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Guest (Ch. 22-Kyoto Trio, part 4): XD Yay!
"So, the school festival."
Tada wrote 'school festival' on the blackboard and drew three circles around it. Adding in a few arrows around the circle, he was reminded of launching the Ending the End Class project, back near the beginning of the year. We are making progress.
"Does anyone have any ideas they want to put forward? Anything at all? We might even be able to combine ideas, too."
"Well, it's going to need to be pretty amazing, right?" Hirigi said. "I mean, to get people to this place."
"Yeah, it's gotta be worth the trek up here." Jori agreed.
"In other words, we need to be out of the ordinary. No maid cafes or anything like that." Kuroba stated. Tada nodded.
"That's right! Not that there's anything with the usual fare that school festivals come up with, but I think we should definitely play on our distinctiveness."
"I'd say Kinomoto-kun's flowers should do the trick in that regard." Koujiro commented. "I mean, it's freaking autumn and they're still bright. Like, how does that even work?"
"Well…" Kinomoto prepared to launch into a long explanation, only for Ruko to cheerfully go over and cover his mouth playfully. After a few moments of squirming, she released him, and grinned before going back to her seat. Kinomoto, to his credit, didn't seem particularly fazed or annoyed as he blinked a little and then spoke again.
"In any case, the flowers that we do are just a little thing, really. The real beauty comes from the nature that was already here before us. I think that we should do something that highlights this to the general public. Maybe then they'd understand how wonderful the earth is…"
"That would work." Eriko agreed, and she wrote this on the board, next to one of the arrows.
"I agree!" Tada said. "So, anything else?"
"What about a café with a different sort of theme? Like, a theme relating to the food?" Akira piped up.
"So…what, like cakes specifically? Or maybe a particular kind of cuisine? Oooh, we could recreate an all-American diner! That would be so cool!" Koujiro enthused, almost drooling at the thought of the food.
"I do think it would be cool if we could make food from a different culture." Tsukuda commented, half shrugging.
"French food, maybe." Eriko commented randomly. "Or perhaps something else European? Italian cuisine is supposed to be good, I've heard."
"Oh, it really is!" Haru agreed. "One of my uncles took me to an Italian restaurant downtown when I was about 12, and I really enjoyed it!"
"Yeah, I like those ideas too." Tada said. "My mother's class did a restaurant for their school festival, themselves, as it happens. A ramen one, to be specific."
"Well, that's rather ordinary." Ayako sounded disappointed.
"What if I said that it was ramen made with ingredients sourced from this very forest?" When everyone stared at Izzy, he shrugged.
"I was talking to them the other day, and they happened to mention it."
"Yeah, Izzy-kun's right about that."
"That's pretty cool though! I don't think I could have ever thought of that!" Haru exclaimed.
"How come you didn't suggest it yourself, Tada-Chan?" Ruko wanted to know.
"I didn't want to, well, overtake the festival or anything. It's not just about me and my mother, it's about all of us."
"Still!" Tsukuda retorted. "You could have at least put it on the mindmap."
"Well, I can always do that now." Tada cheerily replied. He carefully wrote 'themed restaurants' next to another arrow, then did a few other arrows coming off of that one, and wrote down some of the specific ideas mentioned, including that of the ramen. Then, he turned and invited more ideas.
"A games room? Like, arcade games?"
"Something for kids? Like, an interactive playground?"
"A mini movie theatre!"
"Maybe a shop? We could make little things, pretty things, and sell them!"
"A kissing booth!"
"What about a mini concert? We've got some musically talented people here, after all!"
"Or we could put on a play!"
"A museum."
It took a moment, but the quiet suggestion reached every corner of the classroom, and everyone else's clamouring ceased. They all searched for the source of the suggestion, and found Hana, sitting in her desk, as serene and as lost as always as she stared back at them.
"A…museum?" Tsukuda eventually asked for them all. Hana nodded once.
"Do you think you could explain for us?" Ichijou asked from her desk, where she had been observing the students make their suggestions for their school festival attraction. Hana hesitated a moment, but then nodded again, and rather unexpectedly, she stood up to deliver her explanation.
