Living (Rin Route)

[Lloyd Snow]

I'll keep that in mind.

[Lloyd Snow]

Two days.

It’s been two days since I last left this room. I wonder how long I've got until they send someone to check up on me. I'm surprised they haven’t already. It’d take a lot of effort to get me out of here even if they did though. Life’s a lot easier cooped up in your room. Time doesn't matter. You sleep when you want, you eat when you want. There’s no drama here either, and no one to hurt you.

Yep, this is perfect.

…

Alright, fuck this. I’m tired of being stuck in this room. I throw my blanket to the side and start getting dressed. It’s boring and I've already run out of staple food. I'm going for a walk. I slip my shoes and make for the door. As soon as I am in the hallway, I feel the fresh air surround me.

Where should I go? I guess I could go into the town down the hill. That’s probably a bad idea. I doubt they’d overlook a student shopping during school hours.

Screw it. It doesn’t matter where I go, I just need to go. I walk down the stairs, out the door, and around the side of the boy’s dorms. I probably shouldn’t stay on school grounds. Not too far away from me, I spot a side gate. Here’s hoping it’s still open.

Surprisingly, the gate isn’t locked. Looks like my luck is turning around. I survey the surrounding area. Across the road leading to the town is a rather large forest. The forest is quite dense, but there seems to be a narrow path leading into it. I cross the road and start heading up the path. Maybe the fresh air and exercise will make me feel better?

The path soon proves to be quite treacherous, as overgrowth as reclaimed the path making for uneven footing. On top of that, the path has become barely recognizable. I’ve been walking for some time now, but I have no intentions of turning around. I wonder if I try hard enough, could I get back to Australia by foot. Nah, I’ve never been that strong of a swimmer.
I turn around, looking for the path. I definitely came from that direction. Christ, where is the path. I’m lost, again. It’d help if all of these fucking trees didn’t look the same. Why is this happening to me? I’m seventeen for Christ’s sake. I haven’t had enough time to do terrible things. So, why do terrible things keep happening to me?

I’m essentially just aimlessly walking now. I’m too lost to care about the direction.

I was a good son. I mean, relatively good. Maybe I was a bit lazy. I mean, sometimes I’d leave my shoes in the walkway. She hated that. Is that what this is about, the damn shoes?

What the hell am I thinking? Of course it’s not about the shoes. Wow, I really am go-

Thud!

Ouch.

My face is firmly planted in the snow. What the hell did I trip on?

“Hello.”

Hmm, a girl’s voice?

“Nice of you to ‘drop’ by.”

Wait, I know that voice.

“Hilarious.” I say sarcastically as I push myself up off the ground. “You’re that girl. Ahh… Ren, right? What are you doing here?”

“I’m using the worry tree,” she responds.

“Oh, the worry tree, of course. Why else would you be out here, right?” I say as I brush myself off.

“Does that mean you’re also here to use the worry tree?”

She clearly doesn’t pick up on my sarcasm.

“I know I’m going to regret asking this. What’s the ‘worry tree’?”

“It’s the tree that I visit when I’m worried.”

Yep, there’s that regret. Screw it; it’s easier to play along than argue. I’m still lost after all.

“Do you mind?” I ask gesturing to the ground beside her.

“Not at all.”

I sit down beside her, making sure she’s arm length away so things don’t get awkward. Well, my arm length.

I fail to stifle a giggle.

“What?” She asks, moving her eyes from the lifeless canopy to my feet.

“Nothing… So Ren, what’s worrying you?” I try desperately to change the subject.

She stays silent for a long time, a really long time.

“You have big feet,” she finally replies.

I try to ignore the fact that she completely ignored my question.

“Well, you know what they say about guys with big feet…” I grin widely.

“What?”

“They have… You know what, never mind.” I pinch the bridge of my nose.

After a short pause she speaks again. “What are you worried about?” She asks, still staring at my feet.

Maybe I shouldn’t answer her question. Partially because it’s not really any of her business, and partially for petty revenge, seeing as she brushed my question off. Screw it, I’ll bite.

“I’m having an existential crisis.”

“Why’s that?” She manages too sound both intrigued and disinterested at the same time.

