A Wider Field of Vision/Transcript
NARRATOR: "It's already half past eight, but this morning's class has not yet begun. We were supposed to have physics but the teacher is nowhere to be seen. Had I known this beforehand, I would have slept in too. Suddenly the classroom door slams open and Mutou grunts his morning greeting to us from the doorway."
MUTOU: "Good morning, everyone!"
NARRATOR: "Mutou looks like he has not slept at all. The stubble, his messier-than-normal hair, and the stained dress shirt create a less than favorable impression. I guess he had fun last night at the festival too."
MUTOU: "Excuse my being late, I ran into unexpected problems. I'm usually not one for festivals like this, but I hope you all had a good time. After all, these sorts of events are important for you all, since they give you a short reprieve from schoolwork."
NARRATOR: "The class replies with various degrees of enthusiasm, and Mutou proceeds to take roll and get started."
MUTOU: "Right, then. Today's subject is photon particle physics..."
NARRATOR: "Before long, I have descended into a comfortable coma-like state along with the rest of the class, letting Mutou's rambling speeches pass through one ear and exit the other without leaving a trace."
show muto normal at center with charaenter
MUTOU: "Now, who could tell us the solution to this problem?"
NARRATOR: "He's written a rather easy equation on the blackboard. Desperately, he tries to get the class to participate."
show muto irritated with charachange
MUTOU: "Nobody? Come on, guys. Nakai, how about you?"
NARRATOR: "Unfairly singled out and cornered, I give him an answer. It causes his shaggy features to twist into a genial smile that would scare little children senseless."
show muto smile with charachange
MUTOU: "Precisely! Good work, Nakai!"
NARRATOR: "I'm both disturbed and honored by the fact that he can remember my name only one week after I transferred here."
NARRATOR: "From what I've seen, Mutou has serious trouble remembering the names of anybody else in the class, and most of them have been here since the first year."
NARRATOR: "The room settles into a dreary mood, students and teacher alike trying to get back on track after the festival."
NARRATOR: "I figure last week must've been frantic for everyone."
play sound sfx_normalbell
stop music fadeout 2.0
NARRATOR: "Not a minute too soon, the lunch bells ring."
scene bg school_hallway3 with locationchange
play music music_running
mystery "MAKE WAY! IMPORTANT BUSINESS!"
NARRATOR: "I turn my head just in time to see other people scatter out of the way as someone charges from the far end of the corridor towards the stairwell."
NARRATOR: "It's too late to realize that I'm standing in the middle of the corridor, directly in the way of the oncoming human projectile."
NARRATOR: "I try to skip back towards the doorway. Unfortunately, the person running towards me dodges in the same direction."
NARRATOR: "In the following fraction of a second several things come to mind in sequence, yet almost simultaneously."
NARRATOR: "First, I recognize that the girl who is on a collision course with me is Emi."
NARRATOR: "Second, I realize that it feels somehow very natural to be tackled by Emi once again. I could feel almost comfortable if not for the reflexive panic and terror."
NARRATOR: "Third, Emi seems to be carrying a foot-tall stack of papers while running in the hallway."
play sound sfx_pillow with vpunch
NARRATOR: "She crashes into me, but at least the impact was a grazing one on my arm this time."
show emi sad_depressed at center with charamoveinbottom
EMI: "Owiiie… Why does this always happen to me?"
HISAO: "Gee, I wonder. Could it possibly have anything to do with you running through the corridor like you were on fire?"
show emi sad_shy with charachange
NARRATOR: "She whimpers regretfully, looking like a hurt puppy. The sight makes me regret my snappish comment the very instant it emerges from my lips."
show emi sad_pout with charachange
EMI: "But… I was in a hurry."
HISAO: "I can tell."
EMI: "Sorry."
HISAO: "Don't worry about it."
show emi sad_shy with charachange
NARRATOR: "Emi wails weakly one last time and rubs her forehead as if to expel the ache while her gaze sweeps over the hallway floor."
