Author's Note

Well, I promised, so here it is. It's a little late here, but according to my clock, it's still Thursday the 8th. Anyway, here's episode three. As usual, give me your literary criticism, I need it as much as the last two times.

By the way, FYI, if I update in any way other than posting a new chapter, I'll put it up on my profile as well as in the author's note for the next chapter. As that goes, act 1, episode II had a modified ending for purposes of being more believable as of August 4th, and the Taichans and Shichans in the same episode were changed to the correct forms of Taicchan and Shicchan. I'll also list projected times of completion of the next chapter. That's all. Well, here's the chapter. Enjoy!

Act 1: Nightfall

Episode III: Midnight

I roll down the hall to class feeling a lot better than I expected to, running on as little sleep as I am. Of course, that may just be the coffee talking. Since I was running on a quick snack all night, I made sure to get a decent breakfast in, complete with three brimming cups of coffee. What? I like coffee. Don't judge.

I'm nearly to class when suddenly my wheelchair stops. It takes me a moment before I realize what happened. I didn't charge it for more than a few minutes last night at most, and I've been moving myself everywhere unassisted so far. The fact that it stopped now, right before I reach the classroom, is more than a little bit irritating. I curse myself for my forgetfulness and decide to wait until I see someone I recognize to ask if they'll wheel me inside.

"Out of the way!" I hear an anxious shout from down the hall. Everyone hastily clears to the walls to avoid whatever is on the way. Well, everyone but me. I get one look at a girl standing at about my eye level charging towards me with a package of some sort before I feel the collision and fall backwards onto the floor. I'm stunned for a moment, and I'm guessing the girl is too, because she doesn't say anything until I'm about to.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so, so sorry! Let me help you up!" She says as she pushes me back onto all four wheels. I crane my neck to look at her, but can't get a clear look until she steps around my wheelchair.

"I'm so sorry! I just had this thing and it needed to go to the main office and I said I'd take it but I need to get back fast too because I'm a little behind in this class and if I miss anything I'll be even more behind and-"

"Breathe," I say, placing my hand on her shoulder. "It's fine. I'm no worse now that I was before. I'm sure we've both got bigger problems than taking a little spill. Like me, my wheelchair's battery just died and I need to get to class there."

The girl doesn't look any less apologetic, but at least seems to be done word vomiting. "Oh, well, let me help, then! It's the least I can do, since…"

"Don't think this is totally your fault. If I'd remembered to charge my chair last night, this all could've been avoided." She doesn't look overly reassured by this, but she nods anyway and steps behind me. I start to move.

"Push me over there, by the outlet," I say, pointing to the far wall. She does, and then turns me to face the class. I get a good look at her. She's only a little taller than me right now, and since I'm sitting, that makes her pretty short. She has a small, sharp-featured but at the same time delicate looking face that makes me think of a kitten. She wears her mid-length, light-brown hair in a pair of twin-tails just shy of reaching her shoulders. She's pretty attractive, I notice, with a fair figure. It's following this figure that I wind up looking at her legs, or rather, the prosthetics that extend below her knee where her real legs end. My eyes jump back to her face. I think I may have some understanding of why she seems so hard to reassure on the matter of knocking down a person in a wheelchair.

"Thanks. Hey, seriously, forget it happened. I'm Tai, by the way."

She smiles sheepishly. "I'm Emi. Hey, let me make it up to you over lunch! We'll eat, uh…" she looks at my wheelchair. "…I'll figure it out. Meet me in front of the cafeteria?"

"Sure, no problem." I give her a wave. She smiles once, then dashes of, probably to get that package to the office. Well, this'll certainly be an interesting year at this rate. I look to my right once I notice movement in my direction and notice I'm being approached by Misha.

"Hey Taicchan. Are you okay?" She asks, a worried expression on her face.

"Fine, no worse off that I was before. I'm pretty durable." Upon seeing a question forming on her lips, I continue. "The crash was an exception, and it wasn't exactly gentle."

Misha continues to look concerned for a moment longer before she beams at me. "Whatever you say, Taicchan~! Just making sure you're okay!"

I smile at her concern. "Yeah, yeah, don't announce it to the whole class. I'd rather just forget about it." Unfortunately, Shizune pops up next to Misha, and she seems much less eager than me to forget about the incident.

She signs furiously. Misha puts on her most serious expression on as she tries to capture Shizune's frustration. The effect is pretty funny. "Shicchan says she can't believe that girl's irresponsibility! Running in the halls and knocking fellow students over is unacceptable behavior~!"

