Cowlick and Claws!

[azumeow]

Hey, y'all. Have had the idea for a bro-fic for a while now, but only actually wrote anything recently. I haven't done much proofreading or anything, so feel free to point out any errors. Criticism is welcome, as well. Welp, here we go!
=====================================================================================================

“This is Red-2 to Squad leader, what's your position?”

“Red-2, this is Squad leader, we're about 50 meters south of the Bravo objective and moving towards it, we need your bird over here, now!”

“Solid copy Lead, we're on our way.” I smirk as my helicopter flies over the enemy team's soldiers taking cover by the objective marked by a giant “B”, aiming my miniguns at the poor suckers and pulling the trigger, annihilating a few of them in a cloud of dust before flying away to avoid any rocket launchers they may have. “Lead, this is Red-2, multiple hostiles eliminated at Bravo, recommend you hit 'em now!”

“Got it, Red-2, thanks for the assist.” As the Bravo objective disappears from my minimap, I smile when I notice the score count. Our team is wiping the floor with the enemy, my piloting skills only a small addition to that. As difficult as it is to play with only a finger and a thumb on each hand, I still do enough damage in a helicopter that even a team size of 32 leaves me reliably in the top 5-10 every match.

However, the clock tells me that it's far too late to be playing after this match is over. I do have classes tomorrow, after all. Closing my hand into the closest thing to a fist that I can manage, I crack each knuckle and let out a subdued yawn before changing for bed and killing the lights. Another day down in the life of Lobster Boy.

===============================================================================================================================

I'm relaxing in my dorm room after classes when a knock on the door, followed by a masculine voice, surprises me. “Hello, is anybody home?” Nobody tends to come by, and that voice means it's definitely not Shock and Awe, so I approach in wonder of who came all this way for little old me.

Indeed, it is not our two-member Student Council, but a guy about my height with brown hair and a cowlick is standing in front of my door. “Um...hi, I'm Hisao Nakai...I'm moving into the next room. I thought I should introduce my...self.” I can't smirk as Hisao's sentence dies in his throat when he noticed my hands.

“Tanaka Isamu, Lobster of Yamaku. And don't worry dude, they don't bite. Much.” It takes most of my self-control not to burst into laughter as Hisao cautiously grabs my malformed hand and gives it a halfhearted shake. “So, I finally get a hallmate, huh? You ready to prepare all my food, carry my groceries and stuff? It gets real hard to get by with these things, ya know.”

Hisao is visibly distraught when I mention this, blustering his way through a response. “I...uh, they did-didn't tell me I'd be...helping you with...your...” His distress turns into confusion as I finally give in, laughing hysterically as I lean against the wall.

“I'm sorry Hisao, I couldn't help it. I knew I had to mess with you the second I saw you.” For once, he seems confident in how he feels, and if his face is any indication, he's a little pissed off.

“Yeah, thanks, dude.” The last word is delivered with a little bit of edge, which causes me to back off.

“Woah, woah there man, sorry, I didn't mean to get on your bad side. Here, why don't we start again, no jokes, huh? Name's Isamu, and as I'm sure you're wondering, I have lobster-claw syndrome. There are fancier terms for it, but I like it. Easy to remember.” Hisao's face scrunches up and he rubs his chest nervously.

“Uh, yeah...I'm...I'm Hisao Nakai. I just got here today.” From the way he avoids mentioning why he's here, I take it he's not too keen on spreading the news just yet. Not a problem with me; those students at Yamaku with diseases that effect their insides are typically worse off than the rest of us. It's a bit sad, really: those of us with visible disabilities are actually rather fortunate if we can adjust to a “different” lifestyle. For most of us, we've never known a “normal” lifestyle, and there wasn't any adjustment to be done. For others, it comes with time, as do most things.

I give my new hallmate a nod and a smile before jerking my head towards my room. “Glad to meet ya, man. Welcome to Yamaku. If you ever wanna chill or something, just give me a knock. I got a computer, a TV, some movies, or we can just go outside and hang out around campus.” Hisao responds with a halfhearted smile and nods almost imperceptibly.

“Sure thing, Isamu.” Something tells me he's not too sure about doing that as he turns and opens his own door. Before I can stop myself, I'm saying one last thing to him.

“No hard feelings, right? I just like to joke around a lot. Kinda my thing.” I give him a genuine smile as he turns back to look at me, and he returns it with one that feels a bit more genuine.