NARRATOR: "As she notices her neat stack of papers spread all over the floor in one big mess, she lets out a horrified yelp."
show emi basic_shock with charachange
EMI: "Aah! The printouts! Oh no oh no, what am I going to do? Teacher will give me hell if they get dirty."
HISAO: "They're probably fine. Let's gather them back up; it won't be a problem."
NARRATOR: "We quickly round up the papers, and Emi tries to sort the scattered pile in her hands back into the orderly stack it was."
show emi basic_grin with charachange
EMI: "Where are you going?"
HISAO: "Nowhere in particular, I guess. Didn't want to be left alone with Mutou in the classroom. I think he has a hangover."
show emi excited_happy with charachange
EMI: "Have you eaten lunch?"
HISAO: "Not yet, but I'm not feeling very hungry anyway."
show emi basic_confused with charachange
NARRATOR: "She looks at me incredulously, as if doubting my sanity for letting such a thing out of my mouth."
show emi excited_proud with charachange
EMI: "You should go to the roof! I promised Rin I would eat lunch with her. I bet she'd like company."
NARRATOR: "Uh-oh. My lunches with Rin have been remarkably unsuccessful."
NARRATOR: "I know where this conversation is going and it's hard to not get drawn along, so I have little choice but to play ball."
HISAO: "OK, I'll go pick up some bread or something first."
show emi basic_closedgrin with charachange
NARRATOR: "Emi smiles brightly before I say anything further."
show emi basic_grin with charachange
EMI: "No no, I'll go and deliver these super-quick, and then go buy lunch for us. And Rin, too, of course. What kind of bread do you like?"
HISAO: "It's fine, you really don't need to…"
show emi excited_proud with charachange
EMI: "Don't worry, it's all right. Consider it an apology. I'll be back before you know it!"
HISAO: "That's what I'm worried about. Don't get into another accident."
NARRATOR: "Emi starts walking down the hall, but since she's still talking to me, she isn't watching where she's going."
show emi basic_closedhappy with charachange
EMI: "I won't!"
hide emi with charaexit
stop music fadeout 4.5
NARRATOR: "Famous last words. She's already jogging down the stairs as she shouts that not-so-reassuring promise back to me."
$ renpy.music.set_volume(0.2, 0.0, channel="ambient") play ambient sfx_rooftop fadein 2.0
scene bg school_staircase1 with locationchange
NARRATOR: "Sighing quietly, I start plodding along in her wake. But instead of taking the stairs down, I climb upwards."
NARRATOR: "The stairwell up to the roof is unlit and just as creepy as it was before."
play sound sfx_dooropen
NARRATOR: "The door squeaks weakly in protest as I push it open."
play sound sfx_door_creak $ renpy.music.set_volume(1.0, 0.5, channel="ambient")
- if the above doesn't work:
scene bg school_roof with Fade(0.5, 0.0, 2.0, color="#FFF")
NARRATOR: "Rin is there too, like Emi said, lying on her back at the other end of the pebble-covered rooftop for some reason."
NARRATOR: "Predicting something unnecessarily strange again, I walk to her as slowly as possible."
scene ev rin_roof_boredom with locationchange
RIN: "Helloooo."
NARRATOR: "She sounds very drowsy as she says that, stretching the end of the word with a slurred voice. Despite that, her eyes are wide open."
show hisao rin_roof with charaenter
NARRATOR: "I look down at her, my shadow overlapping her face."
HISAO: "What are you doing?"
show ev rin_roof_doubt with charachange
NARRATOR: "Rin raises an eyebrow."
show ev rin_roof_nonchalant with charachange
RIN: "I thought you had a heart problem, not an eye problem."
NARRATOR: "She answers, challenging the rationale of my perfectly valid question without even tilting her head to look at me."
NARRATOR: "Rin's smartass comments are infuriating. The worst thing is that I'm not sure if she's doing it on purpose or not."
