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Chisato gets slightly defensive. “You’ll get to see it yourself. I mean, you’ll still be coming back to Japan on breaks, right?”

“A few times a year, for sure…”

Before we can continue the conversation, I hear a loud whistle that cuts through and then silences all the chatter in the room. I turn to see Mrs. Sakamoto with her fingers in her mouth, and once again am surprised at how such a small woman is capable of such sheer volume.

After a few seconds, with the assurance that the entire room is now focused on her, she begins.

“Thank you all for choosing to come here today for a bit after graduation! I know I said this last night at the recital, but I wanted to say it again today for all of you. It has been a privilege and a joy to be your instructor this last year, and for some of you, the last few. You’ve all done remarkably well this year, and I wanted to let you know how proud of you all I really am.”

She pauses for a moment to hold up her camera where everyone can see. “If any of you want me to take photos of you and your friends, please let me know…and as for the wall…”

Everyone turns to look at the large cork panels on one side of the room; the ones filled with memories of the past three years.

“Some of you already know how this works, but for those that don’t, please take any photos that you want from when you were first year students,” the teacher says. “They’re important reminders of not just who you are, but everything you’ve accomplished since you came here as well. If you see a really good picture that you want from one of the other years, all I ask is that you limit yourselves to one or two where you’re the only ones in it. I try to take a lot of group photos every year, so you should have some options.”

The murmur picks up again as the students in the room start to shuffle towards the wall. A few people immediately reach up to start picking out the photos that they want, clearly camped out to do so but waiting until getting the official okay from their teacher.

“Did you do this last year?” I ask Saki.

“I took a few pictures with my upperclassmen, but I really didn’t keep any for myself. I, uh…didn’t have many friends in the grades above me.”

“Ah.”

The rest of our group seems okay with holding back a bit, waiting until there’s more room to maneuver…and after a few minutes, there’s enough of an opening for us to wander over.

The recent year’s pictures are mostly untouched, with a few empty holes to indicate where one used to be. Saki spots one that I immediately recognize - the three girls and myself at the cafe next to the recording studio, smiling at the camera as we sit around a table enjoying some snacks.

“Can I have that one?” Noriko asks. “It looks like it’s the only one that has me in it…”

A quick check shows that she’s right. Chisato easily reaches up and plucks it free, handing it to Noriko. There are a few more where Saki and Chisato are present, but nobody makes any move to take them, per the teacher’s request.

Saki’s already looking at the board from last year, and my eyes are immediately drawn to the two pictures of them that were taken at the beach. “I call dibs on those!” she excitedly says.

They’re a little higher up than she can comfortably reach, so Mitsuru does the honors. One has Saki in her sundress and straw hat, while the other one has his girlfriend buried up to her neck in the sand, flashing a defiant smile. He hands the first one to Saki, but hesitates as his eyes linger on the second.

“Do you mind if I take this one?” he asks.

Saki immediately relents. “Of course. I’m sorry we didn’t get any of you and Chisato together for the wall this last year…”

“That’s okay!” Chisato perks up, a forced enthusiasm to her voice that we pick up on but choose to ignore. “That’s why sensei has the camera. We’re going to get a lot of us before we leave today.”

I feel Saki press something into my hand, and look down to see that it’s the photo she just claimed. I flush slightly as she leans into me, giving me a quick and gentle kiss on the cheek.

“Keep this one…okay?”

“Thank you,” I respond, kissing her forehead in turn.

The oldest section of the photo board has mostly been picked clean, with only a handful of pictures left pinned to it. I lean in to take a look, and the few that I had taken notice of over the last year that stood out to me happen to be there.

There are four photos with Kayoko.

Chisato follows my gaze to see where I’m looking, her face saddening a bit. “Hisao…can you grab those?”

“Sure.”

I reach up to the top of the board and gingerly snatch them from the cork surface, fanning them out so the five of us can see them better. The first two seem to have been taken without the subjects knowing; all three girls are in the band room, sitting together in a rough circle with a pile of papers on the desk between them. Saki has her violin sitting on her lap, and Kayoko has a black case sitting on the floor next to her chair.

