Infinite Promises - A Lilly Epilogue [updated 6/8]

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gibzx
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Infinite Promises - Chapter 1: Magical Getaway(PART 3)

Post by gibzx »

Hey guys! A new update has arrived! I got inspired by Thanatos02's Akira Pseudo-route to have a small segment before every new update where I write down my thoughts on my previous chapters. As you may know, I have corrected the grammatical and sentence structure mistakes I made in my previous updates. I also changed a bit of the story to better fit the characters and correct some plot-holes. I can safely say that I learnt a lot from starting this project, and I have no doubt that it will help me become a better writer as I continue. Hope you enjoy this new addition! I will be cranking out a lot of updates in the upcoming two weeks as I have a lot of free time in hands. Im talking a new update every 3-5 days. My final exams are next month, so I will have a short hiatus from the 18th of Feb to the 7th of March.

As always, you are encouraged to point out any errors I may have made, as well as sharing your thoughts on the story. Every ounce of feedback helps me improve and will be greatly valued. Cheers!

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Act 1: Conjecture

Magical Getway - Part 3

I sit at the edge of my bed, my eyelids are heavy and my body is tired. I glance at the clock once more, it’s already 2:14AM. I’m exhausted, but my mind just won’t let me sleep, I've been trying to catch some Zs for about 5 hours now to no avail. It’s definitely not my bed nor the company. The comfortable bed and my girlfriend’s loving embrace are almost always enough to make me sleep like a baby, but not tonight sadly. Just another one of those nights when my medication causes insomnia. I had almost forgotten what these nights felt like, I used to have them rather commonly before, usually three out of the seven days of the week were spent like this. But now they are much rarer, mostly only lasting one day, if that.

My bedroom is almost pitch black, moonlight barely able to enter through my half-closed blinds. Well, if I can’t sleep, I might as well find something productive to do. I’m reluctant to turn on the lights in the fear of disturbing Lilly’s slumber, but I quickly remember that that won’t be an issue, all I have to do is to be extra careful not to make much noise. I stand up and walk towards the lamp that stands in the opposite corner of my room. I Turn it on and take a quick look around, contemplating the options I have to keep my mind occupied.

My eyes fall on the girl that lies on my bed, she’s hugging my pillow to compensate for my absence. I watch her closely for a few more minutes, engraving every detail of her face into my mind. I haven’t taken her out on a date in over a week, the most we have done is walk around the school grounds or feed birds at the town’s park. I feel rather cruel, asking her to choose me over her family Scotland, and yet I can’t provide nearly enough for her compared to her rich parents. She has the patience of a saint however, not having given me a single complaint so far. If she’s annoyed with me for not taking her out enough, she isn’t showing it any signs of it.

“Soon Lilly, I promise…” I mumble to myself.

The truth is that I am planning something big, and needed to cut a lot of my expenses in order to save enough to pull ‘operation perfect date’ off. I should have more than enough saved up by now, but I am still missing one essential component. All I need to do now is get a hold of Kenji, but whenever I attempt to catch him his door is locked and won’t answer me, he is probably asleep by now…

My train of thought is disrupted when I spot a small piece of paper being slid into my room through the door. Mail at 2:30 in the morning? That makes no sense, and if something makes no sense then it must be Kenji. Speak of the devil...I retrieve the paper and open it.
“When you told me you met a dark-haired girl at the library I asked you a question about her. What was the question, and what did you answer?”

“...what?” I mumble to myself. This kind of late-night shenanigan is definitely Kenji’s doing, meaning he is awake! This is as a good time as any to talk to him. I slowly open my door and sneak outside, making sure to not wake up Lilly. I make my way towards Kenji’s door and knock lightly. “Pssssst, Kenji, you there?” No answer is given.

Maybe he didn't hear me, so I knock again, slightly louder this time, and call out “Kenji!” once more. But alas, I receive no response.

If I knock any louder or raise my voice I run the risk of waking up Lilly, but it’s a gamble I must make, I can’t afford to delay my plans any further.

Knock knock knock

“Dude I legit need to talk to you right now.” I say at a normal tone of voice now, no longer whispering. I wait a few seconds but nothing happens. OK, he definitely heard me this time, so why isn’t he answering the door?
I look at the small slip of paper in my hand, going through the question once more. I dig a bit into my memory and recall the conversation we had that day.

I take one of the markers attached to the side of the notice board next to Kenji's room and start writing on the piece of paper. 'When I met Hanako for the first time at the library you asked me if she was cute, and I answered yes.'

I slide the paper under his door.

Immediately, I hear a dozen different locks opening, Kenji opens his door and yanks me into his room, closing the door behind as soon as I am inside.

“Hisao! My man! I thought the feminists had gotten to you!”

“What are you talking about? I have been trying to get a hold of you for the last three days, you knew I was alive and well.”

“Alive? Of course, but I thought you were compromised! A few days ago I saw you coming out of your room, and for a split second I saw that blonde amazonian laying on your bed. I assumed the worst, and thought that she had brainwashed you and turned you into her slave.”

Being Lilly’s slave for a few days? Hmmm… that doesn’t sound so bad, maybe I could suggest trying out a little roleplay the next time we…

AHEM,be still my raging hormones, I can’t get too distracted. I came here for a reason and I would rather not spend more time than I need to inside Kenji’s room.

“Thats a big assumption to make by just seeing a girl lying on my bed, Kenji.”

“You can never be too careful! That’s why I left that test for you, if your mind was truly still intact, you would remember that conversation.”

“Uhhh… sure man, yeah, that makes sense. Your quick thinking and careful safety measures never cease to surprise me Kenji, you truly are the best hope humanity has against these feminists.”

Kenji perks up at my compliment, puffing up his chest. He readjusts his glasses and the corner of his mouth forms into a smirk.

“I’m glad you are starting to see that, Hisao. Maybe you aren’t completely hopeless.”

Over my stay at Yamaku, I learnt how to better communicate with Kenji. All I need to do is throw in the word ‘feminists’ and some tactical words into our casual conversations and we understand each other much better. Now, to ask him for what I came.

“So, Kenji, listen… remember that time not long ago you proposed we have a ‘manly picnic’ involving whiskey?”

“Ahhh yes, whiskey, a true man’s drink. Why? You interested?”

“Uh, maybe some other time. May I ask how you got your hands on alcohol?”

“My parents send me a box every so often containing some supplies, one such item is the occasional bottle of alcohol.”

That’s… an interesting family dynamic. His parents are not only OK with him illegally drinking alcohol, but they even encourage it by supplying him with it? I have multiple questions about how that works, but I can keep them to myself for now.

“Say… Do you have any good wines in your collection, and if so, could I get maybe one or two bottles from you?”

“WINE?! You want that sissy women’s drink?! Oh Hisao I was wrong about you, the feminists have had a bigger influence on you than I thought! Get out! Get OUT!” He shouts as he starts shoving me out of his room.

Dammit! I really need that wine for our date, Lilly loves that stuff. I need to find a way to defuse the situation quickly, I am not walking out of here empty handed. Think Hisao, Think…
Bingo! This is so ridiculous it might just work.

I push Kenji away, I overestimate the force applied and end up making him fall on his rear. He freezes in place and silence fills the room. I quickly move to help him up and apologize, but stop myself at the last second.

