Dear Reader(s),
I'd like to mention a few things.
First off, I have gotten through my first year of University. Things have begun to calm down. Since it is my summer break, my priorities and my goals have been slightly sporadic. I'm not only trying to keep my writing intact, but I also have a YouTube channel to keep up with in addition to attempting to obtain a means of income, a job.
Despite it being the summer break, it has been both blissful, and challenging to preserve my goals. Moving forward, I stride to continue to allow my summer to be a productive one.
One other note before I get on into the story.
There are other stories that I think deserve some more attention, and I highly recommend that you check them out. They, like me, are writing their own stories with the use of their own OCs.
"Clannad: Golden Days" by Captain Yang.
"Sketching Tomorrow: A Clannad fanfiction" by WhovianDango. (P.S I've been told by a close friend of his that he's been having computer problems in these past few months. That's one of the reasons I think he hasn't updated in a while.)
With that being said, I appreciate all the support that I've received in that past couple of years. Recently, as of the passing date March 25, 2017, "A Shadow's Journal" is now over two years old now. As the story progresses, your support is always appreciated!
Take care everyone, and enjoy Chapter 25!
~Buffalo.
Sliding open the door into the Drama room, John had full acknowledgement of his friends' presence, whether if they were up on their feet or not.
"Oh! Hey!" Ryou waved.
"You finally came!" Nagisa cheered.
"Hi Ryou! Hi Nagisa!" John chirped. "Oh and…everyone else?"
"YOU FINALLY CAME!"
John was nearly caught off guard by her excessive energy.
"Hello Kyou. Uh…why is?"
With his sights wandering from the group, there was Youhei Sunohara just on the ground, fumbled in a curled up position, with some scattered debris just behind him.
"Nah, don't worry about him." Tomoya shrugged.
"OKAY!" Kyou roared. "Let's catch YOU up to speed. I know that you, with the combined efforts of Nagisa and Tomoya have three members, but Ryou and I have decided to lend our names to the Drama Club, just so we can give you guys a little boost." She winked at the end of her statement.
"Five members is more than enough for the Student Council to recognize us as a club." Ryou stated.
"FIVE?!" John gasped, turning to face Tomoya. "You're still with us, right?"
"Don't worry, I'm still around as a supporting member." Tomoya assured with a sigh.
"Can I count you in and make it six?" John asked. "And I'm sorry if I sound a bit…not up to speed, but what about an advisor for the club? A teacher?"
"Either way, I am still going to be here when we go and confront Mister Koumura for being our advisor." Tomoya replied. "For the record, we're just about ready to go."
John concernedly glanced over at the downed Youhei once more. "Aren't we going to wake him up?"
"Nah, just leave him." Tomoya casually dismissed.
"…Fine." John huffed. "We ready to go? We know what we're going to do? Nagisa?" He asked the other members.
"Hmm…" Nagisa frowned. "I'm not so sure, I kind of feel bad for trying to trick the Student Council like this."
"Well, it's the only shot we have at this." John retorted firmly. "We might never be able to do this again."
"Stay focused, Nagisa!" Tomoya exclaimed. "Toughen up a little!"
Squealing, Nagisa kept her composure as she squeezed her fists and held her breath. She soon came to and exhaled before placing her hands atop one another at stomach level.
"LET'S GO." Kyou chanted, raising her fist high in the air, only to arc both her arms in front of her to persuade John by pushing forward so he could move before she caught him slouching.
Leaving the room, he didn't say a word. He only remarked how compact and close they were all walking together, creating tension down the hallways if any student were to squeeze by them all. He could breathe a sigh of relief when he and the others got to the Conference Room where their potential Drama Club advisor was waiting.
The girls all sat on the purple fabric couch while John and Tomoya remained on their feet, standing to the left of the girls sitting down. In front of the couch, there habited a small table, where on the other side, there were more accompanying fabric, purple chairs, that which Mister Koumura was sitting on.
They were all welcomed, and they were thankful for meeting with him on such short notice. There were tensions that were to be addressed, but for now, they were all offered some green tea to drink as they became settled into the isolated feeling that the Conference Room gave.
