Katawa Shoujo Forums

Man. Every chapter of this story I read draws me deeper into it. I just adore it so much in both concept and execution.

Another great addition.

Narcolepsy and insomnia? Oh, that's got to be a special flavor of suck.

Nice touch with Mutoh being bad with names. When I was teaching I struggled with that too... anyone who wasn't a star or a pain in my ass was hard to pick out from the fog.

Very good read, looking forward to more.

nemz wrote:Narcolepsy and insomnia? Oh, that's got to be a special flavor of suck.

Actually this is quite normal for people with narcolepsy. I found myself reading up a bit on the condition before I started writing Ooki's first chapter in Tripping. There are a few other common symptoms, but since they haven't come up so far, I don't want to potentially spoil anything here.

Another great chapter! Can't wait for the next one!

Good stuff I really want to see where you'll take skeleton man in this story, and how Hisao handles any problem Suzu may have and overcome it

I'm in a bit of a position. Even though I'm probably beginning to sound like a broken record, I just can't not say thanks for all the kind and warm feedback. So thank you everyone, I really, really mean it. I get a stupid grin on my face every time I see that there's a new reply, and it's a feeling that I'm treasuring immensely.
I don't even want to think about how late/early it was when I finished this chapter last night, but my internet died before I could upload it, so it was a moot point. Oh well.
Oh right, and before I forget, please check out the first post. I'm proud to finally unveil the cover image that the good Skrats provided me with. I owe him a haiku.


I Can See It In Your Face


Class drags on, but I manage to stay awake. Despite earlier unpleasantries, I still have a good feeling about today, although some of that might be wishful thinking. But hey, the power of suggestion and all that, right? If you keep telling yourself something over and over, maybe it will eventually come true.

Today is going to be a good day.

Today is going to be a good day.

I am going to understand what the hell Mutou is talking about in this physics lecture.

It's no use. I give up halfway through the class and rest my head flat on my desk, praying for either death or lunch time, whichever comes first. Luckily the bell chimes before I start to see any blinding lights or tunnels to gates of white, so I guess I'm saved. I hear the shuffling noises of students getting up to go to the cafeteria, or the pulling of chairs together as they gather to eat boxed lunches. A pair of footsteps stops in front of my desk. I separate forehead from wood, looking up to see Hisao.

“Hey.” He says. “Were you sleeping, or was that brain overload? I think I'm starting to be able to tell the difference.”

The thought that he's been paying enough attention to notice something like that makes me smile. Or is that kind of creepy? I don't--anyway.

“You know it doesn't make any damn sense for light to be both a particle and a wave.” I reply, feeling groggy even though I'm wide awake. Hisao laughs.

“Yeah, I think that went over just about everybody's heads. It's, uh, actually kind of cool though.”

“Oh yeah?” I glance around the room. Most of the class seems to have brought their own lunches today instead of opting for the cafeteria. Miki is nowhere to be seen. I turn back to Hisao, my curiosity piqued.

“Are you saying you actually understood all of it?”

“Well I don't know if I could say all of it, but...” He scratches the back of his head, looking slightly embarrassed. But then his expression fades, and he looks at me with a slight smile on his face. This might be the first time since he's arrived here that he looks like he's confident about something.

“Tell me your secrets.” Something inside tells me that I want to see more of this Hisao.

So we launch into a conversation about lecture that we had just endured. Mutou isn't a terrible teacher, and even if he is awkward, he's always had passion. But Hisao manages to somehow explain things better than our instructor can, and I find myself listening intently despite the growing emptiness in my stomach. To be honest, science isn't really that interesting to me, but I have to try hard to keep up in class. It might actually be the company I'm enjoying more than the conversation, though.

“...so by trying to measure how fast the earth travels through ether, they actually proved that ether doesn't exist.” Hisao finishes his explanation, and then stares at me for several long moments. He's being doing that after every pause, actually. For some reason, it doesn't really bother me.

