In the end I decided to upload a short interlude chapter instead of a regular chapter. And by 'short', I mean really short, as in being the shortest chapter I've uploaded for this story so far.
Anna's reception from the previous chapters has been pretty positive, so thank you all! Hopefully, like the character that I'll be introducing in this chapter, I hope I can try to make them feature more in the future.
This interlude chapter takes place one year before the main storyline, in case anyone's wondering. Chapter title is a reference to the famed NicoNico song, 'Ayano's Theory of Happiness (アヤノの幸福理論)', written by Jin, who is also the author of the online story Kagerou Project, which is the foundation of the currently airing anime Mekakucity Actors. This chapter won't be as sad and tear-inducing as Ayano's song, that's for sure. Ayano's song is great though. I've never enjoyed vocaloid that much, but I make exception for this song and Jin's other songs in Kagerou Project. Man, that is such an ambitious online project (and a wonderful one) that truly deserves its legendary reputation.
Interlude IV: Hikari's Theory of Happiness
August, 2005
The Yokoyama School of Sign Language was not the only sign language school in Tokyo Bay, nor was it particularly prestigious as the other schools that had hundred years of history. So it came as a surprise to the staff members of the school when the production team from Fuji Television decided to make a documentary about the school's teaching and how it helped disabled children. Naturally, the administrators wanted everything to be presentable, and they specifically chose the more 'successful' children to engage in a few interviews with the producers. If Miyako were to judge, it sounded blatantly ironic to her ears, given the school was a place that claimed to promote equality. Yet, she understood the administrators hoped to use this chance to promote the same message as well. After all, deaf and mute people were often outcasts of the society that valued 'normality' very much, whatever that word actually meant.
Hikari fidgeted in her seat nervously as the camera in front of her zoomed in to enlarge her features in the screen. Several workers from Fuji TV were adjusting the equipment or the lighting, and the interviewer was busily going through her script with the teachers to make sure the questions were phrased correctly. Hikari recognized the interviewer for she had appeared in various documentaries, but the thirteen-year-old girl never thought that she would ever appear in one of those popular series. To say she never dreamt of appearing on screen would be an understatement, since almost everyone her age had once fantasized about that, but it was an entirely different feeling when she sat in the middle of the room and felt all eyes gazing at her, as if expecting her to put up a wonderful entertainment show for the public to enjoy during dinner.
Miyako squeezed her hands gently to calm her down. 'It'll be fine, Hikari-chan,' she reassured her friend with a warm smile. 'It won't take long, and I'll be with you, so don't worry too much.'
Hikari returned a weak smile as she practised looking into the camera without flinching. While she liked to take pictures and did not mind facing the camera, it was hard for her heart not to skip a beat when facing a large, professional camera while knowing that her face would be viewed by many in the nation. She did not particularly entertain that idea, but it was hard for her to turn down the offer from the school principal.
'Yagami-san, Inoue-san, are you ready?' One of the assistants approached her and asked. Hikari took a deep breath and swallowed hard, before nodding at him and positioned herself. Miyako also took her seat next to her to serve as the translator between the brown-haired girl and the interviewer. The producer made sure everything was in the right place, and ordered for the tape to run.
'Interview B-05, take one. Action!'
The interview itself did not take long, but Hikari felt drained of energy afterwards, despite Miyako being there to offer the moral support that she desperately needed when the interviewer opened her mouth, along with translating her signs into words. She leaned on the wall for support while Miyako was talking to the production crew about other arrangement. Really, she felt like the lavender-haired girl was acting like the manager of students like her, supervising them and offering directions to their daily lives, although it wasn't very surprising given Miyako's close tie with the school and her past history.
Hikari was still trying to recover from that thrill when she saw a man banging his fists on the vending machine, signing heavily at the same time. Raising her head to scrutinize the environment, she understood why: the man had just dropped all his folders to the ground, and all the documents inside scattered on the ground as if an unsupervised child had just vandalised a working desk. The man looked resigned, his face showing clear distaste of what had just happened, especially when Hikari noticed that his cup of coffee had splashed over some of his papers as well. However, he didn't look like he was going to pick up his documents anytime soon.