"A museum about us. About Class 3E. But not just about ours, or even about Isogai-san's only. But all of them. Our classes can't be the only ones who've…tried and tried to break away from what it meant to be in this class. And museums, they venerate the past, celebrate it. Why shouldn't we celebrate the successes those of us in this world who were once 3E students had in the same way? It would open up people's eyes, too. To what things are really like."
Hana's face lit up during this explanation, displaying the wild and deep passion she rarely showed to most people in the first place, even as she fiddled with her blazer sleeves. Tsukuda carefully wrote '3E museum' on the board.
"I….that sounds pretty cool to me, actually!" Ayako was the first to speak when Hana had finished.
"It seems a solid idea." Kuroba decreed.
"Yup, me too!" Izzy said. There was something taunting in his voice, as if daring anyone to object, but Tada didn't think that anyone would dream of objecting anyway, not in the face of such a good idea.
"I like a good museum myself, actually." Azama remarked calmly.
"…..I never expected you to actually say that, "Tsuwabuki eventually replied. "But as it happens, I agree with you on that."
"The only thing is, how will we get other 3E students to join us?" Kaori wondered.
"Well, that's a good point…." Fuyumi conceded thoughtfully.
"Well, we have a point of contact for about 25 years' worth of the class from Yuuma-san, Hiroto-san and Megu-san." Tada said. "I'm sure that if we asked, then they could get us in contact with some of those who may be willing. And a few of my mothers' class, too. Obviously, we should have a variety beyond our class and 30 years ago, like Hana-Chan said, but there's a start."
"And we already have a little direct contact with other former 3E members!" Ruko reminded them. "Like Fumiko-sempai and Katou-san, for example!"
"Yeah, that's right!" Eriko exclaimed. "And Kataoka-san was friendly with someone who went into the 3E straight after her one, so I could ask her if that person would be willing to help us."
"And if we put up an advert on the blog, and maybe went back to Sugaya's to get some more posters made, we could use those to reach anyone else? Like, those from before Isogai-san and the others started helping them like they help us!" Ayako looked excited at the possibility. Tada nodded eagerly.
"That all makes sense to me!" Tada declared, trying to keep up as he scribbled on the board.
"So then, "Tsukuda asked. "Are we all agreed on the museum as our attraction then?"
"YEAH!" nearly all of them chorused (those who didn't just nodded). Tada grinned at Hana, who beamed back, still blushing a little as she sat down again. I think we've come up with something pretty good here. I'm glad Hana-Chan suggested that.
"Hidaka, just make sure you don't go crying to Hasegawa about this." Kuroba coldly said, dampening the room atmosphere a bit. Hidaka squirmed in his seat. Many of the others seemed a little uncomfortable too. Hidaka's exposure was far too soon for them to be able to just put it completely behind them.
"I-I'm n-not that s-stupid that i-I-I would d-d-do t-that now!" he burst out. Tada rubbed his head tiredly. Luckily, he was saved from having to do anything by Kitabayashi unexpectedly piping up with a question.
"Museums are a pretty big thing. How will you manage to set it up?"
"Teamwork, obviously!"Ayako put in, with a more exuberant version of the answer Tada was about to give."If we all work together, and really hard, we'll be able to."
"Pretty much that, yeah." Eriko agreed. "But, Hana-san, as this was your idea, do you have anything to add?"
"I think….festivals in this school are such a big thing, more than just a school festival. The other classes, they'll be trying to make use of whatever contacts and things they have to make their attractions more successful. We'll need to do the same thing….and we have a whole network, don't we? Of 3E students. It could be a 3E museum in the truest sense in that way."
"And again, we can ask Yuuma-san and the others about that, so that will be okay. For now…Ichijou-sensei, I think we should probably start lessons now?"
"Oh?" Ichijou herself looked at the clock, and then blinked. "Ah, oh yes! I was so engrossed in listening to you, I completely forgot about that!"
You cannot be serious…
…
"Yo, Tada, you don't usually call at lunchtime. Is everything okay?"
Tada grinned at Maehara's cheerful voice on the other end of the line.
"Yeah, it is. I just-well, we just- wanted to run something by one of you at least. Is that okay? Ah, and by the way, I put you on loudspeaker."
"Yeah, yeah, that's fine!" Tada could easily visualise the expressive gestures Maehara would probably be making as he said this, and he chuckled silently to himself at this. "So fire away, kid."
