Katawa Shoujo Forums

I'd say that setting up a relationship in less than a month is fast, but then I remembered the actual timeframe of KS where relationships are basically established in even less amount of time. [\quote]

Yup, I had exactly the same thought in mind when I planned the whole plot. And a relationship in such a short time will inevitably run into multiple issues, which will turn into excellent writing material

Congratulations to your Miki. It will be interesting as hell to see how they'll meet Hisao with Shizune xD

I'm already writing that chapter, and it's going to be awesome. The sheer number of characters and their now extremely complicated relationships mean I need to write carefully and check many times in order to not make a contradiction.

Chapter 85: Shiina, Hicchan, and Sweetie

Mmm… Mmm…

Lying down on my bed with my eyes closed, I allow my body to fully relax, enjoying every thrust of pleasure my boyfriend is offering me.

Sss… Sss…

The pleasure is building up fast, and my valiant attempt to suppress any embarrassing static moan from my mouth fails miserably. I expect my brain to be whited out in a matter of seconds.

My boyfriend leans in and joins lips with me. This implies he’s close to the limit too. I naturally embrace him, anticipating the final moments of our intimate act.

The waves of sensation are so strong that my whole body quivers, and I hug him tight to briefly enter the world of euphoria with him.

Exhausted, I lie flat with my arms spread wide. My boyfriend lies on top of me for a while before rolling to my right side to recover his energy. We promised to have another session later in the evening, but given how strong the ending we’ve just experienced, I might not be able to take another one.

He cups my face and offers me another intimate kiss. Thanks, dear, for giving me a wonderful evening. We haven’t had one for like a month.

[It’s time.]

Really? I turn my head towards the alarm clock. Indeed, we need to get ourselves ready. I can’t believe we’ve already spent so much time on the bed.

[You’re right. Let’s go.]

So I don’t get to enjoy the aftermath to full. It’s fine. I’m satisfied already. We can always repeat the act, provided that we’re able to handle it.

After cleaning everything up, we put on our pajamas (as a regular visitor, he has a couple of them in my wardrobe) and sit in front of our respective laptop computers. We both open the instant message application, and, after I create a chat group, I invite our mutual friend into the group while my boyfriend joins my session. We both grab an apple from the fruit plate and take a bite while waiting for her connection. Soon, a text pops out from the chat box.

{Hi~~}

It should be 7:30 in the morning in America. We only have like thirty minutes before Shiina leaves for school. If she allows, we can engage in a video chat, though I opt not to do it for extensive amount of time because the internet speed here is not ideal, and both the frame jumps and the delay across the other side of the globe make sign language communication extremely awkward for both of us. But there’s another reason for not using sign language, even though it’s my preferred medium of communication. It depends on her school arrangement for the day.

{Hey there, Misha!}

Misha, the name which was essentially equivalent to the word “friend” in my Yamaku years until the exchange student arrived. When I first got to know her, I regarded her use of a nickname in even formal situations a childish decision. One day I interrogated her about her refusal of using her real name of Shiina (at that time I was not yet the Student Council President, so I wasn’t in a position to enforce a rule onto her), but the interrogation concluded without a satisfactory answer. Since then, due to the fact that we share a common interest (i.e. I need a translator, and she wants to become a sign language teacher), I dropped the issue and instead focus on developing a friendship with her, allowing her to use her nickname as requested.

{Hi Shicchan~!}

And, for the same reason, I’ve been willing to endure her use of a nickname on me. It was silly, but at least it didn’t affect my conversation with others during my realm in Yamaku, since I couldn’t hear how my classmates were referring to me anyway. That was until I learned how to lip-read, but by that time Shiina’s already gone. At least people have been addressing me properly since then.

{Hi, it’s been some time! How are you doing?}

When my boyfriend ate with me last week, we engaged in a conversation about Shiina and her use of nicknames. Since we’re now officially adults, it’s more appropriate for us to address each other with first names, especially in formal situations. For our case, the use of “–chan” is too childish to be used in introductions. In fact, one purpose of this morning’s talk is to persuade her to stop using those nicknames in front of others. As for Shiina’s case, I suggested using her original name during the conversation, but my boyfriend objected my proposal for a rather unexpected reason: Apparently “Shiina” will be the name of a major antagonist in a soon-to-be released video game* that involves a prosecutor trying to solve cases with available clues and interrogations. I’d like to play that game during the summer break by the way. Anyway, he doesn’t like the idea of associating Shiina with a cold-blooded murderer, so we’re not going to change the way we call her. However, that doesn’t stop me from addressing her Shiina in my mind. (*Note: The name in the English translation is actually “Shih-na”, but the Japanese name is the same. The game was released in Japan in May 2009, which is the same time as this chapter.)

{Hi Hicchan~!! I’m doing great! I just had a parfait for breakfast! Yay~!!}

I still don’t approve of her food choices, and I’m not sure if having those for breakfast is beneficial for the stomach. I’m pretty sure my soulmate is sharing the same thought as mine, so I deliver him a smirk and a light shrug while biting on my healthy apple, which he responds by spreading his hands wide with a helpless expression before typing an encouraging reply without judgment.

{Sounds like you had a wonderful breakfast!}

I last saw Shiina a couple of weeks ago when she visited Japan for my birthday party. She took leave from school, flew here, attended the party, and stayed the night in a hotel (because I reserved my apartment for spending the night with my boyfriend). She then visited Kasshoku the next day, spent some time in the Student Council room chatting with Sakura and my fellow members, and slept in my apartment. She traveled to Saitama for her friends on Friday, spent the whole Saturday walking around Tokyo with me, and returned to America on Sunday.

{So, how was yesterday? Boring classes again?}

{Yeah, but they’re much better this month! I have more practical sessions!}

Since then, I haven’t really talked to her on the computer, prioritizing instead on Student Council business, studies, and spending time with my newly acquired boyfriend. Even though I no longer constantly need a translator in Japan, and we’re separated by distance, I know that it not an excuse for me to drop contact with my best friend.

{Practicals, huh. Tell us more about it.}

{It’s a school for the disabled, similar to Yamaku. I was assigned to translate lectures to students with hearing conditions alongside one of my classmates Mia, taking turns by alternating between lecture sessions. There’s another classmate, Serena, who alternates the translation task with us, and one of us stays in the academic building standing by after class in case any student needs help outside of classes.}

{I see. Isn’t it more like internship than practicals?}

{Yes, pretty much, except that we only have practicals every other day. We have theoretical sessions when we don’t have practicals.}

{It should be really fun, right?}

{Yup! Though I’m still getting used to switching languages at will. Several times a student caught me using a JSL sign that means something else in ASL.}

This is exactly what I’m worried about. When Shiina was still in Yamaku, we primarily used JSL as the communication medium, and only switched to ASL scarcely when joking or if we needed to convey confidential information that we couldn’t afford to disclose to my boyfriend or staff members. Now that she’s migrated to America, ASL becomes her main sign language medium, and thus several times during our conversations two weeks ago I spotted her signing ASL before quickly changing to JSL. And this is the reason I refrain from clicking the “video chat” button; if we talk in JSL this morning, she’s going to face trouble if she does have a practical session today, which sounds likely since she implied she had classes yesterday.

My boyfriend turns his head towards me for help. Oh yeah, he knows nothing about those abbreviations. I should provide him with a briefing.

[What are JSL and ASL?]

[Japanese Sign Language and American Sign Language. Just like Japanese and English.]

[Ah I see! I never realize sign language itself also has different languages.]

Adjusting my glasses, I give my boyfriend a playful smirk.

[I can teach you ASL if you like.]

My shuddering boyfriend is visibly intimidated by my offer of potentially leaking Shiina-related confidential material in exchange for learning another language.

[No thanks! English is already tough enough for me!]

I nod, satisfied with his wise decision, and return to the computer to confirm my deduction.

{I know. So, are you having practicals today?}

{Yup! And I think I’m with Serena today!}

Yeah, no video chat today, unfortunately. By the way, another reason I always think twice about talking to her in sign language on her duty days is that I don’t want to place her hands additional burden; typing is much less tiring than sign language.

{Great! I wish you all the best in your translations. And your career in general.}

{Thanks, Hicchan~!!}

My part-time roommate turns towards me and gives me a nod, which I duly return. We’re short on time. We should deliver the message across right now, and we reached a consensus in advance that he’ll be the one to initiate the discussion.

{Hey Misha, there’s something in our minds that we’d like to discuss with you, and we hope that you can listen to us.}

{Uh… Sure~!!! Misha can take any advice~ Especially if it’s from Hicchan and Shicchan!!}

Sigh… Too many “-chan”’s!

{Well, I did type the word “career”, didn’t I? I don’t know about you, but when you attended Shizune’s birthday party earlier this month, don’t you also feel like time flies, and we’re already entering adulthood?}

{Yup! And you two can finally consume alcohol! And you’re right, we have our careers to worry about. So, what’s the advice about my career you’re giving me?}

{No, we’re fine with your career choices. What I’m trying to say is, accept it or not, we’re already adults. Officially. Which means we need to behave more like adults.}

{We do, huh. You’re probably right, Hicchan~~}

{That’s why we’re advising you to refrain from addressing us with nicknames in front of others. If it’s just the three of us, we can accept it; but not anymore when we’re with friends or parents. Sorry for being direct, but I hope it’s okay for you.}

As we wait for her reply, he shoots me a doubtful glance, probably hoping for an approval. I give him an assuring nod in response. Shiina told us that Americans tend to be more direct, and I hope she’s gotten used to that fact.

[I hope she takes it well.]

[I’m sure she will.]

Another reason I don’t want Shiina to use the nickname on my boyfriend is that I’d like to use that nickname exclusively. My relationship with him is not quite the same as hers with him after all.

{Wahahahahaha~!!!!! Okay Okay!! You don’t want me to call you Hicchan in front of your classmates, right? Awwwww~ But Hicchan is so cute!! You look just like a Hicchan!! But~!!! If you don’t want to, I won’t!! I just said I’ll take any advice, so I should stick to my promise, right? Right~!! Wahahahahaha~!!!!!}

A glance towards “Hicchan” confirms to me that he’s sweating hard. He shakes his head helplessly.

[Well, at least she seems to take the advice relatively well.]

He’s right. We’ll inevitably need to keep reminding her when we introduce our friends to her, but at least we’ve managed to bring the message across. Speaking of friends, the Yamaku Festival is a couple of weeks from now. I wonder if she’ll return for the occasion. If so, she’d better address us properly in front of Mutou.

{We’ll be grateful if you do that. By the way, how did your weekend go?}

Two days ago, Hideaki and I traveled to Gifu prefecture to visit mom, and I had Hicchan tagging along with me to greet her formally as her potential future son-in-law. When we informed dad about our short trip, he unexpectedly offered to drive us there and spend some time hanging out with us. It was not yet the appropriate moment to reveal the identity of my boyfriend to him, so I lied to him that we’re going shopping with mom in order to discourage him from joining. Instead, the four of us went on a picnic, and we had a fantastic time on a piece of grassland. Possibly due to Hicchan’s previous effort during my stay in the hospital, my mom treated him with a great deal of respect; the fact that Hicchan’s bought my mom appropriate gift, with my suggestions in advance, helped as well. I’d say Hicchan has been blending well with my family. Well, that’s not accounting for dad, of course. A surprise during the picnic was that Hideaki has improved a lot in his sign language; apparently he has been self-studying really hard, and he has had mom practice with him.

{Wahahahahaha~~~ But man~!! Should I tell Shicchan about it? I don’t know! But Shicchan’s my best friend, right? Right~! I should tell Shicchan!! Okay, okay!!! Wahahahahaha!!!}

The way this girl can directly type what she’s thinking in her simple head is mind-boggling. She’s also completely neglecting Hicchan’s advice, although admittedly we aren’t in a formal situation.

{Yeah~ So~ I went on a date with my classmate.}

A date, huh. Two weeks ago when Shiina was in Japan, she told me she had a date a few weeks prior, the day before I roped Hicchan into kissing me in the Student Council room. That date went well until after dinner.

{A date? Is he handsome? How was it?}

{Sigh… Hicchan, tell me. Are all boys perverted guys who only think about sex? They treat you well, bring you to dinner, watch a movie with you, bring you to a shopping mall, and then they invite you to spend the night with them.}

Oh boy, that’s exactly what she told me about her last date. She had a great dinner with her date (I think she had another parfait or something similar), watched a movie with him, then the boy attempted to drag her into a hotel.

{Well, as a boy I can tell you I’m not. I read an article the other day that says men think about sex with a frequency of once every 43 seconds on average, but no, I certainly won’t go for a new date just to have sex. So, what happened? Did he bring you to a hotel or something like that?}

I don’t think about sex every 43 seconds, but I do have a pretty strong sex drive. I guess boys are not the only gender that can be perverted. Flashbacks of what I did back in Saitama appear in my mind.

{Yeah, he tried to persuade me into spending the night with him in a hotel, but I rejected him. He got a little annoyed, like, he treated me dinner and movie and everything, so he thought I was obliged to go to bed with him. I said no, gave him my share of the cost and phoned Daniela to drive me back home. While waiting for her to come, I wish I had driven my own car instead of riding his! Luckily Daniela was free that evening, so she arrived in no time.}

Good job, Shiina. I’m proud of you.

{I think you did the correct thing, Misha.}

{Thanks Hicchan~_… But my previous date ended up pretty much the same way! I don’t know, is it an American thing? The boys here seem to prefer open relationship.}

{Open relationship?}

{Yup~ Like, you can have sex with whoever you want, even if you’ve a boyfriend or girlfriend. Or even a spouse. I asked several of my classmates and friends. Most of them don’t mind this kind of relationship~.}

I never stayed in America, so I can’t judge. Perhaps Misha is the kind of girl who looks easy to be coaxed into bed with an offer of a parfait? Or is it a college-only thing? Young people tend to love more freedom.

{I see, Misha. I’ve never been to America, so I can’t help you on that. Though I don’t think there’s anything wrong with rejecting sex offer from a date; protecting yourself is important. Instead of going on random dates, maybe you should be patient finding somebody who truly likes you. Maybe find a Japanese?}

Instead of controlling the conversation as I usually do, this time I’m allowing Hicchan to do most of the talking because he hasn’t talked to her for quite a while (he last saw her in the birthday party). And I’m still a little tired after the intimacy from earlier, so I’m happy to let my boyfriend do most of the typing for me. But because it’s been quite a while since I last typed, I decide it’s time to chip in.

{So, have you met any Japanese in school?}

After typing, I reflexively try to grab a book from the corner of my desk to study before putting my hand down to focus my priority on my best friend rather than multi-tasking like I’ve been doing all the time.

{No, Shicchan. Most internationals are Chinese, but most of them study either math or computer and are huge nerds who don’t come out of their rooms often (and even when they do, they look dirty without shaving or showering). Many of them are post-graduates by the way.}

Well that’s quite a difference from my impression on Alvin. I guess Hong Kong and mainland China are not quite the same, at least in terms of the people. But I’m sure not all Chinese are as dirty as she describes. We don’t want to make stereotypes, regardless of their countries of origin.

{Misha, you shouldn’t hurry to find a random boyfriend just because everybody around has one. A suitable soulmate is way more important.}

{Hisao’s right. I recommend you to focus on your practical training. If you can become the best sign language teacher in the world, high-quality boys will go after you.}

Shiina, I’ll be truly happy for you if you can find yourself a high quality boyfriend, especially since unlike me, you have no disability. At least not a known one.

{Thank you, Shicchan and Hicchan~. I won’t go on random dates anymore. I’ll study hard. I’m a student after all. Right? Right! Wahahahahaha~!!!!}

A year ago, that was around two months after she migrated to America for the second time in her life, Shiina told me she went on a trip with friends right before a test day. She promised me to focus on her studies instead of spending time on entertainment. I suppose this forgetful girl has to be reminded of her promise from time to time.

{I mean, Misha, we’re not saying you can’t go on any date. Shizune’s talking about focusing on schoolwork and career instead of rushing yourself into a potentially unhealthy relationship, such as the one you just shared with us. And if Americans aren’t your cup of tea, perhaps you should come back to Japan after you get your certification.}

{Then we’ll be able to see each other again! Frequently!}

{Thank you~!! Actually Nat gave me a similar advice too~. I’m not ruling out the possibility of going back to Japan~.}

That would be excellent! Although she would have to get used to teaching JSL.

{You mean Natalie, your Venezuelan roommate whom we met in the Ocean Park the other day?}

{Yup! Like my case, she prefers a boyfriend who originates from the South American region. At least one with a Hispanic culture.}

{Yeah, I do believe that in general, it’s better to have a partner with a similar background, although we do see occasional successful cases of cross-culture blending from time to time. The pair of Alvin and ‘Nako immediately comes to mind. By the way, ‘Nako is Iwanako in short. I was recalled the other day by a former schoolmate that we all called her ‘Nako in my former high school.}

About “occasional successful cases of cross-culture blending”, I think about Uncle Hiroyuki and Aunt Karla at once; Hideaki told me the other day that the two apparently had to go through a great deal of tribulations. I wish Alvin and his girlfriend all the best if they can go all the way to the red carpet.

{Hmm~ Anyway~ I’ll worry about it later!!! Gotta focus on schoolwork!! And if I do need to return to Japan, I will~!!! Happily~!! Wahahahahaha!!!!!}

{Yup, that’s the correct mindset. Oh yeah, speaking of ‘Nako, I almost forgot. Since we don’t have much time left, I should do this now.}

Looking at the clock, we’ve already chatted for more than 20 minutes. Time really flies when you talk to friends, especially with all the typing and the wait. But I wonder what Hicchan is up to. It seems like he’s searching for something on his laptop.

{Here it is. ‘Nako wants me to share with you this little music piece. Remember during the birthday party, the three of us had a reminiscence about the Yamaku Student Council? Turns out ‘Nako kind of overheard our conversation a bit, and, after taking a picture of the three of us, apparently some kind of musical inspiration came to her. Accordingly, she composed a small music piece about the three of us, titled “Student Council”. I’m sharing the midi file to you.}

I can understand why he didn’t share this piece of news with me: From his perspective, I cannot hear it, so he’d rather not mention it. But what he doesn’t know is that I can still enjoy music, just in a different way.

{Yup. I’ve got it~ Let’s hear what Iwa-chan composed for us~}

As Shiina listens to Iwanako’s work, Hicchan turns to me and signs apologetically.

[Sorry that I don’t know how to convey the music to you.]

[No worries. Can you play the music, and let me use your laptop? And if you have it, I want the music score on display as well.]

Unsurprisingly he’s amazed by my willingness to participate in this little event. In my experience, most people, including Hicchan, tend to avoid talking about music in front of me because they think such a topic must be irrelevant to me. I understand that they’re just trying not to so-called “rub salt into my wounds”.

[Really? You can perceive music?]

[Yes, although obviously my experience is different from yours. I mainly perceive the vibrations and the beats. This is why I prefer reading the music score at the same time, as I can refer to the beats while the laptop vibrates.]

[Excellent! I never knew my girlfriend would enjoy music!]

Amused by his reply, I walk over to my boyfriend’s laptop as it displays the music score Iwanako sent through e-mail. Opting to enhance the “hearing” experience, I retrieve a pair of small amplifiers from the third drawer and plug it into the laptop. Hicchan starts playing the music and uses his finger to trace the music score as I place my hands on the two white amplifiers. Even though Hicchan is doing a less-than-ideal job of tracing the music score, I’m able to get a feeling of what the music “sounds” like:
xxxxxxx- xxxx-xx- xxxxxxx- xxxx--x-
x---x-xx x-x----- x-xx-x-x x----xxx
x-xx---x x-xx-x-x x---xxxx --------

From the vibration I can feel that it is a calm music piece, and beat-wise it’s quite comfortable, but I’ll need Shiina’s input on the quality of the melody.

The chat box on Hicchan’s laptop alerts us there’s a new message, so after the music stops playing, I return to my own laptop to read Shiina’s reply.

{The music’s awesome! I love how calm and joyful the melody is, exactly the feeling when we’re hanging out in the Student Council room~!! Of course, except when Shicchan’s urging us to complete tasks way before the deadline~!! Wahahahahaha~~!!!}

{Yeah, we should have two pieces of music for the Student Council. This one is for the usual chilling out. I’ll ask ‘Nako to compose an exciting one, with the title of “Student Council: Meeting deadlines”.}

Okay, I don’t expect my former subordinates to gang up and tease me like that. But somehow I like the idea of having two themes for my favorite organization.

[You can ask her if you want to. I have no rebuttal.]

{Wahahahahaha~~~!! That’d be great, Hicchan! I’m looking forward to it!}

{I’m gonna do that! Well unfortunately I think it’s time for you to go to school.}

{Oh yeah~ Awwwww~ I’d like to hear more from you two!! I haven’t asked you about the weekend!! But no worries, we can still chat next week, right? Right~!!}

{Sure. See you soon.}

After terminating the chat group, I close my laptop and, deciding to exercise my brain a little before further physical activity, take out a Risk board from the second drawer.

[Let’s play a game before we go for another session!]

After throwing away both of our eaten apples, my boyfriend comes over to kiss me on my forehead before starting to arrange his pieces. But before he can do that, his phone gets his attention; apparently his phone rings. As a potent Risk player, I quickly set everything up on the board before heading towards the bathroom: I need to clean myself up, specifically I’ve got to wipe off his discharge from earlier. I love the warm feeling, and I certainly don’t mind receiving another dose of love in an hour or so.

Man, just the thought of getting that dose makes me lick my lips, my “lower lips” yearning for a round two. But I’ll give my partner time to recover his strength.

Peeking out from the bathroom, looks like he’s done with the call. Let’s play Risk!

[It was ‘Nako. She’s set everything up for the upcoming reunion.]

Ah! The reunion. We briefly discussed the issue last week. I offered to join the reunion to help calming down a potentially high-tension encounter.

[When will it be?]

[The coming Sunday. Noon. She’s booked a party room in Midori University. Are you okay with the arrangement?]

Midori, huh. Emi’s other practical training venue and, of course, the university Iwanako is studying in. It’ll be the first time both of us visit that school.

[Yes, I’m fine with it. So, how many will come?]

[‘Nako and her boyfriend, and all four of my former classmates. Apparently Shin will bring his girlfriend. I never knew he got himself a girlfriend; I’m curious.]

A girlfriend? Hmm, my combative spirit awakens and is burning up!

[Then I’ll need to wear my best clothes! I’m not losing to her!]

[The battle of girlfriends, huh. I hope it doesn’t end up with a fight. Physically.]

[It doesn’t always have to be a fight. We can settle things on the game board instead.]

[If that’s the case, you don’t need to pick your best clothes. Just sleep well, or bring a Risk board.]

[Nope. Appearance is very important. If I beat her in terms of feminine beauty, my opponent might get flustered and make the wrong moves!]

[As you wish. I do think bringing a few board games is a great idea. I just hope we won’t end up throwing chess pieces at one another.]

[Seriously, is it really going to be that bad?]

[I have no clue. I’m really nervous. And I still can’t formulate a satisfactory apology of any sort.]

[We’ll worry about it later. But can you tell me about your former schoolmates before we attend the reunion?]

[Yeah, of course. First is Shin who’s bringing his girlfriend. We’ve known each other for a year only, but we were in the same primary school. He always wears a light brown zip-up jacket with black pants and dark shoes, with a sleeveless shirt underneath. He has short hair like an explosion. He always called me a “damn fool”, and I called him a “jerk” in return. He offered me a lot of anime and manga, some of which are still in my possession.]

[Okay, I’ve got an idea. Who else?]

[Then it’s Mai, the girl I’ve known since primary school. She’s quite rebellious and combative. Her parents run a ramen shop, and she loves curry. She usually wears a jacket that’s too big for herself, something like a black polo shirt, and with knee-high boots. Her hair is down to her shoulders and chest, like Hanako. She enjoyed playing arcade games with me.]

[I see. The next one?]

[Takumi. I’ve known him since junior high school. He has a slender build and longer hair than usual boys. He’s usually not very out-spoken, but he can talk a lot if you’re familiar enough with him. I don’t hang out with him too often because he’s closer to Shin than me. Sometimes he can lose his train of thought, resulting in his signature blank stare.]

[Got it. And finally?]

[You met her earlier. Kai. I always called her Shrimp because she just looks so small to me.]

[If you call her Shrimp, then how about me?]

[Hey, that was from years ago! As for you…]

Putting his phone down onto his laptop, Hicchan comes over and cups my face.

“Thanks for reminding me. Misha taught me a word in English: ‘???’. I should start calling you that.”

I can’t lip-read that word, so I take his hands off to create a distance in order to sign properly.

[What’s that word again? In sign?]

[That’s S-W-E-E-T-I-E.]

[When did Misha teach you that word? Didn’t you last meet her in my birthday party?]

[She sent an e-mail to me in private after we told her our news. She suggested me to call you ‘Sweetie’ instead of ‘Shicchan’, even though I never called you ‘Shicchan’.]

Yeah, I can visualize that simple-minded Shiina would assume that others are also using nicknames like she does. ‘Sweetie’ seems a bit silly, but I’m okay with it provided that he uses it in private. It’s funny that the boy who isn’t quite potent in English gets to give me an “English name”.

[Sweetie is fine. Provided that I call you Hicchan.]

My boyfriend freezes for a second before a chuckle turns into a bitter laugh.

“Hahaha… alright, alright. Whatever, sweetie.”

Then, before I can make another sign, he grabs my hands, put them down, and cup my face to join lips with me. Raising my head to take his kiss, I smell the fragrance of fresh apple in his breath. I’m sure I must taste like apple as well. Then, just when I’m about to break away in order to start the Risk game, he pulls me closer and slips his left hand into my pink pajamas.

The closed distance means I can only sign with one hand.

[Don’t you need a rest?]

Hicchan pulls away from the kiss and shakes his head while looking directly into my eyes.

“The apple helped. Thanks a lot.”

So, with the Risk board still untouched, and the glass panda figurine he bought me way back in the Ocean Park staring at us through the reflection of the moonlight, we opt to play the second round of a more physical game instead, a decision both of my pairs of lips will agree with. If time allows, we may even go for a third round; but I’m not planning to stretch ourselves too much because we’ll have a busy day tomorrow. Sakura and Student Council business will be waiting for me, while Hicchan will be in the final stage of his preparation for a JUSC title defense.

Two reunions are waiting for us: Iwanako’s gathering in a few days, and the Yamaku Festival will be the Sunday afterwards. This means I don’t get to introduce Hicchan to my dad until mid-June, when my free time is further restricted due to resuming duty in Tanpopo Education Center.

“Are you okay?”

Oops, he caught me thinking about stuff. Okay, enough brain activity. Back to action we go.

[I’m fine. Lie down, I’ll serve you.]

Chapter 86: Rooftop Adventure

Chapter 86: Rooftop Adventure

After taking a quick shower, I exit the bathroom to see my friends already done.

“Are you going to have dinner with us?”

Oops! Forgot to tell them not to wait for me.

“I’m sorry! I’m booked tonight. See you on Monday!”

“It’s alright. See you on Monday then.”

Waving them goodbye, I take a quick look at my phone, noting that I still have some time left, so I can walk at a slower pace towards the bus station.

I’m relieved that the wound isn’t hurting anymore.

Due to the accident last week, there is a slight modification to the schedule of my exchange program. I’ll be staying here for another two weeks, ending on a Friday. Which is awesome, as I get to hang around with my friends a bit longer.

And I’m glad that, except the schedule change and a few students dropping out, nothing notable was affected by the accident. I still run with trainees as usual, and they still invite me for dinner afterwards. A life like this is enjoyable.

Sadly, everything will end two weeks from now. Then I’ll be back in my hometown diving into more books and taking more exams.

During my visit to the Nurse last Friday, he briefly discussed with me my upcoming schedule after the exchange program. The goal is to graduate before next April. I still need more hours of practical training in addition to several exams which I don’t remember the name of. One of them is coming up in August, and once I return to my college, I will be thrown into a crash course to prepare for it. Then I can take a one-month break before, well, studying more.

And then, after graduating, maybe I can get myself hired by Yamaku. Which is good, at least in terms of job security. And I can see mom often. But Shizune’s words the other day remind me that I can aim higher. A Physical Education teacher has a potential to earn more, although I’ll need to study (damn, books again!) for a teaching certificate. An alternative is a gym trainer, which is also fun.

Or perhaps I can think about what Takumi suggested last week: Becoming a Paralympic gold medalist.

I don’t know! There are so many choices available, I’ve a hard time making my decision! Even though I tend not to worry about these kind of stuff until they come, I’ll eventually have to choose a path, and that might require early planning, according to that damn jerk Nurse.

Yet, everything might change very soon. All my options and the Nurse’s plans might be thrown out of the window if I get myself a boyfriend within two weeks. Well, that is, if I can get over with my trust issues to maintain a relationship long enough until graduation.

