Lenny sat there, how could the nurse know about his name? Instead he looked around as the School Nurse got the file with the paperwork that this student had. Lenny looked up to see who it was.
"It feels like where I was this morning." Lenny began. The School Nurse looked at Lenny before giving a soft laugh.
"Well, not exactly. For instance, we don't do brain surgery here." The School Nurse tried his best to explain. Hisao was sitting there almost remembering what the nurse told him. His joke feels so out of place that left Hisao remembering and Lenny thinking why he even said it.
"Yeah... just that it's really weird to have so many medical people at a school." Lenny tried his best to explain to the Nurse. He just laughed while accepting Lenny's giggle.
"You'll get used to it." The Nurse softly explained. Lenny was not so sure of that himself but he didn't let the nurse know. "Now, let me just find your file again..." The Nurse explained to Hisao. He thought that he might be dealing with two people with heart problems. While he searches for something from his computer and shuffles stacks of papers around, Lenny and Hisao let their gazes wander around the room. It's the epitome of the generic, Hisao always remembered it to be like to say. Beige walls and ceiling, dark gray laminate flooring, and all the equipment you'd expect from a school nurse's office. Even the ridiculous educational posters are hanging on all four walls, reminding me to eat properly - three times a day and from all the food groups. Smiling, the nurse draws a thick file from a stack of similarly thick files and opens it. "So Lenny, you already have medication for the arrhythmia, just remember to take your pills every morning and evening or it won't be much help. Apart from that... Do you do any sports? Rash stuff like... I don't know, boxing?" The Nurse asked. Lenny paused to think as the Nurse grins to his own joke but Lenny doesn't.
"Not really, I wasn't anything before I came here. I was more of an academic type. I believe all of my old teachers seemed to praise me for my work. Especially, my physics teacher who was a kind old man. I usually spend time in his club every Friday." Lenny explained that he wasn't a physical student as much as an academic one. The Nurse smiled before his smile faded and he got serious.
"All right, I'm afraid I'm going to have to recommend you from any sports activity. At least, for the time being. Me and Mutou are still working out your schedule as we only have homeroom and the last period finished." The Nurse explained that Lenny shouldn't do anything physical for the time being until they worked out everything and what Lenny's schedule was going to be.
"Oh." Lenny softly sighed. Hislack of reaction makes him raise an eyebrow, but really, he was not too bothered by him forbidding Hisao to kick a ball around for the time being until everything was worked and Emi had to guess Lenny never did it out of burning passion for any type of sport. Just to have something to do.
"Any kind of concussion might be very dangerous to your heart and risking another attack is not a good idea. Was the previous one caused by a sudden concussion to the chest area? There is no mention of the cause in your papers." The Nurse warned Lenny to take it easy until he found out what was going on. He mentioned the incident that happened though he didn't know what caused Lenny's heart to act up. Lenny knew he had to side step this question as he wasn't too comfortable bringing it up
"Err... not exactly." Lenny stuttered while trying to figure out what the heart attack was caused. Hisao heard Lenny sidestep the question acceptably, and the nurse glances at Lenny over his papers, with a more serious expression on his face.
"Still, you need to keep your body healthy so some exercise would do you good, we just aren't sure as of yet. We have physical therapy and such as I said, but I don't think you really need such heavy measures. Just get some light exercise regularly. Brisk walks or even light jogging, jumping rope, that sort of thing. Swimming, maybe? There's a pool here." The nurse explained that Lenny should try to take care of himself on a daily basis to strengthen his heart. Lenny sighed before Hisao began to speak up as if he remembered something.
"So I was told." Hisao sighed. The Nurse smiled as Lenny began to speak.
"Well that's great but try getting back to me later today if you have any plans on what my schedule is." Lenny explained that he should be tasked with working out on which classes he should be taking.
"You were? Very good. At any rate, and I'm sure you've been told this before, you just need to take care not to overexert yourself." The Nurse explained to Lenny that he should take it easy and not stress himself out to dangerous levels which could cause something like what he had experienced to happen again. He wags his finger to emphasize the point. No need really, Lenny must've heard this a thousand times already. "Absolutely no unnecessary risks. Take care of yourself."
"Okay." Lenny sighed as if he needed to cover with something. The Nurse goes over Lenny's papers one more time and sets them on the desk, obviously content.
"Good. That's it, then. I'll come to you later if I've worked out your schedule and what exercise you will need. You're free to come here if you need something." The Nurse explained. Lenny sighed as the bell rang for the Lunch period. Hisao and Emi looked over to see that he was good to go and that Lenny was going to need someone for company.
"A little insecure about your scarred chest?" Hisao began speaking to Lenny. Lenny was still somewhat panicky about what Hisao was trying to say.
"Y… y… yes." Lenny stuttered a bit. He was moreover scared about what Hisao was going to say. Emi was waiting in the background while she got her prosthetic legs back on her stubby calves.
"I can see why; your scars haven't fully healed. You were out cold without your uniform buttoned up. I had a clear view." Hisao told Lenny. Emi walked over to Hisao, she was just as curious as he was about Lenny.
"So the school nurse told us your name was Lenny?" Emi asked if that was his name. Lenny didn't know what he was going to expect from this but someone was trying to talk to him. He began scooting himself farther into the corner while he bumped his head against the wall, he had nowhere else to go.
"That's his name alright." The Nurse replied. Lenny was still in the corner, pushing against the wall looking for a way out. Unfortunately for him there was no way out..
"Well, we're going to have lunch on the school roof if you feel invited. I think you should come hang out with us." Hisao told Lenny if he wanted to spend time with them. He walked over to the corner as he had to introduce himself. "I'm Hisao Nakai and this is my friend Emi Ibarazaki. You're Lenny Hirahi?" Lenny felt a little more calm than before when Hisao said his name. Hisao stuck out his hand for Lenny to shake it. Hisao's name sounded familiar and he remembered Emi saying her name to him this morning while on their way to the school. Maybe they could have a proper introduction this time.
"Yes… that's my name." Lenny replied. He felt awkward talking to new people but at least Hisao was friendly. "You sound familiar to me, Hisao and Emi. Am I dealing with the same girl as this morning?"
