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-FUCK OFF WEEBS XD[[Category:Transcripts]]
+My first impression was right; the library is surprisingly big.
+Ambling down the narrow aisles, I study the spines of the books in random order, occasionally sliding one out to read the blurb, taking it with me if it looks good.
+In a few moments I have a respectable stack of books in my arms.
+I guess I'll never be stuck for choice in here.
+The normality of the library sinks in. Sure, there are large-print and Braille books scattered throughout, but it is what it is: a library.
+It's as if the calm mood from the room I had tea with Lilly in snuck with us in here, unless it was here to begin with.
+Something about that puts me at ease, just like before.
+I reach the end of the aisle and find a collection of desks, set up for study or personal reading. Going a little further, though, I discover a nice quiet corner at the back.
+While the rest of the library has the odd student sitting at a desk either reading or stealthily sleeping, the back is pretty much deserted.
+As I glance around, I see someone who I recognize sitting on one of several beanbags.
+It's the dark-haired girl from my class. The one who snuck out of the classroom earlier.
+She's reading a book, keeping it close to her face which makes her look like she's really into it.
+From the way she was acting today, I had her pegged as more of a delinquent than a bookworm. In fact, her mysterious disappearance from the class raises all sorts of whys in my head.
+Intrigue floats slowly but surely towards the surface, and before I know it I'm walking towards the mysterious long-haired girl.
+I guess there's no harm in introducing myself as I would with anyone else. She's a classmate after all.
+Walking over to another beanbag, I take a seat and lay my books besides it.
+The girl starts, looking scaredly up at me from underneath her fringe.
+This is the first time I've seen her this close. Underneath her long, dense bangs, I can see that part of her face, at least a third if not a half, is pretty badly scarred.
+My eyes are immediately drawn to the scars, subconsciously peeking past her hair until they meet her own eyes.
+For a second, I am shocked, and divert my eyes to the book in her hands, before I realize that looking away probably only makes it worse.
+It takes too many seconds to collect myself and remember what I walked up to her for.
+==> I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.==
+Hisao
+"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
+Purple-haired girl
+"It... it's okay."
+The girl certainly doesn't look like it's okay, but I let it slide.
+Hisao
+"So, umm... do you mind if I sit here?"
+She seems to be very uncertain whether it's okay or not for me to sit, but finally she nods, just a little.
+Purple-haired girl
+"O... okay."
+I take the seat next to her, and she hides herself behind her book.
+"Life of Pi"... Never heard of it.
+Hisao
+"So, errr... sorry again for startling you. I'm Hisao."
+She looks up from her book, stalling a little before replying.
+Purple-haired girl
+"I... know."
+Purple-haired girl
+"We... are in the same... same class."
+Her speech is stilted and so quiet that it is barely audible even in the still library.
+Somehow I think that my "delinquent" impression of her was wrong.
+Purple-haired girl
+"H-H-Hanako. I'm... Hanako."
+...
+I resist the urge to say "that's a nice name" just to have something to say, but really, it's the only thing that I can think of.
+I feel like an idiot. Everyone here must be used to being different to each other, and here I am being all bothered and fussed about that kind of thing.
+Hisao
+"Don't let me interrupt your reading. I'll... just check these books if you don't mind."
+She nods a little, and sighs a little sigh of relief.
+...
+So I try to read the covers and the introductions of the books I picked up and she buries her face in her book.
+Uncomfortable silence consumes us.
+My eyes still wander to her direction, and I sneak peeks at her flowing hair and the scar it's hiding.
+After a while I realize that she's doing the same, and only pretending to immerse in "Life of Pi."
+Her gaze is not inquisitive at all though, it darts around like a scared rabbit.
+When our gazes finally meet, the chain reaction is unstoppable.
+She stands up forcefully from the beanbag and takes a deep breath.
+Hanako
+"I..."
+Hanako
+"I... I..."
+Hisao
+"I...?"
+Hanako
+"Ivegottogodosomething!"
+Without warning, Hanako takes off and runs towards the counter.
+Her hare-like takeoff catches me so off guard that I don't manage to go after her until she has a good head start.
+By the time I reach the counter she is nowhere to be seen.
+Lilly and Yuuko are happily chatting away.
+Knowing that I won't be able to catch Hanako myself, I approach the girls.
+Hisao
+"Hey, did you see... er... notice a girl run past here?"