I don’t know what it is, but something is compelling me to tell this girl the truth. Maybe it’s because I know she doesn’t care. Maybe I’m just desperate to talk to someone. I guess it doesn’t matter either way.

“My mother poisoned me with Paracetamol, I just found out I’m a bastard, literally, and to top it off I may have alienated the few friends I made here because I have trouble dealing with disabled people. I mean, there’s this burnt girl in my class, and I practically had a breakdown just by looking at her. I’m not sure where I am in life right now. And what the hell I am supposed to do now?” My words come out as a rant.

“That’s strange. When I see that burnt girl, I usually just get hungry.”

…

I right myself, trying to ignore the pain in my chest I wipe the tears from eyes. Holy crap that was funny. Unsurprisingly, my companion doesn’t seem to be fazed by my long fit of laughter.

“Hey Ren, you know the way back to Yamaku right?”

“Yep.”

Thank God.

“Could you show me, I’m kind of lost?”

Without answering she springs to her feet in a stiff motion and begins treading through the snow in what I hope is the direction of Yamaku. A left here, a right there and it’s not too long before we’ve reached the border of the forest. A slight sense of relief washes over me.

School seems to have already ended for the day, I guess I was out there longer than I thought. After making our way through the gate, we travel past the boy’s dorms.

“Rin!” A short girl with twin tails shouts as she walks quickly towards us waving. “Where were you? We’re supposed to go shopping today and-“ She stops talking for a moment, glancing at me. “Wow Rin, you ditched me to spend time with your boyfriend.” She winks and pokes her tongue out at us, though I seem to be the only one bothered by her taunts.

Hey, wait a moment.

I turn to the girl beside me. “I’ve been calling you Ren all day. Why didn’t you tell me your name was Rin?”

Rin turns to me and shrugs nonchalantly.

I hope my glare is conveying all of my hate for you right now, Rin.

[Shail]

“Hilarious.” I say sarcastically as I push myself up off the ground. “You’re that girl. Ahh… Ren, right? What are you doing here?”

“Nothing… So Ren, what’s worrying you?” I try desperately to change the subject.

“Hey Ren, you know the way back to Yamaku right?”

“Rin!” A short girl with twin tails shouts as she walks quickly towards us waving. “Where were you? We’re supposed to go shopping today and-“ She stops talking for a moment, glancing at me. “Wow Rin, you ditched me to spend time with your boyfriend.” She winks and pokes her tongue out at us, though I seem to be the only one bothered by her taunts.

I turn to the girl beside me. “I’ve been calling you Ren all day. Why didn’t you tell me your name was Rin?”

Rin turns to me and shrugs nonchalantly.

I hope my glare is conveying all of my hate for you right now, Rin.

Did I miss something here? Ren as in hen, Rin as in Rinse.. both are pronounced the same as far as I know, just spelled differently o-o. I am so missing something here...

By the way: Yay Rin o3o

[Shail]

The bell rings interrupting Mutou's passionate speech. To spite his fatigued and unkempt look, the man is quite capable of really getting into his teaching. "It's the first day, so I'll go easy on you guys. But starting tomorrow, expect homework." He returns to his seat, shuffling the papers on his desk around.

I can't tell if that's supposed to be "to spite" or "despite", while despite sounds smoother to read, I think to spite can fit in there as well, albeit a bit off-putting to read

[Lloyd Snow]

Did I miss something here? Ren as in hen, Rin as in Rinse.. both are pronounced the same as far as I know, just spelled differently o-o. I am so missing something here...

By the way: Yay Rin o3o

He's pronouncing it like 'wren', as in the little bird.

[Lloyd Snow]

“If you two lovebirds are done staring into each other’s eyes, I’d like to get a move on.” She pauses and thinks for a moment. “If you’re both that inseparable, you can bring your boyfriend with you Rin.”

I can tell by the tone of her voice that she’s trying to make fun of Rin, however it seems to be having no affect. The conversation has halted as we wait for Rin’s response. Not willing to take the silence any longer I speak up instead.

“Sounds good to me. I was going to go shopping anyway.”

