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+label en_E14: THE FIRST MORNING AFTER
+scene bg school_dormhisao
+with fade
+play music music_pearly fadein 1.5
+NARRATOR: "A night of restlessness has left me feeling fairly groggy this morning."
+NARRATOR: "The events of the previous day keep intruding upon my mind."
+NARRATOR: "The memory of how Emi felt against me."
+NARRATOR: "The memory of our wrestling match."
+NARRATOR: "And most bothersome, the memory of her nightmare."
+NARRATOR: "She was in so much pain."
+NARRATOR: "I can't stop wondering what it must be like for her to wake up with nobody there."
+scene bg school_dormbathroom
+with locationskip
+NARRATOR: "The shower shocks me awake with hot water."
+NARRATOR: "Awake, but still worried."
+NARRATOR: "What will happen today?"
+NARRATOR: "Will things just go back to normal?"
+NARRATOR: "End of the episode, back to the status quo?"
+NARRATOR: "There was a connection yesterday."
+NARRATOR: "Something that nearly pushed us past the boundaries of normal friendship."
+NARRATOR: "Would that have been so bad?"
+NARRATOR: "My mind goes back to the look in Emi's eyes after our pillowfight."
+NARRATOR: "It almost seemed like she was daring me to go on."
+NARRATOR: "Almost."
+NARRATOR: "But I can't know for sure."
+NARRATOR: "Anyway, the track captain's probably first in her affections."
+NARRATOR: "But even as I say that, my mind is already snorting derisively."
+NARRATOR: "I'm just looking for an excuse."
+NARRATOR: "A reason for everything to go wrong."
+NARRATOR: "A reason to not try."
+NARRATOR: "It's not as if I've even seen the two of them together outside of track practice."
+NARRATOR: "And clearly he's never visited."
+NARRATOR: "Emi said as much herself."
+NARRATOR: "If they were close, surely he'd visit."
+NARRATOR: "I'm such a wuss."
+NARRATOR: "I ought to just go for it anyway, damn the consequences."
+NARRATOR: "That's what Emi would do, I think."
+NARRATOR: "Hell, I {b}know{/b} that's what she'd do."
+NARRATOR: "Which is partially why I'm convinced there's no interest on her end."
+NARRATOR: "She hasn't acted either."
+NARRATOR: "Maybe because of this track captain."
+NARRATOR: "It's possible she's got a bit of an unrequited crush thing going on."
+NARRATOR: "But who would be able to clarify their relationship?"
+NARRATOR: "It sure as hell can't be Emi."
+NARRATOR: "She'd probably just laugh and ask why I wanted to know...and I'm not ready to answer that yet."
+NARRATOR: "Rin... Rin would probably just give me some cryptic answer or something."
+NARRATOR: "And then with my luck, she'd just ask Emi, who would ask me why I wanted to know, and I've already covered that problem."
+NARRATOR: "I wonder..."
+NARRATOR: "Could I get away with asking the nurse?"
+NARRATOR: "He seems pretty protective of Emi."
+NARRATOR: "I'm sure he'd know if something was up..."
+NARRATOR: "And he owes me for not letting Emi know he forgot to tell me about her being ill, so he'll keep quiet."
+NARRATOR: "What if he asks me why I want to know, though?"
+NARRATOR: "I can shake him off. Just say I'm curious as a friend."
+NARRATOR: "He'll buy that, won't he?"
+NARRATOR: "Of course!"
+NARRATOR: "That's settled, then."
+NARRATOR: "After the run, I'll talk to him while Emi's waiting outside the office."
+scene bg school_track
+with locationskip
+#Shift to the track
+NARRATOR: "There's no sign of Emi when I arrive at the track."
+NARRATOR: "Is she still too ill?"
+NARRATOR: "I decide to give her ten minutes."
+NARRATOR: "I'm a little early, and she was ill yesterday, so if she takes a while to show up it shouldn't be surprising."
+NARRATOR: "Still, I'd hate to just waste my time, so I occupy myself by stretching and pacing back and forth anxiously."
+NARRATOR: "What if I went too far yesterday?"
+NARRATOR: "What if she doesn't come because she's embarrassed?"
+NARRATOR: "What if..."
+EMI: "You're early again, Hisao!"
+EMI: "I'm impressed!"
+NARRATOR: "Just like that, I feel some of the tension leaving my body."
+NARRATOR: "Emi seems to be bright and cheerful as usual, with no sign that she'd even been ill the other day, much less had a less-than restful sleep."