The dejected man remained standing for the moment, his tired eyes gazing at the stained paper. He looked to be in his mid-forties, with his short, light brown hair failing to hide the wrinkles on his face. Putting on a white shirt along with a loosened blue tie and brown trousers, he looked just like an ordinary salaryman one would spot on streets. If Hikari's memory served her right, the man was part of the production crew, though she failed to remember clearly what his name was.
Surprised by his inaction, Hikari jumped forward and took the initiative to pick up the binders, folders and papers without waiting for the man's response. The cover of the binder was printed with a huge name that Hikari had vague memory of, attached with a picture of a chestnut-haired girl, seemingly around her own age, beaming and flashing a peace sign at the camera. The content of the binder consisted mostly of pictures of the girl in different clothes and postures. Hikari had heard that the television crew would be shooting a promotion video after they finished their work this afternoon. Given how pretty the girl looked and the information in the binder, Hikari assumed she must a model or a singer that was going to make a big name in the country.
Still, the mute girl had no time to waste. Keeping herself focused on her current task, she quickly put the wet paper aside and took care of the intact ones first, grouping them together and rushed to the nearby bathroom to get sufficient amount of paper towels to clean up the spot. All the time, the man just stared at her as she dashed back and forth.
When Hikari finally finished tidying up everything, she grabbed everything and handed them to the man, who still hadn't said a single word since her intervention. Hikari wasn't sure why, but she decided it was not her business to ask. So she just smiled at the man, gave him the folders and the papers that were now dry, bowed, and walked away. Perhaps he just happened to be having a bad day, Hikari thought. She knew Taichi or Miyako would snap at him if they were here, but she preferred to give him the benefit of the doubt before jumping into conclusion to say he was heartless or mean.
The brown-haired girl left the scene quietly. Casting her thoughts about the man away, she quickly found her favourite spot of the school. It was the garden located in the back of the school, with a rich variety of plants blossoming in this season. The refreshing scent always made her feel more alive than ever, and she joyfully took a seat on the bench to admire the sight in front of her.
She had heard the saying before that when one's sense was being taken away, the person's other senses would be strengthened as a result. If that was true, then perhaps that was why she enjoyed this view so much. Apart from all the ubiquitous beauty lying in front of her, she could also hear the soft whispers of the bugs hiding among the bushes, sounds that Miyako claimed she couldn't hear. When she closed her eyes, she could see nature painting an ambitious image of how the world was like, far away from the influence of modern technology, with nothing but living creatures praising the ever wonder of pulchritudinous nature. A cry of joy from mother earth, and all was well.
Her dream process was interrupted, however, when she heard approaching footsteps getting louder and louder. She opened her eyes, curious as to whom the intruder was, when she saw a can of lemon juice in front of her face.
'Want some?' a low voice asked. Hikari looked up to find the man from before standing in front of her. It was the first time she had heard him speak. The voice was rough and sounded more like a murmur to self, but she did not detect any discontent in it.
She nodded and mouthed a 'thank you' to the man, who casually sat on a chair nearby and opened his own can of soda. Taking that as a social cue, Hikari followed suit. She didn't really mind having some company right now. She only hoped that she was not making him uncomfortable by not saying anything.
The short-haired man glanced at her several times while sipping his soda. Seemingly noticing her discomfort, he opened his mouth.
'Thank you for what you did just then,' he said, his deep voice sounding calm. 'I was so frustrated with stuff that I didn't even want to pick up the papers, but you helped me there.'
Hikari offered a small nod, her hand rubbing the aluminium surface of the can. The man let out a sigh, a trademark act of him that Hikari had come to notice. Silence dawned upon the two people for minutes, with Hikari fidgeting her fingers, unsure of what to do, and the man just kept staring upfront, as if he had also discovered the amazing view of the garden that Hikari had enjoyed.
'What you did there was very brave,' the man suddenly spoke, almost making Hikari jump in surprise. 'The interview, I mean,' he continued. 'It's especially hard to know that you have been through so much at such a young age,' the man stated in a bitter tone as he took a sip of his juice. Hikari hesitantly nodded to thank him, not really sure where this was going.
'I have a son your age, so when I was watching your interview I kept wondering what would happen if my son were in your shoes. No offence. I'm just wondering if he will be able to stand straight, just like you do, should that happen to him.'