The third has the trio eating lunch together sitting on the grass outside the main building, and finally the last picture has Saki and Kayoko playing their violins back to back.

In every picture, you can see how vibrant Kayoko’s smile is, her red hair and green eyes barely dulled at all from the age of the medium she’s enshrined in.

Well…one of the mediums.

I turn to look at Saki as she carefully examines all the memories spread out before her, complicated emotions playing out on her face.

“She would have been proud of you,” I say to her, my voice barely a whisper.

She sniffles a bit, quickly bringing up her free hand to dab at the back of her eyes. “I hope so. I really hope so.” Without any comment from the others, Saki delicately picks up the one of her and Kayoko together.

“I’ll take this one,” Chisato says, reaching out for the one of them eating lunch in the grass.

The remaining two don’t seem to prompt any response as to who should have them, until Saki speaks up.

“Noriko? Hisao? Mitsuru? Would, uh…would you like any of these?”

Noriko exchanges a quick glance at Mitsuru before clearing her throat. “I think that you two should have them,” she says. “She was your friend, and it seems that she loved both of you very much.”

“I agree,” Mitsuru offers. “I never even met her, although I wish I could have.”

“...they make good points,” I agree.

Since both pictures are nearly identical, Chisato takes one for herself and slides the second over to Saki, who frowns slightly.

“Actually…I was wondering…”

She lifts her head to look around her, settling her attention on Mrs. Sakamoto. The older woman seems to have found time for a quick break from taking pictures of the band members, but is putting the time to use by wrestling the cellophane off of a small box.

Saki turns back towards us. “Follow me.”

Cane in hand, she confidently strides over to her teacher, once again stopping just short of being intrusive and waiting to be noticed. We follow suit, curious to see what she has in mind - although I already have an idea.

“Ah! Miss Enomoto and company. Were you able to get all the pictures off the wall you wanted?”

“We were,” Saki begins a bit awkwardly, then holds out her hand towards her sensei…gently clasping the final photograph.

Chisato instantly picks up on what’s happening and moves to speak. “Sensei…we want you to have this one.”

Taken aback, Mrs. Sakamoto can only blink a few times before managing to respond. “Are…are you sure, girls?”

“Yeah. We are.” Saki confirms, her face giving a soft smile.

Chisato continues. “We never would have been able to do what we did last night without your help. Neither of us would be going to Tokyo if we didn’t have your support and…if you weren’t there with us, these pictures might have been the only way we have to remember her.”

Their mentor considers this for a few more seconds, blinking again - but this time not quickly enough to stop tears from coming out. She delicately takes the photo, and as soon as she does, her free hand has to move up to take off her glasses.

“Just…just come here,” she says, opening her arms wide to pull them both into a tight hug.

Mitsuru, Noriko, and myself simply watch the outpouring of emotion from all three of them as they hold each other. I can hear them murmuring words of thanks and encouragement. My own eyes mist up at seeing how much they care for each other…like family.

A family that I’m also a part of, one I’ve found…and one that I’m indescribably grateful for.

Abruptly, Mrs. Sakamoto ends the hug, trying to regain some composure and almost succeeding. “Come on, you didn’t come here today just to give this old woman a hug.” She holds up her camera. “Let’s capture a few more memories.”

“Sensei? Can you get a picture of all of us?” Chisato asks.

“Of course. I can take one for each of you, if you want it.”

“I want one!” Noriko exclaims, and I nod my head in agreement.

We awkwardly shift our positions a few times as the teacher finds the best angles with her camera, the flash causing a bright afterimage on my retinas every time it goes off. Saki and Chisato take two together, arms over each other’s shoulders and smiling. I get pulled into two with both them and Noriko, and finally a few of all five of us together.

After the camera cycles a few more times, we end up breaking apart. Noriko immediately grabs two of the square pieces of paper, shaking them in the air to get them to develop faster.

“I’ll take this one,” she says, holding out the second copy towards us for anyone who wants to grab it. Mitsuru takes her up on the offer, carefully grabbing and squinting to inspect it.

It takes me a few seconds to notice, but as Mitsuru looks over the picture, I can see him shrink slightly as he gives a sad smile. He reaches up with his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, pushing up his glasses and trying unsuccessfully to hide his distress.

