Learning To Fly - A Saki pseudo-route (Completed)

[Blackmambauk]

I forget how long dvd's took to come out back then. When we live in a age where they are now out within a few months of their cinema release.

No i don't see Hisao even knowing anything about Scorsese or his works, Pirates definitely came out in Japan because it's Disney and their stuff is generally popular over in Japan. Not sure if many of Martin's films have ever been released in Japan since they are very western based and pop cultured layered that very few Japanese people would ever grasp. As amazing as Martin's work is, especially Raging Bull, Casino, Taxi Driver. Should not have taken Departed for him to get his Oscar.

No problem mate, as always you fully deserve the comments form me and all those who follow you and comment on this forum. If you need to timeskip mate, timeskip. No need to fill in spots where mundane things happen or not advance character or plot.

[Peorth]

>unless my parents what to drive me up. You?”
'want'

[Eurobeatjester]

>unless my parents what to drive me up. You?”
'want'

Whoops! Thanks for pointing out that little gremlin

[Alex FRD]

Poor Saki's brother, in a few years he will have to suffer through On Stranger Tides. Anyway, glad to see you're back and still writing this! It's the only KSFF I read that still gets updated.

[Zerebos]

Great update as always Euro. I really enjoyed the interactions between Saki and Hisao during their night together—the playful banter, the kind words. It all felt real and warm. The writing itself was great, makes me wish I could capture scenery and thoughts the way you do.

Only thing I didn't really like was Kenji. The Kenji encounter felt a bit too civilized and I guess it was explained by the exams stuff but still not what I might expect.

[Mirage_GSM]

Same with the always honourable tradition and part of the hazing process among KS writers. Of the girl realising Hisao likes Sweatshirt vests and likely has a draw full of them. Never gets tiring...

Disagree about that part. I thought it got tiring a few years ago.

I can subscribe to the rest of your post, though.

[Eurobeatjester]

I promise this is the last time a bash on the sweatervest is made

[BeastOfKings]

Hey there! Had to make a profile to say something about how awesome this fic is. Just found KS a week or so ago and after I finished it, I couldn't get enough. Some stumbling around the internet led me to this fic, which I almost didn't bother with since I don't care for unfinished stories.

Boy am I glad I read it anyway. Between all the game routes, and the miki route I've read, this one has to be my favorite. The way you write Hisao is just what I wanted from him, and Saki seems like his perfect counterpart. The foreshadowing, the twists, the fun. I love it all.

Can't wait for the next installment!

[Mirage_GSM]

Welcome to the Forums!
If you're looking for more stories to read, take a peek at the library thread (stickied in this forum).
Hasn' been updated for a while but you should find enough to keep you busy for a long time.

[Downix]

Wow, well written and has me hungry for more. Argh. The anticipation.

[sloth4]

I was leery of reading this story when I came across the recommendation on TV Tropes. Everything I'd heard suggested it was a terrific story, but that it was so far incomplete. But I read it, and it was terrific. But now I'm left with a sense of disappointment that I must now wait for future updates. Oh well. Keep up the good work, you have a new fan.

[Eurobeatjester]

Less than two months between updates? Technically...

This chapter was a very fun one to write and went in directions I never planned it to, but I'm happy with the way it came out!

3 more chapters to round out Act 3. Good news is I have large chunks of them already done!

This chapter's title comes from a song the Italian group Hotel Saint George. It's been mostly heard under the nightcore'd title "Children Of Darkness." I thought it was a really fitting song for this chapter

Comments, criticisms, and feedback always welcome!

Note: I didn't originally plan for this chapter to have this, but it ended up needing a smut warning.

Act 3: Ignition

Scene 9: Figli Delle Tenebre

It’s a good thing Mitsuru and I are about the same size.

Standing in the bathroom, in front of the mirror, I smooth down the folds of the light gray yukata that he was gracious enough to let me borrow. The tie is a little shorter than I’m used to, but I’m still able to use it without any issues. I wet my hands at the sink and run my fingers through my hair, trying to make it a bit more manageable, and am met with limited success.

