Fragment 1: The Drama Club

"Hey, Okazaki-san..."

"Hmm…?" Tomoya looked up from the magazine he was reading. "What's up?"

Takahashi sat down beside him, and cleared his throat. Right now, they were in Sunohara's room. It was 10:30 PM, and Sunohara was sound asleep as he lay on his bed unmoving. It was the same day that Sunohara had challenged Tomoyo to a second fight, and was subsequently sent down a dust chute [1].

"I wanted to ask you. What took you so long to get here that day?" Takahashi asked. "You remember that time when the three of us were in the cafeteria [2]?"

"Oh…" Tomoya sighed, and tossed the magazine in his hands asides. "I guess I've got some explaining to do."

"Well, please do." Takahashi smiled. "I'd like to hear about what happened."

"Well…" Tomoya scratched his head. "Where do I begin…? I guess I start with what happened right after…"

…

Tomoya had quickly left the Takahashi and Sunohara. He ran up the stairs and headed up to the third floor of the old school building. I ended up coming here eventually…Tomoya thought. Nagisa was standing in the hallway just up ahead.

"Sigh…What is she doing…?" Tomoya watched Nagisa fidgeting in front of a classroom entrance for a while.

It's like she's repeating what she did this morning. Tomoya did a quick reminiscence of how Nagisa was standing still at the bottom of the hill outside the school gates. She's probably waiting again for something to happen. There's a room in front of her. Maybe it's because the club members are busy practicing something. She's probably thinking of what she can anticipate when she opens the door.

"….." Nagisa stood unmoving in front of the door, with a hesitant expression on her face.

I wonder if she has the same negative image in her mind again.

Tomoya saw Nagisa move her lips a little, though he couldn't hear her voice.

Hamburger…? Tomoya mouthed the words himself. Seems like I got it right based on how her lips moved.

With that, Nagisa finally worked up the courage to step forward. She put her hand on the door handle and slid it to its side. Clatter.

"Umm…!" Nagisa began. But she didn't continue after that. She kept her gaze straight inside the room.

Tomoya cursed under his breath, and rushed to where Nagisa was standing. From her back, Tomoya looked inside the classroom. Inside, there was a pile of cardboard boxes. A club room should have been there, but instead it was a storage room.

In the midst of the silly gossiping that I had heard, there was on topic that did come up. Tomoya recalled. That the drama club had been disbanded…

Tomoya put his hand on Nagisa's head.

"Ah…So you came as well?" Nagisa murmured.

"Yeah…" Tomoya nodded. "Sorry, I was watching you."

"What's with the hand on my head…?" Nagisa asked in a soft voice, almost like a person whose spirit had left her body.

"Well, nothing really." Tomoya said.

"Is that so…?" Nagisa's still had a crestfallen look on her face.

"Yeah…" Tomoya replied.

Nagisa stayed silent for a while, and with Tomoya's hand on her head, they both stood still. If you look at us, you'd think we're weird. Tomoya thought.

"I'm Tomoya Okazaki of Class D." Tomoya introduced himself. "You are?"

"…I'm Nagisa Furukawa of Class B…" Nagisa responded.

"Nice to meet you." Tomoya decided to put on a smile.

"Nice to meet you too." Nagisa nodded. "Well…I wonder where the drama club is…"

…..

The sun was already setting now, covering the school in an orange hue. Nagisa and Tomoya had already left the old school building, and were now standing outside the school gates.

"Are you going home alone?" Tomoya inquired.

"Yes, of course." Nagisa responded.

"Eating hamburgers will cheer you up." Tomoya smiled.

"Eh?" Nagisa's eyes widen. "You're amazing. I was thinking of eating hamburgers for my dinner."

"I see…" Tomoya gazed back at the school.

The school where she couldn't find a single fun thing to do. Tomoya lamented. In this place, she's…as an incentive to working hard, she made herself look forward to a good meal to keep her moving forward.

The two of them walked down the hill, passing by the cherry blossom trees. "Don't be late tomorrow." Tomoya said.

"I'll do my best." Nagisa smiled.

"Yeah, later." Tomoya turned away.

"Okay. Goodbye, Okazaki-san." Waving her hand, Nagisa walked away from Tomoya.

Tomoya went home just before the sun set. As always, he grabbed a change of clothes and left the house. At this point, Tomoya decided to head over to Sunohara's room.