+Yuuko
+"Um, maybe... what did she look like?"
+Hisao
+"Long, dark hair. Kinda shy. She had... well... some scars... on her... face."
+Lilly
+"You wouldn't be talking about Hanako, would you?"
+Hisao
+"Yeah, that's her. I saw her reading and tried to talk to her, but I think I scared her off or something."
+Lilly
+"Oh dear. Yuuko, would you excuse me, I had better try and find her."
+Yuuko
+"S-sure. I'll just hold onto these until you come back."
+Hisao
+"Um, what's going on?"
+Lilly
+"I'm sorry, but I'll have to explain it to you some other time."
+Hisao
+"Right. I'll see you later then..."
+Lilly hastily grabs her cane and hurries out of the library, leaving me alone with Yuuko.
+Hisao
+"I don't think I'll ever get the hang of this place."
+Hisao
+"Did I do something wrong?"
+Yuuko
+"What did you do?"
+Hisao
+"Nothing! I was just looking for some books and then she got this fit and ran off."
+Hisao
+"The most offending thing I can think of was that I might've looked at her general direction a few times."
+Yuuko
+"Well, she is a very timid girl."
+Yuuko
+"You have to be very careful around her. She can be very jumpy, I think, and she's not accustomed to talking with other people."
+Hisao
+"Isn't that a bit... strange?"
+Yuuko
+"I wonder... It's just how she is, I think."
+Yuuko doesn't sound all that convincing. Then again, maybe this is just the norm around here.
+Everyone has their own problems, or else they wouldn't be here.
+Hisao
+"But how should I deal with these people? Forcing myself to act overly casually only makes me feel phony."
+Hisao
+"Like I was supposed to be ignoring the elephant in the room."
+Yuuko fidgets, looking like she wants to say something to that, but resists it.
+Yuuko
+"I think it's an elephant only if you feel that way."
+I guess she doesn't have a good sense of self-restraint. It makes me smile, and she blushes heavily.
+Yuuko
+"W... what? Did that sound stupid?"
+Hisao
+"No no, it sounded really wise. I guess you're right. It's more about me than anyone else."
+Neither of us has anything to add so Yuuko fills the silence by shuffling some papers around.
+People who have papers on their desks really like doing that.
+Yuuko
+"Did you find any books? I should be closing soon. I mean this library should be closing. But I have to do it. I hope that's not too inconvenient for you."
+Hisao
+"Oh. Yeah, I want some books, but I left them over there because..."
+Hisao
+"...I'll just go get them."
+I fetch my stack of books from beside the beanbags where Hanako and I were sitting and return to the counter.
+Yuuko
+"Wow. You read a lot, don't you?"
+Hisao
+"I surprise myself with that too, honestly. At least, when I really think about it."
+Hisao
+"I had a lot of free time earlier this year, so I just kind of... started reading books to fill that time. I couldn't do much else."
+Yuuko
+"I see."
+But she doesn't say anything else, and just checks out my books for me.
+I guess this is what they call "tact."
+==> Hi! I'm new here. Hisao Nakai. We're in the same class.==
+Hisao
+"Hi! I'm new here. Hisao Nakai. We're in the same class."
+...
+Hisao
+"Umm... I just transferred here the other day. Maybe you don't remember?"
+...
+Hisao
+"I did a self-introduction too."
+...
+The girl still doesn't say a word, but simple stares at me, wide-eyed.
+Hisao
+"I'm still getting used to the place so I'm trying to meet as many people as I can."
+Hisao
+"So, er... what's your name?"
+Purple-haired girl
+"H... Hanako..."
+Her speech is stuttering and so quiet that it is barely audible even in the still library.
+Somehow I think that my "delinquent" impression of her was wrong.
+Hisao
+"Hanako, eh? So what are you reading?"
+She gently tips the book backwards so that I can read the title, at the same time hiding her face behind it.
+She must have noticed me staring before.
+Hisao
+"Life of Pi? I've never heard of it before. What's it about?"
+Hanako
+"A boy... and a tiger..."
+Hanako
+"...on a boat..."
+I can see this taking sometime.
+Hisao
+"Sounds interesting. Is it any good?"
+She nods from behind the book, but stays silent.
+She looks kinda tense. A bit like Yuuko earlier, but in a different way. More like... petrified with terror, I'd say.
