A Good Book
selene Guest
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Post by selene on Jan 12, 2012 22:12:44 GMT -6
It started like a normal day. The alarm clock went off and she instinctively turned it off. She didn’t rise out of bed immediately, but she didn’t dare let herself laze about since it was a school day. And like any other school day, she wanted to make sure she was at school in a timely manner to start her studies. Kotomi washed up, brushed her teeth, got dress, and was downstairs making herself all within thirty minutes of awaking up. She sat down and ate in her lonesome house, not daring to read a book and lose track of time. Once finished, she cleaned up, grabbed her oversized lunch, and left for school. There was never anyone there beside herself, so there never a reason to say goodbye. There was never a reason to announce she was home.
The walk to school was pleasant as always. She saw other students walking to school, but she didn’t walk at the same pace as the others. Her steps were slow and careful. She made sure to walk at the same rhythm as always. It was her own little pace no one else seemed to be in tune with. Others rushed off to school to meet with friends, try to beg for homework to copy, or to generally be social. There were a few people even slower than her who seemed rather sleepy. Everyone was always on a different wavelength. It was interesting to watch. There seemed to always be so much variation in the world. Leaves on a tree never grew the same even though they came from the same tree. It was probably why people could be so different but come from the same place.
She arrived at school at her normal time and continued to follow her routine. Her outdoor shoes came off and her indoor shoes were put on in their place. She walked upstairs to the library, avoiding making eye contact with any particular person and went to her usual spot. She hadn’t decided on a book to start her studies, but she did feel a bit like reading French today. She hadn’t read anything in French in a few weeks. She slipped off her shoes placed her lunch against the wall. Her eyes skimmed through the list of titles, hoping to find a French book near her instead of having to travel the foreign language area. There weren’t any French books beside her, but there was something that caught her eye. It was a small book that she had read a long time ago. Kotomi picked it up and held it tenderly.
”Day before yesterday I saw a rabbit, and yesterday a deer, and today…”
A smile appeared on her face as she hugged the book. It brought back a fond memory. But memories were just things that happened in the past. And regardless how fond it might have been, if she let herself dwell too long upon it unhappy memories would come back too. She carefully placed the book back where she had found it. Since there were no French books here, she forced herself to get up and tiptoed through her quiet sanctuary. It was so peaceful and safe here. Most students were going to class by now, so she wasn’t going to be interrupted. In the foreign language section, there seemed to be a lack of books written in French. It was more like history books and learning French books. She would have to ask the librarian to order books for her. Her fingertip touched each title on the shelf, hoping for something to scream out at her. Instead, a loud sound disturbed her. There was bit of a crashing sound that startled her. She wasn’t really tempted to check it out since her finger finally landed on a book she was interested in. The dark haired girl picked up the book and instantly started reading it. She headed back to her spot, completely ignoring the world like usual. She was barely a part of the world outside of the book. There was no reason to try to investigate weird sounds or noises. She didn’t really like scary things. Besides, books were more welcoming than any outside presence. They gave her comfort, knowledge, and a chance to escape reality for a moment and experience something that wasn’t her life. Sometimes, that was all she ever wanted.
She kept reading the book, flipping through page after page as she walked back to her favorite spot. Kotomi sat down on her little cushion and pulled off her socks with her free hand, placing them in her shoe before turning the page. Physics in Italian was rather captivating. It went a little bit more into the history of things than the Japanese books did. The book was captivating. She couldn't absorb the information fast enough. It was rather thick but it wouldn't take too long. And once she was finished, she'd find another wonderful book. As she got close to the middle of the book, she stopped. This! This was important. This was something she needed. She pulled out a pair of scissors and snipped the page out of the book. She would keep this for later for herself.
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Post by Okazaki Tomoya on Jan 14, 2012 15:58:28 GMT -6
A burst of sunlight forcibly awoke him from his nap, and he finally allowed his eyes to open and fully wake himself up. The room was just as he had remembered it - completely empty with not a soul in it but him. The sunlight had ruined his nap, but he was unperturbed as he quietly left the barren classroom behind. He had successfully skipped class without any trouble, the only thing left to do now was to find a way to kill the time. The easiest and simplest way was to continue taking naps at random locations, often found from exploring the hallowed halls of the old school building. While it was very much in use, it was much easier for him to avoid detection as it was used less frequently then the newer buildings - especially the second floor which was almost exclusively only used for after school clubs. As he walked down the hall he noticed a room beside him with the sign "Closed" over it's doors - it was the library - but on closer inspection was actually cracked open by a hair.