I’m grateful that I was able to sleep well the last few nights after exams. It’s only going to be a few months until we have to do this whole song and dance again, but the respite - no matter how brief it may end up being - is a welcome one. Compared to the festival, it’s good to know that we’ll actually be able to enjoy Tanabata to the fullest since exams are already over. Just one more week to go before we get out for summer break and I head back home.

Well, maybe a little bit longer than a week for some of us. We do have the waterpark trip planned after all.

Content with my appearance, I leave the bathroom and briefly stop by my room to drop off my normal clothing. The plan was to meet Mitsuru down in the common room, then meet the girls on the stairway leading to both of the dorms. While Saki and I have become more comfortable escorting each other to our respective dormitories, it would still be pushing it slightly for one of us to enter the other’s by ourselves.

When I finally get to the common area, I see a group of several people gathered around the television, armed with a variety of snacks, drinks, and verbose insults hurled at each other as they play a game console hooked up to it. Since none of them are dressed up, it’s safe to assume they’ve already figured out how they’re going to be spending Tanabata.

“Ah, there you are,” I hear a familiar voice say. I turn to see Mitsuru walking up to me, his dark blue yukata making my own look drab in comparison. Oh well. Beggars can’t be choosers.

“Hey Mitsuru,” I reply, greeting him. “Do you know if the girls are ready to meet up yet?”

“Yeah,” he says, running a hand through his hair to slick it back. “Chisato just called me a few minutes ago. The two of them should be heading down to the courtyard right now and will meet us there. Got everything you need?”

I pat down my sides, confirming I have my wallet, then give him the affirmative. The two of us walk the short distance to the front door and I hold it open for him.

The air is cool and refreshing, filled with all the scents of a summer evening. The western sky has taken on a beautiful orange hue as the receding sun lights up each scattered cloud with its own halo, and a few stars are just becoming visible on the opposite horizon. The courtyard itself is illuminated by both the dying sun and the artificial glow of the lamps encompassing it, each surrounded by a small cloud of insects dancing madly around them.

It’s a beautiful evening. I’ve always found something romantic about days like this and the possibilities they offer.

A quick scan of the courtyard shows about two dozen people, more than half of which are dressed similarly to the two of us. A few groups cluster together while others are making their way off towards the entrance gate, doubtless choosing to head down into town to see the festivities.

“Found them,” Mitsuru says to me, nodding his head towards a group of three girls gathered around under one of the lights, prompting us to make our way over to them. Chisato notices us first when we arrive, and after a few pleasantries, we all take a few seconds to evaluate each other.

Chisato’s robe is sky blue, with starburst accents of pure white making their way down its flowing curves. The tie and bow around her waist is a dark black that seems to drink all the light that hits it, matching her hair. Mitsuru moves to her side, and the two of them complement each other perfectly.

Noriko’s actually wearing a kimono instead of a yukata, the pink silk covered in a radiant floral pattern giving her an almost regal air. A white tie and gold cord holds it together, and her long hair is held up by a matching headpiece. She gives me a small bow when she sees me, a move that only has its elegance heightened by her appearance.

Saki hits the middle ground between the two of them. Her yukata is orange, with small red circles neatly dotting the fabric. The tie is pink, but with no cord - instead, the front of the tie has a few fabric flowers attached to it, with a pair of gold tassels hanging down off one of them. It matches the red flower she has pinned in her hair above her right ear...and the one attached to the handle of her cane.

When I see this, I start laughing. Saki notices immediately what I’m laughing at, and holds the cane up so I can inspect it further. Sure enough, the normal black loop of fabric that she runs her wrist through has been replaced with a flower and golden tassel identical to the ones hanging off her waist.

“What, a girl can’t accessorize?”

“That’s certainly one way of doing it.”

“Hello to you too, by the way.”

“You all look...beautiful,” I say, and mean it. Noriko bows again, and Saki gives me a small smile and a blush. Chisato knows it and grins appropriately.

“You don’t look half bad yourself,” Saki says. “I thought that gray would look bland on you, but it works.”

“Thanks, I think?”

Saki laughs and the fingers of her free hand easily fit in my own.

Mitsuru clears his throat and addresses Noriko. “I must admit I’m curious. Why a kimono?”