I was shell-shocked when Takumi showed up in front of my hotel, fulfilling his promise of escorting me to my hometown. We had a fantastic Friday accompanying each other, eating dessert in the train and walking around the campus after my leg check. During the trip, we hatched an interesting plan of breaking into the roof of Midori University. After the training session with him yesterday, he revealed to me that he has stalked the guards and has garnered enough information to carry out the plan with me tonight. Being an adventurous girl that I am, it is natural for me to accept his invitation.

And it is exactly where I’m heading right now. I’ll first have dinner with this boyfriend material of mine in a school café. Then, well, I trust him because he seems to be the kind who makes a lot of preparations.

I don’t have a plan for it yet, but I might confess to him on the roof. I like this boy. He’s been treating me so well, especially on Friday. He doesn’t seem to mind my loss of legs. And most importantly, he’s interested in me as well. Even though I’m older than him, I think he’s still a great match.

On the other hand, I know I’m leaving this place two weeks from now. I don’t know how well I can do long-distance, even though we’re still living in Japan. Perhaps I can find a job here after I graduate next April, but it will most likely involve studying for a teaching certificate.

I should worry about it later. First of all, I need to not get caught this evening.

Peeping into the small window of the door in front of us, I lean closer towards my trainee and whisper.

“Has he not come yet?”

“He’s probably slacking off. Don’t worry, he’s come here for four straight days. There’s no way he’s going to skip the patrol tonight.”

Assuming that nobody has thought about the crazy idea we’re trying to implement, I can understand why the guard is slacking off: It’s a pointless job.

“Alright. Let’s stay alert then.”

We’re now at the end of a corridor of the sixth floor of the Science Faculty. To be more precise, we’re in the small space between two doors leading to the corridor and the stairs respectively. This is the perfect hiding place to wait for the guard because rarely anybody uses this path; the laboratory next to us is deserted, and there are other sets of stairs in the corridor giving access to more parts of the campus. Takumi told me during our briefing before action that he only came across with one lost student throughout his four days of stalking.

During dinner with my boyfriend material, he gave me a briefing on tonight’s mission. Using a map, he introduced to me about the geographic details about the university: Situated on top of a small mountain, the university consists of an administration building in the middle with different faculties scattered around the campus. The Science Faculty, where we’re currently in, is the tallest building, which is to the north of the admin. The track field is to the east, and the amenities building is to the south. We naturally choose the Science Faculty as our target in order to obtain the best possible view.

From his four-day stalking of the guards, he has concluded that the door to the roof is not locked, but you need to push a bar to open it. The alarm will sound if you push the bar, so the guards use a hand-held device to disable it before pushing. They seem to consistently patrol the roof area at 8 o’clock and 11 o’clock in the evening, and for each timeslot every day the guards have been the same persons. The guard responsible for the 8pm shift is easy to take advantage of because once he opens the door, he leaves it wide open (since Midori has been around for a long time, most doors haven’t been installed with hinges to close automatically) and always begins his patrol with the left side. After observing the pattern, Takumi has successfully sneaked through the door without being noticed.

The one uncertainty in this mission is the escape route. Takumi didn’t stay in the roof long enough to figure out another way out, so we’re pretty much relying on the 11pm shift if we can’t find a route downstairs. Which means we might need to spend a maximum of three hours on the roof. I hope we don’t need to do so.

For this excursion, Takumi has brought with us several useful tools. Torch is a necessity as the roof could be dark if there is no light source around. Food and water, to survive if in case something goes south. Folded umbrella, if it happens to rain. A coat for each of us, if the temperature drops during nighttime. Rope and gloves, in case we need to climb down. A foldable mat that we can sit on. And, finally, masks, which we’re currently wearing, so that we’re less likely to be recognized if we get ourselves exposed during our escape. I also wrapped my golden hair into a bun to further help the cause.

I feel like I’m kind of crazy to follow with the stupid plan, but on the other hand this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’m most likely not entering a university, and I’m leaving this place in two weeks.

“Here he comes!”

Reacting to the news, I try to peek closer into the window, but am stopped by my partner as he orders me to wait. Yeah, the guard can also see us from the other side. We can only glance occasionally until he turns around.

“Okay, he’s going up! Prepare to move!”

Now that we’re safe to peek, I can see the guard taking out a device from his pocket and touches a switch at the left wall next to the door. Then he opens the door, leaves it open, and steps inside.

“Let’s go!”

My partner pushes the door open, and we carefully climb the stairs in front of us until we reach the door. After making sure that the guard is out of sight, we step into the roof and immediately head to the right side. There is no artificial light source here, but the moon provides us with enough luminance to signal to each other. Takumi points to a metal box at a corner, and we proceed to hide behind the box.

This is so much fun!

The box is pretty small, which means we must stay very close in order not to be seen. Naturally, we grab each other by the shoulder and are almost hugging, causing my heart to beat really fast. I haven’t had such close body contact with a member of the opposite sex since breaking up with my ex-boyfriend, and my body tells me it loves the warmth provided by this gentleman.

Am I already in love?

The guard eventually comes to our side, and we try our best to stay very still so that we, or our shadows if there are any, won’t be discovered. I hope the guard doesn’t have something like an infrared detector to check the temperature around!

We hear footsteps getting further, and after a while we hear the door closed. Yes! We’ve accomplished the first step of our mission!

Takumi signals me to remain hidden while he goes out to check, making sure the guard is indeed gone. A minute after, he comes back and gives me an okay sign.

“You can come out now.”

“Yes, Takumi! We did it!”

After exchanging high-fives with the boyfriend material and removing our masks, we proceed to explore the deserted place in front of us. There aren’t much here except a few tools and some wires that we need to be careful not to trip over. There is no fence, but a short wall acting as a guard, though it’s very easy to climb over. Carefully positioning ourselves so that we won’t accidentally fall, we take a look at the surroundings.

“What a beautiful view!”

The small lights from all the academic buildings scattered around the campus, plus the lamplights along the roads, form a castle-like view of the university in front of our eyes. I never thought a university could look like a castle! To the north of us (Takumi taking out a compass to confirm the directions) is a children’s park. To the east of us is the track field and a piece of grassland beyond. And to the west of us is a city with obviously more lights. Evening wind blows like a soothing breeze, dissipating some of the heat we gathered during the wait between the doors and the increase in heartbeat while hiding behind the box.

Summer is coming fast. And love is coming fast too.

My hand is stuffed with something. It’s a piece of chocolate.

“Have a snack. We could be here for a while.”

“Thanks!”

Takumi takes out the foldable mat from his backpack and spreads it apart. Then he tosses me a can of juice, which I easily catch. Picnic on the roof. This time in a university instead of Yamaku. With someone I like. Enjoyable.

“D’you feel cold?”

“Nope! It’s pretty comfortable up here.”

With the stunning view in front of us, we sit side by side consuming our snacks and drinks enjoying a rare moment together while taking advantage of the fact that nobody will be around.

There’s a question I’ve wanted to ask for some time. Now should be a good chance.

“Hey Takumi?”

“Yes, what’s up?”

“You never told me. What major are you studying?”

“Oh. Didn’t I tell you already? (I shake my head) No? I studied Social Science last year. Now I’m doing Psychology. But I find it really tough because there’s a whole lot to recite.”

“Psychology, huh. Interesting! (Wicked smile) Can you guess what I’m thinking right now?”

Takumi hurries to wave his hands.

“Of course not! I only started last month! And I’m really struggling to understand the concepts. I wonder if I should switch to another major after this term.”

“Uh huh. What alternatives do you have in mind?”

“I’m thinking about social work, but psychology is actually harder to get into, so I’m not sure if I want to forfeit my current major for something that could be easier. In fact, I’ve booked an appointment next week with my career advisor.”

“I see. So, what do you want to do after you graduate?”

“They say that there are two major paths I can take if I continue to study psychology. I can choose to become a psychiatrist, which mainly deals with people with mental disorders. Or I can try becoming a psychologist, which deals mostly with theories and models. There are very few psychologists, which means I might get famous if I become one. But I’m leaning towards psychiatrist at the moment.”

Speaking of mental disorders, the first person that pops out of my mind is Ikezawa. I heard that she had been seeing a therapist before she graduated from Yamaku.

“Perhaps you can become a therapist. Yamaku has one, for example.”

“Yup, I’m considering that path. But, as I said, I don’t know if I can handle it. I’m not giving up just yet though. At least not without a fight. The good thing is that I haven’t taken a big exam yet, so it’s not like I’m already behind in schoolwork.”

“That’s the spirit, Takumi! I’m also the kind who don’t give up easily.”

“You surely are! You’re working so hard on becoming a physical trainer. But how about you? Where do you want to work after you graduate? There are quite a few paths you can choose from. Are you going back to Yamaku? Seems like a logical option.”

If I really decide to work in Yamaku, are you going to find a job nearby too?

“I could! Or I can become a Physical Education teacher! I haven’t decided yet!”

But there’s something hilarious I want to share with him.

“I just thought of something really funny. You know, in schools they sometimes do career surveys. They give you a piece of paper, and you can write down your favorite job and the reason. What did you write?”

“Hmm… Yeah, I remember one in middle school. Honestly at that time I didn’t even fully understand what a career means. I might have ended up copying my neighbor, like, pilot? Sorry, I kind of forgot.”

“Three guesses what I wrote at that time?”

“Hmm… If you say funny, it’s probably not something really serious. Astronaut?”

“Nope.”

“How close? Is it warm or cold?”

“Pretty cold.”

“Hmm… Let me see. Funny jobs… Aha! A hiker! You know, climb the tallest mountains in the world and wave a Japan flag on the top.”

“Nope, but it’s of a similar nature. Going on adventures.”

“Okay. Hmm… Ah! A diver! Explore deep underwater caves and go face to face with sea behemoths like sharks and whales!”

“Almost, Takumi! I wrote down ‘Pirate’!”

“Ah, I see! Finding treasure maps, battling against other pirates, and solving puzzles to finally secure the gold and silver deep inside ancient caves in deserted islands. What an interesting career! But why did you choose it, I mean, of all jobs?”

“Well I’ve got the legs for it already, so I just kind of figured…”

“Ah I get it. That’s really cool, Emi!”

“Before the Nurse and I started working on my physical trainer career, I used to be somewhat serious about it.”

“Really?”

The psychology major looks amused as I clear my throat to pretend to be a pirate.

“’Just you wait. I’ll be the terror of the high seas! I’ll show you all!’ I even worked on my pirate voice!”

I spring up and begin swaggering up and down the rooftop shouting orders.

“Yarr, me hearties, give ‘em a broadside with the long guns! We’ll wear their guts for garters!”

“Do you even know what that means?”

His unexpected interruption stops me in my tracks.

“Not really. But it’s all in the delivery!”

Takumi shakes his head in amusement as I sit back down on the mat.

“If we knew each other earlier, I wouldn’t mind enrolling a pirate university with you! If one of those exists, that is.”

We share a laugh as another breeze blows by. The heat we gathered earlier already gone, I’m feeling slightly cold right now, so I brace myself a little bit.

“Here you go.”

The coat he offers me is a bit oversized, but I don’t mind. It’s not like I have another choice. He’s so nice.

Maybe it’s time to push things forward.

Instead of taking the coat from him, I offer him my arm and allow him to come over and put on the coat for me, which he meticulously obliges.

“Thanks, Takumi.”

“You’re welcome. I think I need to put on mine as well.”

As he gets himself dressed, I take a look at my phone. It’s 8:45. We’ve been here for 45 minutes already. Time surely flies when you’re with somebody you like.

“Hey, Takumi.”

“Hmm?”

Once he’s done, I face him directly and, after releasing the bind on my hair so that it returns to a ponytail, put my hands behind my back.

“If you’re going to kiss me, you should probably do it soon. We’ll need to search for an escape route soon.”

Takumi has his mouth hanging open in shock. Even though he might have planned to confess to me here, the psychology major probably didn’t predict me going so direct.

“Uh…”

“You were thinking about it, weren’t you?”

I sit up straight on the picnic mat, bringing my face level with him.

“I’d probably enjoy it, you know? You’re a really… Well…”

He tries to say something, but stops before uttering a word in favor of letting me continue my confession.

“If you hadn’t figured it out by now, I think I’ve developed a bit of a crush on you. You’re going to have to do something about that.”

His blush tells me he probably hasn’t gotten a girlfriend before. Unable to search for another word, he simply grins. Okay, if you have no experience, I can take the initiative. So, I wrap my arms around his neck, and he responds by moving his arms around my waist. His hands are shaking, which tells me he’s really nervous.

But hey, didn’t you plan the whole thing? And the trip last Friday too. Anyway…

His lips taste like… chocolate. Of course, we had that as a snack a while ago. I lean into the kiss, and my arms tighten around the back of his head, making sure that he doesn’t pull away. Not that there’s any danger of that.

There’s a sweet feeling in my gut. The world falls away. There’s just me, and him, and this mat. His arms tighten, drawing my waist closer, and I’m entranced by the feel of him. I inhale his chocolate-flavored scent, my mind trying desperately to memorize everything about how he tastes, how he smells, how he feels.

Suddenly we hear something like a door opening in the general direction of front left, and we break the kiss. It’s obviously not the door we sneaked past earlier, as it’s to my back. With careful steps, we approach the source of the noise, and we hear ruffling sounds followed by footsteps. Before we can find ourselves a hiding place, two youngsters, apparently a boy and a girl, appear in our sights.

The four of us just stand here, surprised about the presence of the other party. I try to search for something to say, but the boy opposite to us speaks first.

“Uh… So you’re also coming to enjoy the evening, huh.”

“Yeah…”

Under the moonlight, I can see that the boy is quite tall, even taller than Hisao, and has a slim build like Takumi. The girl is also tall, slim, with a ponytail like mine. Knowing that they’re probably not guards, I breathe a sigh of relief.

“How did you get here? You don’t happen to have the keys to the hatch, do you?”

“Uh… no. We kind of sneaked in during the guard’s patrol.”

“Wow. Amazing stuff. Deserves a round of applause, right?”

The slim girl next to him smiles in amusement under the dim moonlight.

“Yes, except that we’re not gonna do that. We might get heard.”

My new boyfriend wastes no time to bring up the obvious and crucial topic.

“So, is there a hatch somewhere over there?”

The boy takes a quick look towards presumably his girlfriend before giving us a nonchalant shrug.

“Well, there’s no point saying no, so I’ll spoil it. There’s a hatch over there on the ground around the corner, but it needs a key to open. And I’ve got the key.”

“Really? How did you get the key?”

“As fellow daring roof explorers, I guess I can tell you without harm. My dad’s a locksmith, so I’m good at looking into keyholes and making keys. A quick peep into the keyhole with a torch, remembering the details, then just went to my dad’s workshop and tada, I’ve got myself the roof key!”

So obviously they’ve been using this place as their dating spot for some time.

“Great stuff, dude. Well, I don’t think you two come here to enjoy our presence. Do you mind if we go down the hatch?”

“Sure, why not? But I’m not sharing the key with you, so once you go down, you can’t come back up. Well, at least not until the next patrol.”

“It’s fine. We’ve enjoyed this place long enough, right?”

Takumi turns to me, and I nod in response with a delightful grin.

“Yup! I think that’s enough for us. It’s getting a bit cold here too.”

“Alright then. We’ll collect the mat over there, and then we’ll be on our way.”

“Sure. We’ll see you guys around then.”

Eager to leave the scene to provide the couple full access to their dating spot, we grab our belongings and head towards the aforementioned hatch and climb down, closing the hatch behind us.

Oh well, the torch and the rope didn’t find their use tonight. Nor did my running skill get put to use. I was half-expecting the need to use the rope to climb down to a window on the sixth floor. No such thrilling escape for us.

But we’ve achieved so much up there already.

We carefully climb down the ladder associated to the hatch and, after wearing our masks and making sure nobody’s around, push open a door to find ourselves back in the corridor of the sixth floor.

“Let’s exit the building!”

Yeah, we don’t want to hang around any further. Fortunately this floor is so quiet to the point that you might suspect there are ghosts around, but we take full advantage of the lack of witnesses here by swiftly heading towards the elevator to the ground. After exiting the building, we walk a distance towards the general direction of the school gate before removing our masks for good.

“How was the adventure, Emi?”

“Well, it wasn’t really that exciting, but I loved the time we spent up there.”

Now that the adventure is over, there’s something we need to sort out before I head back to my hotel. We have to address what we were doing before the hatch opened.

“Uhm… Well, if you don’t mind, I think we need to talk.”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

So we find ourselves a bench somewhere nearby to sit on, making sure that it’s not near any bushes or else we’ll be attacked by mosquitoes.

“So… well… I don’t know how to start, but…”

I can save him some struggling time, but it’s quite funny to see him so embarrassed, so I let him gather his words. And he does owe me a confession.

“Dammit! I’ll just fire it off. Emi, I like you! I want to be your boyfriend!”

Even under the dim lamplights, I can see his face blushing like a red apple. His struggle is so hilarious that I can’t help but burst out into giggles.

“Hahahaha…”

As the giggles turn into a laughing fit, my whole body shaking from the end of my amputated legs to my head, my partner scratches his head in embarrassment.

“Uh…”

Alright, alright, I know this is too much, but I can’t resist it. Hahaha…

“Sorry… Can’t… resist it. No, you’re so funny to look at. But, ahem, yeah, welcome aboard, my fellow pirate!”

“Uh… I don’t speak any pirate language.”

“Me neither! It doesn’t matter, does it?”

“No. Uh… I just… I’m not sure what to do or say…”

He’s so funny. I’m most certain I am his first girlfriend.

“You don’t need to do anything. Just give me a kiss.”

“But we’re in a school ground. I don’t think this is appropriate.”

“Wasn’t the roof technically a school ground too?”

“Yeah, but there was nobody around. Except when that couple came.”

“You’re scared of being seen, are you?”

“I don’t know, I just feel embarrassed.”

“Alright then. Bring me outside of the school, then we can do anything we want.”

“Good idea. I can escort you to the hotel as well. It’s getting late, you know.”

“Thanks a lot.”

Accordingly we stand up, and, even though I want to hold his hand right now, based on what he just said, I’ll refrain from it until we’ve exited Midori.

“Emi… you know… There’s something I want to confess to you.”

“Uh huh?”

“I already fell in love with you when I first met you in the track field. But I felt like you’re so pretty and popular, you must already have a boyfriend.”

Even though it’s true that I’m decently popular, both in Yamaku and in my two schools of exchange program, my habit of always keeping a social distance from others had been hindering me from knowing a boyfriend. That was until the accident last Monday, when his touch of warmth electrified me.

“I don’t choose my relationships randomly, Takumi.”

“Which is awesome, Emi. I’m happy to know you.”

“Me too!”

Okay! So, everything went as smooth as we’ve hope for tonight! And maybe there’ll be a change to my future career path as well. But that’s a problem for future Emi. The current Emi should focus on enjoying some male company after missing it for a few years. I’m probably calling off the home trip tomorrow in favor of spending time with my new boyfriend, if he is free.

“Hey Takumi, are you free tomorrow or Sunday?”

“I’m free tomorrow for a date if you want to. About Sunday… oh yeah…”

He turns towards me and gives me a warm smile.

“Uh… Sunday?”

“I’ve got an invitation. Maybe you can…”

Chapter 87: Reunion Shocker

Chapter 87: Reunion Shocker

“Hey guys, food is ready.”

Hearing Alvin’s voice, ‘Nako and I immediately rush to the door and open it, my girlfriend following us closely behind. We share his huge load of food and carry the boxes all the way to the bench at the end of the room.

“Thanks so much, Alvin.”

“It’s nothing. We should have enough for everybody.”

“Let’s distribute the food across the table for easy access.”

Accordingly, we spread the boxes apart and put each dish adjacent to each other. Until everyone arrives, we should keep the boxes closed in order to preserve the food’s temperature. The paper plates, plastic forks, spoons, and chopsticks should be placed near the edge of the table, while the dessert should be moved to a separate table. The same configuration was used in both Sakura’s Student Council party and Shizune’s birthday party.

“We’re done! See if it’s okay, Alvin.”

“It looks good.”

For today’s reunion, ‘Nako has reserved a party room in the amenities building of Midori University, where Shizune and I are visiting for the first time. It’s five minutes to noon, which means the others should be arriving at any moment.

A pat on my left shoulder, and the female voice of my host appears from behind.

“So, Hisao, are you ready to face your former classmates?”

“Nope, I’m never ready for it.”

My former crush pouts in disappointment with a gesture similar to Emi’s.

“Awwwww…”

Another assuring pat, this time from a boy, on my right shoulder.

“Hey Hisao, we’re here to support you.”

“Alvin’s right. If something happens, at least we’ve got a boy here to help out.”

The only reply I can make is a helpless shrug. But before ‘Nako can encourage me further, the door flies open.

“Hey guys!”

The familiar voice is easily recognizable as Takumi’s, which makes sense as he’s a student in this university, probably leading the rest of the group. We naturally walk towards the door to welcome our guest (well technically I should be the guest instead), who reveals that he’s holding hands with a girl…

Oh. My. Goodness.

Takumi’s girlfriend is a short, slim cutie with golden ponytail, wearing a pink shirt, and I’m quite sure, unless she has a secret twin sister, that she is wearing prosthetic legs beneath her trousers.

She looks shocked too, realizing her boyfriend’s former high school friend is me.

‘Nako told me last night Takumi would be bringing a guest; he didn’t tell us he’s coming with a girlfriend.

Actually, what surprises me the most isn’t the fact that Emi is Takumi’s girlfriend. ‘Nako already informed me Takumi’s crush on her the other day in Kasshoku. I’m shocked by that he chooses to bring her to this “special” occasion, plus the fact that he managed to grab hold of her hand so quickly.

Takumi looks puzzled by our surprised expression and the awkward silence, but before any of us can say a word, the door swings open again, revealing Shin, who’s, as expected, also holding hands with a girl.

“Hey everyone.”

But when the identity of his girlfriend is revealed, both Emi and I get even more shocked. Shin’s partner is a tall, brown-skinned lady with long hair all the way down to her waist, and her left hand is a stump.

What. In. The. World. Has. Happened!?

Before any of the former Yamaku students in the room can settle themselves down from the huge surprise, the door swings open once again, and in comes Shrimp and the childhood friend I had played so many shooting games against, Mai.

“Hi everyone… What’s wrong?”

Good question. How do we even start?

Well, I feel like I’m the core component of this whole mess, and nobody else is better suited to say something than me.

The only feasible way I can think of to continue this now extremely awkward gathering is to neglect all the revelations and all the past events for just a second, and distract everybody’s attention by greeting my former classmates with a smile. Enlighten me if there’s a better way to handle this situation.

“Uh… nothing. Nice to see you again, Takumi.”

I approach the friend with a slender build (you never changed, pal) who has apparently cut his hair short (well this is a change), and extend my hand. I hope he’s not too angry with me.

It seems like my wish is granted, as he, possibly having seen through what I’m trying to do with the distraction, returns my handshake and pats my shoulder with his other hand.

“Welcome back, dude. And this is my girlfriend, Emi Ibarazaki.”

Of course I know this name, but I pretend to not know this person for now. I have a feeling that he’s bringing his girlfriend to not lose to me, because I’m attending this gathering with my own girl.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Ibarazaki. I’m Nisao Nakai.”

My physical trainer is unsurprisingly shocked by my politeness, but she brushes the shock off swiftly and shake hands with me. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see ‘Nako putting her finger on her lips, signaling to Shrimp who looks perplexed by why neither Emi nor I say a word about us being high school friends, the fact she must know after attending the Kasshoku dinner gathering a couple of weeks ago.

I should introduce my girlfriend to Takumi and his mate.

“And this is my girlfriend, Shizune Hakamichi. She’s deaf and mute, so you might need to use pen and paper to talk to her, or you can ask me to translate her sign language to you.”

After Takumi shakes hands with the Vice President, Emi once again plays along by pretending not to have known her. I wonder how long we can keep playing on this act.

The next in line is Shin, my former friend who’s, as usual, wearing a light brown zip-up jacket, black pants, and dark shoes. His short hair is still like an explosion. You’ve never changed, buddy.

“And nice to see you too, Shin.”

Instead of returning my handshake, Shin crosses his arms and stares at me coldly as if I was thirty minutes late in the gathering.

“Dude, I thought you forgot about us already!”

That’s bad, and I have no proper response. But before I can apologize, Takumi comes to the rescue by approaching his friend.

“No, Shin, don’t do that.”

Possibly giving face to Takumi, and also possibly due to the fact that his girlfriend is standing next to him, he gives in and offers me the shortest handshake he can possibly manage.

“This is my girlfriend, Miki Miura.”

Seeing that Emi has been playing along, the used-to-be countrygirl is sensible enough not to make a fuss in this occasion. After exchanging formal greetings with my former crush, I move on towards the remaining member of the group. Mai, contrary to Shin, is way more enthusiastic about the reunion. According to ‘Nako, she’s never been angry with me.

“Great to see you again, Hisao! Welcome back!”

She actually hugs me. But since I need to respect Shizune’s presence, I can only return her hug briefly. She is then greeted by my girlfriend while I shake hands with Shrimp.

Now what?

I shoot a glance towards the host of the party, and fortunately ‘Nako is quick enough to pick up the cue.

“Um… Welcome to our reunion… err… we’ve got a lot of food here, and you guys are probably hungry already! So… enjoy yourselves!”

A very awkward opening speech, although I admit that the best way to break ice is food; I did that with ‘Nako herself too after I sliced an apple for her the other day. The context in that meeting couldn’t be more different though.

“Um… And just one rule for today’s gathering. No fighting. Okay? So, yeah, let’s dig in!”

I guess I just have to eat lunch with everybody and see what happens. But before I can start moving towards the food table, Takumi pats Shin on his shoulder.

“Shin, I’d like to have a word with you. Hisao, you come with me. Mai, ‘Nako, I want both of you as well.”

“Uh… are you sure?”

“Yes. Come with me.”

I have no choice but to follow; rejecting his offer would probably lead to something really bad. Shin reluctantly follows Takumi’s footsteps, and ‘Nako signals to her boyfriend to help the remaining four girls towards the food table before joining us. The friend who just got his haircut leads the four of us towards a corner of the party room. He brings over chairs for us to sit on, forming a circle. I pay extra attention not to sit next to the guy who’s still angry with me, and I end up sitting between ‘Nako and Takumi.

“Everybody’s hungry, so I’ll get to the point right away.”

Taking a glance towards me, Emi’s boyfriend continues his speech.

“I’m on a mission today. The mission is to spend a peaceful afternoon with everyone.”

Shin crosses his arms again right after sitting down; he still looks pissed. Everybody else is silent.

“So… I want to start by telling you guys about my girlfriend Emi.”

He points a finger towards the food table where Emi is picking up her favorite lunch before continuing.

“’Nako and Kai know about it already. She’s disabled. She lost her legs, and she’s currently using a pair of prosthetic legs to walk.”

Shin and Mai are the only ones in the whole gathering who don’t know about this fact. What a coincidence that Shin’s girlfriend also has missing limbs!

“We only met for a few weeks, and we started dating a couple of days ago.”

‘Nako nods and smiles at him. I want to congratulate him for finding such a wonderful, cheerful girl, but we need to deal with the current issue first.

“Sorry ‘Nako, I told you I was bringing a guest. I actually wanted to surprise you with my new relationship, but apparently it didn’t work out as intended.”

‘Nako opens her mouth to say something, but doesn’t seem to find the appropriate words in this particular situation. I’m sure this conversation would have been much better without Shin around, but he’s a vital member of the group that cannot be ignored. On the other hand, even though the initial greeting was fine, I might still have issues to sort out with Mai and Takumi.

The atmosphere is very awkward, and I have a feeling Shin’s patience is running out.

“Shin, I know you want to say something, but please let me finish. I’m not done yet.”

I wonder what he wants to say.

“Before Emi and I started dating, I visited her hometown once, escorting her to her high school for a leg check.”

That’s a big revelation! He actually visited Yamaku! And Emi did hurt her leg back then! Shizune’s hunch was correct after all.

“And inside her high school of the disabled, I saw many students with their various disabilities. Blind, deaf, lost an arm, walking in a weird way, riding on a wheelchair… Sorry no offence Hisao, but it was really painful to watch.”

Shin nods; he has a disabled girlfriend himself. I wonder how he met Miki.

I still can’t digest the fact that two of my Before Yamaku friends are dating my former classmates. But now that Miki has a boyfriend of her own, my interaction with her probably won’t be as bad. Right, I still need to wrap things up with her eventually, and today seems to be a good occasion, assuming I can get back on relatively better terms with these three.

“I retreated to a garden after witnessing the disabled students, being unable to watch anymore. I was fortunate to be in the school for only half a day; I can’t imagine how Hisao managed to stay in that kind of school for a whole year.”

Takumi obviously doesn’t know, or already forgot, the name of my high school.

