Katawa Shoujo Forums

Karaoke Night
25 Years Later...
A Very Student Council Christmas
Sharks and Minnows
Katawa Shoujo: The Musical!
So She Dances
Hokkaido: a Turning Point
Where Are They Now? (You Are Here)
Freaks and Friends Super Happy Funtime Christmas Special
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Two Halves Make a Hole
The Death and Return of Niji
Meeting Miki
War Diary 31-10-2007
Three Bits of Silliness
Onsen a Lifetime (Separate Thread)
A Christmas Sketch (Separate Thread)
A Convenient Distraction
Dreams By Firelight
Dear Hisao (Separate Thread)
Samosa Surprise (Separate Thread)
Father Knows Best (Separate Thread)

Where Are They Now?

Three things are glaringly obvious - Hisao and Hanako make a sickeningly cute couple, Shizune’s plastered, and this bartender couldn’t mix a decent gin and tonic to save his life.

That first one is excusable - they just got engaged, this is their engagement party, and they’re singing a saccharine karaoke duet. It comes with the territory. I must admit, Hanako is surprisingly good. Hisao, on the other hand… well, he’s enthusiastic.

[Couples, amirite? I think I’m gonna be sick.]

[That’s because you’re drunk, Shicchan.]

[I’m not drunk! I know exactly how many prostitutes I’ve had!]

[‘Drinks,’ you mean?]

[That’s what I said. What did you think I grfrbl?]

I actually feel really bad for her. That last year at Yamaku, it feels like something just died in her. She still worked as hard as ever, but somehow didn’t seem to care about anything anymore. She has a good job, but it’s clearly something she could do in her sleep. And it’s not like she’s doing anything else with her life.

[You know, Shicchan, there’s more to life than drinking yourself into a stupor every night. If you just applied yourself-]

[God, Misha, you’re just like my dad. Be respectable! Life is hard! Stop glfrmbl glue!]

[What can I say? His autobiography had a lot of good points.]

Any further conversation is cut off as Hanako nearly knocks me off my stool in a tackle-hug.

“Did you see me, Misha? I did it! I got up in front of everyone and sang my song! I still can’t believe it!”

Shizune’s not the only one who’s a bit tipsy tonight.

I give her a warm smile. “You did a good job, Hanako.” Turning my head toward Hisao, I nod in his direction. “Hicchan~.”

His chagrined reaction amuses me. “Hey,” he nods back.

“Oh, I’msogladyoucouldmakeit! Was the flight long? How are things in America? Did you miss Japan?”
I got here a little late. From what I can tell, Shizune got here early and immediately started drinking, then the happy couple, and then me. Our happy little clique.

Before I get the chance to reply, Hanako lets out a piercing squeal and runs toward the door to greet two new arrivals - an unmistakable tall blonde and... What looks to be a younger, sexier Mr. Hakamichi. At least, what he’d look like if he were a little more tolerant of societal conventions.

“Lilly! You came! Ican’tbelieveit! No one told me anything! When did you get in?”

“My, my, Hanako, aren’t you as excitable as ever.”

[Who invited the foreigner?]

[Hush, you. She’s your cousin, and Hanako’s friend. Try to behave.]

---

Another song by the happy couple. They’re certainly enjoying themselves. Meanwhile, Shizune’s faceplanted into the bar, snoring gently.

“Is this seat taken?”

I don’t even have to look to know who it is - the accent’s unmistakable. Lilly didn’t have an accent before, but that was ten years ago. To be fair, I probably sound like I should be wearing an American flag bikini and a cowboy hat. That only happens on Tuesdays.

Without thinking, I reply, “It’s a free country.”

A soft chuckle. “My, it’s good to know that I’m not the only one who’s gone native in their new home. You’re working as an interpreter for the deaf now, yes?”

“And a bartender,” I reply. She inclines her head in polite surprise. “It started as a way to get a little spending money at school, but I found I have a knack for it. Also, the tips can be great - just show off my girls and spin a few bottles, and the money just comes flowing in.”

A tight smile. For anyone else, that would be the equivalent of their jaw hanging open in shock. “My, that sounds quite exciting. I must confess my own life isn’t quite so colorful. I married a nice man. Father is grooming him to be the next Regional Manager. We have a couple children. It’s a comfortable life, but rather dull.”