Remember Hisao, you need that wine for your date, you can’t back out now.

“How dare you, do you really think that low of me Kenji? Do you really believe that I would fall so easily into the clutches of the feminist war machine, even after all the knowledge you passed on to me?!”

“You are harbouring one of their top operatives in your room and asking me for wine! What else could it be!”

“I’m infiltrating them you idiot! Keep your friends close and your enemies closer remember? I have been converting Lilly into our side, do you realize how valuable having a top feminist operative on our side would be? All that knowledge Kenji!”

“No way…”

He stares at me dumbfoundedly, slowly rising to his feet and taking a step closer to me, having obviously piqued his interest.

“Yes way! It it has started to pay off already. Yesterday she told me about a top secret feminist meeting that they are conducting in two days time. I’m talking dozens of big names! It is the perfect chance to strike, Kenji!”

I am struggling to hold back my laughter now, I don’t know for how much longer I can keep my serious face up. I can’t decide what’s funnier, the nonsense I'm spewing, or the fact that Kenji seem’s to be buying it so far.

“The bottles of wine are not for me, Kenji! Of course I know that wine is a woman’s drink! I need the wine because I am planning a little ‘surprise’ for the feminists”

“Hisao…”

He readjusts his glasses and starts pacing around the room, obviously caught in a train of thought.

“This is a huge breakthrough! I completely misread you, you crazy bastard! All this time I thought they had been slowly getting to you, but it turns out you are the one infiltrating them! Tell me more about this plan of yours!”

“Well uhhh, I am planning to sneak into the location of said meeting a couple of hours before the gathering starts, and planting the wine in their beverage table. They won’t be able to resist the temptation of fine wine. The twist? I will mix the wine with something special if you catch my drift.”

“Something special huh? What do you have in mind?”

“...”

I didn’t plan this far ahead. I need to think of something quick, but it can’t be too far-fetched.

“... truth serum.”

“Truth… serum?”

Dammit! I’m busted aren’t I? I went too far. I mean, where would a highschool student even get truth serum from?!

“Hisao, that… IS GENIUS! That way you can just ask them anything and they will have to answer! All the intel you could gather! How the hell did you get your hands on truth serum anyways?!”

It seems the situation is not beyond salvaging. If I can keep this up and give him a convincing answer, I might get away with this.

“...Mutou. Yes, Mutou gave it to me”

“THE SCIENCE TEACHER?!”

“Shhhh! Lower your voice, they could be listening! Yes, Mutou is also a secret agent against the feminist war, but don’t tell him that you know! I’m supposed to keep it a secret, I wasn’t supposed to tell you. He wants to remain as low key as possible so that he simply flies under the feminist’s radar. He prepared the serum for me with his chemistry knowledge.”

“That's so sick! He is doing a great job at keeping hidden, I would have never suspected that he too was an agent like us. As for anyone eavesdropping, don’t worry about it, I covered my door and walls in vinyl sound blocksheet so that no sound can escape outside.”

I take a look around and sure enough his walls are padded with the stuff. Wasn’t there a huge scandal a few months back because someone had stolen a shipment of blocksheet that was meant to renovate the music room? Shizune went apeshit looking for the culprit, but he was never found. Huh, mystery solved I guess…

I don’t know for how much longer I can keep making up this ridiculous lies while still maintaining a straight face, so I better cut to the chase.

“Kenji, I would love to keep telling you about the things I’ve learnt while undercover, but I need to get back to my room or Lilly will get suspicious.”

“You’re right, better not compromise your position. I kept some of the bottles of wine that my mother sent me, let me find them for you.”

He reaches under his bed and pulls out a big wooden container. He opens it to reveal a huge collection of alcoholic beverages.

“Uhhh, make sure to give me the best wine you have Kenji, the fancier and tastier it is the more feminists will drink, right?”

“Hmmmm, good point. Welp, time to break out the big guns!” He closes his wooden container and slides it back under his bed once more. He then stand up and walks over to his drawer. He opens the bottom compartment, revealing a smaller amount of bottles. “This is my finer collection. My parents will ship me more expensive alcohol on certain special occasions like my birthday or new year.”

Can tell, I am no expert on the subject, but the way some of this bottles are designed and labeled makes it obvious that they are not what you could find at your typical liquor store. Jackpot, I think to myself.
He slowly analyses the available options carefully.

“Aha! This is the best I have, my mother sent it to me for my last birthday. She wanted me to broaden my tastes, so she sent me three bottles of this.” He hands me the bottle. ‘Vintage Port, 1856’ it reads.

“Trust me Hisao, they won’t be able to resist this stuff. Between you and I, I drank one bottle and it was amazing, but don’t tell anyone that! It was a one time exception because it was my mother’s gift. I decided to leave the other two alone, I feared that if I indulged in any more of it I would actually start liking other wines…”

I just wanted some good wine, but this is…

“This is perfect Kenji! Thank you so much! And um… I’m sorry I pushed you down...”

“It’s chill dude, I questioned your integrity as a man, and you defended it. Now, you should get going, every minute you spend here raises suspicion from enemy spies.”

“Right… I’ll give you a full mission report once everything is done. Catch you later, comrade Kenji.”

I take one bottle in every hand and silently make my way back to my room. I carefully open the door and tiptoe inside. Lilly is still asleep, and I take this chance to hide the bottles in my schoolbag. Its 3:02AM now, and it seems my mind is finally starting to quiet down. Finally crossing off the last item that had been gnawing me for days has given me some peace, and I can feel my desire to sleep returning. I gently lay down next to Lilly and hold her in my arms, burying my face into her neck. My eyelids become too heavy to stay open, and I slowly feel myself drifting further and further away, Lilly’s warmth soothing me to sleep. One last thought passes through my head before I fall victim to the night’s charm.

‘Mission success, agent Nakai’


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Last edited by gibzx on Sun Jul 09, 2017 6:02 am, edited 6 times in total.
"You are a beautiful person, Hisao. Please, never apologize for that."--Lilly
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Re: Infinite Promises - A Lilly Route Epilogue [updated 1/24

Post by Mirage_GSM »

It's a wonder Lilly slept through that :lol:
Or has she...
Emi > Misha > Hanako > Lilly > Rin > Shizune

My collected KS-Fan Fictions: Mirage's Myths
griffon8 wrote:Kosher, just because sex is your answer to everything doesn't mean that sex is the answer to everything.
Sore wa himitsu desu.
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Re: Infinite Promises - A Lilly Route Epilogue [updated 1/24

Post by Jake Zero »

Mirage_GSM wrote:It's a wonder Lilly slept through that :lol:
Or has she...
DUN! DUN!! DUN!!!

Joking aside, he has a point, since Lilly's sense of hearing is sharper than most of the main characters.
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Re: Infinite Promises - A Lilly Route Epilogue [updated 1/24

Post by Mirage_GSM »

Well, she's also been shown to be a sound sleeper, so it's not impossible...
Emi > Misha > Hanako > Lilly > Rin > Shizune

My collected KS-Fan Fictions: Mirage's Myths
griffon8 wrote:Kosher, just because sex is your answer to everything doesn't mean that sex is the answer to everything.
Sore wa himitsu desu.
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Re: Infinite Promises - A Lilly Route Epilogue [updated 1/24

Post by Jake Zero »

Fair point.
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Infinite Promises - Chapter 1: Magical Getaway(PART 4)

Post by gibzx »

Hey guys! I know that I promised that I would update the story by 1/27, but I wasn’t happy with the story so I ended up scrapping a lot of pages and rewriting them, I found myself staring at a white screen for days. But I finally wrote something I’m satisfied with.