Misha really isn't good at this whole anger thing. I restrain a smile. "I'm fine, really. Just let it go, please. Class is starting soon, anyway.

I'm certain they wouldn't have dropped it but for that last fact. I quickly plug my chair in and look back to Mutou.

"Okay everyone, get back into your groups and come get your papers. We're going over this."

I look at Miki and gesture to my plugged in wheelchair. She rolls her eyes and, after convincing Takashi to get our paper for her, comes over and sits at a nearby desk. We're sitting pretty close to Shizune and Misha now, I notice for no particular reason. Mutou writes the answers on the board. Miki and I did pretty well, although we did make a few simple mistakes. The only one we really missed was the last question, the 'bonus.'

"Any questions before we go on?" Mutou asks, erasing the board as though he doesn't expect there to be any.

I raise my hand. "We had a little trouble with the last one. How does that one work out, exactly?"

Mutou looks a bit surprised. Apparently he doesn't get many questions in this class. That strikes me as a little odd, since physics isn't necessarily the most user-friendly science all the time.

"Of course. This one was actually a bit harder than what I've shown you so far. To start, you…"

Miki nudges me with her elbow. "What was that for? It's just a bonus, it's not like it matters."

"If you can get the hardest thing, you can do the easiest. That's always my philosophy when I don't feel like doing homework. Hang on, let me pay attention." I continue to listen to Mutou explain the problem. It isn't actually that much harder, though it uses several extra steps and requires moving around the formula a little.

"Does that make sense?"

I nod. Mutou looks pleased.

"Excellent. Well, now it's time to move on to…"

Classes pass uneventfully for the most part. I wind up having to ask several questions in history since the subject matter is all completely new to me. Eventually my chair finishes charging, and I'm able to return to my seat next to Miki. After a little longer, the lunch bell rings. Miki stops me after class.

"Hey, do you always ask this many questions?"

"Um, no, not really. Usually just if I don't get something or I'm behind. Right now, I'm kind of behind, but once I catch up, not really."

"Huh. I thought you were some kind of genius, figuring out the physics like you did. I didn't think you'd need to ask questions."

"That's a silly assumption. I have issues with some stuff. History, for example, I've never been much good at that. And, uh, biology, even though I'm not taking that this year. Not everything comes naturally to me."

Miki grins. "I guess you're not that smart after all."

"Hey! Don't judge me. Anyway, I promised I'd meet that girl for lunch, so I'm gonna go."

"What, the one who bowled you over? Didn't you get beat up enough already?"

"Don't judge. She's giving me free food. I'd be actually stupid to say no to that. Anyway, I'll see you around."

"Yep."

We split up at the stairs, which she goes down quickly. I head over to the ramp and start to go down it. It's nice to be able to move on my own. Even though I'd only been unable to do so for a few minutes, it made me feel completely helpless and really vulnerable. I'm definitely going to make charging my chair a priority from now on.

"Hey, Tai!" I hear a voice call me from behind shortly after I hit the bottom of the ramp. I turn. It's Mutou.

"Sir?"

"Two things," he says when he reaches me. "First off, I'd like to thank you for asking that question today. I sometimes put something like that bonus out there to try to get my students to ask questions, but I seldom actually get any. It's nice to know some of my students are willing to take the step to learn a bit more. The other thing is that the Nurse contacted me. He wants you to go see him as soon as possible."

I nod. "Okay. And thanks. For both."

Mutou nods, then heads for the main doors. I continue on to the cafeteria. It looks a lot different crowded like it is. Well, not really different, but it does give a sense of how many students actually go to Yamaku. It also gives an idea of how many different disabilities must exist here. A good number of the students have obvious issues, like Emi's and Miki's. Others are much less immediately noticeable, like Shizune's. It makes me wonder how many of the people in this room might be dealing with something more potentially lethal, like mine.

"Oh, hey! There you are!" I recognize the voice. Emi. I turn to face her. She looks happy to see me, but at the same time still looks apologetic. "I wasn't sure you'd show up."

"I promised. Besides, you offered me free food, I think, so of course I was going to show up." I grin. "I'm American. We're all fat at heart." I put my hand on my virtually nonexistent belly to emphasize the irony. Emi Laughs and sticks her tongue out at me. It's really cute, actually.

