Minami Sato's Story

Bleary-eyed, Yuko rolled over onto her side in the darkness of her room to look over at the blurry red glow of the digital clock that sat by her bed. Squinting her eyes the numbers came into sharper focus, 4:47 AM. She had been awake since about 4 and it didn't seem she'd be getting back to sleep anytime soon. With a yawn she sat up and stretched before slipping out of her bed and heading for the bathroom, if she was up this early she figured she may as well get the usual stuff out of the way now. So the morning continued on with a singing and humming filled shower and breakfast. After bidding her parents farewell as they left for work, Yuko decided to use the extra time to prepare bentos for herself and her sister.

With the sun finally up and some tea in her system she began to feel more awake, today was going to be a long one full of many yawns, she wasn't sure why but this had been happening to her more often lately. It was becoming a bit of a nuisance hearing people's concerns about whether she was sleeping enough every time she yawned and even more of a nuisance trying to assuage them by insisting she was fine. With a quick glance at the clock on her phone she headed outside with her headphones fit snugly over her head, pumping their dulcet tones into her ear as she began work tending her small garden that sat in the backyard of their home. It wasn't a practical garden, nothing grown there could be eaten or used in any sort of way, Yuko liked flowers and that's what she grew. In the small plot were currently growing marigolds, pansies, and asters. Lost in her little world of music and flowers Yuko neglected to check the time until it was already 7:00.

She rushed back inside and upstairs to wash her hands, fix her hair, put in her contacts, and grab her bags before heading back downstairs to see Haruka eating a meager breakfast. "Onee-chan, if you're riding the bus you should probably hurry up a bit." Yuko nodded, she was just about to head out after all. "You better hurry too." Yuko smiled as her little sister headed out the door before her, shouting after her "And be careful!" With a moment spent to look over her bag to make sure everything was in order she realized she had forgotten something, Haruka had left without her lunch. A small sigh escaped her lips, she would just have to give it to her once they were at school. Now in a bit of hurry Yuko rushed out the door and locked it behind her before walking off at a brisk pace towards the bus stop.

Without a moment to spare she arrived at nearly the same time as the bus. The driver spoke but Yuko could barely make out what he said over her music so she simply wished the man a good morning before dropping a couple of coins for fare into the receiver. Exhaling deeply she began to catch her breath as she walked down the center of the bus and took a window seat towards the back and watched as people began to enter one by one. She recognized most of them from school though she had never really spoken to any of the high schoolers.

---

---

The bed was so comfortable, the sheets covering her wonderfully in the blissful temperatures. Then the silence of sleep was broken by the worried howls of her sister. "H-huh, whadda mean Ume, you're supposed to be timely, I'm the lazy one!" Mika groaned out loudly as her sister dashed by, her panicked trotting down the stairs audible to her. Rolling out of bed she flopped onto the floor stomach first, grumpily tossing her clothes on and joining her sister downstairs. A glass of orange juice and toast was slid towards her as once again she was told to hurry it up, "Yeah I get it nee-chan, little girls gotta eat good y'know?" She went about munching on her toast and sipping her orange juice as Ume devoured the food quickly, then came over over her and grabbed her arm to take her out. Mika held onto her half finished toast as her sister dragged her away from the table, grabbing their bags they went out.

Mika let out a chuckle as the twins ran towards the bus, if she wasn't actually trying to rush she would have put the toast in her mouth like an anime protagonist. They arrived only slightly before the bus closed its doors, Ume dragging her to the same seat as her near the front of the bus. Now the painful part began as she finished her toast, the bus began to groan out mechanical noises while barreling forward at disappointingly low speeds. Even at the pitiful pace the bus went at looking out the window was hardly something to do with as she knew all the environments from countless other bus rides, Mika sighed at her sister, "Umeeeee, why do bus rides gotta be soooo boring..."

She hung her head between her legs as she pathetically exhaled, simultaneously reaching into her bag she snatched two of her plethora of lollipops. Tearing the wrapper off one and plunging it into her mouth she tried to occupy her mind with swirling the treat around, clanging into her teeth. Mika looked longingly at the second before tossing it over onto her twins lap, smirking at her. Mika recalled something, again reaching down into her bag, yanking out a manga just for occasions of nothing to do just like this.