So without further ado, here they are! As always, please correct any mistakes I’ve made, and give feedback on whether you liked it or not, it really helps me improve!


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Act 1: Conjecture

Magical Getaway - part 4
  • ♫ Sunday morning rain is falling ♫
    ♫ Steal some covers share some skin ♫
    ♫ Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable♫
    ♫ You twist to fit the mold that I am in ♫
    ♫ But things just get so crazy living life gets hard to do ♫
    ♫ And I would gladly hit the road get up and go if I knew ♫
    ♫ That someday it would lead me back to you ♫
    ♫ That someday it would lead me back to you ♫
The faint melody emanating from my alarm clock fills my ears, stealing me away from my slumber. I gently open my eyes to the bath of beautiful orange and yellow colors that flow through my window. I’m still holding Lilly in my arms, but instead of her back being pressed to my chest, she is facing me, with barely than an inch of space between us. Her left hand is softly pressed against my cheek, while her right one is twirling my forelock.
  • ♫ That may be all I need ♫
    ♫ In darkness she is all I see ♫
    ♫ Come and rest your bones with me ♫
    ♫ Driving slow on Sunday morning ♫
    ♫ And I never want to leave ♫
She must has been doing this for a while now, because if I remember correctly, this is the 5th song in my playlist. I decide to stay silent and not give out any signs that I’m now awake, this view is just too cute to interrupt. I let her keep playing with my hair and caressing my face while I deeply stare into those lovely cloudy blue eyes of hers.
  • ♫ Fingers trace your every outline ♫
    ♫ Paint a picture with my hands ♫
    ♫ Back and forth we sway like branches in a storm ♫
    ♫ Change the weather still together when it ends ♫

    ♫ That may be all I need ♫
    ♫ In darkness she is all I see ♫
    ♫ Come and rest your bones with me ♫
    ♫ Driving slow on Sunday morning ♫
    ♫ And I never want to leave ♫
“I’m aware you’re awake, you know?” Oops, busted again. I settle for a kiss rather than giving her the standard ‘good mornin’, savouring the taste of her lips. I reluctantly pull away and take her chin in my hand, using my free one to brush aside a strand of hair covering part of her face. She lets out a small giggle and slides closer to me, our bodies pressed against each other and our noses barely brushing.

“The view was too good to interrupt. Can we stay like this for just a little longer?”

She returns my kiss and wraps her arms around me. “I wouldn’t mind one bit”
  • ♫ But things just get so crazy living life gets hard to do ♫
    ♫ Sunday morning rain is falling and I'm calling out to you ♫
    ♫ Singing someday it'll bring me back to you ♫
    ♫ Find a way to bring myself back home to you ♫
We stay in this position for the remainder of the song, staring into each other’s eyes and losing ourselves in our embrace. Judging from the fact that she hasn’t bothered to turn off my alarm, I can tell that she liked this new playlist. I make a mental note to thank Garu later for passing it to me. ‘Women love American music, my dude. Trust me’ His words held some truth, I think my father said the same thing to me once.
  • ♫ May not know ♫

    ♫ That may be all I need ♫
    ♫ In darkness she is all I see ♫
    ♫ Come and rest your bones with me ♫
    ♫ Driving slow on Sunday morning ♫
    ♫ Driving slow ♫

    ♫ Oh, yeah, yeah… ♫

    ♫ There is a flower in your hair. ♫
    ♫ I'm a flower in your hair. ♫
The song ends, and as much as I’d love to stay here for the rest of my life, I have a date to pull off. “It’s time to get going Lilly, or we’re going to be late.” I break our embrace and sit up from my bed, reaching over to turn off the alarm. I do a few stretches and let out a deep, drawn-out yawn. My yawn proves to be contagious, as Lilly too sits up and tries to suppress one of her own.

“Going where? And late for what exactly? I’m fairly certain we don’t have anything planned for today.”

“For our date of course, did I forget to tell you?”

I’m uncertain whether Lilly likes spontaneous men, given that she is one to always have everything in order and planned ahead of time. If there’s a time to find out such things, it definitely is now, in the early stages of our relationship.

“Hmm” I raise my hands and shrug, a pointless gesture considering my company. “Must have slipped my mind”

“To tell you the truth; I have been planning this for a while now, and I wanted to keep it a surprise. I don’t want to spoil too much, but the first step is to start packing some clothes, we aren’t coming back to Yamaku for at least five days.”

five days? That is some date, Hisao, if not a small vacation. Where would we even stay?”

“At my parent’s of course! You didn’t get to meet them back when I had my episode at the airport, so I think an introduction is way due.” Even though both Lilly and my parents visited me frequently during my short stay there, their visits never overlapped with each other’s, and so they never met. I have the suspicion that Lilly was actively avoiding them.

Sometimes Misha would take a peek inside my room, and then she would disappear for a few minutes before returning. If my parents were inside, she’d always come back alone, and if they were not, Lilly would follow closely behind Misha.

I'd decided to respect Lilly’s wishes of wanting to meet my parents under friendlier circumstances, so I hadn't told them about my girlfriend yet. I instead made up a story about a friend from Yamaku leaving the country forever, whom I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye. Not wanting to leave things between us without a proper send off, I rushed to the airport before he departed. After all, a good lie always runs parallel to the truth.

“Hisao, I don’t think it’s appropriate to stay at your parent’s…” She says with worry riddled all over her face. Meeting my parents is not that big a deal. But I suspect Lilly was raised more towards the traditional side, meaning she probably believes that leaving a good impression when meeting your boyfriend’s parents is one of the biggest events in her life.

“Well so-rry my parents can’t afford a private summer home somewhere in a Japanese province~” I reply in a sarcastic tone, nudging her shoulder playfully.

My attempt at humor proved to be less than effective at relaxing her, however. Lilly is still wearing a face reminiscent of a puppy that was just told is going back to the dog pound.

“It’s not that Hisao, it’s just that I’m worried about-”

“Leaving a poor impression? That would be impossible, Lilly.” I cut her off mid-sentence, not wanting her to start imagining various ways of she could screw up.

“What if they don’t like me? Do they know the reason you nearly had another heart attack at the airport was me? What if they take issue with my blindness? They weren’t aware of your condition until a few months ago, so what if they aren’t accepting of you dating someone with disabilities? And what if-”

I stop her barrage of ‘what if’ scenarios with a quick kiss. I cup her hands into mine and guide them towards my face, she traces her fingers around my facial features, remembering every detail. I know she find it comforting to ‘see’ me.

”Lilly, my parents are very much like me, they raised me after all. They will love everything about you just like I do! You’ve got nothing to worry about.” It’s the truth, I know my parents very well, and I can’t picture them not liking Lilly. She’s everything one could ask for.

“Plus, you know me, Lilly. I get worked up over anything! Remember when I got stressed out because I overslept the day the cafeteria was serving english breakfasts?” I continue.

Lilly giggles at the mention of that event. “Yeah I remember, at first I thought you had somehow found out about my summoning to Scotland when Hanako told me how dejected you looked, but in the end it was just breakfast.”