“Can I ask you all for something?”

“What is it?” Chisato asks.

“Can…you all sign this for me?”

Our mood takes on a more somber tone when he says this. I’m the closest one to Mitsuru, who hands me both the photo and a pen.

I don’t really know what to say, being put on the spot like this. I’ve been excited for the graduation ceremony, and Saki saying yes to my proposal to her, but now that the former is over, there are more and more reminders that…I might never see some of these people that have been my friends and colleagues the last year again. I’d gladly love to meet any of them in the future, simply because of our shared experience with Yamaku, but…

…well, I guess it’s better to take that one day at a time. Same as everything else.

Now, what to write?

Thank you for the yukata! Good luck in Korea!

…yeah, it’s probably a bit lame, but…I can’t think of what else to put down, as I pass the items to Noriko.

Chisato has picked up on the mood shift, and stoically waits for her turn once Noriko finishes writing a sentence or two and hands them to Saki. While her friends scribble on the back of the polaroid, she fidgets with her hands and reaches into her bag, pulling out a small envelope that she grips tightly. Curiosity gets the better of me as I see Mitsuru’s name written on it in her clean, immaculate handwriting, but once I see it, I decide that discretion is the better part of valor.

Chisato hesitates when she grabs the pen, clearly upset. When she does start writing, none of us try to read over her shoulder. In fact, we all turn our heads away to give her as much privacy as we can manage.

I try to take my mind off the subject by taking another look at the picture of Saki in her sundress and hat. “I still can’t believe you convinced me to go skinnydipping,” I quietly say to her, shaking my head at the memory.

She grins. “You had fun. Admit it.”

“I didn’t say that was a bad thing. I probably would have at one time.”

“That was a good night,” she responds, her hand snaking down to link fingers with mine.

“It was,” I smile.

Chisato finishes with her message to Mitsuru, and then with a slight hesitation, opens the envelope to drop it inside. I catch a glimpse of a folded letter, black writing crisp across its surface before she brings the envelope up to her mouth to wet and close the flap.

“Chisato?” Mitsuru asks, clearly worried about her.

“H…here,” she says, handing the sealed envelope to him. “Don’t read it until you get to Korea, okay?”

Mitsuru’s mouth hangs open for a second or two before he closes it, nodding somberly. He’s about to speak up again when an incessant chirp begins to sound out from his pocket. All of us stiffen up, anticipating what’s coming as he pulls out his phone to check it.

“It’s my parents,” he says, his voice quiet. “I, uh…I need to go.”

His girlfriend is by his side instantly, the look on her face showing how much she’s been dreading this moment. The two of them clutch onto each other tightly, no words being exchanged. I can see Chisato shake slightly as she pulls away.

“I’ll walk you to the entrance.”

“...I’d like that.”

Noriko goes in to hug him, wishing him luck in Korea with heartfelt platitudes. Saki and I follow suit, trying to be positive for his sake.

“You’ll have to come visit us when you get the chance,” I tell him, giving his back an encouraging slap. Saki eagerly gives a noise of approval.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he says.

Chisato and Mitsuru start to pull away, but before he goes two steps, he turns around to face the three of us. His hands go to his side as he gives us a bow. “Thank you for everything this last year. All of you.” When he stands upright again, he pats himself down one last time to make sure that he has everything he needs, his hand lingering over his heart where Chisato’s note is being held for safekeeping in his coat pocket.

Chisato hesitates for a brief instant. “Give me a second. I’ll meet you at the door, if that’s okay?”

Her boyfriend nods and begins to make his way back towards the entrance of the music room. She watches him for a moment before turning back to us.

“Are you going to be okay?” Saki asks softly.

Her friend puffs out her chest, but there’s no fire behind it; just as quickly she deflates and shakes her head.

“I’ll catch up with you three later before I leave tonight,” Chisato says, more as a statement than an answer. “I love the three of you, but…I kind of think I want to be alone for a while.”

(continued...)

Saki nods back to her, and she briefly makes eye contact with us before turning around and hurrying after her boyfriend…the two of them disappearing into the evening air.