…

"Oh…?" Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "So that's how it went."

"Yea, just like that." Tomoya concluded. "I just met someone new, and that's about it."

"Just met someone new?" Takahashi chuckled. "I don't know about that, my friend. It seemed like you two were getting along quite well."

"I told you before." Tomoya waved a hand to dismiss Takahashi's notion. "We've just met. What do you take me for?"

"Heh…true enough…" Takahashi took out a small note book and pen, and started scribbling down something.

"What's that you got there?" Tomoya leaned over slightly to see what Takahashi was writing.

Takahashi's hand moved at an alarming rapid pace, almost as if it were an oscillating spring. In a few seconds, Tomoya could make out the words: "Omnia videmur posse facere et nil videri verum potest."

Tomoya stared at the words. He couldn't understand a single one of them. To him, it was like staring at a mathematical proof for Fermat's theorem.

"…What in the world did you just write?" Tomoya frowned at the notebook in Takahashi's hand.

"Aha!" Takahashi gave a 100 watt smile. "It is Latin, my friend. Exciting, isn't it?"

"…I fail to see what's so great about it." Tomoya muttered. "It's a dead language."

"Ah, but what it says is another matter!" Takahashi twirled the pen in his hand. "This translates to: 'We seem able to do everything and nothing can be regarded as true.'".

"And…?" Tomoya gave Takahashi a look that one would give to a five year old who was bragging about how he discovered that magnets can attract and repel. "What's the point?"

"Ah, my friend." Takahashi gave Tomoya a disappointed look. "You fail to see the truth behind it! To say that nothing is true is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we have to be the ones who lead ourselves forward."

"…Uh-huh…" Tomoya shrugged, obviously disinterested. "And knowing this will help me how?"

"Bah!" Takahashi put his pen and notebook away. He gave Tomoya a half-exasperated, half-patronizing look. "It's philosophy, Okazaki-san! Following such an idea will allow you have new worldview, and develop a code of conduct."

"Well, anyways…" Tomoya looked at the clock. "We still got some time. Want to hear another story?"

"What's this one about?" Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "Did you and Furukawa-san get more intimate?"

"Will you stop with that talk?" It was Tomoya's turn to shoot an annoyed look at Takahashi.

"I merely joke." Takahashi chuckled. "Please continue."

"Alright…" Tomoya cleared his throat. "I'll explain why I was late today as well. So it just so happened that..."

….

After Sunohara's fight with Tomoyo, Tomoya, found himself in front of the drama clubroom. He turned around, hearing faint footsteps. Nagisa was running towards him.

"Okazaki-san!" Nagisa looked happy as she called out to Tomoya. "I'm surprised. I didn't think that you'd be here."

"Yeah." Tomoya nodded. "Sorry it's just me."

"No, it's not that I was expecting someone else." Nagisa explained. "I'm glad it was you. I didn't think someone I knew would be waiting…I was so happy that I ran all the way here."

So I'm a special guy in her eyes, despite having no courtesy or manners. Tomoya felt somewhat cheered by that thought.

"Um, should we do something now?" Nagisa asked.

"Let's see…" Tomoya mentally counted off of his list of things to do. Then, he opened the door. Cardboard boxes and equipment was scattered all over the floor. "First of all, it's time for some cleaning…"

"That's true." Nagisa nodded. "We have to remove most of these things first…"

"Right." Tomoya took off the outer top part of his uniform so that it wouldn't obstruct his movement.

Nagisa and Tomoya carried most of the equipment and unimportant looking boxes to an empty classroom, picked up cleaning tools and then began cleaning the room. They used the duster, sweeped with the broom, and then mopped the floor. By the time the sun began to set, the clubroom finally began to look useable.

"This should, do, right?" Tomoya looked around the room with a satisfied look.

"Yes!" Nagisa, with her eyes brightening up like a star, also surveyed the room with a cheerful expression. "We did it…our clubroom."

"Our?" Tomoya echoed. "I'm not a club member though."

"Eh…?" Nagisa's expression completely changed into one that was about to cry.

But I have to make this clear…

"I'm just going to help you find members." Tomoya stated firmly.

"Drama is fun, though…" Nagisa tried desperately to convince Tomoya.

"I'm not interested in drama." Tomoya's voice remained firm, although not harsh.