Shirudo's eyes shot open as he gasped for air, throwing the sheets off the bed as he briskly leaned forward. It took him a few moments to catch his breath, he managed to ease it into a slower pace. After his eyes finally focused, the boy scanned the state of his surroundings. His room was dark, only illuminated by a sliver of light peeking through the window shades. Shirudo then looked himself over and realized he had slept in his dress shirt and pants again, a habit which came into fruition back in middle school. He had the tendency to cover the scar spanning the entirety of his chest, to keep it hidden from the sun and any external enigmas which feast their eyes upon such a wound. His sight trailed over towards the digital clock sitting on his night table. The LEDs formed the time 6:50 AM, notifying Shirudo that he still had enough of a span to follow through with his morning procedures. "Already got everything on but my jacket and tie. Let's start off with that." Moving in an autonomous fashion, he collected his jacket and tie from his closet then quickly dressed himself in the bathroom. He looped the tie with finesse, slipped on the jacket then covered his scalp with his newsboy cap. Shirudo looked prepped for school, as per the usual, draped in a generic uniform and fashion sense.

The student scaled the stairs and proceeded to the kitchen. He began to fumble through a cabinet, fluently snatching orange containers of pills and placing them on the counter top before him. The contents of the bottles were his lifeline, the only things keeping him tied to the land of the living. He subconsciously downed each dosage with quick swigs of lukewarm water. It was a miracle he didn't choke on the horse-sized pills. Thankfully, he was used to the process. Once Shirudo was done with downing the last of his medicine, he swiftly brewed a cup of coffee then procured himself a granola bar.

The student began to slowly nibble at the snack as he set out through the front door, "I'm going now." He said in a quiet monotone, glancing back at the empty hallway. His parents must have already departed for their jobs. Shirudo winced then faced the open street, the student continued to make way for his friend's house. Most of the student on the block were already rushing to the bus, meanwhile the individual he was waiting for was most likely only stirring now. "How late was she up until? Pretty sure I logged off at eleven, how much longer did she stay online for?" The query was muttered under his breath as he approached the door. He lightly knocked on the wooden surface, rang the door bell and patiently waited.

"Look at you!" Okamura said. "Seven sharp, and you're already dressed and working on the schedule! You're improving."

Akira sighed. He was getting better at gauging when, exactly, he had to leave the house to get to Yamasaki Electric on time, on foot. His first day, he had scraped in right before starting time, which Okamura made clear was unacceptable. "The earlier we start," he had said, "The earlier we finish."

And, Akira continued in his head, the earlier we can start sitting around waiting for people to have electrical problems in their homes.

Oh well. He was used to it at this point. It was a bit dull, but it was work. It would keep him sharp for next year, for uni.

As they headed out to the van, Okamura asked, "So what's on the plate for today?" He had delegated the task of plotting out the maintenance route to Akira almost from the start.

"Uhhh..." Akira consulted the ledger. "According to this, our first stop will be near Kita neighborhood. There's a light out near there."

"Lemme see." Okamura grabbed the ledger and examined the address. "Alright, let's go." He started up the van as Akira hopped in, and was off almost before Akira could get his safety belt on. He had a habit of doing that, but Akira didn't mind so much. He knew Okamura was a careful driver at this point, though he admitted that his senior's driving could appear to the newcomer. It certainly had seemed reckless when he had started the job. For the first week, he privately wondered what sort of maniac he was working with. After the first couple weeks, though, he adjusted, noticing that Okamura only sped up when on open areas of road, always slowing around busy areas.


As the familiar facade of Kita neighborhood approached, Okamura asked, "Doesn't say why the light is out, does it?"

Akira looked. "Nope. Just says the light's out."

Okamura grunted. "Guess we'll find out what the problem is when we get th—oh."

He slowed the van to a stop and pulled over. The two got out, and Akira followed Okamura's gaze up to the light. It was out, all right. Knocked out. The glass pieces lay at their feet. Okamura knelt down and examined the pile, then sighed as he stood up. "Smashed the light, too. Figures. You know what these lights take, right?"