"It's about the school festival. "He said. "We're thinking of doing a museum relating to 3E. So the 'displays' will pertain to former 3E students, as will any other features. And as for any extra help, we will try and get other 3E-ers involved too. Actually, Hana-Chan can explain it better, hold on!"
Tada beckoned Hana over, and with a little coaxing, she gave a similar explanation to the one that she had said to them all that morning. When she had finished, Maehara whistled.
"Wow. That is impressive. That's a really cool idea!" Maehara said. "So, I'm guessing that you'd want my help, and Yuuma and Megu's too, in getting some of your 'attractions'."
"Pretty much, yeah. Is that okay?"
"Is that okay? Silly Tada, this kind of thing is what we're here for! I'm actually thinking of a few people now, who I think would be okay with helping you out. I'll ask Yuuma and Megu for you too."
"What about you three?" Koujiro asked.
"Eh?" Maehara sounded confused.
"You three as a museum attraction yourselves, obviously, Maehara-san!" Ayako said, a little too loudly, bouncing on the heels of her feet. "I mean, you've helped so many other 3E students, not just us, and you were former 3E students yourself. If anyone deserves a part in this, it's you three!"
"Are you stupid, Takashita?" Kuroba snapped. "They've been trying to keep what they've been doing secret! How is featuring in a museum going to help that, may I ask?"
"Now, now, it's not such a big deal, you guys!" Maehara laughed over the phone. "Truth be told….maybe it is time to come clean."
"Maehara-san…." Hana murmured.
"Hiroto-san, are you sure?"
"Well, I guess so. It's been a long time, right? Principal Asano is long gone. And you guys, you're trying to end this system. So, that means you guys will be the last of the ones we'll help. Right time to come clean, don't you think?"
Tada glanced over at Hidaka, who was sitting off to the side, near to (but not that near) Reimiya, Akira and a few others, who were coming up with poster content ideas to take to Sugaya. He had a textbook in his hand, and seemed to be looking at that more than he was at the others. How much has changed? Yukiyama, also near to them, seemed to notice Tada's frowns in the general direction of where he was sitting, and looked up from his own book (which seemed to be about learning sign language) that he was reading while listening to music, and gave Tada a confused look and a shrug. Appreciating the unique brand of concern (at least, that was what he presumed it to be), Tada smiled wearily back and returned his attention to the phone.
"If the worst had happened, we would have been able to handle it. You wouldn't have needed to have worried, kid." Maehara said, seemed to have read his mind. "In any case, I don't know if Yuuma or Megu will feel the same, so I will probably talk to them about that issue specifically. But helping you put up the museum, we'll definitely do that. That would never have been in doubt. "
"That's awesome! " Ruko chose to chirp into the phone at that moment. "You're awesome too!"
"Thank you, Sorachi-san!" Maehara laughed back.
"I think we should meet up at some point, in person. It'll be easier for us to figure out what we can do alone and what we need your help for if we did that." Tsukuda put in.
"Yeah, and in the meantime, we'll continue putting together the beginning parts of the 3E Museum ourselves." Eriko added.
"Yeah, sure, that's great. Probably the best time will be the weekend, Yuuma in particular is quite busy with helping with wedding plans and all…" Maehara chuckled. "Ah, how time flies. As much as I hate saying this-because it makes me sound so old-it feels like yesterday Tada and Hiro and the other older kids were all just really little."
"You're right," Ruko deadpanned. "It does make you sound old."
This earned more than a few giggles, and Maehara could also be heard laughing.
"Wedding?" Jori queried.
"Ikuko-san." Tada explained.
"Ahhh, okay. "
"Yeah, that's right!" Maehara chuckled again. "In any case, I don't want to take up any more of your lunchtimes, so I'll catch you later!"
"Bye-bye, Hiroto-san!"
"Bye!" Some of the others chorused. When Maehara hung up, Tada locked his phone and slipped it back in his pocket. The others began dispersing to their separate corners of the classroom, some working on plans for different museum aspects, and others just eating or hanging about.
"I haven't actually eaten my lunch yet," Eriko said. "So I'm going to do that, then maybe I could help you think of the wording for the blog advert, Takashita-san?"
"Yeah, sure!" Ayako was more than happy with this idea. Just drag a chair up when you're ready!"