“Shin, this is my point. I experienced firsthand how difficult it was for Hisao to be sent to a school of disabled. If I were sent to a school like that, I would’ve been mad. I would’ve gone insane and been sent to a mental hospital.”

He turns to me and continues.

“Hisao, it had to be exceptionally tough on you. I admit that I indeed was angry with you, and Shin does too, for your treatment to us in the hospital, the disconnections after you got transferred, and your negligence of ‘Nako’s letter. But after that trip with Emi, I started to understand a little bit the ordeal you’ve come through. And it must have taken you a great deal of courage to call for this reunion.”

He turns back to Shin, who has released his arms after hearing his words.

“Shin, Hisao is here not to get scolded.”

Miki’s boyfriend lets out a deep sigh and leans back on his chair with his hands behind his head.

“You’ve got a point, Takumi. Yeah, both Miki and I had a heck of a past, and we made a promise to each other that we’ll forget about everything that has happened to us and move on. I do want to stick with my words, even though it’s easier said than done.”

The “Miki’s past” he mentioned is probably related to me, although she most likely didn’t mention my name when she talked with her boyfriend.

“I guess none of us were mature enough at that time to deal with those event properly. We weren’t even adults.”

“Yeah, how can I not agree with you, Mai? Okay then, Hisao, I forgive you. Well, at least I’ll try to.”

That’s a big step towards reconciliation, although we’re still far away from restoring our friendship to the state before the accident. Thanks for your kind words, Takumi.

“Thank you Shin. Um… I guess I need to spill it out one way or another, so I should do it right now…”

‘Nako already knows half of the secret, but I bet she doesn’t know the other half.

“In fact…”

I take a glance towards a table on the other side of the room, where the four girls are chatting happily (Shizune using the computer thing that she greeted my parents with), a stark contrast from the serious atmosphere in this circle.

“I know both Emi and Miki. They were my high school friends.”

“What???”

All four of my Before Yamaku friends respond in unison, causing the other group to turn towards us. I immediately give them a hush in an attempt to avoid suspicions, and lean towards the center of the circle. My friends follow my gesture, and Takumi is the first to speak up. By speaking up I mean whisper.

“So Yamaku was the high school you transferred to?”

“Yes, and I met Shizune there. You see, the three girls know each other. That’s why they’re chatting so happily. They’re having their own reunion already.”

“Oh… That’s where the initial shock came from! That made so much sense… Wait! Then ‘Nako must have known about it too, since you two were back in contact since last year.”

“Yes. Emi’s actually a physical trainer in Kasshoku. I confronted Hisao about her. I asked him if Emi has a disability; I actually asked him for you, because I know you have a crush on her. He said Emi does have a disability, but he wouldn’t tell me what it is, because of, err…”

“Patient confidentiality, ‘Nako.”

“Yes, that, and he said we would have to find it out ourselves. But, you know, Takumi, before we had a chance to confront her about it, she kind of…”

“Yeah, in that accident. Oh man! I didn’t know so much has happened between my connection with Emi and you guys.”

“Hold on, ‘Nako. Accident?”

“Yes, the accident that blew Emi’s cover. Don’t tell me you don’t know about it.”

“No! I didn’t know any accident!”

“I thought she told you about it already, Hisao!”

“No! She told me she had a sore knee. Shizune believed there was something else to it, but Emi refused to elaborate.”

“Aha! Well, I can fill you in. It was Monday, two weeks ago. I think the 18th. We’re in the training session. A soccer ball hit her hard on her leg, causing her prosthetic leg to dislodge. She fell, got a scratch and a wound. Takumi carried her to the sidelines. I think that’s the moment you two got hooked up with each other.”

‘Nako’s schoolmate gives her a thumbs-up for the correct guess.

“Yup. That’s right!”

“No wonder she was limping so badly that afternoon!”

“But I’m surprised she masked the whole thing from you two. Aren’t you both her acquaintances? Why didn’t she tell you the truth?”

I don’t know, Takumi, but based on my experience with this little ponytail, I’ve a feeling that being her boyfriend won’t be that easy. Well, it’s not to say being Shizune’s boyfriend is easy either.

“Yeah, Emi’s the kind that doesn’t reveal much of her secrets. In fact, I always feel like my friendship with Emi is kind of superficial. Like, she makes a lot of small talks and half-jokes, which are perfect to fill silences. But she also doesn’t necessarily tell you a lot about herself. Well, I’m not her boyfriend, so I’m not in the position to judge. Maybe you’re her boyfriend so she’ll be more open towards you. But I just want to give you a heads-up, especially since you two haven’t known each other for long, that you shouldn’t be surprised if she isn’t that honest towards you. Well, honest in terms of her own situation, not the cheating aspect. Again, I’m no expertise in the topic of Emi’s heart.”

“Gotcha. Thanks for the advice, buddy.”

“But what about Shin’s girlfriend? She’s from Yamaku too?”

“Yeah. She was actually my classmate, sitting in the front row, in front of the teacher. She’s a good friend of Emi, and a great runner. They participated in the Track Meet together. And she’s now in Tokyo studying fashion design in a vocational training center…”

Takumi instantly reacts and interrupts my report.

“Which must be where you’re studying in, right, Shin?”

“Correct. We’re classmates. And that’s how we met each other.”

“The world is so small, isn’t it?”

“A little too small, if you ask me.”

All the boys in the circle lean back into our chairs, still digesting the fact that our girlfriends are all disabled and studied in the same high school. The links between the ten participants of this gathering are so complicated that it will take like an hour for us to explain them to an outsider.

“Alright then. Hisao, Shin is right. We need to move on from everything happened two years ago. Again, I want a peaceful afternoon, and hopefully we as adults can pick up what we left behind, starting from today. No more blames, complaints, apologies, those sort of things. Shin, are you alright with this?”

I’ve a feeling that Takumi’s wish won’t be easily granted, but at least the attitude is correct, and I should hold the same attitude as well.

“No objection about that matter, Takumi. However, there’s something else I need to talk to Hisao alone. So, if you’re okay with it, I suggest you guys go and have lunch, and I’ll drag him outside to talk.”

‘Nako frowns, worrying that Shin might not control his emotions.

“Don’t start a fight, okay?”

“I’ll try not to. Come with me.”

Shin and I rise to our feet and head towards the door, while the others can only watch on. I have a good idea what he’s up to.

After closing the door behind us, Shin leads me to an empty bench several meters away and takes a seat. Zipping down his jacket to reveal a runner shirt that’s apparently designed by his girlfriend, my former classmate who helped ‘Nako out after the accident crosses his arms again and doesn’t hesitate to fire bullets straight at me.

“I’m not holding any punches, okay? Miki told me about an exchange student she met in her final year. That said student had a crush on her, but when she reciprocated his feelings, that guy told her he wasn’t yet ready for a relationship. Then, all of a sudden, that same guy who said he wasn’t ready to date a girl sent Miki a text message, telling her he has already chosen another girl to be his girlfriend. Do you happen to know that jerk who studied in the same high school as hers?”

Yeah, that was the “past” Miki told her boyfriend about. Now that all the links have been revealed, I ought to fill him in with the details. Well, some of them.

“It’s complicated. You see? I got myself tangled up with Shizune in a pretty messy relationship with a lot of ups and downs. At some point we stopped talking to each other, but a few key events later, we became inseparable. But then one day something happened, and she got pissed with me. I tried to salvage our friendship, but the prospects became dim after she rejected talking to me. That’s when I seriously looked into developing something with Miki…”

Understandably, my former classmate doesn’t quite approve of my explanation, and decides to interrupt before I can finish.

“Damn fool, you really messed up big time. I tell you what, you suck. You’ve chased that chick for like two years, and she had been giving you lukewarm response, playing you around like a toy. For your reference, I got to hold Miki’s hand one month after we got to know each other. One month, dude! Yeah, sure, now you’ve finally got the deaf girlfriend you’ve been after, on paper. If I were you, I’d seriously doubt if she has an ulterior motive for dating you. Who knows, she might be just using you as a shield to dodge one of her annoying pursuers.”

I don’t think he’s got the right idea, but I prefer not to disclose the details of my relationship with Shizune, especially the mistake I made.

“Anyway, I admit I truly considered going for Miki. But then before I could make a move, Shizune turned her arms back onto me. And that’s the whole story.”

I never had high expectations for this gathering in the first place, and until the start of the gathering I had absolutely no intention of blending with the Before Yamaku group again (maybe except Shrimp). But now that the situation has changed with two new couples revealed, I need to consider doing what ‘Nako wants me to do.

“You made a girl cry. How are you going to pay for it?”

I’ll let him vent out all his anger, wait for him to calm down, and then… we’ll see.

“I’ll sort things out with her later.”

“That doesn’t sound very promising, dude. Who knows, tomorrow you might get dumped again, and then you suddenly want to turn yourself back to Miki.”

“No, I promise you I won’t steal your girlfriend.”

Still crossing his arms, Shin stares at me with a pair of doubting and analyzing eyes. Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have joined this gathering in the first place.

“Hmph! Why do I have to believe you or your girlfriend? One look at her and I can tell she’s a heck of a horny slut. Who knows how many sugar daddies that bitch is hiding from you?”

I really shouldn’t have been here.

“I think you’re out of line, Shin.”

“Yeah? Didn’t you learn sign language with that bitch in order to talk to her? Who knows what’s really behind those signs? And who knows if she’s secretly not deaf, just pretending to be deaf in school? Do you have her medical report? …”

‘Nako asked me not to start a fight with him, but I don’t think I can take his assault any more. Standing up from my seat, I point at his filthy mouth and shout, even at the risk of being overheard by the rest of the group.

“That’s enough, Shin! I can’t let you insult my girlfriend any further!”

Raising from his own seat and lifting his fist, he announces that when he said he wouldn’t hold any punches, he means it literally.

“I don’t care about your girlfriend ONE bit, and I don’t care if you get dumped. But don’t you dare touch MINE, or these fists of mine are more than happy to send you back to the hospital again!”

I reflexively hold my arms in front of my face and brace myself in anticipation of his physical assault when the sudden appearance of a hand to my shoulder and a stump to Shin’s stop both of us in our respective tracks.

“C’mon, calm down, calm down, boys.”

“(Together) Miki!”

“Knew it’d happen. C’mon guys, listen to me for a bit okay?”

Unwilling to make a mess in front of her, we both back off a bit and retrieve our fists, but still staring daggers at each other. Meanwhile, my former crush unexpectedly throws me a playful wink. I wonder what she’s up to.

“Hisao, you know what? Shizune apologized to me just now. Can you believe it? The President actually says sorry! The first time ever! Damn you Hisao, you surely changed her a lot!”

The way she abruptly sways the conversation towards something that seems completely irrelevant makes me unable to formulate a proper response. Shin is equally speechless as his girlfriend continues.

“Look, here’s the proof, boy. She gave this to me immediately after you two left the room.”

The fashion designer retrieves an envelope from her brown crossbody handbag and opens it as we watch in silence. From the cover, it’s clearly my girlfriend’s writing, and it appears that she has the letter prepared in advance. When I stayed in her apartment on Tuesday, I briefly talked with her about my issue with Miki. She must have written the letter after our discussion.

“Not gonna show you guys the content, but basically she apologized for not giving me a warning call before making a move in the… ‘game’, so to speak. Yeah, like always, she defends herself like a lawyer, blah blah blah, but, hey, she said sorry.”

Yeah, treating even the acquisition of a boyfriend as a “game”. How fitting for her. And who knows, even this piece of apologetic note could be a game for her, to humiliate her defeated opponent while citing from rulebooks to defend herself perfectly like a champ. Perhaps Shin’s earlier comment about her playing with me like a toy is not outright wrong. However, I truly believe that, being an expert in ethics as she is, Shizune is not going to cheat on me with potential sugar daddies, even though I have to admit she does possess a strong sex drive.

Miki pats me lightly on my shoulder and turns to her boyfriend.

“Shin, we’re dealing with a nice boy here. I know a little bit of history about him. He’s… just a little unlucky, I’d say. And without him, I wouldn’t have become what I am right now. See, even his girlfriend has apologized. So, how ‘bout you treat him some respect, will ya?”

I’m surprised Miki actually speaks for me despite our history. Her kind words don’t seem to work, however, as Shin still trains an analytical pair of eyes at me while folding his hands.

“I just can’t trust this jerk, you know.”

It looks like no matter what Miki or I say, Shin’s not going to make friends with me today. Miki leans closer towards her boyfriend, gives him a kiss on his cheek, and throws me a helpless look.

“Well, it looks like we need to stop talking for a while, Hisao. Shin, I promise you, I won’t talk to him until you allow, okay?”

My former best friend huffs and silently says “Don’t you ever fucking touch my girlfriend!” while pointing a finger directly at me. I respond with a silent “Don’t you ever fucking insult my girlfriend!”

“C’mon, guys. Shin, if you keep doing that, I’m gonna have to shut your mouth by demonstrating French Kiss with you in front of Hisao.”

That hilarious comment by the former countrygirl completely blows our minds as I can see Shin silently lips a “what the fuck” before turning his head around while waving a hand. Well, the conversation is certainly over.

“I’ll be on my way then.”

Without waiting for a reply, I turn around to reenter the gathering venue while leaving the couple to demonstrate whatever intimate act they opt for in front of air.

(Part 2)

(Chapter 87 cont'd)

With the Shin issue being put aside for now, let’s try to re-establish some sort of bond with the other Before Yamaku members. But first of all, let’s grab myself some food. I’m hungry.

Anticipating Shin’s imminent arrival at the food table and trying to avoid crossing paths with him while picking my food, I quickly grab my utensils and proceed to sweep across the collection of food available in front of me. In the process, I see ‘Nako and Takumi finished with their selection while Mai is still choosing her food.

Mai should be a great candidate for a bond, considering how enthusiastic she was when greeting me.

“Hey there, Mai.”

My former classmate turns towards me and grins, her plate full of brown curry. Something’s never changed.

“It’s been some time, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, I suppose. Um…”

“Don’t apologize. I don’t want to hear that sh_t anymore.”

I didn’t expect her to put everything aside so easily. I’ll take it though.

“Well, if you say so…”

“Just like Takumi, I’m here on a mission too. I need to know you again as a new friend, Hisao Nakai.”

Placing her utensils on her plate, she extends a handshake with a grin, which I’m happy to return.

Standing in front of me is Mai Morikawa, a “girl in black” whom I’ve known since primary school. Hair down to her shoulders, black eyes, a pair of white earrings, a red necklace, black jacket, black belt, black knee-high boots, she’s still exactly how I’ve been portraying her before my transfer. As an only child myself who didn’t have many companions to play with during my younger days, I often treated her as a sister of mine. The emphasis here is sister, not more than that.

“So, vocational training center, huh.”

Instead of replying, Mai points towards an empty corner of the room. From nearby we find two chairs to move there and sit down on. She eats a spoonful of her curry and gives me (or, rather, the food) a thumbs-up. Expected. Before the gang arrived, Alvin and ‘Nako told me that they chose high-class food for this gathering. I’m planning to share some of the cost so that the couple won’t go broke.

“That’s right, although a different one from Shin’s. Mine is more to the north-west. Around 20 minutes by bus from his.”

The fried noodles are also excellent. The couple certainly knows their food.

“I currently work in Tokyo on Saturdays, although the location is closer to Chiba. It’s a tutorial center.”

“You’re working in Tokyo? And yet we’ve never met each other there? Kinda crazy to think about, huh.”

Imagine if I had come across with her in Tokyo. It would have been so embarrassing.

“Yeah. So, what subject are you studying in?”

“Hotel management.”

That’s completely different from Shin’s Fashion Design, his subject inferred by him being Miki’s classmate.

“Interesting. What does it do?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. Managing a hotel. From frontdesk to room cleaning, from car parking for customers to the buffet. Basically, every service you can think of in a hotel.”

“Isn’t it like home economics, then?”

“It’s a bit different. You need to consider the financial side of the matter as well. How much to charge for a night, how much for each gym service, the brand of towels and cleaning equipment, types of food served in the restaurant, wages of the chef and frontdesk staff, again, everything you can think of. It’s kind of like home economics plus economics.”

“That’s new to me. I suppose you need to do practical training in real hotels then?”

“Yup. In fact, I’ll be out of town for a month, starting in two weeks.”

Practical training. Misha’s case immediately comes to my mind. Shizune and I had a talk with her earlier in the week, and it sounds like she’s enjoying her program. If I want to become a teacher, I’ll have to apply for a practical training session some time in the near future.

“And where will the practical training be?”

“Okinawa. One of the best tourist spots in the world. It makes sense that there are a lot of hotels in that area, doesn’t it?”

I’ve always wanted to go on holiday in Okinawa once! If only my parents had the money to finance such a trip! But hey, maybe I can pull it off with Shizune later.

“It does. Sunshine and beaches. Ideal place for holidays.”

“Exactly. I’m really looking forward to it. It’ll be a memorable experience.”

“But what are you going to do in Okinawa? I mean, you just mentioned so many tasks a hotel manager must take care of. You don’t do everything right off the bat, do you?”

“You’re right. I’m going to serve frontdesk and pick up phone calls for a week. Then, depending on my performance, I might be assigned to more complicated tasks such as food management, facilities, and preparation of special events.”

Frontdesk, huh. It is at this moment I finally notice that she’s put on slight makeup. I’m glad that she’s at least treating this gathering as a somewhat important event.

“Got it. But I’m curious. Why did you choose this subject in the first place?”

My girl-in-black friend throws me a playful wink and a grin.

“Simple, Hisao. What do you wear as a hotel manager? Formal. Specifically, you wear black. Suits me well, no? And you get to work in a dazzling, golden, and fully air-conditioned environment. In the customer rooms you might even get to appreciate a beautiful seaside view while tidying things up. So, why not?”

I’m not gonna lie, but the way she describes her job does make the occupation sound quite attractive. Yet hotel manager isn’t the only job you can work in a hotel.

“I guess so. But I’m curious why you chose hotel management over other jobs that also allow you to work in a hotel, say, an accountant.”

The curry lover takes another spoonful of her favorite food, then rolls her eyes on me before gulping down half of her cup of juice.

“You jerk! Didn’t you forget… Oh wait, yeah, you probably don’t know. Sorry, yeah, that makes sense. But still… You know, I don’t choose a vocational training center for no reason, do I?”

Oops. I totally forgot about the common perception that you need a university degree to take on professional jobs such as an accountant. Apparently, this is not entirely true; Shizune revealed to me the other day that her cousin Akira managed to become a lawyer without a degree, an achievement my girlfriend has admired even as of today.

“Sorry, Mai. ’Nako gave me a briefing the other day. The two of you didn’t enter a university. I forgot that most accountants have a degree. That’s my bad.”

“So you know, huh. I wanna call you a jerk, but in retrospect it was my own fault, considering ‘Nako managed to get in. I suppose ‘Nako told you everything, did she?”

“I know that ‘Nako got bullied in class. Shin tried to help. Took several blows from a bully. That boy got expelled from the school. That’s all I know.”

“Yeah. So you don’t know what happened afterwards?”

“No. I asked her if you and Shin were in the same university as hers, and that was when she told me you two weren’t in one.”

“I see. Well, you’re probably curious why Shin was so angry with you. I’ll fill you in.”

She briefly sweeps across the room as I follow her sight, noting that Shin and his girlfriend are done with their food selection and are chatting with ‘Nako at the opposite corner of the room.

“You just said the bully got ejected from the school. In fact, that bully wasn’t the only one who received punishment for the act.”

I take a moment to digest her words while finishing my chicken wing before putting my left hand on my head as I realize her implication.

“Ah… no wonder! Did Shin get ejected as well? That was so unfair!”

“Unfair was unfair, but he didn’t get expelled. He received a detention. I was completely shocked. He’s my best friend. You know…”

“Wow. I never knew things got so messy after… that…”

“Yeah. After that, neither of us were in a mood to study, even though we knew exams were around the corner. You left us. ‘Nako was bullied. Shin took a penalty. Takumi wasn’t as involved but no doubt he was affected too. How on earth could I possibly focus? At one point I did want to blame you for everything, but I knew deep in my heart it was my own fault for not studying. Especially after ‘Nako got in.”

“Man, it’s gonna be a hard one for me to take, Mai. But I’m curious. How did ‘Nako pull it off? She must’ve been living in fear until school ended.”

“You. You were the answer.”

“Me? But why?”

“She was determined. She knew she caused the accident. The only way she could’ve redeemed herself was to study a medical subject in order to find a cure for you. That’s her motivation. She tried to apply for doctor, but her grades said no, so she settled for Pharmacy instead. In retrospect, I should’ve had the same kind of motivation as hers. But I failed. I let my emotions get the best of me. But fortunately, I still managed to find a career that suits me.”

I see! No wonder ‘Nako actively contacted me after watching my heart acting up on television! She was still worried about my condition.

“Man! I need time to digest everything.”

“Expected. Two whole years of blank for you to fill in. Take your time. Meanwhile, how about you fill me in? How was your life there? And your girlfriend?”

Those I can explain easily. I tell Mai about my first week in Yamaku, how the duo roped me into the Student Council, the Tanabata, our first breakup (although very briefly), the exams, the scholarship, Shizune’s hospitalization, and finally how we rekindled our romance. By the time I finish, our meals are also done.

“I think that’s all I can say.”

“What a journey. I can’t believe you hooked up with such a hottie.”

“It wasn’t without cost, though. Sign language is no joke. I can teach you some if you want to.”

“Ew… No thanks. But still can’t believe you could get so committed to one thing. You never really committed to anything, you know. Not even in arcade games.”

Yeah, I could never win against her in the arcade center. Given my scarce visits after the accident (though I did go there with my Sweetie last week), I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do so.

“It might sound cliché, but maybe it’s indeed the power of love. Even until now, I’ve got no other explanation to why I chose that route. In retrospect, the most logical, reasonable route to take after my transfer would be to apologize to ‘Nako and maybe we could’ve started a long-distance, but it is what it is.”

“You lose your mind when you’re in love. Congrats, anyway.”

“As I told you, the first couple of weeks there were downright awful for me. But Shizune’s presence changed everything. Now I don’t regret…”

“HEY GUYS!”

Alvin’s loud voice from behind catches our attention as we turn to him. It looks like ‘Nako, who’s standing next to her boyfriend, has something to say.

“Well, I suppose everybody is done with your lunch. We’ve booked the room for several more hours, so you can enjoy your dessert any time. We’ve got some board games right there, and you can use the amenities in this building such as badminton, table tennis, and snooker. But since this is a gathering, we’ve prepared a few activities for you all to participate together before you play your own games. So how about we sit in a circle in front of me here?”

I’m fine with the activities, as long as I don’t sit next to Shin or his girlfriend, or get paired with either of them in the games.

With a casual shrug, I point a finger towards the couple, signaling to Mai that we should join the activities and catch up later. Then I offer to help Mai dispose of her empty plate and other stuff. After throwing everything away into the rubbish bin, I notice Shizune signing to me, offering me a seat next to her and Alvin. Good choice, Sweetie. Next to my girlfriend sits Emi, who’s sitting next to her boyfriend. The other members also find their seats as ‘Nako the host starts the first game.

“Have you ever heard of the game called ‘Sea Turtle Soup’?”

I haven’t, and Shizune likewise has no idea. It seems like only Takumi has some knowledge of the game.

“I heard about it in university, but never joined one.”

“So nobody ever played one before? The proper name of the game is ‘Situation Puzzle’. We call it ‘Sea Turtle Soup’ because the puzzle bearing that title is one of the most iconic of that type. Basically, Alvin and I will present you all a mysterious situation. You guys need to keep asking us questions trying to reveal parts of the puzzle, and I’m only allowed to answer ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘irrelevant’. Your task is to, based on the clues given and our answers to your questions, figure out what happened.”

Sounds interesting.

“We’ve prepared a couple of situations, and Alvin said he has an extra one for all of us. But let’s do a couple of warm-ups first, okay? To avoid everybody asking questions simultaneously, let’s start from Alvin’s right side, which is Hisao. We’ll follow the order for at least one round. Okay?”

So I get to ask the first question. Alright then. I hope I don’t mess up.

“This is a very simple case. A man entered a boutique on the seventh floor of a mall and ordered ten full sets of formal wear. The boutique owner measured his size, from the shoes, trousers, sleeves, and, finally, the neck. She then marked down ‘size 16’ for his shirt. The man responded, ‘But I always wear size 14’, to which the owner replied, ‘If you wear 14, you’ll feel headache, nauseous, and might even faint’. Upon hearing that, the man seemed to realize something. His face turned pale, and he subsequently jumped down from the seventh floor of the mall to his death. Question: Why did he commit suicide?”

It’s my turn to ask a question. Hmm…

“Did he order ‘size 14’ for another expensive clothing?”

“No.”

Oh well, no extra clue. It’s now Shizune’s turn.

[Was he feeling dizzy and nauseous when he was in the boutique?]

After I translate the question to ‘Nako, she nods.

“Yes.”

It’s Emi’s turn next.

“Um… Did he see a doctor?” “No.”

“You said he ordered ten full sets of formal wear. Was he going for work?” “No.”

Not going for work? It could be an important hint.

“Did he have any terminal illness?” “No. It’s irrelevant anyway.”

“Was he in any emotional trouble?” “Irrelevant.”

“Did the man visit the shop before?” “No.”

It’s Shrimp’s turn, and then we’ve completed one round of interrogation. It’ll be my turn after that, if nobody interrupts.

“Okay, I’ve got an idea. Did he ask somebody else about the headache and the like?”

‘Nako instantly lights up at Shrimp’s question with a “Yes”. Shrimp then immediately jumps up from her seat in excitement.

“I think I know what happened!”

Huh? So fast? I don’t even have a single clue!

“Tell us about it, Kai.”

“Since the man had been wearing size 14, he must have had the headache issue for some time. He must have asked, not a doctor, but somebody else, like, a fake doctor? About his problem. That guy told them he had a terminal illness and would only have like a few weeks left. In order to enjoy his last moments, he spent all his money on luxurious items including the ten sets of formal wear, until the shop owner told him the truth that his issue was merely due to wearing a wrong size. He realized that he just wasted most of his money for nothing, so he killed himself.”

“Bingo! That was exactly what happened!”

Shrimp jumps up and down to celebrate her success as we all clap our hands. Wow. Shrimp managed to figure everything out from those little clues? She’s awesome in this game! The story was hilarious, and I would never have come up with such a plot.

“Now the second warm-up. A man pushed his wife, along with many others, away in order to get onto a lifeboat which is fully loaded. On the sinking ship, the wife shouted something to the husband, but she was seen smiling. What did she say, and what happened? Let’s start with Kai this time around.”

“Hmm… Was the wife being sarcastic?” “No.”

“Will the woman be saved?” “No.”

“Okay… then, will the man be safe?” “Yes.”

My imminent task is to figure out what sensible question to ask.

“Did the woman sacrifice herself for her husband?”

‘Nako pauses for a moment before replying to the boy who’s still angry with me. At least Shin still seems to be enjoying the gathering despite the shout earlier.

“Well, the man pushed her, so it doesn’t qualify as a sacrifice. But since she didn’t fight back or take any counteraction, you can say she’s sacrificing. So, I guess yes.”

“Is she suffering from, say, a terminal illness?” “Yes.”

Upon the revelation of this key information, Takumi and Shrimp shout simultaneously in excitement as I’m still pretty much in the dark.

“I know what happened!”

“Takumi, since I gave out the solution last time, I’ll let you do it this time.”

“Okay. Actually I don’t have all the pieces, but I’ll try. Apparently the wife had been inflicted with a terminal disease, so when the ship was sinking and there was only one lifeboat left, the woman decided to sacrifice herself by allowing her husband to board the lifeboat, since she was dying anyway. The wife would be shouting, for example, ‘Thank you’ or ‘Take care of yourself’!”

“Your story is at least partially correct, but you’re missing a few critical pieces.”

It looks like Shrimp is up to the rescue.

“I’ll fill the gaps, Takumi. We need to consider why the boat trip took place. Since the woman was dying, the boat ride must have been a farewell trip bestowed by her loving husband, to give each other a fond memory before her inevitable death. But their trip was cut short because of an accident causing the ship to sink. There were not enough lifeboats, and obviously everybody wanted to live, so the man had to push through in order to find himself a seat. But if the husband was so loving to his wife to orchestrate that final trip with her, I’d say he didn’t even mind dying with her. Which implies he probably had something even more important than his wife to take care of in the world, such that he couldn’t afford to die with her. In view of this, the content of the woman’s quote is now clear: ‘Take care of our kids,’ because the man must bear the sole responsibility of raising their children.”

Shrimp probably reads a lot of romantic fiction. I remembered when she and ‘Nako talked about my relationship with my Sweetie, she said my story was romantic. I wonder if she and Hanako could join a reading club together.

“You did it again! Absolutely amazing! Nice job, Kai!”

That’s just insane analytic skills from the energetic lady. The only thing everybody in the circle can do is to clap their hands. It turns out I didn’t even get to ask a question in this warm-up.

