lilly switches over to english, but when she raises her glass in the air while speaking I think I get the message clearly. “-I’ll drink to that.”

I raise mine as well and dink it against hers softly. “Aye! To a rather unusual friendship!”

Akira joins the toast with her cup of tea. “And the bountiful plunder it will surely bring.” The three of us pull our drinks back to solidify the toast.

Akira frowns. “Damn. It just doesn’t hit right to do all that for a sip of tea.”

I turn to Lilly, barely holding back a laugh. She’s holding one back too and the shaky smirk is enough to send me over the edge. Lilly doesn’t hold out much longer either, laughing along with me. “Maybe next time, Akira.” She consoles.

~ ~ ~

“Ah shit… Well with that, girls, my time has come.” Akira pushes off her knees to stand. “I’ve gotta book it.” As she stands it’s like her movements blur together and repeat like a shadowy echo catching up to the present a couple times. We’ve only made it down two thirds of the first bottle and I’m already this far gone? Sheesh. I really am a lightweight.

Lilly even left me behind and had an entire glass more than me. “I thought you had the night off?” She frowns. How did Hanako and Lilly manage two entire bottles of this stuff and live to tell the tale?

“The night, not the morning. Got a long and busy day ahead of me so I best be on my way. It was nice seeing you again sis. And you too, Emi. If you’re ever down for a proper girls night, you know who to call.” She winks and starts towards the door.

I go to wave goodbye, and smack my hand on the edge of the table. “Ow!” The long empty tea cups bounce on their little plates while the wine in our glasses slosh against the sides. Wasn’t that damn thing further away?

Akira chuckles, “Don’t have too much fun now. See ya!”

“Bye!” I call out while nursing the top of my hand. Yep, that’s gonna leave a mark.

Lilly says goodbye to Akira as well, then turns to me after the door closes. “Are you okay, Emi? That sounded painful.”

“I’m fine, yeah.”

“We can slow down if you’d prefer.”

“Nah- this is fun. Plus I need the break from, well, everything. Haha…” I try to rub the scratch mark from the top of my hand, but it’s already bruising up a little.“Ow, ow, ow!” I whisper.

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Completely!”

Lilly holds out a hand. “Let me see it.”

I give her mine. “Sure, here ya- hey, wait a minute!”

She smiles, but doesn’t let go. “It seems I’ve been found out.”

I didn’t expect that type of joke from her, and once I finally process her smug expression I start laughing. “You really are like a mother!” She squeezes my hand a little… right on the spot I just hit. “Ow- hey that hurts!”

Lilly exaggerates a caring tone, “Shall I kiss it to make it feel better?” Before I can answer she starts pulling my hand towards her… her face. Wait. What? This is-

“Pff-” Lilly’s cheeks puff up. Then the act falls apart as she breaks down laughing and releases my hand. “Hehehe, sorry, sorry. You mentioned being motherly and I couldn’t resist.”

The absurdity of the scene is enough to get me on the same page as her, though my heart’s racing a bit more than expected. Is the heating in the dorms on? When we calm down enough, she picks up her glass and announces, “I think I need a drink after all that.”

“Good idea!” I pick mine up as well and offer a cheers, before giggling when Lilly goes straight for a sip. My bad.

Lilly gulps down about twice as much as I manage in half the time. I wonder if it’s even affecting her at all until I notice how flushed her cheeks are. “Speaking of drinking, you mentioned ‘needing a break’ earlier. I hope you don’t intend on drinking your problems away like my sister likes to do?”

I giggle. “Nah, nothing like that.” Probably. Maybe. I think?

“Then you are a better woman than I.”

“Oh? Did something happen?”

“Ah, perhaps I’ve had more than I thought. That wasn’t meant to be said out loud.” She giggles and teeters in place.

“That much was obvious if what just happened a moment ago is anything to go off of.”

She pouts. “Is it not normal to fool around with your friends?”

A shadow of Mimi’s voice rings out in my head – ‘Phrasing!’ – and before I can process it, I chuckle . “N-No, that’s fine. I just didn’t expect it from you is all.”

“Hmm, I guess I haven’t had many opportunities to be more casual around many at this school since I took on class representative responsibilities and student council work. Perhaps I’ll get the chance now that I’m free of those duties.”

“Definitely; you need to have more fun!” I take another sip of my wine to catch back up to her earlier lead. Well, double-lead. “You were saying something earlier?”

Lilly sits up and a more thoughtful expression takes hold on her face. “Ah, right. I thought Hisao might’ve already filled you in.”

“If it’s personal, we try to make it a habit not to spill others’ secrets.”

“That’s a good practice, I feel.” She takes another sip herself, trying to leave me further behind yet again so I keep pace as best I can. “If you recall, I was meant to contact Hanako the night we met earlier in the week.”

“Hisao did mention her and something about talking? Not many details though.”

“Well, I hadn’t talked to Hanako about the change in plans just yet – the whole bit where I’m not moving to Scotland just yet anymore. She’s on a road trip with Inoue right now and last she heard I was on a plane leaving all of this-” she makes a grand gesture to the rest of the room. “-behind.”

Her arms drop and she sighs. “Still here.” Lilly takes another sip of her wine and thus so do I. “I wasn’t sure how to tell her. I… I just didn’t know.”

“Wouldn’t she be like- super happy you stayed?”

“I was under that impression as well. But I felt strange about the whole situation which was why I put off the call for so long. When I finally did…”

“She… wasn’t happy?”

Lilly scoffs, and for once I see the resemblance between her and Akira come from her. “She sure didn’t sound ‘happy’.”

“Angry then?”

Lilly face drops into something more somber again. “Not ex-… No. She wasn’t. She was just… quiet.”

“Isn’t that Hanako’s whole thing? Well, that and the whole ‘ivegottagodosomething!’ shtick.”

“It wasn’t like that. She’s a much stronger woman now, and she’s come so far, but I worry she thinks I stayed for her sake. That she thinks I don’t believe in her.”

“You didn’t? Stay for her sake, I mean. I thought that’s exactly why you did take the opportunity to stay.”

“Heavens no! I told Hanako she was becoming a strong, confident woman who could do just fine without me and I meant it.”

“So why did you stay?”

She hesitates, then takes another sip. “Hanako had the same question. She asked me why I had stayed when I had the option to still move – to get a head-start on my new life in Scotland. I still don’t have an answer. Hisao said it could be because I don’t want to lose her, like he doesn’t want to lose you.” My heart sinks when I realize my gut reaction is to question whether or not that’s true. It is. He just doesn’t trust me. Damn, why was that my reaction? Ugh… this whole thing is exhausting.

Still, Hisao talked about me like that in front of someone else and – well – that still feels good. I instinctively turn away from Lilly as my cheeks warm up before realizing it doesn’t matter. “Is that so bad of a reason?” I ask.

“It’s too selfish to be the sole reason I stayed.”

“We all deserve to be a little selfish sometimes.” I shrug and this time I take a swig of the wine before Lilly, finishing my glass ahead of her. “Did you tell her that?”

“I did not feel like it was appropriate.”

“Why not? You two are best friends. Hell, you’re basically sisters as I see it.”

“I’d like to think my actions have made it abundantly clear that I love her dearly, and that it pained me deeply to leave her like that.”

“Chances are that’s true, but it’s nice to actually hear it sometimes though.”

Lilly doesn’t have a response and instead decides to finish off her glass as well. “It seems I need more. You too?”

“Please!” This stuff actually tastes pretty good when you get used to it.

“My sister does have a pretty good taste for this stuff after all.”

“Wait, did I say that last part out loud?”

She giggles, spilling a couple drops of wine onto the table. “You did. It seems as though that’s something else we have in common.”

~ ~ ~

“Aaaand done!” I apply the finishing touches and twist the beads into place, then back off to admire my handiwork. Cute. It’s definitely cute. Lilly’s hair is an even worse match for these things and they’re still cute on her, so they must be cute on me too.

Lilly tilts her head to either side a couple times, causing her hair to naturally expand back out. “So, how does it look?”

“Well, yours is certainly a lot… bigger than mine, but it’s definitely cute!”

Lilly lifts a hand to inspect the half twin-tail – wait, wouldn’t it just be called a side pony-tail? But that’s not quite right either… Either way, she bounces it in her hand and twirls it around a couple times. “It’s certainly… strange. It feels like I’m off-balance.”

“You sure that’s not the alcohol?” I giggle.

“Shh! Not so loud.” She scrambles to turn and cover my mouth, but misses by a fair few inches and giggles the whole time.

Lilly tries to track where I move and I continue to dodge her next couple lackluster attempts to smother me. “Haha! No one’s even around to hear us! It’s fine.” Besides, I wasn’t even being loud. Was I? I don’t think so. That’d be weird.

Lilly stops lunging at me and puffs up her cheeks. “Hmph. Fine. Even still, I’d much prefer we avoided getting caught!”

“Okay, okay. I’ll try to quiet down… I gueeesss_” I stick my tongue out at her. Ah! She can’t even appreciate that! Damn.

“Then you’ve got one on Misha.”

“She’s not even here though.”

“Even still, that girl doesn’t seem to have a limiter on her volume. Sometimes I wish she learned how to use an inside voice.”

“Aww, but it’s so fun to watch her be that happy!”

Lilly smiles. “Alright, even I can’t deny that she is quite fun to be around, though my ears dread every encounter.” We re-situate ourselves back at the table and, more specifically, get back to our cups of wine to quiet down.

After a few moments of serene silence, I can’t help but feel a wave of pressure mounting, reminding me that I kind of lied to Lilly earlier. “So uh, hey. About what you said earlier – the whole ‘drinking your problems away’ thing – I think maybe I wasn’t telling the truth.”

“Oh? In that case, what troubles ail you so that you’d drink them away?” She rests her head in a hand, tilting her head slightly.

I pull my good leg close to my chest and rest my chin on my knee. The position’s never been all that easy on my legs, but it’s comforting. Strangely though, I don’t feel much physical discomfort right now. Just a consistent, dull buzz. Either because I’m only using one leg right now or due to the alcohol. Probably the alcohol.

Okay fine. I’ve stalled long enough. “It’s kind of stupid. Sorry, I don’t wanna bore you with relationship drama or anything like that.”

“On the contrary, listening to relationship troubles happen to be one of my specialties.”

Lilly has gossip blood in her veins? Impossible. I perk my head up, suddenly very interested. “Really?”

