Correct Procedure/Transcript: Difference between revisions

NARRATOR: "That's something I really didn't want to hear. Since coming to Yamaku, all I've wanted to do is live as normal a life as possible. “Observation” was one of the words I came to hate most during my hospital stay. For so long I felt as if I could have just walked straight out the hospital doors, if not for that “observation” the doctors wanted so dearly."

NURSE: "The summer holidays are a bit of a pain, considering the timing... I'll check with your doctor to try and get a better handle on the situation and see how he wants to proceed, but I think you should just take things slowly and carefully for now. What you're describing doesn't immediately sound like a recurring event, but it won't hurt to slow down a bit for a while, just to make sure."

NURSE: "That's what I'm here for, after all. I know you might not want to hear this, but you can't ignore your condition. Don't hesitate to see me if you have any further problems, or if you just have anything you want to ask. Bye."

NARRATOR: "He spins around and gets back to typing on the computer in front of him. I suppose I'll just read before waiting for Lilly by the gate, considering I don't have much else to do. Even as I leave, his words echo in my mind. My condition isn't something as limiting as many of the others here in Yamaku, and I don't want to burden Lilly with thinking about it. If I just live life normally and avoid any short, sharp shocks, I should be okay. I won't let my condition rule me. Lilly comes into view soon after the bells heralding the end of the school day ring out. She says farewell to a number of her classmates headed in the other direction, before beginning her weekly trip to the convenience store."

NARRATOR: "She hesitates for a second, but eventually deigns to tilt her face forward and close her eyes. My lips meet hers with a measure of slight trepidation before we move off, hand in hand. The fact that we're so close in height is somewhat useful at times, there being no need for either of us to turn our head upwards nor downwards in order to meet the other's. It doesn't take much time to leave the noise of the other students far behind us, the tapping of Lilly's cane in her free hand the only sound to be heard. Silence, blissful silence, is all that greets us while we slowly walk in the setting sun's light."

HISAO: "I think so. I came from a metropolitan city near Tokyo, so the quiet of this town really alienated me when I first arrived. After a while it became really nice, though. I think I prefer it to the hustle and bustle of my home city now."

LILLY: "While I preferred the quiet of such a rural town even when I first arrived, I suppose I had the advantage of growing up in a quiet area before I came. Hanako said the surroundings are very pretty, too."

HISAO: "I was kind of wondering... uh, how to put this... Do you ever... regret that you can't see what things look like for yourself? It's just something I've been thinking about."

LILLY: "Do you ever regret that you can't hear people whispering on the other side of a room? I can only speak for myself, but the fact that I can't see is the only way I've experienced life. Just as I cannot do something you can, you can't do something that I'm capable of. The fact that the world is made for those who are sighted can be a pain sometimes, but there are many, many people who suffer much more than I because of the way the world is."

LILLY: "But I can experience it. You just said yourself that you like this area because of the way the surroundings are. I like this area for the very same reason. Thanks to the fact that this is a small rustic town surrounded by trees, it gives some peace and quiet away from the din at school and the bustle, not to mention the smells, of the city."

NARRATOR: "I suppose it would also be much like the home she shared with Akira, as well. Her outlook on it seems pretty sensible, and I'm not surprised that she's got a much better handle on her particular condition than I do on mine. Just like how her coming from a location somewhat similar to Yamaku's surroundings let her become more acclimatized in a shorter time, being born blind affected her stance, by her own admission. I should stop being so annoyed with myself over it, but I can't shake the feeling that I've depended on Lilly far too much, given the circumstances most have had to deal with in Yamaku."

HISAO: "That makes a lot of sense. You're pretty good at explaining, as always. Come to think of it, where is Hanako anyway? She was with us for lunch."

LILLY: "She's that type of person, I think; the kind that puts others' needs above her own at every chance. She's a sweet girl, even though so much has hurt her in the past. I don't know... I feel like it's only now, when she's less close to me than ever, that she's truly finding herself. It was thanks to you that she began to become more confident, after all, not me."