"Well…are you really…not interested?" Nagisa asked.

"That's right. Sorry." Tomoya replied.

"….." Nagisa's forlorn expression made Tomoya feel a bit guilty.

…She looks so sad…Tomoya thought.

"Well, Furukawa." Tomoya began.

"…Yes?" Nagisa responded, still with that sad look on her face.

"People will come. Just leave it to me." Tomoya assured.

"No, that's not the problem…" Nagisa shook her head gently. "I really wanted you to be here, Okazaki-san. Regardless of how many people come."

"Well…" Tomoya suddenly had a strange fuzzy feeling in his chest. "I'm happy to hear that, but…Anyway, I'll give it some thought."

"Yes, please do." Nagisa murmured, with a hint of optimism in her voice.

…..

Tomoya and Nagisa left the clubroom, and walked down the hill outside of the school gates just like the other students who were going home. Tomoya didn't really want to go home though.

After walking a considerable distance from the school…

"I'm hungry." Tomoya said.

"Yes, I'm quite hungry too." Nagisa concurred.

"You want to eat?" Tomoya suggested.

"Sure." Nagisa gave an affirmative response.

"Shall we eat somewhere?" Tomoya scratched his head, thinking of possible destinations.

"You mean, eat outside?" Nagisa asked.

"Right." Tomoya replied.

"But I have to go home and prepare dinner…" Nagisa explained.

"It's alright." Tomoya said.

"I can't leave the cooking to my mother thought." Nagisa said that with a carefree smile.

Just looking at that expression, I can see that she has a gentle family. Tomoya thought.

"Don't you eat at your house?" Nagisa asked with a sincere look.

"There wouldn't be anything there even if I go home." Tomoya said bitterly.

"….." Nagisa fell silent for a while.

"Um…well…" Nagisa gazed down at the pavement.

"My dad's okay. But my mom isn't around anymore." Tomoya explained.

"Well…don't you eat dinner with your father?" Nagisa asked.

"Not really." Tomoya grimaced, as though a flood of bad memories had just come back to inundate him. "We've been on bad terms for a long time now."

I don't think…I've shared this with anyone else before. Tomoya thought. And I don't know why I'm sharing it with Furukawa…

"Did something happen?" Concerned, Nagisa gave Tomoya a worried look.

"Yeah." Tomoya looked up at the sky. "A lot of things."

The sky seemed thoroughly empty, as if to remind Tomoya that they were things that nobody could ever fix.

Nagisa noticed that their conversation became somewhat unpleasant and suddenly sank into silence.

….

"Hey there, rewind a sec." Takahshi held up one hand, and covered his eyes with the other. At that very moment, Takahshi looked like someone who had just been traumatized by some unspeakable display.

"Yea?" Tomoya asked. "Something the matter?"

"What happened to your mother?" Takahashi asked.

Tomoya hesitated momentarily, before deciding to explain it to Takahashi.

"I'll give you an abridged version." Tomoya's expression suddenly twisted up. "My mother died in a traffic accident when I was little. Because of that, I guess, my dad has been drinking and gambling, and hasn't been working much."

"Hmm…I see…" Takahashi pulled out his notebook and pen again, and jotted down something else.

"…What is it this time?" Tomoya sighed.

"Take a look, my friend." Takahashi positioned the notebook in front of Tomoya.

"…You really got to drop that 'my friend' line…" Tomoya looked at the notebook.

On a new page, the words read "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

"…Can you not write Japanese?" Tomoya asked, giving Takahashi an incredulous look. "Or is the average high school student supposed to know five languages asides Japanese?"

"Ah, once again, Okazaki-san, this phrase has a similar deep meaning." Takahashi explained eagerly. "This phrase translates to 'Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.'"

Tomoya pushed aside the notebook. "Your point is?"

"Oh, it pains me to see this…" Takahashi held a hand to his forehead. "It means that you should be considerate, because everyone you meet, whether you know it or not, is fighting a battle. And not a physical battle; no, a much harder one. Everyone has their own set of problems that must be dealt with, but not many people see that. All they see is what you do to cope with it. Never once do they judge you fairly, am I right?"

"…And you're saying that my father had his set of problems too?" Tomoya gritted his teeth.

"If I know a man's mind as well as I think, he'd be having so many problems that it would even be impossible for me to conceive." Takahashi asserted.