“Oh yes. In my previous school, I was quite sociable and earned the trust of a sizable portion of my peers. I was a sort of… confidant, as it were.” She smiles warmly at the memory, closing her eyes and humming to herself.

Hmmm. I guess she did mention not being able to be ‘as’ sociable here earlier, implying that she otherwise would be. Even still she’s kept to a really small circle here outside of classes. Maybe it was easier for her old classmates since she’s blind, and since that doesn’t really matter here it changed her social dynamics. Or something like that.

I wonder just how many confided in Lilly. “Lots of boy troubles then? Sounds exhausting, haha.”

“Afraid not. ‘Boy trouble’ was a rarity seeing as it was an all-girls academy.” Lilly picks up her glass and swirls the liquid inside.

“Oh! But that means…”

“Scandalous, isn’t it?” She goes to take a swig of wine and there’s a level of smugness coming from her, like she’s gotten one over on me somehow.

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Sorry girlie, you’ve only just started to walk in this game. I’ve been running for years. “A bunch of rich girls going down on each-other behind their parents’ and teachers’ backs? Probably, yeah. Sounds like a fun time to me, though I’m sure you would personally know.”

Lilly raises an eyebrow, but calmly sets her drink down. “I certainly had a few admirers, but none that caught my interest.” Damn, after earlier I thought that’d be enough to trip her up. Maybe I’m getting rusty.

“I see.” And so the battle begins! Who will crack first? Who’s wits will stand the test of time?! Find out next time ON-

…

One day with Mimi. All it took was one day. Damn. “Was it lack of connection or a case of… compatibility issues?”

“Honestly that’s something I wish I had a definitive answer to, but I don’t. I haven’t fallen onto either side of the equation, it seems.” A tired expression washes over her.

It’s like something inside me clicks into place and suddenly I feel much more comfortable. “Maybe it’s not a case of one side or the other.” I scratch my cheek. I haven’t even really talked to Hisao about this, but he didn’t react badly to hearing about Ryuu’s preferences. Maybe some other time. I never expected to be talking to Lilly, of all people, about this though. At least, not at the start of summer. “It was certainly the case for m-me…” I close my eyes to calm my nerves, but surprisingly it’s not as bad as I thought. Certainly not as bad as last time.

Well, she’s not kicking me out – not that I expected her to. I slowly open one eye to peek at her. I’m not sure what I expected to see, but Lilly hasn’t really moved much. She’s just thinking again.

Then her thoughts finally lead somewhere. “So… you have no preference?”

“I-I mean…” There’s the nerves! It’s been a while since I had this talk with Ryuu, hasn’t it? Deep breaths. “I do have preferences. It’s more so that I don’t have as many limitations, physically, if that makes sense.” Thanks to the wine it seems like my mind and body aren’t on the same page. I feel mostly fine in my head, but my hands are shaky and my heart’s racing.

“Admittedly I hadn’t given that idea much thought. Thank you, Emi, for sharing that.” The tension in her face transitions back into that calming smile of hers.

It feels like an elephant is removed from my back and I sigh. “Haha. Yeah, no problem! Felt kind of good to talk about it with another girl.”

“In that case, glad I could help out.” She lifts her glass and takes a long sip, which I match for my own sake this time. The last of the unease from earlier washes away and with it goes even more of my senses.

The dull buzz in my mind roars back to life and I have to lean on the table to stabilize myself. Lilly seems fine, but maybe I just need to knock her off balance. The game is back on! “So, you think you swing both ways then?”

Lilly covers her mouth and giggles. “Sorry, I’m still not used to someone other than my sister being so blunt. Hmm~ I don’t think I’m any closer to an answer just yet, but I don’t feel I need to be either.” She brushes off the first attack! But will she- “And, if I may, how did you come about realizing your own answer? Experience, perhaps?” A counter! Sorry, Lilly, but you’re going to have to summon your inner Akira much more blatantly than that to have a chance!

“Not exactly. Mostly a lot of thinking. Although, just so you know, that might not work for you… You might need practical experience to know.” I put extra care to make my voice as suggestive as possible.

It must work, because the redness in Lilly’s cheeks intensifies. “Well… I suppose that would c-certainly provoke an answer.” Successful attack.

Now, finish her! “Yes… if only there were someone who could help you with that…”

Lilly raises an eyebrow, then I push her over the edge by resting my hand on hers and her mind fills in the blanks exactly like I wanted. Shock takes over her face. “Oh- but that’s- I-I mean- you aren’t- w-we can’t-” With each passing word the crimson spreads and deepens until it takes over her entire face, then Lilly starts backing away until finally I can’t hold my laugh any more. Revenge complete.

“Bahahaha! You should see your face! Of course I wasn’t suggesting we do anything; I have a boyfriend! Hahaha…” Though that’s exactly what I made her think I was saying. There’s a twist in my gut. Like I’ve done something I shouldn’t have. Even though it’s a type of joke I’ve made a half-dozen times by now to others. My laugh quickly fades into a light chuckle.

Lilly rolls away and covers her face to try and compose herself, and while she does there’s just one thought that lingers in my mind: That… felt wrong.

~ ~ ~

“Hey Lilly, I’ve got a question.” I ask while watching the mostly clear, slightly yellow liquid swirl around the glass. I think I like this one more than the last. It’s sweeter.

Lilly finishes pouring her own glass, though she gets dangerously close to over-filling it. “Hmm?” When she picks it up, a couple drops go overboard and splash onto the table.

“Earlier, when I told you about my outfit, I used a lot of colors. Wasn’t that like, very unhelpful to you?” I don’t know too much, but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard people mention she was blind since birth.

Lilly giggles, causing a few more drops to escape her cup and fall down her cheek. She wipes it off and says, “I may not know what the visual difference is that colors have, but I’m still aware of the connections they have to people. For example, I know red is a very passionate color usually connected to intense ‘fiery’ rage, or deep and intense love. Blue is known to be calming and freeing like the sea or sky, or filled with sorrow like a deepening abyss. And so on for each color. In the case of you describing your outfit, I’m able to use such connections to get an idea of the person wearing the outfit’s personality or presence.”

“Huh, I guess that makes sense.” I guess I just don’t think about the connections I make between colors and other stuff all that much. For me, it just happens.

“I also enjoy hearing people describe their own outfits. It’s different from hearing someone else’s description of it as everyone has their own biases based off of what they take note of first.”

“So basically it’s your way of getting an insight of someone?”

“Something like that.”

“Huh.” I look more closely at Lilly’s eyes. It’s hard to imagine what that’d be like. To not be able to tell what the person I’m speaking to looks like. To not know if I’m being watched, or sneered at, or looked at with love, or anything like that. “Can I ask something else?”

“Go right ahead.”

“What’s it like… not being able to see. To be living in complete darkness all the time.”

Lilly raises an eyebrow, then leans on the table and rests her chin on her hands. “Hmm. Can you do something for me, Emi?”

“Sure.”

“Close your eyes.”

“Alright.” I do.

“What do you see?”

“Nothing. My eyes are closed.”

“Is this how you imagine I ‘see’ things?”

“Kind of. I’m not sure how else you would.”

“You say you see nothing, but are you sure about that? Try directly facing the light above us without opening your eyes.” I lift my head and while my eyes are still closed, I can tell it’s brighter now. “As I understand it, you’re still able to make out the difference in brightness, right?”

“Yeah…”

“I can’t even do that much. There’s simply nothing there.”

“Hmm, I’m still not sure I get it.” I get what she’s saying, but in that case wouldn’t it just be like if I closed my eyes in a dark room, but anywhere? It’s still that same ‘nothingness’ from earlier.

“Let’s try this then. Keep your eyes closed and reach your hand out in front of you.”

“Okay.”

“Now, without moving or opening your eyes, I want you to use your hand to tell me how many fingers I’m holding up.”

“Like, feel it?”

“No. Use your hand like it’s your eyes.”

“Hrrng.” I don’t know what I'm even straining, but whatever it is it doesn’t change anything. “I can’t do it.”

“I know, right. I can’t either. That’s what it’s like for me. Just like you can’t see out of your hands or back or elbows, I’m not able to see out of my eyes. It’s not dark. There’s just no feedback there.”

“Argh! That hurts my head. I still don’t get it.” I rub my head in frustration.

Lilly chuckles. “Sorry, sorry. That may still be too confusing. It’s the best way I’ve found to describe it besides something along the lines of a blindfold.” I open my eyes back up to see her stealing another sip. At this rate we’ll have to make another trip to the bathroom, and the first time was difficult enough on its own.

“Didn’t you say closing my eyes wasn’t the same?”

“It isn’t, but it is the closest someone with sight can get to being forced to rely on their other senses in a similar way to those of us who lack sight do.”

“That’s good to know then. Thanks for telling me!”

“Of course! It seems as though I’m running low. You?”

I look at my glass and sure enough there’s only a few sips left. When did that happen? “Yep, I’m runnin dry.”

“I’m sure you must’ve drank it at some point.”

“Shit, did I speak out loud again?”

“Mmmhmm. You’ve been doing it more and more all night.”

~ ~ ~

“Is the roof supposed to be twisting and turning on its own?” I watch as the plain roof seems to move and swirl for a moment, then jolt back to its original position just to do it again. This bed is really comfy behind my head.

Lilly slurs some of her words as she speaks from on the bed behind me. “I donnn’t~ believe so. I wouldn’t know. It certainly soundsss~ like you’re drunk though.”

“You can get barely a sentence out straight!”

“I’m fine~.”

“Then how many fingers am I holding up?”

“Good question.”

“Shit.”

She laughs and rolls over, pulling the blanket over her shoulders. “How mushhh~ do we have left?”

I lift the second bottle and shake it a bit, then look at our half-empty glasses. “About one cup each.” The bottles moving back and forth in my hand. Or is it my head doing that? I’m definitely very drunk.

“Mmm.”

“Maybe we should-” I’m interrupted by a hiccup. Did that really just happen? I finish the sentence, “-stop.”

“Hmm? Did~ yyyou just…”

“Absolutely not! I did not hic-... cup.”

“You just did it again!”

We both start laughing and every-time I hiccup again it only makes us laugh harder as my light-hearted frustration grows. After a laughing fit that probably lasted way too long, I take another sip and stare at the spinning roof. “I thought that only happened in movies and anime.”

“Stories are often based on~ rrreality, I hear.”

“Jeez, I hope that doesn’t happen every time I drink.” I laugh again, and Lilly giggles softly while humming to herself.