“Is there something on my face?” I ask, staring back. Hisao leans backwards, looking legitimately embarrassed this time.


“No, I just want to make sure you're understanding all this.”

“Is this an interrogation?” I smile to let him know that I'm joking. Miki says that looking tired most of the time makes my sarcasm difficult to detect, but Hisao grins.

“More like a scientific investigation.” He retorts, smiling back.

“So now I'm being investigated?”

“I can stop if you want.” He stares straight at me, and I stare back at him. Does it seem like this happens a lot? This goes on for a few long moments, the two of us paying no heed to the buzz of conversations and the quickness of movement all around us in the classroom.

I realize that Hisao isn't the only one beginning to grow red in the face, but I still can't bring myself to look away. Finally, the bell chimes, signaling the end of lunch break.



“Is lunch really over already?” I look down at my empty stomach. I guess this is still better than all the times I've slept through the break.

“Well, time is relative, you see.” Hisao smiles, but he looks pretty hungry himself. I wonder if he would have come to the cafeteria with us today, if the group had gotten together like usual.

“Very funny.” People are beginning to wander back into the classroom, and those that stayed are packing up their boxed lunches.

“Didn't you say you had something you wanted to ask me?” I remember only now. Hisao starts, either he forgot too or he was waiting for a good chance to get to it. Uh oh.

“That's right.” He glances around the room, then at the door, cautiously. Is he checking to make sure a certain someone isn't here to listen in?

“I, uh, was wondering if...” He looks back at the door one more time, a little anxiously. Some little lever inside of me twists into active position. My heart starts beating faster. Uh oh uh oh uh oh.

From somewhere out in the hall, I hear a faint laugh, a familiar “wahaha!”. Hisao bites his lip and turns back to me immediately.

“You're in the literature club, right? I heard it was full, and I was wondering if you could help squeeze me in somehow.”

I blink a couple times. Sure, I can--wait, is that it? I resist the urge to sink back into my chair, feeling suddenly exhausted. That's what he wanted to ask? I mean, that makes sense but I guess I was hoping--I mean, it would have made sense if--

Another burst of “wahaha” rings out, closer to the classroom this time. Hisao bites his lip again and stares at me anxiously, still waiting for a reply. Right, right. It makes sense now.

“You really don't want to join the student council, do you?” I throw on a grin, hoping that my face has cooled down by now.

Hisao sighs, looking a little guilty. “It's just not really my thing, I guess. I don't really feel like it's my place to be on the council for a school I just arrived at.”

I wonder if he knows it's just the two of them? I think that's common knowledge, but the student council president's blaring personality is more than enough to deter any sympathy they might receive. I'm sure they'll be fine on their own, they have been for a while now. And besides, having Hisao in the literature club with me doesn't sound like such a bad idea.

“If that's the case, I'm sure we can find a spot for you.”

I hear someone clear their throat to my left. The two of us turn to see Lezard, one of our classmates who's also in the literature club. He doesn't look happy, but then again, he almost never does.

“Suzu, you can't just make promises like that. The club is already filled to the brim as it is.” He says scoldingly. I can almost feel Hisao begin to deflate like a balloon next to me.

“Come on, Lezard. There's always room for one more. Besides, with Lel gone we have an empty slot anyway.” I cross my arms. Lezard can be a bit of a pain at times, but he's really not that bad a guy. His feathers are just up today and I have a sneaking suspicion it might be because of jealousy, but I really don't have time to worry about that right now.

“Lel?” Hisao asks.

“Lelouche.” Lezard and I both reply at the same time, and we exchange a glance before I continue.

“He used to be in the literature club, he was in the seat that now belongs to--”

I don't even feel my head hit my desk, or much of anything at all, actually. The next thing I know that isn't a formless, dense black is Hisao gently shaking me awake. My stomach is grumbling loudly as I open my eyes to see our next class about to begin.

“Thanks.” I whisper to Hisao, who smiles in response. Then, “So, literature club, right?”

He nods firmly, apparently Lezard saw reason in my absence.