"What are you going to do now, Tada? I was thinking of seeing if I'm of any use with the poster crew over there."
"Haha, 'poster crew'. Hanae, you're becoming like me?" Tada teased.
"And what?" Tsukuda mock pouted, making Tada laugh.
"Anyway, I think I'm going over to see what Fuyumi-Chan is doing with Tsuwabuki-kun and Hirigi-kun. I think they're working on plans of how to rearrange the classroom and other parts of the building to accommodate the museum. "
"We're also figuring out what sort of information and features we should include in relation to each person who'll be an attraction!" Hirigi called out. "We're a bit stuck, though!"
"Okay, then, I'll come over in a moment."
Tada smiled at Tsukuda, and she smiled back. They took a moment to grab their own lunches from their bags (for they had not eaten yet, either), and then went in their separate directions to pull together their grand plan for the school festival.
…
Sticking his phone in his pocket, Maehara chomped down the rest of his lunch quite quickly. He wasn't in a rush-far from it, he still had quite a bit of time left before his lunch break would finish-but he felt like taking a walk, to think about the phone call he had just taken, and just things in general. A walk as a way of sorting his thoughts out was an approach that had come with growing up, and he could trace that as far back as when Arisa had been born. It's funny, how these things turn out.
He was generally satisfied with his life. He was between relationships at the moment, but he had three wonderful children, he had a stable job and some great friendships too. He had security, safety, happiness and fun. He was satisfied, pretty much. But that had been shaken, once or twice before, and once, there had been no guarantee that he'd ever have such a life. All because of one school system. Away from it, it was almost staggeringly silly, how something could have defined his life like that, but it had done so. And in the end, something good had come from it. Only because of the people that were there, and the experiences we created together. He could only hope that the same would happen this time around, in this second generation. That they'd be able to make their own situation out of the one they were being chucked in.
But of course, that was already happening. The Ending the End Class project….he often wondered why it was that the sheer craziness of their particular year had not been enough to expose the Kunugigaoka System for what it was, but given that it was finally happening, he just figured that such questions were pointless. All that could really be done was to watch, and help, and protect. Which he would do, just as he had been, for the past 25 years. And…to be featured in a museum. He found himself more than a little blown away by that idea. He wondered if, he had been a fifteen year old again, and part of that class, if he would have thought of that, or if any of them would have. He doubted it, for the 3E they had was a completely different one, a little out of the world-and bordering on a different world completely. He often wished he could talk about it more, and not just with those who had experienced it with him. As much as he took so much comfort in talking about it all with Isogai and Megu-his two closest friends ever- as well as the rest of the class, he kind of wished he could share it, especially with his children.
Still, some things were not meant to be said, and so he figured he could just go with it. But the way they'd been trying their best to mitigate the effects of a long-gone-stale system did not strike him as something that wasn't meant to be said, not any more. Not now that the cracks were finally being shown up. Like he had said to Tada, perhaps it was time to step forward and tell the truth. Be a part of the current (and hopefully final) 3E's museum. Perhaps part of him wanted the warmth of glory, a collective thanking, because he could not say he was as utterly selfless and modest as Isogai was, but at the same time, he really did want to just get it out there. It is time, he reflected, in fact, I think it is long past that. Haven't we been too fearful for too long?
Maehara stuck his hands in his pockets as he turned the corner and continued walking. People rushed by around him, and he wondered, somewhat randomly, if any of them were 3E students, once, or if they had connections to any. What they thought of those people, and the system itself. And he thought of students long gone now, who he could approach for the current 3E, and who of those would be willing, to put themselves up for the museum. Some names certainly did come to mind, although one of them had the saddest story, and he wasn't sure if it would be such a good idea to stir up her bad memories (though, all things considered, it seemed like her career steeped her in them anyway). Not to mention, he could remember just as many of those they had not been able to reach….
He walked by a gift shop where a man was peering through the window, scrutinizing the display, and would have continued on when something stopped him, and he paused to stare at the man. He seemed to be in his early 20s, and was dressed in clothes that suggested he worked at a factory of some sort. His hair was a particularly dark shade of brown, and he seemed kind. Though the details didn't seem to jibe with anything in his memory, the young man was definitely familiar. Suddenly, he turned to face him, and Maehara jumped. Great, now I look stupid. But the turn had allowed him to see sharp blue eyes that now widened as they took him in.
