Quiet Snow: Side Stories

Hanamura and Yagami

Monday, June 27 2011, After School, Shizuka's POV

Two days after we saved Kujikawa-san, Hanamura-kun asked me to come with him to the Samegawa flood plain. He seemed unusually serious and I had no plans anyway, so I had no reason to refuse.

Once we arrived, I looked around to confirm that no one was eavesdropping. The flood plain was neither private nor off the beaten path, but by this time in the afternoon, the rest of the Yasogami students had gone home or were at clubs.

"So what do you want to talk about, Hanamura-kun?" I said.

"How do I put this?" Hanamura-kun said. "I guess I have two very important things to say to you, and I'm not sure how to say them."

"Why not start with the easier one?" I said. "Unless there's some reason why the harder one has to come first?"

Hanamura-kun fidgeted a moment.

"All right," Hanamura-kun said. "From when we first met, I've been jealous of you. We're so much alike, having been forced to come here because of our parents' jobs, so I thought you'd be bored with this town as I was. But then you awakened your Persona, became our leader, and gathered people to your side. I'm proud of you, but at the same time, I'm jealous of you. Do you understand?"

"I do," I said. "Satonaka-san feels the same way about Amagi-san."

"Well, you're quicker on the uptake than me," Hanamura-kun sad, "because I didn't know what this feeling was for the longest time. I do, however, know that I most wanted to be acknowledged by you, so..."

"So...?" I said.

Hanamura-kun took a deep breath and then raised his voice.

"So that's why..." Hanamura kun said, "...I want you to hit me!"

I paused a moment, taken aback by what I heard.

"What?!" I said. "You want me to hit you?!"

"You heard me," Hanamura-kun said. "I want you to knock all these feelings out of me, so then we'll be equals."

"You're absolutely sure?" I said.

"That's right!" Hanamura-kun said. "What are you waiting for?"

I let off a long sigh.

"Fine," I said. "You asked for it."

Hanamura-kun gritted his teeth, at which point I lightly slapped him across the face. Hanamura-kun stared at me, his eyes showing disbelief, rather than pain.

"That's it?!" Hanamura-kun said. "Satonaka puts more force into her kicks to my gonad. Heck, even Amagi hits harder when she has to knock sense into me while I'm going crazy"

"I did as you asked," I said, "but frankly, I don't see much point in using violence to help you work through your jealousy. You were able to come to terms with your feelings and brave enough to confess them to me, so that's what matters. Maybe it's because I'm a girl, but this is how I feel, and I'm sure Amagi-san felt the same way when she learned about how Satonaka-san was jealous of her."

From what I understood, Amagi-san and Satonaka-san had talked things out, and while Amagi-san had never gotten angry, the process had been a bit awkward, but didn't involve any violence. Satonaka-san would be sure to win in a fistfight. If they used their Personas, then Amagi-san's magically-oriented Persona would have an advantage if she struck Satonaka-san's weakness to fire, but Satonaka-san would win if she got in a good hit or lasted long enough for their Personas to be drained of energy. It was rather fitting that the two's Personas were so different- Tomoe couldn't heal and had weak magic, but had strong physical attacks and the ability to bolster our offense, while Konohana-Sakuya was physically weak but had strong fire magic and vitally important healing powers- as a testament to how different but compatible those two long-time best friends were.

"Nah, I understand," Hanamura-kun said, "and I'm actually glad you feel that way. For some reason, it feels... good."

"Good?" I said.

Hanamura-kun stared at me for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah," Hanamura-kun said. "Something happened to my Persona- Jiraiya transformed into Susano'o."

"Congratulations, Hanamura-kun," I said. "I often fuse my Personas with others to make stronger ones, but this is the first time I've seen one transform. I'm sure you'll be that much more of an asset to our group from here on out."

"Thanks, Yagami-san," Hanamura-kun said. "You can count on me."

I smiled, and Hanamura-kun cleared his throat.

"Anyway," Hanamura-kun said, "now that we've got the easy part out of the way, here comes the hard part."