“Hey now, breakfast is serious business! Most important meal of the day in fact” I mockingly nudge her, which incites Lilly to snicker. Recalling that silly memory is enough to lighten the mood, but I still feel some tension in the air.

“The point is… you don’t hear worry in my voice, do you?”

Lilly shakes her head

“That’s because I know everything will be alright…” I trail off as I take off my shirt, revealing my scar. I take her hands once more and press her palms to my heart.

“Feel my heartbeat, Lilly, and notice that it is strong and confident.”

“I can feel it” She moves her hands behind my back and pulls me into a hug, resting her head on my chest, her right ear pressed to my scar. “I can hear it too.”

“As long as you’re with me Lilly, my heart will always beat in that same way. As long as we face things together, everything will be ok.”

Lilly lifts her head from my chest and searches for my lips. Once she finds them, I am pressed to the warmth of her own. I’ve kissed her a lot of times, and they are all filled with affection, passion and occasionally lust. But there are rare occasions when our kisses are much more than a sign of affection or a primal instinct. They are something else entirely, and can’t yet find a better description to them other than ‘magical’. When everything feels just right and the world disappears around us, time stops and all of our worries just dissipate. I can remember them very clearly, first when we confessed to each other in Hokkaido, and the second being when I begged her to stay with me in Japan as I layed on my hospital bed.

This moment makes it the third.

I’m overwhelmed with happiness as I realize that this is the first time I’ve had a kiss like this without me having to nearly die for it, not that they are not worth dying for of course.
We pull apart only because our need for air has reached its limit. We sit there holding each other's hands, fingers interlocked, regaining our breath. I’m wearing a stupid smile that I just can’t wipe off my face —nor do I want to— which extends from ear to ear. Lilly is doing the same, giving me a radiant smile that could never be mistaken for anything else other than pure, innocent joy.

We stay like this for a while until Lilly finally breaks the silence.

“Can you promise me that, Hisao. That everything will be alright?”

It’s been a long time since I could answer this question without hesitation. And for the first time in forever, I truly believe I have an answer.

“I promise.”


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Last edited by gibzx on Sun Jul 09, 2017 6:06 am, edited 6 times in total.
"You are a beautiful person, Hisao. Please, never apologize for that."--Lilly
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Infinite Promises - Chapter 1: Magical Getaway(PART 5)

Post by gibzx »

Act 1: Conjecture

Magical Getaway - part 5

“Toothbrushes?”

“Check”

“six changes of clothes, including pajamas?”

“Check”

“School books?”

Lilly continues listing our packing inventory while I half-heartedly confirm everything is there. I told Lilly that taking three pairs of clothes would be enough, we’re going to my home after all, not hiking in a mountain. I still have clothes I left behind back at home and I promised Lilly we would go on a shopping spree. However, her overly cautious nature combined with the nervousness that she is meeting my parents has sent her in prepper mode. It feels like we are packing to move in together.

Heh, moving in together with Lilly. I’ve been playing around with that idea in my head for a couple of weeks now, but that will have to wait until after graduation. We’re both aiming for the same university, and our grades are more than enough to get us in if we keep them up.

The reality that I will leave Yamaku, most likely forever, in less than 7 months is getting closer and closer. I sometimes doubt whether I am ready to leave. When I first walked into Yamaku I got the impression that this is where they sent all the societal rejects, the undesired, broken people. That it was meant to be a bubble where we could all pretend like our lives were normal for a few years before they threw us back into the unforgiving real world.

The world that left Lilly and Akira alone when they were just kids. The same world that orphaned Hanako and relentlessly bullied her into the shell which she struggles to get out of so hard.
The world where a badly-angled coalition against someone in the street could kill me.

What will I do if no one hires me because they don’t want an employee with a droopy heart? How will I comfort Lilly if no school wants to have to deal with the extra work of accommodating a blind teacher?

I’m scared, Lilly. I’m scared that no matter how hard we fight to keep up with the rest, the world will tear us apart. I used to see the walls of Yamaku as a way to keep us in, but I have come to realize that they are to keep the rest of the world out. Here, we have a purpose, a community, a sense of belonging.

I believe the correct term for this kind of situation is ‘institutionalised’

Here we help each other, because we all understand how hard it is too live a life that’s limited by our disabilities. Alas, the outside will not be in braille, or have a 24/7 medical staff in case I have another flutter or even worse, a heart attack.

I keep spiraling down further and further into these troubling thoughts before I manage to halt myself. Stop it Nakai, post-hospital you is leaking again. It would be hypocritical of me to not heed my own words. As long as we face things together, everything will work out.

“Hisao?”

We’re both on the same boat, and whatever is to come we will endure it together. She’s my favourite person, and there’s no one else I would want by my side but her.

“Hisao! are you still here?”

I am brought back to the present at the mention of my name.
Of course I’m still here Lilly. I promised you that, remember?

I stand up and make my way towards her, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.

“I love you.”

“Very sweet Hisao, but don’t think your moves will distract me this time mister. We need to study for the upcoming entrance exams so we can get admitted to University. So I ask again: School books?”

“Hmmph…” I stand up and pick up a few books from my desk, then proceed to drop them in my suitcase. “Check”

“Good, I guess that’s everything then. Should we get going to the train station?”

“Actually, we are going for somewhere very special first.” open my closet and start looking through it. “As you can see, it’s very special” I say as I slide out my suit. “Ta-daa!”

“...” Lilly simply tilts her head sideways and looks at me expectantly.

RIGHT, HOW COULD I FORGET! I facepalm at the realization of my stupidity and make my way back towards her, placing my suit in her hands, letting her feel the texture of it.

“Your suit…” She runs her fingers on it for a few seconds before bringing it closer to her face and taking a deep breath. The corners of her mouth curl into a nostalgic smile. “I can still smell the faint traces of smoke and wine from the last time we went to the Red Velvet…”

“Ah yes, our first real date.. At the time, you still hadn’t told me about your parents summoning in Scotland, and so I feel like that event holds some bad memories for the both of us…”

I take my her hand into mine and plant a kiss on the back of her palm.

“That’s why I arranged for a reservation today, so we can go back there and truly enjoy ourselves this time, knowing that our relationship is not a ticking timebomb anymore.”

Her eyes widen at my statement and squeezes my hand tightly.

“How did you afford a reservation?”

“By eating nothing but instant noodles for weeks of course!” That’s probably very bad for my diet, but two weeks won’t harm much will they? I already told myself I’d eat clean for the rest of the year. “We need to be in the city in the next three hours. What about you go put on that stunning red dress you wore last time while I suit up and make sure our transportation arrangements are all in place?”

At that, a radiant smile appears on her face that proves to be contagious.

“Also, right after our lunch we will be departing to Chiba. I just notified my parents via text that I’m bringing a special someone with me as a last minute change, I wanted to leave it as much a surprise to them as it was to you.”

She pulls me into a tight hug that threatens to squeeze all the air in my lungs out.

“So what do you say Lilly, would you like to pretend to be adults for a few more nights?”

She stands up and extends her hand to me, which I immediately take as we begin walking towards the girl’s dormitory.

“I’d love to, Hisao.”

