Yuko Oshiro'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.

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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."

The bus ride was an uneventful one. By herself with her music drowning out the sounds around her Yuko may have even fallen asleep a few times along the way. As the bus stopped in front of the school the activity of the numerous students around her rising from their seats and collecting their things jostled her fully back to consciousness. Concealing a yawn and rubbing her eyes Yuko got up after them and walked off the bus just in time to catch her sister waving towards her and rushing off towards the gym, looked like she was going to be late. Yuko gave a small smile and waved after her sister, she supposed this meant she'd be seeing her running from the classroom this morning once again. Her little sister's athleticism was something she thought to be rather impressive, Yuko could never handle all that running around.

With her sister disappearing beyond the gym doors Yuko refocused herself on the short trip to the shoe lockers, headphones still thrumming along all the way. As she changed shoes and placed her outdoor shoes into her locker her mind was a blank, foggy mess. She gave a sigh as she shut the small locker door and turned to head further into the school, the feeling that today was not to be a good one hanging heavily on her shoulders. Her gaze wandered aimlessly as she walked the halls until the sight of fluttering red hair caught her attention. Reaching up she gently pulled the headphones off her head as she observed the twins from a short distance behind them. Seeing this as at least an opportunity to distract herself from her pessimistic state of mind she quickened her pace to catch up to the pair and put on a bright smile. "Good morning you two." Her smile became a bit more genuine as she looked down at the smaller of the two, Mika.

"Must be nice to have your sister in the same year as you, it's a bit lonely in my class." It was an effort mostly at small-talk but it was also the truth. What caught her eye next was the manga that little Mika was still gripping tightly. With a quick scan over the cover and title Yuko's eyes lit up with recognition. "Ah! I think I've read a bit of that one, it's the one where the main character's hand is replaced with an umbrella right? And he's always able to somehow use it to win fights and get out of sticky situations." As Yuko recalled the contents of the rather ridiculous story she could feel a giggle coming on. It was a very silly manga, the type she usually wouldn't read but she had seen it in her sister's room before and read it out of boredom. "Do you like it much?" She felt a bit better already, funny how that seemed to work.

The bus made reading more difficult then she would have liked, the confounded vehicle jostled even on these flat roads. Despite the bumpy nature of the bus it hardly stopped her from enjoying the read, it was a delightful action piece which took itself wonderfully not serious. Her twin was also quiet during the ride, her nose sank into English notes. The trip ended and following the flow she dropped the manga from her face got off the bus. Once entering the fresh air Mika stretched her arms into the air, she noticed Haru out of the corner of her eye and went to wave, when Ume suddenly grabbed her and dragged them inside to the shoe lockers.

Mika placed her manga onto the ground as she changed her shoes, not wanting to toss it into her bag. Keeping it out felt better, for some reason throwing it into her schoolbag made her feel like she couldn't take it out for another good while. Again Ume seemed to be flustered by some sort of emotion because shortly after switching shoes Mika was again tugged along, heading towards the classrooms. Not long into their trip through the hallways however a voice reached the pair, a good morning greeting from Haru's older sister Yuko. Mika naturally smiled in response to being interacted with, halting Ume in her march to class, or at least separating from her grip to indulge the conversation.

"Heh, yeah I guess tis pretty good ta always got me sis' with me," Mika did some sort of smirk as she replied to the comment of their sisterly bond. No family in the city could stand up the adorable sisterly bond of the Yoshida's! Then a topic of greater interest came up, Yuko commented on the manga Mika still held in her hand. She had read it too? Mika's eyes brightened up as spoke of it, Ume never had a huge interest in manga so she mostly talked about it with Haru. Haru however was rather scary to have a differing opinion with, and now a kid who rivaled her own vast levels of cuteness had appeared and wanted to talk.