“Okay. Meet me in the library tomorrow after class. I'll save you a seat, so don't be late.”

“I wouldn't dream of it.” He winks. If I was more awake I might try to make him pay for such an awful joke, but I'm still feeling weak and he escapes back to his seat just as Misha comes crashing into the room. Shizune follows her as if her friend was some sort of vanguard, spearheading her way into the class.

Once everyone is seated and accounted for, our teacher launches into today's lesson plan. I try my best to approach our next class with an open mind, but I must have left all my work ethic as a student behind in my last dream, because part of me begins to sag not long into things. I can't help but glance over my shoulder as stealthily as possible at the trio of Hisao, Shizune and Misha. It appears that he was able to work up the nerve to give them the bad news, because I find myself looking right into the intense, analytical gaze of the student council president.

I feel my insides begin to tense up again, but for completely different reasons than before. Shizune looks like a cat that just had a very expensive toy taken away. If she could, I'm sure she'd be exposing and retracting her claws repeatedly right now. She stares at me, her expression growing curious for a brief moment before returning to something akin to quiet, burning anger. Then Misha's signing catches her eye, and the spell is broken. I whip my head back around to face the front of the class.

Oh god. Am I dead? I think I'm dead. I'll be rotting in the basement's dungeon in no time.

I glance over to my right. Maybe Miki can protect me. After all, even the wrath of the student council president wouldn't be able to scratch the mighty Stumpfist. But a quick glance at the desk to my right reveals that Yamaku City goes undefended at the moment. Miki has taken a leaf out of my book and is passed out, her head cradled in her folded arms, long hair splayed out behind her.

Oh well. I'm sure Stumpfist will rise again. I spend the rest of class alternating between trying to avoid joining my friend in dreamland and coming up with a plan to escape to the safety of the girl's dormitory as quickly as humanly possible to avoid the student council.



Tomorrow becomes today. Once again I'm greeted by a disheveled Miki in morning, who shrugs off any questions with a grin and a laugh. The two of us walk to school together, and I almost wonder if I should be keeping a watchful eye on her like just she does for me, in case she might suddenly collapse in exhaustion. Does that make me her sidekick? Why are they called that? I've never heard of anyone who ever specialized in kicking people in the side. We both manage to make it to school in one piece, Miki is talking about the upcoming track meet and I'm trying to think of a decent sidekick name. I don't really know if I could do a good job at kicking anyone at all, and falling asleep on people doesn't seem very threatening. Maybe my costume would be covered in spikes, so I could turn falling down into a special attack? Even then...

A decent theme continues to elude me as class goes by, but at least the student council doesn't seem to be out for my blood. In fact, Shizune seems content to ignore my existence entirely, not that it's much of a break from the usual, while Misha flashes me a wide grin and a wink whenever she catches me glancing back at them. I can't help it though, I keep expecting a knife in my back at any time. Like, a paper mache knife, made out of student council forms. No, make that a throwing dagger, launched through the air silently. I could be dead and gone and never see it coming.

Actually, I guess that could happen almost any other time, too.

Well that's depressing.

Compared to that, the irritation of the squirrely deaf-mute girl sitting behind me seems pretty tame. Nothing like a little perspective to make some things suck less and others even more.

Luckily, I manage to get through the day intact and only sleeping through some of the most unimportant bits of class. As the warm afternoon light shines through the windows in the halls, I make my way to library for the literature club meeting.


The thick atmosphere and friendly smell of books hits me like a wave as I walk through the doors. I both love and hate the library here at Yamaku. It's the perfect place to relax, sink into a beanbag, and melt into the world of a good book, but at the same time all of those things conspire against me. I would be lying if I said I didn't spend most of my time here unconscious. It also doesn't help that Miki can't really stand the place, reading isn't quite her style. Not having someone to go with me limits the time I get to spend here, and with all the tables, chairs and bookshelves, I can't really risk coming here alone. However, today I'm making an exception, since Hisao had to swing by the nurse's office after class. Of course I'm curious as to why, just like I was the first time I met him there. But it's not my place to ask. We might both be one of the students who look normal on the outside, but my time here at Yamaku has taught me that there are a lot of things that can go wrong with a human body.