“Great!” Her enthusiasm is slightly off putting. “Rin, I didn’t know you were into foreign boys.”

Once again, Rin is about as responsive as a brick wall. The twin-tail girl seems to be fairly used to this though.

“So Rin, are you going to introduce us?”

Surprisingly, the girl manages to illicit a reaction from the brick wall.

“Kohta, this is Emi. Emi, this is Kohta. He’s a pervert.” Rin states in a matter-of-fact way.

Emi gasps and recoils in mock horror before breaking out into laughter. “I’ll have to keep an eye on you then.” She winks at me again.

***

Finally we reach the bottom of the hill. Not a single word has been spoken since we left the school grounds. Rin and Emi are walking side by side with me lagging slightly behind them. I don’t understand these two. They don’t fit together whatsoever, but somehow manage to remain perfectly in sync.

“Hey Emi,” she slows her pace to take position next to me, “what’s the story with Rin?”

“What do you mean?” She asks turning to me.

Something about the tone in her voice tells me she knows what I’m asking. Perhaps the question is a bit personal to be asking someone I just met. But it’s not like I can ask Rin and get an intelligible answer.

“It’s just that Rin is really... What’s the word?”

“Weird?” She intervenes.

“Yeah. Has she always been like that?”

“Ever since I’ve known her.”

“Speaking of which, how’d you two even come to be friends?”

“Our rooms are right next to each other.” She pauses. “And I help do the stuff she can’t. It was the school’s idea.”

Does that make Emi Rin’s helper? I guess that would make sense. I mean, Emi doesn’t seem to be disabled, as far as I can tell. I start to watch Rin as she walks. There’s something about her, about the way she carries herself that intrigues me.

“Finally, we’re here. My legs are killing me!” Emi shouts.

We enter the store single file with Emi taking point. I nod to the shop attendant behind the counter as we enter, and he responds with a smile. Emi and Rin take off ahead through the small aisles. I have no idea where anything in this store is. As I walk through the aisles searching for the things I need, I look longingly at some of the products. Being restricted to lean meats, bread, and whole foods is a massive bummer. Furthermore this store only seems to stock a small amount of the items I’m looking for. I can get by on what I’ve got though. We pay for our stuff and leave the store.

Emi turns to us. “There’s just one more thing I’ve got to do. You two wait here, I’ll be right back.”

Emi takes off down the street in a light jog. I wonder where she’s going. My feet are tired so I decide to sit on the sidewalk, leaning against the front of the store. Rin however, is not so inclined. Instead, she decides to wander around. Rin is such a calm person. Finally she stops moving and kneels in front of some sort of garden beside the road.

I lean back and close my eyes. Why do I care about all of this crap with my mother and father? I don’t, really. I mean, I do. But, at the same time, I know it doesn’t really matter. I really should just get over all of it. I’m here now, and there’s no going back. I shou-

My thoughts are cut off as I sense a shadow pass over me. I open my eyes to see Rin standing above me, with something hanging out of her mouth. The sun is behind her, so I have to squint slightly. Suddenly the object in her mouth falls into my lap. It’s a flower. She must have picked it from the garden.

“Hey, Kohta.”

I look back up at Rin. “Yes?”

“You shouldn’t worry.”

I sit there stunned. I have no idea how to react. Rin really is an enigma.

“I’m back!” Emi looks at me, then at Rin. “Did I miss something?”

“Nope. Is that everything you need?” I ask, trying to change the subject.

“Yep!” She responds enthusiastically. “Let’s go.”

I pull myself off the ground and pick up my groceries. As we walk back to the school, I can’t help but think about what just happened. The flower Rin gave me is hidden away in the breast pocket of my jacket. I’ve known her for less than a day, so why is she concerned about me? Rin doesn’t strike me as the kind of person to worry about others. Maybe I just understand less about her than I thought.

The girls and I make it back to the dorms, say our goodbyes and split up. I’ve got a lot of cooking to do so I’m in a rush to get back to my room. I finish climbing the last stairs to my floor. I round the corner and unlock my room.

I throw some broccoli onto the cutting board and start heating the wok. After throwing in the ingredients, there’s a loud knocking at my door. Unfortunately, when I open my it I’m graced by the sight of Kenji.