"Yes sir!" Akira ran around to the back of the van and opened it up, climbed in and grabbed the harnesses, then searched for the right bulbs. These little bits of drudgery were his lot as the junior employee, of course. He found one and grabbed the toolbox, then brought all of them to Okamura.

"I'll need the insulated gloves to take out the dead light," Okamura said as he pulled on his harness. "You should probably put some gloves on too, for the broken glass. Then I'll need the fresh light, and also...oh, right. One second." With the harness partly on, the older man hobbled to the back of the van and hopped inside. After a few seconds, he came out holding a semi-oval piece of glass in a plastic bag. "Need you to hold this one too. This goes in last."

Of course. The cover for the light. "Sorry, I should have gotten that one as well."

"I accept your apology, though it is not necessary. Just get ready to hang from the top of a pole for a few minutes."

Minami woke up somewhat late. Although she was usually up and about at a very early hour, she hadn’t been able to sleep much the night before. In truth, she had lost track of time as she was finishing up her most recent portrait. This time, she had been inspired by an elderly man who often visited the grocery store with his grandchildren. It was a weird habit of hers really, she’d often find inspiration in a stranger, mostly costumers who entered the store, and tried to come up with stories as to who they were. She then tried to capture their essence into her portraits. Quite frankly, Minami had made into a game of hers; after all, it was already strange enough that she enjoyed drawing strangers, so this was her own way to make it a little bit more acceptable and fun.

She got ready as fast as she could, she was then slid her backpack onto her back and grabbed her sketchbook. Minami said good morning to her siblings and finally headed quickly to the store where her parents and Ryuu surely awaited. As usual, she had brought her sketchpad and now hugged it firmly in excitement wanting to show Ryuu the finished piece. Admittedly, she couldn’t help to wonder if he would play along in trying to guess what little background story she had come up with for the old man she had drawn.

”Good morning.” Minami said to both her parents and Ryuu while trying to catch her breath, as she feared they were going to be late.

Ryuu stood in the same place he stood every school morning, twirling a box of the same strawberry milk he bought every morning. If there was anything about his life that screamed monotonous routine, it was his weekday mornings. Like clockwork, he'd get up every morning at five thirty, brush his teeth, shower, get dressed, eat, then head out and try to arrive at the Sato's grocery store as it opened, at six. While there, he'd purchase a strawberry milk and then wait near the entrance for Minami to show up. From there they'd walk together to greet Kimiko at the bus stop. Normally she'd be ready to go as he arrived, or by the time he purchased his milk, but today she seemed to be running a bit late.

He wasn't sure how long he had been doing this, exactly, but he knew why, though he'd never admit it aloud. He liked Minami, a lot more than a best friend should like another best friend. She was why he got up early every morning, why he'd go out of his way to walk to the store and then to the bus stop. Not to mention that he dreaded the idea of Minami having to walk to the bus stop alone, given the distance from the store was greater than the distance from his and Kimiko's places.

He looked up from the twirling box in his hands as Minami showed up, and glanced at the sketchpad she had tightly hugged to her chest. Another drawing, he surmised. The drawing didn't occupy his mind for long, however, as his thoughts soon rushed to the thought of Minami hugging him as tightly as the notepad, and he looked away as he became flustered and his face slightly flushed.

He turned away from Minami, slinging his bag over his shoulder and endlessly spinning the milk carton with his free hand. He knew that she seemed out of breath, but he didn't want to be late anymore than she did, so he began to head for the door.

"G'morning. Let's go. I dun' wanna be late." He sleepily replied to her, turning his head back towards her as he did so.

Minami quickly nodded and immediately felt apologetic to Ryuu given the grand possibility they could be running late. After seeing him already spinning the strawberry milk he’d buy at their store every day, she turned her gaze to her parents whom she quickly bid farewell before heading to school. Without further due, she walked alongside with Ryuu while still holding her sketchbook against her stomach. It had been a long time since they had made this into their shared routine, a happy coincidence Minami thought as Ryuu liked to purchase the same item from their store everyday. Regardless, she could not help but to smile as she was more than happy to walk with Ryuu every morning to the bus stop.