"M-Maehara! " the young man stuttered out. And then, just as suddenly, slapped a hand to his mouth. "Sorry, I mean, Maehara-san!"
Maehara gaped. He continued to stare, trying to remember and then, when he noticed a missing little finger on one of his hands, the memory he was looking for came to the front of his mind. Six years ago, a short, scrawny and undeniably angry boy, the glossy shade of his hair died a sharp and bright blond. Eyes sharper than the ones he faced now, but still just as blue, completing a permanent scowl. Home-done dark blue ink tattoos scrawled over his arms. Harsh words, violent fists, wildness and one hell of an attitude. This man, on the other hand was clearly healthier, and there was a gentleness and maturity about him now, and because of his sleeves it was impossible to say whether or not he still had the tattoos or not. But there was no doubt in Maehara's mind that this man had once been one of the 3E students they had tried to help. One of the ones that had been unreachable.
"Ryuma-kun?"
"Please, you may as well call me Yukine." He laughed awkwardly. "I, well, it's been a little while. How have you been? "
"I've been fine, just fine. Much the same, but that same is pretty awesome. And what about you? You would have come of age last year, right? How does that feel, being a part of society?"
"Well, yeah…I kinda feel that I came of age a long time ago anyway….not that you'd probably believe it, but I've managed to clean up my act a bit now."
"Working?"
"Yeah. Yeah. We've got a couple of good relatives, they help us where the pay from the factory won't stretch…I'm glad of it too. I'm looking after three of my sisters now. One of their birthdays is coming up, actually, which is why I'm here." Yukine pointed at the window of the gift shop, and laughed.
"Ah, I see. Whose birthday is it?"
"Akito's. She's 15. Well, she will turn 16 but yeah, you know what I mean. Ah, and I'm engaged." Yukine dug in his pocket and produced his phone, and after a moment, turned the screen to Maehara, to show a picture of himself with a bonny looking woman about his age. The two of them grinned into the camera, the sunset of wherever they were backlighting them. Nobody would suspect the troubled background of the young man in the picture.
"Natsume. She is utterly wonderful." Yukine supplied with a voice full of love. "I'm feeling like a pretty lucky man now."
"You sure seem like it!" Maehara clapped Yukine on the shoulder. I'm a little surprised too, actually, but somehow, I feel really accomplished right now. "I'm pretty proud of you, that you managed to turn your life around like that."
"Yeah, well." Yukine shuffled around a little. "It was a close shave. I was…well, pretty awful. I must have been so much trouble to everyone, but especially to you three. I didn't even realise it at the time, but you were trying so hard to help the 3E we were in….to help me, and well. I just threw it all back in your face, really. And I didn't even know, and I don't think I would have cared if I hadn't had to become responsible for my sisters…."
"Yukine…" to Maehara's utter astonishment, Yukine then bowed deeply.
"If I could, I would really like to make amends to you, and to Isogai-san and Kataoka-san too!"
"You've been trying your best, since then, right?" Maehara asked. Still bent over, Yukine nodded.
"Then, that's atonement enough. Don't punish yourself more, please." Slowly, Yukine straightened at these words.
"I… But, surely it can't be that simple. I did a lot of bad things, and I lashed out against you."
"Well, Yuuma gets that a lot anyway, and Megu's a badass lady, and me, I don't mind so much." Maehara opted for a joking attitude, not wanting Yukine to get too melancholy.
"Obviously, I can't speak for everyone, but yeah, it's fine, really."
"Ah…well, thanks." Yukine absently rubbed the back of his head.
"So, are you on a lunchbreak?"
"Yeah. I figured I could at least take a quick browse of the shops, then go gift shopping quickly after work before getting back to Natsume and the girls. But I'm not really doing much apart from that. Why, do you want to catch up or something?"
"Well, since we've bumped into each other and all, sure. Make up for lost time, and stuff. You can tell me about your pretty lady too."
Yukine blushed at this, but shrugged.
"Well, allright then."