“Dull? Aren’t you the girl whose idea of excitement is to sneak a little bit of real tea in with the flowers and herbs?”
“It is indeed,” she laughs, but the mirth is short-lived, “which should give you an idea of how dreadfully boring it is.”

Ouch. I glance at her glass. The contents have been changing color over the course of the night. That’s her fourth drink. At least.

“Speaking of color,” she adds, clearly trying to change the subject, “is your hair still…?”

“No, I’m afraid not. ‘Terps try to be somewhat inconspicuous, so I’ve gone natural. Other than the occasional temporary dye, that is.”

Her smile seems a little more real this time. “That’s nice. I hope it doesn’t sound weird, but your natural hair smells much nicer.”

“It sounds a little weird, but I think I’ll be fine as long as you aren’t trying to bury your face in it.”

“What about you, Misha? Is there any man in your life?”

“Nope.”

“Ah. Well, I had heard some rumors…”

“No, no girl either. I like boobs as much as the next guy, but I just haven’t found the right person, man, woman, or tentacle monster.”

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry, it’s a joke from work.”

Nice start, but if you intend to keep it as a one-shot the ending is a bit abrupt - some of the character developments really need more exposition to accept them.

Karaoke Night
25 Years Later...
A Very Student Council Christmas
Sharks and Minnows
Katawa Shoujo: The Musical!
So She Dances
Hokkaido: a Turning Point
Where Are They Now?
Freaks and Friends Super Happy Funtime Christmas Special (You Are Here)
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Two Halves Make a Hole
The Death and Return of Niji
Meeting Miki
War Diary 31-10-2007
Three Bits of Silliness
Onsen a Lifetime (Separate Thread)
A Christmas Sketch (Separate Thread)
A Convenient Distraction
Dreams By Firelight
Dear Hisao (Separate Thread)
Samosa Surprise (Separate Thread)
Father Knows Best (Separate Thread)

My own submission for Seasonal Solstice Secret Santa Short Story Sharing Session. Much as I appreciate Mirage's efforts to make a consolidated thread, I'm far more comfortable crowding out my in work than feeling like I'm smothering someone else's work.

I drew Oddball; his prompt: I just want something with my girls. A Hachisame, Hitomi, Time Warp-tan fic.

Freaks and Friends Super Happy Funtime Christmas Special

By the time Tana heard the alarm, her hand had already hit the snooze button. It did its job, though – she was awake. And today was Christmas Eve.

Not that that was a big deal – no boy for Tana this year. But she still had plans. Uncle Kaito was hosting a party for her and her friends. Nothing big, but it was something to do, and would probably be fun. At the very least, the food would be good.

But first things first – time to get dressed. And Tana had the perfect outfit in mind – a cute green velvet dress that would set off her red hair perfectly. Red woolen stockings, too. The dress was a little too big in the chest area, but she figured that was just an excuse to wear her padded bra.

Getting dressed was always a weird experience for her, because of her condition. Due to a brain malformation, she lives a few seconds out of sync with the world, earning her the nickname “Time Warp”. The good news is that it's just her conscious brain that's affected – the doctors say that routine, automatic tasks are handled by her cerebellum, meaning she doesn't think about them while she's doing them. If it weren't for Miss Bellum, she truly would be helpless.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at her door.

The door was thrown open, revealing a girl in a wheelchair with short bleach-blonde hair.

“You're not letting me swim today, so I'm not letting you sleep! Put that in your pipe and smoke it!”

“Come in,” Tana called, to the girl who was already making herself at home in the disaster zone that was Tana’s room.

The girl in the wheelchair – Hachisame – had a thick festive blanket on her lap, and was wearing a knit sweater that was an eye-searing clash of colors that would probably form seasonal figures, it someone could stand to look at it long enough to try making sense of it.

For once, Hachisame was almost at a loss for words. “Wait, you're ahead of me? How the hell did that happen?”

A moment later, Hachisame decided it wasn't important. “No matter, let's go bug Hitomi.”

“Maybe all your eating is catching up to you, and now you're getting fat and slow,” Tana playfully rejoined.

Too late, of course. Hachisame was already backed out of the room and turning around.

“Nice one, Time Warp. But you know it all goes to my thighs.”

“Sure thing, fattybrains.”

---

With Hitomi collected, and Suzu completing the group, they were ready to leave the dorm. Hitomi was so wrapped in coats and scarves that you could only see her hair and one eye. Not that that last part was unusual, but the space her other eye used to be was thoroughly covered, too. Suzu, by contrast, looked like she just wrapped herself up in her futon and started walking. In fact, that may not be an exaggeration.