“I didn’t get a chance to wear this during the winter,” she answers. “I didn’t want to wear the same thing I did last year to Tanabata, you know?”

“You certainly look stunning.”

“Hey now, and you think I don’t?” Chisato pouts, pulling gently at the front of Mitsuru’s robe to get his attention.

“There’s no right answer to that question, and as such, I refuse to answer it.”

“You’re going to pay for that later,” Chisato growls under the sounds of the rest of us laughing at his lack-of-answer.

“You all ready to go into town?” Saki asks all of us.

“Shouldn’t we check out what’s here on the grounds?” I reply.

“We’ll end up back here anyway, won’t we? If we go into town we’ll be able to check everything else out on the way back up. Then we’ll be right by the dorms when we finish.”

“That seems like as good an idea as any.”

“Great! We’re decided then?”

The town normally has its own sense of charm, but today, that’s amplified tenfold. The sun has gone down completely in the time it took for us to walk down here, and now the only light that illuminates the streets comes from the moon and a variety of tissue paper lanterns with every color of the rainbow.

It’s quite relaxing.

There are quite a number of booths here compared to the amount there were during the festival, with a huge selection of both games and food to choose from. The smells of sweets and fried food permeates the air, eliciting a primal response of hunger that won’t go away until it’s satiated.

“Where to first?” Noriko asks all of us. “We could play games, or get something to eat.”

“I mean, I plan on doing both, but the order doesn’t really matter to me,” Chisato says, giving her input.

Mitsuru answers her. “I say we eat first. I didn’t get a chance to have breakfast today.”

“Who’s fault is that?”

“Partially yours.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you were the one that turned off the alarm before we went to sleep last night.”

“Well excuse me for wanting to get some beauty sleep. You could have woken up and got some food on your own, if you were that hungry.”

“You know there’s no way to do that without waking you up the way you sprawl out over me, right?”

“I don’t think it would have mattered anyway,” I interject, trying to calm down the argument between Chisato and Mitsuru, even if it is playful. “I woke up early today and there wasn’t anyone in the cafeteria.”

“They would have had the day off too,” Noriko clarifies.

“I say food as well,” Saki says, turning towards me. “Besides, yakitori is on you this time, remember?”

“How in the-”

“I bought you some during the festival, now it’s your turn,” she finishes, flashing a smile at me that preemptively strikes down any incredulousness I would start to feel at that statement.

Doesn’t mean I’m still not going to make an effort.

“I thought you did that because I was helping you all that week.”

(continued...)

[Eurobeatjester]

“Relax, Hisao, I’m only kidding,” she says, covering her mouth with a hand and laughing gently. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll pay for our dessert.”

“...fine,” I answer, my voice full of mock exasperation.

“Looks like it’s settled then,” Noriko declares, and even if it wasn’t completely, it was by the finality of that statement. “What sounds good?”

This sparks another round of spirited discussion.

“That was delicious,” Mitsuru says, placing the paper cup full of steaming tea down on the table. The rest of us nod and vocalize our agreement.

Ultimately, when we got to the food stalls, we couldn’t settle on a single thing we all wanted. Noriko then had the idea of all of us going to get something, then bringing it back to share with the rest of the group. It seemed like a good idea, but ultimately we ended up with far more food than we expected with that strategy. The middle of the table is littered with a combination of paper plates, wooden skewers, and plastic utensils, a testament to how hard we actually tried to finish everything. There’s still a few takoyaki balls and two more skewers of chicken, but nobody seems to have the willpower to finish them.

“I’m stuffed,” Chisato says, leaning back further in her chair and folding her hands over her stomach in yet another one of her unladylike gestures. I almost expect her to start patting herself.

“Nobody saved room for dessert?” Saki teases, drawing out a few groans at the thought from the rest of us.

“I don’t think I could eat a funnel cake, even if I split it with you,” I tell her.

“It’s not like funnel cakes are the only thing they have. Let’s walk around a bit, check out the games, and then see if we feel like it later, alright?”

