The lunch bell rings a few classes later. The classroom bursts into a flurry of action - some people immediately dash out of the classroom, though not in Hanako's frantic manner - an urgent one, the manner of a person who has a place to be.
Others busy themselves with the lunch break, taking it in class. Socializing, gossiping, rearranging desks, the ones with actual boxed lunches mixed in and chattering like everyone else, only interrupted by short bouts of eating.
The violet-haired girl next to me is quietly reading a book, occasionally glancing at the rear door of the classroom. Actually...she hasn't turned a page since I've been watching her. A shield, then, of sorts.
Hm...
"Who are you waiting for?" I ask, smoothly sliding out a fiction book from my bag. Hanako's eyes snap up, bewildered, before settling on me.
"H-Huh? Oh...Lilly." She replies, but I note that she seems much more relaxed than before. There's still definitely tension in her body, but much less like she's going to spring away and run at any second, and that makes me feel much better, even if she doesn't look me in the eyes. I notice how she brightens momentarily at the name.
"You two must be friends, then?" She smiles, seemingly genuinely happy about this.
"Yes." Hanako glances at the rear door again.
"Am I bothering you right now?" I ask, pensive? She shakes her head no, to my relief.
"You're...not. It's just...easier if Lilly doesn't come here..." She looks past me, towards Shizune. I grin.
Both of them...they both carry themselves with an air of dignity. Shizune values competition; settles everything with them, from what I've observed so far. And Lilly...doesn't back down, does she?
Heh. They're both too prideful.
"I see." I say, thoughtfully. She looks at me with an odd expression, probing slightly. Her attention on me means that I'm the first to see Lilly at the door, a focused look on her face.
"She's here." I note, and Hanako spins around to confirm this before quickly grabbing her belongings and moving to the door.
"Lilly..." Hanako says, quickly cheered once more.
"Good morning, Hanako. Is the president here?" I can quickly see where this conversation is going and cut in to prevent any awkward moments.
"Hi, Lilly. She's here." I interject. Lilly's expression looks momentarily surprised, before fading away into serenity.
"Ah...is that Hisao? I didn't realize you were here..." Hm.
"I-I'm sorry, I thought you realized..." Hanako addresses Lilly, looking distressed.
"No, it's alright, Hanako." Lilly soothes, not looking discomfited by the situation. Hanako nods, then shoots another look at Shizune.
"Um...Lilly..." The blonde nods.
"I'm sorry Hisao, but we must be off."
"Alright. I'll talk to you two later?" I ask. Lilly smiles.
"Certainly. You may join us for lunch anytime you wish." The girl invites, leaving me to ponder.
"...Would now be a good time, then?" I wonder, out loud. Lilly hums thoughtfully, still smiling.
"I'm sure that we could accommodate you. Hanako?" The girl in question glances between us, hesitating. I'm about to open my mouth to retract my offer when she nods.
"Okay." That seems to settle it, so we leave.
Lilly walks beside the wall, letting her cane gently tap against it every now and then. Hanako walks right beside her, so close that she is practically half-hugging her.
Another shield, then. It must interfere with Lilly's walking, but she does not seem to mind. I yawn, blinking as we turn around a corner, there's a bump and then I'm somehow lying face-up on the floor, staring at the ceiling.
"...Wha...?" I manage a sitting position, noticing that my body refuses to cooperate for a second, to look at a pair of saucer-like green eyes sheepishly staring back up at me.
They belong to the perpetrator, a short girl who presumably bumped into me and bounced off onto the hallway floor. She wears a PE uniform and a very worried frown. Her chin-length hair is set into twintails, bouncing around.
Wait...a PE uniform-
"Y-You're the girl from that morning?" I ask, shocked, before chuckling somewhat. The girl winces a little before jumping up to her feet, an apologetic look on her face. She doesn't appear to have heard what I said, which is probably for the best.
"Aw man...Are you alright? I'm sorry about that, really! I wasn't looking where I was going, and you just came out of nowhere. Sorry...sorry!"
I nod, cautiously, before realizing that I'm supposed to be hurt. And I'm not.
Hm...this is kind of awkward.
"You sure you okay? I hit you pretty hard." The girl with strawberry-blonde twintails asks.
"Well, yeah, I didn't really fe-"
Woah.
Careful with what you're saying.
"I'm fine." I reply, running a hand down my front. Nothing seems broken, anyways, and there's no blood. I'm probably fine.
She gives me an odd look, but it passes quickly in her enthusiasm. It must be nice to feel so positive.
"That's good! I was-"
"Hisao, what happened?" Lilly asks. She sounds very worried, so I'm quick to reassure her.
"Someone just bumped into me, nothing serious. I'm alright, and she is too." I say, glancing at the perpetrator.
"Er, sorry, it's my fault, I was just going to get some stuff, and I was kind of in a hurryyyy-" Her words mash into each other as she works herself up, Lilly quickly stepping in.
"Emi." Lilly scolds. "Please do try to be more careful. Not everyone you run into can endure these sorts of accidents." Emi blushes and starts to fidget nervously, like a little girl being castigated by her mother.
It's rather cute. But Lilly does have a fair point; if she ran into someone more physically disabled, things could have actually been bad.
"I know that! I-I, um, I was just..." She blinks and shakes her head quickly, as if remembering something.
"Aaah! I gotta go! Teacher'll have my head, I promised to help with printouts but I went running instead! Sorry, but I've gotta change and everything!" And then, completely ignoring everything, Emi bolts down the corridor and out of sight.
"A-Are you...?" Hanako starts, looking at me cautiously.
Damn. She must have noticed something was off.
I hesitate. I don't like lying to her. I think she sees right through the excuses, and it makes me feel terribly uncomfortable, like I'm being judged. I want her to open up to me, yet I don't open up to her.
Quid pro quo.
"Er...I'm not quite ready to explain, yet. But for now, I'm fine." I hope she understands what I'm trying to do, and judging by the way she nods carefully before turning back to Lilly, I think she does.
Lilly herself looks intrigued, curiosity plain on her face, but she seems to let it go.
"Shall we be off, then?" Lilly asks, and although her voice brims with the promise of a million questions, she keeps herself composed.
"Mm." I hum in reply, before the two head down the hallway, leaving me to trail behind.
There doesn't appear to be anything physically wrong with me on the outside, but it may be a good idea to check with the Nurse.