There were some days in particular in which she’d imagined how lonely her life would be had Ryuu and Kimiko not entered her life. Such thoughts were the ones that invaded her from time to time and made her even more grateful to her best friends. After all, Minami knew that had it not been for their love and support she would not be the same person she was now and for that she’d be eternally grateful.

“I’m sorry, I kind of overslept…” she said with a guilty smile. ”I stayed up really late last night.” Minami continued suspecting there was almost no need for further explanation as her two best friends knew exactly what keep her up some nights.

Finally, the two arrived to the bus stop only to be greeted by Kimiko. “Good morning, Kimi.” Minami said endearingly with a smile before she took a glance at the large crowd of students surrounding them. A small grin was drawn on her lips realizing that no matter how much her personality had changed she was never going to like large crowds.

Ryuu liked it when Minami smiled, and he snuck glances at her face when he was sure she wasn't paying attention just so he could see her smile. Although he did a grand job at remaining non-expressive, on the inside it melted him. The warm feeling inside his chest was almost enough to turn a smile up across his lips, too. Almost.

He shifted the weight of his bag from one shoulder to the other as Minami explained herself to him, not that the explanation was all that necessary. He was very aware she had over slept, and he was potentially very aware of what had kept her up last night. He nodded at the pad she had clutched to her chest.

"It's because of that, isn't it?" He asked. She didn't have much time to answer, however, as before he knew it, they had reached the bus stop and Kimiko got to greeting them, them ushering them onto the bus to the seats they sat every school morning.

Once they had been seated, Kimiko withdrew a notepad of her own and presented it to the two of them, explaining that it was the reincarnation of Sleeping Beauty. He looked it over momentarily before tilting his head and leaning it against the glass of the bus window. He relaxed and let his body slump slightly in the seat.

"It's nice, but I envy her. I wish I could sleep for the rest of my life right now." He commented, closing his eyes.

After Kimiko pulled her and Ryuu closer, she quickly followed behind her friends before they sat down in their usual spots. Once seated, Minami quickly placed her sketchbook on her lap and meticulously observed as Kimi showed them her new drawing of a new character she had been working on. As Kimi explained who her new character, Minami nodded approvingly.

Naturally, after hearing Ryuu’s critique, Minami was unable to contain a laugh. “I love the detail, you did a really good job Kimi.” She said sincerely always loving and admiring her art style. “I have to agree with Ryuu though, I could really use a few more hours of sleep.”

Shirudo shifted in his seat, a constant feeling of uneasiness tingling down his spine. Even though it appeared that his expression hadn’t changed by the slightest, he was a little distressed. At this point, he was used to riding buses. Yet the hardship caused by such automobiles left a permanent scar on the boy’s heart, one which will never fade out of reality. It will forever be there, embedded into his soul. Unlike the scar spanning his chest, it isn’t visible, it’s something he must deal with on his own. Most people would never want to even set foot in a bus after going through a traumatic event of that sort. But Shirudo was a realist, a stoic student who quickly wraps his mind around the situation before him, and accepts it as the one and only truth. His mind was slowly drifting off into reminiscense, until the beeping of his phone broke him out of the trench wrenching at him. The student’s hand shot into his pants pocket and produced a handphone, which he quickly silenced. He quickly noted the gazes of student’s sitting around them. They were too busy chatting amongst themselves to divert their attention to a sudden ring, which was to Shirudo’s relief. He flipped open the phone and skimmed the screen, realizing that the text was from a club member, Rito. ”Clubs finally meet today, eh pres? How’s it been going with reeling in members. Though I know you’re not the… talkative one.”

Shirudo narrowed his eyes at Rito’s blatancy, but he would refrain from getting into needless bashing. After all, destroying club members through text wasn’t exactly his forte. He instead began to peck in a response, forcing his thin fingers against the keypad. He quickly glanced at Renya before continuing with his message. ”Well, looks like you owe me a 2.4K yen steam card, because I actually managed to get a member. She only recently learned of our club’s existence through me, to which she ecstatically wanted to join.” Shirudo sent the text, and almost instantly received a response. It was amazing how skilled teens were with cellular devices today. Might as well have them surgically attached to their hands. ”I’m not surprised she didn’t know we existed. Barely anybody does, with your marketing skills. It’s amazing we even get club funds. Wait a sec. She? Hato-san. Buffing your avatar, I see.”