HISAO: "All right, then. Let me rephrase:"
HISAO: "Why are you lying on your back on the rooftop?"
show ev rin_roof_boredom with charachange
NARRATOR: "She gives a lazy shrug and sniffs dismissively."
RIN: "I'm trying to experience. People probably don't do this enough."
HISAO: "What exactly are you trying to experience here? I can't really tell, but there's probably a reason people don't do… whatever."
NARRATOR: "She's playing dodgeball with me again, answering my attempt at small talk with riddles I don't want to puzzle out."
NARRATOR: "But I don't want to ignore her, either."
show ev rin_roof_nonchalant with charachange
RIN: "Yeah, but the reason is that everyone is too busy with their lives to pay attention to the really important things."
HISAO: "Like watching the sky?"
show ev rin_roof_surprised with charachange
NARRATOR: "She tears her gaze away from the sky and finally looks straight at me. The penetrating deepness of her eyes once she focuses them on something is startling."
RIN: "You know, if you were a girl I could see your panties."
HISAO: "If I was a girl, I wouldn't come this close to anyone who tried to sneak a peek at my panties. I have that much common sense."
show ev rin_roof_boredom with charachange
RIN: "I wouldn't either, but sometimes it can't be avoided. Like now, for example."
show ev rin_roof_nonchalant with charachange
RIN: "To tell you the truth, I don't even really want to peek at your panties though."
RIN: "Underpants are the soul of a girl. You shouldn't peek at someone else's soul. Even if you are not a girl."
HISAO: "As a guy, I guess I can understand that. To us, they're some sort of half-mythical object that we can't quite comprehend."
show ev rin_roof_surprised with charachange
RIN: "Yeah, that's exactly how I think about them too. What a coincidence."
HISAO: "It really is."
HISAO: "So did you have world history in the morning class?"
show ev rin_roof_doubt with charachange
RIN: "I skipped class."
HISAO: "To do this?"
show ev rin_roof_boredom with charachange
RIN: "Well, I'm not actually doing what it looks like I am doing, or at least I think that what I am doing doesn't look like what I look like, but from your perspective…"
extend " probably…"
RIN: "Yeah, I skipped class to do this."
HISAO: "I guess whatever your reason is, it's as good as any."
hide hisao with charaexit
play sound sfx_rustling
scene bg school_roof with locationchange
NARRATOR: "Giving in to the tired feeling in my legs, I sit down on the roof next to Rin."
NARRATOR: "The pebbles are not the most comfortable bed in the world, but if she can stand it, then I should be able to as well."
RIN: "What are you waiting for?"
HISAO: "Hmm?"
RIN: "Try it."
stop music fadeout 2.0 $ renpy.music.set_volume(0.4, 3.0, channel="ambient")
NARRATOR: "I bend my neck backwards too take a look where she is looking."
scene bg misc_sky at Fullpan(40.0) with locationchange
NARRATOR: "The silvery blue sky, dotted by herds of cloud-sheep, fills my field of vision entirely."
NARRATOR: "While it's pretty, the view is nothing special even though the weather is fair."
NARRATOR: "I give a shrug, trying my best to imitate the nonchalant manner which Rin seems to have evolved to perfection, and lie down on my back."
NARRATOR: "The stones poke at my back through my thin shirt whenever I shift my weight even a little, forcing me to keep as still as possible."
NARRATOR: "I try to ignore the discomfort and myself, instead concentrating on the vastness over us."
NARRATOR: "Far above, the summer clouds drift soundlessly across the dome of the sky."
NARRATOR: "Neither of us has anything more to say, thus silence covers the rooftop."
NARRATOR: "The subdued noises of students on their lunch break, cicadas in the trees and traffic buzzing past the school are humming pleasantly somewhere in the background."
HISAO: "Listen, I had a great time yesterday."
RIN: "Did you?"
HISAO: "Well, to be honest, no. But it was all right. It was probably the longest time I've ever sat in one place without doing anything, which is kinda impressive."
NARRATOR: "I try to make it sound as convincing as possible."