---------------------------------

Lilly and I stand hand in hand at the gates of Yamaku, all dressed up for our date at the Red Velvet. I made sure to arrange our drive to Chiba just in time to arrive before dinner. We will be meeting my parents just as we are dressed right now. Lilly in her stunning red dress, and I with my sleek black suit. Telling her this eased her nervousness of meeting my parents a bit. After all, if any choice of attire is going to leave a good impression on them, it will be this.

Our ride should be here any second now. In the meantime, Lilly and I chit chat about whatever comes to mind. Such as imagining how Hanako’s trip with the journalism club is going, what will we do after graduation, playing around with the idea of moving in together during university…
However, our pleasant conversation is interrupted by a loud eruption of laughter behind us.

“WAHAHA~ Hicchan and Lilly! Where are you two going dressed like that, and are those suitcases? Are you two going on a honeymoon?”

“Good afternoon Misha!” Lilly greets with a cheerful tone.

“Shizune is with her too.” I whisper to Lilly, who flinches at the mention of her name.

“...And Shizune…” Woah, that cheerful tone from just now took a dive. I can already feel the mood turning sour, and I pray to whoever may be listening that Shizune doesn’t do anything to incite a reaction from Lilly.

Lilly and Shizune tried to patch things up before Lilly left for Scotland, and they succeeded to a certain extent. From my understanding however, all that went out the window the second Shizune learnt that Lilly was planning to stay after all.

The arguments they had when both of them visited me at the hospital got so out of hand that the nurses had to step in occasionally. The upside however, is that their verbal brawls were far more entertaining than the J-dramas playing on TV.

As if she could read my thoughts, a spark lights up in Shizune’s eyes, the kind she gets when she sees a challenge. Oh boy, here we go. She begins to frantically sign at Misha, who in return says.

“Hi Hicchan and Lilly. You might be wondering why we’re in school.”

No we are not, go away.

“As responsible Student Council members, we decided to drop by today to start filing some paperwork that will be need to be filled out once school re-opens.”

Good for you, please get to it ASAP.

“What have you been doing to fulfill your duties as class rep, Lilly? Are you actually going to work for a day in your life or will you keep wasting your time going on dates.”

Goddamnit Shizune, why do you have to do this now. Lilly frowns for a fraction of a second before regaining her calm posture. Her shoulders are pulled back, her fingers wrapped tightly round her cane. She looks like a lioness ready to strike down its prey.

“Because unlike you, Shizune, I don’t work at a snail’s pace. I do not require to begin my duties halfway through the summer break to meet the deadline, I am more than capable of finishing them within a week.”

I’m disappointed that Lilly took Shizune’s obvious bait. Regardless, credit is due where credit is due: Ouch, that was a good response. I can tell that Lilly’s mind is working on comebacks to any possible thing Shizune might say. It pains me to watch the two of them fight, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t entertaining. Not for Misha though, she doesn't have the luxury of being a bystander.

“As for my constant dates, it’s called having a healthy relationship with a significant someone. Some of us like to form bonds with others rather than treat everyone as an opponent.”

I’m witnessing the most polite smackdown in all of history, and while a voice in the back of my head tells me to break it up, I decide to let it run its course. Maybe this will take Lilly’s mind off tonight’s meeting with my parents.

“Now please move along, if you wish to finish your duties by the time school re-opens, I suggest you get to it. Maybe you should even call someone else to help you out, a third council member maybe?”

Lilly’s victorious stance is reminiscent of someone who defeated an entire army single handedly, and knowing Shizune, that isn’t far from the truth. Lilly puffs her chest and smiles from ear to ear, ready to deliver the finishing blow.

“Oh, thats right! Every other member left after my resignation, and you haven’t been able to recruit anyone else since then. One might even think that there’s a correlation there. Oh well, I’m sure people will start joining again next year once you’re gone.” Her tone is overflowing with obvious mockery and sarcasm. She makes sure to exaggerate her hand motions to get that point across Shizune.

I'm still in the dark about what exactly happened with the original student council, but I can tell the mention of it puts Shizune on edge.

“Now stop pestering us Shizune, move along. As for you Misha, it is always nice to see you.” She says as waves off Shizune in a dismissive manner before turning to Misha and giving her a polite bow.

Shizune is red with fury now. She taps Misha in the shoulder and begins signaling faster than I thought humanly possible. Misha eyes widen in shock at whatever Shizune just told her. After a few seconds, Misha shakes her head and refuses to translate.

Oh crud, maybe I should have stopped it. If Misha is refusing to interpret, that means Shizune must have said something truly vile.

Shizune stomps her foot in the ground, and once again signals the same thing to Misha. They argue for a few seconds before Misha finally caves in and agrees to translate. Oh boy, here we go.

Just as Misha reluctantly opens her mouth to translate, a guardian angel descends from the heavens to rescue us, arriving in a chariot driven by winged horses.

Well actually, it’s just Garu pulling up the driveway in his car. But considering the circumstances, he might as well be a guardian angel.

“OHBOYWOULDYOULOOKATTHATIT’SGARU!”

I shout as I take Lilly by the shoulders and begin to speed walk towards our rescue vehicle.

“Uh, hey Hisao sorry for being late, I forgot to refill the gas and had to make a pitstop.”

“IMPECCABLETIMINGGARU” I say as I rapidly open the door to the passenger seat and guide Lilly inside, shutting the door as soon as possible.

I open the trunk and quickly throw our suitcases inside. “GOTTA GO HAHA CYA MISHA AND SHIZUNE!” I waste no time hopping into the backseat of the car.

I wave them goodbye as shizune stand there with crossed arms staring daggers at me while Misha gives me a small nod, as if to say ‘thanks for not letting me interpret that.’

Once we are all inside the car, Garu hits the gas and we dash away from Yamaku, leaving the dynamic duo in the dust.

Getting Garu to be my chauffeur wasn’t easy. We are on great terms for having only known each other for three weeks, but even if he was a lifelong friend, asking someone to drive all the way to Chiba and back twice is one hell of a favor. I agreed to do all his science homework for the rest of the year, as well as owing him one.

“Yo Garu, thanks for arriving when you did. Lilly and Shizune were going at each other’s throats and things started turning ugly.”

“Yes, sorry losing my temper back there Hisao, I just couldn’t stand her trying to ruin my mood during such a special occasion. But it seems she partially succeeded anyways, she can definitely be a pain.”

“No probs dudes, I’ve dealt with Shizune before. Calling her a pain in the ass is the understatement of the year. And if it makes you feel any better, judging by the look on her face as we drived away, something tells me you made a number on her more than she did to you”

Lilly smiles at Garu’s comment and lets out a small giggle. “You don’t like her either?”

“Her attitude is of poor taste, much like the food her stall served during this year’s festival.”

That gets a laugh out of both us. Lilly’s annoyed expression from earlier is gone now, replaced by a smirk.

“Anyways, you must be Hisao’s girlfriend, Lilly if I recall? It’s real nice to meet you. Name’s Garu, Hisao’s friend and gym buddy.”

This is the first time he has addressed me by my first name, and it also seems I have been promoted from ‘underling’ to ‘gym buddy’.

“Lilly Satou, pleasure to meet you.”

They seem to have gotten off on the right foot, no doubt by their shared animosity towards Shizune. I remembering learning in history what a lot of alliances between empires was formed by their hatred of a common enemy, which bears a strong similarity to this meeting. Not exactly the best foundation of a friendship, but I’m sure once we all get to spend some time together they will get acquainted on more friendly terms. Until then, this will have to do.