She rolls over and twists to face me but overestimates my distance and ends up right next to my face. Her breath smells strongly of wine. Did that scare me? My heart’s beating too fast. “Oh, my bad.” She backs off. Mine must have been just as bad. “I wanted to ask, Emi, what was that about earlier?”

Earlier? How much earlier? And what specifically. “You’ve gotta be more specific than that.”

She tilts her head onto the bed sluggishly. “Hmmm. You said~ sssumthin about it being nice to hear someone tell you about how mush they care for you, and I thought you might be speaking from~ exxperience. Recent experience. Frustrations, I mean. You mentioned relationship troubles after all.” I turn to face her. My head stopped moving, I think, but she didn’t. She’s still moving to the left, then is back on the right, then to the- Arghh. I rub my eyes clear. When I open them, Lilly’s face shifts into what I’ve come to recognize as shock. “Oh sorry. I donn’t~ mean to pry. I just thought you might- I don’t know…”

I reach for my glass and miss it. I sit up to grab it properly to take another drink. “It’s fine.” I stay silent for a little while, trying to figure out the best way to broach the subject.

While I linger in my thoughts, Lilly moves her head around a little, then feels for the edge of the bed and bedside cabinet. “Emi, might you hand me my glasss~? I seem to have lost it.”

“Yeah, here-” I set my own down and go to grab hers. Wait. Where is it? Wasn’t it on the cabinet? “Where’d you set it?”

“I was also under the assumption that it was on the cabinet.”

I look back at the table only to realize there’s two cups there. And I’m pretty sure the one on the left is mine. I just drank from the one on the right. “Oh. I may have stolen yours.”

“The pirate’s first treasure!” She laughs to herself as I look at the two glasses on the table. Mine – my first one – is now fuller than hers.

“I’m gonna top them off to finish the bottle.” I pour the rest roughly evenly in the cups until I get to the last few gulps worth. I put them in my first cup and hand it to Lilly. Might as well even it out, though I’m sure she’s already had more than me tonight.

“Thanks.”

“Wanna dink it?”

“Pardon?”

“Here, we just-” I guide her hand towards my cup and the two glasses bounce off each other with a satisfying clink. “-do that!”

“Ah! What are we raising our final glasses to?”

I was just doing it for fun. Err, “Rum and plunder!”

“Aye?”

“Aye!” We laugh and I down a few more mouthfuls, Lilly follows suit.

I set my (new) cup on the table and make a mental note not to lose track of whose is whose. Lilly swishes hers around in her glass a little. Back to her question, I guess. I close my eyes and say, “When I said that earlier, I think it’s because Hisao’s not telling me something.”

“What do you~ mmean?” Lilly sets her glass on the nightstand.

“Something’s going on with him, and he won’t tell me what it is.” I sit up and twist to face her directly. My balance is terrible right now, even when sitting. “I think I can make some good guesses but I’d rather he just told me, and he says I can tell him anything, and I think I’ve told him a lot! Like, a lot a lot. More than I thought I’d ever be able to tell anyone. But now he’s not doing the same to me.”

“Maybe he’s trying to protect you from something?”

“I don’t need that! Asshole knows how I feel about that type of thinking.”

“Maybe he’s~ ssscared.”

“Of what?! I already told him I love him and wouldn’t leave him over some stupid shit. He should just be able to talk to me.”

“Mmmm.” She takes another sip of wine, then rests her head on her hands. “Have you asked him about it directly?”

“No.”

“Are you scared?”

I take a sip. “I don’t know.”

“Hmmm.”

“Am I being stupid?”

“I don’t believe so. I think it’s human nature to be scared of thozze~ we’re closest to.”

Because they can hurt us the most.

“Mmhmm.” She lays her head on its side. “I believe that people are irrational. Ffor~ example, we might know that someone is ‘strong’ enough to handle something, but~ we worry that they might not need to handle it. That it isn’t their burden to bear.”

“That’s not what a relationship’s about though! It’s about trust and honesty. Right?”

“We can still get~ ssscared. And someone who is scared is someone who is irrational and prone to making mistakes.”

“So are you scared?”

“Me?”

“Of Hanako.”

She rolls over onto her back. “Maybe.” I drink some more. It’s over half empty already. Lilly pulls herself into a sitting position and joins. “I’m scared she doesn’t need me.”

“Didn’t you say that was a good thing earlier?”

“It is. And I’m scared. See? Irrational.” Lilly smirks, but it’s wiped from her face quickly. “She won’t need me around anymore. She’s gained rreal~ friends. Friends who…” A tear falls from her face and she wipes her cheeks off. “I don’t think I’d blame her.”

“Why not? Friends should stick together.”

“What if I haven’t been treating her like a friend though?”

“I think you've been her only friend at this school for the longest time.”

“I wasss~ her only option. She’s outgrown me.”

“Then screw her!”

“What?!”

“If Hanako was really so ready to ditch you after everything you did for her then she’s an ungrateful, self-serving bitch! It’s not like you were doing it just to make yourself feel better or because you pitied her, right?”

Lilly nods sluggishly, mumbling an affirmative with furrowed eyebrows.

“You were doing it because you cared about her then?”

She nods again, but the noises barely escape her mouth this time.

“If she can’t see and appreciate that then screw her! Come on, if you believe that that’s really how Hanako thinks then say it! Screw Hanako!”

“I-...”

“Can’t say it?”

“Mm-mm.” She shakes her head vigorously, almost falling back onto the bed.

“There ya go then. She’s your friend, and you trust her. If it’s just as real to her, then she’ll come to the same understanding too.”

I look over and apparently Lilly finished off her glass at some point. She rolls under the covers, upside down on the bed. “And if she doesn’t?”

“You’ll survive. But I think she will.”

“And you?”

“Me?”

“Can you say ssscrew~ Hisao?”

“Ah-...”

“Can’t say it?”

Don’t want to.

Lilly smiles giddily.

“It’s different with Hisao.” I try to lift my leg to hug my knee, but it isn’t cooperating.

“Different how?”

“It just is.”

“Hmmm.”

…

“Sorry, Lilly.”

“What for?”

“I’ve been using you tonight, to get over this slump with Hisao. It isn’t fair to you.” Or right. This isn’t how I should be treating someone I want to call a friend. I should be here to be here with her, not to avoid thinking about Hisao. Guess I’m failing on both fronts.

“That isn’t right. If~ I thought you were just using me tonight, then I’d also have to believe Hanako’s been using me. Youuu_” She jabs a finger into the side of my head. “-just told me that’s not true! So it’s a misplaced perspective.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Course I… am…” She smiles proudly to herself, then her head falls limply onto the cloth under her – the smile slowly fading.

“Did you just fall asleep?”

Lilly grumbles a little, but doesn’t move. A minute later her breathing steadies and falls into a quiet rhythm. She looks peaceful. Leaning my head back on the bed again, I watch as the roof rotates into itself repetitively.

Am I really scared of my damn boyfriend? When did Emi Ibarazaki, The Fastest Thing on No Legs, become a coward? Hisao’s going through some shit, sure, but he needs to know he can talk to me. It took me eight years to learn that lesson, so of course he hasn’t come as far as me yet! Maybe I haven’t been clear, and Hisao’s an idiot sometimes so maybe he hasn’t caught on yet. If so then I’m an even bigger idiot for dwelling on this whole thing – if not, then I’m still an idiot for trusting in him.

Think it over. We get in a crash. He nearly dies.

He nearly dies.

Then? Then he wakes up in a hospital and sees his girlfriend in a wheelchair. What does she go and do? Distance herself again, just like she did a couple weeks earlier and it went really, really bad then, so of course Hisao would be terrified. He was left to stew in his thoughts for a whole week. What happens at the end of all that worrying and thinking and stressing? His girlfriend- me- I tell him I might lose the only thing he knows makes me really happy – besides him – and that it might mean I lose the one driving force I’ve had in my life for nearly a decade now. Who wouldn’t be terrified after that? Of course he’s coddling me. I pretty much told him, ‘hey everything sucks and I think I’m running out of reasons to keep going’, so obviously he’d shut me out of his own worries. I am an idiot! But I’m no coward. I’m not scared of Hisao. In fact-

I bolt upright, grab my cup, and down the rest of the wine. Then I pull my phone out and dial Hisao. It’s after midnight. Oh well.

He picks up, his voice heavy with sleep. “Hello?”

“Hey Hisao!”

“Emi? Are you okay? You sound-”

“Just tired.” And drunk. I giggle for a moment. “But I wanted to talk to you. No, I needed to talk to you.”

“You’re what? I thought you were hanging out with Lilly tonight.”

“Yeah.” She’s drunk too, and asleep. “She’s asleep.”

“Right… Are you sure you’re okay?”

Hey, I’m supposed to ask you that, asshole. “’Course I’m fine! Heyyy, aren’t you happy to hear your girlfriend's voice? Hmph.”

“Ah- uh, sorry? And of course I am! I just…”

“Hmm?”

“Nothing. You were saying something?”

“Yeah! So, I want to ask you something.” Many things.

“Okay… fire away?”

Now that I’m here, on the phone with him, the question lingers on the tip of my tongue and my blood runs cold. “I uhh- Are you scared?”

“Scared? Of what?”

Being honest. Talking to me. Not being an ass. “Of what happened in the crash.”

“What’s going on, Emi? You aren’t acting like yourself.”

Ironic. Stop dodging every damn question I ask you. “I’m fine.”

“You’re worrying me.”

That’s part of the problem.

“I can’t control that, Emi! Didn’t we go over this already. I’ll always-”

Yeah. We did. And I thought it was going to be a two way street, but clearly I trusted you too much. “I know you went to Shige after we left the other day.”

“Shige?”

“Nurse.”

“I told- I mean, why do you think that?”

He didn’t have to tell me a damn thing.

“So what, you have spies keeping tabs on me now?

You know, that’s not a bad idea. At this rate, who knows what else you’re hiding from me. “I ran into someone who saw you going to him – clutching your chest. They were worried about you.” And now I guess I’m right back to lying too. He’s wrapping other people up in his lie just like I’ve done so many times.

“Emi… You’re not yourself right now.”

Oh screw you, Hisao. “We need to talk about this. It’s important.”

“It can wait till morning – when you’re-”

“No. It can’t.”

“Then talk.”

“What are you running from?”

“Nothing.”

Bullshit!

“So you don’t trust me?”

I really want to. “I just want to help you.”

“Me? You want to help me?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Is that really so hard to believe? If we really can’t even do that much, then maybe we really aren’t right for each other.