It hurts to see. I know they made their decision to officially end things between them, but now that the moment is here, none of us wished to see it happen.

My life was upended one day, and I was forced to completely change my outlook on it…but even if you do have warning for such things and can plan to meet them, those moments aren’t any less painful when they hit you full force.

Hell, it might even be worse because you know it’s coming.

I look down at Saki, who notices my gaze and looks back at me, giving a look of concern; first directed at her friend, and then at me. She can tell I’m thinking about something…and I see the same glimmer in her eyes that lets me know it’s the same with her.

We don’t need to speak, if we don’t want to. We don’t need to let the other know what we’re thinking; the mere comfort we share by being in each other’s presence is more than enough.

I hug her to my side, thankful.

I guess I’m going to find out.

Noriko clears her throat, not wanting to be the first to speak up after that exchange. “What time do you two need to leave?”

I check my watch, my eyebrows raising when I see how much time has passed. “I’m sure my folks wouldn’t mind, but…they’re going to be here in about twenty minutes.”

“That soon?” Saki asks, a bit alarmed.

“You’re staying here in town tonight, right?”

“Yeah, my father said he wanted to do the same, but…”

Noriko pipes up. “If that’s the case, then why don’t we do breakfast tomorrow morning? And invite Chisato? I…think she’s going to need it.”

I think for a few seconds. “I can probably convince my parents to leave a little later tomorrow than they were planning,” I say, looking down at Saki again.

“I guess I wouldn’t have to leave with my parents tomorrow, if I can talk Shuya into staying a bit longer…” she ponders.

“We should invite him too,” I add. “I’d really like to get to know him better.”

“I’ll see what he says.”

“Text me when you find out,” Noriko volunteers. “I’ll call Chisato and let her know, to see if she can join us if you want.”

The statement is directed more towards Saki than myself, so I let her give an answer.

“...I’d appreciate that, Noriko. Thank you.”

Our friend nods and smiles. “No problem. I need to get going too here pretty quickly,” she says, holding up her stash of photos. “I’ll make sure to put these in a safe place.”

I can see what she’s getting at; we only have precious little more time together tonight, and Noriko is not-so-subtly hinting that the two of us should spend it together.

“Thanks, Noriko,” I smile. “You’re the best.”

“I’m going to say goodbye to Mrs. Sakamoto before I go. I’ll see the two of you tomorrow, yeah?”

Another brief group hug follows before Noriko wanders off, heading towards the music instructor. “Do we tell her?” Saki asks me, as soon as she’s out of earshot.

I rub my chin thoughtfully. “Maybe we should wait until tomorrow.”

“I’m sure she’d be happy for us, considering you said this was her idea,” Saki teases.

“True but…I kind of want just tonight to be for the two of us to know it, if that makes sense?”

She considers for a moment, then nods. “That’s probably a good idea. I know your parents are okay with it, but…I don’t think I want my parents to know yet. I think Shuya would handle it a lot better, but…”

I reach down and give her hand a reassuring squeeze. “We can tell them when you’re ready. If you want me there, I will be.”

“Thank you,” she says, relief clearly washing over her face. “We…might have to wait until we’re together in Tokyo before I can tell him. I need to show him that I can do this on my own…well, not quite alone,” she smiles, before reaching her free hand up to my cheek and giving me a soft kiss.

“Want to go for a walk around the grounds, one last time?” I suggest.

“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. If I didn’t already pack my swimsuit, I would have loved to take another dip in the pool tonight.”

“It sounds like you’re trying to talk me into skinnydipping again,” I laugh.

“They already gave us our diploma. What do you have to lose?”

“Something far more important. My dignity.”

“Oh, we can’t be having that, can we?” she chuckles. “Let’s say goodbye to sensei, and then we can leave.”

We approach the teacher right as she seems to be finishing up sharing her farewells with Noriko, who gives us a wave as she starts to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning!” she says cheerily to us, waving as she makes it to the door and steps through it.

“Are you going to be leaving now, too?” Mrs. Sakamoto asks us, clearly picking up on the vibes in the room.

“We are,” Saki answers. “Our parents are taking us out to eat.”

“Don’t let me keep you then! Did you get all the pictures you wanted?”