They continued down the street, and talked for a while, Yukine was definitely a lot calmer and settled, and very much content. He was clearly excited about his upcoming wedding, and also obviously cared deeply about his family, and about trying to make amends for his behaviour in one way or another. He had not yet been brave enough to actually go as far as directly contacting classmates to apologise, but he was nearing it. And he was also saving up to get his tattoos removed. Until then, he relied solely on long sleeves. He also asked Maehara lots about his life, and he was happy to share. They also talked a lot about all sorts of random and silly things, as if catching up on the chances Yukine had 'thrown back in their faces' at the time and eventually, the conversation circled right back to 3E in general.
"So, do you still do all that mentoring business? There's a 3E now, right?"
"Yeah, we are actually. It's been quite unique too. They've got this big project going on, as well. It's picking up a lot of pace too, and so it might actually work."
"What do you mean, Maehara-san?" Yukine look utterly confused. It could just be he hadn't understood what his words specifically referred to, but Maehara figured it to be more likely that he just had no idea about it at all.
"I'm taking it that that means you haven't heard of 'Ending the End Class'?"
"No…is that the big project you're referring to? Ending the…..?"
"End Class. As in, 3E of Kunugigaoka Junior High." Maehara waited for the penny to drop, and sure enough, it did.
"Woah, seriously, they're trying to do that?"
"Yep, pretty cool, right?"
"Yeah…" Yukine sighed, and looked off to the distance for a moment. Atonement, Maehara thought. Making amends. Perhaps this museum could work both ways, so that not only am I helping them, but I am finally getting the chance to help someone who couldn't be helped before.
"Say, Yukine." Maehara said. "If you were interested, then there is a way that you could help them that'd really, really be appreciated…"
…
As Tada and Hiro walked out of Karasuma's hospital room and headed towards the lift, he asked her about the photo album.
"Hey, do you think it's okay for me to borrow the album off you to use for the festival? Mum's 3E album, I mean?"
"Why?" Hiro asked. They stopped in front of the lift, and pressed the button to call it to that floor. "I mean, I don't mind as such, but why?"
"Well, I thought it would be nice to use that as the source of the 3E-time photograph that we'd have of those of our 'museum attractions'. I mean, we've got a few."
"Yeah…I can't believe that Karma-san and Manami-san actually agreed even before you explained it to them properly." Hiro laughed, referring to a quick phone conversation Tada'd had while they were walking from school to the hospital. Tada grinned back.
"I guess that's them for you. Plus, they've done pretty well for themselves so they fit the definition of what we're looking for, in a way. As do Yuuma-san and the others."
"Mhm." Hiro nodded and considered this. A girl came out of a room further down the corridor and sauntered slowly in their direction, her school bag swinging slightly from where it was slung onto her shoulder. Her other hand held onto the stick of a lollipop that was in her mouth. She stopped next to Hiro and stared at the lift door. Then, she turned to stare at Hiro with one intense purple eye, the other having been covered by her messy bright-white bangs. The rest of her hair brushed her shoulders, and was just as messy. The intensity of it contrasted with her facial expression, which was almost carefully blank.
"Yv cawwed va lif?" she mumbled around the lollipop. Hiro blinked at her, but she didn't seem to notice their confusion. A moment passed where the twins stared at the girl, and in the end, Tada sighed. This could go on forever if I do not do anything about it…
"Uhm, could you repeat that, please? You were a bit muffled…"
The girl sighed, but did pull the lollipop out of her mouth, revealing it to be bright red, most likely strawberry flavoured. Tada noticed she had two small beauty marks-one near her lip and the other on her chin.
"You called the lift?" she asked again, clearer this time. Tada nodded.
"Yeah, we did. I think someone else above us called it as well though, so it might take a while."
"Mmmkay." The girl put the lollipop back in her mouth, and Tada sweat-dropped a little. Then, she returned to staring at the lift door. Tada and Hiro exchanged a look. Somehow, it felt a bit odd to start up their conversation while the girl was still there, so they just shrugged at each other and stood in silence. Eventually, the lift came and Hiro pressed the button to open the door. Four people came out, and Tada, Hiro and the other girl went in. Before either of them could reach for the button, the girl pressed the button for the ground floor.
"Ah, that's where we're going!" Tada exclaimed, then regretted it. That wasn't needed! The girl raised her visible eyebrow, and considered him, before shrugging. She let go of her lollipop, and just held it with her mouth.