With nothing else seeming to be a good idea, we quickly and quietly clear off our table, depositing all the refuse into the nearest bin. Noriko even takes the time to use an extra napkin and wipe down the table, making it ready for the next group that is already moving over to use it. I shift the tie around my waist slightly to make it more comfortable, and help pull Saki to her feet.

With the five of us in a group, and two couples making up that five, it takes us a while to find a rhythm that we can walk around in. Sometimes Noriko takes the lead, sometimes all five of us walk abreast when it’s not too crowded, or sometimes one of the couples falls back behind the other when the walkway narrows from oncoming people. It takes a while, but we eventually manage to see most of the booths. There’s the standard fare of carnival games, including a ring toss, a draw lottery, a shooting gallery...and of course, the goldfish scoop.

“They couldn’t manage to get you to run this one, could they?” I ask, gently prodding Saki with an elbow and grinning at her.

“Not this time,” she answers. “This one is actually run by the pet store that gives us the fish we use for the festival.”

All of us spend a few minutes watching children, teenagers, and even adults far older than us try their luck with varying degrees of success.

“You don’t want to give it a try?” Chisato asks, turning towards Noriko.

“I wouldn’t know what to do with the fish when I caught it.”

I cough a little bit, causing Saki to elbow me in the ribs.

“What about you?” Chisato continues, this time addressing Saki. “Could you fit a few more in that tank of yours?”

“Maybe one or two, but I really don’t see the point. Besides, I can’t catch anything without that special net I use.”

Something tickles the back of my brain. “Special net?”

“...oops,” Saki says, her voice trailing off.

“No, no, I want to hear this,” I say, slightly amused. Saki tries to resist for a second, but then crumbles.

“I may or may not have a special net that I keep whenever I run the goldfish booth.”

“What’s so special about it?”

“The paper is different.”

“...do you care to elaborate on that?”

Saki hangs back, as if she’s a magician being asked to reveal her secrets and it’s absolutely soul crushing for her. I know it isn’t, but I let her have her moment. Besides, it’s not like she can get out of it now with the other three awaiting her answer.

“I made the net in art club. It uses a coffee filter.”

I think back to the festival. “So, when we were hanging out at the festival and you were running the booth, and you gave that boy a different net…?”

Saki’s nodding, a bit sheepishly. “That’s why I kept it. So if there was someone who really wanted a fish, but couldn’t get one, I’d swap the net out for them without them noticing.”

“That’s pretty clever,” Mitsuru says. “Wouldn’t that be cheating though?”

“Oh please, you can get a dozen of those fish for a hundred yen. It’s more about seeing the looks on their faces when they succeed after failing, you know? It’s worth it for that alone.”

All I can think about is how...Saki-like that is. She’s always been one to encourage others, at least for as long as I’ve known her; pushing people to try harder, giving them just enough of a helping hand without completely holding theirs through whatever task they’re trying to complete. Looking back on that now, a lot of things start to make sense.

It’s also slightly sad, for a reason I’m not quite sure about.

Before I can ponder that idea further, Saki changes the subject by turning towards me.

“Have you figured out what you’re going to do with your fish over summer break?”

“...oops.”

Saki’s already laughing, easily enjoying turning the embarrassment she felt earlier on myself. At least she’s a bit more merciful than I was.

“Don’t worry. We can put him in my tank. There’s some extra room and I have an automated feeder I set up over breaks.”

“That’s a relief,” I say. “If that wouldn’t work, I’d have to see if Kenji was staying.”

A shout arises from the crowd, and a few happy squeals erupt from the goldfish booth. A few children are excitedly holding out their bowls to everyone around them, showing off the prizes they’ve caught. Everyone who sees offers congratulations and even a polite clap or two.

“Hmm, well if not that one, how about the shooting gallery?”

Noriko claps her hands together, showing her enthusiasm for the idea. “I’m good at that one!”

It takes another minute or two, but the five of us make it down to the booth in question. Sadly, it looks like we’re going to have to wait our turn as two familiar faces are taking aim at the target wall. I’d recognize the silhouettes of the two main members of the student council anywhere.

