FREE TIME

My first thought is to immediately head to the Kumachrome shop. Buying presents for people seems to work, so I should roll with that. My trip is the shop is short and Kumachrome rolls his eyes.

"Welcome to the Kumachrome shop. What do you need?" His monotone voice is much different from the words he uses. Huh, he sounds like a bored store employee.

I stifle my laughter and point to the machine. He nods and goes back to reading…some sort of fake newspaper. Ignoring him is the best option. This time, I decide to use my remaining coins to get a few items at once.

Let's see what they have.

My first roll results in some…strange small item. It's pink and looks like a bean. There is a small letter with it as well. "The Queen Bean. A plastic bean that radiates confidence and installs a royal feel in every woman. Maybe you should keep this one."

What the fuck.

The bean goes into my pocket with the intent to ignore it or throw it away later. I place my hope in the next roll instead. Luckily for me, a sweet-smelling candle comes rolling out. I have a feeling who would like this.

My last roll, with my last coin, contains a pair of adorable hair ties. I almost consider keeping them until I remember that I rarely do my hair in anything else than a side ponytail. Kind of a waste.

Armed with a bunch of items, I exit the shop. Kumachrome mutters something I don't catch. The warm sun shines brightly onto my face as I try to decide on where to go next.

Ainosuke is leaning against the wall of the main building, looking over some of the other inmates. He smiles and waves when he notices me looking.

Last time we hung out together, it wasn't that bad. Maybe I should talk to him again?

I decide to do so, and he doesn't seem to mind me walking up to him.

"Ah, Yurika. Good to see you here. I've been watching the other students for a while now, but this isn't really the weather to be clothed in black. Want to accompany me back inside?"

Should I spend time with him? Yeah, I should.

I nod, and he grins. "Excellent! We can talk while we're walking. I may have found evidence of a deeper relationship between Homura and…"

I'm not interested in the affairs of others, but I politely nod as we head inside. It's a lot cooler and nicer in my opinion and Ainosuke agrees. I think we grew a little closer today.

I give him the candle. He smiles. "Ah, thank you very much. It's so nice of you to give me a gift."

The silence between us returns, but unlike last time, it's not that awkward. Still, it takes me a moment to word my question.

"Why are you dressed like that?"

"Hm?" He doesn't immediately understand.

"I'm not trying to judge you, but I'm very curious why you dress like an emo. Doesn't that turn away some people? Is there any real reason for it?"

He thinks about my answer, while I stress if I wasn't being too forward. Great job, you may have just insulted him.

"Well, I don't think my fashion sense matters in my line of work. It is true that I help people of all ages, and some think my cloths are strange, but I would have gotten the same results if I were dressed as a stereotypical hippie, or as a playboy."

That does make a little sense. But still…

"You could have just gone the casual route or be up to date with the latest fashion trends." I remark. He chuckles.

"There has been a period, when I was just starting, that I followed every new trend. However, trends change so much, it destroyed any chances of a stable, overall design. Not to mention it was terrible for my wallet. A good friend of mine said that I tried to be so catering towards people, it felt like I didn't have any identity of my own. That made me think."

And that's when I got it. "Oh, I see. So, keeping up with fashion trends wasn't profitable, so you had to find a style that defined you!"

He laughs at my enthusiasm. "Exactly. In the next weeks, I tried multiple styles. But no matter what I wore, people kept having an opinion over it."

I look down. My chest suddenly aches. "I know what you mean."

I'm not sure if he hasn't heard me, because he continues. "When I dressed relaxed, people said they couldn't take me seriously. When I dressed politely, I was too intimidating. When I dressed alternatively, they asked if I was doing drugs. When I dressed more 'cutely', they asked me if I was of age to be discussing things like this. It got tiring really fast."

"So why did you decide on emo?"

He flicks the bangs that covers his eye, ruefully smiling. "It was my friend's idea. She told me about emo culture and how it promotes wearing your emotions on your sleeves. I know there are a lot of controversies surrounding it, but at the same time, it felt perfect for me. Emotions are the most important thing in my work. Every day I deal with different emotions from the people I work with. Frustration, fear, loneliness, sadness, hope, despair, anger, disbelief, courage and happiness. I only think it's appropriate to wear something that symbolizes all of that emotion."

That…was much more than I was expecting. But my mind can't help but spring to a few articles I've read.

"What about the stereotypes? That it promotes self-harm and suicide? Or about the gender bias? I've read that it's mainly for men. Since I'm sure you mainly work with girls, I don't think they would appreciate the 'lonely boy aesthetics'."

He clicks annoyed with his tongue. "I'm betting the suicide thing mainly comes from the fact that society says guys shouldn't feel emotions and when they do, it's bad. Of course, I can't vouch for everyone. By their definitions, I'm more of a scene kid than emo. But you'd be surprised by how many girls are into it. They think mysterious boys are intriguing. But I think that helping men actually get a girl, and the other way around, is a perfect way to rebel against stereotypes. And isn't rebelling a staple of alternative fashion?"

