Morning Run/Transcript

label en_E3:

scene black with dissolve

play music music_pearly fadein 1.0

play sound sfx_alarmclock

"My alarm's beeping shatters the early morning quiet and I find myself wondering why the hell I'm up."

scene bg school_dormhisao with openeye

"Class doesn't start for at least a few more hours."

"It takes me a moment to remember that I agreed to run in the mornings with Emi."

"What the hell was I thinking?"

"Oh yes, now I remember.  I was thinking about how much I don't want to die."

"Really, I'm not that interested in running as a hobby, or even as a possible life-lengthening exercise…"

"But for whatever reason I feel obligated to follow through on my promise to Emi yesterday."

"Which is why I find myself throwing on some running shorts and a light tee-shirt."

scene bg school_courtyard with locationskip

"The cool morning air caresses my face as the morning sunshine causes the dew on the grass to sparkle, nearly blinding me at first."

"As I make my way down to the track, an ugly thought strikes me."

"What if this was some sort of joke that Emi's playing on me?"

"Would that surprise me, really?"

"Hell, I'd probably do it to the new guy too, if it were me."

"At the least I'll bet Emi and Rin were wagering on whether or not I'd actually show up."

stop music fadeout 1.5

scene bg school_track with locationchange

"I feel a sense of trepidation as the track comes into view."

play music music_emi fadein 0.75

show EMI: basic_annoyed_gym with charaenter

EMI: "You're late!"

"It would seem that Emi is already there. What a relief."

HISAO: "Preposterous! You're early!"

show EMI: basic_closedgrin_gym with charachange

EMI: "Damn. You've got me there."

"Emi is sitting on the bleachers, decked out in her running gear, waiting somewhat patiently for me."

HISAO: "I'm glad you're actually here. I was afraid that this was a joke or something."

show EMI: basic_grin_gym with charachange

EMI: "Nah, I'd never make someone get up early for nothing."

EMI: "Plus, Rin owes me 500 yen now. She didn't think you'd actually show up."

"I knew it!"

"Nice to know she was on my side, at least."

"Emi hops off of the bleachers and begins stretching out."

"She's remarkably lithe, almost like a dancer."

"I set out to stretch myself and realize that I don't remember how exactly to stretch properly."

"It's been ages since I stretched for anything, if you don't count my one stint at running last week."

"And even then, I don't think I actually stretched beforehand."

"The specter of my long hospital stay rises up again."

"Although I can't say I was all that active before the hospital stay."

"So maybe I'm just being morose."

"Emi giggles as she watches me stretch out."

show EMI: basic_shock_gym with charachange

EMI: "No no no Hisao, you've got to hold it for longer than that!"

HISAO: "I'm trying! It kinda hurts a little."

show EMI: basic_happy_gym with charachange

EMI: "Ha! That's because you're out of shape. You've got to get some flexibility in you, like this."

"To demonstrate, Emi reaches down and puts her head through her legs."

"God bless you, Emi!"

HISAO: "I see. Is that the sort of thing I should strive for?"

show EMI: basic_grin_gym with charachange

EMI: "Of course! Flexibility is important for any runner. You'll be able to go faster the more you stretch out."

"That makes no sense to me, but Emi seems to believe it's true."

"With Emi's help, I manage to stretch myself out properly."

"I can't help but notice that when she thinks about how to explain things to me, her mouth scrunches up in concentration."

"It's adorable."

EMI: "Not bad, Hisao. Come on, we'd better start running."

EMI: "We'll start off with just a mile, okay?"

EMI: "That's four laps around the track, got it?"

HISAO: "That sounds fine to me."

"This shouldn't be too hard, right?"

"A hazy memory of running a mile for gym class surfaces in my mind."

"Yeah, it wasn't that bad."

"Emi sets a pretty good pace, and I fall in behind her."

EMI: "Try to keep up, okay Hisao?"

HISAO: "Roger."

hide EMI: with charaexit

"We round the first curve without incident, though I can already feel my heartrate increasing slightly."

"By the second curve, I've started to breathe through my mouth."