“What the hell Emi? We’re doing this again? Really? Help me understand what’s happening right now. Please.”

“What’s happening is you keep dodging me. You’re hiding something and I don’t know why and- it… it scares me.”

“I-... I’m not-”

Bullshit.

“Why don’t… why can’t you trust me?”

“Cause you’re lying to me.”

“Don’t you think I’d have a good reason for not telling you something?”

“That’s not what I want.”

“Emi, I-... you have enough going on.”

“So I’m only your girlfriend when it’s convenient for you to look good and be the hero?”

“What? That’s not what I-”

“But that’s just how you are, isn’t it? Hisao, the knight in shining armor, who’s able to come in and save the day but gods forbid him from looking weak ever – from letting someone actually try to help him. You keep telling me it’s okay to hurt and to be scared and to talk, but you won’t let yourself do that with me. It’s like you don’t fucking…”

…

“Like I ‘don’t fucking’ what?”

“It’s like you don’t love me enough to do that.”

“Do you… really believe that?”

I really don’t want to. When you first said that you loved me all that time ago, I really, truly believed it. It gave me so much relief because for the first time since the first crash I finally felt like it was okay to let those words be true. Did I let my guard down too soon? Were those words just some means to an end? If you were really telling the truth, you wouldn’t cut me off like this. You’d let me help you. You clearly need it. “I don-”

“Tch. Who’s the White Knight now? Look, Emi, I’ve got an important doctor’s appointment in the morning I can’t afford to miss. Goodnight.”

“Wait, wha-” The line dies. Was I… Oh no. I was- but I didn’t- He wasn’t meant to- How long have I-

I rapidly re-dial his number. It goes straight to voicemail. Shit. What did I do? How much did I say?

I need to fix this.

I need to talk to him.

I grab my crutches and make for the door. Shit, when did I crash into the wall? My shoulder hurts. I grab a crutch from the ground, but the other’s missing. Where’d it go? Don’t need it. Then I’m outside of the room, hobbling down the hall.

“Emi?”

I keep moving. Whoever that is can wait. I need to get to Hisao. We need to talk. I need to-

The crutch under my right side slips and I crash onto the ground in a series of loud thumps and a few clangs. Something falls on top of me. “Fuck!”

“Woah! What’s going on Emi?” They try to grab my arms but I slap them away while throwing what fell off of me.

When I turn, I see Mimuro staring back at me with wide eyes and frozen hands. “Mimuro?” I look around me. At the mess on the ground. My leg. My hands. What am I doing here? Where am I trying to go? What am I expecting to be able to do? I look back up, tears starting to blur my vision. “I think I messed up.”

“Clearly.” The shock wears off and she crosses her arms.

“I don’t know what to do.”

“You smell like alcohol. Come on, let’s get you to your room; you need to sleep this off.”

I nod. At least I think I do. The world bounces around either way. She helps me pick up whatever I knocked over, then goes over to Lilly’s door. She looks back and tells me to stay put, then goes inside for a minute. Just as quickly, she comes back out then closes the door. I can’t make out her face. When she gets back to me, she helps me stand back up on my foot and makes sure I can hold the crutch on the far side, which takes a lot more brain power than it should. She leverages herself under my other arm and guides us somewhere. I think I might’ve heard another door open at some point and she must’ve talked to someone, but nothing specific comes into focus. Eventually we’re inside the elevator and probably moving up.

“I really messed up, Mimi.”

“Yep.”

The elevator dings and the door opens. We’re suddenly in front of my room. Once inside she deposits me on my bed, then leans the crutch across my wheelchair. It’s not exactly where I left it. I must have given her the key at some point because I don’t think I opened the door. I don’t know.

“Will you be okay here, Emi?”

I nod. She grabs a cup from my shelf and fills it at the sink. The faucet is so loud. “Here, drink this.”

“Not thirsty.”

“Drink it anyways. You’ll thank me in the morning.”

I obey. When she’s convinced I’ve had enough, she lays me down, then goes to refill it.

“Mimi, I was in a car crash.”

“I know. You told me yesterday, remember?”

I shake my head. “Eight years ago. Drunk driver. I almost died. That’s when I lost my legs.”

“Oh. Emi, I think you should sleep.”

“They weren’t all I lost.”

“Emi, you really shouldn’t-”

“I think Hisao just broke up with me.”

“What?!” Mimi walks over to the bed and sits next to me. “Are you sure?”

“I don’t know.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know.” Her hand squeezes mine. I squeeze it back tightly. “I’m scared.” I feel streams of water fall down the sides of my face. “What did I do?”

“It’s okay.”

“What do I do?”

“Deal with it tomorrow.”

“Is that okay?”

“It has to be.”

…

“Don’t leave me, Mimi”

“Sure.”

“Please.”

“I’m right here.” I feel her lie down next to me, and I lose my ability to speak. “It’s okay, Emi, I’m not going anywhere.” I pull her closer. “It’s okay. You’re gonna be okay.”

Eventually the tears dry up.

Eventually I stop thinking so much.

Eventually exhaustion takes over.

---

Table of Contents | Previous Scene: Scene 6 - Chapter 3: Phantoms II | Next Scene: Scene 7 - Bonds I

And that's a wrap for Scene 6! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Scene 7 is going to be two chapters long, each at about the length of this one so I'm going to give myself a bit more wiggle room with the schedule for these two. Mainly so that I can re-work Scenes 8/9 to improve them and hopefully be able to continue posting straight from 7 to 8. If I manage to reach a point in Scene 8 where I feel like it's ready before November, I'll post Scene 7's first chapter a little sooner, but I don't make any promises.

Anywho, enough of that. This chapter was pretty fun to write (for most of it). I think the unique dynamic and situation both Lilly and Emi are in here make for fun writing and they form a bond here because of it, but all good things can go too far. Still, I really liked writing the littler interactions and events through the stages of their inebriation and I hope you liked reading them too! Unfortunately Akira had to leave early, but even here brief presence also helped make for some fun, and serious, moments. I can't promise we'll get more chapters dedicated to this trio/duo as they are here, but I would certainly like to write more given the chance! (and maybe I could do a mild crackship Lilly/Emi short as an excuse to...)

I think it's also time to talk about the long term of Uncertainty. Conceptually, this was meant to be a 4 act story, but in writing and over time I think my goal for that has shifted. As it is now, I see Uncertainty getting 2 acts. If I wanted to aim for the original 4 acts, I'd probably consider ending Act 1 here based on length, but the structure and pacing I've gone with until now would mean that Act 1 ending here would feel sudden and rushed. As such, I'll aim to end Act 1 where I originally planned to, and Act 2 will wrap up this part of Uncertainty. For all intents and purposes, that'll be the end of this story, but the original act 3 and 4 may still be adapted into a "part 2" of Uncertainty if I feel the motivation/need down the line. Maybe this plan will change again down the line, but given the current length and pacing I feel that 2 acts is all that's needed for this story to reach its - hopefully - satisfying conclusion. Act 1 has evolved dramatically since the original idea and I think it's only fitting that the overall plan for the story does as well to account for those changes, and I think this is what's right. I hope to see you all stick with me as I continue this journey!

Once more and as always, I appreciate you taking the time to read this story! Thanks especially for coming back, commenting, and/or giving me the motivation to continue!

[Peorth]

“Lot’s of boy

Lots

roof supposed

ceiling

Lilly’s face widens

This reads weirdly, but I'm not sure how to fix it, 'eyes widen', maybe?

(and maybe I could do a mild crackship Lilly/Emi short as an excuse to...)

[SilentM]

My goggles might be on a little too tight, but I'm rooting for Lilly to realize her feelings for Hanako.

[StealthyWolf]

[errors]

fixed

My goggles might be on a little too tight, but I'm rooting for Lilly to realize her feelings for Hanako.

[StealthyWolf]

Scene 7: Bonds I

Chapter 1: Family Appointment

1-7 stacked.jpg (3.86 MiB) Viewed 2417 times

---

[Text Version of Journal Entry:]

► Show Spoiler

Sunday| 26th of August, 2007

Thought I'd it’d be a good time to do this thing again since the doctor’s out doing whatever he’s doing. Been a couple days since I actually updated this. and I did tell Nurse I’d try to keep up with it. Where to start…

I guess I’ll pick up where I left off last time. I mean the last real entry, not- Anyway. Post-Karaoke. (Not going to keep doing the thing to change dates. Looks messy) Just as expected, by the time our two hours were up, half of us couldn’t speak without our voices cracking. I was spared but in return was in a bit of pain. Not much more to say there. (I guess I could’ve squeezed that in last time I worked on this.)

Then on Saturday yesterday a few of us (Takumi, Iwanako, Kai) met up at Mori’s to get lunch. They were pretty busy, so we didn’t really get to talk (not that) to Mai, but that’s a good thing. Not that the others wanted to really talk all that much to begin with. We were there for ‘recovery ramen’ as Kai put it. Iwanako apparently lost her voice completely. It was funny seeing her try to communicate mostly through hand gestures. For a moment they (Kai/Iwanako) reminded me of Shizune and Misha. If only they knew actual sign language.

Anyways, that was lunch. After that I went home and did some reading and studying. (meant to, anyways) I also cleaned watched some T.V. since I had the house to myself until dinner. Mom and Dad both were able to make it. Not much to say about that since we mostly talked about the plan for this morning. Strangely they told me to keep my day clear, so I think we’re probably going to go out for lunch or something. They’re keeping me in the dark though. I just really hope, really hope they don’t try and talk about I wonder what we’ll be doing. Probably lunch first, after this. They were tired from the day so after a bit of small-talk they went to bed early, leaving me to my own devices again.

I realized I hadn’t taken my daily walk yet (besides to go to Mori’s) so I did that. Walking around at night used to give me a fun rush. Now it’s just kind of nostalgic. (And I was a little nervous instead of a little excited, which is a little sad.) That’s not all that happened last night, but I’m still working the rest of that out and do not feel like re-living it again right now.

Which brings us to today. Well, I guess I started already. Anyways, I’m writing this mostly to pass the time and as a convenient excuse to avoid making Mom feel the need to talk about everything we were just told. Which was that-

---

Footsteps steadily approach the door, then it clicks open. Doctor Yamanokawa steps back into the examination room with a folder in hand. “Sorry for the long wait.” Despite his creeping age, there’s an energy in his voice that can’t help but to worm hope into my head. “Our printer was out of ink and we had to send a search party out for more. Turns out it was buried under- Ah, there I go again.” He shakes his head and smiles, then sets the folder on the counter while sitting down.