My head starts to grow heavy as I weave through the tables and chairs towards the middle of the library. Need a beanbag chair. There. Mine. I half submerge myself in its grainy depths, feeling the softness conform to my aching body. It's easy to forget about all the little pains that add up from the falls, scrapes and bumps until something comes along and relieves them. It's one of the reasons I love a long, hot bath so much, even if I have to be extremely careful. Some things are worth the risk.

Other students mill about the library, and a few of my fellow literature club members bid me hello as they pass, but I continue to wait for Hisao. My eyelids slowly grow heavier and heavier, and I'm halfway through 40 winks before I see him walk into the library.

“Hey.” I call out, still buried deep in the chair. He heads over to stand next to me.

“I'm not late am I?” Hisao asks, glancing around the library. He seems pretty familiar with the place by now.

“Nah, the club is usually pretty relaxed so we start whenever everybody showed up. Besides, I told you not to be late, so if you were I'd have to punish you.” I don't bother faking a glare or anything, as Hisao stares at me like he doesn't believe the threat for even a moment. Apparently being a face and a few limbs sticking out of a massive beanbag chair tends to make people take you less seriously.

We stay there for a few seconds. Hisao raises an eyebrow.

“You're stuck, aren't you?”

“I'm stuck.” I wiggle one arm helplessly. Grabbing my hand and with a heave, Hisao manages to pull me out of the chair's clutches. I land on my feet on front of him, barely an inch separating his face from mine. For a moment I'm sure this is going to be another one of those long staring things, but Akio, one of the boys from our class, walks past us. He has a book in front of his face as usual, but he takes the time slow down and stare at us blankly as he goes by.

“Shut up, Akio!” I call after him.

“I didn't say anything!” He replies as he continues towards the very back of the library where the rest of the literature club members are probably waiting.

I turn back to Hisao, wearing what I hope is my poker face.

“We should get going.”

“Lead the way.” He nods, trying hard to have no expression whatsoever.


Together, we make our way towards the deepest corner of the library, where a door sits, wedged between two large bookcases.

“I didn't know this was here.” Hisao says, peering around at the surrounding books.

“No one really comes back here. Yuuko says that for some reason, no one at Yamaku cares about maps or atlases.” I shrug, and then pull open the door. We step into the room that the literature club has made their home.

It's a little dark, a little dank, almost more like a cellar than a meeting space. Apparently it was used for storage before the club managed to get a hold of it. We've tried to make the place a little more cozy, throwing up some cheesy posters of famous authors on the walls and stealing a few of the smaller beanbag chairs. I can't always help but think that the single, tiny window on one wall makes the place look like some kind of interrogation room or a holding tank. The waning sunlight paints half the room in a bright orange, the other half looks pale and drab in comparison, lit only by the single bulb in the ceiling.

Everyone else is already here. A few are lounging in the “borrowed” bean bags, but most are sitting around the circular table in the center of the room. A few of them call out greetings to me, but I can feel the tension in Hisao's body just by standing next to him.

“Hey everyone. This is--” I pause mid-sentence to yawn, but it's nothing new. A couple of the students yawn back involuntarily in response, which I always get a slight kick out of. “--this is Hisao, he transferred in last week and was interested in joining, and since Lelouche isn't here right now, I figured it would be okay.”

There are a few mumbled responses, but everyone else looks as subdued as I feel right about now. Even for the hardcore bookworms in the group, the nicer the weather gets outside, the harder it becomes to stay cooped up in this little room. Still, I'm sure what feels like a prison to some of the club members might be more like a sanctuary to others.

Either way, nobody seemed to object to having Hisao here, so I flash him a tired smile.

“Looks like you're in. Grab a seat.” I plop down into the nearest chair, and he follows suit beside me. The bean bags are all taken, sometimes people even come early just to snag one.