"Of course, me and Rin saw you on the train." Emi told Lenny that she had managed to see him for the first time that morning. Hisao was more interested in getting to know Lenny more.
"Nice to meet you, we're planning to have lunch on the school roof and we thought you wanted to come along with us so we can get to know you better." Hisao explained his plans and the fact that he wanted to take Lenny along with him for the ride.
"I guess… I'll… come then?" Lenny awkwardly stuttered at Hisao. Lenny was still having some trouble talking to Hisao as they went up and introduced themselves to him an it didn't help that Lenny was huddled in the corner as he didn't know what Hisao was going to say. Emi walked over to see him in the same spot.
"Don't be shy Lenny. I'll introduce you to my best friend Rin properly this time as I just said her name on the train, she's very talented with her feet and I was wondering if any of you could find something in common?" Emi tried to get Lenny to come out of his shell and make some new friends. Lenny wasn't entirely sure about that, especially with what happened earlier today. If it was just going to be the four of them sitting on the rooftop together, Lenny better make up his mind.
"Yeah… sure." Lenny told Emi and Hisao.
"Welcome aboard." Emi excitedly told Lenny while holding out her hand. Lenny grabbed it while she and Hisao helped pull him up. Smiling to himself, he decided that his curiosity was going to get the better of him and he needed to figure out who these people were. Grabbing his belongings, he began to follow Emi and Hisao. What was this girl who was talented with her feet? Lenny was ushered out before he even realized it. A quick visit, indeed.
Katawa Shoujo- Stride
After making their way out of the Nurse's office, they knew where they wanted to go but since they had wasted a couple of minutes, they might as well get going.
"We're going to the roof. Lenny, do you want to lead?" Emi asked Lenny if he was up to help walk over.
"No." Lenny replied. Emi smiled while resting her hands.
"That's fine, I can lead." Emi smiled before she headed off. Hisao followed behind with Lenny following behind. It was off to the roof to enjoy lunch. Hisao looked behind as he was setting a pace for Lenny to follow. He looked over to Lenny's heart monitor which was flashing steadily and it read out his vitals, beats per minute, pulse, systolic and diastolic heart beats. Hisao gently placed a hand on Lenny's chest to see how it felt. Hisao was impressed.
"Wow Lenny, you're doing great, for someone with a heart condition, your heart is working just fine." Hisao complimented his friend that he was doing okay, possibly even better than Hisao. Lenny blushed with embarrassment and looked away for a bit.
"Uh… thanks." Lenny softly told Hisao. The three of them with Emi at the lead made their way from the medical auxiliary building and back to the main school building. Lenny was still nervous about his first day at Yamaku while they continued to walk along.
Eventually the three of them would make their way to the school rooftop where Lenny was still chatting with Hisao about what was going on regarding what his day was going to had a few stacks of papers while Emi went to go look for her friend.
"I have the morning periods with you,I believe my girlfriend has first and last period with you and her friend Lilly has an afternoon period with you since it's only just that one period. We get out at one so we have more of an afternoon to ourselves. I helped take your notes when we heard you fainted." Hisao handed Lenny the notes he had jotted down for Lenny to copy into his notebook.
"Well thanks… I guess." Lenny was trying to get over pausing midway through his sentences when they noticed a girl was laying in the gravel of the rooftop, she was wearing the boy's uniform with the sleeves tied up somewhere near the top of her arms.
Katawa Shoujo- Parity
"Well Rin, I see you're taking the sun in when you heard we were running a little late?" Emi began while Rin was staring a bit into space.
"I believe so, the clouds are telling me that bright days are ahead, I wonder what themes I can do for my paintings coming up?" Rin asked while she was laying on the ground. Emi walked over and helped Rin to her feet while the latter could do it herself though it was much easier for her friend to pull her up in a pinch. "Thanks again Emi." Rin told her friend while Emi was dusting her off.
"No problem." Emi told Rin. Rin turned her head to see Hisao and Lenny. Hisao she could remember but who was this blonde kid that was standing next to him.
"Who is he?" Rin asked. Lenny stood there nervously while Rin was beginning to find out who he was. "I kind of recognize him on the train ride over this morning but I was thinking too much into my video to really care."
"That Lenny Hirahi, he just got transferred here." Emi told Rin who the new kid was. She then got between the two of them and she began the introductions. "Lenny, this is Rin, she's my best friend here."
"Nice to meet… you?" Lenny tried his best to be social. This was his first day and he was having a bit of a hard time adjusting to all of these new people. It was all tiny steps going forward from there. He looked away for a bit as if he was still trying to hide something. Rin didn't really care for that.
"Nice to meet you too." Rin replied. "Who's ready for lunch?" Lenny looked back as the invitation of lunch sounded promising and maybe a little calming.
The four students sat down and began eating their lunch away. Rin was obviously using her feet while she ate. Emi was sitting next to her while Lenny and Hisao were sitting together.
"So Lenny, what made you transfer here to Yamaku Academy in the first place?" Hisao asked Lenny why he came here in the first place. Lenny began to think about what went wrong before he was taken to the hospital.
"It was about family." Lenny began. He paused as the heart monitor was flashing a little faster than before. "I wanted to talk to my friend about it but I felt like some had cut the air off to my body and I couldn't breathe at all. I collapsed to the ground and black out from there. I'm still not sure how I am still alive though when I first woke up in the hospital ward. Everyone left me the longer I stayed there. The doctor even told me that I was dead to my friends because he wanted me to make all new ones." Lenny nervously explained to the others what happened, the heart monitor continued to flash slightly faster every few seconds while Lenny was trying to keep himself together.
"So you had a heart attack just like me?" Hisao asked Lenny if this was true.
"Yeah, I believe so." Lenny replied. He felt bummed out from his hospital stay when he heard the doctor say that all of his friends thought he was dead. The heart monitor began to calm down as Emi interrupted the crowd. Hisao wanted to empathize with Lenny but Emi's interjection had scattered any thoughts he could possibly have.
"Let's eat then, my morning run has made me hungry." Emi told the crowd while she got out her lunch. Lenny did the same as he chose the smallest box out of the bunch. Hisao began to eat while thinking of what he was going to say to Lenny if he wanted to help him get his spirits up.