I nod. “Thanks for doing that for us. I really appreciate it. I know Chisato does too.”

Her face falters a bit. “She is a remarkable young woman. I know breaking up with her boyfriend is going to be hard on her…but she’ll heal, in time. Especially with friends like you two living with her.”

“How did you…?” Saki asks, confused.

Her sensei gives a sad, resigned smile. “I’ve been here for many graduations in my time here as Yamaku’s music teacher. I’ve seen my share of breakups on this day. Some go smoothly, some do not. It’s never easy to see.”

“I…see.”

“But, that doesn’t seem to be a problem as far as you two are concerned,” she quickly adds, her tone reassuring. “Enjoy your breakfast tomorrow. Nakagawa and I will definitely be in touch to help with the details about your admission and Takamura will definitely make good on his promise to help you find a place together.”

Saki seems to calm down a bit, but is still worried about something. “Hisao? Could I ask a favor?”

“What is it?” I reply.

“Can you get a picture of sensei and myself?”

“Of course!” I gladly say, reaching for the proffered camera. “What button do I push on this thing?”

The evening air is just as brisk as it was the night before, the wind lightly playing in the treetops to make them rustle. The campus is already starting to be covered in vibrant shades of green; the herald of a new year at Yamaku - and hopefully, a new start for the two of us.

Saki and I walk through the grounds slowly, not just because of our exhaustion and her cane, but because we want to savor the experience one last time.

We pass by the PAC, and the spot where we first met. We wander towards the front of the main building, the courtyard already dimly lit by the lights surrounding it. I still remember the first time I saw this at night; dozens of stalls, lanterns, and happy people the night of the festival. Now, the chairs and stage from the earlier graduation ceremony stand out in the open.

“I’m really going to miss this place,” Saki says. There aren’t that many stars out yet this evening, but the few that are seem to be captured and reflected in the twinkling depths of her eyes. “It’s been a pretty good home to me the past few years.”

I take a deep breath, closing my eyes to letting my emotions flow through me.

I think about my time at Yamaku over the last year.

When I came here, I used to think of myself as broken. Figuratively and literally. My heart and body weren’t the only things that had weakened.

My spirit had as well.

I remember that first week, of how hesitant I started out. Everyone reached out to me in their own way to draw me out of my shell. None of them could have done it on their own. The kindness and patience they showed me went a long way to getting my feet under me…and the person I’m with now helped me see that I could find a path to walk.

I barely feel like the same person I was back then. There was a bitterness in me - one that existed probably before my heart attack, if I’m being honest with myself. Perhaps bitterness is too strong a word, but more of an…apathy to the world around me. When I got here, I hated the few times I would wallow in self pity, and even worse, compare my situation to those around me - being thankful that I had all my limbs, or my eyesight, or my hearing…and then feeling just as bad for thinking they had it worse off than me.

I owe that change to the people around me. Saki, Chisato, and Noriko. Mutou and Nurse. Mrs. Sakamoto, and the rest of the faculty. Everyone in my class who treated me no differently than they treated anyone else. That’s not to say they did all the work - I like to think I might have done pretty well for myself.

Slowly over the months, I became more and more confident with myself; my studies, my friendships, and my health all improved. I didn’t spend as much time thinking about my own future as I probably could have…but I’m excited for Tokyo and what it has to offer, and even more excited than about the people I get to turn this new page with.

My arms wrap my fiancee from behind, and I feel a tremendous sense of warmth and love as she settles into me. It’s become so natural and comforting…and I realize with a chuckle that, well…this is home for me. Not Yamaku. Not Tokyo, yet, but right here and now.

With her.

“How would you feel about coming back up here next year for Tanabata?” I ask.

“I think that would be a great idea,” she whispers, not wanting to disturb the peace in the moment both of us feel.

The silence hangs on for a few more seconds, both of us breathing in the air around us, crisp and full of possibilities.

“What’s on your mind?” I ask Saki.

“Just thinking about what it’s going to be like…being married. Getting married.”

“You told me it wasn’t something you had put a lot of thought into,” I say.

She shakes her head, her hair tickling my nose. “Not since I was a little girl. Not seriously, anyway.”

