I don't have the time to change or anything for the tea party with Lilly and Hanako; really, it's the first thing I should have done, and I'm a little embarrassed at my attire. My school uniform isn't exactly the impression I want to bring to this. At least I haven't been running after school or anything, so I shouldn't bring any weird scents with me.
Honestly, what was I even thinking when I accepted this invitation? I don't even really like tea.
That's a silly question, though. I'm all too aware that I did it for Hanako. I don't want to disappoint her again. And anyways, the tea isn't really the main event. I enjoy the talking more than anything.
Ah...am I supposed to sneak in or something? I don't know the rules between male and female interaction; it isn't after curfew yet, but I'm not sure whether or not I'm even supposed to be inside.
I'll take the chance. I can't help but feel that this is a test of some sort, though. There is the occasional teacher patrolling around the grounds, but none of them give me odd looks, or even take notice of me for that matter. I think I'm safe.
I'm startled by how much the girl's dorms mimics ours. They even have a common room and everything, but I don't glance inside. The corridors are empty, to my relief. I don't want to run into anyone I know, especially...
I can't even imagine the embarrassment that would come from Shizune and Misha coming across me. That would just be an unmitigated disaster.
To my luck, I don't come across either, making my way in front of the door marked "225" with no issues. I quietly knock three times on the door.
"Hello? Who's there?" Lilly's voice calls out.
"Hisao." I say back, softly enough for her to hear without alerting the whole dorm of my presence.
"It's open." She replies cheerfully. I turn the doorknob and push the door open to get my first look at Lilly's room.
Her wooden furniture is very plain and barely decorated, a theme that matches her clean walls and floor. In the center of the room, a low table rests, a teapot and three pairs of flower-print tea cups and saucers waiting. Several books are stacked up against the wall as well, presumably in Braille.
Lilly's faint flowery scent can be detected in the air, as well. It's a nice smell, all things considered, not harsh in the slightest.
The first person to catch my attention is Lilly, who is clad in dark blue pajamas. Dark blue pajamas with shorts that ride up to her mid-thigh. Opposite her, Hanako sits adorned in a conservative light pink gown. It looks to be two sizes too big for her.
There are two interesting opposites being played against each other here; Hanako looks much like a child in her clothing, while Lilly looks much like an adult. The thought is vaguely amusing.
"Hi, Lilly, Hanako." I quickly glance past her to find Hanako staring at me. Our eyes meet before she quickly glances away, a blush across her cheeks.
"H-Hi." Hanako says, timidly.
"Good evening." Lilly chimes in. I take a step before realizing something unpleasant.
"Er...my shoes." They're not muddy, but they're shoes, and this is a very nice beige carpet that I don't want to track dirt on.
"Ah...socks should be fine." After glancing around, I locate two other pairs of shoes near the front door. Those must belong to the other occupants in the room.
"Okay." I slip them off and leave them by the door before cautiously stepping forward to take my seat at the nearest, unoccupied section of the table. Lilly is at my left and Hanako is at my right.
"Well now, how about some tea? Hanko, could you please pour?" Lilly requests. I realize that while the cups are prepared, they haven't actually started drinking yet.
I'm relieved, now, that I didn't head back to my dorm to change and shower. Even though I feel terribly out of place in these fairly formal clothes, I wouldn't have wanted to keep them waiting even longer.
"S-Sure. Hisao...w-would you..." Hanako swallows.
"Would you like some t-tea?" She completes in a rush, catching slightly on the last word.
"I would love some. Do you want a hand?" I ask.
"N-No...I'm fine. Thank you..." Hanako's nervousness isn't particularly funny, but suddenly all three of us are smiling.
I guess the tea party is under way.
"Been a tiring day?" I ask her, studying the tea set. The pieces seem rather fragile, and add a spark of color to the room with their red and pink floral designs. I can't help but wonder if Hanako was the one to pick it out.
There is the slightest of clinks as Hanako accidentally clips the teapot against the cup that she's pouring into. She inhales sharply; she must be nervous. She isn't usually so tense and self-conscious.
I'm not sure what to say, because I don't know why she's nervous; Lilly steps in herself, apparently realizing the shift in her mood.
"It's okay, Hanako. There's no need to be nervous." Hanako seems to find some confidence in this and easily pours the next two cups.
"Here you are...Lilly...Hisao." She carefully places a cup and saucer in front of us.
"Thank you, Hanako." Lilly says.
"Yeah, thanks." I add in.
"Y-You're welcome." Hanako replies, smiling for the briefest moment before it fades away behind her anxiety.
Lilly carefully probes for her cup before lifting it and sipping delicately. Once reassured that it isn't scalding hot, I do the same, carefully holding the cup with both hands to ensure I don't drop it accidentally.
There's a hint of something delicious that I can't define. I suspect that the tea is strong enough for everyone else to taste it in full, but I can't. My sense of taste is diluted due to repeated burns and other accidents. It tastes better than the tea we normally drink at school, though, which is little more than scented water to me.
"This is good." I say truthfully, because it is. What little I can taste makes me happy, even as my mood falls because I can't really enjoy the warmth of it to the fullest.