This time of year, Yamaku is almost always covered in a thick blanket of snow. Tana had heard the explanation before – something about altitude, or latitude, or both, and windward sides of mountains versus leeward. Whatever the case, today wasn't any different from usual in the “everything covered in snow” category. The walkways were cleared, of course – with the number of canes and wheelchairs the school has to accommodate, clearing snow is a high priority.

As if undertaking an arctic expedition, the small group set out.

“Damn it's cold,” Hachisame complained, stating the obvious, “if we don't get to your uncle's quickly, my tits may freeze off.”

“Not like you'd be losing much,” Suzu replied dryly.

A moment later, Tana chimes in, “Don't be silly. You need to have them to freeze them off.”

“Okay, screw you, Suzu. And screw you too several seconds later. Not like you two have much room to talk. We all know that Hitomi’s got the biggest rack here. And they're natural,” she adds pointedly.

Hitomi, for her part, turned bright red – what little of her could be seen, at least. Her mumbled reply is further muffled by the coat and scarf over her mouth.

“Yeah, you tell her,” Hachisame replied, clearly having no more clue than the others what Hitomi said.

The trip to Sunshine Estates is largely uneventful, short of Hachisame explaining to Suzu why they all start giggling whenever the subject of noodles comes up.

At the door to Uncle Kaito’s, Tana had barely knocked once before the door was thrown open, revealing an older man in a garish red outfit, lined with white fur.

“Merry Christmas!” he shouted, laughing heartily, “come in, come in. Everything's ready!”

As the girls filed in, their noses were filled with the intoxicating aroma of the veritable feast set out before them. The centerpiece of the spread was a bucket of store-bought fried chicken next to a platter of what looked to be home-cooked fried chicken as well.

“Eat up,” he encouraged, “there's plenty to go around!”

Any further conversation was cut off, as the sight and smell of the food reminded the girls just how hungry they were.

---

“I must say, I'm a little disappointed to see all you girls here. The more the merrier, of course, but don't the guys up at that school have any sense between them?”

“All the guys I talk to are boring,” Suzu replied, “total snooze fest.”

“I haven't been looking,” Hitomi added.

Tana shrugged, “I'm not in any rush.”

“You know me,” Hachisame chimed in, “I'm too much for one guy.”

“Even an American?” Suzu asked, smirking.

“Girl, I could take two Americans at the same time.”

On hearing Hachisame's retort, Hitomi nearly choked on her drink. Suzu ignored it, disappointed that Hachisame missed the innuendo.

“You know,” Suzu mused, “that reminds me of a book we were reading in the club the other day. Something about King Aardvark or something. It used an odd term to describe a girl like you. A 'man-eater’.”

“Man-eater?” Hachisame repeated, clicking her teeth in approval, “I like that.”

As the day wore on, they played various children's games, then exchanged small gifts, Hachisame eating the whole time. The gifts were mostly jokes – half a pair of sunglasses for Hitomi, a watch that was five minutes slow for Tana, and so on.

Finally, the evening wrapped up with a beautiful Christmas cake that tasted as good as it looked.

The last pieces of cake polished off, Kaito stood up, clapping his hands.

“Well, kids, I don't mean to kick you out, but you all'd better get back to school before it gets really cold. Time to see you all off!”

With reluctance and some grumbling, the girls got up, rebundled themselves, and ventured into the cold dark night. As they departed, Kaito stood waving from the open door.

“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Ohohohoho!”

That was cute.

I feel like you may went out of your way to hit too many points, but then again I did give you characters that nobody is used to writing to work with. All in all, not too shabby.

Mirage_GSM wrote:Nice start, but if you intend to keep it as a one-shot the ending is a bit abrupt - some of the character developments really need more exposition to accept them.

All fair points. This is mostly something that's been brewing in my head for a long time, and it needed to get out. There's a good chance I'll revisit it, as there were a few other related scenes percolating at the same time.

The truth is, I've been in a pretty bad place over the past year and a half or so ("The back seat of a Volkswagen?"), and only recently have I felt like I'm out of the woods. As you can probably tell, this snippet doesn't really fall into the happiest of possible futures.

Standing on its own, though, it's a bit of a meditation on the drifting apart of old friends. There's a point in some relationships where you look at the other person, realise that your shared history is the only reason you'd associate with the other anymore, and kind of wonder how it got to that point. In that respect, your wanting the context means it hit the proper note.