“No hard feelings, Isamu. I guess I'm just glad you're not crazy.” Hah, you have no idea about crazy, kid.

===================================================================================================

While I'm getting some homework done, I hear a small thud and an audible sigh from outside, which I can only assume is Hisao. Wondering if he's alright, I open the door to see him crouched over, collecting a few library books in one hand, while the door to his room is awkwardly half-open, the keys sticking out of the lock.

“Need a hand, dude?” As I bend down to grab one of the books, Hisao tries to make a response to my disability-related humor, failing miserably and letting out another sigh before standing with a noticeable slouch. “Shit, what's wrong man? You alright?” There's a slight tone of panic in my voice as I remember the Setou incident, almost shuddering at the memory. No need to think about him, he's off where he really needs to be.

“I don't even know. Just had something stupid happen to me. A few stupid things, actually.” He pauses for a moment, possibly to collect his thoughts, before continuing. “I can't get a proper read on other people here, and I have no idea if it's because of me or because of them.” Yesterday's encounter when we first met comes to mind, but I think we cleared that up. At least, I sure hope we did.

“What happened? Busy second day?” I try to keep a genuine tone of voice, because I do kind of feel bad for the kid: this place ain't easy to get used to if you've spent your whole life being “normal”, which I think might be the case with Hisao.

“Eh, it's nothing. I just scared some girl off accidentally. Literally too, she actually ran away from me. Was my fault, really, I think. I'm not really...used to all this yet.” Nail on the head, Isamu.

“Ohhh, a girl, huh? Was she cute?” Of course that's the only thing I can think of, because it's the only thing that really matters in this case. If she's cute, the consequences could be dire. If not...well, shit happens, right? It might not be the end of the world.

“Yeah, cute I guess.”

“Yeah, there seem to be plenty of good-looking girls here. My advice: don't question it. Life will be much easier that way.” Hisao gives me a curious look, then shakes his head and gives a little chuckle. “Hey, there we go. Don't worry about that girl you scared off. Listen, if you feel that bad about it, talk to her when you see her tomorrow, explain what happened. Like last night when my joke blew up in my face: ya just gotta talk these things through, and they'll sort themselves out. Works almost every time.” A flash of doubt crosses his face at the last sentence, but overall he seems to be in better cheer than before.

“Almost every time?” Bastard! He saw through my plotting!

“Almost every time. Sometimes you'll deal with brick walls who can't be reasoned with, but on the whole, people aren't so bad. They're willing to see the good inside you if you're willing to show it.” This seems to alleviate his concerns, and he gives a few nods as I hand him his book.

“Thanks, Isamu. I feel a lot better now.” I can't wipe the stupid grin off my face at that, I really can't.

“Any time dude, that's what friends are for.” As I close my door, I find myself wondering who this cute girl is. Perhaps some reconnaissance is in order.

[brythain]

Now this is an interesting departure from canon. It's going fairly well now, and apart from the terrible thread title (really, bro? ) I'm intrigued by Kenji not being around and this guy being there instead...

[azumeow]

Now this is an interesting departure from canon. It's going fairly well now, and apart from the terrible thread title (really, bro? ) I'm intrigued by Kenji not being around and this guy being there instead...

Thank you, brythain! That means a lot coming from you, but yeah I have no title for this as of yet. I might make something out of the Lobster Boy nickname, but for now it shall be the Bro-fic. Because I intend for Hisao and Isamu to be bros.

[AntonSlavik020]

Hmmm. Promising. Isamu seems like a fun character. Don't have too much to say about it yet, but I like what you have so far.

[Mirage_GSM]

I agree with AntonSlavik - both in that he seems to be an interesting character and that there's not much more to say about the story yet.

Isamu raised a few Gary Stu-Flags with me, so you might want to be careful not to stray too far that way...

[Feurox]

This has a lot of potential.

Though you could also run it into the ground and stamp on its poor head if you over 'bro' it.

I am of course hoping for the first. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it. Really nice start. I look forward to a continuation.

Please God don't make them bang

[Solistor]

I'll admit I felt a very quick pang of worry when I saw the title because I thought it was going to be a Kenji/Hisao bro fic and I've been slowly cooking an idea for one of those for the better part of a year now.

Isamu seems like a fun character but, as with Mirage, some Stu Sensors are pinging off in the back of my head, namely that he seems to be able to reach out to Hisao rather quickly and that he knows quite a lot about the 'right thing to say'. Of course, take my advice with a grain of salt 'cause you probably have a plan for all this.