“Okay. We’re done with the warm-ups. Now let’s move on to the real stuff. Are you guys ready? Alvin, maybe you read the question for me.”

‘Nako hands her boyfriend a piece of paper to read as I wonder whether Shrimp will score all the questions for us.

“On a huge piece of grassland, with virtually nothing else within a mile, the police discovered a corpse of a male. He was almost naked, only on his underwear. There was blood from his head and multiple parts of his body, and his arms were broken. Next to his right hand was half a piece of an unlit match. Other than that, there was virtually nothing else on the scene, not even footsteps. There has been no rain these few days. Question: What happened to the man?”

Wow. This is a tough question. And I once again get to start. I don’t think this “advantage” of mine means anything though.

“Was he transported here after dying?” “No.”

[Any stab wound in his head?] “No.”

“So, did he fall from a high place?” “Yes.”

Nice deduction, Emi. This clue is going to help.

“Did he fall from an airplane?” “No.”

“A helicopter, then?” “No.”

Huh. I wonder from what he was dropped down.

“Was it a suicide?”

‘Nako ponders on the seemingly easy yes-no question for a moment before giving her boyfriend an unsure look, apparently asking for his take. Alvin shrugs casually before giving his opinion.

“I’d say yes, but it’s kind of ambiguous. Alright, I’ll make an exception to the yes-no rule for once. The man was actually forced to commit suicide.”

Forced to commit suicide? I’ve never heard of that. Wait, isn’t it equivalent to sacrificing for somebody else? There could be an accident!

“Was the temperature very hot?” “Irrelevant.”

It’s now Shrimp’s turn, and I can see her eyes sparking with excitement. Did she already figure the puzzle out?

“Hot air balloon?” “Yes.”

“I know what happened! But… I don’t wanna spoil the fun. You guys go on.”

Okay… well, technically it’s my turn now, but I’m still in the dark. My Sweetie, however, pokes me from the right and signs to me.

[I’ve got an idea. See if it makes sense. The man was on a hot air balloon trip with several others. He was sacrificed by being thrown out of the balloon because of overloading. This explains why there’s no trace in the scene.]

[But why was he naked?]

[Hmm… Ah, yes, because they threw away their clothing beforehand to try to reduce weight. Apparently that wasn’t enough.]

[I see! Then the match… Oh yeah, it makes so much sense now!]

The discussion with my girlfriend reveals the solution. No doubt Shrimp has already had it figured out. I’m amazed how fast her brain is.

“I think Shizune and I have this figured out.”

“Tell us then.”

“The man was on a hot air balloon trip with his friends, but fuel ran out and the basket was overloaded. They threw away their clothing to reduce weight, but that wasn’t enough. In despair, they had to sacrifice somebody by throwing them out of the balloon. One piece of match was broken in half and mixed with several other matches for drawing lots. The unfortunate man drew the broken match and therefore was sacrificed.”

“Correct! Did you get the same conclusion, Shrimp?”

“Yup! Great job, you two.”

My girlfriend and I finally solved one! We receive claps as the couple sitting next to me prepares the next puzzle. This time ‘Nako is the one to speak.

“Next question. The dead body of a young boy around 25 years old was found at the edge of a lake. There was a surveillance camera nearby, revealing to the police that he had jumped into the lake on his own accord. During investigation, the police found an old fisherman who talked to the boy before he committed suicide. The boy asked the man why the fish he caught had no seaweed, to which the fisherman replied that the lake never had seaweed. Question: Why did the boy kill himself?”

This second problem turned out to be exceptionally difficult, costing us fifteen minutes to solve. The only useful clue was the seaweed. We knew there probably was an accident before, but it was hard to figure out questions that could give us leads. It took us a couple of rounds of interrogation before Miki finally broke through for us with the insane idea of associating the seaweed with a girl’s hair (her long hair probably contributed to the idea). This time it was Emi who first solved the puzzle (though I wonder if Shrimp already knew the answer but chose to keep silent): The boy was riding on a boat with his girlfriend before an accident caused the girl to fall into the water. The boy jumped into the lake in an attempt to save the girl, but his legs were stuck in a pile of seaweed, or so he thought. It took him great effort to wiggle himself out of the seaweed and swim back to the water surface to breathe. He then tried searching in the water again, but to no avail. Disappointed, he left the lake. The next day, he returned to the lake to see whether the girl survived. He saw a fisherman and questioned him why the fish he caught had no seaweed. When the fisherman told him the lake never had seaweed, he realized that the seaweed from yesterday was his girlfriend’s hair; he could’ve saved her had he not wiggle himself out of “trouble”. In despair, he decided to end his own life.

The last question is supposed to be asked by Alvin, but we have been sitting on our chairs long enough that some of us need a break. Moreover, we’ve spent more time than expected on the puzzles already; with the limited amount of time left for the gathering, some of us understandably want to try out the amenities nearby instead. So we have Alvin tell us the situation and we will figure the puzzle out as homework.

“A middle-aged man was found dead in his luxurious mansion. He was discovered because there was a strong foul smell coming from the mansion. The police entered the home and determined that he had hung himself dead. Curiously, after the corpse was removed, the foul smell didn’t go away, and its source was never found. In order to rule out the possibility of a murder fabricated as a fake suicide, the police investigated his ties and discovered that he divorced a woman a month ago and was living with his new girlfriend before his death. The police tracked down the divorced woman and visited her multi-million-dollar house. She was shocked to hear the news. She told the police that she and her ex-husband were living in the same house she’s currently residing in until she was divorced a month ago. Initially her ex-husband was able to take the house since his lawyer was better, but after a few weeks, he was willing to sell the house to his ex-wife for a lower price. Therefore, the woman was able to move back into the house. Noticing a few tiny holes above the windows, the police realized there was more to the case. But after further investigation, they confirmed that the man indeed died on his own accord. Question: Why did the man kill himself?”

We’ll solve this bizarre case later. For now, let’s try out the facilities in Midori. They should be similar to those available in Kasshoku, but today I’ll be exercising with my Before Yamaku friends. Before that, though, I need to use the bathroom.

It seems like Takumi is having the same idea, as we’re heading the same direction. Great, as we do have some catching up to do. Wish me luck.

“Hey there, Takumi.”

The slender boy turns around, grins, and pats me on my shoulder.

“It’s been two years. Glad to see you in better shape.”

I’m glad that two years after he visited me in the hospital, I have a much better body to show him, thanks to all the exercises with my girlfriend and my former physical trainer who’s now his girlfriend. Given what Takumi said at the beginning of the gathering, I don’t think he wants to talk about the events two years ago. I give him a silent nod and offer to walk the distance towards the restroom together.

“Thanks for the kind words earlier. Can’t believe you visited Yamaku before.”

“Yeah I did. I was actually thinking if you studied in a high school similar to that. Turns out you were in the exact high school I visited.”

“The world is so small, isn’t it?”

“Indeed. By the way, thank you for pulling the strings for me and Emi.”

“It was ‘Nako. She did everything. I only confirmed her suspicions.”

“That counts too, even though it didn’t matter in the end. When somebody does you a favor, you always show them gratitude, regardless of the result, right?”

I hope he’s not being sarcastic; my former classmates did take their time to visit me in the hospital after all, and what a fantastic gratitude I offered them in return. I need to redirect the topic as far away from the danger zone as possible, and the first thing I can think of is his girlfriend.

“I guess. So, Emi, huh. Congratulations.”

“Yeah. I’m so happy that I was accepted into Midori University to meet her.”

University. That’s a great target to sway the conversation towards.

“I’m curious. Why did you choose Midori instead of Kasshoku? Isn’t Kasshoku much closer to your hometown? Or our hometown?”

Takumi reacts to my seemingly innocent question with an expression of “you got me” before entering the bathroom. After making sure nobody’s around, he whispers to me as we head to the bowl.

“Because Kasshoku doesn’t have a medical faculty.”

“What? You’re studying as a doctor? Amazing!”

“No. Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m studying Psychology.”

“But why? …Hold on. It can’t be…”

As I finish relieving myself, realizing that he just revealed to me a big secret, I stare at him with an unbelievable expression.

“‘Nako?”

He nonchalantly shrugs as he also finishes, heading towards the tap.

“Yeah.”

He’s trying to make it as casual as possible, but the implication that he once had a crush towards my former pursuer before Alvin took her away does not escape my ears. I’m glad that he managed to find himself another nice girl, so he doesn’t have to lick his wounds anymore. The fact that he is willing to share with me his secret, given that he normally isn’t very outspoken, implies he truly wants to rebuild a friendship with me, which is great.

“Never knew about it.”

“Even Shin doesn’t know. Don’t tell anybody, okay?”

“Sure, my lips are sealed. At least you have another one now.”

“It’s true. How about you? If I were you, I would’ve chosen a school near Yamaku. You’d be free from home, and you wouldn’t see any of us there.”

When Shizune and I considered our university of choice, I was the one who first suggested Kasshoku University because it’s close to my home. Shizune initially wanted to try the prestigious Tokyo University, but after the Center Test results we quickly deduced that we wouldn’t be accepted unless we chose unpopular subjects, which could negatively affect our future career choices. We would rather be the top students in Kasshoku than the bottom in Tokyo.

“Financial reasons, buddy. My medical expense cannot be neglected. I cannot afford to spend additional money on housing.”

Upon mentioning my condition, even indirectly, the slender boy gets a little awkward and stares at the end of the corridor blankly. I’ve gotten used to similar reactions from my university classmates.

“Sorry.”

I can imagine how uneasy he was when he visited Yamaku the other day.

“Don’t be. Pro tip: Treat the disabled as if they were normal people. Your girlfriend included. This is what I learned in Yamaku.”

“Thanks, buddy. Hey, it looks like your girlfriend is waving at you in the badminton court. See if you want to join.”

Shifting my sight towards the badminton court to my right, it looks like my Sweetie has already set up a badminton game with Emi, and they’re inviting their boyfriends into the game. This is the first time I see Emi playing a different sport from running.

“Sure. Why not?”

“Can you handle the exercise?”

The conversation with Takumi, despite him being surprisingly friendly towards me, has been admittedly still a bit uneasy, so the girls’ presence provides us with a nice buffer to soften the atmosphere.

“I won’t chase down every ball, so as long as you don’t play like an absolute jerk by placing short balls after long balls, I should be fine.”

“No worries. Let’s go.”

Accordingly, we enter the court, receive our badminton rackets from our respective girlfriends, and stand opposite to each other on the left side of the court. Takumi fires off the first shot towards me. His shot is accurately placed right on top of my head, so I have no trouble redirecting the shuttle towards Emi, who jumps up and hits a shot down the line towards my partner. She digs out the shuttle towards Takumi, who takes a few steps backward to hit his shot towards me, but the shuttle lands beyond the tramlines. I pick up the shuttle and casually hit it towards Emi.

Other than that shouting scene with Shin, this gathering has been better than expected. At least I get to reconnect with two of my Before Yamaku friends. Last night ‘Nako gave me a call, saying that she has known about the Yamaku Festival next week through Takumi, who apparently received an invitation from his girlfriend. ‘Nako suggested that if today’s gathering happens to be a success, we can invite everybody in the group to the Festival together. ‘Nako herself has expressed a strong desire to visit my former high school. Based on what has been going on, I think we can make the invitation after the gathering, and I don’t care one bit about Shin’s response.

It was a correct decision to bring my girlfriend to the gathering. With her around, I feel much safer interacting with others, even those I have had trouble with. I don’t care about Shin’s filthy comments about Shizune; my Sweetie is the best.

Chapter 88: Captain of My Soul

Chapter 88: Captain of My Soul

“HURRAY!!!!”

As everybody in the computer room turns their eyes towards my noisy classmate, I hurry to remind the blonde to keep her voice down with a “please calm down” gesture while personally demonstrating the correct speaking volume in a room.

“W-what’s the matter?”

The future journalist gives me a thumbs-up while continuing to speak in a volume that, despite already dropped by around 30 percent, still doesn’t require Lilly’s sharp ears to eavesdrop.

“The professor’s approved of our proposal! Yay!!”

“You mean the exercise machines?”

“Yup! Congrats, buddy! And thanks, I suppose. It was your idea after all!”

The “exercise machine” proposal involves a project assignment about the pros and cons of health-related products announced by the professor a couple of weeks ago. Due to some technical issues, the official assignment document wasn’t released until last week, and we had one week to decide our topic and propose it to the professor through the medium of an online submission system. Yesterday we were told to login to the system from time to time to check whether our topic is approved or not. I checked early this morning and the system said “pending”, so I thought the result wouldn’t come for another day and hence I didn’t bother to check again after the morning classes. Turns out Naomi has me covered while I’m printing out lecture notes for the afternoon.

So being an early riser can sometimes be a disadvantage. Who would’ve thought so!

“G-great. So, when s-should we start the p-project?”

“Hey buddy! We’ve got like two hours before lunch, don’t we? I think we should start working on it right now!”

“R-right now?”

“D’you have any problems with that?”

“N-no. I’m just s-surprised that you didn’t p-push it until one w-week before the deadline, like last time.”

In the previous project which was due last week, Naomi delayed working on it until like the final days. Fortunately I had done my part in advance and prepared materials for her to write; otherwise we would’ve missed the deadline. I think my diligence could be one of the reasons she has chosen me to be her project partner throughout the term.

“Nah, I’ve learned from my mistakes, buddy. But s’ry for the last one though.”

“That’s o-okay. So, according to our p-proposal outline, s-should we start with the introduction?”

“Yup! And we’re obviously going to search the web for a formal definition.”

It’s always a good practice to check the formal definition on the web in order to make sure we don’t stray from our topic or miss out on some elementary information. And since we’re officially working on the project, we need to further lower our speaking volume so that we don’t spoil key information to potential fellow classmates who could be using computers in the same room.

“I’ve g-got it here. So… An exercise machine is any machine used for physical exercise. These range from simple spring-like devices to computerized electromechanical devices to recirculating-stream swimming pools.”

“Wait. Pools, huh. We’ve never considered that in our project. Yeah, I think Yamaku’s got something like that in the pools.”

“B-but we’re not traveling all the way back to Yamaku to c-check on it, are we? And we c-can’t get into the pool anyway.”

“We can send an e-mail to Misha in America for information. Or we can do something this Sunday.”

“S-Sunday?”

“The Yamaku Festival! You forgot about your high school already, buddy?”

Oh! The Yamaku Festival! I never considered the fact that I can participate the gathering as a graduate!

In the first three years as a Yamaku student, I had treated the Festival as nothing more than a cue to hide in my own room or the library. In my fourth year though, as a mandatory assignment of her treatment plan, Miss Yumi dragged me out of my room to participate in the Festival and write about the stalls. I completed the photo-taking part of the assignment in the morning and spent the afternoon writing the article before playing video games with my former Newspaper Club members. I still remember winning a race against Naomi and losing a Pokémon battle to Jun. Now that I’m a graduate, I think I can attend the Festival with relative ease, as long as I’m accompanied by the right people.

“You’re right, Naomi. O-okay, we can go together. Along with Lilly.”

“Yup! We’ll have lots of fun! I’ve already called Jun, and she promised to be there. And Natsume too. We can talk in the Newspaper Club, and I can resume my Editor in Chief position for a few hours! Hahaha…”

“I’m not s-sure if we can enter the r-room…”

My blonde project partner wags a finger to indicate she has things already planned out, and I haven’t been catching up with her in the Yamaku reunion department.

“I can pull the strings, buddy. The current Editor in Chief is my friend after all.”

I mean, what kind of newspaper can you produce in a few hours?

“Uh huh.”

Naomi pats me on my left shoulder in mild anger.

“Not uh huh! Buddy! I lost my position for two months, and I’ve missed it so dearly already! Yup! I’ve decided! I’ll write something! I’ll try to make a new issue in a few hours! I’ll have Jun and Natsume help me out! And you too, buddy! Let’s do this!”

Uh… I’m not sure whether I should get myself involved, but on the other hand I don’t want to spoil her mood. She’s already slightly riled up at my lukewarm response.

“O-okay… I can t-try to help. But shouldn’t we f-focus on the project first?”

“Oh yeah. Of course. I can do the newspaper thing tomorrow. Where are we? The definition, right?”

The computer in front of me has already switched to wallpaper display, so I move the mouse a little to get back to the definition.

“Y-yes. Most exercise machines incorporate an ergometer. An ergometer is an apparatus for measuring the work a person exerts while exercising as used in training or cardiac stress tests or other medical tests. Uh… as in our p-proposal, we’ll dive into two m-main types of machines: Resistance machines, and Endless-path machines.”

“Yup, and we already made a consensus to focus mainly on the machines that are popular and readily available in… let’s see, yup, I’ve got the proposal here… in schools, gymnasiums, clubhouses, hotels, and rehabilitation centers. And speaking of Yamaku, I think we should include amenities for the disabled too.”

“I agree. O-okay, I will write the introduction part. Please k-kindly provide me with real-life photos of exercise m-machines in the above places.”

“Yup, got it. For schools, we’ll check out the gym in our school in a minute. For gymnasiums, I can ask my parents for help, as they go to gyms regularly. For hotels, I’m gonna ask Emi for help, as she’s now living in a hotel. For clubhouses…”

“I’ll ask K-Karla. She can take p-pictures for us.”

“Good. And for the rehab centers part, we’ll do Yamaku on Sunday.”

“O-okay. Next, we should d-discuss the pros and cons of exercise m-machines.”

“Correct, and I’ll write this part. Let’s review the proposal. Pros of exercise machines: Can perform exercises regardless of weather and temperature, easily accessible, contains various settings and optimizations, and statistics available. Cons: No fresh air, repair cost, safety concerns including misuse of equipment and treadmill issues, equipment needs to be sanitized, and not all sports can be substituted.”

“I think t-that’s already quite a l-lot to write about.”

“I agree. Including pictures, I think I can write, like, six pages or so.”

“And afterwards, w-we’re supposed to compare different t-types and models of exercise machines. We l-list out several criteria and c-check each machine against the list. I’ve already w-written a tentative list last night. It’s in my bag.”

I rummage through my bag, retrieve the note I wrote last night, and hand it to my project partner for approval.

“Hmm… Looks good. I can’t think of any other item right now, but we can always add one when we get to the gym.”

“Y-yes. We will write some d-discussions based on the data we’ve collected. And finally a conclusion.”

“Excellent, buddy! If things go according to plan, we should ace our assignment!”

“H-hopefully.”

“Alright! So, shall we go to the gym right now?”

“Let me c-collect the printing first, o-okay?”

Working on a project with Naomi is so much fun, if you manage to make her work way before the deadline.

After gently blowing air into the bowl of noodle in front of me to cool it down, I try out the new product of the cafeteria with a pair of chopsticks while my lunch partner keeps eating in relative silence.

She hasn’t spoken one word since we sit down across each other after buying our respective meals. Her facial expression tells me if I don’t initiate something, this lunch meeting is going to end without a conversation.

“L-Lilly, is something b-bothering you?”

Putting down her fork, the tall blonde lets out a heavy sigh before burying her head into her hands. She hasn’t been in a good mood since Sunday night, and so far I’ve chosen to give her space instead of asking. But since she chose to have lunch with me, I feel like I can take the initiative.

Accordingly, I get up from my seat and gently caress my elder sister’s blonde hair, an act I certainly wouldn’t do before I submitted the adoption document issued by my new father.

“You c-can tell me. I’m your younger s-sister after all.”

It probably still takes time for both of us to adapt to our new relationship: We’re officially sisters.

My lunch partner meekly nods, lifts her head, and starts to regroup herself in front of me and the rest of the cafeteria. I’ve, as always, chosen to sit at a corner, so nobody has noticed us yet.

“A proper lady takes care of her own appearance in public. Father is correct.”

I should stay by her side for the moment. She probably wants my proximity.

“I heard the s-statement from Hiro too.”

Lilly nods, and, to obey our father’s words, she sits upright and regains her composure.

“I had a discussion with my advisor this morning. She confirmed to me that my road towards my dream career will be extremely tough, if not outright unfeasible.”

“Y-your advisor?”

“You know what my dream career is, do you not?”

I still vividly remember the afternoon I first joined the physical course, when Hisao revealed to Lilly and her boyfriend that they can’t be teachers at the same school if they do get married in the future.

“English teacher?”

“Correct. It was my first formal meeting with my advisor. When I told her my primary career of choice, she informed me that, while historically a significant number of graduates in the English Faculty have chosen the education sector as their career choice, according to her experience in meeting with clients, most schools are reluctant to invest resources to accommodate the disabled, especially someone with my condition.”

It is reasonable that she gets to meet her advisor formally in her second year since we don’t decide on our majors in our first year of study. I’ll have to eventually meet mine next year, and I don’t know how I can talk to them comfortably.

“I see… So, what k-kind of career did she s-suggest to you?”

“She told me that typical jobs for the blind or people with sight impairment include physical massage therapist, like a certain sportsman called Akiyama who won a sports program several years ago. Or a musician, because blind people tend to have sharp ears. A career in teaching is probably more feasible in the Western society, where people are more open-minded towards disabilities, but in Japan, the work environment is not as accommodating. As an example, you cannot expect a school to build a tactile pavement on the entire schoolground just for your cause.”

The discrimination event she told me last year immediately comes to my mind.

“S-so, does it m-mean you need to teach in S-Scotland or America?”

Which means she will need to cut off basically all the ties she’s managed here and either go back to Karla’s hometown or reunite with the rest of our family, leaving me behind. Lilly obviously knows what my question implies, and she wraps her quivering left arm around my waist. Usually this gesture is used by my motherly elder sister to comfort me, but this time she’s probably using me as a crutch.

“I don’t know, Hanako. I… really don’t know…”

My noodles should be getting cold, but I’ve got no more appetite. Digesting Lilly’s words and recalling her account of the discriminating incident last year while the cafeteria starts getting busy, a question about the Kasshoku administration naturally comes to my mind. I wonder if Lilly has gotten any information from staff members.

“S-so… if being a t-teacher in Japan is not supposed to be an option for you, then w-why did the university accepted you in the f-first place?”

Lilly nods and hugs me slightly tighter. I wonder if she told her boyfriend about the meeting this morning.

“Yes. The advisor revealed to me that when the English Department accepted me, they expected me to follow a career of a writer, composing fictions and novels such as Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and the Harry Potter series. Another option for me is a translator, although if I do choose to go down that path, then I probably need at least a minor degree in translation.”

If she really wants to become a teacher in Japan, she most likely has to settle for a disabled school like Yamaku, which has facilities geared towards the disabled. Tatsuya can find a school nearby to teach, but it might be an issue if that school is far away from his hometown.

As for my own career choice, I talked to Karla the other day, who suggested that I could aim for a content writer because I wouldn’t need to show my face and make a speech to the public. If Lilly does decide to become a writer, then we can potentially become colleagues. On the other hand, even though I never contacted my school advisor, I did have a brief discussion with Miss Ibuki last week about Kozuki and the Ibukis’ dream of starting an orphanage. I can become a counselor like Miss Ibuki, and perhaps work along with her and her cousin if they do get their business running, but I’ll most likely need a minor degree in social studies or the like.

If Lilly and I do choose a career path involving the acquisition of a minor degree over our four-year university span, we need to plan as soon as possible. This is especially true for Lilly since she is already in her second year. Preferably she should start taking courses in the upcoming term, and perhaps consider overloading a little bit.

Come to think of it, like in my case, Kozuki might also want a minor degree in social studies as well, because his major, English Literature, is unrelated to counseling. He’s most likely aware of this fact, and he could already be taking related courses.

Shizune told me the other day she’s studying for two majors: Accounting and Finance. Hisao also said he’s considering a minor degree in Mathematics in addition to his Physics major.

So almost everybody around me is trying to get two degrees in four years.

“T-thank you for t-telling me all these. How about Tatsuya? D-did he know about your appointment t-today?”

Upon the mentioning of her boyfriend, my blonde sister’s face drops even more.

“Actually, the appointment I made this morning was because of him.”

Really? Did they have an argument? No wonder she called me for lunch instead of him! And fortunately Naomi chose to hang around with Hisao’s classmates in search of a boyfriend instead of tagging along with me, or this lunch gathering would’ve become extremely awkward.

“W-what happened?”

“We went on a date on Sunday. Everything was fine until the end when we talked about our future career choices. We didn’t part on very good terms, and I haven’t contacted him since then.”

“Did he make a c-comment about your career?”

“In retrospect, I shouldn’t have been angry with him. He said something similar to what the advisor told me, that realistically it is not an easy task to find a school that can accommodate me. He added that since we will not be allowed to teach in the same school after marrying anyway, perhaps I can consider another career in the first place. But being an English teacher has been my dream for years, and I’m not ready to give it up just yet. In the end we couldn’t reach a consensus, so we parted ways right after dinner.”

No wonder she looked a bit down when she returned home that evening! She hid it pretty well, but being her new younger sister and confidant, I had no trouble sensing that something had gotten wrong. But I didn’t say anything, electing to allow her to tell me voluntarily.

“After cooling myself down, I realized that he had a solid argument. But I wanted to try my luck against the advisor; maybe she would say something different from my boyfriend and hence invalidate his point. And that was the reason I booked the appointment this morning. Unfortunately for me, it turned out the reality was inclined towards my boyfriend’s side.”

So, having a boyfriend is not always tight hugs and sweet kisses.

“It m-must be a huge b-blow for you.”

Still in a sitting position, Lilly gently puts her right arm around my waist, meeting her left fingers behind me. Then she pulls her head next to my tummy and leans herself against me as I, in deep sympathy, place my right arm across her shoulders, allowing my sister to use my body as a source of comfort.

“Thank you for understanding, Hanako.”

We stay like this for a few minutes. Unfortunately we can’t afford to continue because both of us have classes in the next hour, and my sister obviously has to take her time to walk back to the English Faculty. So we release each other and, while Lilly regroups herself, I take both of our lunches to the microwave and return to our seats with reheated food.

“S-so, w-what are you going to do next?”

The ace student in the English Faculty looks satisfied by the warm food in front of her. Due to our time limit, and perhaps being really hungry, she takes several spoons of her rice at once and uncharacteristically responds to my question with a mouth half-filled with rice.

“I’m leaning towards going for the minor degree, then decide in my fourth year.”

I don’t want her to choke herself, so I raise no further question and allow both of us to eat in peace until we’re done with our main courses.

If Lilly also decides to study a minor degree, we’ll become extremely busy. We probably won’t have much time to go for extra-curricular activities, and she’ll need to sacrifice some dating time with her boyfriend, assuming that their argument can be resolved soon. The sacrifice is likely to be worth it though, considering that both of us having a disability, it is beneficial for us to get as many credentials as possible in order to strive. I wonder if Naomi will eventually do the same.

“Who knows, perhaps he can find a great offer near Yamaku, and all problems can be resolved, assuming Yamaku has a place for me.”

“It w-would be p-perfect for you two.”

“Or perhaps we part ways after we graduate.”

Being still single, I’m, of course, not in a position to comment on Lilly’s relationship. So I remain silent while drinking from my cup of tea. A downside of becoming her sister and roommate is that I’m starting to get even more addicted to caffeine than in my Yamaku days. Perhaps I need to start controlling my tea intake next week.

“Or if somebody hires me big for a translation job? I’ll leave my options open. I think this is the best I can do for the moment.”

So I realize today that not having a boyfriend has its own advantage: You’re relatively free to make your career and life decisions. Miss Ibuki told me something related to this point the other day, referencing her own experience.

I can’t help but think about Kozuki. Managing an orphanage together is great, but how about my journalist career? Do I want to sacrifice my career to accommodate my potential boyfriend, or will I follow Miss Ibuki’s footsteps of giving up a relationship to realize my own dream?

Despite having considered telling Lilly about my special conversation with Kozuki during Akira’s gathering the other day, I never had the courage to tell her everything. When she asked me about my billiard game with Kozuki after we returned to our apartment, I only gave her the generic reply of “it was great; I am happy to make a friend”. She never brought up the fact that he was my online chess partner, and I likewise didn’t utter another word about him. Since that evening, I’ve been seeing my fellow orphan in the track field and the evening club activity as usual, but we never exchanged more than a few words. Miss Ibuki, after hearing from me about my encounter with her cousin, went on with the project of increasing my self-confidence. I admit I haven’t made much of a progress just yet, but she’s been allowing me to take my time. And even though she said she’d be happy if I can become her cousin’s girlfriend, she chooses not to interfere with us, allowing things to happen naturally.

Speaking of self-confidence, I notice that my stuttering has returned since last week. My failures in Miss Ibuki’s project probably contribute to some of it, but I know that a significant cause to the problem is the fact that, despite spending a wonderful evening on the pool table with him, my relationship with Kozuki surprisingly hasn’t gone any further since that gathering. He never really talked to me, and I likewise didn’t dare to open up a topic. I’m still hesitant about his business idea of managing an orphanage with me. More importantly, I’m still left with the question of whether he treats me as a potential business partner or a love interest.