“Are we ready to begin the meeting?” Comes a voice from the door. I look to see Yuuko the librarian, who smiles earnestly at the students gathered around the room. There are a few halfhearted responses, along with the one or two people who are genuinely excited to be here. No one gets roped into being in the literature club like, say, the student council, but some people are just more passionate about it than others. I can't say I go around talking or thinking about books every minute of my life either. But I like it here, I just don't have the energy to prove it right now.

Yuuko closes the door behind her, and then takes a seat at the table. When she notices the boy next to me, she gives him a smile that manages to be both genuine and strained.

“Oh, hello Hisao! I didn't know you'd joined the literature club.” She isn't really big on surprises, now that I remember. Or loud noises. Or people having epileptic seizures, but that's a story for another time.
“Hey Yuuko. I didn't know you were in charge of the literature club.” Hisao responds, looking impressed. “I mean, on top of being the librarian and working at the Shanghai, you still have time for this?”

“Oh, this isn't a burden at all.” Yuuko's smile grows more earnest, a welcome sign that she's beginning to calm down a little. “I don't mind it, it's nice to see young people enjoying good books. And the little extra bit that the school gives me for it always helps.”

Her expression sours for a moment, and I wonder if she's about to start fretting over expenses again. But she gathers her nerves and launches into our group discussion about the book that we had decided to read last week. Surprisingly it turns out to be one that Hisao has already read, and he even manages to contribute some interesting thoughts that no one else seemed to have taken away from the reading. I may have dozed off once or twice while other people were talking, but to be honest I wasn't able to get that into this week's book, it was a little too heavy for me. I like to read stories with a good plot and interesting characters, and this one focused a little too much developing the setting and not enough on everything else. It appears that I'm the only one who feels this way though, or at least, if anyone else had the same reaction, I wasn't awake to hear it.

After that, we spend a little time deciding on what we should read next, and talk about some of our favorite authors, new books that are coming out, things like that. I make a mental note to go into town and pick up a new light novel by a writer that I particularly like, but I don't try too hard to remember because my mental notes never manage to stick somehow.


The meeting wraps up before too long, and before I know it I'm walking through the halls with Hisao. The sun has begun to set, and the school is rapidly becoming a ghost town as students flee, ready to be elsewhere.

“So what did you think?” I ask the boy beside me.

“That was kind of fun, actually. I couldn't really make any suggestions near the end because I don't know what everyone else is into, but it's nice to have someone else to talk about this stuff with.”

I nod. “I never really took you for a bookworm.”

“I could say the same about you.” He replies with a smile.

“Yeah, well, I wouldn't say I'm really a hardcore reader.” Memories begin to bubble up from somewhere deep inside. I smile back at him as we walk, but I'm sure I look wistful right now.

“I was in and out of the hospital a lot when I was a kid, and my family would always bring me books to read. I remember this one I got when I was ten.” The image of the tattered red book is clear in my mind, in fact, it's in my room somewhere, tucked safely away.

“It was a big collection of Shakespeare, just about all his famous works and a lot of ones that nobody talks about.” We stop in front of a vending machine, and my gaze sinks to the ground.

“After a while, I just started carrying it in my backpack, so I would always have it to read when I woke up in a hospital bed.”

I feel his eyes on me for a few moments, but then he starts scoping out the vending machine's selection.
“I think I kind of know what that's like. I mean, I was only in the hospital once. But after being there long enough, it started to feel like the books there were my only friends.” He digs a handful of coins out of his pocket and inserts them into the machine.

“Sometimes, the only way to tell that time had a passed at all was the book in my hands and the memory of the last one I had finished reading.” Now he's the one who looks a little depressed.

“Throwing myself into the world of the books was how I got through being stuck in my own world, being stuck with this...” he trails off, a moment before there's a clanging sound. Hisao reaches into the dispensing tray of the vending machine and pulls out a pair of cans.