"Listen Lenny, making friends isn't too difficult, even on my first day this place seemed to be alien to a person such as myself, but you learn to get used to it the more time passes by. I'm friends with a few people here and I'm grateful for the people that are always here, Emi, Rin, Hanako, Lilly and a few others who I get to know about." Hisao began speaking to Lenny that his first day was going to be off. "Once you get used to your surroundings, you'll make yourself a home. We'll show you your dorm later today when you get settled down." Hisao reassured Lenny that they will do everything they could to make him comfortable.
"A good look… look around the… place will… do me good." Lenny tried his best to speak in a long sentence but he was pausing in a few spots as he didn't know what to say at all.
"You're learning. You won't be nervous when we get you settled. Mutou told me about you when I was having my science class with him and I asked where you were and he said you were in the nurse's office as you had mysteriously fainted." Hisao patted Lenny on the back telling him there was nothing to really worry about while Emi was stealing some of Hisao's food.
"That morning's run certainly has built up an appetite in me." Emi told Hisao why she was taking his food away from him.
"It's fine Emi." Hisao told Emi that she was fine while Emi was shoveling the food down her throat. Hisao then turned to Lenny while he was finishing his own food. "So what do you plan on doing this afternoon?" Hisao asked Lenny if he had any plans on what he wanted to do. Lenny was in thought and he tried to think of where he wanted to go next. Everyone seemed to have brought themselves as they were a tempting target like fish in a pond with him as a worm of the fisherman.
"I would like to get to know Emi a bit more, I think she was the first person who pulled me out of my shell. Don't know if I am willing to crawl back in there? Or Rin, I'm still not entirely sure." Lenny made his mind up that he was going to spend it with Emi and Rin. Rin was eating her food with her feet when she heard that Lenny wanted to spend time with them but at the same time Lenny didn't pause while speaking.
"Great, I'll show you around the art room and you two can decide it out from there." Rin replied. Hisao nodded while looking at Lenny.
"You're getting used to being around here, but I do feel kind of bummed out that you aren't going to meet Hanako and Lilly for the afternoon.." Hisao sighed at the last part. "You'll meet them for class but for a relaxing out of classroom socialization, maybe another day." Lenny felt bad that he wasn't going to be meeting Hisao's friends straight away but he didn't want to spend the time with just Emi and Rin. He began to think of what to do to make Hisao better.
"When do you think we should hang out?" Lenny asked while he was looking at his pulse monitor, it was still flashing steadily as Lenny wasn't stressing himself out as much.
"We should do it maybe tomorrow; we get out at one in the afternoon so we can head to the library and meet each other there. Hopefully you bring something of interest for us." Hisao was being nice to Lenny and setting up where they were going to meet and hang out for the first time.
"Yeah I think it's time we should be getting ready to go back to class. It was nice chatting with you." Rin told everyone that they shouldn't be out here and chatting all day. Emi got out her phone and looked at the time.
"You're right Rin, we have a few minutes." Emi replied. She got up after finishing her food. She then slipped a note to Lenny. "We'll see you there after one." Emi began to walk off as Rin finished her food and decided to lead Hisao with the mess. She had no arms to help clean up after herself. Lenny got up and noticed the note that had been slipped to him. He picked it up and opened it. Inside it contained a location of where the Art room was going to be. Lenny took the piece of paper and slipped it into the notes of where he was going to use it to get there.
"Take care, Hisao, if you want to help me with my dorm? Let me know." Lenny softly told Hisao that he better get going. Hisao nodded and began to clean up his friends' messes.
"I'll have Lilly call you when we get you settled down tonight." Hisao told Lenny. Lenny nodded before he got up and left. He had that last period left before he was free for the rest of the day. Hisao remembered something as Lenny was just about to head down the stairs. "Wait Lenny, can I escort you to your next class?" Hisao asked Lenny if he was up for an escort. Lenny nodded softly as they began to walk along together.
"I think once we figure out your schedule as we only have most of the periods filled out, your academic classes to be exact. Maybe we should be able to figure out where to go next when it comes to this. It will be done tonight." Hisao continued to explain to Lenny about the schedule and the holes that needed to be filled regarding the classes.
"Okay…" Lenny sighed. It was clear he was still feeling a little down about everything. Then two girls stepped from the shadows and walked over to greet Hisao and Lenny.
"Hey Hisao." Hanako greeted him softly. The second girl walked over as she seemed to be a couple inches taller than Lenny.
Katawa Shoujo- Concord
"I see that you've gotten yourself a new friend." Lilly's voice greeted them. She sighed while having a calm, collected smile on her face though her blue eyes were fogged up. Lenny looked a bit like Lilly but he was slightly shorter with shorter blonde hair that was more or less fluffy.
"Who is he?" Hanako nervously asked. Lenny seemed to be frightened by Hanako's words and hid behind Hisao. Hanako's nervousness must've scared him. Hisao turned to Lenny.
"It's okay there's nothing to be scared about." Hisao told Lenny that there wasn't something to really be afraid of. Hanako looked at Lenny, was there someone more scared and ridden with anxiety than her? For Hanako this was someone she was curious about. "Sorry that's Lenny Hirahi, he just transferred here today and he's still getting his bearings around here." Hisao apologized to Lilly and Hanako. Lilly walked over as Hisao moved aside.
"It's okay Lenny, I will not hurt you." Lilly began as she gently touched his hands. Lenny was a little nervous but with Lilly trying her best to get his trust. "Want some tea, I think something like that would calm you down." Lilly asked for Lenny to join her if they were going to have tea again for the class. Lenny thought about it and decided to make up his mind.
"All right. I think something like this would be… good." Lenny replied. He sighed as he couldn't come up with any other words for his choice. He had to settle on a word as bland as good. For Lenny, he didn't know about Lilly and Hanako as they escorted him into the classroom.
For Lenny the inside of the classroom which was English was a very relaxed setting as the students weren't given much. Lilly was the representative of the class as she was the best at speaking the language. Hanako liked it for relaxing and the gentle atmosphere. Maybe their new classmate would like it too? He sat down the two of them as Lilly fumbled around looking for a few tea cups. After finding what she needed. She got them out and placed them around the three of them. Lilly eventually decides to begin pouring tea for them while Hanako nervously takes a pastry from the center. Lenny sat there as he was unable to figure out what to do.
