Another day of school has come and gone. Not too long ago, Shujinkou would have simply went straight home as soon as he heard the last bell ring. But now he sticks around the school to participate in the club he had recently joined; the school's very own Literature Club.
The young man walked out of his classroom and casually stuffed a heavily marked test paper into his bag.
"I am so late…" he winced.
Shujinkou was used to occasionally staying after class to converse with his teacher, but now that he's in a club, he was suddenly having trouble getting through these meetings. Suddenly, all he could think about during the meeting was how late he was going to be to the club.
The young man looked around, confirming that the halls were empty. With no witnesses to capture what he needed to do, Shujinkou dashed through the school, hoping he was not late enough to be called out on it.
He eventually made it to the classroom the Literature Club calls home, breathing heavily as he walked through the open door.
"I'm here," he weakly announced; though with his panting and heaving, he'd understand if no one heard him.
Finally catching his breath, Shujinkou soon realized there was no one around to hear him.
Maybe I'm not late?
He curiously looked around the room. For the short time he has been part of the club, he has always been the last one to arrive and figured that he would always be last. Possibly being first was very surreal to him.
Guess I should just wait.
Suddenly, he heard a loud rustling sound coming from the classroom storage closet and cautiously made his way there to investigate.
Opening the door wider than it already was, Shujinkou was surprised to find Natsuki holding a large crate in her hands whilst balancing herself on top of a wobbly stool. "Natsuki?"
"Huh?" Startled by her club mate's sudden appearance, the fragile balance Natsuki desperately tried to maintain was finally lost. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she fell. With nothing to stop the inevitable, she closed her eyes and braced herself for the eventual collision with the cold, hard floor.
But that never came to pass. What she crashed into was much softer, and somewhat assuring. Natsuki opened her eyes, her cheeks glowing bright red the moment she discovered that she was in Shujinkou's arms.
"You okay?" he worriedly asked.
Natsuki quickly averted her gaze. "Y-Yeah… But this wouldn't have happened if you didn't surprise me like that.
She jumped on her feet in a huff and gently placed the crate she was holding on a nearby desk. Shujinkou anxiously scratched his right cheek. Was she mad that he tried to help him? That seemed to be the case to him.
"But… thanks anyway…" it was barely audible, by he definitely just heard Natsuki thank him.
A small smile crept onto Shujinkou's face as he stood up. He then looked over Natsuki's shoulder and was surprised to find out that the crate she got from the closet was filled with various manga.
"You read manga?" Shujinkou asked.
Upon hearing that question, Natsuki's entire body tensed up.
"M-Manga is literature!" she instinctively responded in a very defensive manner.
"So what kind do you read?" he queried.
Natsuki stared at Shujinkou with a dumbfounded look on her face. Shujinkou felt a chill go down his spine when her confused look quickly changed to a skeptical one.
Maybe she doesn't want to talk about it. Or maybe she doesn't want to talk about it to someone she thinks wouldn't understand. Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek. Either way, I need to think of something to get out of this awkward moment
It was at that moment when Shujinkou got an idea. He reached into his bag and pulled out one of his favorite manga series.
"How about we read each other's manga while we wait for the others?" Shujinkou suggested.
Natsuki's face changed expressions once again, this time to one of interest and slight excitement. She then looked through her box of manga and handed Shujinkou the first volume of one of her favorite manga.
"Just don't mess it up or else I'll get pissed," Natsuki warned him.
"R-Right," Shujinkou nodded nervously.
He handed her his book and watched her take a seat with a quizzical look on her face.
I wonder what this manga's about?
He opened the book and read through the first chapter. It was about a girl who was extremely awkward around boys, meaning that while she is an extremely shy person who was easily embarrassed by almost anything, when she talks to boys she puts up an ice queen front to cope with her insecurities. Then one day she gets visited by a fairy who gives her various "love challenges" like "holding hands," getting an "indirect kiss" or giving a "lap pillow", promising true love as a reward if she accomplishes every task.
It has a lot of cute moments. I never would have expected that she would have been into these kinds of stories.
Shujinkou glanced over to Natsuki. To his surprise, she was quietly laughing to herself.
"Funny isn't it?" Shujinkou asked.
"Eh… it's okay," Natsuki replied in a nonchalant manner.
"Well… it makes sense that it's funny, considering what it's based on."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You see that manga is an adaptation of the video game franchise Crash Bandicoot or more specifically, the 2nd game," Shujinkou started to explain. "It's about a bandicoot that was evolved into what he is now by the evil scientist, Neo Cortex. After escaping from his base, Crash, with the help of his mask friend Aku-Aku, travel back to the fortress to save his girlfriend Tawna and defeat Cortex to put a stop to his evil plans.
In the second game, Cortex tricks Crash into thinking that he turned over a new leaf and that the earth is in danger of being destroyed. He enlists Crash's help into gathering the Power Crystals to power a machine that can save the planet, but in realty it's to further his own evil agenda. It's also the game that introduces Crash's sister, Coco Bandicoot, who is skepticl about Cortex's intentions and warns her brother to be careful for any betrayals.
That said there are some differences between the game and the book is that in the games, Crash can't speak, apples are called Wumpa fruit, Power Stones are called Power Crystals and not ever animal in the games are anthropomorphic. Also the manga focuses on comedy more than action, getting Crash into hilarious situations involving the setting around him. Also Crash's appearance has been slightly altered from his first American design. Also…"
The sight of Natsuki looking at him surprised was all it took to get Shujinkou to stop his explanation.
I may have geeked out too much there…
Slightly embarrassed over what just happened, he glanced over to the clock and was shocked by how late it was.
"Are the others not coming?" he wondered aloud.
"Everyone's busy today," Natsuki replied.
"WHAT?!" Shujinkou exclaimed.
"Didn't you read the notice on the door?" she asked.
Shujinkou walked to the classroom door to discover that there was a notice from Monkia declaring that club activities were cancelled. Reading over it a second time, he felt as if he was on the verge of tears and about to burst out into laughter at the same time.
"I should pay attention to my surroundings more…"
Shujinkou scratched his right cheek before he realized once crucial detail regarding the notice.
"Wait a minute…" he turned back towards Natsuki and asked, "How come you were still here today?"
"I have my reasons…" Natsuki pouted. "Anyway…"
Shujinkou watched Natsuki carry her box back to the closet and walk out with her bag.
"Don't you want to put the one I have back too?" he asked.
"Nope. You can hang on to it until tomorrow," said Natsuki.
"Really?" Shujinkou marveled.
"You want to finish the volume right?" Natsuki grinned. "But I'll lend it to you on one condition… you have to lend me your book, so I can finish it."
Wait a minute… Is this her way of asking me to lend her my book?
Deciding not to think too hard about it, Shujinkou just grinned and accepted the terms.
"But don't forget, if you mess it up in any way, I'll be super pissed," Natsuki reminded him in a threatening manner.
"R-right," Shujinkou nervously chuckled as she walked out of the classroom.
He walked over to the desk he left his bag at until he was hit by a sudden revelation.
"Wait a minute, I mentioned the others coming earlier. Why didn't she tell me about the notice earlier?" Shujinkou wondered aloud.