"Is this door unlocked?"
He mused out loud to himself. The door gave little resistance as he slid is aside. The open space he was greeted with was dedicated to bookshelves and study tables. While it wasn't as compact as the classroom he had been in, he was certain that the library would give him a better chance of remaining undiscovered and evading any curious teachers from catching him while he peacefully rested. As he walked through it, he noticed that the library also had a certain air to it - the mixing scent of paper and dust, the slight breeze that seemed to blow through the place, and the endless array of books before him - which seemed to illicit a feeling of restful nostalgia.
Seeing a perfect spot in the back, with the assumption that no one else was around, he exclaimed
"Perfect, I'll take a nap here - Agh!"
Before he could so much as sit down, he was taken aback by the sight of a bare foot school girl wearing child-like ornaments sitting on the ground in front of him intently reading a book, ignoring his presence entirely. The first thing he noticed was her blue badge, which signified that she was a third year, much like him. The second thing he noticed was the pair of scissors that had magically appeared in her hands and just about to cut the pages of the book she was reading! Without thinking he blurted out
"Hey, hey, hey! That book belongs here right? You can't go cutting it up!"
It seemed like she had noticed his presence for the first time, as he was met with a look of mild shock and recognition. He glanced over at a few of the titles, curious as to what had possessed her to want to cut the pages of the book, and belatedly noted
"You're reading hard stuff..."
The situation was too strange - he hadn't been aware of anyone who skipped class save for Sunohara. The questions started rolling as he verbalized his next thought
"Are you skipping class too? And why are you bare foot?" [/blockquote]
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selene Guest
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Post by selene on Jan 15, 2012 18:13:26 GMT -6
She finished the Italian physics book without trouble. It was a nice book to read to get her brain going. She stood up and stretched slightly before talking down the endless aisles of books. Instead of going back to the foreign language section, she decided to go off to the Science section. There were all types of wonderful books within the Science section. There were more physics books as well as chemistry and biology books. But there were also other science books not offered as classes within the high school like astronomy and astrophysics. She was rather entranced with as she walked through the aisle, grabbing a few astrophysics books as well as quantum physics and another quantum physics book about wave function. She held the six books carefully in her arms as she lugged them back to her favorite spot. She carefully placed them around her so they were all within reach. With her trusty scissors in her pocket, she was ready for her morning reading. Time seemed to disappear as she started reading about the history of astrophysics. The next book discussed more complex theories of astrophysics and the things in inspired. It was so interesting. The more she read, the more she found herself planning to get more books on things like particle physics and molecular physics. She cut out articles and pages from the books on occasion to keep like usual.
”Hey, hey, hey!”
She looked up as she heard some odd noise breaking her concentration. It was afternoon? Kotomi lowered her book but kept it in her hands as she looked to her right. There seemed to be a boy there. She moaned lowly, trying to figure out when a stranger came into her beloved space. She supposed it didn’t matter too much. She was ready to get back to her book since the boy had nothing to do with her. She wasn’t even sure why she got distracted in the first place. But before she could go back to ignoring him, he was talking.
”That book belongs here right? You can't go cutting it up!”
His voice sounded a bit familiar, but she hadn’t heard a word he said. And he did look like someone she had met long ago, but there was the possibility that he wasn’t the person she was thinking of. Kotomi moaned again. He looked old enough to be that person. He had the same look in his eyes as that person she had known all those years ago. The badge on his blazer meant he was old enough to be that person. She moaned loudly to herself as she calculated the odds of meeting that person, right here and right now. There were about four thousand people living in this city and…
”You're reading hard stuff...”
He was talking still and she hadn’t been paying attention. Since he was looking down at her, there was a chance he was talking to her. She needed to pay attention. He had been talking for quite some time actually. She placed the scissors back in their usual spot so she wouldn’t lose them. What could he have been talking about? She looked away from him and down at the book. Did he want to read her book? She wasn’t finished with the book, but if it was that person, she could give it to him. It wouldn’t be too troublesome. ”Are you skipping class too? And why are you bare foot?” She still wasn’t listening but thinking about the situation. It was afternoon and someone was in the library. It might have said closed, but she still came here as well as other people on occasion. But if someone was here then that meant classes were over and it must have been lunch. Perhaps he was here for food. She had others visit her for food before.