"You know what I meant. Anyway, follow me! I know exactly where we're gonna go!"

"Hang on a sec. Is it near where the Nurse's office is? I need to see him first."

She cocks her head. "Yeah, I guess. Why?"

I shrug. "I dunno. I'll find out, I guess."

As we head out the main doors towards the Nurse's office, I try to strike up some idle conversation.

"I take it you know a thing or two about being in a wheelchair?"

She nods. "Yeah. I had to use one for a while before I got these," she says, gesturing towards her prosthetics. "I always hated wheelchairs. You're not really moving when you're in one. That's how I felt."

I smile. "I know the feeling. I'm really glad I only have to wait until my bones are all healed up in a while. Then I'll be back on my feet. I'm looking forward to it."

Emi nods enthusiastically. "That's great! I can't imagine having to spend your whole life in a wheelchair"

"Same," I say as we reach the administration building. "Uh, could you-?"

"Yeah, no problem," Emi says, opening the door for me. "I'm going to check on my friend. I'll meet you back here, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Emi closes the door behind me, and roll down the hall over towards the Nurse's office. I knock and announce that it's me so the Nurse knows to open the door. He does shortly, and I quickly take account of the serious look on his face.

"Tai. Come in." There's a stern edge to his voice. I do as instructed and follow him to his desk. He turns to me. "Tai, why didn't you put on your heart sensor last night? That was very dangerous. If something had happened to you, no one on the nursing staff would have known-"

"I didn't go to sleep last night."

The nurse looks at me for a second before his stern expression is replaced by a concerned one. "Ah. I see." He sighs. "Look Tai, I understand you being afraid of going to sleep. Really, I do. If I were in your shoes, I know I would be too. That doesn't change the fact that your body still needs sleep to stay healthy and that you need it to stay focused in school. You might very well be doing more harm to yourself by not sleeping than you would by sleeping regularly. Not much is known about your condition, so you may very well be making it worse." He looks at me sadly. "Please promise me you'll try to get some sleep tonight. Just try. Please."

I look at him. He really is worried for me, I can tell. It's not the fake concern some people use when trying to sway someone's opinion. It's written all over his body language. I don't think I'd be able to deal with myself if I said no. "I… I'll try."

The Nurse sighs. "I guess I can't really ask for more. Just keep the sensor on, at least. You had us worried last night. Oh, and Tai?"

"Yes?"

The Nurse's expression becomes serious. "You really shouldn't interrupt people. I can understand wanting to clarify things early on, but cutting people off mid-sentence isn't polite in any instance. You should really wait for people to finish talking before you start. Not everyone will take it as well as me and Mutou." He smiles at my surprised reaction. "I know a lot of what goes on around here at Yamaku. You'd be surprised what all you can learn by listening. Anyway, I'm sure I've taken up enough of your lunch. Come on, I'll see you out."

The Nurse disappears back through the door to the administration building just a few moments before Emi reappears.

"Heard the door open. Did it go okay?"

I nod. "Yeah, it's fine. He wants me to sleep more. And stop interrupting people."

She looks confused for a moment, but shrugs it off. "Well, that's good, I guess. Come on, there's food for you over here, and I can introduce you to my friend!" She looks like she wants to bolt down the steps, but decided instead to follow me as I creep my way down the ramp, bouncing in anticipation.

As we finally reach the spot Emi has picked for lunch, I'm surprised by an unusual sight; sitting there is a girl with short red hair eating lunch out of a plastic container. Well, not so much that as the way she's going about it. She's dexterously manipulating a fork with her toes and eating her food that way. It's immediately clear why she's doing it, too- she has no arms. I feel like I'm intruding on something private in watching her eat. I feel twice as intrusive when she stops mid-bite and starts staring at me.

"Tai, this is Rin! She's an artist! Rin, this is Tai, he… umm…"

"I don't do really anything in particular. I'm kind of get around."

Rin looks at me for a moment. "Okay." She says, returning to her food. Emi grins.

"Good idea, Rin! Let's eat! Here, Tai, I brought you this!" She takes a moment to produce some food. It looks decent, even if it is clearly cafeteria-bought. "I mean, I wasn't really sure what to get you, but I thought these would be a good choice. You'll probably like them, mostly."

I raise an eyebrow. "And if I don't? Hypothetically speaking."

Emi laughs. "Then too bad! It won't be my fault you're picky!" She sticks her tongue out at me.