Mom laughs politely. “Don’t worry about it! We kept ourselves busy.” And by that she means I kept myself busy while she watched – well, zoned out while looking in my direction with a worried look plastered on her face. Made writing harder than it needed to be.

“Good, good. Now…” They spend a few minutes hashing out the details of our next visits here and what comes beyond that. The when, how, why, what’s covered financially, what they’ll need from us, what they’ll need from the Satous, and so on. I listen enough to get a gist of what’s going on, but mostly I keep getting distracted by my own thoughts.

That is, until they’re both looking at me expectantly. I think I heard a questioning tone a moment ago. “I’m sorry, what was that?” I stammer out.

“See?” Mom giggles and I can’t help but feel embarrassed by being made a display. “He was asking if you had any questions.”

“Ah, uhh, not really about anything from today, but…” I hate doing this, but I don’t need Mom and Dad to be worrying too much again. “... could I talk to the doctor in private, please?”

“Oh? Should I be concerned?” The immediate worry on her face makes lying harder.

“No, it’s just, err, boy problems.”

“Hmm. Well then, if you’ll excuse me.” Mom gives the doctor a deep bow and they say their goodbyes. Then she turns to me. “I’ll be joining your father in the waiting room, Hisao.”

“Right. Thanks, Mom.”

She smiles, but I can tell she’s hurt by being asked to leave – especially since she definitely saw through the ‘boy troubles’ excuse. Everything else that’s happened today is probably wearing on her as well; I’ll be coming in for another surgery after all.

The door closes and after her footfalls become appropriately quiet, the doctor turns to inspect me. “So, Mr. Nakai, what is it you wish to discuss in the absence of your mother? I assume ‘boy troubles’ is code for something else?” So even he could tell. Damn.

Steeling myself, I turn back to him. “I was told that I should talk to you about some ‘concerning events’ that took place a few days ago, from before I came back out here.” I can’t find a better stand-in for Nurse’s words.

“Concerning in what nature?”

“It’s… medical? I think.” I scratch my head and reposition myself on the exam bed, but can’t seem to find a comfortable sitting position. The paper cover loudly crunches as I shift around. “Nurse – ah, I mean the head nurse from my school – says I might have had a… uhm… a panic attack, and that I should talk to you about it.”

“Ah, yes. He did mention a ‘concerning event’ and sent over a report at the time.” His echoing of my wording doesn’t go unnoticed. “Curiously, he asked that I forgo reading over it until your visit today; I can assume this was at your request?” I nod. He pulls out one folder from many in a pile. My pile. It must be the report. “Though it was a rather unusual request, given that he assured me it was not pertinent that I read the document, I agreed to hold off. May I?” He knows he doesn’t need my permission, but I appreciate the gesture none-the-less. I nod again and he flips it open. The whole reason I asked for him not to do so until now was so that he wouldn’t mention anything in front of my parents. I’m glad he agreed to wait, or at least put on a good enough show to make it seem like he did.

While reading, his face remains perfectly still – like he’s not reading about the apparent complete collapse of my sanity. When he gets what he needs from the file, he sets it aside and lifts his head back to me with his eyes closed and a hand resting on his chin. Desperate for an opinion different from Nurse’s and too impatient to wait, I ask, “So, what do you think? It was just a flutter, right?”

He shakes his head and a solemn expression washes over his face. “Firstly, ‘just a flutter’ is an oxymoron. It’d be good practice for you to remember that. Secondly, I’d have to agree with your school’s nurse here. Based on the description of events, symptoms, and taking into account everything you’ve been through, it was likely a panic attack. I won’t rule out the possibility of a cardiovascular event given your condition, but I am of the opinion that Nurse Sasaki’s conclusion is most likely accurate.”

“That doesn’t make sense though! He thinks I’m worried about her dying in a car crash, but that’s stupid because the odds of that happening are insanely low! Emi being in two is a fringe case of extraordinarily bad luck. That’s it. It’d be ridiculous to imagine- to worry she’d get in a third. Right?” Even I can hear the desperation in my voice. But it has to be the truth. It has to be.

“Yet you recognize that it is a possibility.”

Like walls built on sand, my argument already starts falling apart. “I mean, of course it is. Just like a plane could come crashing into her at any given moment, or- I don’t know- a meteor strikes the city, or an especially bad earthquake hits, or hell, she has a random heart attack from a disease that went under the radar her whole life.”

“Have you seen any of those things happen to her before?”

“Well.. no, but-”

“In that case, wouldn’t it be ‘ridiculous to imagine’ any of those events? You’d have no frame of reference for how they’d play out and what the exact consequences would be.”

“I guess…”

“The same can’t be said for a car crash. You have seen – up close and personal – what it can do. To your friend specifically, no less.” He looks at me expectantly. What do I even say to that? He’s right, and I know he’s right and that what he’s saying makes logical sense, but… “Can I tell you a story, Mr. Nakai?”

“Just call me Hisao.” I should’ve told him that months ago, but I wasn’t really talkative last time I was with him. “I’ll be here often enough. And go ahead.”

“Alright, Hisao.” He readjusts in his chair, leaning on his knees. “I was eight when it happened. When I almost watched my older brother die. We went to a water park to escape the summer heat and of course we went straight one of those massive wave pools. The problem is, neither of us were really experienced swimmers back then.” I think I can get an idea of where this story is going.

Dr. Yamanokawa leans back and loses himself in the memory. “Even still, we pushed deeper… and deeper… and deeper… every. wave. It was fun and exciting, but we were kids and got carried away. When we finally reached a point where neither of us could reach the bottom, the next wave came and my brother lost his ring. He slipped underwater and vanished. Buried under dozens of bodies and rings. When the lifeguards pulled him out… I’ll never forget how blue his skin was. The stillness of his entire body.” His voice cracks, sending a chill down my back. I can’t imagine seeing all that as a kid. It must’ve been terrifying.

The doctor’s face going a shade paler confirms as much. He takes a breath and the color comes back. “Miraculously, they were able to resuscitate him and he survived, but ever since then I was petrified by the thought of that happening again. To the point that seeing him even approach a body of water was enough to nearly cause me to faint. On top of that, you couldn’t get me to go near a crowd for over a year, even if you tried to drag me with two grown men. It got so bad that about four years later my parents announced we were going to the beach for a family get-a-way and I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even think properly. It was like my heart stopped and my brain froze. It was so scary I believed I was dying. I was inconsolable. A full-blown panic attack.” He lets the words hang in the air for dramatic effect.

I get what he’s trying to say, but there’s one massive difference here. He was a child and I’m nearly an adult. I’ve got years of experience and maturity and growth on him when that all happened. I know better. Dr. Yamanokawa watches me a little longer. Maybe he was expecting me to respond. “You want to know what the craziest part of that was?”

How am I supposed to know? “What?”

“After that incident, he joined the swim team. He was nearly at the top of his team by the time the beach trip was announced. In other words: he was an amazing swimmer and was more than capable of swimming on his own by then. Yet I was still terrified of seeing it. I was terrified of him drowning, despite knowing the chances were ‘insanely low’.”

“It was completely against all logic.” I sigh, finally understanding the full scope of the story. There’s really no denying it as much as I want to. I had a panic attack.

“Exactly” He sits up, proud that I reached the conclusion he wanted. “The human brain is amazingly intelligent, but it’s also capable of being incredibly stupid. We can try to understand it, but there’ll always be something it does that we don’t expect. Something that breaks the rules.”

“So that’s it? I just need to get over it and move on?” Same, useless advice I got while in that sorry state after my heart attack. Worded more bluntly, but in effect the same thing.

“Not at all. I still freeze for a moment when I watch him – my brother – swim, and he’s 48 years young now. Trust me when I say, the man’s a fine swimmer now-a-days; he’s no Kosuke Kitajima, but he’d swim circles around me while asleep. He puts young’uns to shame routinely as well.”

“So… what do I do?”

“Well, I could of course prescribe you…” Dr. Yamanokawa rattles off a few different drugs with complex names easily confused with an alien language, “...but I think that would be hasty. Hmm. Looking at it, most typical treatment paths conflict with your existing medication and would be bad for your condition, so we’ll mark those off as a last resort. Next best solution I can give is that you could seek out a therapist, though I’m not well connected in the field. That said, I could certainly look into it and send over the report to your school.”

I flinch at the idea. “I, uhh…” does he really have to send that over to Nurse?

He catches onto my apprehension. “I hope you weren’t expecting that I’d leave this out of my report.”

I can’t even get myself to verbally respond. I just shake my head silently.

“Good, because I won’t. Which brings me to my next point. It’d be best if you informed those around you in your personal life of this as well. The more the merrier. Your unique situation must not be taken lightly and your health takes priority over how others might see you.” What’s that supposed to mean?

“So I have to wait it out, basically?” Make that three problems they can’t help me with.

“Hmm. To be honest, despite my history, I have little experience with all of this. My recommendation is to keep a close eye on your symptoms; if they worsen, come back to me and we’ll try something more direct. Ideally this is nothing more than a temporary response to the trauma you experienced in the crash and it will quickly fade with time and exposure.”

“And if I have another… panic attack?”

“As I currently see it, you are not at a great risk at this time. If you take care to be mindful of triggering stimuli, and promptly respond to any dangers, then I believe we have little reason to prioritize focusing on this issue right now. If it does manage to persist in the long term, the scheduled procedure in Winter will help dramatically reduce any risk related to your condition.”

Despite everything, it doesn’t surprise me that this is the outcome. If there were some sort of miracle drug for everything then the laundry list of pills on my desk would be a lot smaller, my ribs wouldn’t make being awake a living hell, and my head wouldn’t be aching in what little down-time I get from chest pains. This… panic attack situation is just one more thing I can lump in with the group.

But maybe there is something he can help with after all. I hope. “One more thing. I’ve been having some pretty bad insomnia for a couple weeks now – ever since I was put on the new stuff – and it’s only been getting worse. Anything that can help with that?”

“Now that sounds like something I can help with. Give me just a moment…”

~ ~ ~

“So his procedure is on January second?” Dad’s driving this time. If this isn’t what they were talking about while I was still with the doctor, then what were they discussing?

And why did it make Mom cry? She reaches over and grabs Dad’s spare hand. “Doctor Yamanokawa wanted to let Hisao enjoy his last holiday and festival season as a high school student before his procedure.”