She turned back to her side and grabbed her packed lunch. If he was hungry, she was more than happy to share. If he was that person who she suspected him to be, she was ecstatic for him to eat some of the things she cooked. It had been many years, and she did want to show him how well she had done growing up like cooking food. She pulled out her bento in her lap, opening it for him to see. There were tamagoyki, croquettes, beef stew in little cups, rice balls, octopus wieners, spinach in cups, and a few cherry tomatoes all neatly packed in her box.
”I made it,” she announced as she showed him. She pointed to one tamago in particular at the center of the array. ”This is the one most well done.” It was the firmest in the lot and had such a nice hue of yellow. She offered him a smile as she kept pointing at him. ”Do you want one?” She wanted him to taste the best one so he could see the best of her efforts in the kitchen. She wanted to show how even though she was alone, she could get along fine. Showing him how well off she was would be similar to showing her parents. If he was that person, he had seen her as weak and dependent in the past. But that was all over. Now she was nearly an adult and self-sufficient.
And then something suddenly hit her and she moaned yet again, ”I only have one pair of chopsticks...” This was bad. She really didn’t think things through to share her lunch. It was a small miscalculation.
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Post by Okazaki Tomoya on Jan 20, 2012 23:38:30 GMT -6
"Huh?"
He wasn't so much confused by the bento - for it was indeed almost time for lunch - as he was with the abrupt start of conversation. He had asked three questions in succession with one another - and as a response she had failed to answer a single one, instead choosing to open the bento that was sitting beside her and start a new line of thought entirely. If what they were having was indeed a conversation with each other, it wasn't one that a person would easily be able to follow - much less himself. She didn't seem to pay any attention to his questions as she continued along at her own pace, pointing at the center tamago, describing it's superiority over the others beside it. As if it were the only natural response, he ruefully responded
"Food is off-limits in the library you know?"
He hadn't expected an answer to the statement, but what he received instead threw him off once again - just as she had done when he had unexpectedly stumbled across her moments before. With a face of joy that expressed an innocence he could only recall from distant memories, she offered it to him without a moment of hesitation, expressing an unexpected kindness he never expected, and rarely received, from strangers. Unable to respond properly, he let out a light sigh and walked closer, kneeling beside her and answering truthfully
"All right, since you offered."
She suddenly gasped, almost as if- common logic didn't seem to apply with her.
"What is it?"
He asked with curiosity, wondering if there was something that he was obviously missing. He couldn't help but be amused by the simplicity of the problem, releasing another light, yet slightly exaggerated, sigh and smiled at how she had reacted to such a simple problem. In answer to her concern he plucked the chosen item with his forefinger and thumb and put it in his mouth, chewing contemplatively and looking off to the side. It was a little cold, but really tasty. If she had indeed made this, then he could conclude, without a doubt, that she was really good at cooking.
"It's good!"
He exclaimed with an easy smile, honestly complimenting her for her culinary skills. At a glance he could tell the lunch was quite small - eating anymore would likely leave her feeling unsatisfied. With the bell for lunch likely to ring at any moment now, stood up with the intention of leaving - preaching one final time, an act he had recently come to do far too often as of late. An act that was really unlike him.
"You'd better clean up now, since class will start soon."
He hesitated when he was met with an unsatisfied look - as if she had unfinished business with him.
"You still need something?"
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selene Guest
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Post by selene on Jan 22, 2012 3:52:30 GMT -6
This was a mistake on her part. She packed enough food to share, or so she thought. She wanted to make sure to be able to help someone if something tragic happened and caloric intake was the only answer to their aliment, but she simply hadn’t thought things through. Kotomi was a genius! She should have seen such a simple flaw in her efforts. She needed to come up with a checklist before leaving home and trying to create a shareable bento lunch. Chopsticks were definitely going to be on the top of the list from now on. Displeased moans escaped her lips. Just what was she supposed to do now?