He looks as drained as I feel, but he's smiling as he offers one of the cans to me. Coffee.

“How did you know my favorite?” I find myself grinning a little, gladly accepting the drink.

Hisao shrugs. “True is it that we have seen better days.”

“That's from As You Like It! So you have read Shakespeare.” I feel my grin widen. Hisao grins back brightly as he pops the tab on his can of juice.

“Maybe a little, here and there.”

The cloud of our earlier conversation successfully dispersed, we continue walking, eventually making our way out of the main building and into the waning evening heat. The sun has almost completely retreated over the horizon now, and dark shadows are beginning to creep into the school grounds.

“You know, that girl in our class, Hanako? I bet she'd really enjoy the literature club, I've seen her at the library before and she's always reading something or other.” Hisao says.

“You're probably right, she's there a lot. But we've asked her if she wants to join and she's always said no. I don't think she really likes groups.” A cold wind blows through the courtyard. I'm grateful for that coffee, as the heavy sensation behind my eyes has been staved off for the moment.

“To be honest, when I first arrived here, I thought she might be getting bullied.” He replies, staring out at the darkening treeline in the distance.

“I can see why. But not really, even the student council has tried to get to know her better before. You can imagine how that turned out.” Judging from Hisao's expression, I'm sure he can. Shizune might be adept at pulling strings, but Misha is about as subtle as a forklift.

“People can still be cruel sometimes, though. Like last month, when we were discussing The Phantom Of The Opera.”

Hisao grimaces. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say her name came up a lot?"

"Yeah. There's a rumor somewhere that she likes to sing, so it..." Something occurs to me.

Oh no.

Miki, I'm sorry. I'm an idiot.

“I need to go.”

Hisao is watching me curiously. “Some secret girl thing?” He asks.

I force a smile. “Something like that.” I turn to begin heading for the girls' dormitories, but stop and look back at him.

“I really enjoyed today. And thanks for the coffee.”

He smiles, and it's a bright, genuine smile, one that rivals the glow of the setting sun.

“I did too. And sure, any time. Thanks for helping me join the literature club.”

Something about that look makes it impossible not to smile back. I find myself nodding and taking a few steps backwards, not wanting to tear my gaze away from it. But knowing how awkward I look and that I'll probably trip over something any second, I turn around and make for the girls' dormitory.

Even though I probably shouldn't, I break into a run. I could fall asleep at any moment and momentum is the last thing I want in that case but Miki I'm sorry I'm an idiot and hold on. I get myself through the doors, barrel past the common rooms and soon I'm in front of my best friend's door. It's lucky that we're both on the first floor.

I take a few seconds to catch my breath before walking closer to the door in front of me. I can hear muffled noises coming from inside, resembling heavy breathing and occasionally, something sounding like a gasp.

I really hope I'm right because otherwise this would be awkward, but I bang on the door anyway. The noises stop.

“Miki, it's me, let me in.”

A few moments pass, and then I hear footsteps. The door in front of me opens, and Miki stands before me. She's a mess. Her skin is streaked with sweat, her hair is all over the place, and her eyes are red and slightly puffy. She stares at me as if I were a passing ship at sea.

“Hi, Suzu.” She says simply, defeat in her voice.

“I'm sorry, I should have realized the other day. Come on, let me in.”

“It's okay.” She breathes the words as much as she says them. “You can come in if you want, I won't stop you.”

I step inside my best friend's room, closing the door behind me. It's not nearly as messy as mine, although I have an excuse.

“Let me put a movie on. Have you eaten dinner yet?” I walk over to her small TV, perched on top of a cardboard box. Miki sinks to the floor, leaning against the side of her bed.

“Suzu, you really don't have to do this.” She says, clutching the bandaged stump of her wrist with her good hand all the while. Her knuckles are white.

“It's okay, really.” I fiddle with the control panel for a second before the TV flashes to life. I grab the remote and sink down next to Miki. “Besides, I'm sure I'll pass out soon and then you'll be back in charge. For now though, just let me help, even if it's only a little bit.”