Just staying silent isn’t going to get me anywhere. I’ll see him again this evening in the Chess and Bridge Club. Maybe I should take some action tonight.

Despite obviously stressed and riled up by her boyfriend’s comment, Lilly still emanates a soothing aura that makes me lose track of time. And when I finally remember to take a look at my phone, it’s already like ten minutes until class. We will need to continue our discussion in our shared apartment tonight.

“It’s time to go, Lilly.”

Okay, I admit I lost track of time mainly because I was thinking about Kozuki, not because of Lilly.

“Oh my! Did we spend so much time in the cafeteria already?”

“I can help you towards the classroom if you need.”

Usually my stuttering is gone in emergency situations like this, and then it returns after things subside. Luckily I don’t need to see Miss Ibuki today; Miss Yumi had said that after a couple of months, my visits to my counselor can be less frequent.

“The service will not be required, Hanako. I would rather be safe than hurry and cause an accident.”

“O-okay then. I’ll see you in the afternoon.”

Accordingly, after cleaning up both trays, we bid farewells to each other and head back to our respective faculties. I need to run a bit to make sure I can occupy the corner seats. Fortunately, my other classmates are already used to my timid behavior and are kind enough to “reserve” those seats for me and Naomi by not sitting on them, although it’s much more likely that they’re already accustomed to their own seats.

If I can’t become Kozuki’s girlfriend at the end of this term, I need to know a friend in class before term ends. Oh no. I still haven’t attempted the assignment.

Staring at a hand containing the King, Queen, 10, 7, and 4 of Spades, the 10 and 3 of Hearts, the Ace, Jack, and 5 of Diamonds, and the King, Jack, and 9 of Clubs, I quickly calculate the number of “high card points” in my hand to be 14. The distribution is 5-2-3-3. After my right-hand opponent, South, passes his turn, I know that I, as West, should open the bidding. The bidding system we’re using, Standard American Yellow Card or SAYC, says that there is only one feasible bidding I can make.

“One Spade.”

My left-hand opponent passes his turn, so it is up to my fellow orphan, as East, to respond to my opening bid.

“Two Diamonds.”

This guarantees at least 10 points and four Diamonds. He probably doesn’t have support in Spades, or he would’ve bid Two or Three Spades. In this situation, I’m pretty much forced to make a bid that I don’t like, but I’ve got no other alternative.

“Two Notrump.”

I hate this bid because I have no guard in Hearts. I can only hope that my partner has something to offer in that suit.

“Three Notrump.”

Everybody passes. Now that I’ve just become the Declarer, I’m really nervous that he’s has nothing in Hearts. My worry deepens when my left-hand opponent leads the 5 of Hearts. And when my partner shows his hand of the 9 and 8 of Spades, the King, Queen, and 6 of Hearts, the King, Queen, 9, 7, and 2 of Diamonds, and the Queen, 8, and 5 of Clubs, I feel like I’m probably not making this contract.

In the session last week, I was told that in a Notrump contract, I should first count the winners. Assuming the opposing Diamonds aren’t distributed awkwardly, I should have 5 Diamond tricks. After forcing out the Ace of Hearts and the Ace of Clubs, I can only get 3 additional tricks for a total of 8. I need 9 tricks, so this means I must tackle Spades no matter what. If I can get 3 tricks in Spades, I don’t need to play any Clubs.

I play the King from Dummy. South takes the trick with the Ace as I follow suit with the 3. South continues with another Heart, and after following suit with the 10, I, remembering what Kozuki taught me about the hold-up play, allow my opponents to take this trick with the Jack. The third Heart is led, and I am forced to take this trick with Dummy’s Queen as I discard a Spade.

The situation is pretty clear. Dummy, South, and I should have no more Hearts. If North manages to get the lead, the contract will go down. With only one Heart trick on hand, there is no point in playing Clubs. I lead the 9 of Spades from Dummy and, after South follows with the 5, my only choice is to play the King, hoping that the Ace is not in North’s hand. My wish is granted, as North displays the 3. But then I realize that if I want to get back to Dummy, I need to cash all my Diamond tricks. So I play five Diamond tricks ending in Dummy, me discarding a Spade and a Club. Then I lead Dummy’s remaining Spade and South takes the trick with the Ace while I joyfully follow with the 4. My celebration is short-lived, however, as South then leads a Club to North’s Ace, and North cashes two Heart tricks to put the contract down one. Oh well, I tried my best.

“Sorry partner.”

“No problem. You played well. I was probably a bit too aggressive in the bidding. Now let’s review the hand, shall we?”

Everyone in the table shows our hands as Kozuki, who has played Bridge for a few years, leads the three Bridge novices, me included, into a group discussion.

“Let’s start with the bidding. West’s One Spade bid is correct, with five Spades and 14 points. My bid of Two Diamonds promises 10 points or more, with at least four Diamonds. The Two Notrump bid is also correct; it was the only bid West could have made. My Three Notrump bid is admittedly a bit aggressive. Even though I have 12 points which, adding West’s minimum of 13 results in 25 in total, the nominal minimum for a Three Notrump contract, I have no Aces on hand, which decreases my hand’s value a bit. I was hoping that my 5-card Diamond suit and the 9’s and 8’s could be of help. But it didn’t work out in the end. I don’t really regret my bid, however, because, as we introduced last week, Three Notrump grants much higher points than Partscore contracts. It is usually worth the risk to try for a better score, especially if you and your partner are skilled players.”

Kozuki first invited me to watch a Bridge game with him during last Tuesday’s club meeting. He then aggregated a few students, including me, who are interested in Bridge and started a small tutorial session. I found Bridge a lot of fun, so I stuck with Kozuki on Thursday for another session.

“Now let’s move on to the play. The lead was normal, as North has five Hearts, and the fourth-best lead of the 5 is correct. Before playing a card from Dummy, it is necessary to assess the situation. Other than a 5-0 Diamond split, West should have 5 Diamond tricks. Clubs should give 2 tricks, for a total of 7. Now, since North leads his fourth-best, this means he must have at least an honor in Hearts. If he has the Ace, then the contract is assured by playing the King from Dummy because Hearts will then yield two tricks. If he has the Jack, then West only gets one trick no matter what she does. If this happens, then the only hope for West is for South to have both the Ace of Spades and Ace of Clubs, which is highly unlikely as he would have 12 points, almost enough to open the bidding. To conclude, playing the King from Dummy is correct.”

It's good to hear that my Bridge teacher agrees with my play, although he analyzes the situation more thoroughly.

“Unfortunately for West, South does have the Ace of Hearts. At this point the contract pretty much becomes hopeless. The play afterwards doesn’t matter much. As long as North and South keep playing Hearts and North has at least one Ace, they will always defeat the contract.”

Kozuki wags a finger to indicate he is not done yet.

“But does it mean East and West were wrong? Let’s review our conclusion. The contract was certain if North had the Ace of Hearts. After he led the fourth-best Heart, we could assume that he had at least an honor in Hearts. There were only three scenarios: He had both honors, he had the Ace, or he had the Jack. In two out of three cases, the contract was assured. Therefore, East and West had at least two-thirds chance to make the contract. Plus the slim chance of North having all three aces, we had a more than 70 percent chance in this one, which justified my Three Notrump bid. This is Bridge. You get unlucky at times, but in the long run, probabilities will even out, and the team who takes the most reasonable amount of risk will most likely win the contest.”

No wonder they say Bridge is a great leisure activity for math people. I think Hisao will like this game.

“Let’s move on to the next board, shall we?”

After several more boards, we need to unfortunately end our gathering as it’s already 9:30. Time flies when you play games! I need to pick Lilly up in the library, and say hi to Hisao who’s a librarian on duty today. The other Bridge table is also cleaning up; it is the experienced group. Perhaps in a few months, I can join that table too.

It turns out Kozuki is merely a member, not an executive, of the Chess and Bridge Club. But he’s well experienced at Bridge, to the point that the executives are glad to allow him to conduct his own Bridge tutorial while they either play in the experienced group or teach other board games to club members.

“That’s all the time we have today. See you all on Thursday!”

I don’t regret joining this club at all. Playing games as an extra-curricular activity is fun, especially when one of the club members is my potential love interest.

Speaking of Kozuki, I’ve got something to do with him. We were never alone this evening (obviously, because Bridge needs four people), so I couldn’t say a word in private to him. Now is the best chance.

An executive member approaches our table to grab the bidding boxes and cards to store them in the cabinet at the back of the room. Club members collect their belongings and exit the room one by one. After grabbing my bag and, determined to do something about my returning stuttering, I take a deep breath and approach the English major from behind when he unexpectedly turns around and pre-empts me before I can stutter out a word.

“Miss Hanako, I’d like to have a word with you. Are you available for a short talk?”

I don’t know what he wants to talk to me. It could be about his orphanage dream. Anyway, I should allow him the opportunity to talk.

“Y-yes. I uhm… Please allow me to t-text Lilly first. She’s s-still in the l-library.”

“Sure. It will be just a few minutes. I can escort you to the library afterwards if you allow; I’ll say hi to Lilly too.”

It’s been a couple of weeks since the two of us can talk alone. I need to treasure this rare opportunity.

“O-okay.”

Accordingly, after I take out my phone and send Lilly a message (I installed an application on her phone to read text messages aloud), my Bridge teacher leads me to an empty bench outside the club room and invites me to take a seat next to him as the executives lock the door.

“So, Miss Hanako, it’s getting late, so I’ll head straight to the point, if you don’t mind.”

“N-no.”

“Miss Hanako, I was wondering if you could become my partner.”

!!!

I cannot suppress a gasp in response to the orphan’s choice of confessing to me right here and right now. I feel my face turning bright red as he continues.

“Ahem. I mean, Bridge partner.”

Uh… okay, so it wasn’t a confession after all. You’re overly dramatic, Kozuki!

But it makes a lot of sense. In the Bridge world, they just call their regular teammates “partners”. No need to specify “Bridge partners”.

“B-but I’m just a n-novice…”

“I used to have a partner for around half a year, but he has just graduated and moved to another city, so I’ve been left without a partner for a few months. I appreciate your skills in both Chess and Bridge. Your logic and analyzing abilities are amazing. I know you’re still learning Bridge, but I have no doubt that you’ll become an expert in no time. Do you want to train with me?”

Training with him will mean we have even more private time to get along, but I wonder if things will really work out so well.

“But I c-can’t guarantee you any r-result. Am I r-really worth spending all the time t-training for?”

My clubmate gives me a reassuring nod as half of the lights in the corridor get turned off. We should leave this place soon.

“I am actually honored to be your partner, Miss Hanako. As I mentioned last time, you’re a beautiful woman. You motivated me. Remember my dream of owning an orphanage? I actually plan to teach kids Chess and Bridge so that they play less video games and get better at mathematics. I’m by no means forcing you into my plan; of course it would be awesome if you do. But at least having a partner… uhm… a Bridge partner, will provide me a step further towards my dream. The fact that playing games is fun, especially with such a wonderful girl, is a huge bonus.”

I am overjoyed that he praises me so much, but on the other hand he still has been treating me as a business partner.

“T-thanks. Okay, I’ll try.”

But I like this boy. I want something other than, or more than, just a business partner.

“Thank you so much, Miss Hanako. As I just said, I am honored to be your playmate. For now, please kindly continue to join the club gatherings as usual. Then, after like another month of training, we can try joining the experienced group with the executives. Afterwards, we can talk about attending competitions.”

But the question is, how to deliver the message across?

“Okay.”

“It’s decided. Thank you, Miss Hanako. It’s getting late. I should bother you no further and escort you to the library, if you wish.”

He proceeds to stand up, giving me an expectant smile.

I can delay things to the next gathering, but I’m afraid I’ll just continue to delay it once Thursday comes.

Be the captain of my soul!

“Wait!”

“Yes, Miss Hanako?”

“Um… Um…”

He has been praising me. I should be confident of myself. Miss Ibuki’s words from weeks ago still ring over my head. I am a beautiful woman.

I can do it. I can take the initiative.

“How do you… feel about me?”

My face must have turned bright red, but I’m really proud to be able to confess to my crush like this.

He looks a bit surprised at my sudden question. He sits back down, pauses for a while, before giving his reply.

“Miss Hanako, after spending time physically with you for around two months, I have confirmed my earlier impression towards you as a beautiful caring woman who, though sometimes a bit shy, is never shy to help others, even placing others’ needs above her own. And in these couple of months, I further identify you as a clever playmate with great ideas for tactics and plans, in addition to being a fast learner. Now that you’ve joined a rich family with two fabulous sisters, I believe you will have a fantastic future, regardless of whether you want to become my business partner or not. This is how I feel about you.”

To be honest, I am very surprised that, even when facing such a direct question, he still manages to, intentionally or not, redirect the conversation towards the business side.

“You are really dedicated to your dream, aren’t you?”

Kozuki thinks for a few seconds before nodding.

“Yes. I think I am heavily influenced by my adopted parents. They always tell me to focus on my dream and my career first. Then other matters will fall into place eventually. This is why I always have the word ‘orphanage’ all over my head.”

In other words, no dating before graduation.

His values echo those of Miss Ibuki’s parents. That’s not a surprise, as they’re raised in the same root family after all.

So, the topic of a boyfriend is temporarily out of the picture.

At least he doesn’t deny he likes me.

“I understand. Thank you for your kind comment. I do admire your ambition. I don’t know whether I want to dedicate myself to opening an orphanage yet; It is too early for me to decide. I will probably leave the decision to the future, maybe a couple of years later. I would like to leave my options open for the moment.”

“I understand. No need to hurry. You can think about it later. So, shall I escort you to the library?”

Some accompany won’t hurt, even though he’s not my boyfriend.

“Thanks.”

So I head towards Lilly with a lot more self-confidence than during lunch. The confidence boost should be enough to get rid of my stuttering for a while.

But if I do want to become my crush’s girlfriend, I probably will have to commit myself to his business, which might involve giving up my own dream. And I will need to wait until at least graduation.

He is a fantastic person, and a great match for me. But the time is not right. Meeting the right person at the wrong time. I’ve read such plot many times in the library, and now it’s my turn.

Oh well, it is what it is. At least I think I can finally tell Lilly everything.

Chapter 89: Disabled by the Disabled

Progress is making progress

Please, remove any censorship in the chapter 87. We're 18+ forum, after all, no one will wince from the word "fuck", and also it messes with the formatting sometimes.

hdkv wrote: Wed Mar 12, 2025 6:03 pm

Progress is making progress

Please, remove any censorship in the chapter 87. We're 18+ forum, after all, no one will wince from the word "fuck", and also it messes with the formatting sometimes.

Thanks. I realized that auto-formatting too, and it sucks. I don't speak foul language in real life, so it's kind of odd for me to remove the censorship. But I'll do. Thanks for sticking around.

Chapter 89: Disabled by the Disabled

“The Nurse is quite an interesting character! He is a tall man with a long face, you know, looks like thiiiiiiiis, always wearing a big white lab coat like a scientist, and he speaks with a lot of cheap jokes and a great deal of sarcasm.”

The bubbly ponytail stretches her face with her hands to mimic the high school staff she claims to be most familiar with, causing my boyfriend to laugh out loud like a child.

“Wahaha… You’re describing him like a giraffe, Emi.”

A giraffe teacher? Doesn’t it sound like some cartoon character I saw in television or books in my childhood?

“Giraffe? Hahaha… You’re right! He looks just like a giraffe! How come I never thought of that? Hahaha… You know what? I’ve booked an appointment with him this afternoon to check on my knee. How about I bring you two to the giraffe’s office? How does that sound?”

“Sure! I’m looking forward to it! How ‘bout you, Iwa-chan?”

Meeting a person whose job nature is close to my specialty certainly won’t hurt.

“Of course! I’d love to know more about the staff in your high school too. Maybe he can give me some useful advice for my career.”

“Great! We’re settled. Once we get there, I’ll show you where the auxiliary building is. Then we’ll meet each other at that building’s entrance at three in the afternoon.”

“Sure. Hey dear, I need to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

My boyfriend nods, gives way to me, and continues to ask about the high school we’re going to visit for the first time.

“Go ahead. (Turns towards Emi) So, who else is funny in your high school?”

Leaving my seat and walking towards the bathroom at the end of the aisle, I take a look around the train to see what my fellow passengers are up to.

“It was a huge scare~! Luckily I stepped on the brake just in time~! Or I would’ve hit the little boy and failed my driving exam!”

“Oh wow. Indeed scary. Then? What happened afterwards?”

“Yeah~ About that~ Several minutes after, when I was waiting for the lights to turn green, a drunk man approached me and banged his head on the car window! I was so scared~!! But the examiner dropped off the car and purged that guy for me!!”

It looks like Misha is sharing her driving exam experience in America to my best friend Kai and Inoue the journalist, the latter I saw in a gathering a few weeks ago after a serious talk with Hisao. I’m thinking about taking my own driving test after the exams, and I might do it together with Hisao who has the same idea (by “together” I mean I’m planning to invite him to study in the same driving school as mine). My boyfriend failed twice in his driving test in Hong Kong. He wants to try again, but it will involve him going back to his hometown for the whole summer break, which he’s reluctant to do because he prefers spending time with me. Maybe he can do it during the winter break instead.

It’s funny to see the three loud girls getting along. By the way, nice to see you again, Misha. My boyfriend and I were a bit worried about her after the events following our Hong Kong trip. I’m glad that things turned out fine for her.

“Check.”

“Hmm…”

A few rows beyond, I see the tall blonde called Lilly Satou playing a chess game with her best friend, while Satou’s boyfriend is watching. I briefly take a look at the board position: It looks like Satou, who is presumably holding the white pieces, is losing. She only has five chess pieces, and her best friend has eight. I don’t know much about chess, but from the smiling expression of the girl wearing jeans and the almost giggling way she just announced a check, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who has the upper hand.

I recall seeing the two girls in Shizune’s birthday party, but I never talked to them. My boyfriend, however, seems to possess a little bit of prior knowledge to his tall blonde schoolmate before Hisao introduced them to me after they got on board this morning.

This huge reunion, as an extension of the previous one in Midori last Sunday, was jointly called by me and Hisao. Everybody in the last meeting responded to our invitation positively, with the exception of Shin who still holds a grudge against Hisao; he agreed reluctantly after some persuading from his girlfriend. The ten-member group quickly expanded and doubled in size when several of the members invited their friends to join this reunion which is also known as the Yamaku Festival, a special event held by Hisao’s former high school.

For this occasion, we all agreed to travel by train. Very early this morning, I called a taxi to the train station, picking up Kai and the Takumi couple on the way, and had breakfast together once we boarded the train. Everybody else in the enlarged group except one met us in Tokyo Station. First to greet us were Hisao’s huge gang of Kasshoku University students (including my boyfriend) and Misha, who stayed in her best friend’s place for the previous night after arriving in Japan on Friday. I was subsequently introduced formally to Satou’s group by Hisao, while Alvin revealed to me later during the ride that Satou is Shizune’s cousin.

According to Hisao, Satou and her boyfriend are year two students studying English Literature, while Satou’s best friend (what’s that name again?) is in her first year, studying Journalism along with her classmate and friend Inoue. All the girls are Yamaku graduates, and they’re very excited to meet their ex-schoolmates again.

“There will be a lot of food. You love curry, don’t you? You won’t be disappointed.”

“You treat me?”

“Damn! You love to rob money from me, don’t you? Fine. I’ll treat you.”

In the next row, Hisao is chatting with his former classmates Takumi and Mai. I’m glad that my former crush is able to make amends with two of his best friends before the snow accident. Last week’s party provided a catalyst for the friends to get back on track, and I’m proud that I was the one who initiated the whole thing. While Takumi has already visited Yamaku before, for the “girl in black” it will be her first time.

Two rows beyond, Shizune is using sign language to communicate with her deaf friend in university and her brother. This brother of hers, who boarded the train in Saitama Station, is curiously wearing like a girl. Specifically, a white rabbit shirt, red trousers, ribbon around the neck, and a hairpin. I have no idea what the three are talking about, but Shizune looks excited, slashing her hands around like two swords in combat.

I arrive at the girls’ room which is between two carts of the train. Before I go in, I can spot, in the following cart, Shin talking to his girlfriend Miura and her friends. Along with Mai, they all boarded the train in Tokyo Station, but originally into a different cart. After moving to our cart, Miura introduced her three friends to us; apparently they are all Yamaku graduates. The girl with blue hair is Miura’s roommate, while the two boys came all the way from Osaka and slept in Miura’s room last night, occupying the living room. After the introduction, Shin led the group to the next cart, claiming that this cart is too crowded. I won’t be surprised if Shin is deliberately avoiding Hisao, given how things turned out between them last week.

Oh well, at least Hisao got three of his four friends back, me included. And he has “Shrimp” as a new friend too.

And from way afar I can see Emi’s arm-less friend sleeping with her head on the table. I have no idea why she’s sleeping in another cart; perhaps she is trying to obtain inspiration for her next drawing. Alvin and I came across with that artist in January, during our first date as a couple. She complimented our piano performance and wrongly deduced that my boyfriend had a “problem in his pants”. (Okay, Alvin denied the claim, but there’s no proof to his denial.) We didn’t see her today until Emi received a call from her after the train left Tokyo (and don’t ask me how she was able to use a phone!). Alvin and I were initially surprised that Emi and that Tezuka girl are good friends, but then we recalled from our lone conversation with the green-eyed artist that she was a Yamaku graduate, which obviously connects her to Emi.

Man, what a huge army of graduates and visitors we have here! I can’t even count how many in total are in the train!

After using the bathroom, I take a look of myself in front of the mirror. I look good. I’m especially proud of my long hair. Alvin jokingly said I’ve gotten more beautiful since dating him. The power of love, huh. Anyway, I like the rabbit shirt I’m wearing. It makes me look cute. Everybody in the group is wearing a design of future fashion designer and boutique owner Miura. We had choices between a runner, a sleepy student (which is surprisingly popular among boys), a rabbit (which Shizune’s brother also chose), a dinosaur, and some more. The designs look simple, but as we all know, simple is best. Needless to say, Miura was both elated and proud of herself that everybody liked her products.

This trip towards the Yamaku Festival wouldn’t be as harmonious if last week’s gathering didn’t take place. Again, I’m really proud of myself.

Since we’re visiting a school of the disabled, the numerous graduates in our group have warned the visitors in advance that there will be students with all kinds of disabilities around the campus. Our best way to deal with them is to try our best to treat them as normal. Last week Takumi shared with me, Shin, and Mai his terrible experience when he accompanied Emi to her high school for her leg check. To be honest, I don’t know how well I can adapt to the strange environment, especially given that I was involved with the accident that sent my former crush to that school! But my own experience making friends with the said crush and his girlfriend, plus the fact that we have so many graduates here in my group, makes me feel less nervous.

When I step out of the bathroom to return to my boyfriend’s side, I find a small crowd several rows in front of me, and my boyfriend is among the group. Naturally I approach the group from behind and tap my lover’s shoulder.

“(Cantonese) Hey dear, what’s going on?” [Note: Adding in Cantonese pronunciation proved to be too much of a trouble for the writer to bother.]

During the few months dating my boyfriend, I’ve been watching Hong Kong based movies with subtitles to help myself learn his native language. We tend to mix in a bit of Cantonese whenever we’re talking to each other.

“Hey Iwa-chan, Shizune has brought out a video game. I think it’s about a prosecutor trying to solve cases. Hisao said that it’s a game released about a week ago. None of us played it before, so we’re curious what the game looks like. It looks really interesting. Come here, I can stand behind you.”

So I squeeze into the crowd and stand between Misha and Kai while Alvin sticks out his head from behind next to mine. I can see from the game screen a man with red suit talking to a man wearing pink shirt and a gold medal. The supposedly sportsman seems to be accusing somebody of murder, and the red suiter, controlled by Shizune, must find evidence to counter his argument. This is interesting! I’ve never seen such a game before.

[“That’s obviously a contradiction, Shicchan~!”]

The big pink bubblegum head points to the statement on the screen she thinks there’s an error. Accordingly, Shizune brings up a list of items and searches for the one that can counter that statement. After the red suiter says “Objection!” (unfortunately for Shizune, she cannot hear the sound effect), he reveals the evidence and argues that the man in pink shirt is logically wrong. The medal man is startled and is forced to modify his argument. It looks like his modified statement will contain another error that the prosecutor will have to find out.

If chatting in the train was not fun enough, this prosecutor game definitely will! I think I’ll be squeezed between my two loud friends for quite a while.

“Yamaku High School, here it is.”

After paying the taxi driver and stepping out of the taxi, in front of us is an open school gate between red brick walls and a small crowd beyond. On top of the school gate is a large red banner that says, “Welcome to Yamaku Festival”. It looks like the Festival has already started. But before we can enter the school, two girls appear from behind the school gate to greet us with formal bows.

“Welcome to Yamaku. Good morning.”

The girls are wearing proper school uniforms, and their courtesy makes me think they must be representatives of the school. The bubblegum head is the first to react to the welcoming, stepping out of our huge group to greet them with… uh… a fist?

[“Hi~!!! Nice to see you two again~!!!”]

Totally unfazed by the high volume of the bubblegum’s enthusiastic greeting, the girls, who are apparently Misha’s affiliates, return her greeting with their own fists as they touch each other’s hands gently. I wonder what that gesture means.

Shizune and her boyfriend are next in line to greet the girls, also with their own fists. By now it’s pretty clear: The girls must be the current Yamaku Student Council.

Hisao turns around and face the whole group to introduce the girls to us.

“Introduce to you all the Yamaku Student Council. This is Aoi, the President; and this is Keiko, the Vice President.”

Before we can greet the girls in return, the loud pink hair who’s wearing a dinosaur shirt laughs out loud at her friend’s introduction so much that she almost trips over backwards, causing a light scare for the Student Council.

[“Wahahahaha~! Hicchan~ You’ve got it all wrong~!! Wahahahaha~!!!”]

The former Student Council member scratches his head and looks utterly perplexed and embarrassed by the strange reaction from his America based friend.

“Huh? W-what’s wrong?”

Since Misha is still laughing out loud unable to respond properly, Shizune steps up to correct her boyfriend in sign language.

[…]

“Oh!! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

[…]

“It slipped out of your mind, huh. It’s alright. Okay guys, apparently they switched posts this year. Now Keiko is the President.”

The current President, the taller of the two, makes another standard bow towards us before formally introducing the school in front of us.

“I am Keiko, the Student Council President. I formally welcome you all to Yamaku Academy, the venue of today’s Yamaku Festival. The Student Council is most pleased to welcome the return of former Student Council President Hakamichi, Vice President Mikado, and Deputy Nakai…”

Her laughing finally subsides, Misha interjects the President’s welcoming speech with a playful giggle. By the way, this is the first time I hear about Misha’s surname. When I was introduced to this pink-haired lady last year in the airport at the start of our trip to Hong Kong, I thought Misha was her surname. Hisao revealed to me afterwards that “Misha” is actually a nickname, and she doesn’t want others to call her by either surname or given name. Just like me and Alvin!

[“Keiko! You don’t need to be so formal~! You should call me Misha~! And him Hicch-”]

The lady who apparently gained a few pounds after I saw her last time in the Hong Kong trip was given a light shove by the former Deputy and her subordinate.

“Hisao. Remember?”

Apparently, Hisao doesn’t want Misha to address him so casually in front of others. Yeah, he’s right. Many of us are formally adults now.

[“Oh yeah~! Okay~! Okay okay_…”]

“That will not be necessary, former Vice President. All of you were seniors in class position and in Student Council. It would be inappropriate to take on undue familiarity.”

[“But haven’t we known each other for…”]

“Former Vice President, please be kindly reminded that we are currently in the middle of a formal event, with numerous visitors in front of us. In my opinion, the familiarity you described should be confined in the Student Council room in this occasion.”

Everything about Miss Keiko, a slender girl who has grayish blue shoulder length hair, seems extremely precise and measured, right down to the angle of her bow. Certainly a perfect successor to former Student Council President Hakamichi. I wonder if the other girl behaves like Misha does, and if so, how the Student Council last year performed with that girl as the President.

Before Misha can chip in another word, Hisao decides to round up the argument on formality by switching the topic. Makes sense, as a whole gang is waiting to participate in the Festival.

“Sure, we can visit both of you in the Student Council room. I suggest we take a group photo in front of the Yamaku school gate, then we can enjoy the Festival.”

The current Vice President with short blue hair seems to be eager to stop the silly argument too, in favor of providing the visitors access to the stalls behind them.

“Please stand here; we can hold the camera for you.”

Accordingly, we stand in two rows in front of the gate, with some of the girls in the front row, while my boyfriend and I stand at the back. We say cheese, and get ourselves a memorable photo of this visit. Taking the photo now together is important because we might not leave the Festival at the same time.

