Chapter Three - Missing Piece
I walk out the shower, my body feeling extremely relieved. An extremely hot and pleasant shower it was, but I guess it's time for me to say goodbye to Hanako. I don't really feel like going home, although my parents will probably try to force me, but I guess there won't be much company here until Hanako comes back.
Suddenly I hear the all so familiar sound of a door opening, and in comes Kenji. He walks in, the door closing behind him, and notices me. I had hoped he'd go right for the shower or bathroom so I could slip out, but I guess I'll have to say something.
”Mornin',” slips out of my mouth.
”Mornin',” he answers and walks right to the shower. I suddenly realise that it's extremely early for Kenji to be awake at this time, so there must be a reason. He probably pressed the time to get up to the latest so now everything has to be done as fast as possible, meaning he'll even skip talking about feminists.
As he leaves enters the shower I walk out and back to my own room. I quickly get dressed before starting to walk towards the girl's dorms, but the trip is interrupted by an armless girl lying on the ground.
”Hi Rin,” I say, looking at her. Her eyes meet mine.
”Hi Hisao,” she answers.
”What are you doing?”
”Wasn't your problem your heart and not your eyes?”
”Let me rephrase: Why are you lying on the ground watching the sky?”
”The sky's perfect. It's always changing but still the same. Nothing else is like that.”
”I... Guess. Well, I guess I should get going. If you want anything just ask any boy you can find,” I say before walking off. I feel slightly bad about it, so I decide to tell Emi about Rin before going to Hanako.
I knock on Emi's door. I had to ask some girl which room it was, but she knew so there was nothing about finding this room.
The door is opened, and on the other side I see the smiling face of the girl named Emi.
”You already saw Hanako off?” she asks, with a curious face still with a smile at her lips.
”Nah, just about to. Just felt like I should tell you that Rin's lying on the ground outside, if you didn't already know.”
”Ah, I guess I should check it out,” she says after a quick laugh. She rushes off without closing her door, so I do that for her, of course not before taking a quick peak in through it. Nothing special there that I notice.
It doesn't take long for Hanako to open her door after my knocks. When she sees me she gives me a smile, which I assume is at least slightly forced. She is wearing her regular outfit with the blue jacket.
I walk into her room and she closes the door. On the floor is a bag I assume she will take with her on her travels. It looks small for what I'm used to a girl's bag looking like, but that doesn't seem that strange, considering her personality.
”So... I guess you'll be away for two weeks,” I say, not having anything else to say.
Hanako throws herself at me, which takes me by surprise. I fall onto her bed with her on top of me, hugging me. By instinct I push her forward and sit up, but when I realise what I've done I embrace her.
”I won't be able to be there with you in the next two weeks, but you can call me whenever you want to. And I mean whenever, it doesn't matter,” I tell her with the most comforting voice I can do. We continue sitting like that for at least half an hour before there's a knock on the door. It takes a while for Hanako to get up and open the door.
Naomi's surprised when I follow Hanako out the door, but she doesn't say anything.
I follow Hanako and Naomi down to the bus stop. Naomi walks slightly in front of me and Hanako, whom I walk with my arm across her back. She does have a smile on her face, and it doesn't look as forced as the one she gave me earlier, so I guess that's better. This trip will be good for her.
We get to the bus stop and see that there are just above five minutes left until the bus'll be here, so we take a seat on one of the three benches.
”So Hisao, have you thought of what you want to do when you're done here at Yamaku?” Naomi asks, trying to break a silence and lighten the mood. I have to think for a minute before remembering what Lilly had made me realise.
”I'm actually thinking of becoming a teacher. I feel that there is so much more than just a subject you can teach someone in a school, you have a chance of helping those who feel helpless. If possible, I'd actually want to teach here.” My answer comes without any real thought to it.
”Wow, really?” she asks.
”Yeah, it's something that I realised not long ago myself,” I answer. ”What about yourself?”
”Haven't really given much thought to it, but since my biggest hobby here has been journalism I might as well try to make something out of that,” she answers without a doubt. She wants to seem thinking, but it's easy to see that she has a burning passion for it.
”What about you, Hanako?” she asks without really thinking. Considering that she won't get any more money from the orphanage after high school, it seems unlikely for her to even be able to go to college.
Hanako is surprised by the sudden attention and lifts her hand to her face. I guess it's become a sort of natural reaction to her, so even if she did get rid of her social anxiety it'd probably take a while before she'd stop doing it. Finally, she says something:
”I w-want to be a nurse.”
I am amazed by this statement. Hanako as a nurse... Nothing seems more logical: With what she's been through she'd probably be able to take care of those that the other nurse's would get sickened by.
Hanako the nurse...
While still amazed by this I barely notice the bus coming in the distance. We stand up and I give Naomi a handshake before Hanako again throws herself onto me. I guess it's become her way of latching on to what's left now that Lilly's gone.
Naomi gives me a smile, and for that moment we can communicate just through thoughts: I tell her to take good care of Hanako and she promises to do so. I then get back to Hanako.
”We'll see each other again in two weeks, there's nothing bad, Hanako. You'll love this trip, trust me,” I tell her. She slowly lets go of me as the bus gets closer and we share smiles as the bus stops. Naomi gets on and we hear her voice: ”Time to go!”
Hanako lets go of me and walks onto the bus. As the doors start closing she turns to me and gives me a happy smile. I try to give her one back, but it's too late: The doors are already closed and the bus is already going.
”Promise me to have a good time now Hanako, you need it. I know you will, but you need to not think about Lilly: That's my job at this moment. Just enjoy these coming two weeks like they were the last of your life.”
I feel something buzzing in my pocket. I grab my cellphone and see that Hanako has sent me a text. I open it and see the simplest text but one of the most effective messages ever:
. A happy smiley-face.
Thank you, Hanako.
Just a small town girl.
can't wait for next part !! This put Lilly neutral ending eh ? hope this conversation happens (if you don't mind i give some inspiration 