“To the city then! Off we go!”


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Last edited by gibzx on Sun Jul 09, 2017 6:16 am, edited 5 times in total.
"You are a beautiful person, Hisao. Please, never apologize for that."--Lilly
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Infinite Promises - Chapter 1: Magical Getaway(PART 6)

Post by gibzx »

This is the last part for Act 1, Chapter 1. Everything totals a little over 17k words. Awesome! We also reached 650 views, which is super dope, I’m happy to produce more content for y’all.

I know I promised to release part 4 by 1/27, but I decided to instead finish the entire first chapter and release it during Lilly’s birthday!


------------------------------------------------------------
Act 1: Conjecture

Magical Getaway- part 6

“And there I was, completely frozen in fear as the ball flew further and further away, until it finally hit the principals' window, shattering it. I could hear her scream all the way from the courtyard, first I heard a shriek of shock, and the second one a fit of rage.” I wave my hands around to illustrate what it was like witnessing the event, but quickly remember that such things would fly over Lilly’s head.

“The next thing I know, the principal herself is striding towards me, staring at me with pure hatred. I didn’t know what to do, I was completely frozen in place and unable to form coherent thoughts. I looked around for escape but found none, and all my friends were already gone with the wind, leaving me alone to face the monstress herself.”

“Oh my, you must have been terrified! But it was an accident, surely the school would’ve understood?”

“Maybe, but I was in elementary school, meaning my first instinct was to lie and say I didn’t do it, making the situation even worse. You can guess how that worked out, considering I was still gripping the baseball bat alone in the yard, with guilt riddled all over my face.”

Lilly’s resting her chin on her hands with her head tilted slightly to the left, certainly captivated by the story I’m telling her.

“That was probably the harshest scolding I’ve ever received in my life, I was barely able to hold my tears back. And just when I thought it was finally over, the principal drops the ‘your parents will hear about this’ bomb, that’s when I burst into tears. I had been reprimanded by my parents before, but it was always for small things like sneaking at night to eat from the cookie jar or watching horror movies what were not appropriate for my age. But never for something as big as vandalism. I couldn’t imagine how they would react.” Telling the story definitely brings back some memories. I smile as I recall the fun times I had during my childhood, the good ol’ carefree days when I didn’t have to deal with my own mortality. That feeling of happiness is quickly tainted by a hint of sorrow, however.

I can’t do such things anymore, can I? Playing baseball is too risky unless I’m pitching —which I suck at— and horsing around with my buddies would trigger an attack. Not like I longer have a group of buddies to hang out with anyways…

I thought I had moved on from all that, no point dwelling on the past when it can’t be changed and all. But I guess that some wounds just never truly heal, you just learn to ignore the pain until something good comes along to fill that hole. And for me, that certain person is sitting across from me.

You are a beautiful person, Hisao. Please, never apologize for that.

One glance at Lilly is all I need to pull myself out of the self-pitty pit. I wipe away the longing expression on my face and clear my throat to make sure there’s no wistfulness in my tone.

“Anyways, I’m left waiting for about an hour for my parents to arrive. I was biting my nails so fast that by the time my dad’s car pulled into the school gates my fingers were nearly bleeding. He got out of his car and slammed the door shut, an aura of anger radiating off him. My heart was beating so fast that I'm surprised I didn’t learn about my arrhythmia right then and there.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the waiter walking out of the kitchen with a tray in his hand, our meals are among the dishes on it.

“But then the weirdest thing happened, once my dad noticed me, his expression changed to the warmest, most welcoming smile I’d seen all my life. The type that he used to give me when I scraped my knee or got sick, the type that lets you know everything will be all right. He walked up to me and wiped away my tears, patting me in the back for reassurance.”

This is probably the favourite memory I have about my dad. The way he acted that day was the kind of person I hope I will one day become.

“And just as soon as the principal steps outside, my dad immediately turned his murder face back on and stared at her with such intensity that I half-expected lasers to come out of his eyes and melt her face off at any moment. Before the principal even opened her mouth, my father took me by the hand and we started walking back to his car.”

Lilly’s expression remind of my own when I was watching TV shows as a kid, completely sucked into the narrative and constantly wondering what was next. I think I know why she’s so engrossed with my tale now. From what Akira has told me, their dad wasn’t exactly father of the year material. Can’t say I’m surprised to learn that, considering he practically abandoned his own daughters.

“We drove to this ice cream shop I loved and he bought me one of those huge banana split sundaes to share. Not a single word was spoken while we drove through the city or ate our ice cream.” I continue. “Once we reached back home, I worked up the courage to ask him why was he being so nice to me, despite what I had done. He hugged me tightly and said…” I clear my throat again and try to make the best imitation of my dad’s voice I can.

“And what did you do exactly? Accidentally broke a window while playing baseball? Things like that happen, maybe the school should invest in raising that fence instead of blaming you. We will simply send the school a cheque to cover the repairs and everything will be fixed right?” I quote my father.

“And let’s suppose for a second that I buy the principal’s story that you were aiming for her window on purpose. Tell me right now if that’s true, son. Because if you can hit a ball that far and that precise, then I should just let you skip school from now on and train you to become a professional baseball player, because that’s some talent!”

Much like my own reaction back then, Lilly lets out an amused laugh. My father always had this way of defusing tense moments with light humor, something I’ve tried to replicate all my life but can’t seem to get it right.

“Your father sounds like a very nice person Hisao, now I know where you get your calm demeanour from.”

The waiter arrives with our food just as I finish telling my story. The young looking gentleman carefully sets down our meals in front of us and wishes us bon appetit.

Hisao, could you please describe me our dishes?

The sudden change to english catches me off guard. Lilly has been tutoring me in english for these past few weeks, and in exchange I make help her with science. She started this little game a while ago where she will randomly switch to english, and I must follow.
‘Practice makes perfect’ she says.

“Aw man, must you embarrass me by showcasing my poor english in front of all these fine people?”

Lilly pouts and gives me those puppy eyes that never fail to make my heart skip a beat. I consider fighting it, but I know I will eventually give in anyways.

They looks delicious, Lilly.

I pause and see if she will settle for my 1st grader sentence. But as expected, it doesn’t work. She lightly taps my ankle with her foot, as if saying ‘go on.’

I cut a small piece from my steak and analyse the inside. “It’s very juicy, and the center has a light shade of pink. It looks very…

I dig through my memory in search of any words that might have stuck with me during our last vocab session. I finally recall a word from the thesaurus that sounds impressive, at least for my level, I just hope I don’t butcher the pronunciation.

Succulent” I say victoriously.

Smells delicious too” She adds.

Satisfied with our little interaction, we begin eating and indulging in some chit chat in between bites. Our conversation begins to feel a bit one-sided as I realize I am doing most of the talking, reason being that Lilly keeps shooting questions about me regarding my childhood and old life in general.
Something about her expression of awe to my common anecdotes strikes a chord with me. She’s acting as if what I’m telling her are tales of woe, when to me they are just an average childhood.
I know the stereotype that rich tycoons always send their daughters to exclusive prestigious girl schools where they are taught how to behave like a ‘proper’ lady, among other useless skills like learning which fork is meant for salads and which is for cake. All the while they spend all their life working 24/7 with minimum acknowledgement of their families.