"Emi doesn't even seem to be breaking a sweat."

"As if to punctuate her superiority, she turns around and starts running backwards."

show EMI: basic_closedgrin_gym at center with charaenter

EMI: "Are you doing okay, Hisao?"

HISAO: "Never *pant* better."

EMI: "Oh really? Maybe I should speed up then, hmm?"

HISAO: "Oh *pant* *pant* no, *pant* wouldn't want you *pant* to *pant* overex*wheeze*ert yourself."

"Emi smiles and turns around again."

hide EMI: with charaexit

EMI: "You're the boss, Hisao. We'll stay at this pace."

"I get the feeling that I'm being mocked."

"If I weren't in such terrible shape, I'd probably feel offended."

"By the third lap, my breath is coming in ragged gasps."

"I'm also awash in my own juices. Gross."

"We round the curve to start our fourth lap, and Emi looks back at me with a grin."

EMI: "Here we go!"

"She takes off at blinding speed while I stubbornly stick to my slower pace."

"By the time I get to the first turn, she's already rounding the second."

"As I struggle across the back stretch, Emi continues running and catches up to me."

EMI: "Come on, Hisao! You can do it!"

"I'd answer her, but I'm too focused on getting air into my lungs and ignoring the burning in my leg muscles."

"Part of me wants to say something like “Maybe {b}you{/b} can, but I'm about to die out here.”"

"But again, I doubt I can actually form words right now."

"Emi keeps pace with me as I round the second turn and cross the finish line."

stop music fadeout 1.5

"Her sprint seems to have gotten her sweating."

"It's actually caused her shirt to turn slightly translucent."

"Emi wears a black sports bra.  Who knew?"

"I feel a vague stab of guilt for being the sort of guy who stares at a girl's chest, but my legs and chest are burning so badly I can't bring myself to care that much."

show EMI: excited_proud_gym at center with charaenter

EMI: "Not bad for a first effort, Hisao."

play music music_pearly fadein 0.5

HISAO: "Ki—*pant* *pant* kind of you *pant* to say *pant* so."

"Emi seems to be, if not out of breath, at least breathing a little more heavily than she was before we started running."

"It must have been the sprint that did it."

show EMI: basic_grin_gym with charachange

EMI: "Hey, I've got to get a few sprints in. You should walk around the track to cool down."

EMI: "Then we can stretch out and we'll be all done, okay?"

HISAO: "Sounds great."

"My legs are on fire, and my breathing is still heavy, but surprisingly my heart seems to be taking the strain well."

"Another triumph of medical science, I suppose."

EMI: "You should put your hands behind your head. It makes it easier to catch your breath."

hide EMI: with charaexit

"Surprisingly, she's right. I begin to stroll around the track, happy to feel my breath coming back to me."

"There's a blur as Emi sprints by me."

"Watching her run is absolutely fascinating."

"It's not just because she's on prosthetics, though that is interesting."

"The real interesting thing is the way her face changes."

"I can only catch glimpses of it as she runs by, but her eyes seem to come alive with a sort of fierce joy."

"It's as if there's nothing else in the world but her and the track."

"By the time I've gotten to the final stretch, Emi seems to have finished her sprinting."

"She's breathing heavily now, but she's wearing a satisfied grin on her face. She waves to me cheerily as I near her."

stop music fadeout 2.0

show EMI: basic_grin_gym at center with charaenter

EMI: "Feeling better, right?"

HISAO: "Actually, yeah."

EMI: "D'you want to take another lap around with me? I've got to cool down too, you know."

"Part of me would rather sit down, and not move, but something tells me that would be a bad idea."

"Besides, if I sit down there may be no getting back up again."

HISAO: "Sure, why not?"

play music music_daily fadein 0.5

"Emi's got her hands behind her head now as well, which makes her seem very relaxed."

"The positioning of her arms also pulls her shirt upwards ever-so-slightly so that I can see a small strip of her belly."

"I do my best to act the gentleman and not look, but the contrast of her skin against her red running shorts is rather arresting."

EMI: "So how do you feel, Hisao?"