It's my turn to laugh. "Free food is good food," I say before digging in. I watch the two as we eat. Emi chatters throughout the entire lunch break in between bouts of ravenously eating. Rin picks at her food slowly, occasionally interjecting with bizarre statements and observations. It seems very casual, but there's a… a distance about the whole thing. It's not strained or anything, just… I don't know. I'm usually very open with my friends and even strangers on most subjects, but it's like there's something here not being said. Maybe it's just Rin. She doesn't seem very good with words after all, so it would go without saying that there are things she doesn't feel she can talk about sufficiently.

My consideration of the scene is interrupted by a very sudden question from Rin.

"So, what's your problem?" It's addressed at me.

"Uh, what? I- what?"

"Why are you here at Yamaku? What's wrong with you? I can try to guess. I'm pretty good at guessing. Sort of. You said you aren't crippled, so it's not on the outside. It's got to be inside you."

I'm completely taken aback by her bluntness. "W-why? Why do you want to know?"

Rin shrugs. "I collect people. I've got a lot of different ones. Is it weak bones?"

It takes a moment for me to realize she's gone back to guessing. "No! This was a bad crash. My bones are completely normal. Maybe stronger than usual, even."

She puts her fork to her lips in thought. "Is it in your pants? I haven't met anyone like that here yet. Is it?"

"No! It's- it's sleep-related."

"Oh." Rin looks disappointed. Okay.

Okay? No, not okay! You have no idea! Don't you assume anything with me, and stay out of my life!

Emi seems to pick up on my agitation. "Oh, uh, don't mind Rin. She's just a little blunt. She's like that with everyone." As if that makes it okay! Interrupting people, yeah, that's rude, but this is pretty clearly NOT okay!

"Eh." I grunt. We finish the last of our lunch in silence. I thank Emi for the food, and roll off to class.

I get to class on a somewhat sour note, since I'm still angry over what Rin said. Maybe I'm tired. Maybe I'm too sensitive about my condition. Maybe it's something else. Whatever it was, it made what she said bite much, much deeper than it should have. At least I'm here early, so I have a few minutes to fume to myself and cool down before classes actually start.

"Hi Taicchan! How was lunch~!"

Misha. "Mmph." I reply. I'm not really feeling her upbeat mood right now. I'm not feeling any kind of upbeat, actually. Quite the opposite. Misha's face drops. "What's wrong Taicchan?"

"Nothing!" I snap, immediately regretting it. I slap myself internally. What am I doing! I'm not mad at Misha, and I'll only wind up getting mad at myself if I start taking my stress out on others. "Sorry, I'm just… I guess I reacted badly to something someone said. Don't worry about it; it's nothing to do with you."

"Oh. Okay~." She says it with her usual bouncing lilt, but it's too quiet, and her face still holds a trace of uncertainty. Nice job, Tai. Superbly done. Fortunately, the bubbles right back up when Shizune appears. "Hey, Taicchan, what are you doing after class today?"

Both Shizune and Misha are watching me intently. I can already see that they're trying to manipulate me. They're consciously trying to look cute, and they've got my possible escape routes cut off. What caused them to have to learn how to make surrounding someone look natural? "I reserve the right to change my mind."

They look offended, clearly also something they've practiced. Even so, I can tell it's a part of their usual act to force people's hands. Shizune signs to Misha. "Taicchan, I'm hurt that you would act so defensively around us!"

I smile. They're good; I'll absolutely give them that. Fine, two can play at limiting the other's options. "I'm sorry. Old habits die hard I guess. My friends always used to try to force me into things. Of course, I'm certain two nice, responsible girls like you wouldn't dream of trying to force me into anything, right?" I lock eyes with Shizune for the last few words. Ball's in your court. Her eyes glisten behind her mask of offense. Game on.

Shizune responds. "Well, we were thinking about giving you a tour today, the one you said you were too busy for yesterday! Unfortunately, we have some important Student Council duties today, so we'll have to schedule it for some other time. Unless~…"

I can see where this is going. I pause a moment to make sure Misha's done before I finish her sentence. "Unless I help out. Of course, I'm a little less useful now than I normally am, so it depends on what needs done, for one."

"Wahahaha~! Well, we need to get some paperwork done and organized! You'd be helping out a bunch if you could at least help sort it all~!"

I see. They're trying to get me to help with the Student Council. I doubt this'll be the last I hear of it if I agree, but I honestly can't think of any reason to say no. I've never done anything Student Council related, so it might be fun. I'll give them a shot at convincing me. "I make no promises, but if nothing comes up, I don't see why not."