Pop! Corks fly out of the ends of the rifles. Misha’s shot bounces harmlessly off of one of the rails holding the targets. Shizune’s impacts right in the center of one, knocking it over backwards. I can see that a few similar targets are missing on her side of the gallery, so it looks like that wasn’t her only shot that hit. There’s only one downed target on Misha’s side, but she doesn’t seem to care.

“Good job, Shicchan!”

Shizune sets the rifle down on the counter and turns towards her friend with a smug look on her face, as if there was no other possible outcome. When her head turns further and sees the five of us, her eyes widen a bit in recognition. Misha picks up on this, and notices us as well.

“Hiichan! And everyone! How are you all doing?”

“Just checking out the games. It looks like you’re having fun.”

Shizune starts to sign something to Misha, and I spend the moment to take a quick look at the two of them. Shizune’s outfit is a bit plainer than I thought it would be, with a simple red robe secured with a purple bow. The only adornment she has is a small pearl hairclip. It looks a bit out of place for someone like her, but with the rest of the outfit, it somehow works.

Misha, on the other hand, is wearing pretty much exactly what I expected. Her green yutaka has slipped a little bit where the yellow tie holds it together, and when I look at her hair...how the heck did she manage to pull it into a tail and style that tail into drills?

“[It’s good to see you, Hicchan,]” Misha translates, although I’m sure the nickname was Misha’s addition. “‘Are you enjoying Tanabata?’”

“Very much so.”

“[Good! We were worried that we wouldn’t see you this time. We missed you at the festival.]”

“Sorry about that, I didn’t explore too much.”

We’re interrupted by the proprietor of the booth handing Shizune a small manekineko statue, its smiling face and lifted paw beckoning to us playfully.

“I didn’t think you’d be after that type of prize, Shizune,” Saki says.

Shizune confidently adjusts her glasses. “[Well, it was the largest prize, so of course it’s the one I wanted.]”

(continued...)

[Eurobeatjester]

Even as she states this, the man running the booth walks over to a small chalkboard next to the booth’s display and writes in a score of “190” along with her name - which happens to be the new top score.

Ahh, I think, smiling wryly at her. So it’s a status symbol thing. It’s not so much that she wanted the statue, it’s that she wanted others to know that she won it. She’s nothing if she isn’t competitive. Of course, if the only person she was playing against was Misha, then it’s probably not a victory that would be classified as “hard-won.”

“That’s a pretty good score,” Noriko mentions, watching as the man running the booth starts to flip up the downed targets. “I wonder if I could beat it.”

I’m not sure if Noriko meant to say that as a challenge, but when Shizune’s eyes light up, I can tell it was definitely interpreted as such.

“‘Want to make a game of it?’ Uh, Shicchan?” Misha translates, a bit perturbed.

“I don’t mind,” Noriko says. “Want to go at the same time, and see who can get the higher score?”

“Damn, I wanted to play, but I don’t think I’ll be able to now if you’re going to do this,” Chisato pouts.

The man hears our discussion, then makes a suggestion of his own.

“You know, since there’s five rifles here, why don’t five of you go at once and aim for any targets you like? Four shots each. Whoever has the highest score wins.”

I take a look at the target area, and see three shelves of different heights arranged along the back wall. Each shelf has a dozen targets on hinges attached to them, all of different sizes and shapes with point values painted on their faces. The smaller or more complicated the shape, the more points it’s worth.

“I’ll play, although I know I don’t stand a chance in hell of winning,” I say.

“You’ll do better than I will. I’m out,” Saki says.

Mitsuru takes a step back. “Likewise. I was never good at these. Have at, Chisato.”

“I’m better than most, but I don’t think I can top that score,” Chisato says. “But it might be a challenge with all of us playing at the same time.”

Noriko and Shizune have already settled in right next to each other, each picking up a small cork and putting it in the end of the air rifle. I get ready next to Noriko, with Chisato taking the gun on my other side and Misha choosing the far end next to Shizune.

Once all of us are ready, the man counts down.

“Ready…”

I look down the barrel of my gun towards the wall of targets, looking for ones I’m sure that I can hit. I could safely go for some of the larger ones that are only worth ten points, or take a chance on some of the smaller ones worth fifty points. I compromise and settle on one in front of me, right about eye level and worth forty points.