"Yeah yeah, I've got quite da likin' for it! I can tell from yer giggle ya also enjoy da ridiculous story tellin', I'm always a fan of somethin' bein' silly and action packed!" At the moment Mika raised her left foot into the air, balancing on her right heel as she performed some sort of ridiculous in place spin that made her twintails lash about, coming out of with if with one arm outstretched supporting a finger gun. "Secret Move: Red Tornado Shot," Mika semi-shouted as she narrowed her eyes at Yuko, the serious eyes only lasted two seconds as Mika proudly placed her hands on her hips and smirked, "If ya 'preciate manga like dat, what do ya think of ma work in progress secret move!

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?”

With a bright smile Yuko nodded along to Mika's words. "Well, actually such books usually aren't my thing but this one was certainly... Charming." Another light giggle escaped her lips as more amusing memories surfaced. "I typically read fantasy, often have a good deal of action but they're rarely focused on comedy like this one." Rather suddenly Mika twirled to action in an impressive (and adorable) feat of gymnastics culminated by a dramatic gun-like pose and a bold declaration of her secret move. Yuko's only immediate reaction was to blink. Too. Cute. It was only once Mika had resumed her more casual demeanor that Yuko finally broke free from her stupor. Smiling uncontrollably she gave a small round of applause for the little red-head before tapping her chin in thought. "Hm... Well, I think it was quite good. Certainly suits the mood of the manga, and actually, I'm quite impressed you managed to stop facing the right way after all that spinning, and you don't even look off balance. I look forward to seeing the finished version, maybe I'll even have thought up a special move for myself by then."


Mika certainly was a joy to be around. With a quick glance up and away from the tiny adorable creature Yuko spotted Ume not far off. She seemed to be listlessly lingering near the window before rather suddenly producing a camera and snapping a picture in her direction. Fortunately enough she happened to have been smiling already, she just hoped she looked alright in the picture. It was a little out of the blue but not too surprising all things considered. "Ah!" Had this been a cartoon, a lightbulb would have certainly appeared of Yuko's head as a look of recognition dawned on her. "Mika, you're in the same class as my sister right? Could you make sure to give this to her, she forgot to take it this morning." As she spoke she reached into her bag to retrieve a simple looking bento and held it out to the small girl before her. It wasn't more than a moment later that Ume took hold of Mika and snagged her away to class. Yuko blinked as she waved the pair off, "Was nice... Talking to you too." They hadn't really talked at all though, perhaps she would seek the pair out during lunch.

A small sigh escaped her lips as she closed the small distance to the window and peered out at the small number of students still milling about. Classes -were- starting soon but there was still some time, that and Yuko knew it wouldn't be hard to come up with some excuse for being late, the teachers adored her after all and for now the thought of heading to class was a slightly depressing one.

Mika kept her grin as Yuko commented on her amazing work in progress technique, the finished product would ideally involve explosions but that plan may need to be altered. Yuko was going to come up with her own special move, this was some pretty great news! Finally someone to talk special moves with, Haru and Ume were hardly into things as 'silly' as these complex moves. It seemed Ume was snapping some pictures but at this point Mika barely took notice to her sisters photography, she could never take a bad picture while being this cute anyway!

Yuko then suddenly handed a bento to Mika, the request being to take it to Haru, simple enough. Taking it in one hand she swung up the other with a thumbs up, winking at the same time, "Quest accepted fair maiden!" Ume then grabbed her arm in the way she usually did, pulling Mika along to their next class as Yuko said her goodbyes. Mika waved with her free hand with too much vigor as she was taken away to the classroom. They arrived and the twins took their seats, it seemed the teacher was already here and Haru drifted in not long after them. Haru slunk into her desk looking rather down, just the job for the local resident cutie to cure and complete a quest at the same time.

"Pssshht! Harhar, yur big sis gave me dis ta give ta ya," she placed the bento onto the adjacent desk that was occupied by Haru. Mika gave a simple smile over to her friend as the homeroom teacher noticed the interaction. He didn't wish to stop talking so he shot a warning glare in the adorable redheads direction. Mika replied with a proud full faced grin before returning to fiddling her lollipop around to pass the time until classes ended.

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.