“Please feel free to shop around the stalls in various parts of the school ground. This year, we have included activities in the classrooms of the main building. I am not going to spoil the content of the events, but you are highly recommended to participate in at least some of them.”

“The classrooms are open, huh. That’s a first. Great job, Keiko.”

“We worked exceptionally hard on this new project, and ultimately we obtained the approval of the school staff.”

“Whose idea was that?”

“(Both girls reply in unison) It’s my idea!”

“Hey! I was the one who first mentioned holding an event in a classroom!”

“But I first suggested the idea of simulat-… uh… the content of the activities!”

The former Student Council Deputy hurries to stop the argument.

“Well, obviously we haven’t joined the activities yet, but I’m sure you both did a great job. I sincerely wish you both a successful Yamaku Festival.”

“Thank you. We have nothing else to add, so, on behalf of Yamaku Academy, please enjoy today’s visit! We will see you all around!”

“Thank you, Student Council! (Turns around) Hey guys, since we have so many here, I suggest we split up into groups. I’d prefer visitors to be accompanied by at least one Yamaku graduate so that they can introduce you guys around and, most importantly, not to lose directions. But, yeah, feel free to explore!”

While I don’t mind somebody giving me a tour of the school and maybe explaining its history, I understand that playing in the stalls right away is probably everybody’s priority now.

“Thank you so much, Hisao.”

As everyone else starts filing into the venue, Alvin grabs hold of my hand, completely neglecting that this could be a public display of affection in a high school. But I’m pretty sure, with Hisao’s past in the school as an example, the students here won’t mind this taboo one bit.

“(Cantonese) Who should we follow?”

Before I can pick the Yamaku graduate of my choice, Emi comes over, along with her boyfriend and her artist friend.

“Remember to meet us at three o’clock at the auxiliary building entrance! See you all around!”

The joyful track star then literally drags her boyfriend and disappears into the crowd before either of us can answer, leaving Tezuka to hurry after her. Well, two candidates are gone. And I already see the tall blonde of Lilly Satou, along with her two usual companions and Inoue, heading notably not towards the stalls, but instead a garden to the left. It seems like they don’t like crowded places.

As the two of us continue to search for companions, I see my former high school friends Shin and Mai already playing goldfish scooping along with Miura and her friends. Meanwhile, Shizune wastes no time bringing her guests to another stall involving something like throwing coins, based on the banner above the stall.

“(Cantonese) It looks like everybody has already gone. You’re stuck with me. And Kai.”

I didn’t know Kai is standing behind me! Oh well, the three of us then.

“I wish I didn’t have to bother you two, but it looks like I’ve been left alone.”

“You can join us, Kai. So, which way shall we go first?”

The obvious answer is to go through this plaza stall by stall, stopping by the ones we’re interested in along the way. But before we can start, Hisao, who’s in his girlfriend’s group, spots us being left alone. After a brief exchange with his girlfriend, he leaves the group towards us.

“I see you guys without a graduate. May I join?”

We’re, of course, excited that our tutorial center colleague is willing to sacrifice time with his girlfriend to guide us throughout the school!

“Of course, you’re welcome!”

With all the groups settled, I can finally start the event officially! It looks like there are countless stalls in the main plaza, and there might be more in other parts of the school ground. We’re definitely in for a treat! And I’m amazed by the current Student Council’s ability to organize such a huge event, especially with disabled students.

“’Nako, the Yamaku Festival was the first event I experienced in this school. It happened one week after I was transferred here. It was after this Festival that I decided to know more about Shizune.”

“I see! So the Festival was the starting point of your romance, huh.”

“You can say that! I still remember the fireworks in the evening. Shizune, Misha, and I were standing on the roof enjoying the show.”

“It’s so romantic!”

“Oh yeah, I completely forgot about the fireworks when I told you guys about the Festival. I hope there will be fireworks too this evening. I should confirm that with the Student Council. But you guys are staying behind to watch it, right?”

Enjoying fireworks with my boyfriend? What a treat!

“Of course we’re staying behind!”

“Great! Well, we shouldn’t waste any more time. Let’s go.”

So we proceed to shop around the numerous stalls in the plaza. Since the stalls at the front are unsurprisingly crowded, we decide to go straight ahead towards the back, skipping the food section for later. After turning a corner, we set our eyes on something really special. It’s apparently a room escape game! And, for some unknown reason, we don’t have to wait for it at all!

“Welcome to the room escape! We’ve got three rooms here, one for current students or graduates, one for visitors, and one for two players. The entrance fee is two thousand and five hundred yen per participant.”

No wonder it’s empty! It costs a lot! Hisao turns around to ask for our opinion.

“Do you guys want to try it out? I was invited as a tester of a similar game last year right here, but I gave up in the middle of that due to some unexpected circumstances. If you want to try, I can treat you all. You’re visitors after all.”

“But it’s pretty expensive. I’m not sure if I…”

“Don’t think about the price. Do you want to try, Alvin?”

My boyfriend takes a peep beyond the stall owner. He looks interested.

“Well, I admit I’m very interested in the game, and I do want to play a two-player game with Iwa-chan. But…”

I just remembered that Shizune once shared with me during our Hong Kong trip about an escape game she attempted. Was she referring to the one Hisao just mentioned?

“Alright then. (Turns back towards the stall owner) So, ten thousand yen in total, am I right?”

Then Alvin approaches the graduate and puts a hand onto his right arm. Is he trying to share the cost?

“But I don’t want you to spend so much money…”

Instead of confirming the price, the stall owner steps forward and comes abnormally close to Hisao, studying his face as he reflexively backs off a bit, while Alvin looks utterly perplexed by the unusual social distance.

“Wait, aren’t you Nakai?”

Ah I get it. This student probably has a sight-related disability.

“I am! Did we meet before? I don’t recall it.”

“You appeared in the school news! The JUSC champion! You’re the pride of our school!”

Being the champion, he IS the pride of his school. Thinking back, I’m surprised that nobody managed to recognize him until we reach this stall.

“Thanks for remembering that particular event. I’m going to defend my title soon.”

“Alright. Since you’re Nakai, and you’ve got four participants to occupy all of the rooms here, I’ll give you guys a special offer. Seven thousand yen in total. How does that sound?”

That will be a whopping thirty percent discount! The stall owner is really generous!

“Well, I’m certainly grateful for such a kind offer. Alright then. Alvin, you and ‘Nako play the two-player. I’ll play the graduate room, and Shrimp will play the visitor. I’ll treat you guys.”

“But we can share the cost…”

A loud snap of fingers, apparently rubbed onto him by none other than former Student Council President Hakamichi, tells us there is…

“No arguing. Let’s go!”

The three of us joyfully reply in unison. Hisao’s going to be so poor! If Shizune allows, Alvin and I will treat him tonight.

“Thanks, Hisao!”

And I’m glad that Kai doesn’t mind being called Shrimp.

“You’re welcome! We’ll race to get out first!”

Without further ado, Alvin and I head towards the two-player room as our two friends make their way into their respective games.

“You enter this room, and the boy that room. My partner and I will blindfold you both and lead you into the rooms. The rooms are connected by a tray that can be swung back and forth, which means you can exchange items with it. Put your bags and preferably all belongings, maybe except your phones, into the lockers here; I’ll give you two the keys to the lockers, but they are unrelated to the puzzle. Obviously you’re not allowed to use your phones to cheat. There are lights and a ventilation system that are not involved in the puzzle. If one of you decides to give up, or if time is up, I will come in and escort both of you out. You win when both of you manage to escape the room. The time limit is thirty minutes. Are the rules okay with you?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, please allow us to blindfold you after putting your bags inside the lockers.”

I follow the stall owner’s instructions and get led forward into a room before being told to remove my blindfold. After getting myself used to the brightness of the room, I quickly take a look at the surroundings. My first impression is that it’s quite empty, just white walls on all four sides, and the tray previously mentioned. On the ground I can find a piece of paper with words that make no sense. And I can see four moderately big letters of “FEST” on the ground. I wonder if it is a password.

There’s a time limit, so I quickly start searching through the seemingly empty room. At a corner wall I find a small metal rod-like structure that seems to be part of a screwdriver. In the middle of a wall is a well disguised door that requires a four-digit code to open. Is the code related to the letters on the ground? But if F is six, then what about S?

I don’t seem to find anything else. This game is really challenging!

Then I hear the tray being moved. I head there at once and, to my delight, I find a handle of a screwdriver! I immediately assemble the handle with the metal rod on hand, and now I have a working screwdriver!

But my joy is short-lived, as there’s nothing I can use to unscrew; the owner told me that the vent above my head is unrelated.

Well, the only thing I can now do is to return the newly assembled screwdriver into the trey, along with the paper with gibberish. Alvin, please help me!

While waiting for him, let’s check the room more thoroughly. Shizune told me in the sharing of her escape room experience that the game was exceptionally sneaky.

Okay! So, at the foot of another corner wall, I find a really sneaky panel that requires a screwdriver! The panel and the screws are deliberately painted in white to blend almost perfectly with the wall! But unfortunately, the screw is a minus, not the plus type I just sent to Alvin.

There’s really nothing notable around. At the ceiling is the unrelated ventilation fan and a tiny square that looks like glass, which could be relevant but I can’t see anything through it and cannot reach. It might be installed for safety purpose anyway.

The tray finally opens again, and, after checking, I silently thank my boyfriend a million for giving me a screwdriver and a minus blade! Accordingly, I switch the blade and open the corner wall panel, revealing a dark passage lighted by small light bulbs on the walls.

No other choice except climbing into it. I hope the passage is clean.

So I crawl into the hole to follow the passage and, after moving a few feet, turn a corner and go upstairs with the guidance of the dim lights. Eventually I crawl through a tiny path in the supposedly attic of the room, and hit a dead end. Below me is a tiny glass window that resembles what I saw earlier in the main room; do I need to look at my room from another perspective?

Turns out I’m wrong. Peeping through the glass with one eye, I can see Alvin’s head moving around. And when he eventually walks out of my sight, I can see the numbers 3862 on the ground.

It is obviously Alvin’s room! Which means Alvin should be able to see my room and the letters FEST if he can unlock his side of the hidden passage.

Now let’s go down and put the number code into the four-digit locked door. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work.

It looks like the number needs to be modified by something, but I can’t see anything useful in front of me.

With time starting to run out and no more useful clue on hand, I climb up once again to the glass window and take a closer look at Alvin’s room. It leads to no result, though. As I am about to go back down to search again, Alvin suddenly pauses in front of my eyes, picks up his blindfold from the ground, and reveals something in it!

I immediately rush back down and check the blindfold I’ve left on the ground, and between two layers I find a folded piece of transparent paper! When I unfold it, the paper reads: 131_

What in the world is this?

Well, the fact that it is transparent means I should cover it on top of the 3862. But the result makes no sense!

The tray moves, and I suddenly realize what is going on: What I am holding on hand is actually a clue for his side of the puzzle!

I open the tray, retrieve, as expected, another piece of transparent paper that says 2013, then put my 131_ hint back into the trey.

So, 3862 plus 2013, huh. Alvin probably does this faster than me, but I can handle it just fine: It’s 5875.

Nope. No good.

Well, 3862 minus 2013 then. Which gives 1849.

Nope.

What am I doing? This is transparent paper we’re working with!

After some adjustments, I discover that I need to place the paper in a way that the numbers don’t overlap each other. And the result is that the 2013 becomes powers of the numbers on the floor.

3 to the power 2, 8 to the 0, 6 to the 1, and 2 to the 3. That will be 9168.

Finally! The door opens!

Through the door to the other side, Alvin is already waiting for me, his foot stepping on a switch; in front of us is a door and two lamps above, his side is green and mine is red. And in front of me on the ground is another switch.

Clearly, I need to step on the switch in front of me to open the door. The mechanics are designed such that both players need to step on their respective switches to open the door; the distance between the switches is too far for anyone not a huge monster to step on simultaneously.

Once the door is opened, the store owner congratulates us at the exit. It looks like we’re the first one to win the game!

“Congratulations! Your time is 25 minutes 26 seconds!”

So we’re a few minutes from timing out! The puzzle is actually quite simple, but since it involves two players and the swapping of items, with a thirty-minute time limit, I think the difficulty is just fine.

“So, what was your side of the password to the door?”

“It’s AB$I. The underscore at the end added a horizontal stroke to complete the I.”

“Please do not tell the solution to your friends. It will spoil all the fun.”

“Sure. Our lips are sealed.”

Just then, Kai manages to get out of her room to reunite with us.

“Congratulations! Your time is 26 minutes 10 seconds! Again, please don’t spoil anything to your friends.”

“Woooohoooo!!! I’ve done it! It’s been so much fun! Did you have fun too, ‘Nako?”

“We did! The game was so sneaky! I can’t say anything until we leave this place, but it’s been a blast!”

The single-player rooms are probably more challenging, but I don’t want to spend another 2500 yen on it because there are a lot more stalls for me to explore.

“We really need to thank Hisao for this.”

“Yes. We’ll treat him dinner. Right, Kai?”

“Sure! But where’s Hisao?”

Alvin and I both shrug, implying that he’s not yet out of his puzzle. As we anxiously wait for him in front of the exit of his room, the stall owner’s partner keeps checking the timer he’s holding and has the key ready to rescue, or boot out, our poor friend.

Thirty seconds left, and all three of us shake our heads. I can’t believe this ordinarily smart friend of mine would fail this game twice in a row.

But as the timer counts down to five seconds left, with the key already right in front of the keyhole, miraculously the door swings open, revealing a tired stray-haired boy!

“I finally solved it! Took me so long!”

The stall owner’s partner retrieves his key and steps back, allowing Hisao to reunite with us.

“Congratulations! Your time is 29 minutes 55 seconds! Please don’t spoil anything in the puzzle to your friends.”

“I almost timed out, didn’t I?”

“Yup. Five seconds remaining.”

“Whoosh! So close! It was a tough puzzle! What are your times?”

“Alvin and I got out after 25 minutes, and Kai one minute later.”

“Man! You guys are so good at this game!”

“We’ve had great fun! Thanks for the treat!”

“No problem. I think it was definitely worth the money spent.”

After retrieving our belongings for me, Alvin comes over and pats my former crush on his shoulder.

“Thanks a lot, Hisao. The three of us agreed to treat you dinner tonight.”

“Um… I don’t know. You guys are the visitors. It’s my pleasure to treat you guys.”

“We’ll talk about it later, okay? Right now I think we should go for lunch. It’s still like half an hour before noon, but the food stalls are going to be so crowded if we don’t get our food as soon as possible.”

“I agree, Alvin. Let’s go, ‘Nako, Shrimp.”

So we head back to the food stalls we skipped half an hour ago, and from afar I spot Shin and Mai chatting with Miura’s friends. Mai seems to be blending into the group well. She told me last week that she didn’t make many friends in her vocational training center, and after Shin found his girlfriend, she has been alone most of the time, getting herself ready for her internship which starts next week. I’m glad that she finally has a few friends in the Tokyo area available to chat and have fun with after her internship ends.

Unsurprisingly, most of the food stalls sell snacks and unhealthy food like cakes and biscuits, but we manage to find some stalls offering noodles (not instant ones) and rice. The fact that those stalls are less popular tells us how eager the students here are to finally get themselves junk food to eat. Not many vegetables are available, but luckily we’ve brought fruit along with us so we’re still looking at a fairly balanced diet.

After lunch, the four of us continue to walk around and play a few stalls until we come across a booth with a huge stuffed toy hanging from the top.

“What is it?”

“No idea. Let’s get closer.”

We inch closer towards the stall to realize that it is a ball throwing game, and the stuffed narwhal at the top of the stall is presumably the grand prize.

“Hey there, Shiraki. I can’t believe you’re running the same booth for the third straight year!”

Hisao’s disapproval of the apparently third-year student slides off him like water off a duck’s back as the owner shrugs noncommittally.

“It works. The photography club did so well with this that we were able to make it bigger and better this time around. You can’t argue with success.”

So the stuff at the top is produced by a 3D printer?

“Well, I’ve seen you modified the rules. The pyramids are ten bottles rather than six. And I suppose the narwhal above is a large prize?”

Shiraki’s lips form a kind of smug grin that begs for a punch. He gestures to a row of stuffed cats.

“Not quite. Those are the large prize. That guy up there is an extra large prize.”

“Extra…?”

Tapping on a sign taped to the booth’s countertop, the owner responds as if he were telling us to invest in plastics.

“Prize exchange, my good friend. Prize exchange.”

We take a closer look at the sign, which says:
5 Small Prizes – 1 Medium Prize
7 Medium Prizes – 1 Large Prize
3 Large Prizes – 1 Extra-Large Prize

Alvin chooses this moment to chip in.

“How much is one play?”

Shiraki points towards a sign next to the 10-bottle pyramid, which says
One Play – 6 Balls – 60 Yen
1-6 Bottles – Small Prize
7-9 Bottles – Medium Prize
10 Bottles – Large Prize

“Damn it, Shiraki! I think it was 50 Yen last year!”

“Inflation, man. Inflation.”

Hisao turns around towards us and spreads out his arms.

“Well, I won a total of three cat dolls from this stall in a span of two years. I don’t feel like playing again, but if you want to try it out, feel free to do so. I never saw the big fish up there last time though.”

Hisao isn’t interested in the game, but my boyfriend certainly does.

“Hey, are there any regulations about the throwing?”

The owner rolls his eyes on my boyfriend and replies carefully with a bit of hesitation.

“Usual stuff, man! Stand behind the line when you throw. And you can only throw this ball, nothing else.”

“Can I jump?”

“I can’t see why not.”

“And nothing else?”

The third-year student gives my boyfriend a curious stare before nodding.

“I can’t think of anything to add.”

Responding to the reply, Alvin reaches his wallet and hands over two coins that presumably amount to the 60-yen entrance fee.

“Alright then. Let’s have one round.”

He takes the six balls from Shiraki, turns around, and give me and Kai a sly grin. I wonder what he has in mind.

The three of us stand behind him as my Chinese boyfriend takes a ball from the basket, carefully stands behind the line, trains his sight on the pyramid, and gets himself ready for a first throw. Without a warning, he unexpectedly jumps forward as he releases the ball, smashing it from height at close range right at the bottom of the pile, tumbling an astounding total of seven bottles.

He actually treated this game like handball, except that he knocks down bottles instead of shooting into a goal.

A dumbfounded Shiraki rolls his eyes on Alvin and grumbles with a flat voice.

“That’s not fair!”

My boyfriend snickers playfully at his complaint.

“I stood behind the line. I was allowed to jump. I didn’t break the rules!”

“Sigh… Alright. Don’t jump forward from now on, okay?”

“Alright, alright. I promise.”

But apparently the damage has already been done. With five balls remaining, he has no trouble cleaning up and winning himself a large prize, which is a cat doll.

“I’ll have another round. I promise I won’t break the rules, okay?”

But he once again gives me a playful wink before turning around to stand behind the yellow line. He then makes a few steps horizontally, situating himself at a rather sharp throwing angle, before jumping and throwing a ball almost horizontally towards the pyramid. His crazy idea seems to fail him as the first ball only manages to dislodge two of the bottles a little bit, but the subsequent throw hits the same two, causing a chain reaction that removes the entire left side of the pyramid from play. He again has no trouble cleaning up the remaining, with a ball to spare.

Shiraki once again has no choice but to give him another cat.

My boyfriend apparently has more fun exploiting gaps in the rules and tormenting the stall owner than winning the prize. Chinese boys are so smart!

“(Cantonese) Iwa-chan, I want your help in the next round.”

Huh? I’ve never heard of a two-player mode in this game!

Before I can reply, he pushes me to the front and stuffs a ball into my hand. Then he stands right behind me and holds my right hand from behind.

“We’ll throw together, okay?”

Once again, Shiraki rolls his eyes on this newest rule exploit (he didn’t say we can’t do it in cooperation) as we make the throw. The idea is quite silly, and I doubt its effectiveness, but it does work this time! The combined force is enough to knock down six bottles. Alvin then manages to clear three more with just two balls before handing me the remaining. I don’t disappoint him, finally tumbling the last one with my final throw. I’m pretty sure he would be going for a fourth round if we had lost.

So we finally won the extra large prize! But…

I don’t really need it. It’s too big to go into my bedroom, and I certainly don’t want either Alvin or I to carry this humungous toy all the way back to Chiba or Midori.

“(Cantonese) Iwa-chan, you want that toy up there?”

I don’t want to disappoint my boyfriend, but I’d rather speak the truth than causing a misunderstanding and a whole lot of trouble when we return.

“I’m sorry, Alvin, but it’s a bit too large for me.”

“How ‘bout you, Kai?”

“Nah. I’m not gonna hug a toy that’s even larger than me.”

“Hisao? Give it to your girlfriend, maybe?”

“Misha might like it, but I doubt she wants to carry it all the way back to America.”

“Alright then. We’ll forfeit the grand prize. I like the cat dolls more. They’re really cute.”

The rule exploiter then distributes the three cat dolls he earned, one to me, one to himself, and, after Hisao indicates that he doesn’t need another one, having already earned himself three of these, hands the remaining doll to Kai.

“I love it too! Thanks so much, dear!”

“Thanks a lot, Alvin!”

The booth owner, relieved that he didn’t just lose the grand prize for 180 yen, signals to his partner not to bother with getting the ladder as the four of us leave for other stalls. I think the narwhal suits Misha quite well; maybe we could’ve given the toy to Misha if we could find her among the crowd, but oh well.

(cont'd)

(Chapter 89 cont'd)

As the temperature gets increasingly hot (the main plaza is covered by big cloths, most likely to protect us from sunlight and rain, but the big crowd inevitably generates a lot of heat), we decide to go inside the main building and get ourselves drinks. Hisao the tour guide treats us cans of soda from a vending machine, then brings us upstairs to the library, where we meet Satou and her group. They can’t borrow anything inside, but they can at least reminisce about their past.

Then we reach the Student Council room to find Shizune and Misha chatting while playing board games. They say that Keiko and Aoi are now managing the Festival, but will be back soon to chat with them; the Student Council has given the duo permission to access the room. Shizune, as the former President, says (or signs) she misses this place so much because she treated this place as almost her second home. She wants to spend a bit more time here before exploring the rest of the Festival.

When Hisao told them about the room escape games, they said that they arrived at that booth slightly after we entered. They opted not to wait, but they will try it out later in the afternoon.

Apparently Shizune’s brother and her sign language friend have gone upstairs to try out the classrooms so that her brother can practice more on his sign language. We should try the classrooms out next.

Before we leave the Student Council room, the duo invites us to have dinner in a restaurant nearby called the Shanghai before enjoying the fireworks over there. We happily accept the invitation. Great! A Hong Kong trip quintet reunion, possibly with Kai tagging along! We’ll have so much to talk about.

After saying farewell to the former Student Council, we walk upstairs to the classrooms to try out the events mentioned by the President, starting from classrooms 3-1 to 3-4. It turns out that these experimental rooms provide us an experience of carrying a disability free of charge. In other words, we get temporarily disabled by the disabled, which is hilarious to think about.

In Classroom 3-1, we’re each given a biscuit specially made to carry an exceptionally bland taste. We need to endure the taste by keeping it in our mouths for three minutes before eating it. After just thirty seconds, I’m already struggling to resist vomiting it out as I get to see my companions’ twitching faces. At the end of the three minutes, all of us can’t help but immediately get rid of our biscuits instead of eating them. The associated conditions are called dysgeusia, a distortion of the sense of taste, ageusia, the complete lack of taste, and hypogeusia, a decrease in taste sensitivity. I’d rather die if every meal is like this for me!

In Classroom 3-2, we’re blindfolded and led into a tunnel. The point is to navigate ourselves to the exit with some audio cues along the way. To be honest, I am really afraid that I would trip and hurt myself! But by using my hands to explore the objects in the tunnel and listening to noise from the surroundings, I am able to reach the exit in around five minutes. Getting an experience of Lilly Satou’s blindness is invaluable.

In Classroom 3-3, we’re asked to sit across each other, separated by a thick piece of glass, while wearing big headphones that block all sound sources by playing loud music. We are then each given a rack holding three randomly selected cards containing instructions. We need to take turns to convey what is written on the cards to the one sitting across. Alvin and I try really hard, but ultimately we only get one instruction right, with two more partially correct answers. Hisao and Kai are not much better, each getting one correct. Being deaf like Shizune is so tough!

In Classroom 3-4, we are asked to drive a wheelchair around the classroom three laps before using our toes to try to draw a picture. For the wheelchair part, I initially thought it was an easy task, but I quickly get tired after only one lap, and I can only move at snail’s speed for the remainder of the race. As for the artist part, I do manage to draw an apple, but the coloring is downright poor. I’m unable to spread the paint evenly across the picture. All four of us have to lie down flat outside the classroom after this experiment. I wonder if Emi and Tezuka were in this class.

We continue to try out several other experiments in the lower-form classrooms before Hisao announces that it is time for him to meet his homeroom teacher and perform his health check with the giraffe Nurse. Since earlier this morning Emi forgot to tell us the location of the auxiliary building, our host does the job for our physical trainer after escorting us out of the main building. He then leaves for his missions, leaving the three of us to explore the remainder of the campus without a Yamaku graduate.

After all the classroom activities, I can’t imagine how Hisao manages his disability. Unfortunately it’s almost impossible to simulate his heart problem. I’m fortunate that he is willing to befriend me even after that accident; otherwise I would’ve been in debt to him forever.

If it were possible, I would have loved to share at least half of his disability. The only thing I can do now is to study hard and perhaps discover a medicine that can cure, or at least relieve, his condition.

Now that we’re sufficiently cooled down, the three of us take a walk in the garden Satou and her friends visited earlier this morning, finding some more stalls at the end of that path. After taking a break in a resting area, with the clock approaching 3 o’clock, we head towards the auxiliary building according to Hisao’s instructions. It turns out Emi and her boyfriend are already there, and our physical trainer is generous enough to display the three of us a trademark pout as we arrive.

“You’re late!”

Alvin, who told me he doesn’t exactly love Emi’s playful bluffs, points out her mistake with a tired look on his face.

“Emi, it’s 2:55. You’re early.”

But the ponytail apparently isn’t bored of her way of teasing, as she giggles and shakes her body a little along with her response.

“Damn! You got me there!”

My boyfriend simply shrugs as I realize that Takumi is here because Emi wants to introduce her boyfriend to the Nurse.

“So, are you ready to lead us to the Nurse?”

“Yup, I’m more than ready! Let’s go… (Turns around) Oh, hey there!”

The boy standing behind Takumi is exactly the one who acted as our tour guide this morning. He has obviously finished his health check.

“Hey Emi! Nice to see you guys again!”

“Hi Hisao! How was the health check?”

“I’m doing fine! Although enduring the Nurse’s cheap jokes makes me want to vomit.”

“It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

“Well, you’re friends with the Nurse. I’m not, and I’m not a fan of him either, but I have no choice if I want to stay alive. I suppose it’s time for you to do your leg check?”

“Yup, and I’m bringing them to meet the Nurse… uh, well… I didn’t expect Kai to be with you guys too… This may become a problem. I’m not sure if the Nurse wants so many visitors into his office…”

“It’s fine, Emi. I’m not that interested anyway. I can go with Hisao.”

“Sure, I’ll accompany you. Hey look, isn’t that Lilly over there? We can join her group. Haven’t really talked to her for a while.”

“Alright! I’ll see you around, ‘Nako!”

“Have fun, buddy!”

“We’ll talk again in the Shanghai, okay? I’ll give you a call when we’re ready.”

“Sure. See you soon!”

So, as my long-term friend bounces towards Inoue with Hisao in close pursuit, the four of us walk upstairs to the Nurse’s office on the first floor. Emi gives the door several clean knocks as I notice the plate on the door just says “Head Nurse”. I wonder if he, like me, doesn’t want to use his last name.

The Nurse opens the door but is immediately taken slightly aback by the presence of a whole group. Emi, however, absolutely cares squat as she literally barges herself into the room, forcing the host of the office to give way.

In front of us is a tall middle-aged man with a pointed long face. His purple hair is long enough to almost cover his eyebrows. His eyes are almost shut, which makes me wonder how he can see things clearly without deliberately opening his eyes. Possibly due to the long face, his nose is considerably lower than his ears. He wears a black shirt, brown trousers, and a white coat on top that is similar to what I usually wear in laboratory. I think it’s an exaggeration to say that he looks like a giraffe. At least he’s not wearing anything that resembles yellow.

“Sunshine, I expected to see only one patient. You’ve brought me three more. I don’t do health checks for free, you know. Unless you pay me.”

The track star gives her former school staff a playful shove to his arm. I’m astonished that they can be so good friends. The fact that she’s already a graduate of this school probably matters.

“Ass. Introduce to you, this is my boyfriend Takumi, and they are Alvin and ‘Nako. All three of them are my trainees.”

‘Nako, huh. She must have gotten this nickname from her boyfriend! Oh well, whichever it is, just don’t mention my surname.