HISAO: "The important thing is that you were there for her. I can't even imagine what she'd be like without having found someone like you. That much became obvious while you were in Scotland. We're all still friends, so we've just got to have faith in her. I think she'll become a good person, and that much is thanks to you being there for her when she most needed it, just as you were there for me."

HISAO: "Well, I try. Are you doing anything on the weekend, by any chance?"

NARRATOR: "With our plans for the weekend made, the rest of the walk down the hill continues in silence. The prospect of that lasting for any length of time, however, is shattered as I catch sight of a familiar figure waiting for us, her hand held high."

STOREWOMAN: "Thank you, please come again!"

NARRATOR: "The change in temperature as I step outside from the convenience store sends a chill up my spine. It feels like summer's starting to wind down. Looking to my side, the same feeling seems to affect Lilly as well, though unlike me she doesn't manage to hide the fact. Something I didn't realize at first was how physically delicate she is, even compared to the likes of Hanako. If I had to describe her, I'd have to say that she reminds me of a china doll."

NARRATOR: "Akira gives an amused snort at her sister's antipathy. She really doesn't seem to regard it as anything to make a serious fuss about, treating it more like a childhood spat. She looks over to me, apparently only just remembering that I'm here, and gives a small grin as she reaches towards her back pocket."

NARRATOR: "After quite some difficulty, she manages to retrieve her black leather wallet from her back pocket, quickly fishing out what looks to be a folded square of paper. With Lilly all but unaware of what's happening, Akira unfolds the scrap and hands it to me."

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NARRATOR: "I look back down to the photo in my hand. It does seem strange to see Lilly and Shizune working together so dilligently without any sign of animosity. If the photo's of them during Yamaku's festival, that means it must have been taken one or two years ago. In other words, the time when they were both in the Student Council together."

NARRATOR: "It feels extremely strange to see Misha without her so very distinctive hairstyle. Judging from Akira's tone, she doesn't take favorably to Misha's idea of fashion. I suppose that fact just accentuates how odd the situation looks. To think they were so friendly in the past... I wish I could do something to mend their relationship."

NARRATOR: "For a long moment, Akira looks surprised. It's an ill-fitting expression for her. After a glance at Lilly, she turns back to me as if she'd never done so."

NARRATOR: "So Akira's going to leave Japan, on what seems to be a permanent basis... I can't help feeling that my assumption that we could all happily while away our days, having fun in this isolated little world, is coming to an end. It's unsettling. I look at Lilly, mildly surprised that she hasn't told me such a thing despite usually being so forthcoming. She continues to walk with her face fixedly pointed ahead. I can't read her expression, nor can I even guess what's on her mind, which is discomforting given how it's usually easy for me to do both. It reminds me of the time when we met at the Shanghai, just before what could be called our first date. At the time, all I could do was comfort her without knowing the cause, and now feels no different. As we finally reach the school dormitories once again, there's a somewhat awkward silence. I don't think I'm the only one who feels it."

NARRATOR: "And with that, they walk to the female dormitories. Opening the door to the male dormitories, I stop and look back at them just moments before their figures disappear behind the heavy wooden door. That was... a strange moment when Akira said she was leaving. While that wasn't the first time when my thoughts regarding my new life have been called into question, it's perhaps the first time to do it quite so profoundly."

NARRATOR: "I still don't know what to make of Akira's reaction, much less of Lilly's. The night's chill reminds me to get back to my room before I catch something, my bags pulling down on my arms with seemingly redoubled weight. If nothing else, I have a date with her set up for the weekend. I just need to stop overthinking stuff and get on with things as they are. The exams are still ongoing, after all, and with the trimester's end and the summer holidays beginning soon, there'll be plenty to keep me busy for a while. As I give a yawn and retreat inside, my thoughts turn to what Lilly will decide to set as the location of our weekend rendezvous."