"You go to Kunugigaoka." She stated. Somehow, miraculously, her voice was clearer, even if it did sound a little bored. Tada blinked, and looked at Hiro. She seemed to have no clue either.
"Uh, yeah." He answered. He thought for a moment. The girl seemed a bit older than the two of them, so he surmised she was in high school. "Did you go there once?"
"Once." She repeated. Something stole across her face, but all too quickly the blank expression was back. Hiro tapped Tada, and when he turned to her she signed: A former 3E student, most likely.
Tada nodded at her. The girl just stared at them, the sign language having clearly caught her attention, even if her face did not betray it. At that moment, the lift arrived at the second floor, as someone else had called it. Two young children, accompanied by a teenager wearing the uniform to a different middle school came on, and they all started chatting about something, ignoring their presence. The lift started to move again and Tada returned to the conversation (if it could even be called that) at hand.
"I see. So…I'm guessing you were in 3E then? Unless you decided to opt-out?"
The girl shrugged lazily.
"What's it matter to you?" She asked, a little harsh but mostly just in a slow drawl.
"Well, I'm in 3E too." He said.
"She isn't?" The girl pulled the lollipop out of her mouth to point at Hiro, before rapidly putting it back in. Hiro shook her head.
"No, I'm in 3A."
"Ehhhh…..?" The girl nodded. "Interesting…..Interesting…" she trailed off, and looked at the lift door, thought it was fairly clear that was not what she saw.
"Did…did you have a hard time there?" Hiro asked softly. The girl's one-eyed gaze whipped back to her suddenly.
"Who doesn't?" she asked. "Or perhaps….the question is….who won't?"
There was a real heaviness in this statement, and it dulled the atmosphere. They shuffled uncomfortably, and Tada looked over at Hiro. She just shrugged at him and he sighed. The girl had no reaction at all, and they remained awkward. Tada was only jolted out of it when the lift reached the first floor and two people got on.
"If we're lucky, then maybe there won't be any more who have to go through it." He said, trying not to feel like a relentless advertiser. The girl reacted strongly to this, her visible eye widening and something akin to surprise rippling across her face. Then, suddenly, she smiled, the shape of it sharp and mysterious against her face. She pulled the lollipop away from her mouth.
"'Ending the End Class'" she half-laughed. "I certainly didn't expect I'd actually run into one of the kids responsible for that."
"So…you've heard of us?" he ventured. The girl shrugged heavily.
"S'pose so. Didn't think too much about it but…" she thought for a moment, before smiling foxily again. "Still, it can only be a good thing. I'm, how shall I say this? Glad, that you're doing it."
"Ah, no, it's not just me, obviously." Tada rushed to clarify as they final reached the ground floor and everyone got off. "It's all of us, as a class."
"Yeah, yeah, I gathered that much." The girl said. She bit off the sweet part of the lollipop from the stick and then threw the stick into a nearby bin as they walked towards the exit. She then pulled out another one from the pocket of her cream coloured cardigan, and after unwrapping it (and thus revealing it to be green this time), popped it in her mouth. Then, she mumbled something.
This time, Tada just waited. Sure enough, she soon realised they hadn't understood her, and took the lollipop out of her mouth, somehow managing to look as if it was a massive inconvenience for her to do such a thing. Now outside, they stopped and went over to a side, the girl leaning against a wall before speaking again.
"So, what've you all been up to then, lately?" she half-asked, half yawned. "Anything interesting?"
"Well, we're going to be making a museum relating to 3E Alumni for our school festival attraction." What the hell, I may as well just ask her. "Are you interested in it?"
"Huh?" The girl blinked. "A museum?"
"Yeah, a museum. To celebrate those who went to 3E and to prove that we aren't as hopeless as we're painted to be. Honestly, we only came up with the idea today-well, actually, it was Hana Aoshima-Chan's idea, and you'll probably, or rather, definitely be talking to her if you did agree-but we are already looking for people who could help us with the museum, and perhaps be an actual part of it."
The girl appeared to have registered nothing in particular, though her eyes did widen momentarily at the mention of Hana's name, before she frowned for a moment, as if trying to remember something. All of this was somewhat imperceptible though, and her blank expression returned so quickly that Tada wondered if perhaps he had imagined it. In any case, after he had babbled out his case, yet another incredibly awkward silence came, and they all stood around again uselessly. Not that the girl seemed to bothered by this as she watched them with her one exposed eye.
