HISAO: "Sure, there were some people like this in my old school, too, but not as many. And it feels more intense, somehow. I think, if I had to pin it down to one thing, that the students here really appreciate going to school."
Things You Like/Transcript
NARRATOR: "Having exhausted the books Kenji lent me in just a few nights, I go back to the library, deeming it a safer alternative for getting my reading fix. I return the books he had stolen while I'm at it, to Yuuko's delight. I don't tell her where I got them, though."
YUUKO: "Wow, you sure read a lot, don't you?"
HISAO: "Yeah, I guess I do. I mean, I do. Even I think it's weird. I think I might have a reading problem. Maybe I'm a junkie."
YUUKO: "No no, I didn't mean it that way. It's not weird at all, and being addicted to reading is a lot better than being addicted to... to something else."
HISAO: "Yeah, I know. It was a joke."
NARRATOR: "I smile at her reassuringly and drop the books on the counter so Yuuko can check them out. I feel tired, so I sit down in the vacant chair in front of her desk. While Yuuko goes through the modest pile of reading material I found, I let my gaze wander around the library. At the tables, a pair of girls is chattering in hushed tones rather than working on their homework. The short-haired one notices me looking in their direction and waves at me. When I raise my hand back, they glance at each other and giggle in unison. I'm not sure how I should feel about that, so I decide it's a good thing. The one who waved at me has a horrible case of epilepsy. I saw her having an attack a few days ago. It was one of the most disturbing and scary things I've seen in a very long time. Yet, there she is, happily chirping away about whatever, as if she doesn't have a care in the world. You know, this school is really something else. Yuuko raises her eyes from the books she was going through, slightly startled. She adjusts her glasses and puts on a nervous, confused smile."
YUUKO: "What do you mean?"
HISAO: "I don't really know how to explain it. It's just that everyone's so... active, or ...how should I put it? It's not just the festival thing, I think, even though I haven't been here that long, but it's everything. People talk more, work harder and just... are... more than in any other school I've seen before."
NARRATOR: "I'm struggling for words, but it feels like I'm speaking honestly."
HISAO: "This school feels so alive."
HISAO: "I feel like I need to start moving in some direction, too. That's how this school makes me feel."
YUUKO: "I don't think that's a bad thing."
HISAO: "Yeah, me neither."
NARRATOR: "Suddenly I realize that I've just been babbling my thoughts to Yuuko, out of the blue. She's a bit of a jumpy person, so I fear I might've made a bad impression. She's looking at me with what I hope is curiosity rather than horror, so I figure she's all right."
HISAO: "Sorry for suddenly talking about weird stuff like this. I didn't mean to trouble you."
YUUKO: "Oh no, it's not troubling. I'm happy to listen if you feel like talking. It makes me feel a little reliable, too."
NARRATOR: "Yuuko smiles sweetly and a little bit ironically at that. I respond with a thankful smile of my own. As she pushes the neat stack of books across the counter, I stand up and gather them in my arms."
YUUKO: "Here you are."
HISAO: "Thank you."
YUUKO: "I guess we'll be meeting each other again. Please come here anytime."
NARRATOR: "Yuuko's kindness is heartwarming."
HISAO: "You can count on it. See you later."
Next Scene: Target Audience