HISAO: "Surprisingly good, actually. I'm sore and tired, but… surprisingly good."

"As soon as I say it, I realize that it's true."

"Sure, part of me wants to lay down and die, but I feel like I've accomplished something."

"It's almost like a glow throughout my body that persists despite the soreness."

EMI: "Yeah, that's the runner's high."

HISAO: "Runner's high?"

EMI: "Yeah, it has something to do with… adrenaline?"

"Emi thinks for a moment as we walk, trying to remember."

"Then she shrugs and grins at me."

EMI: "I don't actually remember.  It's a good feeling though, isn't it?"

show EMI: basic_happy_gym with charachange

stop music fadeout 0.5 play sound sfx_heartstop

EMI: "Better than sex, right?"

"I open my mouth to respond shortly before processing what she's just said."

HISAO: "…"

"Emi watches my face for a few moments before bursting into laughter."

play music music_comedy fadein 0.75

show EMI: excited_laugh_gym with charachange

EMI: "Sorry, sorry! I couldn't resist! You're just too easy!"

HISAO: "Why did I agree to run with you again?"

"Emi just laughs harder, and then chances to look at her watch."

show EMI: basic_shock_gym with charachange

EMI: "Oh no! We'd better get a move on, Hisao!"

EMI: "Class is in an hour, and I need to shower!"

HISAO: "I should probably do that as well…"

EMI: "I need to see the nurse too… maybe he'll write me a note for being late!"

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HISAO: "Why do you need to see the nurse?"

play music music_daily fadein 1.0

"Emi points to her prosthetics, as if that would explain everything."

show EMI: basic_grin_gym with charachange

EMI: "It's important to check for irritation."

EMI: "You know, from sweat, or friction or anything."

EMI: "Normally I only go after practice, but if we're going to be doing these morning runs then I guess I'll see him twice a day."

"Wait, so Emi has only started doing these runs since I showed up?"

HISAO: "If it's more convenient for you to run with me at a later time…"

show EMI: basic_grin_gym with charachange

EMI: "Don't be silly! I've been meaning to start running in the morning for a while now."

EMI: "But if I didn't have a partner to run with, I'd be less likely to keep up a routine."

EMI: "It's always harder to blow off a commitment if you're going to let someone else down, you know?"

EMI: "So you'll be my running partner for the mornings!"

EMI: "We both need the exercise, so it all works out, don't you think?"

HISAO: "Yeah, perfect."

"Did it have to be me, though?"

"Well, I guess I can't complain too much. Emi's pretty fun to hang out with."

"And she's right. I do need the exercise. Doctor's orders, even."

"Emi waves a quick goodbye to me."

show EMI: excited_happy_gym with charachange

EMI: "Right, I'm off! Come have lunch with us, okay?"

HISAO: "What?"

EMI: "Lunch! You know, the meal? In the middle of the day? Come have it with us!"

HISAO: "Where?"

EMI: "The rooftop. Rin likes it up there."

HISAO: "When?"

EMI: "Lunchtime, when else? That was a silly question."

HISAO: "Yeah, but I sort of felt the need to ask all three for completeness' sake."

"Emi laughs and grins. I don't think I've ever seen a girl smile so much before."

EMI: "Not bad, Hisao. See ya!"

hide EMI: with charaexit

"With that, she takes off like a shot for the school building."

"I guess she's going to see the nurse first."

"I hurry back to my room and hop in the shower, only to find that the water takes a while to heat up."

"The shock of the cold water nearly kills me."

"I manage to warm the water a bit and spend some quality time feeling my muscles loosen."

"Let's review:"

"My heart, surprisingly, feels the least bothered by the run."

"I suppose that's a good thing, even if it does make me feel like a bit of a wuss."

"I mean at least I'd have an excuse beyond “I am out of shape” if my heart were bothering me."

"Guess I'll have to keep this running thing up, otherwise I'm sure Emi won't let me hear the end of it."

"It's only after I get out and dry myself off that I realize that I've only ten minutes left to put my clothes on and get to class."

"Crap."

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