They smile. "Wahahaha! We'll hold you to that~!"

"Hey, I didn't-"

They're already back in their seats. Shizune looks at me as though challenging me. I smile the challenge back at her before I break eye contact to look around the room. There. The dark-haired girl is here. I watch her for a moment. Everyone else is finishing up lunch-time chats, but she seems to be completely detached from it all. I wonder if it's by choice, or against her will. It's hard to tell, but I can almost taste how nervous she is. What it is that causes her to be that way? I'm curious what her story is.

"Hey there, buddy! You ready for the history test?" Miki's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. I smile ruefully.

"The one we had all week to study for and I don't get an extension on?"

Miki laughs. "Yep!"

I roll my eyes and sigh, shaking my head. "This is gonna be a nightmare." I sort of brushed over some of this stuff in the hospital, and I had a chance to go over it yesterday, but I'm not feeling particularly confident about it.

Miki slaps me on the shoulder. "Well, good luck!"

-o-O-o-

"Well, that's the last of them! How's filing going Taicchan? Wahahaha~!"

I roll my eyes. "Great. After all, it's not like you need to know what you're sorting to organize something." I figured out that the paperwork has something to do with funds for an upcoming festival a few weeks from now. Unfortunately, most of the papers look the same, and none of them have many clues as to what they go to. I did as well as I could, but I don't feel any more confident about my job here than I did about that history test. I couldn't help but wonder while sorting it, however, that all of it was approved anyway. Why run anything through the student council if they're just going to approve everything? I don't understand it. "Why does this stuff all have to run through the Council anyway if it all gets approved anyway? Why not just leave it to the administration?"

"Because, it's the Student Council's job to make sure to make sure everything runs smoothly and gets done~!" Shizune told me. That still didn't make sense to me. It's still the school's administrators that have to distribute the funds. All the Council seems to do is serve as a middle-man.

"Shicchan says these look fine! That means we're done for now! Wahahaha~!"

I lean back in my chair. "Good. I don't know how much more pointless bureaucracy I can take in one day."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Shizune starts signing bullets at Misha, who seems to struggle to get everything through quickly enough. "Uh- It's not pointless! We're a critical part of making sure everything goes smoothly in this school~! We, uh, we're what keeps things flowing and the only reason these festivals happen!"

"It all goes through the school administration anyway. All you do is save them some time. That's what it looks like from where I'm sitting, anyway."

Shizune puts on a haughty look, as though she were explaining something to a small child. "Wahahaha~! Silly Taicchan! Without the Student Council, the classes would try to half-do their jobs and fail to get their paperwork in on time~! Worse, they'd probably forget to turn it in even if they did get it done, or lose it along the way! Without the Council, the festivals would be a laughingstock~! Wahahaha!"

I think about that for a bit. "I guess there's truth to that. Okay, fine. I was only thinking of the one side of it. Won't happen again." Shizune gives me a look as if to say 'we'll see' before Misha speaks up.

"Wahahaha! Well, now that we're done, we can give Taicchan the grand tour~! So, what do you want to see?"

Hmm. Yes, what do I want to see? "I guess the library. I'll need it sooner or later, so I may as well find out where it is." That, and I'm not playing Pokémon every night I can't sleep. That would just be pathetic. "I also noticed the town down there on the taxi up. Since we're allowed off campus, I figured I might pick some things up from there from time to time. It'd be nice if you could show me around there too."

Misha and Shizune discuss this between themselves for a moment. Finally, Misha turns to me. "Well, the library's closed right now, so we'll just show you where it is, and you can check it out on your own. But if you want to go to town, we know the perfect place to go~! Wahahaha!"

The girls feed me a steady stream of information on the way down, which makes me glad I thought to charge my chair back in the Student Council room. I hadn't initially realized how much was offered by this school. I guess I should have expected the quality athletic fields, but an indoor swimming pool? Sure, it might be used mostly for physical rehabilitation, but it's still an indoor swimming pool in the office building. As we go through town, I'm led along a scenic route past a few small stores that, when you put them all together, cover everything I'll need this year and more. It's overall a pretty nice town, actually. Quiet. Peaceful. At last, the girls lead me to a small, unassuming establishment.

A tea-house? Is this what the night's been building up to? Well, Shizune and Misha seem to think highly of it, so I'll give it a chance. Can't be all bad, after all, since it smells nice from out here.