RIN: "Is that impressive?"
HISAO: "I think it is. I'm usually too restless to do anything like that."
RIN: "I think I had a good time too."
NARRATOR: "A cloud passes above us, casting its shadow on the school."
NARRATOR: "A chill surges through me from the sudden change of sunlight to shade."
NARRATOR: "I realize that summer is not in its full bloom quite yet."
NARRATOR: "The only measure of time passing is the slow pace of the clouds moving towards the town."
NARRATOR: "Stray beams of golden sunlight leak through the gaps, blinding me for a moment whenever they hit me directly in the eyes."
NARRATOR: "The blue of the sky looks so unreachable."
NARRATOR: "This reminds me of the time I spent in the hospital, where I was bored out of my mind on a daily basis."
NARRATOR: "Somehow, it didn't matter after a while. I learned to appreciate other things besides watching TV and gossiping with people I didn't even like."
NARRATOR: "A comprehensive sensation of calmness spreads from my sight to my other senses, finally hitting my brain."
NARRATOR: "An airplane zooms by, leaving two thin contrails in its wake like a pair of chalk lines drawn from one end of the sky to the other."
NARRATOR: "I wonder where it is heading to."
NARRATOR: "The low din of its engines carries all the way down to my ears, although it's barely audible over the racket from the quad."
stop ambient fadeout 8.0 $ renpy.music.set_volume(1.0, 10.0, channel="ambient")
RIN: "It's nice."
HISAO: "It's nice, but I don't understand why this is more important than going to class."
RIN: "Isn't it good to do something you like?"
RIN: "Every once in a while?"
HISAO: "Of course, but—"
stop sound
EMI: "What are you doing?"
NARRATOR: "Emi has snuck up on us without either noticing and is only a step away from me, holding several packages wrapped in plastic film in her arms."
show emi excited_happy_close:
xalign 0.5 yanchor 1.0 ypos 1.2 easein 0.5 center
show bg misc_sky at right with charaenter
NARRATOR: "She leans forwards and peeks over me, overshadowing my face almost exactly the same way I overshadowed Rin before."
NARRATOR: "I wonder how weird this looks, the two of us lying on our backs on the rooftop."
HISAO: "That's what I asked, too."
RIN: "I would be more concerned about what you are doing. If I were you, I wouldn't come that close to people who could see your panties."
play sound sfx_pillow
show emi sad_angry_close with vpunch
play music music_comedy fadein 0.5
EMI: "Rin!"
show emi sad_angry_close:
easeout 0.5 ypos 1.2 alpha 0.0
with None
scene bg school_roof with locationchange
show emi basic_hes:
xalign 0.5 yanchor 1.0 ypos 1.1 easein 0.5 center
with charaenter
NARRATOR: "Emi's voice is scandalized, but she quickly takes a step backward, pressing her hands against the front of her skirt so abruptly that the parcels of bread she was carrying fall."
NARRATOR: "I quickly avert my eyes, and glance angrily at Rin. She pretends not to see me."
show emi basic_shock with charachange
EMI: "Hisao isn't like that, right?"
HISAO: "Right."
play sound sfx_rustling
show emi basic_shock:
parallel:
ease 0.5 ypos 1.17
parallel:
"emi basic_annoyed" with Dissolve(0.5, alpha=True)
ease 0.5 ypos 1.0
with Pause(1.0)
NARRATOR: "Emi scowls at Rin and crouches down to pick up the packages."
play ambient sfx_rooftop fadein 8.0
show emi basic_grin_close with characlose
show emi basic_grin_close:
ypos 1.12
with charamove
NARRATOR: "She wipes the dust off them, and skips lithely around me to Rin's other side where she sets herself down."
EMI: "Anyway, here's your bread. Sorry it took a while."
HISAO: "That's all right. Thanks for treating me."
NARRATOR: "I pull myself up into a sitting position and gratefully accept the bread Emi is offering."