“Hey dude.”

I plant my face firmly into my palm. “What is it, Kenji?”

“A girl came by earlier, she said she wanted to give this to you,” he produces a school jacket and a note, “but you weren’t here.”

I take the items from his hand and place them on my bed.

“You wanna be careful with those, man. I suggest you burn them as soon as possible.”
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Kenji sniffs the air, like a bloodhound searching for a scent. “Ooh, what’s for dinner?”

“Goodbye Kenji!” I say sternly as I slam the door in his face.

I pick the note up from my bed. It reads:

“Sorry.
-Naomi”

Oh God. I’d nearly forgotten about that. Now I feel like a massive asshole. Which is exactly what I am. Tomorrow morning, I’m going to apologies to those guys. Assuming they’re even willing to talk to me.

[Lloyd Snow]

I awkwardly rub the back of my neck.

“Look, Naomi. I’m sorry I walked-“

“Don’t worry about.” Naomi says beaming, happy as ever. Her expression suddenly drops. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

I’m about to assure her that it’s not her fault when Akio suddenly chimes in.

“So,” he says as he claps his hands together, “you’ve got to go see the nurse right?” He asks me.

“Yeah.”

“I’ve got to see him about something, if you don’t mind the company?”

“Of course not.”

“Ladies, you’ll have to excuse us.”

“Yeah, I’ll catch ya’ later.”

We say our goodbyes before exiting the classroom and starting the trek towards the nurse’s office. During our trip a tangible silence hangs over us. That is, until Akio decides to speak finally.

“What happened?”

His question is vague but I know too well what he is asking, and he knows that I know. There’s no point in trying to dodge the question.

“I don’t know.” I begin a staring contest with my feet. “I just couldn’t take it, you know, how fragile people are.”

I concede defeat, looking to Akio apologetically. I hope that he doesn’t think any less of me.

“Everyone’s like that when they first come here. I was. Soon you’ll realize just how strong these people are. I rem-“

Akio is cut off as he disappears from my field of view.

Shaking off the disorientation, I realize that I am now firmly pressed against the floor. I’m not sure what I collided with, but it took the wind out of me. With how I feel right now, it’s not entirely unreasonable to assume there’s a rogue bull in Yamaku and its assaulting students.

“Ouch. Kohta, it’s you.” My assailant says sounding surprised. “Are you okay?”

As I sit up, I’m graced by the sight of Emi rubbing her side and looking apologetic. So my assumption was pretty spot on, it seems. As I am about to scold Emi, Akio offers his hand to me.

“It’s a good thing you were in the way.” He starts chuckling slightly. “If she’d collided with me, I probably wouldn’t still be in one piece.”

He pulls me to my feet. “Damn straight. When you give a speech at my funeral, tell them I died taking a school girl for you.”

We both laugh in unison.

“Hey.” Emi pouts. “I could be hurt too.”

I dust off my jacket and go to help Emi to her feet.

…

“Emi, what the hell happened to your l-“ I manage to cut myself off last second before saying something I’d spend a long time regretting.

Emi isn’t clad in the knee socks I saw her wear yesterday. Instead, from the knee down she has strange metallic legs. From the design, I’d guess they’d allow her more mobility. Suddenly, it hits me that the two of them are staring at me.

“Why the hell were you running in the halls?” Hopefully, she didn’t pick up on my slip up.

Akio winks at me knowingly. He is clearly trying to stop himself from laughing. So much for being thankful. I only sacrificed myself to a torrent of Emi, Akio you bastard. How’d he figure it out anyway?

“Oh!”

She springs to her proverbial legs.

“I need to give Rin her lunch. I’ve got to do something, so I won’t be able to eat with her today. But I can’t have her starving. Damn it, I’m going to be late now.” Emi slams her fist into her palm. Suddenly, a wicked look crosses her face. She gives me a devilish look before putting on her best ‘cute’ face. “Hey Kohta, since you bumped into me. You sort of owe me one. Could you take this to Rin for me?” She practically sings her words.

“No.”