"Perhaps you should try introducing yourselves to each other first?" Hiro eventually suggested, face almost deadpan. Tada gawped at her for a moment, the words taking a moment to register, and then laughed sheepishly. Should have thought of that!
"Anyway, before saying any more about that, my name's Tadaomi Kitakawa, but you can just call me Tada. That's my sister, Chihiro."
"If you want, you can call me Hiro," Hiro put in. "But it's fine either way."
"Shiki Yoshitsune. No need for formalities." The girl returned.
"Uhm…" It'd be weird to just address her as 'Shiki' straight off the bat. "So, is 'Shiki-sempai' alright with you, then?"
Shiki's mouth twitched slightly, although whether this was amusement or annoyance was not clear. Tada just decided to assume amusement.
"Yeah, whatever." She shrugged eventually. She looked at the lollipop in her hand, then back at Tada and Hiro.
"So, a museum. Presumably, you're not just letting any old alumni in, are you? After all, it's a museum. Not sure if I'd fit in well with that image but….well, you're helping the future generation."
"So," Tada asked eagerly. "You'll agree to join? Well, consider it?"
"Sure, I guess. I guess that means you'll have questions for me. Both then and now." Shiki shrugged, and stared out into the road, watching traffic and people bustle and whizz by. Then, something seemed to occur to her, and she looked down at her watch suddenly.
"I have a train to catch. If there's some sort of interview, I'll have to catch you another time. See ya." With that, she turned on her heel with a swiftness that seemed contradictory, somehow and she began to walk away.
"Wait!" Tada called out. "How will you reach us?"
Shiki stopped for a moment, then turned to look over her shoulder, her bright eye boring into him.
"There's the blog, right? Besides, I know where you all are."
Once again, Shiki turned away and she walked away before he could think of anything to say, and it did not take very long for her to disappear from their sight. Once she did, Tada let out the huge sigh he had been unconsciously been holding in. Hiro regarded him with amusement.
"Overzealous much?" she asked, though there was a friendly, teasing note in her voice. Tada pouted.
"I was trying to be restrained. I don't want to be a walking commercial, after all!"
"Yeah, I could tell. You weren't that bad, really." Hiro laughed, letting him off the hook. "Still, she's a pretty odd fish, isn't she?"
"Suppose so, yeah." Tada agreed. "Really sad, too. Like she has a whole lot of baggage about something."
"I guess we'd know about that, huh?" Hiro wistfully said. They thought about this for a moment. Mum, Dad…..
"Anyway, if you want the photo album, you can have it. I don't mind." Hiro said, bringing them back around to what they had been talking about before Shiki had randomly intruded upon their lives.
"Eh, really? You sure? Thank you!" Though he felt a bit bad about it, Tada found himself surprised by this.
"Yeah, I don't mind. So long as I get it back, but that goes without saying, no? In any case, if Shiki's anything to go by, you guys are probably going to be meeting a lot of interesting people and finding out a lot of interesting things. I think Mama wouldn't mind her photographs being used for something like this, so yeah. I can't wait to see how your 3E Museum turns out."
"Yeah, I can't wait either."
Supplementary OCs introduced this chapter:
Yukine Ryuma (Belongs to: 2)
Shiki Yoshitsune (Belongs to: Tea In The Summer)
Aaand it is here! One of the major arcs of the story is here! And now based on what happened this chapter, you should know why I opened that supplementary SYOC a while back =D. So, what do you think of the idea? Is it what you expected, or did it come out of the blue? (I'm guessing the latter, but still). In my mind, the OCs I collected (and some that I made myself to fill up the museum, as it were) are 'Museum OCs' but for consistency, when I intro the rest of ones that got given to me, I'll just refer to them as 'supplementary OCs' for consistency/ simplicity.
Anyway, the 'Welcome to the Museum' arc will basically consist of everything leading up to and during the festival itself, so there's a lot for you to look forward to! And to think about, I'd imagine. Incidentally, having this as a multi-parter also saves me having to think up titles for a while, but that being said, I'll probably end up coming up with 'alternate' titles for the chapters anyway. Perhaps I'll stick them in an authors note somewhere. I don't know =P
Okay, enough from me! As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please leave me feedback!