Shirudo only sighed at the remark, he was about to reply to his clubmate before a figure suddenly moved through the corner of his sight. It sat itself in the seat adjacent to them as the bus spurred onwards, nearly making Shirudo lurch forward in his seat. He quickly flipped his phone shut and pocketed it, then looked over the newcomer. The boy’s eyes widened as he realized that the student council president was sitting next to them, with that ever-endearing smile of hers. Shirudo gulped back surprise at Kimiko’s sudden appearance, and only gave a solemn nod as a greeting. Flawlessly, she greeted Renya in her native language, though Hato was able to understand every word. His grades were almost on par with the president’s, but he has his own set of faults here and there. Shirudo was unable to deduce whether she greeted Sparks out of obligation as an individual of high moral, or out of the goodness of her heart. Maybe it was a mixture of the two. The boy perked up when the thought of the Gaming Club resurfaced from the back of his mind, ”Ah, yes, Kaichou. Oh, um, good morning…” The boy fumbled with his words, then finally composed a completely legible sentence.

”My club will have its member forms in early next week, along with fund derivations and set of activities.” He straightened his tie and took another sip of his beverage, quenching his throat dried from disuse. It felt a little disconcerning being in between two talkative individuals, it felt as if he was a barrier between the development of their conversation. Luckily, soon enough, the bus came to a halt at the school gates. His skinny figure was nearly crushed to death by the flow of students gushing out of the bus. The boy was also able to spot a familiar middle schooler, Yuko Oshiro. The girl had already slung a pair of headphones over her ears, meanwhile Shirudo get his own neatly tucked away in his messenger bag. ”I’ll talk to her later. Have to get to class alive first.” He thought to himself as he let out a quiet grunt, ushered by the constant movement of students. The student consciously kept Renya in check, then proceeded to the classroom with her in tow.

The scenery itself was nearly captivating, a lowly populated town unscathed by the ruthless clutches of industrialism. The establishment itself wasn’t too modern as well. To Shirudo, it looked like a generic school morning. Students were catching up, complaining, chatting, some were even ‘kyaaah’-ing. It was just the ordinary carousel of life, one which Shirudo rode nonchalantly on a weekly basis. After a quick change of footwear, he continued to the classroom. ”Almost… There… Just bear with it.” He mumbled to himself as he finally rounded a corner and sulked his way through the door. ”And, destination arrived. Phew.” Yet again, a miracle he hadn’t spilled his drink. The boy had spent years mastering the art of coffee physics. He laid down his messenger bag then slumped forward in his desk, waiting for the rest of his classmates to stroll on in. ”I think pres and her group should be here momentarily, then a few others, and that’s it.” He mentally ticked off students in his head as they entered the classroom. Soon, class would tick into session. ”So, how’re you liking it so far in Yamasaki, Renya-san?”

---

---

Ryuu took Kimiko's advice and readjusted the way his head was leaning on the window, quickly drifting off into a cat nap, although it didn't last too long, as he woke up roughly eight minutes later, as the bus was pulling into the school yard. Though, when he opened his eyes, everything that had been vertical was now horizontal, which meant he had slumped over at some point during his nap.

His head was in Kimiko's lap, and it stayed there for a moment longer as he processed it, before sitting straight up and beginning to apologize.

"S-Sorry, Kimi!"

He stammered out, doing his best to look as unflustered as possible.

Kimiko smiled softly at her friend, ignoring the small blush on her face. "I honestly don't understand why you're so flustered, Saki. It's not like it's going to kill me," she laughed quietly at the end of the sentence and stood up. "We should get to the Student Council room. We haven't finished preparing for the Club Fair."

She grabbed Minami and Saki's hands, dragging them both out of the bus. The fresh air smelled wonderful and she breathed it in deeply. "I love spring. Don't you?"

"It's alright." He replied nonchalantly enough, using his free hand to tug at some of his disheveled hair.