John and Tomoya politely turned down the offer for tea, and they were all soon on their way to negotiate possible terms while addressing their situations.
"So, you would like to restart the Drama Club, I see?" Koumura asked.
"Yes." Kyou took charge for the group. "We would like to participate in the School Festival."
"We have enough members." Tomoya spoke up. "But now all we need for the Student Council to officially recognize us is an advisor."
"We're really desperate sir, can you please be our advisor?" Nagisa begged.
Allowing for the student's concerns to settle in his head, he took a small sip of his tea before letting out a coarse growl, while remaining firm in his friendly expressions. "There's a junior student that you're going to have to settle things with first. Rie Nishina."
"Rie Nishina?" Kotomi questioned. "Is that the same Rie Nishina that lent me the violin?" She wondered.
"Hmm…" John exhaled out through his nose, turning to Tomoya.
"What?" Tomoya whispered with an unsure expression on his face. "I think she's on the right track."
"No, no, it's not that…" John replied, still in a whisper.
"WHAT THEN?"
"…Forget it. I just hope that they're still on campus, that's all."
Their next and yet familiar destination, the Music Room. Though circumstances were at a different state compared to last time, they were fortunate enough to find Rie Nishina and her accompanying peers sitting inside having a discussion.
Rie was able to recognize Kotomi, immediately walking up so she may greet her, along with her compatriots. Rie first assumed that Kotomi had something to discuss with her, but Kotomi turned her over to the eager Nagisa that was ready to represent herself for her club.
In the best way she was able to forge her own plea, she began by introducing herself. "Hi, I'm Nagisa Furukawa of Class 3-B. To tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure what's going on either. Um…is it okay if I talk to her alone? I'm sure Rie and her friends don't feel too comfortable with all of us senior students in here."
They were all in agreement and took a few steps back to be at a distance close to the shut music room door.
Sometime was beginning to pass, and some of them chose to sit on the ground, waiting for Nagisa to emerge from the music room with an answer. Ryou, sitting next to John, took into account how he appeared rather tired and out of energy compared to her sister and the others. While the others were keeping their heads up, John's seemed to be down, as he seemed to be fidgeting with his fingers, bored out of his mind.
"Hey…" Ryou called out to him quietly.
"Hey." John responded, giving her a firm smile.
"Are you-" Ryou stopped mid-sentence, gulping down her nervousness.
"Its fine, Ryou. Talk to me." John said in the best encouraging voice he could muster.
"Okay…here it goes." Ryou choked. "John…I know that what you've had to go through isn't easy, but don't you get lonely when you're at home all by yourself?"
"Ryou, what's this about?" John's voice appeared to crackle and shift, showcasing a bit of frustration and anger.
"HEY!"
John saw Kyou coming up to them, gritting her teeth as she spoke with concern and coarse emotion.
"Sis! Don't do that!" Ryou chirped.
"Just tell him what Mom and Dad told us."
"What do you mean 'what Mom and Dad told us'?" John inquired.
Ryou sighed. "Me and my sister told our parents what happened to your dad."
"Well, I guess there isn't a single person that hasn't heard about it." John grumbled, pinching the top of his nose as he lay back and momentarily closed his eyes.
"Well uh…you see. They told me to tell you that if you ever get tired of being by yourself, then you are welcome to step into our door, if you want."
"Are you sure about that?" John jumped back, raising a brow. "I mean, I appreciate the offer but, I'm doing okay by myself at home. I don't think I'm ready to move into someone else's home yet."
"Yeah, but how long are you going to wait for until your dad is out of the hospital?" Kyou begged the question.
Groaning, John ran his hands through his hair.
"Just think about it, okay?" Kyou advised. "If not that, you can always come say hi. Okay?" She grinned in a smile, patting his shoulders with her palm.
"I'll keep it in mind." John said.
To break the tension that was isolated amongst themselves, they heard the sound of the door scrolling open once more, with Nagisa exiting the music room, with a look that did not appear uplifting nor triumphant.
"How did it go, Nagisa…?" Tomoya asked.
"…You see…"