Putting this on my "To Read" list, keep on keepin' on.

[azumeow]

Thanks for the kind words, folks. Mirage, Solistor, you're not wrong about Isamu having some Gary in him. I'm trying to avoid making him some sort of all-knowing sage, and hopefully the direction I plan on taking his character is an interesting and somewhat original one. I'll try not to make this too "bro", but I'm expecting the bro to come sooner rather than later, so I hope you'll be willing to hold out. A big portion of the fic is focusing on the friendship between Hisao and Isamu and how it helps them develop as people, so there may be a bit more bro than most fics, but I do hope that's not a problem.

And don't worry, they won't be banging.

So, it is with great pleasure that I present the second chunk of "Cowlick and Claws!"
============================================================================================================


I don't see Hisao again the next day, but the day after, I catch him returning to his room pretty late in the evening and give him an appraising nod. “So, how'd things go with the girl?” Giving my new friend a wink, I chuckle as he tries to fight off a blush.

“N-nothing like that happened! We talked, I ended up joining her and Lilly for lunch and-” Wait, what now?! “-they seem pretty nice.”

“Hisao. I need to clarify something. You got lunch with Lilly Satou, the Blond Amazon?” The look on his face indicates that yes, he did. I'm amazed, to put it frankly.

“Well, yeah, what's so weird about that?” This kid has no idea what he's done, does he?

“Dude, lunch is her and Ikezawa's time! You've been here for all of...what, four days, and you've already managed to do what the poor saps in this school couldn't for three years! There are guys who would kill to be able to eat lunch with her!” He's not convinced. How is he not convinced, is this guy used to just getting close to beautiful women or something?!

“Well, I apologized to Hanako for scaring her, and they were getting lunch, so I asked if I could go along, and they agreed.” He looks quizzically at the amazed face I'm making.

“Hisao, I have no idea who or what you are, but even I get nervous around those two. It's almost as bad as Shock and Awe, but nobody can match their levels of terror.” Again with the confused face.

“Shock and Awe?”

“The Student Council, the pink loudspeaker and the puppetmaster. Mikado and Hakamichi, dude.” As realization dawns on his face, Hisao seems to get uncomfortable.

“I don't think they'd appreciate being called those things.” I wave him off with my hand, which I notice he stares at for a second too long. I'm not bothered by it, but when he notices that I saw, he rubs the back of his head nervously, prompting me to explain myself.

“Hisao, if it weren't true, I wouldn't have said it.” A mixture of guilt and reluctance appear on his face as he nods a few times. “Besides, I give everybody a nickname. Some find them funny. Some don't. But that's besides the point, dude. Ikezawa and Satou...so which one are you after? If Ikezawa's the one you scared off, you must think she's cute, right?” A coy grin crosses my face as Hisao panics and starts stammering.

“W-well, they're both good looking girls, I...I just...well, they were kind of worried, actually. They're both really nice.” That one catches me by surprise, and I let the deflection of my question go to pursue this new lead.

“Why were they worried, did you drool over yourself so much that you had to get a change of clothes?” The glare I get is short lived, as Hisao shakes his head while chuckling a bit.

“No, Isamu, I was not drooling over myself. I...someone ran into me in the hallway and knocked the wind out of me. She felt really bad, but she just ran off like nothing happened because she had something for her teacher, I think?” There's only one girl dumb enough to run in the halls, and brazen enough to do it again right after running into someone.

“Jesus, that girl's gonna kill somebody someday...” the look on Hisao's face tells me she almost succeeded. “She got you bad, huh? That girl doesn't realize it, but even someone as small as her could take out a full-grown man if she hit 'em at full speed. We've tried to get her to stop, but she's like a machine when it comes to running.”

Hisao laughs a bit and nods. “Yeah, I got that impression this morning.” This morning?

"Wait, I thought she ran into you at lunchtime?”

“Oh, she did, but I went running with her this morning, to...try and figure out something to do with my free time. It didn't go so well.” It's all I can do not to scream. Four days. Four days, and this guy's already gotten in with some of the most attractive girls in the school.

“Hisao, you went running with Emi Ibarazaki this morning, and you were somehow unconvinced that running with her was a good idea? Are you...shit dude, I didn't uh...” I can't help but take a step back as I eye Hisao appraisingly. He doesn't seem like that type of guy, but it takes all types I suppose. “Listen dude, it's all well and good that you're...uh...your own person, but...”