Ryuu had always been the kind of person that enjoyed autumn over anything, and also enjoyed the time between March and April when the sakura trees bloomed. But the autumn colors and weather captivated his heart from the beginning.

"What have we got left to prep, president?" He asked, using student formalities.

Kimiko tapped her chin thoughtfully as they entered the school. "We still need to figure out everyone's time slots for the auditorium and make sure all the clubs have chosen a place to set up their booths," she said thoughtfully. That was about all she could think of. The Club Fair was a community event, unlike most places. In larger cities, it was only for the students, but it had been opened up a few years back. It was probably one of the most stressful times for the Student Council, along with the Spring and Winter fairs. "I hope nothing goes wrong..."

---

The boy was slumped over his desk, eyes now closed as the time of morning activities strolled on. After they opened a sliver, out of the corner of his peripheral vision, he could see Renya completely absorbed by new surroundings. It must have been breath-taking, suddenly becoming part of such a secluded community. Regardless of its sequestered place in this world, the city still thrived and developed its own infrastructure without leaning heavily on government sustenance. Within such a small town, everybody learn of each other at some point. Even though she has only moved in recently, Renya should become known by the community at some point. At least, that’s how Shirudo perceived it. Maybe it was just his hopeful thinking. He was about to speak up to his friend, when Kimiko suddenly poked her head into the classroom, with her advisors in lieu. ”"Don't forget to turn in your club activity forms by Monday, everyone."

She might as well have been the herald of death, bearing Shirudo’s untimely demise. The image of Itou reminding him about club documents suddenly flashed in his mind, only affirming the terror churning within. In a small span of moments, Shirudo’s blank expression slowly contorted into realization, surprise, and lastly, denial. It was Friday, which meant that there was only two eligible days to submit forms. ”It has to be today. I hope he’s already there.” He promptly thought to himself as he suddenly rose from his taciturn state with widened eyes. The student stepped out of his desk and swiftly slung his messenger bag over his shoulder. Shirudo then turned to Renya with a now determined look on his face, ”I’ll be back momentarily, Renya-san. Just have to quickly save my own hide. Maybe get to know some of our classmates? A few of them are interesting.” He spoke in a nonchalant voice, with a tinge of urgency. With that, he departed for the clubroom, walking at a brisk pace as his allotted time slowly dwindled. Luckily, the room was located relatively nearby, and within a minute’s time he was already at the double doors. Shirudo quickly flipped open his phone and glanced at the time, ”7:42. No time to lose.” He slammed the door open and stepped into the door frame, spectating the integrity of his clubroom.

It looked like an ordinary classroom, excluding the stash of junk food which Shirudo completely loathed, a few various consoles, and a figure standing near the panes of windows. The individual had his back faced towards Shirudo, with the sun casting down glamorous rays around him. The white-haired guy spun around with eligance and faced the club president with a heart-warming smile. He then parted his arms, as if he was inviting Shirudo into his embrace, then chirped away charmingly;



Shirudo instantly crossed his arms over his chest, in a ‘x’ formation, and narrowed his eyes at the guy. ”Sorry, already reached the Bad Ending. Game over. Try again?” He hissed at the student as he proceeded to tend to the clubroom. ”What!? I already got the bad ending? What did I do? It was the morning confession, I had the angle of the sun shining perfectly behind me, a kind smile and arms ready to hug. It was how I unlocked Hia-san’s rou-” Shirudo raised his line of sight from the piling of games he was organizing, ”Wait, isn’t she ten or something?” Itou blinked his eyes, then shrugged, ”So?” Shirudo glared out him with disgrace, then shook his head. ”No time to talk about your failed attempts at 3D romance, we have to get our forms finished in the next ten minutes, or you can kiss your right to openly express your love for lolis goodbye.” Itou suddenly let out a cry of despair and got to work signing papers, motivated by saving his youthful heroines. ”Say, Kaicho. Aren’t forms due Monday? Why do we need them in today.” The second year abruptly froze in the midst of cleanup, then fixated a gaze of bewilderment onto Itou.