Raising an eyebrow and opening his left eye, our host half-smiles at the couple with his hands still inside his white coat’s pockets.

“What a surprise! I didn’t know you have a boyfriend. That’s going save me a phone call to your mom asking her to arrange a date for you.”

Given how Emi described him in the train, I’m sure he’s just joking. But Emi pouts in mock anger anyway.

“You jerk. They come all the way from Kanagawa to see you, Nurse. And this is how you treat our visitors!”

Noticing his mistake, the Nurse retrieves his joking demeanor, pulls out his right hand from his pocket, and greets us formally.

“I apologize for my negligence. Nice to meet you all. I am the Yamaku Head Nurse, or simply Nurse by everybody. And I apologize on behalf of my former student’s rash behavior a moment ago. Come on in.”

He must be referring to Emi’s barging. The track star continues to mock anger as we make standard bows to this funny staff member and enter his office. His working place looks pretty clean, with a desktop computer on a bench and several trays next to a telephone and a printer. The computer seems to be displaying some kind of human doll, which probably contains information about various body parts. At the top right corner is a shelf with a rather large red book and some documents in it.

“So, what subjects are you all studying?”

“I am studying electronic engineering, and she is in pharmacy.”

“Pharmacy, eh? Interesting!”

“Yes. This is in fact one of the major reasons Emi wants me to meet you.”

“Well, good choice, ‘Nako. For coming to see me, and choosing the major you’re in. A medical career is tiring, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Even I, as the Head Nurse, need to work long hours and sometimes be on shift. But the job is also rewarding, keeping everybody as healthy as possible and potentially rescuing somebody from the brink of death is a huge and satisfying mission.”

If I can discover a medicine that can cure Hisao, maybe one day I’ll be able to rescue him from the brink of death.

“Yes, sir. For the same reason I have chosen this career path.”

“A medical career. Many people’s first impression towards it is that it pays relatively well and offers job security. Of course I’m not denying this fact, with the clear trade-off of long working hours. But remember, ‘Nako, that you vision is the most important. Obviously I’m not talking about the literal eyesight, even though being able to see clearly is important as well. But when you eventually get exhausted by all the tasks on hand, it is crucial to remember why you’re working so hard. I’d say laboring only for money is not a healthy vision, although many would disagree with me; but you want to save lives. You want to contribute to the society by keeping everybody healthy. This is my vision, or at least a short version of it. I hope you share a similar, if not the same, vision as mine.”

“Yes sir, and thank you for the reminder. I will keep your words in my heart.”

After this brief but invaluable exchange with me, the poker face takes a playful glance towards his patient and smiles wickedly at me.

“But sometimes you do run into annoying patients who are always a pain in the ass, which might make you wish you could stay in the laboratory forever.”

Of course, the inferred object of his venomous claim is not going to sit here without uttering a beep.

“Who is a pain in the ass, huh?”

Unfazed by his former student’s grumble, the Nurse spread his arms to share with us his career experience along with his technical expertise.

“For starters, we always want patients to report to us any abnormal symptoms, however small, as soon as possible such that we can perform an early diagnosis, preventing a worsening of the situation. Take an example of a heart patient. You might think a slight flutter doesn’t matter. No need to bother coming for a health check. But it could well be the beginning of something way more serious, and by the time you finally realize it, it could already be too late.”

He must be referring to Hisao who just came for the health check. I hope he didn’t have to report a flutter to him!

The Nurse turns towards his patient and points at her legs.

“And I hope you’re doing good judgment with your legs, Emi.”

The patient who was still pouting a while ago gets caught off guard and, after getting awkward for a second, recovers quickly to grin at the Nurse.

“Uh… Yeah! Of course I’ve been keeping them all good!”

Whether her grin is short-lived or not will largely depend on her upcoming check. I guess she’s probably alright, or she wouldn’t come here in the first place; rather, she would be avoiding him for as long as possible, like what the Nurse just said. But if the effect of the accident a few weeks ago still lingers, it will be another story.

“Well, we’ll see how it goes. Emi, you sit on the bed. As for our visitors, I’m going to have a little secret party with her for a while. You can stay here if you want to, but I’m not letting you guys in because of patient confidentiality.”

“Who wants to have a secret party with you?”

The joke lover snickers at the supposedly a pain in the ass for him.

“How about I give you a candy afterwards, how’s that sound?”

“Hmph! You jerk!”

But she then obeys and walks towards the inner section of the room. The Nurse proceeds to grab his equipment and pulls the curtain close.

While Emi is having her prosthetic legs examined, it’s a good time to catch up with my schoolmate.

“Hey Takumi, how has been your visit? It’s your second time, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, and I think I’ve gotten a bit more used to the environment. Of course today’s a special occasion, so it feels a little different from last time.”

“Did you stick with Emi throughout the visit?”

“No. I was with Emi and Rin for a while before coming across with Shin and his group, so I left the girls to tag along. We tried quite a few booths. Did quite well in the goldfish scooping. Not so well in the ball throwing game. We also went through the classrooms; the activities were really cool.”

“How about the room escape? Did you guys try it?”

“Room escape? We didn’t spot it. Where is it?”

“It’s in the main plaza, at the corner far away at the back. It does cost 2500 yen per entry. Hisao was generous enough to sponsor us a visit though.”

“He did? Wow, it’s so not like him in the past, you know. Never expect him to spend money for friends like that. It almost feels like he’s become another person. No wonder he got that hot lady as his girlfriend.”

“I know! I was pretty surprised too at his generosity, but I didn’t show at that time. His girlfriend once said she wants to become a philanthropist, so maybe that has something to do with him.”

“Philanthropist, huh. I wonder how they can find their income.”

Since Takumi and I are studying in the same university, I’ve been keeping in touch with him from time to time, unlike our mutual friends Shin and Mai. I did tell him about my Saturday work and that my boyfriend, whom I met in the tutorial center, is my colleague, but I never disclosed to him Hisao’s part of the story.

“Well, for starters, in case you don’t know yet, both of them are now working part-time jobs like me. In fact, they’re in the same tutorial center as us, and Hisao was the one who introduced me into the job. Hisao is also working as a librarian as well as a private tutor.”

“I see! No wonder he had the cash to treat you guys.”

“We did promise to treat him tonight though. We’ll have dinner in the Shanghai, a café around ten minutes’ walk from the school. Shizune and Misha were the ones who invited us, but you two can come along if you want to; I’m sure they won’t mind.”

“I’ll have to ask my girlfriend about that, but we’ll tell you later, okay?”

Just then, the curtains get yanked open from the other side. It looks like the secret party is over. I wonder if the Nurse would literally give Emi a candy.

“Alright, Sunshine, or Stormcloud, you may leave now. I need this bed for another patient in a minute.”

It looks like Emi has been unusually touchy and aggressive ever since she entered the Nurse’s office. I wonder if it has something to do with the leg check. Or if she’s just mocking anger. Whichever the reason is, I’ve a feeling Takumi isn’t going to have an easy time dating this little energy ball.

“Hmph! NOW you’re finding an excuse to kick me out of your office? I’ve come all the way from Kanagawa to see you!”

The purple hair giraffe smirks, which makes his former student even more annoyed.

“And you do this every week, don’t you? But yes, I’m going to kick you out of my office because, you see, I’ve got three visitors to deal with, thanks to you. And I can’t let them leave without a candy, you know, so I’m going to throw in another secret party for the three of them. So unfortunately you have to leave.”

The invitation is so sudden that all four of us can’t help but let out a gasp in unison. I already can’t tell if this crazy Nurse is joking or not.

“A-are you s-serious?”

“Yes. Don’t worry, kids. It’ll just be a couple of minutes. It doesn’t take too long to receive an injection, does it?”

Even though I’m pretty sure he’s joking this time around, I still can’t help but have goose bumps.

No offense to the disabled school, but even the staff here are not normal.

“I’ll see you around then, Emi.”

Without allowing us to regroup, the abnormal giraffe opens the door to kick the pissed girl out. The usually teasing sport star is beaten by her own tricks.

“Hmph!”

After she has stormed out of the office, the Nurse closes the door and resumes his seat. I wonder what he has to do with us.

“Isn’t that girl a pain in the ass, eh? (Turns towards Takumi) You’re her boyfriend, aren’t you? Good luck!”

I think you’re a pain in the ass too, but of course I won’t speak out.

“Ahem. Enough of the jokes. The reason I’m asking you to stay behind is that I’d like you all to write a small paragraph about your physical training experience with Emi. You don’t need to do it right now; I actually prefer you not to stay in my office as I’ll have another visitor in five minutes. But after you’re done, please type your work and send it to my e-mail address, which is printed on my name card.”

He proceeds to hand each of us his name card, and we follow the standard etiquette of receiving it with both hands.

“Your sharing is important because this is the first year we implement this exchange program, and we need feedback from the trainees. The reason I don’t want Emi here is that I don’t want her to hear about this survey, lest she might interfere your writing with her own opinion. So, are you guys going to write it for me? I can give you a candy if you want to.”

We look at each other and are able to reach a consensus without a conversation.

“Yes, sir. And I don’t think we need the candies.”

“Thank you. I was just bluffing; I don’t really have any candies in my pocket. Medicine doesn’t count, obviously.”

Yeah, abnormal staff.

But somehow, my sixth sense tells me there’s more to do with this survey than merely collecting opinion. I might want to confirm it with Hisao later.

“So, again, please send it to my e-mail address. I’m sorry that I cannot literally hold a party with you guys because I have to deal with another patient. Enjoy the rest of the Festival, and I will see you around!”

The crazy visit is finally over, but at least I’ve taken something away.

A vision, huh. I never thought about it when I chose this subject. All I was concerning at that time was Hisao. But I remember that the head professor did say something like the Nurse did today in his opening speech.

Thanks for the refresher, Nurse.

I just realized that the Nurse has skipped asking about what Emi’s boyfriend is studying as his major. It could have been an important information for him. He can probably ask Emi later though, assuming that she isn’t angry anymore.

We find the physical trainer waiting for us in the corridor. Upon seeing her boyfriend, Emi lights up considerably; I think she’s just mad at the Nurse. Takumi immediately holds her hand to make sure she is indeed happy again.

“So, what next, Emi?”

The ponytail puts a finger below her mouth and ponders for a second before smiling with a little jump.

“Let’s go to the roof! We didn’t do that last time, did we?”

“I guess so, if it is allowed.”

“No worries. The staff won’t be there.”

Her boyfriend simply shrugs. I wonder if the roof they’re talking about is the one Hisao said he watched fireworks with Shizune on. From the context, the roof is probably off limits, which makes sense as disabled students are probably more prone to accidents, especially at higher places. There are four of us here though, so we should be fairly safe.

“Alright. If you say so.”

“Do you mind if we join you? Or do you want some private time upstairs?”

Takumi, being the gentleman he is, passes the decision to his girlfriend, who grins at us energetically. I think Takumi has changed a little bit since getting to know Emi.

“Of course, Alvin! You can’t visit Yamaku without going up to the roof! And I don’t think the roof will be empty anyway. Quite a few students here love that spot.”

“Thanks. Lead the way, please.”

Being a little bored of playing games in the stalls (it’s not like they have a game involving music such as playing a piano), I’m more interested in walking around the campus and enjoying the overall atmosphere. So, after visiting the roof, I’m going to suggest going to, for example, the track field, or the dormitory. And I hope my physical trainer is kind enough to be my next tour guide.

As the train door opens, my boyfriend offers me a passionate hug before stepping out of the train along with Hisao and his friends. Likewise, the golden ponytail energy ball gives her best friend a hug (which Tezuka obviously cannot return) before seeing her off in the train while holding hands with her boyfriend.

“See you around, Rin!”

The door closes, and I blow Alvin a kiss before the train sets off towards Kanagawa. It’s pretty late at night, which means I’ll arrive at my dormitory after midnight. If I didn’t live in the school, I would’ve been late for class tomorrow morning.

The four of us take our respective seats as Emi throws me a sly grin. I wonder, giving that she’ll be in her hotel well after midnight, if she will skip her morning run tomorrow.

“Hey ‘Nako, I thought Alvin would escort you and stay in your apartment for the night. I’m surprised he didn’t do that.”

Are you kidding, Emi? Alvin’s university is at least thirty minutes away from my dormitory. He would be late!

“How’s that possible? He has school tomorrow, and I have a roommate anyway!”

Emi giggles.

“Too bad! Can’t spend precious time with your boyfriend!”

If we sleep for at least seven hours, him visiting my dormitory won’t give us more than, say, fifteen minutes of private time.

“We did play a room escape game together today.”

“No. I’m talking about sex, ‘Nako.”

I knew she has a polluted mind!

“You surely don’t hold back when talking about boy and girl stuff, do you?”

“Nope! Not at all!”

As a young girl who just wrapped up my teenage life, I admit I’ve been curious about that matter. I once even offered my boyfriend a hint, but he solemnly rejected my offer, saying that he would like to leave it until after we marry. I don’t think they need to know the details regarding that offer though. And although Kai is my best friend, it’s of my best interest to protect my secret with Alvin from everybody else.

“Nah, we’re not ready for it just yet.”

My best friend, who’s known me for more than ten years, looks shocked by my claim.

“What? Hasn’t it been like five months already? I’m very surprised you two didn’t do that yet!”

“You know, Kai, we both grow in rather traditional families.”

“But aren’t you curious?”

“I am! But both of us feel like we should preserve the special moment until we marry.”

“Wow. I… I can’t believe it, ‘Nako. But I appreciate your decision.”

Let’s deflect the topic as soon as possible. Ask Kai about her visit after we split up.

“So, Kai, did you enjoy today’s Festival?”

“I surely did! It was well worth the early rise! Thanks for inviting me along, guys!”

During the return train ride, I had been either chatting with Alvin or watching Shizune play the prosecutor video game, while Kai and Mai had been chatting with Shin’s group of friends and playing poker with them. So I never got to talk to my best friend. Kai and I did, at one point, reunite in the train when Hisao suggested that we complete the “assignment” given by Alvin a week ago, the last Situation Puzzle everyone already forgot after spending the majority of the afternoon of that gathering playing sports and board games. The puzzle was about a middle-aged man being discovered dead by the police in his mansion, and a visit to his divorced ex-wife revealed some clues to the suicide. The interrogation took around fifteen minutes. The solution was: The divorced ex-wife took revenge against the man by stuffing half-eaten shrimp shells dipped in caviar into the hollow of all the curtain rods before she left the house. A week after his girlfriend moved into the house, the man found out an unidentified foul smell spreading throughout the house. The new couple could not endure any longer, and decided to move out, selling the house back to the ex-wife who supposedly shouldn’t know about the smell, or so they thought. And the key point here is: They moved everything out of the house, including the curtain rods! When the foul smell spread throughout their new mansion, the girlfriend broke up with the heart-broken man, who subsequently committed suicide.

“How was the rest of the visit, after you and Hisao split up with us? I heard you talking to Misha and Inoue, but that’s all.”

“Oh, about that? Hisao brought me to the Satou group, and we met Misha on the way! We played a rubber bullet shooting game, and when Hisao scored zero in one attempt, we kind of laughed at him! I think that’s when you heard us. Afterwards I saw Shin and parted from the group to join Miura’s friends! I got to know the three graduates Suzu, Haru, and Yukio! And I played the room escape game again, with them!”

After visiting the Nurse’s office, Emi and Takumi led me and Alvin to the roof of the main building, where we met Tezuka lying down watching the passing clouds. It turns out she had wandered off from the Emi couple after visiting a few stalls with them, presumably to see her friends. On the roof, Takumi confided to us that he and Emi started their romance on a roof too, but the Midori one (I never knew the roof is accessible!). At some point we heard big noise coming from the stalls below, and from a gap between the big cloths, we saw Misha, Inoue, and Kai laughing. It must have been when Hisao missed all his shots.

“Huh? Escape room again?”

“This time a two-player! I teamed up with Yukio, and Mai got a game with Haru afterwards! It was an amazing game, wasn’t it?”

I wonder which of the three loud girls will get herself a boyfriend first. In my opinion, all three are great girls. Kai, a local energetic cutie. Inoue, a blonde journalist. Misha, a simple-minded joyful American (well she’s technically Japanese). I’m so glad Alvin chose me instead! Haha!!

“Yes! The sneaky panels and the creepy passage were what I enjoyed the most. Did you play the game as well, Takumi?”

“Yeah, we did it after having dinner. It was great fun!”

After visiting the roof, Emi guided us to the dorm rooms, seeing Tezuka’s mural along the way, before bringing us to the track field where we had a short race (by race I mean we jogged). Then the Emi couple decided to have dinner on their own while Alvin and I met up with the former Student Council.

“Exactly! I love the design! I think my previous single-player experience helped a bit though. Still almost ran out of time. Yukio later told me he didn’t find out the trick in the blindfold until I sent my folded note to him, and he realized it after deducing where the note could have come from.”

“Yup. In my run, Alvin discovered it first, and when he did, I happened to be upstairs! So I immediately ran back down to get my note.”

“And I found it almost immediately after entering the room! Poor Takumi didn’t get it until much later.”

“How did you get it so quickly?”

“Well, I kind of got it accidentally. I tried to take off my blindfold, but it got stuck in my ponytail, so I shook it off kind of violently, and the paper just fell off!”

“Ah! A lucky break for you! I think they did an excellent job though. Deserves a round of applause.”

“The Student Council made it. The ones in the stall are Student Council members. Keiko and Aoi didn’t show up because they had other tasks to do.”

“Really? Great job by them! Anyway, I’m interested in the new friends you’ve made. Yukio, and who?”

“Haru. And Suzu is the girl. Yukio, pretty handsome. Graceful figure, slim eyes, and groomed hair. Wore the runner shirt. He used to be the popular guy in the Track Team, so Emi probably knows him well.”

Emi grins and nods, echoing Kai’s description.

“Yup, all the girls love him. Except me, of course. (Look towards Takumi) I’ve got a better boy though.”

“Haru, decently tall and strong, pretty cheerful. He’s obviously a rich boy, his family running a famous brand of bakery shop spread across the Kansai region. In fact, our escape room game was sponsored by him! We treated him dinner afterwards though.”

The fact that Kai has been addressing those friends with given names doesn’t go unnoticed by me. Kai, who has been sticking with me pretty much throughout the entirety of high school until I started dating Alvin (with the notable exception of the Hong Kong trip, when she had a family event), was among the “outsiders” of the class along with Shin, Mai, and Takumi after Hisao’s accident. She was the only one in the “remainder of the class” group, which believed that I was at fault in that accident, that still supported and comforted me. Now that we have everything pretty much behind us, I’m glad to see her making more friends during the reunions in the last couple of months.

“I’m happy you made friends with them. So they live in the Kansai area, you say?”

“Yes, they’re Osaka based. All of them, including Miki and Suzu. Didn’t you notice that they sometimes speak the Kansai dialect? Suzu less, the others more often. They claimed that they used to speak even more before studying in Yamaku, but since then they have been speaking way less. Miki and Suzu are now in Tokyo, so they pretty much limit the use of Kansai dialect to the two boys; on the other hand, Haru and Yukio are back in Osaka so they kind of speak more.”

“Gotcha. I sometimes have trouble understanding Kansai dialect. Do you have the same issue with them?”

“Well, they didn’t say much in front of me and Mai, except a few sentence endings.”

“I see! Great! So…”

As the train decelerates towards our destination, I take a closer look at my best friend, trying to find any extra hint from her facial expression.

“Do you find them good friends?”

I swear this is the first time I see it ever since we’ve met each other, Kai actually blushes. Briefly. Which means she likes at least one of them. I can easily sense it because I’m a girl too. Kai isn’t one who easily falls in love with boys, and that’s the reason the energetic and attractive girl hasn’t made herself a boyfriend yet.

“Yeah! We’ve exchanged contacts. I find talking to the group really fun; their banters are awesome. Mai’s also made friends with them. We actually promised to meet each other again in Miki and Suzu’s Tokyo home after Mai comes back from her internship.”

“Great! I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun! By the way, remind you, next Sunday Alvin and I will go on a short trip. So, yeah, neither me nor Mai will be available.”

“And me too, ‘Nako. Emi and I will head to Hokkaido next weekend. So, sorry, Kai.”

So it turns out I’m not the only one who take advantage of next Monday’s school holiday!

“Hokkaido?”

“Yes. Her exchange program is going to end after this week, so we’re going on a small vacation trip before sending her back to her hometown.”

I didn’t realize time flies so quickly!

“Oh… really? I’ll miss you, Emi!”

“Yeah, sorry. The exchange program only lasts for one month. Unfortunately. You’ll be on your own after this week. Try to stay healthy!”

“Sure. We’ll visit you after the exams. Right, Kai?”

“Yup! We’ll definitely see each other soon!”

“And we should throw in a farewell party next week. You two are going on a trip, right? Let’s say we hold it on Thursday. How does that sound?”

“That would be great! I’m looking forward to it!”

“We should probably invite your other trainees, like Hisao and his schoolmates.”

“Sure!"

The train arrives at Kanagawa Station, and, after exiting, we catch a taxi towards our respective destinations. Midnight is approaching. The skies are clear today, so we’re able to see the moon clearly along with several stars. The night sky reminds me of the amazing fireworks Alvin and I watched in the Shanghai, along with the three former Yamaku Student Council members. During dinner, they told me about a girl named Yuuko who worked as a waitress in the café before she left for university. They’re planning to give her a visit during summer holidays, and they invite me.

“We’ll see you guys tomorrow! Bye!”

Takumi and his girlfriend get off from the taxi and wave us goodbye. It’s just me and Kai. Rummaging through my backpack, I retrieve the cat doll Alvin won for me. I still vividly remember how he exploited the rules to win the dolls for us.

I love you, Alvin.

“Hey Kai.”

“Yes, ‘Nako?”

Shifting my gaze from the cat doll to my companion, I fire off the question that has been on my mind for like an hour.

“So… Haru or Yukio?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Through the dim yellow lights of the taxi, my best friend’s blush is a fantastic sight to behold. But she brushes it off quickly.

“We’re just new friends, that’s all. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

Do you think you can fool me and my pair of analyzing eyes?

“Are you sure?”

Her look towards the taxi window confirms my suspicions.

“Yes.”

Don’t want to admit it, huh. That’s fine. I won’t push further then.

“I see. It’s always good to have more friends, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

More friends. I counted; there were twenty-one participants in this gathering. Admittedly, not all are my friends (I never spoke to, say, Satou’s best friend or Shizune’s brother). But it feels good to expand my friends’ circle. I hope the same goes to you too, Kai. Maybe starting with getting yourself a boyfriend?

Chapter 90: Crybaby Don't Cry

Chapter 90: Crybaby Don't Cry

“We’ll see you in a few days then.”

As the joyful ponytail waves her mom goodbye cheerfully, I feel blessed that Mrs. Ibarazaki is willing to place her precious daughter in my hands.

“Take care, goodbye!”

“Bye mom!”

“See you in a few days, Mrs. Ibarazaki.”

My girlfriend gives me a joyful grin as we turn around and enter the gate. We place our shared luggage and each of our backpacks into the scanning system, then pass through security without any issues. After retrieving our belongings, we naturally hold hands and head towards the train platform to Hokkaido, which is the coolest prefecture of Japan, and the perfect place to stay in a hot summer.

Our lone piece of luggage safely in my right hand, I feel so blessed that I’m able to put my clothes and stuff in the same piece of luggage as the golden ponytail’s. That we’re traveling for only a few days makes this arrangement possible.

“I need to use the ladies’ room, and I’m going to buy some snacks on the way.”

I nod and release her hand. As the track star dashes towards the restroom with her lovely ponytail waving goodbye to me, I finally have some time alone to recollect my experience last night.

In order to celebrate the completion of her exchange program, the two of us decided to go on a short trip to Hokkaido, taking advantage of the facts that Monday is a school holiday for me and Emi is given several days of break after the program. For the trip, I looked up summer houses on the internet and set my sight on a Scottish home surrounded by a piece of grassland. Considering that rent of those houses will probably rise as summer break approaches, I quickly called the owner and booked it for a few days. Since the owner told us that the house has most of the daily necessities available (we do need to clean up after use though), we concluded that having only one piece of luggage for both of us makes the transportation easier for us. We want to spend more time together because our dating time will be scarce after this vacation, so Emi allowed me to sleep with her in her hotel last night and merge our belongings this morning before she checked out of Midori University and Kanagawa Prefecture for good.

When I arrived at her hotel last night, she was pretty much done with her side of the packing. I brought dinner for us to enjoy in our room, discussed the upcoming trip with her, then slept early to catch a train to her home as she wanted to meet her mom before leaving for holiday. For the second time in a month (the first time being last Sunday, after Yamaku Festival), we slept in the same bed, but didn’t do anything weird except a little bit of cuddling; I’m sure we can have more fun, if she allows, in Hokkaido, where the climate is not as hot. I’m also going to turn off my mobile phone so that nobody will ruin our vacation.

But in the middle of the night, I heard a strange noise and woke up, only to see her crying in her sleep. She didn’t wake up, so I headed right back to sleep. Then in the morning, I mentioned the nightmare and asked whether she was okay; she was caught off guard, and made an awkward expression before brushing it off, claiming that she already forgot about it. As her boyfriend, I naturally wanted to know more, suspecting that there might be something more to it. I was about to ask further when I suddenly remembered a warning by my former schoolmate Hisao the other day, that she doesn’t always want to talk about herself. I recall that our discussion about the London Paralympic Games didn’t end well, so I stopped asking and simply said, alright then, if you ever need me, I am here. She responded happily with thanks. I think it was the best response I could have hoped for.

We haven’t known each other much, so I should let her deal with her problems, if any, and only offer a hand if she needs my help.

I’m glad that Monday is a school holiday, so I only needed to take two days of leave from school, claiming once again family matters, and once again girlfriend IS family matter. But coming into this trip, I have a serious concern about maintaining our relationship after this week, as we will start a long-distance relationship after she returns to her college. We very briefly talked about it. (I know she doesn’t like talking about the future, but due to practicality of our relationship, I must take the initiative to raise the topic.) We have no practical solution for now, but we will see what we can do. At least we are both still in Japan, and we have lots of ways to communicate, including but not limited to instant text and video chats. I can always take a train ride to her hometown during weekends, and she can come to see me and say hi to ‘Nako, Kai, and her Yamaku friends. I certainly will try to keep the bond for as long as possible, but I’m also mentally prepared that if we have no other choice but to separate, my days with Emi will still be a wonderful and invaluable experience with a member of the opposite gender.

I can see that my lover has brought back snacks for our trip. Nice job, buddy.

“You know what, Takumi? That store owner over there, he’s sooooo funny… Hahaha!!”

Well, there she is again the chatterbox.

I like her talkative nature in general, but sometimes she talks too much and it becomes annoying. Well, you win some, you lose some. At least there won’t be too many awkward silence moments during our vacation.

“It’s amazing!”

“What a fantastic place for vacation!”

Around 50 meters ahead of us is what seems like a farmhouse surrounded by trees and bushes. Double-checking the guide on hand given by the owner, the house in front of us is without a doubt going to be our vacation spot for the upcoming few days. With an empty expanse of wheat fields and farming land on our way up here, without a soul around to disturb us, we can look forward to a relaxing holiday.

“I can’t believe such a place exists in Japan, Takumi.”

“Yeah, pretty unreal, isn’t it? It’s beyond my expectation.”

After the long train trip, we arrived at Hokkaido at around four thirty. The walk up to the summerhouse took quite a while, the distance even longer than the one we took from the bus stop to Yamaku Academy the other day. Fortunately today’s fairly cloudy, or both of us would have been drenched by the time we arrive.

“The owner should be inside. Let’s knock on the door.”

The owner contacted me yesterday and confirmed with me that he will be in the house by four o’clock today. It is now almost five, so he should be present. And, surely enough, after Emi produces three clean knocks on the front door, it swings open, revealing a middle-aged man.

“Welcome!”

After confirming our identities to the owner (luckily he didn’t blame us for being late), he introduces us around the house. Even though I’ve already seen most of it on the computer, I still feel amazed by this Western style building. On one side is a nice purple sofa with a bookshelf next to it, and a window behind the sofa. On the other side is a kitchen with wooden cabinets, an oven, a microwave, and everything else you can expect to see in a typical kitchen. Further inside the house is the bathroom with a white bathtub and a window decorated by what looks like a Catholic cross sign. The only bedroom, at the back of the house, has a double bed near the window and a smaller single bed near the corner.

After the small tour, I don’t waste any time firing off the obvious question.

“May I ask, why did you decide to build such a Western house in Japan?”

The supposedly wealthy man grins with an expression of “I knew you would ask that question” before sharing us his story with the house.

“You see, I did not build the house. I bought it from somebody else two years ago. I still remember clearly. A tall androgynous lady wearing a suit. I would’ve mistaken her as a young gentleman if not for her to address herself beforehand as a Miss on the phone. If my memory serves me right, she claims herself to be half-Scottish, and she lived here for some time before a migration forced her to sell the house. After buying this property from the lady, I intended to move in, but a sudden change in job location prompted me to rent it out as a holiday inn instead of occupying it myself.”

