A Failure to Communicate
Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 1:33 am
Hello everyone, the following fiction is an attempt to explain the orgins of the feud between Lilly and Shizune, it is set roughly six years before the events of the game while both girls are in their first year of middle school, the Japanese equivalent of 7th Grade in the US. Katawa Shoujo and all of it's charecters are a property of Four Leaf Studios enjoy.
Shizune Hakamichi smiled to herself as she walked into the empty classroom. She was the first one there meaning that she had—in her mind—‘won’ the competition that she decided to have with everyone else in the class. It was somewhat easy for her since she was the only one who knew about it.
Shizune stood roughly 4’4” tall, relatively short for a 12 year old Japanese girl, with somewhat longish blue hair tied into pigtails. She was a very pretty girl though a little awkward due to the first budding signs of womanhood that were starting to show. She proudly wore the girl’s uniform of the Middle School Section of Yamaku Academy, a red fuku with yellow highlights, and was glad to no longer be dressed in the purple primary school uniform—she wasn’t a baby anymore.
Shizune watched as more students poured into the classroom, noting that some of them, half by her rough guess, were blind. But that was to be expected since this was the main reason she was here in the first place. After a few minutes all of the students had arrived, and soon afterward the teacher entered.
He was a tall man, about six feet or so, slender with brown hair and eyes and a clean shaven face. He seemed to Shizune, who was just starting to develop an eye for such things, to be a very handsome man. He was dressed rather casually wearing a light blue collared shirt, jeans, and a black jacket. He proceeded to raise his hand in the air and mouth something which was followed up with sign language for the benefit of those who, like Shizune, were deaf.
“Excuse me class,” the teacher said, first with his mouth and then with his hands. “We will be starting shortly; can I have every ones attention?”
To further make his point he stomped on the floor. Shizune could feel the vibrations through her chair and fought the urge to stand up. Everyone froze in attention. Satisfied that he had everyone’s attention, he started once again to speak and sign.
“Good morning class,” the teacher began. “My name is Komei Togashi. I shall be your teacher this term for Deafblind Manual Communication. This class is specially designed to help interested deaf and blind students learn to communicate with each other. This class is currently divided into two groups that cannot talk to one another directly. Ten of you are deaf and ten of you are blind. By the end of this term, this shall no longer be a problem.”
Shizune nodded to herself. By virtue of her test scores from her primary school, she was made Class Representative for her class, Middle School Class 1-5, and wanted to help the students of her school. However, Yamaku was a school of disabled students, which included a significant portion of blind students. Being mute as well as deaf, the young Miss. Hakamichi quickly realized that this meant that she had no real way of communicating with them. After studying the issue a little she found out about this course and decided to take it as an elective. Shizune was very excited about being able to learn to talk to blind people. It meant that she would be better able to help the students of her school. She even hoped that she might make a friend or two. Furthermore, from her perspective, it seemed to be a challenge, and even at the tender age of twelve, Shizune Hakamichi never said no to a challenge.
“As part of this class,” Mr. Togashi continued, “everyone will be paired with another student who has the opposite disability. Blind students will be partnered with deaf students. You will practice together, work on assignments together, and even take your tests together. Hopefully you will come to learn from and understand each other since learning and understanding are at the heart of communication. It is not expected that you become friends, but you might be happy if you did. All right then, I shall announce the pairings. When I call your name, please come to the center of the class and sit down next to one another. To begin, Shinobu Asako and Botenmaru Shinjo.”
Shizune waited patiently has the teacher read through the list, calling out and signing the names as he went along. She watched Mr. Togashi closely—something that she started to not mind doing—until eventually he saw him sign her name.
“Shizune Hakamichi and Lilly Satou, please come forward.”
As Shizune approached she saw a rather tall girl that in her mind could have passed for someone in high school if she were not wearing the same red and yellow uniform everyone else was. She had blond hair and blue, clouded eyes as befitting a blind person and appeared to be half-Japanese—not the Shizune had any problem with that—and rather pretty. She also had at her side a long thin cane that Shizune had seen several blind students use to help navigate their environment. Shizune smiled at this girl that she was going to get to know very soon, forgetting that she couldn’t see, and found herself hoping they could become very good friends.