The twinkle in his eye is endearing. While I had my doubts before, now I'm sure I've judged him too early. He may be creepy sometimes, but he really is much more of a good guy than I originally gave him credit for.

"And hey," I smirk, "it's a good test of character too. If people can't see past your fashion sense, they sure as hell can see past anyone else's appearance either."

"I haven't even thought of that." He laughs and it's the best laugh I've heard from him yet.

I think I learnt a little more about Ainosuke today.

We talk for a little more before parting ways. I end up in my room again, but this time I take the time to check my E-Book. Just like with Isamu, the star has gained two points. It's a five-pointed star, so I wonder what will happen when I filled it out completely. Maybe I'll get a reward.

Aside from the star, I also have two new entries. Crap, I forgot to check the first one with Ainosuke.

"While Ainosuke has a blog, he prefers to meet his clients face-to-face to have a better impression of them. He even managed to hook-up a famous internet star with someone. He says he does all of this for the happiness of other people."

"Ainosuke dresses the way he does after being recommended by a friend. Before that, he went through several styles, but it looked as if he was trying too hard. He likes the scene kid style and wants to break through stereotypes with his work."

Satisfied with the summaries, I close the E-Book. That summed up my experiences pretty well. It looks like I still have a bit of free time. What should I do?

Going out for some fresh air seems nice, especially since the afternoon has rolled around, lowering the temperature. As I leave the dormitory, I see Hanako stretching. Hanako has been nice to me so far. Maybe I should hang out with her?

"Ah Yurika! Nice to see you! Don't worry, I'm just cooling down after my workout. Hey, wanna watch me? We can go for some food after. I'm starving."

After thinking it over, I nod. I'm lucky I'm not getting roped in some workout…

I watch her as she does some more stretches. We end up chatting a bit about exercise (and my lack thereof). I think we grew a little closer today.

Oh, that's right, I still have the hair ties. Maybe she'll like them?

Her smile is ever so bright when I hand them to her. "Aw, these are lovely! Thank you very much!"

Tired, she falls onto the grass. "Oof, that was one workout. I'm glad I have room to run here. I just need to stop running into other people."

I snort. "Can't really be helped when your track is where everyone else walks. They should have a separate field for you. Then you won't crash into anyone."

She shakes her head. "No, that doesn't really matter. I've never had such a track field before, so I'm used to people walking in the way. I just need to avoid them more."

That makes me raise an eyebrow. "Really? Were you never in a track club?"

"I was for a while, but I just didn't have the time. Between school, work and homework, there just wasn't enough time. And since clubs weren't obligated at my school, it didn't really matter."

"Work?" I inquire. "Did you have a part-time job?"

"Two, actually." She says too casually for me. "As convenience store clerk and as dishwasher in a bar. I used to work in a daycare before the bar, but I could only work on Sundays. So, I was forced to get a job in the later hours."

"You had two part-time job!? I can't see myself even applying for one!" I exclaim in surprise. She giggles. "It wasn't easy the first time around. But after two failed tries, you start to get the hang of it. Although, now that I think about it, they could have just as well refused me because I was only thirteen…"

She tried to get a job at 13 years old?!

Either she doesn't notice my face full of disbelief or she ignores it. "But yeah, I had to do a lot of running ever since I was little. School was quite a distance away from me and I had the tendency to wake up late. I never got really much into running as a sport until much later."

I blink slowly. "Yeah, that makes sense. I mean, if I had to run miles every day I would get fit too. But, if you live so far away from school, why didn't you take the bus? Or the metro?"

The smile on her face fall very quickly and comes back even faster. Except that this smile is too wide. Too bright. Too fake. "The metro doesn't get anywhere near the place I live at. Same as with busses. Besides, what's so bad about walking in fresh air? Gives you a nice workout. You should try it."

She pokes me friendly in my side, but I have difficulty reciprocating it. She is holding something back. Is she…ashamed of something?

"Me? Working out? No way. I have the physical body of a potato. A couch potato." I grin. She crosses her arms and shakes her head.

"Oh no, that won't do. Looks like I might have to train you. Who knows, maybe it'll end up helping you." She grins back and suddenly I feel very, very afraid.

"Wait, no, I'm-"

"Alright! It's decided! I'm going to train you! Ooh, this is exciting! I never trained someone before. I wonder what I should start with first…"

She's not even listening anymore! Looks like I'm not going to get out of this one…

Despite that, I think I little a little more about Hanako today.

I manage to sneak out while she is distracted. I return to my room.

"Okay, let's see what the E-Book says…"

"Hanako, to my surprise, has never been in a track club because she has always been too busy. She worked two jobs after school and used to have a third, before being forced to quit. She has been trying to get a job since she was 13 and doesn't seem fazed by it."

The night-time announcement plays and after a quick uneventful diner in the cafeteria, I go straight to bed.

The hardest thing about Free Time Events is pacing.

In any case, missdemonshadow, MatNErt and TheRoseShadow21, thank you very much for joining this ship of despair. Also, Rose, thank you for your kind reviews. They really make me smile.