“When you did think about it, what did you imagine?”

She takes a moment, laughing softly. “Pretty standard, I think. A white dress. Friends and family. Mister ‘Tall, Dark, and Handsome’.

“I guess that means I’m wearing black then, aren’t I? Considering you said that I should leave fashion to you…you’re going to have to help me pick out a tuxedo.”

“You would be pretty helpless without me, you know.”

I laugh. “Don’t I know it.”

A few more minutes pass with the two of us standing together, lost in the moment, the memories, and the promise of new ones to come. I know that I will never forget my time here, and what it meant to me; the people I’ve met, the confidence I’ve gained, and a hope for the future I wouldn’t even have been capable of seeing if I didn’t have the misfortune of a heart attack a little over a year ago.

My embrace becomes tighter. “I love you, Saki.”

“I love you too, Hisao. So much…and…I want to thank you.”

“Hm?” I ask. Saki turns her body in my arms so she can face me, staring into my eyes with a love, a gratefulness, and an understanding that never ceases to make my heart soar. I feel her hands come up to frame my face as she tilts my head down again for a long, lingering kiss. Her lips brushing mine convey the truth of everything she’s said to me, not just tonight but since I’ve known her…and in that moment, I truly believe that no matter what happens in the future…it’s going to be okay.

The kiss ends, but instead of pulling away, she places her forehead against mine.

“Thank you for letting me borrow you for a while.”

-Fin.

Finally, a piece of art I commissioned the amazingly talented wolvesaur last year to commemorate the end of this story for me.

Give me a week or two to sit down and come up with an afterword. Again, much love to you all!

Woo.
Now I'll have to read it!
Chisato route when?

Well, I'm ugly crying now.

An amazing end to an amazing story. On top of all the amazing writing for Saki and Hisao's relationship, you really captured the bittersweet feeling of graduating and having to say goodbye to so many people.

I’m… sort of lost for words at the moment.

Alright.

EBJ, LTF has, for as long as I can tell, been the prime contender for THE fanfic in the community. Whenever someone enters the community, LTF is always what is recommended as their starting point. Whenever someone posts their first fanfic, LTF is almost always cited as an inspiration (I am amongst that innumerable crowd).

In many ways, LTF has also served as a way to get to know you a little, EBJ. To reread LTF is to catch a glimpse, in some small and distant way, of the life story of someone I’d otherwise know absolutely nothing about, their ups, their downs, over the course of more than a decade. You’ve poured your heart and soul into this work, and I think this community can tell. It’s why LTF is THE fanfic.

I’m a relatively recent addition to the community; many reading here will have been with the project for as long as you have, perhaps even longer. I remember picking up LTF, as all the “what fanfic should I read” posts instructed me to do, and being sucked in and captivated by this story of a girl who’s not even in the main game, who you had filled with character and drama and all these friends and it was just wonderful. I could see why this is so highly recommended.

I read it, and reread it, and reread it again for good measure. And then I joined the many in the community waiting patiently for the ending. I have to say that LTF at this time began to take on the qualities of an unfinished epic poem, people wondering how you were doing in your life, whether the story would ever finish, or we would be left at this perpetual cliffhanger mere inches away from that ending. I think, in many ways, that was the suspense that kept people so invested in this story for years. If you’ve read the constant stream of encouragement and support posts from people both new and old in the lead up to you releasing this chapter, you can see that there was a real groundswell of support in this community for your work and that there was an eager anticipation for the finish. And you did not disappoint, let me tell you.

LTF is beautiful in the many ways that KS is beautiful. Loss, longing, fear and misunderstanding mixed with this appreciation for life and love that doesn’t really have parallel in the base game because it doesn’t deal directly with inevitable mortality. Your Saki and your Hisao confronts that beautifully.

It’s almost a bit odd, now, seeing the (completed) tag next to LTF. I can’t imagine the relief and satisfaction you feel in being able to put that next to something you’ve been labouring over for 11 long years. I take 6 months to write 20k words and I think I’m exhausted already!