+NARRATOR: "Still, I have to ask."
+HISAO: "Sleep well last night?"
+NARRATOR: "It's just a throwaway question. Small talk."
+NARRATOR: "The sort of thing people ask someone they bump into in the cafe while getting their morning coffee."
+NARRATOR: "But not for us. At least, not for me."
+NARRATOR: "I don't know if Emi realizes that I'm actually concerned about how well she slept last night, but the question does give her pause."
+NARRATOR: "After a short pondering that seems genuine, she nods."
+EMI: "Yep! Sure did!"
+NARRATOR: "Was it because of me?"
+NARRATOR: "Did I actually help?"
+NARRATOR: "Or are you just saying that to get me to stop asking questions?"
+HISAO: "Good to hear."
+NARRATOR: "Emi grins and begins warming up."
+EMI: "So, ready to begin?"
+HISAO: "Pfft, am I ready? Of course I'm ready! I was born ready!"
+NARRATOR: "Emi laughs at my bravado and we take off running."
+NARRATOR: "I keep a steady pace the whole time, breathing steadily."
+NARRATOR: "I still feel dead at the end, but at least I don't gasp like a fish out of water now."
+NARRATOR: "Emi is positively beaming after the run today."
+EMI: "Nice job, Hisao!"
+EMI: "You're improving!"
+EMI: "You'll be half as fast as me in no time!"
+NARRATOR: "This last line is delivered with a teasing grin that I've grown all too used to."
+HISAO: "How exciting!"
+NARRATOR: "Emi begins to run her sprints while I take a cool-down lap."
+NARRATOR: "She's really pushing herself today."
+NARRATOR: "By the time I'm done with my lap, she's laying across one of the bleachers, looking exhausted."
+HISAO: "Goodness me, not pushing it a little too much today, are you?"
+HISAO: "You did just have a cold, you'll recall."
+NARRATOR: "Emi gives an annoyed snort and sits up."
+EMI: "Bah! I'm just trying to make up for lost time, that's all."
+EMI: "I went twice as hard today, you know."
+EMI: "A good run always gets the kinks out, you know."
+EMI: "Clears the mind, too."
+HISAO: "Oh?"
+NARRATOR: "Emi nods vigorously."
+EMI: "Yep! It's a great outlet for that sort of thing."
+NARRATOR: "She does not explain further, and I don't ask."
+NARRATOR: "I suspect I know the real reason she went so hard today."
+NARRATOR: "Being sick had nothing to do with it."
+NARRATOR: "Something's bothering her."
+NARRATOR: "Maybe the nightmare. Maybe something else."
+NARRATOR: "But it's not my place to pry."
+NARRATOR: "She'd tell me if she wanted me to know."
+HISAO: "I'm sure that comes in useful."
+EMI: "You have no idea."
+NARRATOR: "The sincerity in her voice confirms my suspicion."
+NARRATOR: "The only problem is..."
+NARRATOR: "Even though I know she'd tell me if she wanted me to know, I still want to know."
+HISAO: "Something on your mind, then?"
+NARRATOR: "Emi doesn't seem surprised by my question."
+NARRATOR: "Instead, she shrugs."
+EMI: "Nah, it's nothing worth getting worried about."
+NARRATOR: "She seems as if she's trying to convince herself as much as she's convincing me."
+NARRATOR: "I open my mouth to ask if yesterday is responsible for her current state of mind, but think better of it."
+NARRATOR: "Too much risk of her taking the question the wrong way."
+NARRATOR: "Besides, I'm not even sure myself what to think about yesterday."
+NARRATOR: "Really I can only get about as far as how it felt to have Emi sleeping next to me before my brain shuts down."
+NARRATOR: "Having her before me now, covered in sweat and looking wryly at me, she's making it difficult to think."
+HISAO: "Yeah, I hear you."
+NARRATOR: "Emi glances at her watch."
+EMI: "We'd better hurry to see the nurse."
+EMI: "We're running short on time."
+HISAO: "Aren't we always?"
+NARRATOR: "Emi laughs at this, a dry chuckle that seems most un-Emi-like."
+EMI: "Too true."
+NARRATOR: "For a brief moment, she looks old, worn down by some old hurt."
+NARRATOR: "But just like yesterday I can almost see her shouldering the burden and straightening up slightly."
+NARRATOR: "And then she's back to being Emi again."
+EMI: "Come on then Hisao. Race ya!"
+NARRATOR: "With a sudden smile, she darts off."