"Looks like you picked the right one, Hanako. You've done well, even if it was a bold move." Hanako's smile returns, redoubled. It's a cute expression, and I force myself to look back towards my tea to avoid being caught staring.
"I'm glad you like it." Hanako finally relaxes, tasting her own cup as well. It's nice to see her calmer. I want to help her be like this more often.
...Because I won't be able to have this forever. I have to act now, before my sun disappears underneath the horizon, too.
Everything is calm for a while. If anyone is disturbed by the silence, they make no mention of it. This atmosphere feels much like the tea room, though even more removed. A little room, hidden from reality. I wonder what the others are thinking right now. Here, all alone, I can almost forget...
Without really thinking, I pull out the small pill bottle that I received today from the Nurse. It's pretty small. I don't know how such a thing would be able to help my condition, but it is supposed to work in conjunction with everything else.
"W-What's that?" Hanako asks me. I hadn't meant for anyone else to see it. Oh well.
"It's my new medication." I admit. Between the whole Kenji thing, my pleasant dream, and worrying about Emi, it completely slipped my mind. I haven't really done it enough to make it a habit yet...
"Ah...Do you need to...?" Lilly asks awkwardly, apparently unsure whether or not she should be asking.
This is...no good. I don't want this to hang above us.
"No. I don't start on it until tomorrow. But it probably won't help even if I do take it." I say, putting the bottle back in my pocket. "It shouldn't matter much either way. It's just one of dozens."
"H-Have any...h-have any of t-them...?" Hanako tries to ask.
"Have any of them worked? Not really. One of them gave me a little bit of sensation back, but also caused debilitating headaches, so I got taken off of those fast." I say, sadly. "That one was the best. Most of the others didn't do anything to help." And some of them are worse. I don't want to talk about Trial 11. Suddenly I'm not sure if I can keep talking about it, but I keep going.
"But I keep trying to take trials anyways, because my condition degenerates, right? Nothing's ever worked yet, but I-I can't stop trying. I'm not the only one with this condition so far, s-so if they cure me then no one else will ever have to worry about this..."
"Hisao, you don't have to tell us this if you don't want to..." Lilly says, suddenly seeming alarmed.
"I have to!" I exclaim. "Because...you guys need to know, h-how to deal with me if..."
Side effects.
"...This..." I realize breathlessly.
Mood swings.
"I'm sorry." I say, suddenly exhausted. My head swims with a variety of thoughts, none of which are relevant. "My medication..."
But what about before? When I was...was that a mood swing, too? Or something else?
"Do you need me to get the Nurse?" Lilly questions, worried. I quickly shake my head.
"No. No. I just realized...mood swings. My medication is causing mood swings. T-This has never happened before..." I say. "I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to apologize for, Hisao. This is hardly your fault." Lilly admonishes. I shrug.
"I guess." My hands trace the fluffy carpet beneath me and I realize that I can feel something odd.
This is...!
"I-Is something wrong?" Hanako manages to ask, peering at me from under her bangs.
"I think I can...feel this..." I reply wonderingly.
Temperature. Texture. The soft surface is cool under my wandering hand, parting as my fingers comb through it.
"Amazing..." I whisper, running my hand along the wooden table, touching a finger to the smooth teacup to feel its warmth. This isn't the first time I've been able to...but it's such a novel experience...
"Hanako..." I ask impulsively, "Can I hold your hand?"
Wait, what?
"W-Wha...?" Hanako starts, mouth open. I shake my head, remembering.
"S-Sorry, you don't have to, I'm just..." I run my hand along my other, tracing the scars left behind through years of congenital analgesia. They feel...odd. Not soft like my other skin, but a texture I don't know how to describe.
"I-If...you w-want..." Hanako whispers suddenly, blushing, and my head snaps towards her. I didn't think she would be okay with it, but...
"Are you sure?" I ask. She nods firmly.
"O-Okay. Um..." I shift towards her a bit. "I-I guess...just pass me your hand...?"
I'm really not sure how I'm supposed to approach this. I can feel a prickling in my cheeks as she swallows heavily before shakily offering me her right hand.
Wait, her right-
Before either of us can change our minds, I quickly, but gently, accept the proffered hand, tucking mine underneath and wrapping my fingers around hers. This gesture...this gesture isn't lost on me at all.
"I…" I change my mind about talking and say nothing at all, gently running the tips of my fingers across hers, my eyes staring at the skin of her right wrist.
Her scarred right wrist. I don't ever move my hand from their placement underneath her, restricting my movements only to her fingers.
I chance a peek at her face and realize with a shock that she is staring at my scars, too; the faded burns from too-hot objects and the cuts that mark my skin. It isn't as bad as it could have been, but…
Is she finding some kind of comfort in this, too?
"Thank you, Hanako." I say quietly.
"N-No. Thank you."
A/N: We're assuming the medication took 1-2 hours to kick in. It seems like standard ingested medication takes about an hour or so to take full effect so we'll assume the same for here.
Caught a major error in which the chapter claimed that Hisao was the only one with HSAN-6. This is absolutely not the case.