She begins faux sobbing, moving her finger to her face to wipe away a non-existent tear. She pouts at me in a ridiculously over exaggerated and incredibly cute expression. “Pleeeeeease?” Holy crap, she looks like an abandoned puppy, begging for you to look after her. Who could say no to that?

“No.” Spoiler alert. I can.

She breaks character, slapping Rin’s lunch against my chest. “Just do it.” She glares at me. Given the force she just ran into me with, I’m inclined to say yes.

“Fine.”

“Thanks! She’s in the art room.” She returns to her happy self. I despise you Emi.

And just like that, she’s off in the direction she just came from.

“I still have to head to the Nurse’s office. I’ll see you later, Kohta.”

Akio disappears before I can say goodbye.

Brilliant.

[Lloyd Snow]

The art room, finally. God damn it Emi.

I open the door to the room.

“Hel-“ I stop myself as I notice Rin’s still form.

She’s sleeping on top of one of the tables. She looks so peaceful, it seems like a shame to disturb her. I place her lunch on a table and take seat. I wander what Rin dreams about? Probably chasing pink dragons, or something.

“So you like to watch girls sleeping as well.” Rin’s voice startles me. She slowly opens her eyes. “Forget your camera?”

“Shut up.” I put the lunch on the table beside her. “Here, Emi wanted me to give this to you.”

Rin maneuvers to an upright position, looking across to the food on the table. Hang on, how’s she going to eat? Don’t tell me I have to feed her too. God damn it Emi.

To my amazement, in one practiced movement, Rin moves her bare feet to her food, removing the lid. Then, she picks up a fork between her toes. Holy crap, this is amazing. With ease, she moves the forkful of rice to her mouth.

“That’s pretty damn cool.”

“What is?” Once again, she genuinely doesn’t get what I mean. At least, I think she doesn’t.

“Never mind.”

I take this opportunity to dig into my own lunch.
That’s pretty impressive. I wonder what else she can do with her feet. Does she wash them like hands? I really, really hope so.

I enjoy eating in silence, but for some reason I feel compelled to start a conversation.

“So, how come you’re in the art room?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Not really.

“I was finishing off a painting.”

Oh.

“You…Paint?” I ask.

“Yep.”

Rin finishes the last of her food.

“Want to see?”

“Sure.” I reply.

Rin pushes herself off the table, and moves towards the side of the classroom. She stops at stool placed in front of a half painted canvas. The canvas is covered with various colors and shapes that don’t seem to quite fit together. It looks like someone decided to paint something, and then changed their mind halfway through a couple of times. She takes a seat and picks up her paint brush.

Her dexterity is amazing. She carefully strokes the brush across the canvas. Everything she does seems random despite her precise movements.

“What isn’t working?” Her words cut through the silence, breaking the Zen of the moment.

“What?”

“You said you were poisoned, so I assume that a part of you is broken because of it. Which part?”

“My liver.”

“Oh.”

The canvas is completely covered now.

“What do you think?” She asks.

I inspect the canvas. I can see a lot of objects in it, bits and pieces of them anyway. I can’t quite tell what it is, but something about it feels wrong.

“Something seems off about it.” I hope she doesn’t get offended. “But I’m not artist, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.” I add.

She sits still in her chair, thinking for a moment.

“Yes.”

I don’t know what she means, but I don’t think it would be a good idea to follow her up on it.

Rin stands up and moves back to the table. She jumps back up onto it, and lays down.

“I’m going back to sleep. You can stay and watch if you like.”

“Tempting, but I think I’ll give it a pass.”

“Oh well, your loss.”

I collect my things and make my way for the door.

“Hey Kohta.”

I turn back to Rin.

“Do you-“

Her sentence is cut off as the door swings open.

Standing in the doorway is the girl with dark hair and glasses from my class. I can’t remember her name though. She’s looking at Rin with an almost mortified expression.
“Hello.”

She doesn’t respond.

“Hello.”

My waving arm manages to gain her attention. She glares at me and points to Rin, before shaking her head.

“What?”

Once again, she doesn’t speak. Instead, she slaps her forehead and bounds over to me. She pulls out a small note pad and begins writing. She’s a mute then? She hands me the notepad.