"…What do you know about it, huh?" Tomoya glared at Takahashi. "What makes you think you know anything about it?"

"Hm…" Takahashi pushed up his glasses. "I can't say I know for sure exactly how you feel. But I assure you, that everyone has a history. And often, that history is neglected."

"…Can I continue with the story now?" Tomoya asked.

"Yes, please do." Takahashi put away his notebook and pen as well.

…...

"We're just one of those motherless families." Tomoya told Nagisa. "If two males got along that well, it would look weird, wouldn't it?"

"You think so…?" Nagisa murmured. "But, somehow…" Nagisa put both her hand on her chest. "You have to talk with him, even if it means arguing."

"I guess." Tomoya gave a half-hearted nod.

Tomoya sighed. He questioned why he told Nagisa about his family problems. He reasoned that she would be able to understand his situation no more than he could understand an English war poem.

"Well, if it isn't a problem…May I invite you to dinner?" Nagisa asked.

For some reason, Tomoya felt relieved. Maybe I was waiting for those words to come.

"Is that okay?"

"I don't mind." Nagisa smiled sweetly. "If I tell my parents you're a friend, I'm sure they'll be fine with it."

"I see." Tomoya replied.

"If you go straight from here to the park, there's a bakery upfront there." Nagisa pointed to her right.

"Okay." Tomoya committed the directions to memory.

"That bakery is my house." Nagisa continued. "Well then, please wait there. I'll come shortly."

"See you then." Tomoya said.

"Okay." Nagisa began to turn away.

Tomoya suddenly seized Nagisa's shoulder as she turned away. "Wait, wait, why are we saying farewell like this?"

"Eh? That's not okay?" Nagisa asked, completely confused.

"It's not that…" Tomoya shook his head. "If you leave now, wouldn't it be suspicious if I introduced myself as your friend?"

"It's alright; we're wearing the same school uniform after all." Nagisa pointed out.

"That's not the problem!" Tomoya argued. "Even if they agree, wouldn't it be weird if I sit there and enjoy myself watching TV with your folks?"

"That's why I said I'm confident about that." Nagisa assured Tomoya. "Please don't worry about my home. It's not weird."

"That's amazing then…" Tomoya's voice trailed off.

I wonder what kind of family it is. I can't even imagine…Tomoya thought.

Tomoya looked up at the sky again. "Oh damn…" When Tomoya returned his gaze to her, Nagisa was already far away, waving her hand.

"If you go to the park, you can't miss it!" Nagisa said as she left.

Tomoya also left, alone, and started walking to Nagisa's house.

….

"That's a rather big leap forward." Takahashi chuckled. "So you had dinner at Furukawa-san's place?"

"Yea…" Tomoya nodded. "And that just about sums it up for me."

"Your reasons for being late to our little meeting are understandable." Takahashi packed his textbook into his backpack. "And so. How was it?"

"How was what?" Tomoya asked.

"Having dinner at Furukawa's, of course!" Takahashi smiled. "Must have been a pretty good experience?"

"Er…" Tomoya crossed his arms. "Her father is a bit on the strange side…But what surprised me most was how close-knit they were. It's strange, because I've never knew a family like that could exist."

"Oh, you mean Akio-san?" Takahashi chuckled. "The guy's got the heart of a kid, that's for sure."

"You know him well?" Tomoya inquired.

"Well, I only ever buy bread from him, but I always see him playing baseball with kids." Takahashi explained. "I don't see Furukawa-san's mother much either."

"Do you talk to Furukawa a lot then?" Tomoya asked while checking the time. It was about 11:00 PM now.

"Nagisa?" Takahashi shrugged. "I say hi every now and then when I buy bread from the bakery, but I almost never see her in the hallways. You've already got a good jump start compared to me."

"…Didn't I say to drop that talk?" Tomoya sighed. "Enough with the bad jokes."

"Well, in any event." Takahashi took his backpack. "It's getting late, so I'll be heading off then."

"Right then." Tomoya nodded. "See you at school."

"Likewise, my friend." Takahashi bowed before he left Sunohara's room.

Tomoya decided that it would be best if he left Sunohara's place as well, but he decided to wait a few more minutes before leaving.

….

[1] Details of this explained in Chapter 8.

[2] Details of this explained in the last bits of Chapter 4.