+HISAO: "Hey! No fair!"
+NARRATOR: "I take off after her, knowing I won't catch her but not caring."
+NARRATOR: "Even if there's no chance of catching her, I'll still run after her."
+stop music fadeout 1.5
+scene bg school_nurseoffice
+with locationskip
+#Shift to Nurse-kun's office
+play music music_nurse fadein 1.0
+NARRATOR: "Emi's waiting for me at the door as I arrive."
+EMI: "Well well, look who's finally shown up!"
+HISAO: "Yeah, yeah."
+HISAO: "Enjoy your victory while you can."
+NARRATOR: "Emi grins as the nurse pokes his head out of the door."
+NURSE: "Well, there you are."
+NURSE: "Come on in, Hisao."
+NARRATOR: "In what has become a familiar routine by now, he checks my blood pressure and my heart-rate."
+NURSE: "A bit fast today, isn't it?"
+HISAO: "Yeah, I kind of raced Emi here."
+NARRATOR: "The nurse laughs."
+NURSE: "That's never a good idea!"
+NARRATOR: "He leans in to whisper to me in a conspiratory manner."
+NURSE: "I don't know if you've heard... but Emi's a bit of a track star."
+NARRATOR: "I reel back in mock surprise."
+HISAO: "Really? She never mentioned it before!"
+NARRATOR: "The two of us share a laugh at the idea of Emi being quiet about her athletic activities."
+NURSE: "She do okay today?"
+NURSE: "Cold seem to bother her?"
+HISAO: "Why don't you ask her?"
+NARRATOR: "He rolls his eyes in exasperation."
+NURSE: "Of course I'm going to ask her too, but she'll tell me that she didn't have any problems regardless of whether or not she did."
+NURSE: "So I'm asking you, because you're her friend and would probably tell me if she had trouble today."
+NARRATOR: "When he puts it that way, it makes a lot more sense."
+HISAO: "She seemed pretty good today, if a little more tired than usual."
+HISAO: "She was already feeling better when I dropped by yesterday, so I'm not that surprised."
+NARRATOR: "The nurse nods, though I notice he tenses slightly when I mention yesterday's visit."
+NURSE: "Well, that's good to hear."
+NURSE: "I figured it was just a 24 hour thing."
+NURSE: "Emi tends to recover quickly from colds and the like."
+HISAO: "Hey, speaking of Emi..."
+HISAO: "Are she and the track captain...? Well, you know."
+NARRATOR: "A look of suspicion crosses his face."
+NURSE: "Why do you ask?"
+HISAO: "Well, it's just that they seem kind of close, and I was just curious, you know?"
+HISAO: "And I'd never ask her, because that would be kind of embarrassing."
+NARRATOR: "So far, so good. Now to really sell it."
+HISAO: "Besides, I think they'd make a cute couple."
+NARRATOR: "The nurse laughs."
+NURSE: "Well, I don't suppose you're the first to think that."
+NURSE: "But I think I can say with some certainty that the two of them will never do anything like that."
+HISAO: "Certainty?"
+NURSE: "Yep."
+NURSE: "Not that I could tell you, of course."
+NURSE: "Confidentiality and all that."
+HISAO: "Yeah right, you just like holding a secret over my head."
+NARRATOR: "He grins widely."
+NURSE: "That too."
+NURSE: "Right. Get out of here."
+NURSE: "I'm a busy man, you know."
+NARRATOR: "I roll my eyes at his last statement and head out the door, motioning to Emi to go in."
+NARRATOR: "The whole time, I'm trying to keep from doing a celebratory dance."
+NURSE: "The two of them will never do anything like that."
+NARRATOR: "That's precisely the sort of thing I wanted to hear."
+scene bg school_hallway3
+with locationchange
+NARRATOR: "I'm half-tempted to make some sort of a move on Emi right now, but I think the nurse would probably disapprove."
+NARRATOR: "Besides, I still don't know exactly how Emi feels about me."
+NARRATOR: "I mean it's obvious that she cares about me as a friend, but something more than that?"
+NARRATOR: "I can't be certain."
+NARRATOR: "Even so, I can't help but feel hopeful."
+NARRATOR: "I just need to figure out a good time to tell Emi exactly how I feel."
+NARRATOR: "That puzzle should keep me occupied for the rest of the day, at least."
+stop music fadeout 2.0
 <p style="text-align:center;">'''Next Scene: [[The (Real) Beginning/Transcript|The (Real) Beginning]]'''</p>

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