"Are you scared?" Lilly asked Lenny if he was feeling nervous. Lenny began to feel his heart race as he didn't know how to react. Was Lilly tempting him to play with his fate? Lenny closed his eyes and began to think. What was it that Lilly had asked? Was he afraid of her? Lenny thought Lilly didn't sound too scary and maybe there could be some truth to all of this. Lenny sighed as he knew he had to be honest with Lilly.
"Lilly, I'm not doing too well." Lenny began. Hanako and Lilly looked at him. Hanako scooted over to figure out what was wrong with Lenny, he was having a hard time opening up to them.
"Is there something wrong?" Hanako asked Lenny. She paused as she began to think about his condition. Lilly calmly placed a hand on Hanako's shoulder as she wanted to make sure Hanako wasn't working herself up over nothing.
"Don't worry Hanako, give Lenny some time, this is his first day after all and he isn't willing to spill his secrets." Lilly calmly explained to Hanako that there was no need to go out of her way to try to influence him in the wrong direction by accident.
"Okay." Hanako sighed. She wanted to see what was wrong with her friend so she could figure out how to solve it.
"Look Hanako, I know you're a little excited but it's best we give him some time." Lilly explained to Hanako. Lilly turned her head to Lenny. "Sorry for Hanako, she gets pretty excited for students she hasn't seen before. This wasn't her months ago as she usually locked herself away and social interaction was impossible for her." Lilly explained. Lenny looked away as if he didn't want to speak to any of them. Hanako turned to Lilly.
"Is there something wrong with him?" Hanako asked. Was Lenny choosing to not interact with them?
"I mean we have to try our best to get him to speak. He doesn't seem like he wants to chat with any of us." Lilly explained.
Katawa Shoujo- Painful History
"I think he doesn't want to say what is wrong other than he's not doing too good." Hanako tried her best to speak. If Lenny wasn't going to say anything, she might as well try to get something inside of him lit up. Hanako walked over and hugged Lenny.
Lenny felt his eyes open to see that a pair of arms were wrapped around him, was it Hanako trying to give him some warmth? Lenny turned around to see Hanako inches away from him. With how Hanako was hugging him, Lenny didn't retaliate as he just accepted it. Hanako realized something, what this new student needed was warmth. Someone to like him. Hanako released Lenny and she began to speak.
"It's okay, we've all got dark secrets, don't spill them out on the first day. The time will come I promise you. We're here to listen and to help." Hanako expressed to Lenny that if he had any trouble, he should come and pay them a visit and they could try to work something out. Lenny began to feel a little more calm maybe since Hanako had just hugged him.
"I'm feeling a little better. Thank you Hanako." Lenny finally said. Hanako gave a soft smile, a little bashful as if she was making another friend that was in her shoes months before she met Hisao.
"I'll be here for you." Hanako told Lenny. Then the bell rang, class was over today and it was now out the door. Lenny gathered his belongings and decided to try to find where Rin wanted him to go. He didn't say anything to Hanako as he headed out of the door. He didn't want to admit that he nearly broke down in front of them. Hanako was curious to see what was eating at him.
Lenny went to the room where the art club was going to be held. He was nervous but not as tense as before. He just hoped that he was going to the correct room. He opened the door to see Rin and a couple of other people inside. It must've been their off day.
Katawa Shoujo- Parity
"Oh Lenny, I wasn't expecting you to be here." Rin began. It wasn't the usual day for the art club to get together. This left Rin as the sole person in the room.
"This room looks nice; do you often get together?" Lenny asked. He was busy looking around the art room while taking in some of the paintings that had been put together here. He was curious. Rin paused her painting and began to think about when the club would often meet to do paintings
"Only on Mondays, I come here every day like an animal heading to drink at the lake." Rin told Lenny that she was here every day after class and working on something.
"These canvases look nice, did you do them all?" Lenny asked Rin if he managed to do all of these herself. Rin began to look at Lenny as if she was a bit puzzled. She began to count them up herself. Ones that had her name in black lettering were hers. That she painted herself. After double counting the number of paintings she had, she turned to Lenny and began speaking to him.
"Only some of them, the more complicated pictures I did, and I did them with my feet." Rin replied about the pictures that were made. Lenny looked at them with awe and then she looked at some of the pictures that the other students had made. "There is a big event regarding the art club where students get together to display their creative talent in a couple of weeks and it's wearing me down." Rin told Lenny that the club was doing something big but that wasn't what Lenny was interested in. He was curious about Rin's feet
"Do you use your feet for everything?" Lenny asked Rin if this was possible. Rin began to think about it and after a couple of moments of thinking, she turned to answer his question.
"I do not in fact, some things are out of reach for my feet like cleaning and opening doors. I sometimes have to use my mouth for certain tasks which my mother said not to do as I would break my teeth. Clothing and cleaning myself is hard without arms. I would have someone help me out with that." Rin replied about the difficulties it would be to have no arms and do everything. Lenny began to think that it sounded a little painful if she was going to use her teeth for certain tasks.
"Well let's see what you can do with your feet." Lenny told Rin. Rin stood there while getting an eyeful of her new friend. They ran into each other this morning and not much was known. She continued to think before she had an idea. Lenny went over and grabbed a bunch of colors for Rin to use, a paint brush and an empty canvas for Rin to paint on. He brought everything over to where Rin was sitting. "What colors do you want?" He would ask nervously, it was like trying to carry a glass package and Lenny was making sure not to break it..
"Give me the basics." Rin replied. Lenny nodded. He began squirting out pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, white and black for Rin to use. He got down and sat behind the canvas as he didn't want to spoil himself while Rin was painting. Rin began to think, he was surely trying to open himself up though and he was acting in a rather shy yet polite manner. Lenny was still curious about Rin and he began to talk to her again.
"So, Rin, how long does it take for you to make these types of paintings?" Lenny would ask Rin if he could give her an average time.