But it may be interesting to revisit this setting in the future.

Oddball wrote:That was cute.

I feel like you may went out of your way to hit too many points, but then again I did give you characters that nobody is used to writing to work with. All in all, not too shabby.

I don't recall trying to go out of my way more than I would usually given the materials I had to work with. I wanted to make something accessible to readers unfamiliar with the original, without stepping on your toes too much. That may be what you're getting at.

Then again, that's why I listed this specific type of prompt as "discouraged." It's incredibly hard to do it justice without leaving one cross-section of the audience behind. You probably should've given me the Lilly x Taro diaper fetish prompt. It would've been explosive.

As far as faithfulness to the characters goes, I had to finish reading FnF to be sure I knew everything I could about these girls, and it had been so long that I had to reread the entire thing. Then I tried to put them in a new situation and work out what they'd do and how they'd act. Since they're just guests, they couldn't get the whole "reside in my mind and run free" experience, and had to settle for the "rent out a room in the seedy Motel 6 on the wrong side of the tracks - but I's only for tonight, so we'll be fine" experience. Hopefully, I did right by them to some degree.

Karaoke Night
25 Years Later...
A Very Student Council Christmas
Sharks and Minnows
Katawa Shoujo: The Musical!
So She Dances
Hokkaido: a Turning Point
Where Are They Now?
Freaks and Friends Super Happy Funtime Christmas Special
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (You Are Here)
Two Halves Make a Hole
The Death and Return of Niji
Meeting Miki
War Diary 31-10-2007
Three Bits of Silliness
Onsen a Lifetime (Separate Thread)
A Christmas Sketch (Separate Thread)
A Convenient Distraction
Dreams By Firelight
Dear Hisao (Separate Thread)
Samosa Surprise (Separate Thread)


Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

Shizune woke up to the sound of chirping birds way too early in the morning.

Stupid birds. Can’t they let me sleep in a little more?

A minute later, it sank in.

I can hear the birds!

Jumping out of bed, she cupped a hand to her ear, confirming that she was in fact hearing them. Not yet satisfied, she snapped her fingers, wincing at the surprisingly loud noise it made.

“I can hear! And speak, too!”

Excitedly, she threw on her uniform and rushed to the street corner so she could catch the first shuttle to the Yamaku main campus.

As she waited for the bus, she drank in the noise and bustle of the city - the rumble of cars, the chatter of the people conversing, and the general noise of the busyness surrounding her.

I can’t wait to tell Shiina!

Shiina’s dorm was on the main campus, and it was more likely than not that she was still asleep, but this was something that couldn’t wait.

Conveniently enough, Shiina was standing right by the bus when Shizune disembarked. With a smile, Shiina signed and spoke “Good morning, Shicchan!”

Returning the smile, Shizune replied. “Good morning, Misha. Guess what?”

“What is it, Shicchan?”

Shizune didn’t reply, and just smiled. After a moment, Shiina’s eyes widened and she squealed in excitement. “You can talk, Shicchan! That’s amazing! And your voice is so beautiful!”

“Your voice is beautiful.”

Misha’s laugh was surprisingly melodic, like the ringing of sleighbells. It was cut short, however as Shiina’s face fell. Shizune’s heart fell at that same moment, recognizing the last time Shiina looked this sad.

“You know what that means, Shicchan. You don’t need me anymore.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! You’re my friend!”

Shiina’s eyes looked dead as she replied with a hollow chuckle. “You know that’s not true, Shicchan. The only reason I was your friend is because you needed me to talk to everyone else. It’s okay. I understand. I was happy to be your ears and mouth. But we both know that this is where we part ways.”

“What are you talking about? Of course we can still be friends. I’d be lost without you, Misha!”

But Shiina didn’t hear. Slowly, she turned around, and began to walk directly into the busy street. Amazingly, the cars sped by, but Shiina’s skirt wasn’t even disturbed by them rushing past. In the middle of the road, she turned to look at Shizune, a sad smile on her face.

Without warning, a car hit Shiina head-on, launching her into the air and into the windshield of another car coming from the other direction.

Shizune screamed, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Everything went dark…

… and she woke up on the floor of her room. Shiina was sleeping cuddled up next to her, still alive and entirely not hit by any cars. Tapping a finger against her head, she confirmed that she was still, in fact, deaf.