NARRATOR: "All three of us ravenously dig into the simple meal. The bread is surprisingly decent and readily fills my stomach."
show rin invis:
yanchor 1.0 ypos 1.2 xanchor 0.5 xpos 1.0
with None
show emi basic_grin_close:
xpos 0.3
show bg school_roof at bgleft show rin basic_awayabsent_close:
ease 1.0 ypos 1.07 xpos 0.9
with dissolvecharamove
NARRATOR: "I follow from the corner of my eye the skill with which Rin handles her bread between her feet."
show emi excited_proud_close with charachange
EMI: "I haven't seen you on the track in a few days."
show rin basic_absent_close:
ypos 1.07 xpos 0.9
with charachange
HISAO: "Oh. Right, I… figured it was too heavy a routine for me to start with."
show rin basic_awayabsent_close show emi basic_hes_close with charachange
EMI: "So you've been doing something else?"
show rin basic_absent_close with charachange
HISAO: "I've been considering my options."
show emi basic_annoyed_close with charachange
NARRATOR: "She frowns but doesn't pursue the issue further, for which I'm thankful."
NARRATOR: "Emi seems pretty headstrong and I wouldn't really want to get pestered by her about this on a daily basis. I have enough burdens to bear with Shizune and Misha already."
$ renpy.music.set_volume(0.5, 1.0, channel="music")
play sound sfx_warningbell show rin basic_awayabsent_close show emi basic_shock_close with charachange
NARRATOR: "We barely finish the lunch before the bells ring, calling us back to our classrooms."
stop ambient fadeout 0.5 $ renpy.music.set_volume(1.0, 1.0, channel="music")
scene bg school_scienceroom with locationskip
show misha sign_smile at center with charaenter
MISHA: "Hicchan!"
NARRATOR: "Misha waves at me as soon as I enter, and starts talking before I even make my way across the classroom."
show misha hips_smile with charachange
MISHA: "How was your festival? Did you have fun?"
HISAO: "Umm… still somewhat undecided on that. I'd say “probably.”"
HISAO: "Why?"
show misha hips_grin with charachange
MISHA: "Wahaha~, just asking, just asking!"
NARRATOR: "Her eyes glint in a way that tell me she's not just asking. I can't even start to guess her motives, though."
hide misha with charaexit
NARRATOR: "As the well-timed entrance of the English teacher prevents us from talking further, Misha falls back to plan B."
window hide
show misha hips_grin_close at offscreenleft with None
show misha perky_smile_close:
xpos 0.1 xanchor 0.5
show bg school_scienceroom at left with charamove
$ written_note(u"I was there all day with Shicchan! We had a lot of fun!", text_args={"color":"#FF2AAA"})
$ written_note(u"Weren't you supposed to be doing work?")
show misha hips_grin_close with charachange
$ written_note(u"Don't worry! Everything went really well.", text_args={"color":"#FF2AAA"})
window show
NARRATOR: "I don't reply to that, and she leaves me alone after Shizune demands her attention."
stop music fadeout 12.0
show misha invis at offscreenleft with dissolvecharamove
hide misha show bg school_scienceroom:
subpixel True yalign 0.0 ease 30.0 zoom 1.1
with None
NARRATOR: "My own attention, on the other hand, is directed out the windows."
NARRATOR: "Now that I look at it from here, through the window and the foliage just outside, the sky seems smaller."
NARRATOR: "I catch only small glimpses of blue; everything else is a clutter of noise right in the middle of my field of vision."
NARRATOR: "What “experience” did Rin want out of staring at the sky? Surely she's done it before. Everyone has."
NARRATOR: "It's no use trying to guess her mind, but if I don't do that, then I have no excuse for not concentrating on the teacher's words."
NARRATOR: "I look at the scribbles appearing on the blackboard, trying to figure out their meaning with little success."
NARRATOR: "English really is not my favorite subject. We have a strong mutual dislike for each other."
stop music fadeout 2.0
Next Scene: Studies in Greyscale