Apologies for the rambling, and I’m sure this post is about to be buried in the tsunami of praise and excitement that is already on its way, but I wanted to convey my deepest congratulations to you for sticking with this story where so many others may have bailed, for putting so much of yourself into it, and for crafting this beautiful tale that I’m sure will remain the fanfic classic of this community for however long it lasts.

To put it the Australian way:

Good on ya, mate.

whoa it's done

im not gona lie, seeing this:

in my inbox after all these years is really something.

Congrats on finishing such an amazing story! You really did tie it up in such a sweet way for the final chapter.

also hope you've been doing well EBJ. you went on a journey with this story and your life just as much as the characters within the story did, and i just hope you are in a good spot right now!

stay well yall

April 19 of 2016 was the day I joined the forums, I did it specifically because I wanted to share my thoughts on two stories I was reading. This was one of them. Learning to Fly quickly became one of my top 3 KS fanfics and was one of the first big ones I read after finishing the VN. Just a month later, you began Act 3. In the 8 years since I began to read it, you've faced many hardships and struggles, but refused to give up and kept writing. I said once that one of your best qualities was your diligence, and here you are; the ending of your incredible story.

I can't find the right words to express how much of an amazing journey it's been reading this story, the excitement I felt every time a new chapter was posted, and the anticipation thereafter for the next one. Your original characters were all phenomenally written, interesting, and tragic in their own ways, including Saki. The growth Hisao experiences in this pseudo-route is very natural and fits in with the established character perfectly, right down to the little "Hisao moments" that he has that require Saki to (figuratively) hit him over the head with her cane. All the other non-original characters that you wrote for (Lilly, Miki, etc.) are captured so well that it's hard to believe it came from a fanfic.

Wrapping up, Learning to Fly has been not just one of the best KS fics I've read, but one of the best things I've read, period. Your skill and push to keep going despite all hardship has been inspirational to me and I'm sure many others, too. I hope to read more of your writing, whether it's KS-related or not, in the future and eagerly await the epilogue.

Thank you, EurobeatJester. It was truly something phenomenal.

That was so good!!! I literally just hopped on the Learning To Fly train and it's already arrived at its destination... Reading through the journey was pretty nice though~ Congratulations on finishing such a masterpiece!

I really liked the emotions in this one. From the graduation feels, to Saki asking Hisao to find love again after she's gone... (Thus reminding me she will be gone someday ;-;) I find myself wanting to know more about what these characters are doing from now on, but a story has to end somewhere.

Without words (figuratively speaking). I wouldn't have been able to continue if the end of the route was literally Saki's death. Fortunately, the conclusion is much sweeter if we ignore what happens next. I envy EBJ's writing talent.

I learned about this pseudo-route shortly after finishing the original game in the middle of the 2020 pandemic, and honestly, I haven't read any of the fandom's other "canonical works" yet, since Saki's route (because in my heart, it's a ROUTE and not a pseudo-route." It's canon for me) has been very special to me, and inspired me to write too, in a serious way.

By the way, maybe an epilogue with the wedding, or the move to Tokyo would be nice. Maybe someone from Yamaku calling, you know, fanservice.

The only thing that seemed strange to me, as a lore geek, is that Hanako has still made friends in the journalism club and goes on her trip, that Rin goes to art school without Hisao to have convinced her at the beginning of her route, and of course, as a die-hard Lilly fan, I found it strange that Lilly hadn't left Yamaku by the time graduation was, even if she had intentions of returning to Japan. I mean, aside from Hanako, Hisao seemed to be her reason for staying there instead of going to live permanently in Scotland. It should be noted, of course, that my heart feels a little happier knowing that in the "EBJ cut", Lilly didn't leave Yamaku without graduating, Rin is going to study art (and seems less depressed because of it), and Hanako He managed to make friends on his own.

Now that I think about it, it seems that Misha and Shizune were better off without Hisao, to a certain extent, and it seems to me that, unless another boy has arrived to fill Hisao's role in his good ending, it weighs a little on me knowing that, then , Emi would have continued with a phobia of generating emotional attachment. It seems that most of the girls (Saki included, of course) improved their situation with Hisao's intervention.

To close the first long comment I have made here, I am happy to have followed this route for years, agonizing for months, sometimes even more than a year, between updates. It has certainly been worth it.