A glow came from the small TV against the wall, displaying the menu screen for the movie they were watching. It was Misha’s choice, so of course it had been some boring American romance film. A weird story, too - guy meets girl, guy dies in a freak accident, guy comes back from the dead to kill girl’s father… or something. The ratio of explosions to plot was far too low for Shizune to consider it a worthwhile movie, but part of being a friend is sitting through their terrible movie picks, regardless of how much it would be improved if the main character were dual wielding automatic pistols. Given the dream she just had, there’s no question which scene stuck with her the most.

But there’s no way that Shiina really feels that way, is there?

Of course not. She knows she’s my best friend. My only friend, to be honest.

Right?

Setting her jaw, she came to a decision.

I just need to show her that she’s special as a friend, not just an interpreter.

As it was the middle of the night, first things first, she decided to go back to sleep. Snuggling up against Shiina’s sleeping form, she had a passing thought.

I wonder if this is what it’s like to have a sister.

As she drifted off to sleep, she made a mental promise.
Tomorrow, Shiina. Tomorrow is going to be all about you. Melon soda, parfaits, whatever you want, first thing after classes are over.

***

The school day started like any other, up until the teacher made an announcement.

[A new student will be joining us today. Please excuse me while I go out to meet him.] Shiina helpfully translates as the teacher leaves.

As soon as his back was turned, the students turned to each other to whisper excitedly about the mysterious new transfer student. Shiina in turn faced Shizune and threw a barrage of questions her way.

[So exciting! Do you think it will be a boy or a girl? Will he be cute?] Pausing, Shiina’s eyes went wide with excitement. [Maybe he’ll join the student council!]

Rolling her eyes, Shizune responded. [Don’t get too excited. When someone transfers in the middle of the year, it usually means a significant health problem. She’s probably in no condition to do any student council work.]

Shizune's realistic response managed to deflate Shiina, but that only lasted until the teacher returned, with a boy in tow. A surprisingly attractive boy.

The boy introduced himself in the normal manner. A moment later, the teacher said something in Shizune's direction, and Shiina waved in her cute, cheerful manner.

I guess Shiina-day will have to wait until tomorrow. Now let's see if this new kid is Student Council material.

***

The next two months passed in the blink of an eye - each day busier than the last. Every day brought a new urgency that had to be dealt with. And every day ended the same way: Tomorrow, Shiina. Tomorrow is going to be all about you.

And thus Shizune found herself in the field behind the school with that same new kid.

[Do you want to be my girlfriend?]

Shizune hesitated. The question wasn’t unexpected, but it wasn’t something she had planned for, either. So many thoughts, so many possible things to say, but none of them right. Finally, she settled on a reply.

[Okay.]

Sorry, Shiina. It looks like tonight was all about me. But tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be all about you.

That's so melancholy. Once it hits the mid-point, you know what will happen but hope it won't. It's very beautiful that way, and how it takes place (in a sense) entirely within Shizune's head. I would classify it as one of those pieces that makes you wish Misha would have a happy ending for once.

brythain wrote: ↑Thu Apr 12, 2018 10:11 pmI would classify it as one of those pieces that makes you wish Misha would have a happy ending for once.

Funny, I'm sure I saw that someone in this thread was working on a Misha route... :P

Seriously though, I like this little one-shot. It's too sad to be a personal favorite of mine, but the nightmare and the cuteness and the tragedy... very well done.

Oh, Misha. Runner-up for Saddest Girl. Cue her wailing and sobbing about how she can't manage even that and downing a can of whipped cream like it's a forty.

Seriously though it's been cool seeing your style progress. This one and 'Sharks and Minnows' are my personal favorites.

Karaoke Night
25 Years Later...
A Very Student Council Christmas
Sharks and Minnows
Katawa Shoujo: The Musical!
So She Dances
Hokkaido: a Turning Point
Where Are They Now?
Freaks and Friends Super Happy Funtime Christmas Special
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Two Halves Make a Hole (You Are Here)
The Death and Return of Niji
Meeting Miki
War Diary 31-10-2007
Three Bits of Silliness
Onsen a Lifetime (Separate Thread)
A Christmas Sketch (Separate Thread)
A Convenient Distraction
Dreams By Firelight
Dear Hisao (Separate Thread)
Samosa Surprise (Separate Thread)


Two Halves Make a Hole

Live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse.

That’s how she chose to live her life.

Of course, she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Her days were always numbered, and she had far fewer than most.