”Because, I’m sure there are many people waiting until Monday to turn in their club forms. And that means there’ll be a line, which I’ll have to wait on. And there will be other people on that line, people who will strike a conversation out of boredom. What if they try to talk to me? I can’t keep up a decent conversation for more than a few seconds. I can only experience so much angst until I falter.” Itou stared at the boy with a blank expression, then placed his face in the palm of his glove, ”Dear gods, what are we going to do with you?” He shook his head and allowed Shirudo to finish the last of the documents. ”Oh, and make sure all club members are accounted for today. We’ll be talking about tactics. Since we started midway through last year, this is our first time partaking in the Club Fair.” The second year looked his senior over, then let out a sigh, ”Your shirt’s untucked and your tie is loose. You have to look somewhat presentable. This is your last year, after all.” The boy compacted all of the sheets and slipped them into his bag. ”You only have ten minutes left. Better hurry, dear Kaicho.” Shirudo grunted and yanked the bag onto his shoulder, then proceeded towards the doors, ”See you later, Itou-senpai.” The boy broke into a sprint instead of his usual walking pace, as he was at the whim of the clock’s ticking hands. He could already feel his heartrate quickening, but he was close enough to the student council room to not have a serious problem. Then all of a sudden, he felt somebody tug at his collar, which quickly stopped him in his tracks. He nearly lost his center of gravity, but recovered as soon as he could. Shirudo spun around to face the person who halted him, taking the chance to catch a breather.

Yuko began to hum absentmindedly a tune which she'd been practicing for the violin lately, it was a difficult piece but she was confident she could have it down within the week. As she watched from the window slowly but surely the number of wandering students dwindled as the beginning of class drew ever nearer. Feeling that she could delay no longer Yuko pushed away from the window with a sigh before adjusting her bags on her shoulder and turning to begin making her way to class. After only a single step however she came to a stop as the distinctive sound of feet slapping on the hard hallway floor came from around the corner ahead. Running in the hallways was of course against the rules but Yuko was willing to let the offender slide today, that was until she finally saw who it was.

'Round the corner came the bobbing figure of Shiudo Hato, huffing and puffing as his legs and arms pumped with great effort to propel him down the hallway. Dumbfounded by the sight she barely managed to react in time, reaching out to grab the boy's collar as he ran by. Shiru stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Yuko who was looking none too pleased. With a furrowed brow and a stern voice she kept her grip tight on his collar, "Shiru! What do you think you're doing? Not only is running in the halls is against the rules but considering your condition it could even be dangerous for you." With a huff she released Shiru's collar and crossed her arms over her chest. She was certain of course that Shiru didn't need to be told these things, he knew quite them quite well after all but the need to scold the young man took precedence over logic for the moment.

Her expression softened as she sighed, a look of concern now painting her features though her arms will still firmly crossed over her chest. "So what's the matter? Where are you going in such a hurry?" It was quite rare to see Shiru in such a rush, he was usually so composed and reserved so to Yuko, whatever matter was at hand must have been important. Shirudo couldn't help but to feel a little bashful at the scolding, averting his eyes to the ground instinctively. He nudged the bagstrap into a firmer position, "Oh, sorry, I was en route to the student council room. Have to get these forms in before classes start." The boy caught his breath and looked down at the girl, then cocked his head. "I think my heart's able to handle a bit of running once in a while. But classes do start soon, and we both might be late. He flipped out his phone and let out a sigh of relief, skimming over the digitalized numbers on the screen. "But I understand, sorry for running. I apologize." He waited for Yuko's response, yet her cheeks were still puffed after reprimanding him. "Want to accompany me to the office? I'd feel more comfortable with somebody by my side. A few of those officers are kinda intimidating."

"As if I would have let you go alone after seeing that anyways." She gave a roll of her eyes but put on a small smile nonetheless. "C'mon, we might still make it in time and if not, I'm sure we could come up with an excuse." She spoke as she turned and began walking the familiar path to the student council room. "You really shouldn't have waited so long to turn in your forms though, I'm a little disappointed in you Shiru-chan." She couldn't help but smirk as she attempted to tease the boy. Shirdo could only narrow his eyes at Yuko, as he despised living the events of last winter, where the girl managed to convince him into wearing a maid's outfit. He pouted at the thought and continued to walk down the lively hallways. "We still have a few applicants here and there, and there are so many drifters that it's nearly impossible to get an exact amount. Most people are just submitting member forms, but the Gaming Club basically relies on funding to upkeep its activities. Might as well pick the fruit when its ripe, rather than waiting for other farmers to come along and snag a few. I could have waited until Monday, but I'm sure that's when most people are submitting documents of their own..." He shuddered at the image of waiting in line with others. The second year perked up as a thought crossed his mind, "So, how's it been going with your classmates, such as that guy... um, what was his name again?" Shirudo asked as his train of memory derailed.