His laughter makes me think he realizes that I'm actually not joking. “No, dude, I'm not gay. I'm just....not in good shape, and I don't really like running.” I'm not sure I believe him, and he can tell. “I'm not gay, man, really.” I can't help but raise an eyebrow and shrug.

“Alright, Hisao, but this leaves the most important question unanswered.” That one got him pretty good: he looks utterly baffled.

“What question is that?”

“Why, Satou or Ikezawa, of course!” I close the gap and whisper conspiratorially in his ear. “Hanako's okay and all, but I can't get past how weird and reclusive she is. Plus, blonds are hard to come by in this place. Take that into account.” Backing up, I'm surprised to see that Hisao is genuinely considering my question and it's ramifications, little as they are.

“If I had to pick....I'd go with Lilly. She's more...polite, refined, ya know? I've gotten a really good impression from her, and she seems like a nice and reliable person.”

I give my hallmate a smirk and a few nods. “Oh, yeah, I get what ya mean, dude. Lady in the streets, ya know?” My wink is met with another short-lived glare.

“No, really, Isamu. I was talking with Hanako today, and she seems like a really good friend. She shows up to our classroom to pick Hanako up for lunch all the time, and she's good at dealing with all the students in her class. Hanako and I helped with the banner for their festival stall, and even though she was so nervous, Lilly was really grateful for her help. And all the other students seem to really like her. I don't get why Shizune has such a problem with her.”

I'm tempted to let the guy know what little I do about what went on between those two, but it's mostly rumors, and if he actually has a shot with Lilly, I'd rather not ruin it by giving him any ideas about her or her cousin. “To be honest, a lot of people don't. It's really just between them. I don't really know either of them, so I never bothered to ask anybody about it.”

He takes that into account, nodding a few times before shrugging. “So...yeah. I guess, if I had to choose between them, I'd pick Lilly.”

“Good choice. I'd do the same in your position. Yo, you doing anything right now? There's...something I gotta get done, but....I need fingers.” Hisao looks perplexed for a minute before remembering that I have less than half the normal person's digits on each hand. He replies with a nod before asking what I need help with.

“Wires. I have a bunch of wires for my laptop and TV and stuff, and they all got tangled, and I really can't do it with my claws.” I already spent an hour or two trying and failing to do it before he showed up, but I leave that tidbit out. No need for him to know that. I take a deep breath before looking back into my room, which Hisao takes as his cue to go inside.

He takes a minute to look around, and he seems a bit amazed at my setup. I admittedly have some pretty high-tech stuff, but it's nothing you couldn't find in a good electronics store. “I didn't know students could have so much stuff in the dorms.” Or was that the reason? That makes a bit more sense.

“Oh, yeah, as long as you're not falling behind in your studies, you've got a decent amount of freedom here. It's just best not to skip class. I know a few people who got emergency visits from the Nurse, only to get caught cutting. That did not go well for them.” Hisao nods a few times, rubbing his chest again. It seems like it's a nervous tick of his, maybe. I can't really tell.

After a few minutes of working, Hisao stands up and presents the wires to me, now free of the knots that were plaguing shortly before. “Dude, you are a freaking lifesaver. I hate looking at tangled wires. It's horrible. Anything comes up, I got your back, man.” He seems a bit confused about me making such a big deal over what really amounts to nothing, but it's the principle of the matter that concerns me. “Honest, dude, thanks. There's not much I can't do with these things, but every now and again, shit comes up. My lifelong dreams of being a violinist were crushed long, long ago, when I realized you needed more than a finger and a thumb.”

Oh, crap, Hisao actually looks sympathetic. I'm not sure if he's gullible, or just humoring me. “Yeah, right. I'm not that stupid, Isamu.” His laughter makes me laugh, and we spend a few more minutes chatting about how he's been settling in before he decides that it's time to work on homework. After saying goodbye, I go back to my laptop and decide to kill some more time fighting the good fight online.

Today was a good day.

[Mirage_GSM]

A few things regarding continuity.
This is supposed to be Wednesday, right?
While Hisao has his Run-in with Emi on Wednesday, he doesn't go running with her until Thursday morning and the banner painting session is Thursday evening.

This could be fixed easily by moving this scene forward to Thursday evening - after he comes home from the banner painting - and a few other minor changes.