Standing over this same beautiful corpse, my thoughts travel back to those days when we first met, and she pulled me into the rollercoaster that was her life…

***

I had just woken up in the Nurse’s office. It was the result of one of my stupider decisions - trying to race the track and field star less than a week after my discharge for a heart attack.

I heard voices on the other side of the curtain, but I clearly wasn’t thinking things through when I pulled it open. On the other side there was the Nurse, attending to a girl about a year younger than me, her hair and skin stark white. More to the point, her blouse was open and pulled down around her elbows.

My eyes met hers - a striking red color, but not before I saw the large scar across her chest, nearly a mirror to my own. Realising her compromised position, her cheeks flushed a bright red, but she made no move to cover herself.

Turning around to avoid any further embarrassment, I complained to the nurse. “Don’t you take any precautions to keep something like this from happening?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” he chuckled, “specifically, there’s a curtain to separate patients, and I make a point of speaking loudly so the patient sleeping behind the curtain will hear that there’s someone else should he wake up.”

Thoroughly chastised, I stood there in awkward silence - a silence broken by the girl.

“...I’m Rika… Rika Katayama.”

“Hisao,” I responded over my shoulder, studiously avoiding turning around, “Hisao Nakai.”

“...You can turn around now… I’m… all covered up.”

The odd meter of her voice was strangely tentative - as if she weren’t used to talking to people.

“I…” she began to speak again, “saw your scar… Do you have one too… a heart problem?”

My first reaction was to glance at the Nurse, but he just gave me a shrug and a grin.

“Patient confidentiality. I can’t tell her anything unless you let me.”

“Yeah,” I admitted, “I’ve got a heart problem. That’s why I’m here.”

The wound was still fresh. It hurt to admit it. But I’m glad that I did, so many years ago.

“So… we are the same… is what you’re saying?”

“Yeah. I guess it is.”

Around then, the nurse clapped his hands, breaking us out of our reverie.

“Right! It’s time for you two to head back to your classes now. Here’s a note for the teacher, Nakai.”

Though he managed to usher us out of his office, we still found ourselves enraptured with the other. For who knows how many minutes, I studied her face, while she did the same to me. Without warning, she nodded with conviction.

“I like you. You’re going to be my friend.”

Just as suddenly, she hooked her hands around the back of my neck, pulled my face down to hers, and caught me in a firm kiss.

When we finally broke away, she avoided my eyes, her cheeks flushed.

“That... was my first time. I... hope you liked it.”

Before I had a chance to respond, she was already jogging to get to her class.

***

“Really? You don’t have any friends?”

“I have you.”

“No one else?”

“It’s… hard to blame them… Who wants to be friends with someone… who’s always sick? Who’s going… to die… before she’s 40?”
She said it in her odd way of talking, but it was as natural as if she were asking about the weather.

“It doesn’t bother you?”

“Does it… matter? I can’t change… who I am.”

“I guess not. But, like you said, you have me.”

Another kiss. She gave them away so casually. Too casually. They felt almost meaningless.

***

“I don’t get it, Rika! We’ve been together for months. We go on dates, we kiss, everything! But you still insist we’re friends, and specifically not boyfriend and girlfriend. What am I supposed to think?”

“You… really want to be… my boyfriend?”

“I thought I was making that obvious!”

“Then… I need to be… selfish.”

I had no idea what she was talking about, until she looked at me with tear-filled eyes. I had never seen her crying before.

“I want you… to miss me… when I’m gone... I want to… know that… my life had meaning... I want to… know that… I mattered.”

In that one moment, it all became clear, and I pulled her close to me. “I promise, Rika. I’ll be your friend until… until it’s all over.”

***

And now here I am, having kept my promise. I’m not alone in missing her. There’s our two children, of course. And our parents - we all treasured her. And Emi, who always took time out of her busy schedule as a world-class runner to check in on our health. And Misha and Shizune - the Student council that never gives up, even decades down the line. Somehow, Shizune has managed to keep in touch with everyone in our class. I don’t think I’ll ever understand what drives that girl.

Regardless, Rika would be happy. She was happy - knowing that, in her own little way, she made a difference. I just hope I can continue to follow her example, making every minute count.

So sweet and heart-wrenching. Very well done.

Heart-wrenching, I see what you did there.

indeed

So bittersweet, nicely done.

ProfAllister wrote: ↑Thu Jun 28, 2018 7:59 pmBefore I had a chance to respond, she was already jogging to get to her class.