(Btw, sorry if my English isn't that good. Spanish-speaking reader here).

#CanonizeTheEBJCut

(I apologize in advance for my comment, I hardly know any English but I really want to express my feelings about your beautiful story ).

First of all, have a happy day dear euro, I want to thank you for having created this (and I fall short) great story, I don't know anything about writing and here you have me admiring your great work with the enthusiasm of a small child

I remember I started reading your story just 3 months ago and you caught me quickly. I felt genuine joy reading the chapters. He was afraid of the consequences of some of Hisao's actions. I cried a lot with Saki and Hisao's first kiss just like when I read the last chapter of the third act, the uncertainty of knowing what the end of the story would be or even if it would have an ending, killed me and damn it. The wait was worth it.

PS: I really hope things are going better for you now in your life and I also appreciate that you want to give us an epilogue. I can't wait to read it. Oh, and thank you so much for helping me expand my playlist .

I don't have any sensible way to start my comment on this, okaaaay, here it goes…

First of all, congratulations on finishing that monumental work. Many people, myself included, followed Saki's journey for eleven years — and followed your own path as well. It wasn't pleasant, it was worrying, it was hard, but you made it to the end, and I'm glad I was able to witness the latter part of the journey in real time.

Secondly, this work inspired me of making a significant progress in my own life, and while last year wasn't pleasant for me, I found really good friends along my way, found my own place in the community, and steered my life into more meaningful path that will lead me to complete happiness soon enough. Probably the impact of this book of Saki (I don't think calling it a merely "fanfic" does a good job of describing this piece of art, it's much, much more than that!!) is even bigger than impact of the KS itself. This story is finally landed and I'm glad we all were aboard on this path.

EBJ, thank you for borrowing our time and giving us the whirlwind of emotions and a beautiful, glorious story that will stand the test of time. Good luck in your future endeavours!

Like so many others, I registered an account here for the express purpose of commenting on Learning to Fly.

I don't remember exactly when I first started reading this story, but you've done an incredible job. The characters truly feel alive to me, and the situations you put them in are super relatable, even for someone like me for whom high school was a living nightmare.

Bravo.

What a road it has been these 11 years, to go to this point where we are truly at the end of the road.

I don't have much to say that hasn't already been said previously here, in private since everything the finale covered, matched my own feelings, thoughts on everything with this fantastic story, your take on Katawa Shoujo, Hisao and especially Saki.

It's no secret of how relatable this has been for myself and so many people that have followed all these years, or anyone that picked it up in recent times.

Saki's experiences especially struck a nerve with me because of how so much of her own thoughts, actions have matched how I have been in the past. My own challenges with suicide, morbid thoughts being disabled myself. That matched how all the routes in the game evoked a lot of relatable feelings in me.

Thank you Euro for everything, for becoming such an inspiration, for becoming such a good friend and for giving so many people this wonderful journey and destination that we will treasure forever.

Love Mamba

I refuse to believe this is the end, but I came to terms with it. I wasn't there when you launched it, but I'm confident enough to say that this route was an important part of my life for the past years. A really important one. To this day, this is hands down the best one I've read, and I want to thank you for that. You're one of the main reasons why I love Saki so much, because of your writing, the character you gave her, how she sees things... She's not even official, and yet, she's my favorite character on the KS lore, thanks to you.

For the past years, this route made me smile, cry, made me want to throw things out the windows because of how some events turned, it placed me into a whirlwind of emotions, and I'll never thank you enough for that. I may not exaggerate if I say that it did changed the way I see certain things in my life. I did cry reading that last chapter, because it meant the route was finished, and also because of its content. Because I was happy how things ended for Hisao and Saki, because of the pain I felt for certain characters that need to part ways...

I'm so proud of you brother, for keeping it alive for more than eleven years, this was a rollercoaster of emotions, and I'm glad we saw the end of this route. Thank you for everything, Euro, thank you for this route, for the emotions, and for making me love Saki. Can't wait to see what you could release in the future. Congratulations on finishing your magnum opus. Thank you for being one of my majors inspirations in writing.

This work will have a special place in my heart forever.