Quiet/Transcript

NARRATOR: "The library seems as good a place as any to go. Hanako looked as if she was taken pretty off-guard by Lilly leaving, so she might want someone to talk to. Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I make my way out of the classroom. I walk down the hallway to the library, past a multitude of closed doors. Through each one the sound of furious rehearsal can be heard. Rock music blares out of one door, almost as loud as a concert. I guess that's one of the advantages of a private school; there are actually enough rooms to go around at a time like this. And, when I think about it, the grounds and buildings of the school are kept in pretty good condition. That can't be too cheap. I've heard that this place has some pretty serious benefactors."

NARRATOR: "The walls of the library only partially insulate the noise of the festival preparations, but they're the only sounds to be heard. Not a soul stirs here, with everyone apparently enjoying the weather outside or working on festival events. Yuuko isn't here either. Maybe she doesn't work on Saturdays. I quietly walk through the library, now fairly familiar with its layout. I head to the back, where Hanako's private little corner is."

"I run my hand along the spines of the books on the way through, feeling the individual texture of each as I glance across the titles."

"I used to do this all the time at the library at the hospital. Some things never change, I guess."

"Like the smell of a library. No matter how much care you take, the paper in books is always going to degrade with time."

"Probably, no matter which library you go into, anywhere in the world, it must have that same, musty smell."

"I find something that looks light enough to read without any major thought involved then look for Hanako in the reading area."

scene ev hana_library_read_std with locationchange

"Once again, she is sitting on a beanbag with her back to a bookshelf. Reading the same book she'd had in the classroom, she's slowly making her way through the pages."

play sound sfx_pillow

show ev hana_library_std with locationchange

"Unlike last time I saw her here, I quietly take a seat in a beanbag. The noise is enough to catch her attention, but not startle her."

"This delicate routine that must be followed each and every time I try to talk to her almost feels like hunting game."

HISAO: "Is that the same book as before?"

HANAKO: "Y-yes... I'm almost finished..."

HISAO: "Cool."

"I wonder if I should..."

HISAO: "Do you mind if I borrow it when you're finished?"

"My mouth is faster than my mind, it seems."

HANAKO: "S-sure... you m-may not like it but..."

HISAO: "I'm sure it can't be that bad. After all, you've stuck with it, haven't you?"

HANAKO: "I-I guess."

scene bg school_library with locationchange

"I settle into my beanbag and set about reading my own book that had been buried in my bag."

"It's a light novel about pirates. To be honest I'm barely skimming over the words, having chosen the book merely because it belongs to a different genre than I usually read."

"Finding it hard to muster enough enthusiasm to finish the book, and noting that I've inadvertently distracted Hanako quite a bit, I decide to try and make conversation."

HISAO: "So, I see Lilly left without you?"

show hanako emb_downtimid at center with charaenter

show hanako basic_worry

"She nods before taking her eyes off her book. She must have been really into it after all."

HANAKO: "Lilly said she had to go and... meet someone..."

HISAO: "Oh?"

show hanako basic_normal

HANAKO: "A-Akira. Her sister..."

HISAO: "Sister? I haven't heard her talk about her family..."

show hanako cover_distant

HANAKO: "She... she and Akira used to live together."

HISAO: "I thought all the students lived in the dorms?"

show hanako cover_worry

HANAKO: "T-they... I mean we... don't have to."

HISAO: "But it's easier, right? I mean, there's food here and you're close to school... I don't think I've ever been to class on time so often in my life."

show hanako cover_smile

"Her badly hidden smile proves quite rewarding."

"In the back of my mind I know I have a bit of homework to catch up on, but it's quite comfortable in here. No one can find me and force me into working for their pet project, either."

"Though now that I'm thinking about the festival, another question comes up..."

HISAO: "Hey, Hanako, what are you doing for the festival?"

stop music fadeout 0.2

show hanako def_shock

"For a split second I think that Hanako is about to throw her book in the air from shock."

HANAKO: "S-sorry...?"

HISAO: "I was just asking what you're doing for the festival tomorrow. Anything planned?"

show hanako def_worry

HANAKO: "I... I don't know."

"Hanako answers in the way that people do when they don't want you to ask any more questions. I take it large crowds and loud music aren't really her “thing.”"

HISAO: "Oh, okay."

"Change the subject, change the subject..."

play music music_happiness fadein 4.0

HISAO: "So, what's Lilly's sister like?"

show hanako basic_normal

HANAKO: "She... she's nice. She's pretty like Lilly, but she dresses... business-like..."

HISAO: "Business-like?"

show hanako basic_distant

HANAKO: "She... she's always wearing a suit..."

HISAO: "Ah, I see. And that makes her less pretty somehow?"

show hanako emb_emb

"Hanako gives an embarrassed shake of her head."

HANAKO: "N-no... just... different."

"I'll admit it, this has got me intrigued. To hear Hanako talk about someone other than Lilly is a first, and to be complimentary about it too..."

"But as I try to picture this mystery sister, all I can think of is Lilly in a suit. And I can't imagine that not being attractive. Not at all."

HISAO: "Well, one day you'll have to introduce me to her."

show hanako basic_bashful

HANAKO: "O-okay."

"Our brief conversation ends as abruptly as it started, and we both return to our novels."

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scene bg school_library_ss with shorttimeskip

"The passage of time is marked only by the gradual movement of the patch of light cast through the window."

"Slowly, the noises from the various rehearsals in the building fade out and die as students start to get hungry and tired."

"Just thinking about that makes my stomach start to turn knots around itself. I think it's time to head back."

HISAO: "Do you think Lilly would be back by now? I think I might head back to my dorm. I'm pretty tired from this week."

"And not a word of that is a lie. Moving to a new school as it ramps up for a major event has been taxing, to say the least."

"I can feel myself nodding off as I read my book."

show hanako basic_smile_ss at center with charaenter

HANAKO: "O-okay. I... I might stay here a little longer."

"Looking at Hanako's book, I can see that she is only a few pages away from completing it."

"For a moment I consider hanging around until she finishes, but once again my stomach turns, emitting a gurgling sound."

HISAO: "Sure thing. Well I'm going to head off before it gets dark. I'll see you around, okay?"

show hanako basic_bashful_ss

HANAKO: "O-okay. See you, Hisao."

HISAO: "Later."

show hanako defarms_worry_ss

HANAKO: "H-Hisao?"

HISAO: "Hmm?"

show hanako emb_smile_ss

HANAKO: "T-thank you. F-for hanging out with me."

play music music_dreamy fadein 2.0

"I can see how hard it was for her to get that simple sentence out of her mouth. It leaves me hanging for a moment."

"So. There is someone in this school who is even lonelier than me. Maybe lonely is a wrong word, I haven't been lacking company for this first week, but I've still managed to feel somewhat alone and detached."

"Maybe lonely is a wrong word for Hanako too, she has Lilly after all, doesn't she?"

"I realize I've been standing there far too long without answering, and pull off a flawless, not too exaggerated smile."

HISAO: "You're welcome."

HISAO: "Good night, Hanako."

show hanako emb_downsmile_ss

HANAKO: "N-night."

scene bg school_hallway2 with locationchange

"I leave her to finish her book and head back to the dorms and the promise of food..."

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$ suppress_window_after_timeskip = True

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