So she is an HLHS patient who not only survived to her teenage years without external symptoms (like cyanosis) or intellectual disabilities, but has a life expectancy of 40 whole years and can jog to class? Well, she must be incredibly lucky and unique

Karaoke Night
25 Years Later...
A Very Student Council Christmas
Sharks and Minnows
Katawa Shoujo: The Musical!
So She Dances
Hokkaido: a Turning Point
Where Are They Now?
Freaks and Friends Super Happy Funtime Christmas Special
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Two Halves Make a Hole
The Death and Return of Niji (You Are Here)
Meeting Miki
War Diary 31-10-2007
Three Bits of Silliness
Onsen a Lifetime (Separate Thread)
A Christmas Sketch (Separate Thread)
A Convenient Distraction
Dreams By Firelight
Dear Hisao (Separate Thread)
Samosa Surprise (Separate Thread)


I've long wanted to write a story from Jigoro's POV, but it's never been a priority, given my other projects. But when this scene idea popped into my head, I couldn't not write it down.

The Death and Return of Niji

Jigoro Hakamichi lived his life according to one principle: there are two types of people - winners, and losers. Losers make the mistake of choosing rivals, and only do what is necessary to outdo their rival. A winner’s only rival is himself - his life is a constant struggle to outdo himself. On this occasion, Jigoro found himself face to face with one of the most irritating losers he knew - Hiroyuki Satou, his brother-in-law. The field of battle: a Shogi board.

As a matter of fact, this board brilliantly illustrates the point. At some point, Hiroyuki got it in his head that Jigoro would be his rival. It was no contest - Hiroyuki was always fighting last year’s battle, and unable to react to new developments. And therein lies the difference - were Jigoro a loser, he’d satisfy himself with a low-effort win, eventually allowing Hiroyuki to overtake him.

Halfway through Hiroyuki’s next move - a foolishly shortsighted strategy that will guarantee Jigoro’s victory - the game is interrupted by the wails of a distressed 4-year-old.

Without turning his head from the gameboard, Hiroyuki addresses his daughter.

“What is wrong, Lilly?”

The tiny blond girl turns her cloudy blue eyes towards her father, holding out a limp stuffed dog, “Niji’s dead!”

“He is dead? How did that happen?”

As if summoned, Lilly’s older sister appears. “We were playing cars, and Lils was being dumb. She kept making her dog walk in the road. We couldn’t help it when Shicchan’s truck hit it and burst its organs open, splattering its brains all over the wall-”

“Thank you, Akira.”

A traffic accident again? For as creative as they can be sometimes, at other times children have a surprising lack of imagination.

“Now, Lilly, it is very important to follow the rules of traffic-”

“But Niji’s DEAD!”

Any further conversation is cut off as Lilly resumes shrieking.

Jigoro mutters under his breath, “I don’t believe this…” then, raising his volume, he turns toward Lilly, “Shhh! Did you hear that?”

Confused, Lilly stares blankly in Jigoro’s direction. “Hear what?”

“Woof! Bow wow! Arf!” Reaching forward, Jigoro grabs one end of the dog and gives it a light shake. “Arf! Arf! Woof!”

Her eyes lighting up, Lilly’s face fills with joy. “Niji! You came back!”

Holding him by the paws, Lilly swings the dog over her shoulders and starts running around happily.

“Watch out for walls, Lilly.”

As soon as the words leave Hiroyuki’s mouth, there’s a loud thud, followed by a near-simultaneous “I’m okay!”

The two men returning their attention to the game, Hiroyuki speaks again, “I respect that you maintain your house according to your own principles, but I do not appreciate you undermining an important lesson about traffic safety.”

Jigoro snorts, “What would you have done? Tell her the doll is gone forever and hold a funeral?”

“If I felt it would ensure her long-term security, I would do exactly that.”

“You don’t care about her security from terrible fashion, that’s for sure. A sweatervest? Really?”

“I do not see how that is relevant in the slightest. Besides, do I need to remind you that the girl is blind?”

“You never shut up about it. What’s your excuse? Also, I believe with this move it’s game over. My win. Again.”

“Watch out for walls, Lilly.”

As soon as the words leave Hiroyuki’s mouth, there’s a loud thud, followed by a near-simultaneous “I’m okay!”

My entire perception of Lilly has been altered by this one line.

Child Lilly is adorable, and so was this story