"I'm ready," I said, "although I'm having a hard time imagining what sort of confession could be harder than telling me you're jealous of me."

"Seriously?" Hanamura-kun said. "A boy calls a girl out for a one-on-one conversation- what's the first thing that comes to mind?"

"A lot of things," I said. "Some of my friends and acquaintances have had difficult conversations of all sorts with me, like you did when you talked about your grief for Konishi-senpai."

Hanamura-kun sighed.

"Well, this kind of has to do with Senpai," Hanamura-kun said. "I'm still not 'over' her yet, even knowing that she didn't care for me the way I did for her. I probably won't be until we catch the bastard responsible for her death, at earliest. But there's someone who's special to me, someone whose acknowledgment I want. I don't expect her to wait for me; I'd just like to know if she feels the same way."

So this was what it was about. I hoped to keep things subtle to let Hanamura-kun down gently, and while he'd all but said he was in love with me, I could still avoid hurtng his feelings if I played my cards right..

"I'm not sure what to say to that," I said, "but surely you understand that not everyone's feelings can be reciprocated, can't you? Kujikawa-san has thousands, maybe millions, of fans who adore her, but they'll be lucky if she remembers their names from their fan letters. The sane ones are content with being part of an almost faceless legion of Risecchi fans, and eagerly await their favorite idol's latest offerings."

"I know, I know," Hanamura-kun said. "It was still kind of a shock to hear that Senpai hated my guts, but I'd at least like to think that wasn't all of how she felt."

"I'm sure it isn't," I said. "It might have been her Shadow, or drawn from your deep-seated insecurities and fears, but I don't think it's the actual truth. I think anyone who spends enough time with you can see that you care for your friends, you're determined to solve the case and your other good qualities. I'm sure this girl you're talking about can see those positive qualities, even if she doesn't love you."

Hanamura-kun had a look of dawning realization for a moment, then chuckled. Despite having a tendency to put his foot in his mouth, he could take a hint.

"So that's how it is, then," Hanamura-kun said. "Thanks for being honest with me. You can count on me to do my part until the mystery's solved and demonstrate those 'good qualities' you like so much, partner."

"I'm counting on you," I said.

Evening

While going for a quick walk in the evening, I saw Amagi-san outside the bookstore.

"Good evening, Yagami-san," Amagi-san said. "What brings you out here?"

"Not much, Amagi-san," I said. "I was hoping to catch

"You might be interested to hear this," I said, "but I got a confession today."

"Oh, really?" Amagi-san said. "From whom?"

"A mutual acquaintance," I said, "specifically a boy. I turned him down subtly, without saying 'no.'"

"That's good," Amagi-san said. "Many people, or at least those who confess to me, seem to do so on a whim, but the last thing I want to do is hurt their feelings."

I shook my head.

"This one was different," I said. "He was emotionally invested enough to be afraid of rejection, but brave enough to power through that fear and say what he felt. I might not have been able to return his feelings, but I could at least respect his courage."

"And I can respect your kindness," Amagi-san said. "I suppose I'll understand how my suitors feel once I make a confession."

"I recommend that you do so when you find a person who's worthy of your feelings, and whenever you believe you are ready," I said. "When you do, I'm sure they'll be ready."

"I will," Amagi-san said.

While I saw Amagi-san as more than a friend by this point, I was unwilling to make the first move, but not because I was afraid of being rejected. Amagi-san had received countless confessions by now, but that didn't mean that turning them down was necessarily easy, so I had no intention of burdening her with undue anxiety. Besides, she was starting to learn how to make her own decisions, so perhaps it would be best if she could confess to the person she loved, rather than waiting for them to make the first move.

A part of me worried that I'd wait a long time, possibly forever, but those fears proved unfounded, and Amagi-san made her move sooner than I expected...

Author's Notes

This is a collection of side stories related to Quiet Snow, from interactions with Social Links to alternative scenarios.

This one covers the end of Yosuke's Social Link, and how Shizuka turns down his confession.