“Aim…”

I focus, lining up the barrel to what I hope is the center of the target.

“Fire!”

All of our guns pop within about a second of each other, corks flying and hitting either the targets or the back wall. I can see my shot went high and to the left, missing the target completely. Alright. I think I’ll go for something larger on my next shots. I could spend the rest of the competition dialing in my aim but I don’t think that’s going to do much good.

As we all reload, I hear the man call out that both Shizune and Noriko have managed to hit the fifty point targets they were aiming for, while Chisato gained thirty points and Misha, like myself, missed completely. Shizune and Noriko don’t even acknowledge each other, instead bracing themselves on the table for another shot.

The process of the countdown repeats itself, and once again, all of us shoot. This time, I manage to knock over a larger target worth twenty points. Chisato increases her total to sixty, and Misha manages to get ten. Shizune and Noriko manage to get another fifty points. When I glance at targets in front of them, I only see a few more of the small round targets worth fifty points.

“Two shots left! Ready...aim...fire!”

Misha misses. Chisato and I both add another thirty points. Shizune has hit another fifty pointer, and Noriko, much to our surprise, hits a thirty point target. I glance at her in confusion as she reloads. Why didn’t she go for the fifty pointer right in front of her, or even one worth forty points to make sure the gap wasn’t so narrow? Could she have been going for the easier shot, hoping Shizune would miss? But even if they both get fifty points here, Noriko would still lose.

Even worse for her, there’s only two more targets worth fifty points left on the rails - one of which is pretty much right in front of Shizune.

“Last shot! Ready, aim, fire!”

About halfway between the words “aim” and “fire,” I feel Noriko shift position and another volley of pops goes off. Before I can even register if I even hit anything with my last shot, Shizune is angrily pushing herself up off of the counter trying to furiously sign at the same time. Saki’s already laughing; I can tell she’s trying to suppress it, but she’s not doing a very good job. Chisato and myself are a bit slower to step back from the booth, both completely confused.

“And the young lady in pink wins it, with a score of one hundred and eighty!”

“[That’s not fair! You cheated!]” Shizune signs angrily, staring daggers at Noriko.

“What the hell happened?” I ask, sliding up next to a very amused Saki.

“Noriko changed targets at the last second and hit the target Shizune was aiming for. She hit it about half a second before Shizune did so Shizune missed completely.”

The conversation between the two girls - and Misha by proxy - is escalating quickly. Noriko’s trying to defend herself.

“I knew I had to hit it before you did.”

“[Then why didn’t you aim for it on your third shot, or shoot at another fifty point target that was right in front of you!?]”

“There was another in front of me? I didn’t notice.”

I lean over and whisper in Saki’s ear. “That was completely intentional, wasn’t it?”

“Oh yeah it was. Noriko purposely got a lower score on the third shot. Shizune let her guard down because she didn’t think there was any way that she could lose. All she had to do was hit that last target, so she took too long to line up her shot.”

Thinking about it, that was an absolutely brilliant strategy, and probably the only one that would work on someone like Shizune. I’m really impressed, not just at how Noriko managed to work it, but how she really does seem to come alive when we’re no longer at the school.

“You still have a higher score than me on the board,” Noriko says, trying to placate Shizune, who isn’t just angry, but also slightly embarrassed. To make things worse, the owner chooses that exact moment to interrupt their argument to hand Noriko her prize - a manekineko identical to the one Shizune won a few minutes earlier.

“Don’t eat it so fast! You’re going to get a brain freeze if you keep it up.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“What flavor did you get?”

“Blue.”

“Raspberry?”

“If that’s what blue is, yes.”

All five of us are sitting down again, enjoying a light dessert that we ended up making room for by waiting a bit after eating all that food earlier. The shooting game - and its aftermath - ended up working up a bit of an appetite again.

“I still can’t believe how you played Shizune like that,” Mitsuru says, digging out some red ice with his spoon before popping it in his mouth.

“Oh I can,” Chisato answers, giggling. “Shizune doesn’t know what one of Noriko’s hobbies is.”

