Re: Tripping
Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:34 am
Like I promised, this story isn't dead.
It just updates extremely irregularly...
Day 4, 20:00
Ah, this feels good!
I turn the dial a few more degrees towards “hot” and relish the feeling of the water rinsing away the soap. After our hike halfway around Lake Akan and an afternoon spent in some boring museum with a faulty air-conditioning I was feeling kind of ripe.
Nevertheless Ikuno and I agreed to let Mai have the first go at the showers since she’d take the longest to finish. Then Ikuno and I played jan-ken to decide who would go second, which I lost. Next time I’ll suggest drawing lots.
My musings are interrupted by a couple of forceful knocks on the bathroom door.
“Are you ready to go Nanami? Dinner is starting soon.”
“Just two more minutes, Ikuno, I’m almost done!”
I turn off the water and reach for the bottle of shampoo, but instead of grabbing it, I miss and knock it from its tray. Instinctively I try to catch it before it hits the floor of the bathtub, but that makes me lose my balance, and with a sharp scream, I fall down, hitting my elbow hard against the spigot on my way down.
Immediately the door flies open and Ikuno rushes in. “Nanami, what happened? Are you okay?”
Grimacing I sit back up and examine my elbow, experimentally moving the joint a few times. “I think nothing’s broken. Smarts like hell, though.” I look up at her and extend my good arm to let her help me stand up. I’d rather not risk falling down again.
She pulls me to my feet and hands me a towel. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to rush you.”
“Not your fault. It was just my own clumsiness. I’ve got no one to blame but myself.” and my mother, but I keep that latter thought to myself.
As I step out of the bathtub and start drying myself off, I see Mai watching me from the doorway. She could probably hear that thought even if I didn’t vocalize it…
***
Fifteen minutes later we’re all sitting in the cafeteria digging into our supper. My elbow sports a nasty bruise by now, so I went with a long-sleeved blouse for the evening. The sun has already gone down so it’s not too hot anymore.
I’m just about to get up to get seconds when Mr. Nomiya strikes his glass with a knife to get our attention. I decide to sit back down and wait until he’s done with his speech.
“…oys and girls… … gram … orrow. … weather forecast…”
Why can’t he ever speak loudy and clearly? Frustrated, I look around the room until I spot Leon translating for the twins. If I push my chair back half a meter I can make out his signs from here...
…probably going to rain tomorrow. That’s why we’re doing the trip to the Kawayu Hot Springs that we planned to do on Friday tomorrow. I hope you can bear the rain better when you’re all wet anyway.
Leon grimaces as he translates this. So this was the joke Mr. Nomiya chuckled about a few seconds ago… Well, at least there’s one person in the room who finds it funny.
The hot spring we’re going to is part of the Midoriya hotel, and sadly in the morning its use is restricted to guests of the hotel. So you’ll be able to sleep in tomorrow, but let me remind you that breakfast hours are only until half past nine. Lunch will be at noon, and our bus will depart one hour later.
As Mr. Nomiya goes on to advertise some art club activities in the morning I lose interest and instead let my gaze roam across the room. Jun is whispering something to the others at his table to the great amusement of Ooki and Hisao, while Emi turns beet red and tries to kick him under the table. Too bad she seems to have missed.
In the corner of the room, Lilly and Hanako are sitting a bit removed from the rest of the group. Hanako is looking a bit ill. For a moment I wonder what’s wrong with her, but then I realize the obvious: We’re going to a hot spring tomorrow. Of course she’ll be mortified by the thought. At Yamaku she always showers before six in the mornings so she won’t run into anyone else. When we were both in our first year I once ran into her there, and she completely freaked out.
Well, I expect the nurse will let her opt out of this trip.
In the meantime Mr. Nomiya seems to have finished his speech, and I remember that I wanted to get a second helping of the teriyaki.
I rise from my chair. “I’m going for seconds. Do you want anything as well, Mai?”
“Yes, please.” She carefully picks up her plate and extends it to me. “Will you be okay with two plates.”
Before I can answer, Ikuno takes the plate from Mai’s hand. “I’m taking it. I was going to go for seconds as well.” As we both eye her skeptically she adds, “Just vegetables, no carbs.”
“I think I could have handled two plates, but thanks anyway.”
I wonder if she really was going to get more for herself or if she’s just trying to help out Mai and me. In the end it doesn’t really matter, does it?