[What is she doing on the table?]

“Ask her yourself.” I say.

She shakes her head and pokes her finger at the notepad, pushing it into my chest. Why do people like to do that? This girl must be deaf. I start scribbling my response.

[Sleeping.]

She glares at me again.

[I can see that.]

I’ve only just met this girl, but I can already tell I’m going to hate her. Let’s have a little fun.

[Then why ask?]

[It’s against the rules.]

[I don’t think she cares.]

[She needs to move immediately.]

[I don’t really care either.]

A satisfying feeling washes over me as she stares me down.

Just as she is about to scrawl down what I can only imagine would be a death threat, Rin turns over to face us.

“I’m popular today.” She says in a tired voice.

“Rin, you should probably get off the table, or you’ll have to answer to her.”

“And who are you?” Rin asks, looking at the girl.

“She’s deaf, she can’t hear you.”

The dark haired girl hands me the notepad.

[What is she saying?]

[Nothing, we’re leaving.]

“Rin, let’s go before she has a breakdown.”

Rin pushes herself off the table and heads towards the door.

[I won’t forget this.]

I look above the page to see her adjusting her glasses threateningly.

[Good.]

I pass her back the note pad and join Rin.

As we’re leaving the hall Rin turns to me.

“She was deaf?”

“Yep.”

“I never have been good with sign language.”

“Oh really? Who would have guessed?” I say sarcastically.

“Yes. You need hands. And I don’t have any.”

I’ve got to remember, no sarcasm around Rin.

[TheGoatman]

Rin maneuvers to an upright position, looking across to the food on the table. Hang on, how’s she going to eat? Don’t tell me I have to feed her too. God damn it Emi.
Missing an enter here, not required but it looks nicer to OCD people
Too my amazement, in one practiced movement, Rin moves her bare feet to her food, removing the lid. Then, she picks up a fork between her toes. Holy crap, this is amazing. With ease, she moves the forkful of rice to her mouth.

“Rin, you should probably get off the table, or you’ll have to answer to her.”
Is he being sarcastic?

Great chapters, I have to say, you write Rin really well. Only two things stuck out to me in the 2nd chapter, didn't catch anything in the 1st

[griffon8]

I’ve got to remember, no sarcasm around Rin.

That is very "sound" advice.

So, if you're planning on doing a route for all the girls, how long are you expecting each of these to be? Just how much work are you setting yourself up for?

[Lloyd Snow]

So, if you're planning on doing a route for all the girls, how long are you expecting each of these to be? Just how much work are you setting yourself up for?

Since starting this a fair bit of the design behind what I planned on doing has changed.
These will no longer be 'routes', but side stories to a larger main story. Sort of like 'what ifs'.
They'll vary in length, depending on how much I need to convey the stuff I want to convey. And I don't really mind if that's going to accumulate to a lot. Because I don't really see it as work.

[Loeloe95]

I do really like you're story, please don't over burden you're self and fizzle out. That would suck greatly.

[Lloyd Snow]

I do really like you're story, please don't over burden you're self and fizzle out. That would suck greatly.

Thanks for the concern, I'm glad you like it.

[Lloyd Snow]

It's been a hectic week, though it seems like a distant memory now. The days feel as though they have passed in the blink of an eye.

Except for now, on this Saturday afternoon, when most students are enjoying the little freedom they get. Now, here on the roof of Yamaku, amidst a sea of gravel, time is at a standstill.

I've been having lunch on the roof ever since Emi invited me up here. She insisted it was repayment for delivering Rin's lunch for her. However, I can't help but feel that's not the case.

I think Emi might pity me.

I'm never relaxed around Emi. She's too active, too cheery. I feel like if I let my guard down around her for even a moment, I'll be left behind.

But Emi's not here today.

She said she had something personal to take care of. Which just leaves Rin and I a free afternoon. An afternoon we've decided to waste away on top of Yamaku.

I breathe in my surroundings once more.

The sun is high in the sky, casting its warmth down onto us. The breeze picks up again, washing over me and cooling my skin. From here, with the chain link fences just out of view, the sky is the only thing you can see. The world is silent. A silence occasionally broken by a new gust of wind.