“If that’s the case, couldn’t it have been done sooner?”

“Hisao’s ribs need to fully heal and he wants to make sure that there are no complications. Plus it’ll be less disruptive to his testing if we wait.” We? As far as I see it, I’m the one going under.

Fine, that’s a bit harsh. I shouldn’t take out my frustrations on them. This is stressful on Mom and Dad too.

“Hmm.” Dad chuckles. “I guess that would make sense. Make sure your calendar's clear, Hisao!”

“Oh yeah, you know me; I’ve always got sooo much going on that it’ll be hard to cancel all my plans.”

Mom turns to shoot me a playful glare. Her eyes aren’t as red anymore. It hurts knowing I’ve made her cry so much this year.

I smile back at Mom, then turn to look out the window, watching as building after building drifts by behind us. They still haven’t told me what all our plans are for today. I thought it’d just be lunch, but they said I should keep the rest of the day clear. Who knows what else is on the agenda. I could use the break though. After last night… Nope. Not thinking about that right now. Left my phone turned off for a reason.

As if that’d stop my brain.

‘I really don’t want to.’ So Emi thinks I don’t love her ‘enough’, whatever that means.

‘You’d let me help you.’ How? How could you possibly help me, Emi? This is my issue. My stupid brain and weak heart. You’ve got your own – bigger, more important – issues to worry about. It’s because I love you that I can’t force this on you.

‘But you won’t let yourself do that with me.’

I close my eyes to clear my head and a new voice echoes in my head.

‘Stick with her.’ I’m trying, Mrs. Ibarazaki. ‘These next few weeks will probably be really hard on her. So please just try and hold on, no matter what happens.’ I don’t even know if this is worse than the last time we fought. It feels like it is. Can we come back from this? ‘I know she loves you.’ But love can fade. It can die. Does Emi even…

“Hisaooo~?” Mom snaps me out of my thoughts, literally. Evidently I had spiraled deeper than I had thought. She pulls her hand back to the front after I flinch and look at her.

I shake my head clear. “What? Sorry.”

“I was asking if you’re okay with that plan.” My lost look only seems to annoy her a little. After some explaining, she was apparently asking if I was okay with going to one of the restaurants we used to frequent, known for their Kare Raisu. Even though I just had curry with Mai a few days ago, I wouldn’t mind going back there. I wonder if Old Man Dazai still runs the kitchen, or if he finally handed off the reins to his son.

After I agree, Dad grunts affirmatively. He’s probably just happy to be eating out for the first time in who knows how long. According to Mom, he’s been especially run ragged this past month and they don’t expect that to change anytime soon. Curiously, neither of them went into details as for why.

Mom leans back in her chairs with a satisfied hum, then says, “Good. After lunch we’ll be off to the aquari-”

Dad’s arm flies over to flick Mom in the forehead. “Spoilers! We were meant to keep that a secret.”

Ah, so that’s where we’re going afterwards.

Mom pouts and rubs her forehead. “I forgot.”

“Well, cat’s outta the bag now.” Dad shakes his head.

“At least I didn’t mention-” So there’s more?

“SHHHH! Are you trying to give up all our secrets, woman?!” He swipes at the air in front of Mom, and she swipes back at his hands.

I watch as they cat-fight and can’t help but laugh, which in turn causes me to cough. After I recover, I say, “Sounds like we have a busy day ahead of us.”

Dad sighs, but the contrasting smile on his face in the rear-view mirror is a sight I’ve not seen in a long time. “Indeed. Just how busy will be left up in the air.” He gives Mom a dramatic side-eye.

Mom bats his arm, “Oh you shush. I’m just excited!”

“I’ll just count my lucky stars that you don’t play poker.”

She jabs his shoulder. “You’re lucky I love you. You know that, right?”

“I can’t argue that.” He takes Mom’s hand in his, then kisses the back of it. “What I must’ve done in my past life to deserve such a reward.”

I groan. “Get a room, you two.”

“Awww, Hicchan!” Mom turns to me with an enthusiastic smile. “You should be happy your parents are so comfortable around each-other!”

“I’ve seen hormonal teenagers with more restraint than you two.”

Mom giggles, then faces forward and snuggles into Dad’s arm between them which does nothing but prove my point - and makes Dad blush. Still, it does make me happy to see them so relaxed. There was a time where I thought a scene like this was impossible for us to come by again.

~ ~ ~

Old Man Dazai’s still barking orders around the kitchen, but he’s mainly running the register now so I think he is starting to take a step back. If only a little. We place our order and I get a chance to look around. The restaurant is as popular as ever, filled with a comfortable lunch rush at most tables and stalls. I even see a couple tourists at one booth which is a new sight. Our local hide-a-way seems to have gone mainstream. Part of me is sad to see the little secret lose that local touch, but only a bit. If anyone deserves to make it big, it’s Old Man Dazai and his family. Hard to believe this place almost closed down eight years ago.

We reach our booth and sit down. Mom rests her chin in her hands. “So Hisao, how’d the ‘talk’ go with your friends?” She smirks with an accusing glint in her eyes.

“Ah, so you finally heard…”

“Finally? I heard the next day. It was the talk of the neighborhood! Hakami almost called the police until she realized it was you that Mai was arguing with.”

I rub the back of my neck. “Sorry about that. I’ll be careful not to make a scene again.”

She grins. “I’ve heard that one before. Buuut, I can forgive you this time since it looks like you’ve made up with them.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far just yet, but it looks like they’re giving me a chance at least.”

“So, mind sharing the details or was it a private affair?”

“Well, there isn’t too much to share. After the err, talk… outside the house we just went to the park to catch up. Mostly I was telling them about Yamaku, like I told you guys.”

“That’s good. Hakami mentioned there being a third voice, but she couldn’t make them out.”

“That would’ve been Shin. He stopped our shouting match before it went on too long”

Dad gives an approving nod. “So have that boy and Mai finally stopped fighting so often? I remember them being at each other's throats every time you turned around.”

“They haven’t even slowed down. In fact, I think they’ve gotten worse in my absence…”

Dad hangs his head in expected disappointment and grumbles something to the effect of ‘kids these days’. Mom rubs his back, then says, “So, did you talk about anything else?” She’s probably digging to see how much I know about what’s happened here since I left.

“We didn’t get to talk much more than that because… well, Mai texted Iwanako to get her to come talk to me. Which she did.”

Dad tenses up. Right. I almost forgot about the end of that night. Even Mom looks uncomfortable with the revelation, but she still neutrally asks, “How did that go?”

I’ve never really hidden all that much from Mom and Dad when it comes to my friends, though there’s never been all that much to hide. Still, I don’t think there’s a point in starting now. “Pretty good, I think. It took some convincing, but I made sure she knew that I don’t blame her for what happened, and that I was sorry for how I acted in the hospital. So basically, we settled everything. Put it all behind us so we can start over as friends, you know?”

A flash of disappointment takes over Mom’s face. Was she still hoping Iwanako and I would get back together? The look doesn’t last long, and a devious grin takes its place. “Good. I was worried my son might’ve been turning into a playboy from all the stories I’ve been hearing.”

“Not a chance. I’m- taken.” The stutter doesn’t go unnoticed. There’s a lot of things I don’t want to talk about or think about right now, apparently.

Still, Mom doesn’t pry. “This goes without saying, but if I ever hear you’ve been unfaithful I’ll serve your head on a platter to whatever poor girl you’ve hurt.” Despite the cheery nature of her voice, the cold stare she gives me would send a chill down the spines of Yakuza members.

“N-” I clear my throat, then firmly state, “Not a chance.”

She crosses her arms proudly. Then a gravelly voice chimes in from behind me, “You best take your mother’s words seriously now, boy. It’s in her blood to follow through on that threat.”

Ignoring the gruesome implications of the comment, I call back, “Hey Grandpa Dazai!” He’s not my grandpa by blood, but it’s what I’ve always called him with how often we used to come here. Besides, he’s pretty much everyone’s Grandpa in this place.

Mom frowns at me. “Forgive my son’s rudeness, Dazai-san.”

He smiles warmly at all of us. “Bah, nonsense! If he didn’t greet me like an insulant kid then I’d worry something was wrong!” He laughs boisterously. “Now then, it’s been ages since we got to serve the whole Nakai family at once - might this be a celebration?”

Mom waves the air in front of her. “Nothing that grand. Hicchan’s back from school for the summer, so we’re enjoying a day out together.”

“Ah, so that’s where my favorite delinquent’s been.” He points a stern finger at me. “I hope you haven’t been slacking off in your studies while away from home.”

“Me? Not a chance.” I’m only behind right now because I spent multiple months in the hospital.

“Good. You keep it that way.” Old Man Dazai puts his hands on his hips. “Well then, in celebration of Hisao’s studies and upcoming entrance exams, this meal’s on the house.”

Dad raises his hands. “We couldn’t possibly-”

“Nonsense! The Nakai’s and Akiyama’s continued patronage throughout the years is more than enough reason. Just make sure to order an extra large dish next time you’re here!” He gives a hearty laugh and wink, then marches off to address the newest customers before either of my parents have another chance to protest.

~ ~ ~

“So you really don’t have an interest in marine-biology anymore?” Mom’s eyes are focused on the road as they string me along to the next – mysterious – destination. Mom managed not to spill the secret on what the remaining destination or destinations are.

I smile wistfully and turn to the window to watch as the city streets pass by around us. I forgot how busy Tokyo can be compared to anywhere near Yamaku. Well, I haven’t been to the heart of Sendai much so it could probably get close. Still, even the side roads with less foot traffic here are still rife with life even after the sun’s started setting. Compared to the quiet town around Yamaku, it’s kind of surreal to see hundreds of people walking on the sidewalks, splitting off into office buildings, pubs, cafes, markets, and a whole slew of other shops and entertainment buildings. The streets are equally full of buses, cars, cyclists, and other public transport vehicles that flood the areas around us.

“You still awake back there?” Mom teases.

“What? Oh, right.” She asked a question. “Marine-biology. Well, it’s not like I don’t like the subject anymore or anything, it’s just not what I’m interested in studying anymore. After reaching high school level biology I realized how complicated it was, it struck me that I’d rather keep it as a fascination rather than a career choice.” And my grades are proof of that change of heart. Luckily Mutou’s field is more in line with what I’m good at, or I’d likely have disappointed him.

“So is that around when you started leaning toward physics?”