It just updates extremely irregularly...
Day 4, 20:00
Ah, this feels good!
I turn the dial a few more degrees towards “hot” and relish the feeling of the water rinsing away the soap. After our hike halfway around Lake Akan and an afternoon spent in some boring museum with a faulty air-conditioning I was feeling kind of ripe.
Nevertheless Ikuno and I agreed to let Mai have the first go at the showers since she’d take the longest to finish. Then Ikuno and I played jan-ken to decide who would go second, which I lost. Next time I’ll suggest drawing lots.
My musings are interrupted by a couple of forceful knocks on the bathroom door.
“Are you ready to go Nanami? Dinner is starting soon.”
“Just two more minutes, Ikuno, I’m almost done!”
I turn off the water and reach for the bottle of shampoo, but instead of grabbing it, I miss and knock it from its tray. Instinctively I try to catch it before it hits the floor of the bathtub, but that makes me lose my balance, and with a sharp scream, I fall down, hitting my elbow hard against the spigot on my way down.
Immediately the door flies open and Ikuno rushes in. “Nanami, what happened? Are you okay?”
Grimacing I sit back up and examine my elbow, experimentally moving the joint a few times. “I think nothing’s broken. Smarts like hell, though.” I look up at her and extend my good arm to let her help me stand up. I’d rather not risk falling down again.
She pulls me to my feet and hands me a towel. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to rush you.”
“Not your fault. It was just my own clumsiness. I’ve got no one to blame but myself.” and my mother, but I keep that latter thought to myself.
As I step out of the bathtub and start drying myself off, I see Mai watching me from the doorway. She could probably hear that thought even if I didn’t vocalize it…
***
Fifteen minutes later we’re all sitting in the cafeteria digging into our supper. My elbow sports a nasty bruise by now, so I went with a long-sleeved blouse for the evening. The sun has already gone down so it’s not too hot anymore.
I’m just about to get up to get seconds when Mr. Nomiya strikes his glass with a knife to get our attention. I decide to sit back down and wait until he’s done with his speech.
“…oys and girls… … gram … orrow. … weather forecast…”
Why can’t he ever speak loudy and clearly? Frustrated, I look around the room until I spot Leon translating for the twins. If I push my chair back half a meter I can make out his signs from here...
…probably going to rain tomorrow. That’s why we’re doing the trip to the Kawayu Hot Springs that we planned to do on Friday tomorrow. I hope you can bear the rain better when you’re all wet anyway.
Leon grimaces as he translates this. So this was the joke Mr. Nomiya chuckled about a few seconds ago… Well, at least there’s one person in the room who finds it funny.
The hot spring we’re going to is part of the Midoriya hotel, and sadly in the morning its use is restricted to guests of the hotel. So you’ll be able to sleep in tomorrow, but let me remind you that breakfast hours are only until half past nine. Lunch will be at noon, and our bus will depart one hour later.
As Mr. Nomiya goes on to advertise some art club activities in the morning I lose interest and instead let my gaze roam across the room. Jun is whispering something to the others at his table to the great amusement of Ooki and Hisao, while Emi turns beet red and tries to kick him under the table. Too bad she seems to have missed.
In the corner of the room, Lilly and Hanako are sitting a bit removed from the rest of the group. Hanako is looking a bit ill. For a moment I wonder what’s wrong with her, but then I realize the obvious: We’re going to a hot spring tomorrow. Of course she’ll be mortified by the thought. At Yamaku she always showers before six in the mornings so she won’t run into anyone else. When we were both in our first year I once ran into her there, and she completely freaked out.
Well, I expect the nurse will let her opt out of this trip.
In the meantime Mr. Nomiya seems to have finished his speech, and I remember that I wanted to get a second helping of the teriyaki.
I rise from my chair. “I’m going for seconds. Do you want anything as well, Mai?”
“Yes, please.” She carefully picks up her plate and extends it to me. “Will you be okay with two plates.”
Before I can answer, Ikuno takes the plate from Mai’s hand. “I’m taking it. I was going to go for seconds as well.” As we both eye her skeptically she adds, “Just vegetables, no carbs.”
“I think I could have handled two plates, but thanks anyway.”
I wonder if she really was going to get more for herself or if she’s just trying to help out Mai and me. In the end it doesn’t really matter, does it?