I close my eyes and breathe deeply. The air is scentless and clean.

As I exhale, it feels as though I'm sinking deeper and deeper into the gravel.

"Amazing, isn't it?" I ask, unwilling to let myself fall asleep.

"What is?" She replies.

"All of this."

I hold my arms out beside me to emphasize my point.

"The sky is all out of ideas, today."

I ignore her response. That's not a mountain I'm willing to climb.

"It reminds me of this one time, my family and I were going on a picnic. Our car broke down, so I ended up spending a couple of hours sitting on the front of it, eating fruit. Back then I probably thought it was boring, but now, I couldn't think of anything better. Anything more peaceful."

A nostalgic smile crosses my face.

"Did you eat oranges?"

The smile fades slightly

"I don't know, maybe. Why?" I ask confused.

"I like oranges. I don't eat them a lot though, can't peel them."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. No hands, remember? Sometimes Emi peels me some."

"Fair enough."

I don't know what it is about Rin, but I like being around her. I think, she just doesn't seem to care about anything, and it makes you not care. There's no drama with Rin. Rin is just Rin. She's just so damn peaceful.

That gives me an idea.

"Rin, wait here. Don't go wandering off on some crazy adventure." I chuckle. "Seriously though, don't go wandering around. I'll be right back." She does that sometimes.

"Fare thee well."

I turn to her and smile.

...

My footsteps echo through the empty stairwell as I round the final and make my way up the last set of stairs. My right arm is firmly gripping the guide rail, essentially dragging me to the top, and the left is carrying the subject of my grand quest. I got more than a couple stares carrying it around the school, but what do they know anyway. I open the door to the roof, to my surprise and relief, Rin is still in the exact spot she was when I left.

"Yo Rin, look what I got."

"What is it?" She asks, still staring at the sky.

"Just look, damn it woman."

She turns to me and her eyes are immediately drawn to my left hand. I hold the bag of oranges out in front of me proudly, like a trophy.

"Want some?"

"I told you, I can't peel oranges."

"I'll peel them for you, obviously."

Rin approaches me. I slide down the wall into a sitting position and Rin does the same beside me.

I grab an orange out of the bag and get to work trying to peel it. God damn this is hard. I should have grabbed a knife or something. Now that would have really given people something to stare at.

As I begin tearing the skin away, the familiar citrus scent fills the air. Finally, after some fiddling I get the first one peeled and pass it to Rin. She takes the orange between her feet and moves it to her mouth.

I'll be forever impressed with Rin. She's defter with her feet than I am with my hands. As Rin starts biting into the orange, I can't help but notice she's having some trouble. Juice is spilling down her chin and foot.

"Give it here." I say with slight frustration, as if I was speaking to a child.

She passes me the half mangled orange. I begin to tear a piece from it, however my attention is drawn away when I notice Rin fidgeting uncomfortably. The juice the orange left on her face has begun to slide down her neck.

I sigh and raise my right arm. I gently use the sleeve of my jacket to dry the juice from her neck and chin. I guess I had to get this thing cleaned eventually.

"Thank you." Rin mumbles.

I go back to working on the orange, tearing away a piece. I offer it to Rin, however to my surprise instead of grabbing it with her feet, she uses her mouth to take the piece from my hand. I wait until she's done and tear her away another piece. Once again she takes the piece with her mouth.

This time, while she's eating, I tear a piece away for myself and start eating it. The taste is good, strangely bitter, but good.

The fact that Rin recently had her feet all over this orange doesn't bother me, a luxury I wouldn't afford anyone else.

Time passes as we repeat this process, making a large dent in the bag of oranges.

Between bursts of chewing, Rin keeps glancing at me, as though she wishes to say something, but she never does.

Maybe she wants to thank me, but doesn't know how. Which is fine, because while I'm sure some part of me did this for Rin, my own desire was my main motivation.

I wanted to, even if for a brief moment, to relive those times. Back when being happy was how I felt by default. Back before I realize just how terrible this world really is.