Could this be Lilly’s case as well? Taught to blindly obey everything her parents said without question?

Suddenly I recall what Lilly said when she finally told me about her departure to Scotland.
‘I can’t say no to my parents summon.’ At the time, I didn’t think much of it, I was much more devastated by the news themselves to pay attention to anything else. But looking back, ‘can’t’ is a very specific choice of words, as if she never had a say in it.
Was she raised a la Rapunzel? Locked away in a tower, being molded by her parents to be their definition of perfect?

Curiosity gets the better of me and I decide to remove any doubt by indirectly asking her.

“What was your childhood like, Lilly? You’ve only told me about living with Akira prior to joining Yamaku, but what about before that?” I make sure my tone is not loaded with any accusation in it. I already have an idea of what the answer will be, given the information Akira has given me, but I’m hoping that at least it’s not as bad as she made it sound.

“Well… Akira and I used to live in with mother and father. Life was calm for the most part, my parents hired extra staff members to help me with my daily activities, so my blindness wasn’t that much of an issue.” Something about the way she said that last part tells me that that was meant to convince herself more than me.

“There were times when father would leave early from work, and spend some time with us…”
Her expression tells me that she is digging hard to recall good memories with her father.

“Oh! My favourite is when I was 6, and I received an award from my school for having straight As for the entire year. Father was so proud that he arranged to leave work early the next day to have dinner with us and celebrate my achievement. He told me he was so proud of me, and that made me really happy!”

...That’s it? Having a simple dinner with his father takes the ‘#1 childhood memory award’? I can’t recall a single day where my parents and I didn’t eat together. If they were working late and couldn’t make it to dinner, we would make sure to wake up in time to have breakfast together, and if they left early, I could always count on them to come home to tuck me in at night.

Apart from Akira, it sounds to me like Lilly never really had a family.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I spend the rest of the evening listening to Lily's childhood stories. When her mom bought her a dress for the first time, that one time both her parents showed up to her cello recital, that time her father played pretend teatime with her in his office…

Every story she tells me sounds more and more mundane to the point where I can’t call them ‘memories’ anymore, to me it just sounds like an average tuesday or weekend, confirming my suspicions.
Lilly’s expression, on the other hand, remains unchanged. She genuinely seems to think that she had good parents.

This trip is no longer about just introducing Lilly to my parents. My new mission is to show her in these five days what it feels like to be part of a real family. My girlfriend is due a childhood, and I think it’s about damn time she got to experience one, even if it's just temporary.

We both finish our meals, and the conversation dies down. Regardless of my opinion on her parents, Lilly looks happy to have shared her childhood with me, and so I give no negative comments. I’d say today has been a success so far, and that calls for celebration. Once the waiter reappears to clear our table, I silently pick up the wine menu in front of us and point to a red wine that looks affordable as I sneak in some money into his pocket, he nods to let me know he catches my drift and walks away from the table.

Moments later, He comes back with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He removes the cork with a loud *POP* which startles Lilly at first, but once she catches the scent of our beverage, she gives me a mischievous grin.

We don’t look 21 by any means, but I figured that maybe the waiter would be willing to turn a blind eye on us for a small bribe. As I’m pouring our glasses, I notice that we have caught the attention of our neighboring table, who consists of an old couple. The gentleman and I make eye contact momentarily before he flashes me a knowing smile and a wink which say ‘I’ve been there before.’ I return his gesture and he redirect his attention back to his table. As expected, everyone is here to have a good time and enjoy some quality food, no one has time to cause a ruckus because two teenagers are indulging in some wine.

“I propose a toast.” I exclaim as I raise my glass.

“Let’s toast to…” Us? Love? A long life? Nah, too cheesy...

“To our future, may it keep getting brighter and brighter with every step of the way!” Lilly finishes the sentence for me as she too raises her glass.

I couldn’t ask anything more than that.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time we reach Chiba, it’s already dark, and my watch reveals that it’s nearly 8pm. I recognize this part of town, and if memory serves me well, we should have no problem arriving just in time for dinner.
I turn my head back to see Lilly with her eyes closed as she listens to her surroundings, and I decide to break her concentration with a little surprise.

you look stunning tonight Lilly, as you do every other day of the year,

This time, she’s the one taken aback by my sudden change in language. “The windy night makes your hair flow through the air like a golden waterfall. Reminds me of an angel” I continue.

I’m still not entirely convinced that you aren’t one to be honest.

Lilly blushes and covers her mouth to suppress a giggle. “My my, Hisao. Where are all these compliments coming from?”

“Didn’t we agree to be more honest to each other after my stay at the hospital?”

'nice one!’ That one-liner earns me a fistbump from Garu and a smile from Lilly. The king of suave strikes again! I think so at least… I’ve never really had any experience dating prior to this to rate my performance… But hey, Japanese romance protagonists say these types of things all the time, they can't be that far off, right?

Before I even know it, we pull up to my parent’s driveway. I guess this is it huh, I hope parent-girlfriend introductions are not as awkward as what TV shows and movies make them seem. I hop out of the car and open the door for Lilly, extending her my hand, and I help her out once she finds it. Garu pops the trunk open and hands each of us our suitcase for our free hand. He wishes of good luck and hops back into his car, pulling out of the driveway and dashing away in the blink of an eye. With no preparations left, Lilly and I begin walking arm in arm towards the entrance.

Once we reach the door, Lilly freezes and takes a deep breath. I plant a kiss on her forehead and ask if she’s ready, to which she gives a half-hearted nod. I move my arm down hers and find her hand, locking fingers.
However, before I even knock I notice that there is no light coming out of the peephole, meaning my father has been standing at the door watching us since the we arrived in the car. I chuckle as I raise my hand to knock on the door. As soon as I lift my arm, my father slams the door open and stands before us with the biggest, stupidest smile on his face, extending from ear to ear.

Lilly jumps in surprise, dropping her suitcase. Once she puts two and two together that he opened the door without me even knocking, her blush turns several shades redder.

Dad turns his head towards the kitchen and shouts at the top of his lungs. “HONEY! IT’S TRUE! IT’S REALLY HAPPENING! HE DID BRING HIS GIRLFRIEND ALONG!”

“ARE YOU SURE IT’S NOT JUST A FRIEND?!” I hear mom shout back, quickly followed by the sound of high heels rushing towards the entrance. She appears behind my father within seconds and once she sees us, her face eyes light up like fireworks.

A simple “sup” is all I can manage right now, they are making things very awkward, albeit with good intent.

“Oh man, the day has finally arrived, our son and his significant other have outdressed us. They truly grow up so fast.” Says dad as he wipes away a non-existent tear from his eye.

I look to Lilly, whose cheeks resemble tomatoes right now. I guess introductions will have to fall on me this time.

“Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend Lilly.” The word ‘girlfriend’ rolls down my tongue so smoothly, I suspect I might have accidentally emphasized on it a bit too much.

“Lilly, this young couple before you are my beautiful parents. Now you truly know the entire Nakai family.”

Both my parents extend their hands to shake Lilly’s, but naturally, she doesn't respond. A few seconds pass before Lilly realizes what must be happening, and she extends her own hand attempting to look for theirs as fast as she can. I am pleasantly surprised to find that both my parents don’t react to her blindness at all, avoiding us that awkward conversation.