+So the mystery delinquent girl turned out to be anything but, and she is quivering in a way that makes it look like she is mortally afraid of me.
+The only way out of this, as far as I can tell, is to try to get a normal conversation going.
+Hisao
+"Is it a library book? I'm looking for new ones to read, but there's just so many..."
+Hanako
+"N-no. It's mine."
+Hisao
+"Oh. So... do you come here often?"
+...
+A huge, huge blush spreads on Hanako's face and her eyes widen far larger than I thought it was possible for eyes to do.
+Uh-oh. Did she interpret my lame attempt at small talk as a feeble attempt to pick her up?
+Hisao
+"I mean... ehh... I didn't mean it like that..."
+Hanako
+"I..."
+Hanako
+"I... I..."
+Hisao
+"I...?"
+Hanako
+"Ivegottogodosomething!"
+Without warning, Hanako takes off and runs towards the counter.
+Her hare-like takeoff catches me so off guard that I don't manage to go after her until she has a good head start.
+By the time I reach the counter she is nowhere to be seen.
+Lilly and Yuuko are happily chatting away.
+Knowing that I won't be able to catch Hanako myself, I approach the girls.
+Hisao
+"Hey, did you see... er... notice a girl run past here?"
+Yuuko
+"Um, maybe... what did she look like?"
+Hisao
+"Long, dark hair. Kinda shy. She had... well... some scars... on her... face."
+Lilly
+"You wouldn't be talking about Hanako, would you?"
+Hisao
+"Yeah, that's her. I saw her reading and tried to talk to her, but I think I scared her off or something."
+Lilly
+"Oh dear. Yuuko, would you excuse me, I had better try and find her."
+Yuuko
+"S-sure. I'll just hold onto these until you come back."
+Hisao
+"Um, what's going on?"
+Lilly
+"I'm sorry, but I'll have to explain it to you some other time."
+Hisao
+"Right. I'll see you later then..."
+Lilly hastily grabs her cane and hurries out of the library, leaving me alone with Yuuko.
+Hisao
+"I don't think I'll ever get the hang of this place."
+Hisao
+"Did I do something wrong?"
+Yuuko
+"What did you do?"
+Hisao
+"Nothing! I was just looking for some books and then she got this fit and ran off."
+Hisao
+"The most offending thing I can think of was that I might've looked at her general direction a few times."
+Yuuko
+"Well, she is a very timid girl."
+Yuuko
+"You have to be very careful around her. She can be very jumpy, I think, and she's not accustomed to talking with other people."
+Hisao
+"Isn't that a bit... strange?"
+Yuuko
+"I wonder... It's just how she is, I think."
+Yuuko doesn't sound all that convincing. Then again, maybe this is just the norm around here.
+Everyone has their own problems, or else they wouldn't be here.
+Hisao
+"But how should I deal with these people? Forcing myself to act overly casually only makes me feel phony."
+Hisao
+"Like I was supposed to be ignoring the elephant in the room."
+Yuuko fidgets, looking like she wants to say something to that, but resists it.
+Yuuko
+"I think it's an elephant only if you feel that way."
+I guess she doesn't have a good sense of self-restraint. It makes me smile, and she blushes heavily.
+Yuuko
+"W... what? Did that sound stupid?"
+Hisao
+"No no, it sounded really wise. I guess you're right. It's more about me than anyone else."
+Neither of us has anything to add so Yuuko fills the silence by shuffling some papers around.
+People who have papers on their desks really like doing that.
+Yuuko
+"Did you find any books? I should be closing soon. I mean this library should be closing. But I have to do it. I hope that's not too inconvenient for you."
+Hisao
+"Oh. Yeah, I want some books, but I left them over there because..."
+Hisao
+"...I'll just go get them."
+I fetch my stack of books from beside the beanbags where Hanako and I were sitting and return to the counter.
+Yuuko
+"Wow. You read a lot, don't you?"
+Hisao
+"I surprise myself with that too, honestly. At least, when I really think about it."
+Hisao
+"I had a lot of free time earlier this year, so I just kind of... started reading books to fill that time. I couldn't do much else."
+Yuuko
+"I see."
+But she doesn't say anything else, and just checks out my books for me.
+I guess this is what they call "tact."
+[[Category:Transcripts]]
 [[Category:Act 1 Transcripts]]

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