Whenever Shizune would remember this encounter later on, her reaction could best be described as bitter laughter.
Shizune Hakamichi smiled to herself as she walked into the empty classroom. She was the first one there meaning that she had—in her mind—‘won’ the competition that she decided to have with everyone else in the class. It was somewhat easy for her since she was the only one who knew about it.
Shizune stood roughly 4’4” tall, relatively short for a 12 year old Japanese girl, with somewhat longish blue hair tied into pigtails. She was a very pretty girl though a little awkward due to the first budding signs of womanhood that were starting to show. She proudly wore the girl’s uniform of the Middle School Section of Yamaku Academy, a red fuku with yellow highlights, and was glad to no longer be dressed in the purple primary school uniform—she wasn’t a baby anymore.
Shizune watched as more students poured into the classroom, noting that some of them, half by her rough guess, were blind. But that was to be expected since this was the main reason she was here in the first place. After a few minutes all of the students had arrived, and soon afterward the teacher entered.
He was a tall man, about six feet or so, slender with brown hair and eyes and a clean shaven face. He seemed to Shizune, who was just starting to develop an eye for such things, to be a very handsome man. He was dressed rather casually wearing a light blue collared shirt, jeans, and a black jacket. He proceeded to raise his hand in the air and mouth something which was followed up with sign language for the benefit of those who, like Shizune, were deaf.
“Excuse me class,” the teacher said, first with his mouth and then with his hands. “We will be starting shortly; can I have every ones attention?”
To further make his point he stomped on the floor. Shizune could feel the vibrations through her chair and fought the urge to stand up. Everyone froze in attention. Satisfied that he had everyone’s attention, he started once again to speak and sign.
“Good morning class,” the teacher began. “My name is Komei Togashi. I shall be your teacher this term for Deafblind Manual Communication. This class is specially designed to help interested deaf and blind students learn to communicate with each other. This class is currently divided into two groups that cannot talk to one another directly. Ten of you are deaf and ten of you are blind. By the end of this term, this shall no longer be a problem.”
Shizune nodded to herself. By virtue of her test scores from her primary school, she was made Class Representative for her class, Middle School Class 1-5, and wanted to help the students of her school. However, Yamaku was a school of disabled students, which included a significant portion of blind students. Being mute as well as deaf, the young Miss. Hakamichi quickly realized that this meant that she had no real way of communicating with them. After studying the issue a little she found out about this course and decided to take it as an elective. Shizune was very excited about being able to learn to talk to blind people. It meant that she would be better able to help the students of her school. She even hoped that she might make a friend or two. Furthermore, from her perspective, it seemed to be a challenge, and even at the tender age of twelve, Shizune Hakamichi never said no to a challenge.
“As part of this class,” Mr. Togashi continued, “everyone will be paired with another student who has the opposite disability. Blind students will be partnered with deaf students. You will practice together, work on assignments together, and even take your tests together. Hopefully you will come to learn from and understand each other since learning and understanding are at the heart of communication. It is not expected that you become friends, but you might be happy if you did. All right then, I shall announce the pairings. When I call your name, please come to the center of the class and sit down next to one another. To begin, Shinobu Asako and Botenmaru Shinjo.”
Shizune waited patiently has the teacher read through the list, calling out and signing the names as he went along. She watched Mr. Togashi closely—something that she started to not mind doing—until eventually he saw him sign her name.
“Shizune Hakamichi and Lilly Satou, please come forward.”
As Shizune approached she saw a rather tall girl that in her mind could have passed for someone in high school if she were not wearing the same red and yellow uniform everyone else was. She had blond hair and blue, clouded eyes as befitting a blind person and appeared to be half-Japanese—not the Shizune had any problem with that—and rather pretty. She also had at her side a long thin cane that Shizune had seen several blind students use to help navigate their environment. Shizune smiled at this girl that she was going to get to know very soon, forgetting that she couldn’t see, and found herself hoping they could become very good friends.
Whenever Shizune would remember this encounter later on, her reaction could best be described as bitter laughter.