"About an hour roughly." Rin replied. "Sometimes a couple of days depending on how much effort I want to put into it." She grabbed the paintbrush with her toes and she dabbed the brush into the paint and began painting away on the canvas. "Time seems to be non existent when you're having fun, the sun will continue to rise or fall depending on the time of day." Lenny was caught off guard by this notion, time being non-existent when it was just the two of them while Rin continued to paint her ideas down.
"It sure does, I don't know much about beauty when it comes to something like this. I've never really gotten the grasp of what art would teach me as growing up my teacher would think of nothing as boring as this." Lenny sighed as he began to remember what his teacher had told him in his words. "I wasn't so much the creative type."
"Some teachers like the art club teacher are nice most of the time, some are not so nice. It all depends on who you get. All the teachers here are pretty friendly especially when it's our mental health they look out for as much as our physical health. They want to make sure we are doing alright and if there was anything wrong, we would tell them about it, and they will come to some conclusion about it." Rin expressed to Lenny that it depended on who he got. "Did you get any problems like the one you have now growing up?" Rin asked Lenny if he had any other problems other than his heart. Lenny tried his best to think about it. After a minute of thinking and coming to no conclusion, he began speaking.
"I don't know for certain, what I did know was that I didn't have a good life until recently and I collapsed one day. I could have had my life taken away from me without any warning. Someone would take their fingers and scoop the living existence out of you when you feel miserable. Such as myself." Lenny expressed that he didn't know of his condition until very recently. "So, I came here and for the first day, I completely felt like I've embarrassed myself by feeling overwhelmed and passing out. I didn't even get to meet half of my teachers that day." Rin paused her painting as she began to think about what Lenny was trying to say, runaway emotions were just as destructive as one's physical condition. Rin went back to painting and she began to formulate her response.
"I feel sorry for you about that. At least you're okay and that's all that matters." Rin told Lenny that she felt some empathy for him. She turned and noticed the heart monitor which was flashing its light steadily while Rin continued to paint. "You have a monitor on your wrist? I think I know why you're afraid of being overwhelmed. Some things like that can happen and I try my best to make sure it doesn't."
"Yeah, my doctor says I need to keep it on my wrist at all times, it helps detect when I will have another incident." Lenny explained to Rin why he had a heart monitor on his wrist. Rin continued to paint the canvas with her feet as she tried to think of something else to talk about with Lenny.
"You're probably not good with being an artist?" Rin asked Lenny if this was going to be true. She was tracing back to when Lenny admitted he wasn't the most creative student and wouldn't come up with anything as crazy as Rin would say.
"I'm not in a sense but I don't understand how you are able to paint with your feet? I can't paint even with my own hands." Lenny told Rin while she continued to paint. Rin sighed while dabbing the paintbrush into the water. She wanted to make something like painting easy for the newcomer.
"I don't think it's hard, probably used to it by now." Rin told him. Lenny was silent while trying to think about what to say next. Rin dabbed the paint brush into the paint and continued to spread the colors over the canvas. "It's okay, you can say it, I won't get mad." Rin expressed that she wasn't going to get angry over some form of criticism.
"I'm not going to say anything until the painting is finished, I'm not judgmental to people I want to get to know more about." Lenny sighed as if he had been holding his breath in, the beeping of his heart monitor flashed slightly faster when he was holding his breath, he was trying to think of something that wouldn't upset Rin. Rin turned her eyes to face Lenny as she could sense that he was walking on his own eggshells around Rin. Possibly the same for Hanako.
"You're pretty sensitive, are you?" Rin asked Lenny if this was true. Rin wanted to see if there was something she wanted to say that would at least keep Lenny calm.
Katawa Shoujo- School Days
"Probably from being in the hospital for months at a time has made me a bit detached from reality and I'm having trouble adjusting to it." Lenny told Rin that this was going to be a lengthy process to reintegrate back into society especially if he was out of it for so long. Rin nodded while she closed her eyes and began to mostly reflect on what Hisao told her and what she knew when he first came to Yamaku.
"Hisao was in the hospital for about four months before coming here and he was pretty cynical about coming here thinking it was a step down from what he used to attend to." Rin began speaking of the student they had lunch with earlier that day. "He managed to adjust pretty fine and still hangs out with us from time to time. How was your experience first coming here? Did you feel anything different compared to Hisao?" Rin asked Lenny if he had anything similar or different to Hisao when he first entered Yamaku Academy. Lenny knew he had to retrace the events of this morning and tell them to Rin.
"When I first went through the gates of Yamaku, I felt nervous, but the school was inviting, and I just went in without any problems. I wanted to make the most of my first day, met my science teacher Mutou and then when I said my doctor wanted me to make more friends, he told me to go out there but didn't give any instructions or direction in doing so, and… I ended up passing out as a result." Lenny recalled his experience from that morning when he first entered. "I still don't know what my classes are nor have I gotten a proper schedule." Rin paused as she took the information in regarding Lenny and how he retraced everything from this morning. Rin came to the conclusion:
"So, this is your first day here?" Rin asked while she continued to paint the canvas with her feet.
"Yeah, this is my first day." Lenny replied. Rin giggled to herself before giving a small smile. She knew what it was like for people to make a first impression that they weren't proud of.
"I've seen people embarrass themselves on their first day, Lenny so I know what it must be like." Rin spoke about her experiences and what she saw in the school. "We're all a very big group and I'm sure you're not the only person who has gone through something that would cause them to faint."
"So, I'm not the one who seems to be unlucky?" Lenny asked.
"I believe so, I should just be about done, just need to get the finishing touches to this." Rin responded. She continued to paint the painting and realized she was missing a color. "Hey Lenny, can I have some more yellow please?" Rin asked, she needed more of a particular color if she was to finish her canvas. She managed to do the shading but not the lighting and maybe the yellow would suit some of her needs.
"Sure thing." Lenny replied. He got out the yellow paint and squirts a bit of it on the board where Rin was keeping her colors. Rin nodded while she began dipping the paint brush into the yellow paint and began painting around to simulate the light.
"What do you want to do after this?" Rin asked Lenny if he had any particular ideas on what he wanted to do after this. Did he want to make another painting or call it a day and leave. Lenny began to think about it and gave it some thought, the heart monitor was flashing steadily as Lenny was relaxed and in his state of thought.