“Ah, that’s where the Scottish style comes from.”

“Yes. I will be on my way then. Enjoy your time here. You can call me if you need assistance. I will return after four days.”

“Thank you. Oh, excuse me, may I ask where the closest convenience store is?”

“It is all the way at the end of the path right there, to the right of the house. You will arrive at a small town after walking for around twenty minutes.”

“Thank you. See you in a few days then.”

The owner turns around and starts walking back in the direction we came from, and now we’re alone in the middle of virtually nowhere. We’re free to do whatever couple stuff we want to do. But first, we need to arrange tomorrow’s meals if we don’t want to wake up tomorrow without anything edible. We did bring some snacks, but if possible I’d like our breakfast to be something healthy and warm.

“I’ll do the unpacking for you, if you don’t mind. Then we’ll go to the convenience store to buy food for tomorrow.”

I fully expect Emi to respond with a sweet “thank you”, but instead I’m confronted by a pouting face.

“No! We’ve got to eat dinner first!”

Huh, it’s only a few minutes after five o’clock, not even close to dinner time!

“What?”

“Dinner! You know, the meal? At the end of the day?”

Her simplistic but effective definition of “dinner” is the last response I expect (technically the meal at the end of the day could be midnight snack), and it catches me off guard as I spurt out a dumb question.

“Dinner? When?”

“Dinner time, when else? That was a silly question.”

Yeah, obviously. But, again, it’s still early. Sunset hasn’t even started yet. Pointing at the rather antique clock standing between the kitchen and the dining room, I try to tell my girlfriend that she’s way off in her estimation of the current time.

“But so early? It’s not even 5:30!”

For a moment she’s unable to respond, but then a loud growl coming from her stomach pretty much answers my question for her.

“Uh… I mean… I’mkindahungrysoIguessdinnertimeisthetimewhenIgethungry…”

Having known my girlfriend for a month, this “Fastest Things on No Legs” is not only fast in terms of running; she’s also fast in many aspects of life, eating and getting hungry being two typical examples.

“It’s true that we’ve walked for quite a while already.”

“Yup. Plus! If we don’t start eating quickly, mom’s effort will be wasted!”

“That’s true as well. Okay, let’s have dinner quickly before stocking up our supplies. But do you want to eat in the house, or the wheat field outside? You told me the other day you love picnics.”

“I’d say we eat in the house for tonight. I’m already starving! We’ve got plenty of time tomorrow to arrange a picnic.”

“Sure. I’ll grab the utensils then.”

With the arrangements settled, I head to the kitchen to pick up the silverware available in the drawers, then turn on the air conditioner in the dining room before sitting down across my girlfriend, who already has the dinner table ready and the mealboxes open.

“Isn’t it great to taste your mom’s food again?”

“Yup! It’s been three whole weeks!”

That was the day I escorted her to Yamaku Academy. She has been unable to visit her mother since then; last weekend was the Yamaku Festival, and the weekend prior was dedicated to the Hisao gathering.

“Your mom’s food is fantastic! Now I can see why you want to eat dinner as soon as possible.”

“She’s a great cook all right!”

Meiko Ibarazaki, my future mother-in-law whom I first met a few hours ago, hardly looks like a mother of a grown-up. In fact, with the same pointed face, same slim figure, and similar hairstyle as Emi’s, she looks as young as an elder sister of my girlfriend. She showed up in the train station to briefly see her daughter and offer us some nice food to kick off our holiday trip. I didn’t get to talk to her much, mostly because we only had around fifteen minutes until the next train to Hokkaido (including the security scan and the walk to the platform), but from the brief exchange I can see where Emi’s cheerful personality and teasing nature come from. In addition, I noted that her father wasn’t present, which deepens my suspicion that he isn’t around anymore.

I’ll mostly likely see Mrs. Ibarazaki again at the end of the holiday, and, given how Emi has described her mother so far, I won’t be surprised if Mrs. Ibarazaki prepares a feast for us before I say goodbye to the cheerful duo. I need to be fully prepared for that occasion, buy a suitable gift, and, more importantly, not ever mention Emi’s father. ‘Nako’s boyfriend Alvin, who originates from Hong Kong, shared with me last week his experience visiting his girlfriend’s parents. He mentioned a saying in his native language that loosely translates into “Shut up, (because) people won’t say you’re mute (just because you don’t say anything).” In other words, I should only say what I’m supposed to say. I’ll keep Alvin’s advice in mind.

But before worrying about the visit to Mrs. Ibarazaki, I need to focus on giving my girlfriend an unforgettable holiday trip. The trainees and I already held a farewell party for her on Thursday, but I want something more special and personal for this trip. I’ve planned several small events for her, and I’ve got most of the materials in my backpack and the luggage, but I’ll purchase a few more in the convenient store.

“I’m done!”

What? I haven’t even finished half of my portion! Talking about “fast”! I can’t help but stare speechlessly at the vacuum cleaner sitting opposite to me, wiping her mouth, her mealbox already empty.

“Already? But I’m just getting started!”

“You’re too slow, Takumi! Or do you want me to clean up your food as well?”

Before she even finishes her sentence, she’s already lunging across the table, attempting to steal my food. I swiftly grab my mealbox and hold it in front of my chest before she has a chance to touch its content with her fork.

“No! Alright, I’ll finish it as soon as possible. Give me five minutes!”

She pouts in disappointment after failing to stuff more of her mom’s food into her stomach, but quickly recovers to her cheerful self as I dive into my mealbox.

How can this small vacuum cleaner stay so slim?

“Alright. I’ll go get changed!”

I lift my head, only to see an empty chair across me. Footsteps can already be heard from the bedroom. She’s indeed the Fastest Thing on No Legs.

No other choice but to pour everything into my mouth and clean up the dining table. Before I can wash the two mealboxes, she’s already returned.

“Are you ready? Let’s go!”

It’s true that we should go to the convenient store as soon as possible. If we get there too late, food options may start to run out, and obviously I cannot afford to ruin this holiday trip. In addition, if we don’t return before the sky gets dark, we might not find our way back here.

“Yeah, right away!”

Leaving the mealboxes in the sink, I grab my wallet and shopping bag while my girlfriend takes the key to the house. I turn the air conditioner off and follow Emi out. Following the house owner’s instruction, we successfully locate the small path heading to the town.

“I’ll race you there!”

By the time I interpret her words, Emi has already sprinted for around 50 meters. I have to shout.

“STOP!”

The ponytail skids to a halt and turns around as I dash towards her. Despite a whole month of running on the track, I don’t think I’ll ever match her speed unless she’s on a wheelchair, which I hope she’ll never need.

“No, please don’t race here, Emi. This is unfamiliar territory for us. What if something dangerous is ahead of us? As your boyfriend, I want to keep you safe, okay? How am I going to face your mother if something bad happens to you?”

Emi responds with a sorrowful expression before quickly reverting to a smile. I can’t help but picture her as a cute little rabbit, just without the pair of long ears.

“You’re right. We should stick around. Thanks.”

She gives me a sweet peck on my lips before wrapping her fingers around my right arm as we walk. Yeah, we probably shouldn’t run around right after dinner, or we might get stomachache without any medical facilities around.

“You remember what the man said about the original owner of the house? He mentioned a tall androgynous lady wearing suit who claims to be half-Scottish.”

“Yeah. An interesting combination, to say the least.”

“I think I know that person.”

“Really? Who is she?”

“Satou’s elder sister! She matches the description perfectly!”

“Satou… You mean, the tall blonde I saw last week? The elder sister of?”

“Yup, exactly! I first met her a month ago on the first day of the exchange program, in the evening. The Satou sisters invited me and the Yamaku trainees for dinner, and during the gathering they revealed that the elder Satou is going to get married and migrate to America in a few months.”

Emi continues talking about her gathering with the Satou sisters as we walk down the path surrounded on both sides by trees and bushes. All I can hear, besides Emi’s voice and the occasional clanging of her prosthetic legs, is the loud mate-seeking buzzing of insects on the trees. After walking for around 200 meters, I notice a roadsign and a few traffic cones blocking cars from entering our direction. This clearly indicates we’re walking, or at least approaching, a road, which means we definitely cannot afford to run around.

But in the end my worries prove to be unnecessary because along the way to the convenient store, we haven’t encountered a car or even one single soul. I breathe a sigh of relief when I finally see several customers in the store, proving that we’re not in the middle of a ghost town. It’s now six o’clock. Man, we’re so fast! In summer, sunset is usually at seven, so we have around one hour for shopping. There are several more shops next to the convenient store, but I don’t think we have enough time to explore the town this evening. We can always come back tomorrow, especially after noticing that Emi doesn’t even break a sweat walking the distance here.

Emi hands me a shopping basket before approaching the fridge at the back of the store. I won’t be surprised if she wants a few cakes.

Emi dashes towards the bathroom right after I swing the door open. With an amused shrug, I put all the shopping onto the dining table and start sorting everything out. The top priority is to open the freezer and store all the food that are supposed to go there. Then I stuff all the vegetables and eggs into the fridge, and for the bread I leave it on the table. After that, I need to prepare the chicken wings and salmon for tomorrow. If I want to be a good boyfriend, I need to be a good cook.

I wash and rinse the chicken wings. Then I dry them with the kitchen tissue paper bought from the store. After that, I mix soy sauce, salt, and grinded black pepper into a bowl and add suitable amount of warm water. I then soak all the chicken wings with the mixture. I thought about making honey chicken wings instead of pepper-flavored ones, but ultimately I decided that since Emi has already bought enough sugar for the rest of the journey, I should refrain from using additional sweet stuff.

That’s strange. She’s in the bathroom for a tad too long. Is her stomach in pain?

I deduce that she’ll shout if she’s indeed in trouble, so I shouldn’t disturb her. The salmon steak is for tomorrow evening, so I need to preserve it now. I wash and rinse the fish, then dry it and put it onto a plate. Then I cover both sides with salt and pepper. Now I just need to wrap the plate and the bowl of chicken wings with wrapping paper, and at last put everything into the fridge.

As for tomorrow’s activities, I’ll start working tomorrow morning. But I should hide the materials from her before she discovers them.

Some of the materials are in our shared luggage. If she unpacks and peeks into my portion, she might find out my preparations and ruin all the surprise.

Wait. Is she already done with the bathroom, and is secretly checking my belongings? I need to hurry to the bedroom!

My deduction is quickly proven to be false as an uncharacteristically sad ponytail appears from the bathroom and, upon seeing me in the corridor, stares at me while changing into a pissed expression.

Did I just enrage her for whatever reason? I don’t recall getting into an argument with her during the walk to the store.

“Damn it!”

“What’s wrong?”

I anticipate Emi to scold me for doing nothing wrong or even order me to get out of the house, but my girlfriend unexpectedly throws herself onto me and lightly punches my shoulders with both fists.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”

“But you’ve got to tell me what’s wrong!”

She punches me a few more times before pushing herself away from me, creating a distance enough to make a face-to-face conversation.

“Sorry, I blew it! I ruined everything!”

“Blew what?”

My girlfriend collects her fists in front of her chest and exclaims with an apologizing gesture, her ponytail swinging left and right as if to proclaim multiple no’s.

“I can’t believe it! My Girls’ Day came almost a week earlier than usual! Now we can’t have fun! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

I think I know what her “Girls’ Day” means by the context. That’s really unfortunate. One of the activities I planned for in this trip is to share the bedsheets with her, but now I can cross the activity out. Well, technically I can still do the same with her, but obviously without the intimate act.

Since it’s not Emi’s fault, I feel the need to reassure her.

“It’s alright. We can always do that later.”

“But we’ve spent a lot of money booking this house! Now all the money will go to waste!”

After spending almost a whole month with my girlfriend, joining her training program and seeing her both on weekdays and weekends, I know that she has absolutely no shame speaking sensitive words even in public, so I don’t feel the need to avoid those words in front of her.

“It’s okay. We don’t come here just for sex. Spending time with you is already worth the money, Emi.”

She pouts at me with a pair of puppy eyes that I’m pretty sure even the angriest man on Earth will have to succumb to them and cool down. Not to say I’m not even angry in the first place.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. We can cuddle in the bed, just like last night.”

She ponders for a few seconds before once again reverting to her usual cheerful self. I’ll be blessed if I can see this smile all day.

“Sure! We can do that! Or…”

My girlfriend throws me a wink with a mischievous expression.

“…if you want to, maybe we can try anal.”

I’m completely stunned by her forwardness as I blink my eyes in surprise. Among the materials I’ve brought for the holiday trip are condoms and lubricants, but I don’t want them to be used in that manner.

“What?”

Her illustrious explanation of her jaw-dropping suggestion by pointing her behind with her finger is so hilarious that it takes a great deal of effort to suppress a chuckle.

“Anal! You know, the sex position? You put your-”

“Yeah, I know, I know that word. But no, I don’t want our first time to be done like that. That would be a terrible nightmare for me.”

In response to my denial, Emi spreads her hands apart and shrugs.

“Alright then, if you say so.”

I pull my girlfriend into an embrace and stroke the back of her head.

“With or without sex, I want you to be my partner in this vacation trip. I love you, Emi.”

She raises her head, and our lips meet. While diving into the intimate act, I recall what Kai said last year about my shortcomings preventing me from getting myself a girlfriend. I was determined to change myself since then, and apparently it has yielded results. I owe Kai a lot. I’ll make sure to repay her in some way.

From the way Emi mentioned that awkward sex position so casually, showing absolutely no sign of fear or even hesitation to try it, tells me she’s probably quite experienced in that department. She must have great skills!

A few minutes later, we break our kiss due to fatigue.

“It’s been a long day. How about we take a shower, play a little bit of card games, and go to bed early? I suppose you’d love to do your morning run tomorrow, wouldn’t you?”

“Are you joining me for the run?”

“Of course! I’m the boyfriend of the Fastest Thing on No Legs! How can I not run with her!”

Emi giggles, her whole body shaking in a very feminine and attractive manner.

“Sure! Then, if you don’t mind, I’ll do my shower first.”

For a brief moment I consider offering to enter the bathroom with her, but then decide to drop it after realizing that she probably doesn’t want to be seen naked in her “Girls’ Day”.

“Alright. I’ll wait for you.”

“Are there any stools?”

Oh yeah, she probably needs one of those for her shower, due to her disability.

“I saw one in the bedroom.”

“Thanks!”

While she goes for her shower, I take the opportunity to unpack my side of the luggage and retrieve the materials for the upcoming days. Then I try to prepare as much as possible without blowing the surprise. Despite requiring the assistance of a stool for her shower, it still only takes like fifteen minutes for her to complete her task, which unfortunately cuts my preparation time short.

She really is the fastest thing.

After finishing my shower, I enter the bedroom with my pack of cards to find Emi already on the double bed, her prosthetic legs already removed. To my mild surprise, Emi’s sleeping clothes are blue, not pink in color.

The way she “kneels” on the bed is so attractive that I’d love to jump onto her at once and offer her my virginity, but unfortunately it’s not feasible. So, instead of diving into lust, I’m going to use my brain, starting from shuffling the cards and dealing them on the bed.

“Hey, can you tell me more about Rin?”

Picking up her portion of cards, Emi looks surprised by my mention of her former classmate whom I met and hung out with in the Yamaku Festival last week.

“Rin?”

I realize this is now the perfect chance to imitate her way of speaking. According to my psychology textbooks, if you imitate others’ gestures and speaking habits, they tend to get more friendly with you.

“Rin! You know, the friend? You always hang out with?”

I might consider calling this “pulling an Emi”.

Emi obviously knows where it comes from, as she gives me a light shove with her left hand while holding her cards tight to her chest to prevent me from peeking into them.

“Ass. But what do you want to know? Don’t tell me you’re interested in her!”

“Of course not! But by learning about your friend, I can know more about you. Right?”

Emi nods and grins at my legitimate explanation as she lays down a pair of threes.

“I guess you’re right! So, what do you want to know?”

I cover her pair of threes with a pair of fours.

“She’s an artist, isn’t she? And you said she left Yamaku without graduating and transferred to an art college?”

She ponders for a few seconds before putting a pair of nines onto the bed.

“Yup. I suppose you want to know why she did that, right?”

Emi then climbs to the desk next to our bed and retrieves her handbag. After some rummaging, she finds a card and hands it to me.

“I still keep it in my purse. That’s the invitation for her personal art gallery, held before the summer break during her final year. Mr. Nomiya, her art teacher, pulled some strings for that to happen.”

On the card is the white outline of a human that looks like what you usually see in a scary movie, and the three characters of the artist’s name, “Tezuka Rin”, printed on the left side. The stylish words of “22^nd Corner”, which must be the exhibition venue, is printed at the bottom. The details of the exhibition, including the exact address, the date, and author profile, are shown at the back.

I recall Rin’s mural outside of the Yamaku dormitory. The style of the mural was similar to this scary picture. She seems to love this theme.

“Who would’ve thought Rin loves horror!”

“That’s called abstract, Takumi.”

I return the card to Emi, pick up my cards, and lay down a pair of Kings.

“Abstract, huh. Sorry, I know nothing about art. If I visited the gallery, I probably would have had nightmares for a few days straight.”

Emi covers my Kings with Aces. I pass.

“Nah, that wasn’t too bad. I admit I know nothing about art either, but I didn’t get nightmares afterwards. Not about the pictures, at least.”

Not about the pictures, huh. That implies she could get nightmares about something else. I recall what happened last night, and I notice that the dates of Rin’s art gallery are quite close to the current date. I wonder if…

She lays down a five. I cover with a six. She quickly responds with a seven. I cover with a nine.

“So, was that gallery a success?”

She goes for a Jack, and I cover with an Ace. She ponders for a few seconds before deciding to part with a Deuce. With a Joker on hand that can cover it, I notice that she only has three cards left. But after some considerations, I pass again.

“You bet! There were lots of visitors! They asked Rin and her teacher a lot of questions, and Rin was almost overwhelmed! Luckily she recovered quickly enough and, with the assistance of her teacher and the exhibition host, she managed to leave a great impression in front of the guests! I heard that at least one of her drawings was sold during the exhibition. People commented that her talent was fantastic for her age. She received scholarship for an art college in Tokyo after the exhibition, and that’s why she left Yamaku without graduating.”

“Gotcha. Who would’ve thought! I mean, no offense, but she draws better with her feet than I do with my hands! Remember what we did in your former classroom last week? I was completely exhausted after trying and failing to draw an apple with my feet. I bet you would have felt the same if you could try the experiment!”

My girlfriend produces a six. I cover with an eight. Her penultimate card is a Queen.

“I think so!”

I can now win the game by taking control with the Joker, firing off my triple sevens, and ending the game with the last card of the Ace. But Emi won’t be happy if I win. Her last card is probably a King. Let me try to give her the win instead.

“But the downside of her being an abstract artist is that it’s so hard to communicate with her. Her words don’t make sense at all! I’m curious. How do you manage to talk to her?”

“It used to be a lot worse! I think she’s gotten a little better since the transfer.”

I land the Joker, then the Ace, and then a single seven, hiding the other two sevens from her. Emi, as expected, wins the game with the King. I mix my last two cards with the pile on the bed and collect everything, taking extra care not to reveal my remaining cards to her. I quickly gather the whole deck and shuffle the contents, then start a new game by dealing the cards.

“Do you mean the transfer has changed her?”

“I didn’t get to talk to her much since the transfer until earlier this year, but I believe it’s actually the exhibit that changed her. After confirming to her teacher that she would hold the exhibit, she was given permission to skip the classes and focus on producing drawings. She told me that in order to draw something that is understandable, she had to change. She struggled a lot to produce her work. After her transfer, I thought a lot about her. I came to the conclusion that she was probably forcing herself to produce drawings that don’t represent her personality.”

“But doesn’t she like horror? …Sorry, I mean, abstract?”

“I suppose there are many kinds of abstract. I don’t know, sorry. But didn’t I just say that she was overwhelmed during the exhibit? It had to be exceptionally tough for her to answer the questions if the drawings didn’t represent herself.”

“But then why did she hold the exhibit in the first place?”

“Simple. Mr. Nomiya believed that the exhibit was the golden chance for her to show her talent to professionals and become famous. It took her quite a while to accept the invitation though.”

“I see. And I think the teacher was right. She obtained the scholarship.”

“Yup. And that’s why I wasn’t too sad about her transfer. She found herself a career path. I was happy for her. She used to be… how should I describe it… selfish? It’s probably not the right word, but she was in her own world, not considering her teachers’ effort at all. I think she’s still somewhat in her own world, but, hey, at least she came to see us in the Festival!”

“That’s right. I’m glad that she’s made progress.”

“But the downside is, obviously, that she cannot live like herself. She told me earlier this year that she wasn’t happy at all in her first year, but she was determined to change, and I think she’s accepted the reality that during her free time, she can draw whatever she wants, but in the college, she needs to draw according to requirements.”

“True. That’s a typical application of Maslow’s pyramid.”

“What’s that?”

“Maslow’s pyramid of needs. You first take care of your physical needs, like food and shelter. Then safety and security, like health and employment. Then love, followed by self-esteem, and, finally, self-actualization. In her case, make a living first, then do whatever she wants and live her own life.”

“Straight from your psychology textbook, huh.”

“It was in the test last week.”

“Congrats for acing your test.”

“I think I did okay. And I’m applying the same model to myself too. I need to first take care of my future employment. I want to be able to feed two mouths, or even more, in the future, you know.”

My implication of raising a family with Emi makes her blush. I’ll add in a bit of spice to it.

“Especially when I’m seeing someone who doesn’t look much into her future!”

My comment unsurprisingly earns me a shove to my chest.

“Ass! Who says that I don’t think about my future? I’ll be a physical trainer before you graduate! I’ll be earning money before you’re done with paying school fees!”

“Damn! You got me.”

We share another laugh as Emi wins another game.

“But thanks for the words, Takumi. You’re a dependable partner.”

“And you’re a cheerful partner.”

“We complement each other pretty well, don’t we?”

“We do! I’m glad to have found you.”

Emi stretches her arms with a yawn as I also cannot stifle a yawn of my own. The end of a game is the best time for bed. We’re already clean, so we can dive straight onto our pillows after collecting the cards.

Emi lies on her right side as I turn off the lights and cuddle her from behind. I cover both of us with a blanket. With air conditioning on, we’re looking forward to a great sleep without any external source of noise bothering us. It’s still early at night, but we’re both tired after a long journey. I should fall asleep soon, especially with a girl as my human hug pillow.

But I quickly realize that it is not the case. Not only am I lying on an unfamiliar bed, but I’m also cuddling with my favorite girl, which causes my heartbeat to rise and, more annoyingly, the horse between my legs to wake up. Even worse is that Emi seems to feel my erection too. After a while of struggling to sleep, Emi turns to face me with a pair of puppy eyes and a pout.

“I’m sorry I can’t have sex with you tonight.”

I reassure her with a light kiss on her lips.

“It’s alright. I love you.”

“Thanks. I love you too.”

She then makes an expression of “I’ve got an idea” before lifting herself from the bed, removing our blanket, and heading straight to the end of the bed. Before I can react to her series of movement, my girlfriend yanks my sleeping pants off my legs, removing my underwear in the process. Then, with my private exposed to air in its expanded form, she takes it with her mouth without a moment of hesitation!

A surge of pleasure immediately fills my brain as my lower body reacts vigorously to the stimulation. The licking of the lower side of the shaft by her dexterous tongue is who knows how many times better than my hands. Her advanced technique once again confirms my speculation that she’s experienced in this category. With her tongue still touching the shaft, she lifts her head and stares at me with a playful pair of green eyes. After letting out a satisfying sigh, I close my eyes and lie flat to fully absorb the sensation she’s offering me, while totally surrendering myself to her. Another series of licking follows as I feel my erection getting even harder. Then, all of a sudden, I feel a different sense of pleasure. As I open my eyes, I find my horse of above-average length fully disappearing into her mouth, my head reaching the depths of her throat!

The surrounding of moisture and warmth of my entire length is way more than I can handle as I gasp in excitement. Despite having already discharged once yesterday as part of my preparations, with the intent of lasting longer in bed today, Emi’s technique quickly has me on the ropes. I try to hold on for as long as possible, but several thrusts later she manages to pull me across the line of no return into the happy zone, and I fully relax myself to anticipate the finish.

For what I believe to be several minutes, I simply lie flat on the double bed with my eyes closed, the aftermath being so incredibly strong that I’ve been unable to move even a muscle. Eventually I open my eyes, and I find my girlfriend just finished wiping things up for me using tissue. I sit upright and put my underwear and sleeping trousers back on. Then we resume our previous sleeping position. My energy completely sapped out of my body, my eyelids are feeling exceptionally heavy. But I can’t fall asleep without saying my gratitude.

“That was amazing. I’ll repay you later.”

Emi looks tired too. She merely nods without turning around.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

A huge wave of sleepiness fills my brain, and I quickly fall unconscious.

…

…

“Dad!”

Huh? What’s wrong?

Still in the process of waking up from deep sleep, I can see, from the dim light shining from the moon through the curtains onto our bed, Emi whimpering weakly through apparently her dream. With my left arm still on her waist, I sit upright to take a look on her face: I see tears running down her face, and her grip onto her pillow tightens.

I’m sure I just heard something like “Dad”.

Instinctively, I hold her tighter with my left arm and stroke her hair in what I hope is a soothing manner.

Should I wake her up?

“Dad!”

Now this is clearly a nightmare.

Something must have happened about her father.

Deciding not to wake her up unless things spiral out of control, I continue my soothing motion, hoping that it is enough to calm her down, while whispering the silly words of “crybaby, don’t cry”.

She sobs for several more minutes without waking up before gradually relaxing again, her grip onto the pillow released. Breathing a sigh of relief, I lie back down next to her with my arm still on her body.

Thanks to her nightmare, now all of my sleepiness has gone.

I already established the conclusion that I’m not going to mention anything about her father unless she willingly opens herself up to the topic. And the brief exchange with her early this morning teaches me that I should refrain from talking to her about her nightmares anymore.

But I’m worried about her. It’s tempting to ask.

No. I should stick to Hisao’s advice.

I can’t sleep, but I also can’t leave the bed because I want to keep at least an arm on her waist. Rather than wasting time, let’s see how much I remember my books. Since I’m currently on a date, it makes sense to review the chapter about love.

The triangular theory of love, by Robert Sternberg: Intimacy, Passion, and Commitment. Intimacy is the feeling of closeness, connectedness, and bondedness. Passion is the drive that leads to romance and sex. Commitment is the decision to love and maintain it.

We certainly have passion, no doubt about it. Even though today is only the first day of our holiday trip, I think we have already strengthened our bond with each other. Her comment of “we complement each other well” is a strong proof of that. I hope we can bond even better by the end of the trip. Now the problem is commitment. In other words, how we are going to maintain our relationship after I return her to Mrs. Ibarazaki’s house.

Forms of love. Intimacy alone is called liking. Passion alone is infatuation. Commitment alone is empty love.

I hope I still remember these materials in the next test.

Intimacy plus passion is romantic love. Intimacy plus commitment is companionate love. Passion plus commitment is fatuous love. All three together is consummate love.

Romantic relationships often start out as infatuated love and become romantic love as intimacy develops over time. Companionate love is usually observed in long-term marriages when passion is no longer present, like many old couples. Fatuous love is a long-term relationship without connection and is unstable. Consummate love is the perfect couple who will continue to have sex fifteen years or more into the relationship. They cannot imagine themselves happier over the long-term with anyone else. It’s important to translate the components of love into action; without expression, even the greatest of loves can die.

In other words, I need to be patient if I want to raise a family with Emi. We knew each other only for a month. I need to bond more with her and be committed over a long period of time. Can I do it? I don’t know, but I’ll try my best to!

One interesting observation I found last week in the Festival was the Yamaku nurse. After Emi introduced me to him as her boyfriend and knowing that I traveled all the way from Kanagawa to see him, the nurse asked me and the ‘Nako couple to write a paragraph as a survey of Emi’s physical training program. That survey, which we completed a few days ago, raised some suspicions from ‘Nako. She asked Hisao, who visited the nurse earlier than us that day, if he was told to complete the same survey. It turns out Hisao did receive the same request, but notably not from the nurse himself, rather, it was from Yamaku school staff the day after. ‘Nako thus deduced that the survey was initiated by the nurse on the fly during our visit, and it could be related, or even dedicated, towards me, specifically about my relationship with Emi.

I didn’t know what she was talking about at that time, and I still have no idea what she means. So far she has refused to elaborate.

A woman’s sixth sense is very accurate.

If the nurse wants us to maintain our relationship, that’s music to my ears.

After all the textbook reciting and thinking, I’m getting sleepy again. I should rest if I want to join her in the morning run tomorrow.

Chapter 91: Love, Family, and Friends