[azumeow]

A few things regarding continuity.
This is supposed to be Wednesday, right?
While Hisao has his Run-in with Emi on Wednesday, he doesn't go running with her until Thursday morning and the banner painting session is Thursday evening.

This could be fixed easily by moving this scene forward to Thursday evening - after he comes home from the banner painting - and a few other minor changes.

This...is supposed to be Thursday. The second encounter happens on Tuesday, after Hisao scares Hanako off in the library.

[Mirage_GSM]

Ah, okay, seems I was confused by your OC saying Hisao had been there for three days. Maybe he was counting only full days...

[azumeow]

Ah, okay, seems I was confused by your OC saying Hisao had been there for three days. Maybe he was counting only full days...

No, I just messed up on that one. I was thinking in terms of when they met, but at this point, it's been Hisao's fourth day.

DON'T WORRY, WE'LL FIX IT IN POST!

[azumeow]

Here we go, installment three of Cowlick and Claws! Things are progressing into the main show, and a new face is added to the bunch! Hope you all enjoy.

============================================================================================

I'm sitting with Suzu, Taro and Misaki at the track, chatting while we occasionally watch Miki running. Between her and Ibarazaki, it's no wonder our school slaughters every time we have a track meet.

Now that I think about it, our gang has a lot of different types of disabilities all on its own: Misaki and I are malformed, Miki's missing part of a limb, Suzu's got her hormones or something all mixed up, and I believe Taro got some brain damage a while back that messed up his arm.

I smile peacefully at the back of Misaki's brown hair. Even with scoliosis as severe as hers, she still comes out now and again to hang out with her friends. Despite the fact that she should be wearing her back brace, which is conspicuously absent right now. She probably went back to the dorms before we all met up. At least it's Saturday, so we've got some time to waste.

“Hey, Misaki, no brace today?” She turns around and groans at me in disgust.

“No, Isamu! I hate that thing, it's so uncomfortable. It's bad enough that Mutou gets on my case if I don't wear it to class, but you too? I thought you were my friend!” As always, she tries to mimic Ibarazaki's puppy-dog pout, but I'm not having it.

“Misaki, your spine is practically curled up in a circle. And if you don't wear that brace, it's only gonna get worse, isn't that what you told us?” At this point Taro's stopped staring at Miki's ass long enough to get involved in the conversation, and predictably, he takes Misaki's side. Typical. He's a decent guy, but he's somehow even more of a horndog than I am.

“Ah, come on Isamu, she wears that thing enough, doesn't she? Cut her some slack.” Making sure I'm on his bad side, I poke him on the cheek and scoot away while he awkwardly shuffles to get back at me with his usable arm. “Ah, you asshole! You know I can't get you fast enough when you do that, at least give me a chance!”

While Taro and I are distracted with each other, Suzu talks in her ever-sleepy tone of voice, sea-green hair obscuring her slouched head. “Isamu's right, Misaki. You always complain about your back and how much you wish you could just get the surgery and be done with it, but if you don't wear that brace, your spine will just get worse again once it's over with.” With her piece said, Suzu's head slumps to the side, an indication that she's done talking for now. I can never tell if she has little bouts of sleep when I'm near her, but I admittedly pay a little less attention to her due to her subdued nature. If she needs to say something, she will, but she usually tries to conserve her energy, and I can't really blame her.

“Ugh, you guys are impossible! That thing's so ugly, though. I wear it in school, that has to be enough, right...?” The pout returns, but this time it's gotten stronger somehow. Thankfully, Miki clears her throat, much to the surprise of the rest of us.

“Misaki, if you don't wear your brace, Isamu might not want to hang out with you tomorrow. You wouldn't want that, right?” Her wink is met with a groan from the both of us.

“God dammit Miki, it was one night! I was in a lot of pain, he had....leftover massage oil....and why the hell did you think it was okay to come into my room without knocking anyway?!??!?!” Taro and Miki burst into laughter while Suzu chuckles lazily, and I just roll my eyes. Misaki, on the other hand, is hiding a terrible blush. Way to go, Misaki, because it's not like it wasn't obvious.

“Why don't you two just fuck already?” Taro's overly blunt comment is met with a slap on the arm from me and a punch to the leg from Misaki.

“Shut the hell up, Taro, it's not like that!” Her face continues to betray the truth, however. “Isamu, how do these idiots not get to you?” She whines at me while hiding her face in her hands.

“Pretty simple. I just remember that it's not. The. Truth.” Hoping they don't call my bluff, I smirk confidently at Miki, who nods in admiration of my poker face.