"Ta-da~!" Misha presents enthusiastically. "This is the Shanghai! It's our favorite place here in town~! Wahahaha!"

We enter as a group. I look around once we're inside. It really doesn't look like a 'Shanghai.' The name brings to mind elaborately decorated paper screens and a very imperial China feel. This place looks is the size of a small family restaurant and is decorated like a very plain coffee house. It feels very western, like something you could find without too much trouble in America. Still, even with such an ill-fitting name, it's a nice place.

"Hello, welcome to the Shanghai!" We're greeted by a girl with longish red hair and glasses wearing a very tea-housey pink apron and hair bun nets. She bows with all the grace of a pneumatic axe in a very rushed, jerky way. "Please, have a seat. Do you need some time to order?" She sounds a bit strained, as though she were trying to force herself to keep calm.

Misha beams. "Hi Yuuko~! Shicchan and I were just showing Taicchan here around town!" Shizune signs something to her briefly. "Wahahaha~! We'll have the usual! What about you, Taicchan? What'll you have?"

Well gee, thanks for giving me time to order. "Err, do you have coffee?"

What? I like coffee, whatever time of day it is.

"Yes, we do. Do you want just a regular coffee, or a flavored one? Any sugar? Sweetener? Cream? Or, or don't you want any? Just black?" She seems to panic a little more every second I don't reply.

"Uh, just bring a regular black coffee." I think it helps her calm down, if not by much. She gives another quick bow that might prove fatal is it meets any resistance, and scurries off.

"She seems… comfortable."

Shizune signs. "Wahahaha! That's just how Yuuko is~!"

Living around here clearly does wonders for your sanity, then. Panicked though she may be, however, she seems to work quickly. Faster than I thought it was possible to make so much as a sandwich she's back with my coffee, two cups of tea, a parfait, and a sandwich. I'm worried it'll all go tumbling down as she skitters across the tea house faster than looks safe, everything on her tray wobbling to a point just shy of actually falling over. As the tray clatters down on the table, I feel a slight panic rise inside of me as drops of drink rise up out of their cups and a great rattling can be heard as the dishes bounce around. Miraculously, nothing falls, and everything settles down into its proper place. I release a breath I hadn't realized I was holding and look up at the girls.

"How did she do that without spilling anything? She's either really good or really lucky."

Misha beams. "Both~! Wahahaha!"

I smile and nod in agreement. The coffee is pretty good without anything added, which I'm glad about, since I really don't want to call Yuuko over for fear that she'll think she made a mistake. I watch the two girls as they eat, wishing I'd had time to look at the menu. In my time of knowing them, I've noticed that Shizune and Misha seem to move quickly, barely giving the world around them time to react. It almost feels as though they're trying to maintain a perpetual element of surprise. Though perhaps 'trying' isn't the right word. No, it's more like being a step ahead is just their natural state. I think this over for a while, and before I realize it, they're done and my coffee is getting cold.

"Hey, Taicchan, Shicchan and I have been thinking that since you helped out so much before we left that you should think about joining the Student Council~! We'd get to know each other so well, and once you're all better you can really help out a lot! Wahahaha~!"

Go figure. That was probably the plan all along. Still, I'm not really surprised. May as well not act like it. "I was wondering when you were planning on asking. Look, I've been here for two days, not even. I barely know anyone here, I'm a little behind in classes, and I'm still adjusting to everything that's been going on in my life recently. I'm not saying no, understand, just that I'm not really in any place to decide yet. I'll get back to you when I feel like I'm ready to make a decision though, I promise. Just give me time to sort everything out."

Misha seems a bit disappointed, but Shizune nods her head, seeming to understand. She signs back to Misha as I finish off my coffee. Misha brightens up.

"Okay Taicchan~! Just remember- you promised, so now you have to give us an answer sooner or later! Wahahaha!"

I nod. "I know. Hey, we should head back. By the way, I kind of need one of you to push me back. I don't want my battery to die on the way to my dorm or something. I'm sorry; I know it'll make talking pretty much impossible."

Shizune signs. "It's okay Taicchan, we understand!"

The trip back home is, thus, very quiet. It's nice to see the town so quiet and peaceful as the evening comes to a close. It's calming. When we finally reach the dorms, I think them for the trip and head inside. I grab a few snacks from the snack machine to help stave off the hunger I'm going to inevitably feel in the morning and head over to my room. I'm almost done unlocking and opening my door when a door across the hall creaks open slowly. Room 118.