"I can try to do a painting if you wish, I don't know how good it will turn out if it turns into a bunch of splatters like someone dumped the paint bucket all over it. I'll sit out painting as I have no artistic ideas unless I have the directions." Lenny told Rin that he wasn't sure if he could give painting a try, but Rin understood him a bit. He was more used to organization instead of being free in terms of his mind and spirit. Rin paused as her eyes looked like they had gone soft.
"That's okay, I think everyone has their creative talent, we just need to find what you're good at." Rin nodded to what Lenny had said. She was trying her best to remain positive in the face of the new student who was still working themselves out in an unfamiliar environment. Then dipped her brush into the black paint and began to put the last touch on the canvas. "All done." Rin then turned the canvas to Lenny to show what she painted, it was the sun rising over the horizon as if dawn had arrived.
"I think I might know what it is…" Lenny began speaking while trying to guess what the painting was. "...is it the sun coming up?" Lenny guessed if he was correct. Rin smiled before she began giving Lenny the answer.
"It is rising, for you. Welcome to Yamaku Academy Lenny. I even wrote my name on the bottom right corner to give you my trademark." Rin told Lenny what the painting was. Lenny was partially correct but Rin was able to give the painting more meaning. "It has to dry before I can give it to you." Rin was attempting to win Lenny over by painting something he would really enjoy and have as a memory. However it wouldn't be right if Lenny got his fingers on the wet paint that was on the canvas and messed everything up.
"That's okay so, what made you take up art in the first place?" Lenny asked Rin how she joined the club to begin with.
"I actually used it as a means of communicating with others as I have trouble making friends because I just confuse them like twisting my own tongue at times. I'm not one to really speak since I use my feet to do everything." Rin replied on how she took up art in the first place. Lenny looked around. Rin seemed to be odd especially when she was wearing a boy's uniform instead of the traditional girl's.
"I kind of see why you aren't one to take up a skirt or blouse like the other girls of Yamaku Academy." Lenny told Rin. Rin paused before she turned and got up. There were still a few secrets she had still hidden away for Lenny on his first day.
"I tried that during the first few days while I was here and having no arms made me get exposed to a whole host of problems I wasn't comfortable with. The boys kept seeing my panties and began trying to hit on me and I couldn't take it so with the help of my caretaker, we made the request to use the boy's uniform which I'm more comfortable wearing." Rin explained what had happened during her first days at this school. "Remember if there's anything you don't like about the uniformLenny walked over while the painting was still drying.
"It's ready isn't it?" Lenny asked Rin if the painting was dry.
"It won't be dry until tomorrow, I should take you back to your dorm. I think they have everything set up." Rin told Lenny that the paint was still wet and it would be unsuited to be carried away. Lenny nodded before he got up and began walking back to his dorm. Rin followed behind him while they made the trip.
"Oh. Okay. Anything else you want to talk about?" Lenny asked while they walked down the hallway.
"Nothing much I think I had my fill when it comes to this conversation, I will be blunt but I want to cut you loose." Rin explained to Lenny that she was out of ideas on what to talk about and therefore she was cutting him off.
"When do you want to talk to me again? Never?" Lenny asked, thinking Rin wanted him out of her face.
"Maybe tomorrow." Rin replied to what Lenny was asking. Lenny takes another sigh of relief thinking Rin was going to cut him off completely. They were walking down the hallway before they were interrupted by a familiar man and his fox-like smile.
Katawa Shoujo- Ah Eh I Oh You
"Ah, Mr. Hirahi, what a happy coincidence! Tezuka too, of course." The School Nurse greeted them. He nods courteously to Rin who does not acknowledge him back, then turns to Lenny because obviously it's him who he had some business with. This time he wanted to sound serious. "There is something I forgot to mention this morning." He began. Lenny nodded and waited impassively because he couldn't even begin to guess what he forgot. The feeling of the handle delving deeper into his skin doesn't make Lenny feel enthusiastic about this interruption, either. "It's about your medications. Since you haven't been that long on your current medications there might be some unexpected side effects, which might require adjusting dosages or even changing to another kind of medication. So we will do a few tests regularly, but what I'd want is for you to keep an eye on everything in your condition that feels off, if you get what I mean. Nausea, headache, anything. And come see me if something happens." Lenny sighed as the Nurse was just telling him about the required dosages sensing that
"All right." Lenny tried his best to formulate a response to the Nurse as he wanted to see what he could say. The Nurse smiled before he spoke to Lenny to see how his first day was going.
"So how are you? Everything is fine?" The Nurse would ask. Lenny felt uneasy, the Nurse was asking how his first day was going. Lenny gave up as he couldn't drop the subject to the floor before answering him. Apparently this takes longer than he could try to process what was going to happen. Lenny felt like he was about to say something generic as an answer, but then he realized how often he had done that lately. Other people have asked Lenny that too. Teachers and students here. His parents, visitors, nurses, doctors at the hospital. Everyone seems to be concerned about that. It's natural for a hospital, not so much for a school. Except this school. This is a small school, and both the student base and the faculty seem to be very tightly knit. At least that's the feeling I'm getting. And this is not the kind of school that gets transfer students too often. The thought sends shivers up his spine, but Lenny was forced to give a generic answer, anyway.
"Everything is fine." Lenny sighed. He was happy to get that off of his chest. The Nurse smiled as he was looking with approval.
"That's great. Also, one other thing. My sources tell me that you've been at neither the school track nor even the pool, even though this is your first day and you're most likely still settling in. So I'd like to know if you have thought of taking up exercising as I asked. Of course I haven't, but his way of inquiring gives me the feeling that I should've been running my ass off on the track since the very first day." The Nurse would tell Lenny. Lenny was forced to give a sigh as if he tried to figure out what was next.
"You have people spying on me?" Lenny asked. He wanted to see what was going on. Was he being watched? The Nurse just smiled as he knew that he was only joking.
"Not as such. I just happen to know a few people. But that's not the issue here, so don't try to slip out of it." The Nurse told Lenny that he wasn't being spied on but it seemed to be that he needed some form of confidence.