Once she finds my father’s hand, dad immediately pulls Lilly into a hug which mom joins, leaving Lilly completely flustered.

Maybe my parents are a bit too direct for what Lilly is used to. But the silver lining? There’s pretty much no doubt in her mind that they like her.

Once they break the embrace, mom rushes to the kitchen to finish preparing dinner while dad insists that we come inside as he carries our luggage. We barely make it three steps in before dad bombards us with questions like ‘how did you two meet?’, ‘How long have you been together?’ ,‘When’s the wedding?’...

“WAIT! DON’T ASK THEM THOSE QUESTIONS YET! LET ME FINISH PREPARING ALL THIS SO I CAN JOIN YOU” I hear mom shout from the kitchen.

Once we are all seated at the table with a delicious looking dinner in front of us, mom breaks the silence by clearing her throat.

“Welcome to our humble home, Lilly. We are delighted to meet you.”

“As am I, Mr and Mrs Nakai.” Lilly searches for my hand and gives it a light squeeze, she turns to me and gives me a radiant smile. “You really weren’t exaggerating when you said your parents were very lively, huh?”

The four of us break into a laugh, and just like that, any worry Lilly had about meeting my parents is washed away.

I can already tell that she’s going to love it here.


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Last edited by gibzx on Sun Jul 09, 2017 6:26 am, edited 9 times in total.
"You are a beautiful person, Hisao. Please, never apologize for that."--Lilly
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Re: Infinite Promises - A Lilly Route Epilogue [updated 2/7]

Post by Mirage_GSM »

I decided to respect Lilly’s wishes of wanting to meet my parents under friendlier circumstances, so I haven’t told them about my girlfriend yet.
Here's where tense really becomes important.
Since he's still talking about the time he was at the hospital, this sentence absolutely has to be past perfect, otherwise, he STILL hasn't told his parents about his girfriend despite bringing her along for a visit, which would be a REALLY bad idea :-)
So: "I'd decided to respect Lilly’s wishes ..., so I hadn’t told them about my girlfriend yet."
And there I was, tracking the ball as it soared through the air, my eyes widening as it got closer and closer to the place I dreaded most and struck the principal's window, instantly shattering it.
Usually your dialogue sounds quite natural, but have you ever heard anyone talk in sentences like that, let alone Hisao?
considering I was still gripping the baseball bat alone in the yard
Baseball? Alone? Who was pitching?
We don’t look 21 by any means, but I figured that maybe the waiter would be willing to turn a blind eye on us for a small bribe.
Very questionable if he's attached to his job - and at a posh restaurant like that he probably is.
as Garu waves us goodbye and turns his car back on, dashing away in the blink of an eye.
...with the luggage? :-)
Emi > Misha > Hanako > Lilly > Rin > Shizune

My collected KS-Fan Fictions: Mirage's Myths
griffon8 wrote:Kosher, just because sex is your answer to everything doesn't mean that sex is the answer to everything.
Sore wa himitsu desu.
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Re: Infinite Promises - A Lilly Route Epilogue [updated 2/7]

Post by gibzx »

Corrected for past perfect.
Mirage_GSM wrote:
And there I was, tracking the ball as it soared through the air, my eyes widening as it got closer and closer to the place I dreaded most and struck the principal's window, instantly shattering it.
Usually your dialogue sounds quite natural, but have you ever heard anyone talk in sentences like that, let alone Hisao?
You're right, I probably had a brain fart and started typing dialogue as narrative. :S
Mirage_GSM wrote:Baseball? Alone? Who was pitching?
He wasn't playing alone, but everyone else scattered as soon as the ball hit the principals' window.
gibzx wrote:My eyes darted around for escape but found none, all my’ friends’ were already gone with the wind, leaving me alone to face the monstress herself.”
Although if you still feel that I should clarify more I'd be glad to :D
Mirage_GSM wrote:Very questionable if he's attached to his job - and at a posh restaurant like that he probably is.
You'd be surprised. I myself got away with this when I was 16 and ate at a very high class restaurant in my city. It's shocking how much people are willing to bend the rules for you as long as you look important and appear rich. (I'm not rich my any means, but that day was much like Hisao's for me. I just worked for weeks and saved every penny of my paycheque to rent a very nice suit for an important event.)
Mirage_GSM wrote:
as Garu waves us goodbye and turns his car back on, dashing away in the blink of an eye.
...with the luggage? :-)
Oh man how did I let that one slip by :shock: . Will fix ASAP.

As always, thanks a lot for helping me improve my writing, Mirage! Really appreciate it! My new goal is to release the next chapter with no errors for you to find. That would be one hell of an achievement :P . See you next time!
"You are a beautiful person, Hisao. Please, never apologize for that."--Lilly
Jake Zero
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Re: Infinite Promises - A Lilly Route Epilogue [updated 2/7]

Post by Jake Zero »

gibzx wrote:As always, thanks a lot for helping me improve my writing, Mirage! Really appreciate it! My new goal is to release the next chapter with no errors for you to find. That would be one hell of an achievement :P . See you next time!
Good luck with that. Mirage is the king of all Grammar Nazis. :twisted:
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gibzx
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Re: Infinite Promises - A Lilly Route Epilogue [updated 2/7]

Post by gibzx »

Jake Zero wrote:
gibzx wrote:As always, thanks a lot for helping me improve my writing, Mirage! Really appreciate it! My new goal is to release the next chapter with no errors for you to find. That would be one hell of an achievement :P . See you next time!
Good luck with that. Mirage is the king of all Grammar Nazis. :twisted:
I've seen it happen before, so it must me possible, right?

...right? :shock:
"You are a beautiful person, Hisao. Please, never apologize for that."--Lilly
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Mirage_GSM
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Re: Infinite Promises - A Lilly Route Epilogue [updated 2/7]

Post by Mirage_GSM »

Jake Zero wrote:Good luck with that. Mirage is the king of all Grammar Nazis. :twisted:
Only because it seems to be appreciated here by most authors. :-)
Emi > Misha > Hanako > Lilly > Rin > Shizune

My collected KS-Fan Fictions: Mirage's Myths
griffon8 wrote:Kosher, just because sex is your answer to everything doesn't mean that sex is the answer to everything.
Sore wa himitsu desu.
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InSaiyan
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Re: Infinite Promises - A Lilly Route Epilogue [updated 2/7]

Post by InSaiyan »

Mirage_GSM wrote:
Jake Zero wrote:Good luck with that. Mirage is the king of all Grammar Nazis. :twisted:
Only because it seems to be appreciated here by most authors. :-)
I'll vouch for that!
I'm not sure what I'd do without you, honestly. I knew I was clueless, but I had no idea just how clueless I was until you helped, haha!
"We're just two children, pretending to be adults, aren't we?"

Current project: Teach Me To Dance: A Natsume Ooe Pseudo-Route
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Re: Infinite Promises - A Lilly Route Epilogue [updated 2/11

Post by gibzx »

Hey guys! I decided to rewrite the first two parts of the chapter as I felt they weren't up to standard. As always, feedback would be greatly appreciated. I recommend you check them out as nearly 95% of it was changed, including some aspects of the story as well as more exposition.
"You are a beautiful person, Hisao. Please, never apologize for that."--Lilly
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