“Bullshit, Isamu, we all know it.”

“You're a terrible liar.”

“Even I can tell you're lying through your teeth, lobster boy.” Suzu's usage of my nickname elicits a few laughs, and I just sigh.

“Believe what you will, but the lobster boy has higher standards than that.” Misaki's face is one of a loyal soldier who was just gunned down by their commander, but I remain stalwart in the face of impending doom. I know I'll suffer for this later, but we committed to the charade, dammit, and sometimes, eggs must be broken to make an omelet!

I feel everybody glaring at me, and Miki whistles for a moment before laughing. “Isamu, you are so fucked.”

I know, Miki. I know.

========================================================================================================================

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I look at my clock and groan. 0700. Festival day. Joy. Just...just joy. I haven't seen Hisao in a few days, but if he's continued on the path he's chosen, today is not the day to get in his way. Maybe we could chat after all is said and done. I'm sure he's gotten his homework taken care of, so we might be able to steal an hour or two to catch up on how things have been going.

After I'm dressed and outside, I head over to class 3-4's stall, noticing Ibarazaki at the helm, passionately giving directions to the other students. “Shouldn't the Class Rep be doing that, not you?”

She looks genuinely hurt, and out come the puppy-dog eyes, forcing me to relent. “Probably, but he's not here yet, so I took over!” How this girl is so energetic so early on a Sunday amazes me. I cannot understand morning people. “Anyway, Tanaka, you wanna help out, or is your girlfriend pining for you?” Goddammit, now Miki's gotten the Fastest Thing on No Legs on my case? Traitor!

“Not my girlfriend, and yes, I will help. Until 1400. Then I have to....hang out....with....Misaki.”

“Riiiiiiiiight, totally not your girlfriend.” Ibarazaki takes up a triumphant pose, as I stalk past her and grunt annoyedly.

=================================================================================================================

“Yo, Hisao, what's up?!” Spotting my hallmate, I call out to him, making Misaki look at me confused.

“Isa, you know Hisao?” Blushing at Misaki's pet name for me, I nod and start heading over to him, Misaki coming along at my side, since our arms are lovingly hooked around one another.

“Isamu? Hey, dude. You're.....Mi...saki, right?” The two of us nod, before realizing our position and slowly releasing each other.

“Hisao, I'm gonna have to ask that you never tell anybody what you just saw. In exchange, I will help you with those drinks you are clearly having trouble carrying.” He takes a few seconds to think over the ramifications of keeping our relationship secret, and nods.

“Sure, take the coffee, that's for me. The teas are for the girls.” This leads me to raise an eyebrow.

“Satou and Ikezawa?”

“Yep, Hanako was holed up in the library when Lilly got off from her stall, and once we found her, we spend the rest of the day hanging out.” I'm impressed, Hisao. Not even a week and Ikezawa's already comfortable around you. It makes me wonder.

“You think they'd mind if we joined?” My hopes aren't high for how things will actually go, but...if Hisao's gonna be their friend, I might as well give them a second chance.

My hallmate takes a second to think it over before shrugging. “You're holding my drink anyway, it'd be rude not to let you join.” I nod in appreciation, following after Hisao.

By the time we get to the other girls, Hisao and Misaki have gotten somewhat acquainted while I simply walked along and listened. He's a nice enough guy, but part of me wonders if he's putting on a show for my sake. Then again, he got the Amazon and the Ghost to befriend him, so it's gotta be real, right?

“Hey Lilly, Hanako. I hope you don't mind if my hallmate and his...friend join us. Hanako, you should know Misaki, she's in our class.” Ikezawa looks like a deer caught in headlights, and Satou's interest has been piqued. She doesn't realize who she's talking to just yet, so I'm careful when I address them.

“Hello, it's Isamu Tanaka. Hisao's in the room right across from mine. I'm with Misaki Kawana.” I swear I can see Satou's face sour for just a moment, but between the darkness and how quick she regains her composure, I can't be certain.

“Hello Lilly, Hanako.” My penchant for using family names is painfully obvious, and Satou cuts right to it after Misaki greets the two girls.

“Hello Misaki. It's been quite a while since we last spoke, hasn't it Isamu?” My jaw clenches ever so slightly as I feel the tension in the air grow. She seems like she's giving me the same cautious appraisal I'm giving her.