"Well, my schedule still isn't known whether I would be taking up an exercise or not. It seemed to be that I figured out what would be laid out for me." Lenny tried his best to tell the Nurse that some parts of the schedule were still blank and needed to be patched together if he was to follow the class routine. The Nurse nodded as he listened. He was interested as there was still indeed some stuff to patch together especially the physical stuff. For the Nurse, he needed to speak to Lenny personally.
"Tezuka, would you give us a second?" The Nurse would ask. Rin nodded, then the Nurse grabbed Lenny by the shoulder after shortly waiting for Rin's permission which he didn't need in the first place and dragged him aside. The Nurse's smile disappeared as he was now being serious with Lenny. "When I told you to exercise I wasn't joking. I understand that you are still in your first day and all, but please don't ignore the importance of this. The reason I'm coming down this hard on you is that habits are not easy to form. The more you slip and postpone, the harder it'll be. It's the same with everything, like dieting. Can you promise me to be more serious about this from now on?" The Nurse asked Lenny if he was going to take up exercise as a means of fixing his heart condition and more importantly any type of problems he might have.
"Yeah, I promise. Definitely." Lenny replied as it seemed to be that the Nurse had the best interest in him. The Nurse studies Lenny for a moment and then shrugs, smiling again. He had taken into approval what Lenny had said.
"Okay. That's more like it. If you go to the school track tomorrow morning, you'll meet my 'spy,' who probably has no qualms offering consultation to you if you want to jog a bit." The Nurse told Lenny that he was happy with the decision he just made but he was more or less confused about this spy and what did that one word mean to him?
"Consultation?" Lenny asked as if he was puzzled. He didn't know what exactly the Nurse wanted from him. The Nurse instead decided to head on off without explaining.
"See you around." The Nurse would tell Lenny before he got up and left. He leaves with a wave of his hand and no answer, and Lenny walks to Rin who has been waiting, idly leaning against the hallway wall and staring at the pale lighting fixtures in the ceiling. Even when he approaches, she doesn't move her eyes off them.
"Are you getting medications for your heart thingy?" Rin asked curiously as her head finally tilted downward to see what Lenny had in mind.
"Were you listening?" Lenny asked Rin. It comes out more accusatory than he intended, accidentally lashing out on her. But even so, Lenny doesn't really want to start talking about it. He just met Rin, he doesn't know her. It's not her business. The nurse seems to be happily ignorant about confidentiality too, talking about that kind of thing in public. But it's not Rin's fault, is it? Lenny looks up at her, suddenly feeling a bit guilty, but Rin is just staring past his shoulder quizzically, her head tilted like a bird's. Sigh. Lenny doesn't know why this is so hard for him. It feels like there is some inexplicable lock that prevents him from being more upfront about this. He had to tell Rin the truth.
"...yeah. They're for my heart." Lenny admitted. He felt like he wanted to look away out of embarrassment, he made progress with Rin but this one moment seemed to have it all reversed on him because of that one decision. Rin looked up, she was concerned.
"Will they make you better?" Rin asked. She wanted to see if she was able to make Lenny feel a little bit better about himself.
"...no, not really. They just make me a little less worse." Lenny sighed. He just looked away as if something was eating at him again. He wanted to leave the scene and find somewhere to hide. Rin keeps looking at me for a while longer, and she neither says anything further, nor displays any kind of emotion Lenny could discern. After a couple minutes of reflection, he was thankful that she didn't. Lenny thinks he was still not quite used to all this. At the hospital it was easy, but he still hasn't sorted his feelings about having to live a 'normal' life with this disability. "Thank you for being patient with me, I needed something to reflect on." Rin gave a small smile before she began to speak.
"It;s fine, I mean we're all here for each other right?" Rin asked. "I'll get you to your dorm so you can settle down." Lenny and Rin walked off together as Rin's words were rubbing off on him. Was Rin thinking she could patch everything together? It was still too early to tell.
The trip to the boy's dorm felt like a long walk from the art classroom. Rin and Lenny were chatting away as Rin tried her best to get the door for Lenny and open it. Lenny opened the door up himself as they both walked in. The building on the outside was made of red bricks but that wasn't so much of a bother. The two of them wandered around the first floor looking for the stairwell. Despite the ornate exterior, the inside of the dorm is fairly new, functional, and boring. Just like in the main building, the halls and doors are wide to accommodate wheelchairs. The same goes for the elevators at the ends of the hallways. Lenny and Rin poke their heads around the corner of the common room door. Inside, a few students are watching the television. One nods and gives a quick 'hello' before turning back to the TV. Seems that only the girls around here are sociable. Lenny supposed that's perfectly fine with him. They climbed the stairs to the upper floor.
Here, small corridors branch off from the main hallway. Each of these minor halls seems to have a toilet and shower, as well as four rooms. About halfway down the hall, Rin and Lenny were still chatting about what the school had to offer when they were joined by Emi who was running down the hallway. She collided into Lenny and they fell over.
Katawa Shoujo- Standing Tall
"Ow." Lenny began while he gritted his teeth. He felt like his heart was going to collapse as someone had knocked into him. He was clutching his chest while waiting for his heart to calm down. The monitor was flashing faster than normal but it was quick to slow down. After the moment had passed, he looked up to see who crashed into him. "Oh Emi, I didn't expect you." Lenny told Emi before offering her hand to help him up. Emi took Lenny's hand and pulled him up. Rin looked at Emi as if she wanted to ask him a question about what she was doing in the hallway.
"Emi, what did I tell you about running, you aren't going anywhere." Rin replied in a deadpan style that Emi couldn't understand. "You could have hurt the person you crashed into
"I wanted to tell you that Hisao has Lilly with him and they want to get you settled into your dorm, your personal belongings are just outside." Emi told Lenny that Hisao needed to see him at once. Lenny nodded and began to speak.