Kenji.

The door suddenly bursts open as Kenji flings himself out into the hall. "Hold it right there! Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Seriously? "I'm Tai. We've met."

Kenji narrows his eyes at me behind his thick glasses. "Don't move! If you're really Tai, you won't have any reason to object!" Before I can ask what I could be objecting to, Kenji is back in my face with a hand planted on my left arm to hold it down. I resist the urge to pull back, not wanting to scare him, and do my best to keep an uncomfortable look off my face. Kenji's face suddenly brightens, and he releases me.

"Okay. It's you. Sorry, but you can never be too careful. Anyway, 'sup? Haven't seen you all day."

"I've been in class. Then I went out to lunch with this short girl who knocked my over in the hall- Emi, I think- and I just now got back from being shown around town by the Student Council."

Kenji's expression jumps between shock, anger, and horror. Oh god, what did I do this time? Rather than explode, however, Kenji adjusts his glasses and sighs. "It's worse than I thought…"

I'm not sure it's a good idea or if I really want to find out, but I ask anyway. "What is?"

Kenji stares at me, a grim look crossing his face. "I was hoping it would take them longer, but I'm afraid they've forced my hand. I wanted to give you a chance to figure it out yourself, but that's clearly no longer an option. Listen close, man, because what I'm about to tell you will blow. Your. Mind."

Oh, what have I done? I regret this already.

"You've probably noticed, but this school, Yamaku? It's full, I mean packed like a sardine can full of cute girls. Not just that, but there's quite a few more of them than there are men here. Sure, that SOUNDS great, yeah? But no, there' something much darker at work here. Much deeper, and much more sinister. No, dude, Yamaku isn't some garden of babes. Yamaku is the site of a major feminist conspiracy, a stepping stone for a larger movement that aims to destroy everything man stands for. And you've already gotten yourself tangled up with some of the key players in that very conspiracy."

I'm dumbstruck. He's serious. Oh my god, he's serious. I mean, what the hell?! What is this shit he's spewing?! Does he have any inkling of just how… how ridiculous he sounds?! Is everyone here insane?

Kenji smiles. "I know. It's a lot to take in. But look- now you know. Now you can see it, and once you see it, you can never un-see it, like a really gross picture or video or whatever. Like that. Anyway, now that you can see it, you can protect yourself, and I can help you. I mean, after all, guys like us have to stick together, or else it's even more dangerous."

I struggle to come up with something to say. "Uh, yeah, sure. Hey, thanks for telling me all that, uh… that, but you're right, it is a lot to take in. So, uh, maybe it should wait until tomorrow, after I have some time to sleep on it."

Kenji nods. "It's cool, dude. Just keep your eyes open. It's out there." He smiles at me. "Well, I'll let you think about it. Later dude."

"Yeah, later Kenji."

Just like that, he's gone, slamming the door behind him. Well, it won't be a dull year, that's for sure. I turn and get ready to open the door when I pause to brace myself. Yep. It's back. That sinking feeling in my gut, like I'm getting sucked into the ground. It's my bed, framed by the darkness of the night. I hastily flick on the light.

Just like that, it's a regular bed. Nope, nothing wrong here, just one insane kid in a while damn lunatic asylum of cripples. Nothing odd at all. I get myself ready for bed, settling for just sleeping in my shorts since getting completely changed on my own is something I deem a little too complicated for sleeping in my current state. I move over to the wall by my bed and, deciding against switching off the lights, plug in my chair. The power cord is long enough that I can sort of partially roll over to the side of my bed. With a little effort, I manage to climb out of my chair and onto my bed. I play with the heart sensor until I get it on my finger, then press the button to tell the nursing staff it's on.

I decide the position I'm in, lying on top of my sheets, is taking enough risk with my new phobia. I close my eyes and try to sleep. I've never been able to sleep in the light, though, so I just lie there for a while.

My alarm goes off. I groan and flail about, trying to shut it up. At last, I manage. I feel like a need a car jack and some nail polish remover to get my eyes open; they feel that heavy and glued shut. I somehow manage to get my heart monitor off, roll into my wheelchair, and get to the bathroom with my things for a shower. I feel a little less dead afterwards, but not my much. I'm so tired. It's not okay. At all. If this is what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life, I wonder…

Do I even really want it?