She lets out a long sigh, but then relents.

“Okay.” She says, her voice quivering only the tiniest bit. I giver her a prod, and she lefts up her right arm to allow me to scoot closer, before bringing it down to wrap tightly around my shoulders.

I use the remote to bring up whatever movie is currently in the compact DVD player that sits next to the TV, and we say nothing as it begins. Miki's left wrist continues to quiver and she places it firmly in her lap, pressing the bandaged end of her stump into the skin of her legs. I can hear her teeth grinding, but as I lean my head onto her shoulder, I feel her body relax, if only a little bit.

I can't imagine what it must be like to have phantom limb pains. Sure, everybody here at Yamaku has scars, and a lot or even most of us still face a great deal of pain every day, whether it's physical or emotional. But my best friend sits beside me, doing everything she can not to writhe or cry out in agony, and all I can do is sit beside her and have her know I'm there. It feels bad. But it's nowhere near what she's feeling right now, so I'll never complain.

We pass the entire night like this. I drift in and out, and each time I come back she looks a little calmer, a little better. Finally the time comes when I'm awake and Miki isn't. As slowly and gently as I can, I slide away from her, reaching back to pluck a few pillows and blankets from her bed. Then I softly lean her sideways and onto the pillows, before draping the blankets over her.

I consider heading back to my own room, but I probably wouldn't make it down the hallway. So instead, I make room under the blankets for two and curl up next to Miki, the soft blare of the TV still playing in the background. If it gave her even a moment of peace, I would stay up with her all night. After all, every hero needs a sidekick sometimes.



Artwork by Thighs: Phantom pains

Next I Previous I First

Two things.
"squirrely deaf-mute girl" made me giggle like a school girl. (I shouldn't have but I did) and the Phantom of the Opera reference made me smile, I've been trying to get an artist I know to draw a gender flip version of it.

Another great chapter that has me grinning like an idiot. Thank you.

(And that picture is really amazing too)

That last one could benefit from another proofreading pass-through, but otherwise good stuff.

That pic! Awesome!

This story! Hooked me! I'm glad Hisao and Suzu are moving along, and quite nicely too. Also Yuuko in the book club? It's pretty dumb of me but I never would have thought of that Makes sense.

“Shut up, Akio!” I call after him.

“I didn't say anything!”

Glad you liked it Elcor, and I agree, I think Skrats captured the essence of the moment perfectly. As for Hanako, maybe something like this?

nemz wrote:That last one could benefit from another proofreading pass-through, but otherwise good stuff.

Damn, really? Like I said, it was absurdly late at night when I finished this chapter up, so I certainly wasn't firing on all cylinders by this point. Sometimes it's impossible to see stuff like that without another pair of eyes, anything you can point out in particular? Thanks for reading, as well.

Titus: I'm really glad you enjoyed it, to be honest I had no idea what literature clubs did so I had to do some research (on top of all the stuff on narcolepsy I've been looking up lately). It's kind of exciting to be able to finally get things underway, but also a little intimidating too.

One last thing that I forgot earlier, here is Stumpfist's theme song. Just replace "snake" with "stump" and it fits the image in my head pretty much perfectly.
Thanks again for reading, everyone.

Liking what I've been reading but how did a text yawn make me yawn?

Scissorlips wrote:Glad you liked it Elcor, and I agree, I think Skrats captured the essence of the moment perfectly. As for Hanako, maybe something like this?

Yes like that, now I can't help but think of Hanako swinging down from the ceiling to snatch Hisao who is wearing a dress, not sure why, he just is.

Elcor wrote:

Scissorlips wrote:Glad you liked it Elcor, and I agree, I think Skrats captured the essence of the moment perfectly. As for Hanako, maybe something like this?

Yes like that, now I can't help but think of Hanako swinging down from the ceiling to snatch Hisao who is wearing a dress, not sure why, he just is.

It's not a dress, get it right! It's just an overly elaborate and frilly hospital gown.