But it'd be wrong, to compare this moment to back then. Because this moment is better. Here, with Rin, for the first time in a long time I feel happy. There's no one I'd rather be here with right now than Rin, for reasons I don't understand. Probably because I don't understand Rin.

I sigh and lean heavily against the wall.

"Hey Rin, what are you?" I ask, surprised by my own question.

"What?"

This is probably the first time I've heard Rin genuinely confused.

"I mean, tell me about you."

I close my eyes, and inhale.

"Do you find me that interesting?"

“Yes. Now answer my question. You like painting, right? How’d that start?”

“It just sort of did.”

I sure do love none-answers.

“Well, what do you do when you’re not painting?”

“Sleep, eat…” She pauses to think.

“How come you act like that?” I ask.

“What?” Her response is lined with a little bit of shock.

“Disconnected.”

“I…” She pauses.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Once again the roof is silent.

I let out a long yawn and sink even deeper into the wall. The sound of the world around me begins to slowly fade. The wind, the birds. Gone.

…

Christ, my spine. Ouch. Damn, my body feels heavy as shit. The sky is dark and full of stars. Damn it, I fell asleep. I try to lift my right arm, but I can’t feel it. I look over and find the reason. It seems that while I was asleep, Rin decided to sleep up against me. She’s not even touching the wall. Do I look like a damn mattress? Her chin is digging into my shoulder cutting off the circulation, and her breasts are pressed up against my arm. Which, thanks to the numbness, I can’t feel. Bummer. I can’t get out of this without waking her up unfortunately.

“Rin.” I shift around a little bit. “Rin, wake up.”

“No. Just a little longer.” She stubbornly digs her face further into my shoulder.

“Get up now.” I finally manage to peel her off and stand up. I turn back to her, rubbing my arm to regain feeling. “Why are you on me, anyway?”

“It’s cold.”

She’s not wrong. Now that I’m standing up, I can feel the wind cutting through me. And I’m wearing a jacket. Rin has already started shivering. Brilliant, now I feel bad.

“Ugh, here.” I start unbuttoning my jacket.

“I don’t need a strip dan-“

“Just shut up and take my jacket.”

I will slap you.

I hold out my jacket and offer it to her. She sits up and stares at me expectantly. Right, no arms. I move over to her and put my jacket onto her shoulders, and do up a couple of buttons.

“I’m going back to my room. I suggest you do the same, or you’re going to freeze.”

“Too tired. I’ll pass.”

Whatever. I turn to leave. I can’t just leave her here, can I? If there’s one thing I’ve learnt about Rin, it’s that she can take care of herself. Oh, God damn it.

“Rin, I’m going to carry you back to your dorm. I’ll feel bad if I leave you here and you get pneumonia."

"Fine." She says in a tired voice. "But no groping."

Rin closes her eyes and falls back asleep.

I wish I could be that carefree and ungrateful.

I slip my arms underneath Rin's neck and legs and lift her up with a grunt.

She's lighter than I expected, light enough that I don't feel compelled to drop her. This isn't going to be fun.

...

Surprisingly, up until now, excluding a few fits of awkward movement from Rin, this trip has been easy. However, climbing these stairs with Rin in arms is a bit much to handle.

My arms are burning.

On top of that, I'm carrying a girl through the girl's dorms, late at night. While I've been fortunate to not have been spotted yet, should someone see me, I have all intentions of dropping Rin and running. And it would serve her right too, making me carry her all this way.

Just a little further to go until I get to her-

Wait. I come to a halt on the stairs. Which room is Rin’s?

"314."

How'd she...

Screw it, let's just get this over with.

After one more flight of stairs, I round a corner and arrive at room 314. I shake Rin.

"Rin, I'm putting you down now."

I lay her against the wall next to her door.

Shit, how am I meant to get her inside? This just keeps getting better and better. I should have left her on the roof, and let her become a Rinsicle.

Wait, Emi’s room is right next to Rin’s, right?

I knock on Emi's door a couple of times until I can here movement from the other side…

I take off sprinting, making my way down the stairs.

She's your problem now Emi!

[Mirage_GSM]

Hehe, nice chapter.
I like the bit at the end, even though it's probably a bit over the top even for Rin