“Not exactly. I was always interested in the sciences as a general field of study, physics included, well before then. Mostly because it came to me naturally. It was only very recently that I had any reason to go into it deeper. I figure that if I like it, and I’m good at it, then it’d be a waste to not try and go for a position in the field.” I also like the idea of helping advance our knowledge as a species. Make some small contribution to our understanding of… well, everything. Advancements in one field can lead to new discoveries and technologies for others.

“That’s very practical, Hicchan. Good for you.” She smiles and looks over to Dad’s slumped over figure in the passenger seat. “Your Dad was the same way. He used to think he was going to be a history teacher – or maybe even a professor or something.”

Yeah, that makes sense. Dad’s always been kind of a history buff; something I definitely did not inherit. He snorts, as if he heard us talking about him. Mom looks at me in the mirror and we both giggle. By the end of our time at the aquarium you could almost mistake him for a belligerent drunk given how much he was stumbling over himself and drooping. He was lights out in the car before the engine was even running. According to Mom, he only got a couple hours of sleep after work last night before waking up for my doctor’s appointment. Why he didn’t just stay home to sleep in is beyond me. We could have picked him up before lunch.

I look over at Dad. A history professor, huh? “What changed?”

“Nothing, really. He just stumbled into a few good opportunities in the logistical field, and the rest is… history.” Would I be willing to drop my studies if a good office job was offered to me? I’d like to imagine I’d stick with them. Office work sounds a hell of a lot more boring than lab work.

I silently wave goodbye to the surface and bustling streets as we enter a tunnel, which is a shame because there’s a palace around here that’s supposedly really pretty. Maybe that’s our destination? Dad would love a place like that. “Gonna tell me where we’re going now?”

“That’d spoil the fun!”

“I knew we were going to Sunshine City before and still had plenty of fun.”

“One: that’s a different type of fun than I’m talking about. Two: you only knew we were going to an aquarium.”

“Would we be going to any different one?”

Mom shrugs indifferently, dodging the question. Our next destination is apparently South – deeper into the heart of Tokyo – and considering how far we’ve already driven it seems like my parents are prepared to get home rather late tonight. I might even end up sleeping in the car too at this rate.

Speaking of time, any other night I’d be calling Emi right about now. I’m not even sure I would under normal circumstances, but I’m certainly not going to risk spoiling the day out with Mom and Dad by doing that now. Still, I should at least tell Emi I’ll be missing tonight’s call.

I pull out my phone and, for the first time since last night, I turn it on. Three missed calls from Emi; two last night immediately after I hung up and one in the morning. She didn’t leave a voicemail either time. No messages from her. But there are a couple from others. One from Shin asking if we can hang out tomorrow to talk privately. One from Mai bragging about a new recipe she succeeded at. Finally, a message from Takumi thanking me for hearing him out the other day.

First off I respond to the other three messages. As for Emi… I don’t even know where we stand right now. She was obviously drunk last night, which is surprising for a few reasons – one of which being that she was with Lilly and Lilly was drinking too. As for what she said, what can I make of all that? I don’t think I can write it all off as just her being drunk, even if I wanted to.

‘Oh screw you, Hisao.’

‘...clearly I trusted you too much.’

‘Not being an Ass.’

‘I’m supposed to ask you that, asshole.’

Echoes of the call ring out in my head. All said completely straight. She might’ve been too drunk to keep her thoughts to herself, but that doesn’t change the fact that she was thinking them. That she said them. I didn’t think there was a way she could feel colder to me than when she was stone-walling me all that time ago, but I was wrong.

That hurt.

And I know she was drunk, and that she probably didn’t mean to say all of that. But still…

Then I blew up right back at her. Damn. Maybe I am an asshole. She’s just worried about me, I hope… but I don’t need her damn pity. I’m not like I was a few months ago. I’m better. Stronger. I can handle my own shit.

Hypocrite.

I shake my head clear, then send her an apology for missing tonight’s phone call alongside a short explanation. After it’s sent I turn the phone back off and tuck it away. I must’ve been wearing my emotions on my face because Mom’s is filled with concern. “You okay?”

“Just letting Emi know I’ll be missing our call for tonight.”

“If you need to step away for a few minutes to-”

“No, it’s fine. Tonight’s our night as a family. Emi and I can always talk tomorrow.” Or later.

A hint of worry crosses her face, but she bites her tongue. We finally emerge from the tunnel into a new series of towering buildings. There’s less commercial structures and stores in this area, instead replaced by large office buildings and skyscrapers on all sides. A glance behind us reveals the silhouette of the ‘island’ the palace I heard about is on. The trees look lush and beautiful. It probably looks even better in full daylight, and from a normal vantage point.

The streets here are still plenty lively, but not quite as active as the area before the tunnel. On top of that, the outfits are even less varied here. “How much further is this place?” I ask.

“Should be getting close. Probably about five or ten minutes away?” Mom looks out either window and shrugs.

If I had any idea of what’s in this area I could start making a guess as to where we’re going. Then again, there’s probably so much that even if I did know, I might not be able to narrow it down, so it’s probably best to stop speculating and just wait it out.

We hit a stoplight and Mom looks back at me for a moment. “Did Iwanako talk to you about what happened at your school?” The question comes out of left field and knocks me off kilter for a moment.

Where did that come from? “Uhh- No. But I talked to Mai about it later.”

“That makes more sense.” She nods quietly to herself.

How long did they know about what was going on while I was in the hospital? And why didn’t they tell me any of it?

“You’re probably wondering why we didn’t talk to you about it.” She says. Oh. “Your friends asked us not to.”

“They told you about what was going on?”

“Not exactly.” That’s a relief. “I walked in on Mai and Shin talking- well uh, arguing about it in the hospital one day. Later on I got more details from Iwanako.” She drives in silence for a moment longer. “It’s not like it came as a surprise to myself or your father. We were your age once upon a time too, and we know how mean kids can be sometimes – even at that age. I’m sure Iwanako didn’t tell us everything.” She frowns. “We’d just hoped that they would tell you about it on your own, but then…” I pushed them away and they stopped coming. Mom sighs, then starts to say, “It didn’t work out that way. It’s part of why-...” Part of why you two shipped me off to Yamaku, right? “Well, I’m glad it didn’t last too long.”

So Mom doesn’t know that it’s still not great there. I can’t blame her for that. Mai and them probably told my parents it was over quicker so they’d worry about it less. Or just to get them off their backs. Really though, I’d rather not be thinking about any of this right now.

Dad’s dying car engine of a throat clogs up, and he snorts himself awake. “Mm- wha-... We there yet?”

“Just a couple more turns. In fact…” Mom leans forward as we round a corner. After a moment, I see what she’s looking at: a gigantic red and white metallic pyramid separated at the halfway point by a series of windows making up a viewing box. “...there’s our mark.”

Dad turns back towards me as he rubs the sleep from his eyes. “She didn’t spoil it again, did she?”

He earns himself a swift slap on the arm before I can respond. Then I reassure him, “She kept her lips sealed.” I lean against my window and crane my neck upwards to try and keep the whole tower in my sights. It’s like the top vanishes into the night sky.

The side of my face is suddenly pulled down and I jump back from the window. Mom chides, “Instead of dirtying up the window you could just roll it down, you know?”

“Ah, sorry.” There’s a slight breeze outside and the cool air helps clear my mind. It’s a similar feeling to when I’m able to get up to a good speed when running – when the sun isn’t blisteringly hot. As we climb the hill, a sizable crowd mills about the building at the tower’s base. There’s a series of groups in the surrounding streets and fields taking pictures ‘with’ the tower, and a few more just taking some of the tower. Among them is who looks to be a middle-aged American in a ‘Hawaiian’ flower shirt with a straw hat and sunglasses around his neck – which is especially funny looking given that it’s night – causing a small group of locals to gather around him for pictures instead.

Dad looks as awestruck as I feel. “It’s a beauty, isn’t it?”

I nod to myself silently.

“Alright boys, heads inside the car so I can park.” We obey and once Mom parks we all stop outside the car to gawk some more. Even Mom’s distracted by the monolith before us. Eventually we’re able to get ourselves to head inside, and we head straight for the elevator to the observation deck. The shops, restaurants, and food stalls in the building below will have to wait for afterwards.

After leaving the elevator my parents head straight for one of the windows. I’m distracted by the mesmerizing fractal patterns and designs that make up the walls around us for a moment before joining them. The view outside is utterly breathtaking. An endless sea of the metropolis that surrounds us, made up of tens or hundreds of thousands of lights. As they grow further their shapes become less distinct, eventually blending into each other to make a shimmering mirage of white, gold, and light blue. It reminds me somewhat of a clear night sky above Yamaku. The cars are an endless stream of shooting stars, or perhaps comet’s trail, and distant billboards and signs change colors shifting the scenery ever so slightly.

“Well, what do you think, Hicchan?” Mom’s voice is dreamy, and she’s pulled Dad into a sideways hug – ignoring whoever might be staring.

I get lost in the scenery and forget to respond for a minute. Then say, “It’s amazing. Never seen the city like this.” Though I’ve always wanted the opportunity. We bask in the night skyline for some time, just watching as life goes on out there. Millions of people milling about, all with their own busy lives. Their own struggles. Their good graces. And challenges, and victories and misfortune, luck, sorrow, glee, and everything in between or unthought of. It’s hard to imagine the amount of people whose own complex stories led them to be somewhere out there right now, mixing into part of the scene in front of me.

From inside the building, colors in the room slowly shift from one to another, each slightly altering the mood of the landscape and atmosphere.

Dad pulls back from the view eventually. “Figured it was about time we made good on our promise to you.”

“What promise?”

“Did you forget?”

I shrug.

“Last year we asked you where you’d want to go for your eighteenth birthday and you told us ‘somewhere with a view of the city’.”

I deflate a little, which is probably not the reaction he was expecting, but the realization makes me sad. Not a lot of my plans and hopes survived the hospital, so eventually I gave up and forgot about most of them. “Sorry, I completely forgot.” I take in the view for a few moments longer. It almost makes me sad, realizing just how small I am compared to all of that. “Thanks for today – Mom, Dad.”

They move to either side of me and rest their arms around my shoulders. My ribs momentarily protest the added weight, but adjust quickly enough. Mom plants a kiss on my forehead and Dad rubs my back. Jeez. I hope no one is watching us. Mom smiles. “Sorry we’re a little late.”

“Not like we could’ve come here in between surgeries, right?” I give a dry chuckle.