“Hmm?”

Noriko pokes at the manekineko on the table, turning it to face towards Mitsuru. “My dad’s an airsoft enthusiast. He’s taken me out a few times to go practice with him for fun.”

I start laughing. Hard. “If I were you, I’d leave that thing outside your door for the rest of the school year. You’re going to need the good luck with all the bad vibes Shizune’s going to throw your way.”

“She can beat me at chess and Risk. Let me beat her at this one thing.”

“Oh? She played Risk with you too, huh?”

“And myself,” Mitsuru says. “It seems it’s like some sort of initiation for her whenever she meets a new student.”

“She tried to get me to join the student council if I lost.”

“That too.”

(continued...)

[Eurobeatjester]

Saki picks up the manekineko and inspects it. “It’s not her having her ego bruised is going to be the end of the world. Besides, she did kind of bring it on herself. Too bad you didn’t have this thing a few weeks ago before the exams started.”

“Don’t tell me you’re superstitious.”

“When it comes to exams? I’ll take all the help I can get.”

And that’s the way the next half hour progresses. We finish our snowcones sometime during all the conversation about anything and nothing; commenting on different outfits we see, lamenting in relief or dread over how we did on our exams, our plans for summer coming up, and more specifically the details of the waterpark trip for all of us except Mitsuru. While he seems sad that he won’t be able to join us, he wishes us well.

We end up walking back up to the school, the winding hill bringing back some memories about what happened one of the last times we were on it. It might be my imagination, but Saki’s steps seem a lot more sure of themselves than they usually are. The yukata certainly doesn’t help her take large strides, so between that and her cane, there’s no danger of her losing her balance again.

It doesn’t take us that long to explore the rest of the school, seeing as how there aren’t nearly as many booths as there were during the festival a few months ago. The buildings are all lit up however, and there are still plenty of students wandering around.

“I think I might be done,” Noriko says, yawning loudly. “That wiped me out.”

Even though there’s still people, it’s easy to see that a fair percentage of them are on their way to the dorms. It’s a tempting idea, but there’s one last stop I want to make.

“Want to go up to the roof?” I whisper in Saki’s ear.

She squeezes my hand and nods before addressing Noriko. “You gonna be okay? I think there were a few more things we were going to check out.”

Noriko yawns again, bringing a sleeve up to cover her mouth. “I think so. I want to change out of this thing.”

“After you spent so much time talking about how you never had a chance to wear it earlier?”

“This thing is a lot hotter than yours, you know. But thank you for the compliments on it. Maybe I’ll be able to wear it during the winter this year.”

Mitsuru turns to me. “Hopefully you’ll remember to pick up your yukata, Hisao. I don’t have one I can let you borrow for the winter.”

I scratch the back of my head. “Thanks again.”

“Feel free to return it whenever. Just make sure you wash it first.”

“We’ll walk in with you, Noriko,” Chisato says. The obvious implication is that they’re spending the night together again, so nobody raises an eyebrow at this.

After saying our respective goodnights, we go our separate ways - Chisato, Noriko, and Mitsuru working their way back towards the dorms, and Saki walking with me to the main building.

“Why the roof?” she asks me, as I hold the door open for her so she can enter the stairwell that leads to it.

“I’ve never been up there before at night. And I just wanted to spend some time with you after the last few weeks, that’s all.”

“We might not be the only ones up there.”

“That’s okay. I mean, this seems like a natural place for couples to hang out, right?”

Saki laughs and climbs the stairs slowly ahead of me. “If you say so.”

When we open the door to the night air, the change is a wonderful progression from the hints of the evening to come earlier. The light breeze visibly moves the few scattered clouds across the sky, their underside illuminated by the lights of the school and town at the base of the hill. Stepping up to the fence, we can see those lights and many others, along with people scattered around in twos and threes. The moon and stars cast down on the rooftop, and when we look around, we can see at least two other couples up here with us.

“Did you have fun tonight, Hisao?”

“I did,” I say, giving her a hug from behind and resting my chin in the crook of her neck. She moves her arms over mine, her hands resting on my one.

“I’m glad. You seemed to enjoy this a lot more than the festival a few months ago.”