“Indeed it has, Lilly.” It takes a bit of effort to use her first name, but when I do, I notice Hisao, Hanako and Misaki ease up just a bit. “It's a bit of a shame, really.” Before Lilly can reply, Hisao cuts in.

“How are your drinks? Sorry it's instant, but that's all they had left.” Not bad, cowlick boy. Not bad.

“It's delightful. Thank you, Hisao.” The tone of her voice is oh so subtly different from how it was when she addressed me. Definitely warmer. It takes Hanako a second to stutter out a reply.

“I-I-It's r-r-really g-good, Hisao. T-Thanks.” Fuck, this was a bad idea. I'm tempted to stand, when Misaki surprised me by speaking to the timid girl.

“Hanako, how have you been doing in class lately? I have to admit some of what Mutou's been teaching is a bit over my head.” The change in subject doesn't seem to ease the tension much, but Hanako is at least a little more calm when she replies.

“I-It's not t-too terrible. I-I've....been able to k-keep u-up.” If I'm being perfectly honest, this is worlds better than my first attempt at talking to the girl. It went about as well as Hisao's first attempt did. If I'd listened to my own advice back then, could I have befriended this girl and her Amazonian guardian?

The thought is banished as everybody's attention is shifted skyward at the sound of fireworks going off. “So...that's it. The festival's finally ending.” The first person to respond is Misaki.

“Seems like it. It's a shame, I was having such a good time!” Her sentence is punctuated by a gentle poke of my side, and I nudge her hand with my own, blushing slightly in the darkness.

“As much as I complain about all the stuff we have to do, it's still sad that we'll have graduated before the next Yamaku Festival.” As she finishes, Hisao stands up and walks over to Lilly, calmly placing his hand on her shoulder.

“Don't worry. We still have Tanabata later this year, right?” I'm torn between Misaki tightly squeezing my finger and thumb and Hisao's declaration, my eyes widening in surprise. God damn, the balls it must take to do such a thing. Who is this guy, really?

What surprises me more is the reply, which comes almost instantly. “You're right. It would be nice to go there when the time comes.”

Tanabata. With Lilly Satou. Making these plans after knowing her for less than a week? Hisao deserves an award or something.

=================================================================================================

“Hisao, what in the fuck did I just witness back there with Satou...I mean Lilly?” I stop my hallmate before we go into our respective rooms, shock still obvious on my face.

“What do you mean? The Tanabata thing? She seemed kinda bummed about the festival being over and graduating, so I just mentioned that Tanabata's later in the year.” Holy shit, I think this guy's just an idiot. A blissfully unaware idiot, blundering his way into magnificent successes.

“No, Hisao. You asked her out. To Tanabata. After knowing her for a week. And she said yes!” Hisao just looks at me like I have three heads.

“Nah, that's not what it was. I meant me, her and Hanako. Maybe you Misaki? She knew what I meant, though.” I'm not entirely sure I buy his explanation, but I'm willing to defer to him on this matter. For now.

“If you say so, Hisao. You're the one who got to be her friend in less than a week, not me.”

He shrugs, a tired look on his face. “I guess, but all I did was talk to her a few times.”

“That's exactly it, Hisao. You just talked to her. One of the most beautiful girls in the school, and you just went up and talked to her like it was nothing!” The jury's still out on whether he's an idiot or has balls the size of Jupiter, but I'm betting on the latter based on the way he said his last sentence. I keep flip-flopping on which it is, but it's a hard call to make.

“Is it really that hard?”

“Yes! Have you never had a crush on a girl, and found it impossible to approach her?!” When I say this, his eyes widen a bit and he starts rubbing his chest again. “So you have.”

“Uh....yeah. There was....this one girl, but...it didn't work out.” At the revelation, I put on an apologetic face.

“Damn man, didn't realize you were human like the rest of us.” Chuckling, I pat him on the back. “Still a champion, but human I suppose.”

All he does is shake his head before opening his door and disappearing behind it. “Good night, Isamu.”

“Night dude.”

[brythain]

It's an amazingly entertaining read so far! I mean, they're 'installments', not 'installations', and minor things like that (e.g. 'brown hair', not 'brunette hair)... but I'm still able to ignore all that and have fun imagining what your characters are doing. Very amusing portrayals, and now I'm wondering if the sideshow is a prelude to Hisao's tragedy or his great success.

[Alpacalypse]

Well, this is a thing.

If you wanted to make a bro-fic, then you done good here. Isamu is the bro I wish I could be

You have my attention. Please continue.