Mom smiles warmly, comforting me. “No, not really.”

“You know,” Dad starts, “when this place was built it was considered a mark of Japan’s rebirth. A symbol that we were coming back as an economic powerhouse after the wars and devastation. To this day it is still Japan’s tallest structure, though I hear we’re going to start work on an even more grand building in the coming years. Even when it’s complete though, this tower right here will always be a testament to our fortitude as a country. More importantly – to me, at least – is I think it’s a fantastic source of inspiration for each and every one of us as individuals. Do you know why?”

Dad clearly knows that I don’t know ‘why’, but he still wants ‘audience engagement’, so I play along. “Why’s that?” Huh, now that Mom’s pointed it out, I can look back and see a lot of tendencies Dad has similar to a teacher’s. Weird how that works.

“It’s a reminder that no matter what hardships we may face in life, we can always come back if we put in the effort and really try. We just need not to give up. There will be a tomorrow, you just have to go out there and grab it with your own two hands.”

Dad walks over to a guard rail and leans onto it. “Looking out at the city around us,” he makes a grand gesture with one hand, “what do you see?”

“A lot of lights.”

“What does it remind you of?”

I think for a little, then my comparison from earlier comes back to me. “It reminds me of staring up at the Milky Way Galaxy in the night sky.”

“Huh.” He contemplates my answer for a minute, returning to our side. “Infinite possibilities. I like that.” He smiles deeply. “That’s what this place means to me.”

I nod sagely, taking in his metaphor and the hope he seems to be holding dear right now. It’s sentimental for sure, but… well, earlier I felt small. Now, I feel like I just might be able to do anything. Maybe.

Mom rubs my back, then says, “You know we love you, right Hicchan?”

“Of course I do.”

“And that no matter what happens, we will always love you.”

That sounds ominous. “Is something going on?”

Mom and Dad share a knowing look. The amount of those they’ve been doing recently is concerning. Then Mom takes a step back. “Don’t worry it’s nothing serious or anything. Your dad and I have had a lot of time to think recently, and we realized that we hadn’t said that as much as we should’ve.”

“It’s fine-”

“No, it’s not.” She takes a deep breath to steady herself. Her hands are shaking. I look to Dad only to see that he’s hugging himself as well. And this is ‘nothing serious’? Mom faces me and says, “we haven’t been the best parents to you, Hisao – and I’m sure we’ll make some more mistakes in the future – but no matter what lies in front of us I- we never want that to be something you doubt. That we love you.”

She says that like I’ve been a good son. I haven’t. “I won’t, Mom. I know you guys do.”

“Good. And going forward, would it be okay if we talked some more? A phone call a week, at least. Not to keep tabs on you or anything, just-”

“I think I’d like that.” I never called home before summer. What if the last time we spoke before that was the last time we ever spoke?

She seems to calm down some. “And when you go to college, you’ll still visit us?”

I can’t help but notice her word choice there. Though it’s probably what I’d do anyways. “Of course.”

“You’ll remember that you can always come to us if you need anything and we’ll do everything in our power to help.”

“I’ll do my best to rely on that as little as possible.” All these promises make me feel like there’s something deeper going on.

Mom smiles, and tries to smooth my hair out unsuccessfully. “You’ve grown up so much.”

I wait patiently for her to continue, and it takes some time. Eventually she seems to take a few breaths privately.

Then… “Hicchan, there’s something we want to talk to you about.”

Here it comes.

I see Dad nod in my periphery, but Mom still hesitates. “I uhh-”

She reaches behind her back, then looks to Dad one last time. I almost think I see her shake her head.

Then she pulls out a letter from behind her back. “You got a letter from your cousins and Aunt Tomiko. It was lost in the mail, but they meant for you to read it back in February.”

Was… was that it? A letter had her that nervous? Well, I guess it is probably related to my hospital stay. Maybe she was just worried I'd go back to that mind-set and relapse.. I hear Dad take a deep breath from beside me, then he nods towards Mom.

I take the letter from her, and sure enough it looks like it got lost. The envelope is wrinkled and torn in a few places with a tire track mark smeared on one side. But I still recognize Aunt Tomiko’s handwriting underneath it. I tuck it away in my pocket. “I’ll make sure to read it when we get home.”

“That’s fine. Just uhh, just wanted to make sure you knew they were thinking of you.” Mom smiles, but there’s an uneasiness to it. Like she’s hiding something. Dad puts his arm around her and pats her back, then the two of them go back to looking out the window.

I don’t know why, but I get the feeling they’re not telling me something important. I just don’t know what. In any case it looks like they’re done for now so, without much else to do, I join them in looking out at the expansive light-show around us.

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Artist: Durriann or here

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Table of Contents | Previous Scene: Scene 6 - Chapter 4: Midnight Mania | Next Scene: Scene 7 - Chapter 2: Real Talk

Once more, and as always, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the first half of Scene 7!

As it turns out the process of reworking Scene 8 and 9 are proving to be a bit more difficult than anticipated so I wasn't able to accomplish finishing that earlier, and thus this chapter not coming out sooner. I'll make the same promise here and post chapter two of this scene earlier if I manage to reach a point I'm happy with earlier than December 3rd! That said, the earliest I'll post chapter two would be on November 20th, so keep an eye out for that if I manage to get to that point. I think I'll be able to, but we'll see. I'm also hoping to get back to work on Saying Goodbye to Tomorrow as well as a lengthy one shot I've been cooking up for some time, so we'll see what comes to pass as the time comes.

In any case, what'd you think about the new method for inputting a journal entry? Feels a little on the messy side, but not quite as much as the method I originally used back in scene 2. If I get the chance, I'll be re-doing that one in this method as well. Personally I think it's definitely a step up, but that wasn't going to be hard to accomplish.

Also, we're back into Hisao's POV! We didn't miss all that much, but now we see the aftermath of the previous chapter from his perspective. Well, some of it at least. Instead we get a further peak into his hometown experience and family dynamic. Miharuko and Yuju have known for some time now that Hisao would be back for summer vacation, in part due to necessity for the doctor's visit, though the exact circumstance could never have been predicted. Luckily they didn't plan something too physically taxing. Just some sight-seeing, old traditions, and family bonding. I thought something like this would only be natural for Hisao's parents, unless of course their speculated disconnection with Hisao (in the game) was to continue up to this point in the story. That and, well, it's just a nice change of pace. I enjoyed taking a step back to write something more casual in between all the drama that this story centers around, and think moments of calm in these types of stories make all the difference. Hopefully I managed to pull it off well here!

In any case, Thanks again for reading all this and I hope to catch you in the next one real soon!

[Retornodelogay]

Love the journal style. At first I thought that you took some pictures of a journal and added the text in post, but from the flipped pages you can tell that you really did pull out all the stops. Along with the rest of the chapter, it gives Hisao and his surroundings quite a bit of texture and grounding.

Pretty cool chapter. Exploring Hisao's parents is always interesting, and I really want to see how they develop in regards to Emi and Hisao himself. And of course, gosh, the drama, I NEED them to make up, just talk it out like normal humans, people! Both Emi and Hisao really do feel like adolescents that have been dealt a really rough hand, but it's so frustrating to see! In the best possible way!

Anyway, as usual, looking forward to whatever's next

[ShizuneFan2019]

Hey there! It's nice to see updates from your story!
I'm still catching up! I like how you explore interactions with other characters, both in the base story and self-created ones.

Since you've been referencing past events (e.g. the car crash) in chapters you posted as far as two years ago, it's natural that readers would have forgotten about what happened. A couple of simple solutions to this, which I've been doing in my work, are to

1. Include a small clue of what happened without obstructing the flow of the story. For example, instead of just "car crash", say, "the car crash a few months ago when Hisao was with me". Then, instead of "Akira", say, in one instance, "the lawyer from the car crash". These will benefit readers who don't want to read back.
2. Include a link referencing to your previous chapter when you mention "car crash". This will benefit readers who do want to read back.

I look forward to your new chapters!

[StealthyWolf]

Love the journal style. At first I thought that you took some pictures of a journal and added the text in post, but from the flipped pages you can tell that you really did pull out all the stops. Along with the rest of the chapter, it gives Hisao and his surroundings quite a bit of texture and grounding.

I did debate doing that method at first to give more read-able and consistent text, but decided that since I was was going to include a "text-only" addition on top of the image, it'd be better to try it by hand. Glad it seems like it was worth it!

Pretty cool chapter. Exploring Hisao's parents is always interesting, and I really want to see how they develop in regards to Emi and Hisao himself.

I knew from a pretty early stage I wanted Hisao's parents to be a bigger part of the story. Exploring them and their motivations has been pretty enjoyable and I'm happy to hear that they're interesting to some readers as well!

And of course, gosh, the drama, I NEED them to make up, just talk it out like normal humans, people! Both Emi and Hisao really do feel like adolescents that have been dealt a really rough hand, but it's so frustrating to see! In the best possible way!

Sometimes we're our own worst enemies...

Anyway, as usual, looking forward to whatever's next

Thanks for reading and happy you enjoyed it!

Hey there! It's nice to see updates from your story!
I'm still catching up! I like how you explore interactions with other characters, both in the base story and self-created ones.

Thanks for the kind words and coming back! One of my goals when I write a story is to create a living, breathing world that feels believable and fitting, so the expanded cast working out is a good sign!

Since you've been referencing past events (e.g. the car crash) in chapters you posted as far as two years ago, it's natural that readers would have forgotten about what happened. A couple of simple solutions to this, which I've been doing in my work, are to

1. Include a small clue of what happened without obstructing the flow of the story. For example, instead of just "car crash", say, "the car crash a few months ago when Hisao was with me". Then, instead of "Akira", say, in one instance, "the lawyer from the car crash". These will benefit readers who don't want to read back.
2. Include a link referencing to your previous chapter when you mention "car crash". This will benefit readers who do want to read back.

I appreciate the suggestions, but I think doing something like making a direct link would likely be too intrusive to the story than what I'd prefer. I do try to make sure the conversations include remarks and such in a decent way as to not interrupt the story, but I also understand that the length in time between some of these chapters and sheer word count can cause some issues in recalling everything that's happened. I'll continue to do my best to remedy, and I'd hate to say that the only way to avoid this is for re-reading, but i don't think other solutions like a "recap" or other some-such additions would be warranted either. Again, I'll continue to work to make this less of an issue through dialogue and tags in the story itself.

I look forward to your new chapters!

Thanks for reading and commenting! I hope you enjoy them as well.