"Well if you want to bring me to Hisao, you lead the way." Lenny told Emi that she had to lead the way if they were to get to his dorm without getting lost. Emi giggled before she began to lead the way with Lenny and Rin following behind. With fifty rooms per floor this was a small school but there were still plenty of floors to climb to reach the said dorm. Lenny walked down the hallway to where his dorm was in its own minor hall. "Room 219 I didn't know I was on the fifth floor." Lenny began as he looked around to see what it was. It turned out rooms 217, 218 and 220 were all vacant meaning Lenny was alone. He turned and knocked on door 219 to see who was there. The door opened as Hanako, Hisao and Lilly walked out at the entrance of his dorm with his personal belongings.
Katawa Shoujo- Air Guitar
"I've seen you've spent some time with Rin for today." Hisao began talking. "We managed to finish unpacking and everything is organized." Lenny tried to think over what he was going to say to Hisao. He wanted to talk to him about Rin while Hanako was standing left, Lilly right and Hisao on center stage.
"Yeah, Rin is very talented and I had a lot of fun talking to her. She painted a sunrise to signal my welcome to the school." Lenny told Hisao. Hisao heard about this before giving a nod to Lenny and Rin.
"That's very nice of you." Hisao nodded with a smile to Rin. Rin nodded back as she didn't have anything to say.
"We sent Emi down the hallway as your schedule for Yamaku has been filled out. It turns out you're in a strange mix in terms of students." Hanako began. "You have classes with me, Lilly, Emi and Hisao."
"Well… thanks… I guess." Lenny tried his best to formulate a sentence as the first day of being at the new school was still making him nervous.
"It's okay there's nothing to be scared about." Hanako replied. Hisao looked at Lenny as if he wanted to give some words for him. Hisao then handed Lenny a pair of keys.
"These are for your dorm Lenny, you deserved them. First day in the books." Hisao explained to Lenny that the keys were his. Lenny looked at his keys as if he wanted to say thank you but he still seemed too nervous to. Lilly began speaking next.
"If you lose them, we'll contact the front desk for a spare set until we can find the one that you lost, keep them on a keychain so you know where they are at all times." Lilly instructed Lenny about his keys and what to do if he lost the ones for his dorm. "I've lost my keys plenty of times due to the fact that I'm blind."
"Okay." Lenny replied. He took the key and inserted it into the lock and the door unlocked. Once the click was heard. Lenny opened the door and began to enter. Hanako and Lilly followed behind while she continued speaking.
"I was bummed out that you weren't visiting the library after school concluded, where were you?" Lilly asked Lenny that she didn't get to know him that much due to his lack of presence that day.
"I was in the art room with Rin." Lenny answered Lilly's question. Lilly nodded while Hanako was unpacking the last few items into the dorm room.
"We spent much of the time after dinner setting your dorm up and we also filled your container with some water, just change the water every day for when you need to take your medication." Hanako began. "All you need to do is get yourself comfortable with your personal belongings once that is finished, we should begin getting yourself introduced to us properly tomorrow, I feel like you've met Rin and Emi already."
"There's more?" Lenny asked while he was unpacking his personal belongings and getting them set up around the room.
"Well yes." Hanako softly began. "There's Shizune and Misha whom you haven't ran into as of yet as they are the people who run the student council and will most likely grill you if you decided that you don't want to join." Hanako told Lenny who else he had to meet. Lenny nodded while getting out one of his pills to take.
"Sounds good… hopefully I can get settled down within a week or so." Lenny replied, he popped the pill into his mouth and drank some of the water that came with it. A knock on the door was heard as Emi came in to see how her friend was doing.
"Maybe go take a run around the track with me?" Emi playfully added, she wanted to see Lenny go running with her. Hanako looked at Emi. "When I looked at his schedule, I realize we have track together. It turned out my friend was able to notify him."
"What friend?" Hanako asked nervously. Lilly closed her eyes and placed her palms together.
"She's talking about the School Nurse. Hanako." Lilly softly expressed to Hanako. Hanako closed her eyes and began to think, the nurse wasn't so bad… right?
"As long as you're willing to care for him and let him get checked out by the nurse." Hanako told Emi that she was going to be looking out for Lenny if he got into any physical activity. "I really can't do it alone as much as I'm willing to try." Emi was left in an awkward position. She was a very friendly and outgoing person but trying to take care of someone who's problems were more than physical was going to be a challenge.
"Okay." Emi awkwardly told Hanako. Lenny took a few minutes to get comfortable when he looked around to the walls. They were a warm welcoming color, soft yellow colors, to Lenny and the others began to leave except for Lilly who began to speak to him.
"We picked this specific dorm out for you as we hoped it would match your personality. You seem pretty distant while we were in class today, I guess you weren't the one to chat." Lilly told Lenny about his distance that he was maintaining. Lenny felt like something was eating away at him as he couldn't describe it.
"I don't want to faint again like that morning." Lenny replied. Lilly tried to meet Lenny's gaze but she couldn't see him all that well.
"That sucks, I also hate being blind as I can't see someone's face or their hair that would match the color on the wall." Lilly admitted that her blindness was something she wasn't fond of much like Lenny's heart problems. "If you're feeling stressed out, give me a call and I can arrange some tea to help you calm down." Lilly looked down to see Lenny's heart monitor flash every few seconds. "A state of calmness I see?"
"It is. I promise I will come to the library tomorrow." Lenny swore to Lilly that he will visit her and get to know her a bit more. Lilly nodded before she got up and walked away. She then paused and looked back.
"Do you need help changing?" Lilly asked Lenny.
"I should be good." Lenny replied while he changed into his night clothing. Lilly pulled the covers open and decided to help tuck Lenny in for the night. Lenny laid in the bed while Lilly tucked him in for the night.
"Remember what I said for tomorrow?" Lilly asked Lenny.
"I'll remember for tomorrow." Lenny replied. Lilly leaned down before kissing Lenny on the forehead as if she was telling him goodnight. Lilly went over to the light switch and opened the door.
"Goodnight Lenny." Lilly told him before she flipped the light switch off and left the room.
Lenny looked around to the walls as the room had darkened for him, he was more tired than anything else regarding what happened today. He decided to go to sleep. He might as well try getting used to his new surroundings.
[A/N]: This is 10k words in just this one chapter as it was long enough already but now with more scenes and several changes the length has doubled. This will end up being a very long fic if I do more of the Emi related scenes. I'll let you know when the next chapter will be worked on.