“Mmm. Well, you can’t really blame me, can you? I mean, I had just had the most traumatic experience of my life, moved away from all my friends and family, and that first week was such a blur.”

Saki moves a hand up to rustle it through my hair. “You’re doing a lot better, now that you can even talk about this kind of stuff. I was worried about you.”

“Why’s that?” I ask, curious.

“You seemed like you were closed off. I didn’t want to see that happen to you.”

“I guess, but...why me?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m just...curious is all. Why take an interest in me, of all people?”

She cranes her neck to look at me. “You really want to have this conversation?”

“I do,” I say, with a little less conviction then I would have liked. “I guess...it’s just important for me to know, alright? You tell me to just keep going with the flow, and I’ve tried to do that, but I’m not sure why-”

I’m silenced when Saki turns around out of my grip, and a finger is planted against my lips, shushing me. Saki’s eyes are two deep pools, drinking in all the light around us, and staring straight into mine.

“Is it really so important for you to know the answer to that?”

“Well, I get it as far as now, but I’m talking more about that first week and the festival. You weren’t simply treating me the way Misha and Shizune did, right?”

Saki laughs gently, and touches my cheek. “Can that be a two part question?”

“So, it was?”

“Partially,” she says, sighing. “But it’s more than that. You know that everyone here for the most part tries to be friendly because we’ve all been put into positions most of us wouldn’t be in. We all have that in common, so whenever someone new comes along, it only makes sense to try and help that person adjust. And then there are students here that transfer in during the middle of the year, or haven’t been here since they were first-years. Shizune may be pretty straightforward, but I know that even if you didn’t join the council, the two of them actually did want to make sure you got off on the right foot. And why do you think Emi wanted you to run with her?”

I think about that first week. Even if it was a maelstrom, it seemed everyone I met was genuine in how they treated me, for better or for worse. The only forced awkwardness seemed to come from the standard introduction you give in front of every class, and even then only because I was the only one giving one. There’s the mandatory interaction of group projects, which I get, but we also haven’t had any of the typical “getting-to-know-you” exercises like we would have at my old school, strictly to try and force you to interact with others on a social level.

Those events weren’t exactly bad, but I can see why they don’t officially happen at Yamaku. Yamaku provides enough chances to get to know your fellow classmates, but Saki’s right when she says it goes deeper than that. Yamaku has to provide for more than just the physical health of its charges and encouraging students to reach out to each other on their own provides a sense of community that I completely took for granted at my old school until it was no longer there.

Everyone tried to help me in their own way. Shizune and Misha probably thought that getting me to join the council would be the easiest way to get me involved and settled into the routine of Yamaku. Lilly made sure to let me know that she was open to anything I wanted to talk about. Rin did too, in her own way. Emi wanted me to start running not just as a friend but for my own benefit, but still talks to me to see how I’m doing even if I didn’t stick with it. Even the few interactions I’ve had with Hanako have been somewhat along the same lines in their own way, and Nurse and the other staff have more than just a professional interest in my well-being.

“So yes, to answer your question,” Saki continues, her cheeks flushing slightly. “It was partly that, but, it ended up being more. It didn’t happen all at once over the last few months, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

I’m overcome with a desire to kiss her right then, and I don’t hold it back. She draws in a sharp breath through her nose in surprise, then relaxes and leans into me.

“I think it started from the first time I saw you looking at me on the stairs,” she says after the kiss ends, moving a hand to the back of my neck. “Seeing how sincere you were when you thought you messed up. And then helping us out with the festival the week leading up to it. I think that’s when I realized that deep down, you’re a good person...even with and especially after what happened to your heart.”

I touch my forehead to hers and close my eyes, a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders.

“Thank you.”

“What for?”

“I think...with the mistakes and doubts I’ve had since I’ve been here...I really needed to hear that.”

“Good,” she says, kissing me back. “Because that was when I decided I wanted to be your friend. That and you’re really fun to tease.”

I laugh. “Oh I am, am I?”

“Mhmm. But you keep up with it. And then something happened that made me think a bit more.”

“Yeah?”

(continued...)