A small giggle maanged to escape from Yuko's lips at Shiru's rather colorful explanation of funding and fruit. "You really needed people to sign on that badly? I'd think a gaming club would be more popular, or at least have some phantom members. You know you could've gotten me to sign on in name at least." Feeling a yawn coming on Yuko reached her hands up into the air in a stretch in a stretch in an attempt to conceal the sign of her fatigue, "Satoshi-kun? He's fine, why do you ask?" She glanced over at Shiru, her head inclined slightly to the side in curiousity. Shirudo glanced at the ceiling and shrugged innocently, "Can't say I have a reason, just gotta keep tabs on my friends, hm? And we just desperately needed members to tempt the council into giving us a little bit of extra funding. Even though we live in such a small community, it's amazing how creative and original people are around here. There are a lot of infantile clubs in need of feeding. Not a lot of grub to go around." He tightened his tie, propping up his formal tone of speech. "We're almost there. Let's hope Seitokaicho is in a benevolent mood." Such a fear was all but ironic, since Kimiko had never been seen in an angered state. She always retained her cool, something Shirudo respected the student council president for. "Oh, and here we are." He rummaged through the contents of his bag and produced the bunch of documents. With a nod of determination, the boy made a slight smile at the girl and then gently slid the door open after knocking. "Hello?" He asked while peeking his head into the council room.

Shirudo slowly peeked his head into the clubroom and took in the personnel already present. Most of the council wasn’t present, as they were most likely making their way to their morning classes. The only people he could spot was the tight-knit trio of Kimiko, Minami and Saki, all of them were relatively acquainted with the shy student. Almost instantly he received the green light to enter the room from the president herself. The boy timidly nodded and gulped back uneasiness as he slowly paced his way towards the basket. With one last glance at the parcels, he dumped them gently and nodded to the council. ”If at all possible, could we discuss club funds before my club meeting? I’d like to have a stable thesis before I begin to map out plans with my members.” The request wasn’t strong in its delivery by the slightest. It was a miracle it even left his mouth and were able to carry out every syllable through the medium of air. Before the president could respond, the bell abruptly rang and notified them that it was time to make way to their classes. Following suit, he filed out of the classroom behind the others, keeping in tow with Yuko. The girl’s classroom was in the middle of their route, and Shirudo bid the girl farewell with haste. ”I’ll see you during lunch, alright? Good luck surviving through the morning.” And with that, he gave the girl a minute bow before continuing onto his own classroom.

The boy sat back down in his seat next to Renya and let out a sigh of relief. Since the teacher was yet to arrive, he was half-tempted to begin paging through a manga magazine to kill the time. By the time he had arrived, his blonde friend had already introduced herself to the rest of the class. Such an act could never be accomplished with Shirudp’s calmness completely retained. He gave the girl a greeting smile and straightened his newsboy cap and tie, looking presentable. ”Oh, right. The Gamers’ Club will be having a meeting today. Would you be interested in shadowing and checking it out?” And now that the invitation was sent, Shirudo could rest assured that he had fulfilled all tasks he had set out to do that morning. Soon enough, the teacher had arrived and began yet another grueling lesson. By this point, the boy had gotten used to the monotone voice which dictated his academic career. It was a recurring cycle with no end, a constant revolution day in and day out. He glanced at the back of his classmates’ heads, deciphering which ones he somewhat knew. Along with being on good terms with a few high schoolers, he also knew a few middle schoolers in Yuko’s age range. In addition, he was surprisingly close to musician who was his nextdoor neighbor. All of them played their own part, strummed their own chords in his life. His very average life, if one would.