'None taken,' Hikari wrote after she took out a small notepad and a pen from her pocket. The man cracked a sorrowful smile, one that made Hikari wonder if there was something going on between the man and his son. He seemed to have taken a fondness at Hikari though, as he kept pouring his thoughts out while always waiting patiently for Hikari to indicate if she was following.
'I've been in this business for quite some time, so I've met all sorts of people: politicians, juveniles, social workers, environmentalists, young adults who want to change the world, and so on. But it's always when interviewing children like you, those who are looked down upon and who do their best to overcome these obstacles, that I feel like my job have a purpose.'
Hikari tilted her head, not quite understanding the man's words.
'You're still young. Once you grow up, you'll realize how the world works. We fail at communication. We always speak but always fail to understand what the other is really saying. Miscommunication leads to all sorts of problems, some of them not amendable no matter how hard you tried,' the man let out a long sigh while staring at the ceiling, his .
'We tend to think that we understand everything. I used to be like that too, thinking that I knew everything and that everything should run it my way. I got into a big trouble one time as a result, and…' the man gulped, swallowing back some words that he was about to say. 'There are many times I think about quitting the job, since there are just so many ugly things in the world, and none of us like to read bad news. But it's with you children…you children who are brave enough to fight against difficult conditions, that I tell myself this: that there might still be some meaning in my work. If this documentary can make at least one person understand there is much to live for, then I think I've done my part.'
'I watched your network's documentaries sometimes,' Hikari wrote. 'I think the message is always positive and encouraging.'
'That's the point that we hope to convey,' the man gave a small smirk, one that did not reach his eyes at all.
'Hiroaki-san, it's time for the next interview!'
The man named Ishida Hiroaki responded and rose from his seat. 'Sorry for saying those strange things to you. Just consider that as an old man mumbling and thinking too much about his plain and dull work.' With that, he rose from his seat, and was about to leave when he felt a tug on his sleeves. He turned and faced Hikari with a curious expression. The brown-haired girl quickly scribbled something on her sketchbook and showed it to him.
'Your documentaries are not dull. Even if you don't like them, it lets people like me know that there are other people who suffer from the same kind of condition or even worse ones. It encourages us to keep living our lives to our fullest.'
The man looked dumbfounded. His eyebrows furrowed out of confusion.
'Even if things don't go your way, people like me can still feel your passion in hoping to make the world a better place. Please don't demean your work when it serves it always brings a smile to our faces, knowing that people actually care about us and want to help.'
Hiroaki stared at Hikari, who smiled innocently at him and took his hands into hers. The brown-haired girl's hands were undoubtedly much smaller than hers, but a surge of warm feeling rose from his guts. Her redwood-coloured eyes showed deep sincerity and gratitude, making Hiroaki speechless.
She released her hands, bowed, and took her leave, as the lavender-haired girl from the other side of the room was calling for her. Hiroaki watched as Hikari walked away, and even when he got back to where the crew was he carried an expression that would surprise people who had known him for years.
'What's wrong, Hiroaki-san?' one assistant asked. 'You look like something good has happened.'
He looked down to scrutinize his hands again, wondering why his mind floated back to the time when the newborn Takeru grabbed his hands with his tiny fingers and beamed ever so innocently at him. He then turned his attention to the assistant, who looked perplexed by his strange behaviour, and he couldn't help but smile brightly. Hikari's words were firmly imprinted in his mind, and he wondered if he would ever forget them. 'I think I just met an angel.'
End of Interlude IV
I'm pretty sure many will have guessed that the character is actually Hiroaki as soon as I brought up the Fuji TV crew. Originally, I was thinking of making Natsuko interviewing Hikari here, but it might be more fun if Hikari got to meet Takeru's father first long before she actually met the Takaishis. In case anyone's wondering, Hiroaki will make at least one appearance in the regular plot.
As you all know (and probably can tell from my infrequent updates in 2014 so far), I'm pretty busy nowadays, so I can't guarantee frequent updates as before. I'll try to upload a new chapter at least once a month, and that's the general goal I'm aiming for now. The next chapter is ready, and the one after is on its way, so I appreciate you all's patience for the story.
Kindly leave a review to let me know what you think! Until next time!