But in all her inner turmoil, he had already figured out a solution to her problem. With his fingers, he picked up the egg dish and placed it in his mouth without a care. She stared at him completely bewildered. Eating with his hands was a viable option? She had never thought of such a thing. It wasn’t sanitary. It was considered barbaric. It was something children did. She should have realized it was something he could do so easily earlier instead of worrying. He was impressed with her skills since he proclaimed it was good. The confirmation made her smile, albeit weakly. She was happy to hear him, of all people, praise her. There was still some disappointment in herself, however. Regardless of his praise, she had still messed up. She wondered if God took this as a sign of her not being a good person. Was she breaking their bet simply because she couldn’t remember all the little important things? She hoped not. She didn’t anticipate seeing someone like him here. She never thought she see the boy from her childhood again. God had given her this meeting as a small gift, but she had ruined it somewhat. She was lucky he was clever enough to think of such a simple thing but…
”You'd better clean up now, since class will start soon.”
His voice snapped her away from her thoughts for a moment. She needed to clean up? This library was getting dusky now that she thought about it. A little physical exertion could be good for her. She wasn’t so weak that she couldn’t do anything but read. It was simply something she preferred, a hobby if you will. But regardless of when class started, she had no intentions of going. There were classes she was required to appear at, but those were few and far between. For the most part, she was free to do as she liked. She liked clean things, so she could clean this library. She especially had no problems if cleaning it would make him feel better.
Though his posturing wasn’t of someone who was looking to stay here and read. He didn’t sit on the floor next to her. She didn’t think it was so dirty it would ruin his uniform, but she supposed she could mop the wooden floors to ensure such a thing. But he didn’t take a seat either. He was standing up. He was leaving, wasn’t it? Was it because she made a simple mistake that they couldn’t share lunch today? Was he leaving again? Any remnants of a smile were long gone from her features. Instead she looked unhappy. It was an honest expression. She didn’t want him to go. She had just reconnected with him again after so many years. Weren’t people supposed to enjoy each other’s company for longer than a few minutes? Shouldn’t they have read books together and smiled like they used to? He wasn’t smiling. She wasn’t smiling. They were acting like casual strangers. They were friends, weren’t they?!
But regardless of what she felt, she didn’t say anything. All she could do was moan. She could just moan sadly. She had promised herself not to do things like this. She wasn’t going to be sad. She wasn’t going to cry anymore. She was going to be a good girl and she wasn’t going to be selfish anymore. She couldn’t demand that he stay and keep her company. She couldn’t tell him to be good friends with him like before. She moaned again continuously staring at him. Regardless of what she wanted, she couldn’t be a bad girl or all the things she endured up until this point would be for nothing. Besides, there was the chance he didn’t remember her. A chance he didn’t want to remember someone like her. A chance he didn’t want to be friends with the girl she became…
”You still need something?”
There was! She needed him to stay! Well, not need. She wanted him to stay. She wanted him to come back over and read together. They could enjoy cake and he could tell her stories. She could read him books. She wanted all that. But forcing wants upon others was just selfishness. ”Um…” she moaned lowly to herself. She could already see how the conversation would play out in her head. If she told him to stay he would question why. To say things like because she wanted him to wouldn’t get him to stay. Her wants weren’t his wants. The frown on Kotomi’s face grew as she looked at the ground for the moment. But this was her opportunity to say something. He asked her if there was something else. ”…you don’t want to share?” she questioned sadly. Sharing was another way of being unselfish even if it was selfish underneath it all as a way to keep him around her. But even if he left today, she hoped he returned tomorrow. If he returned tomorrow, she could accept that. But if he never came back… Her smile disappeared as she moaned a low unhappy tone.
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Post by Okazaki Tomoya on Jan 28, 2012 1:18:56 GMT -6
The look made him hesitate. He hadn't planned on staying for much longer, (he especially hadn't planned on staying for lunch:) but the look she gave him seemed to beg him to stay. A guilt whose source seemed to be completely foreign to him nailed his feet to the ground, and his consciousnesses wouldn't allow him to ignore it. He wasn't about to rob such a small lunch from her, it would just be unfair to steal what little sustenance she had packed for herself, and yet eating with her was also impossible, as he hadn't brought a bento of his own. He could, of course, go down to the cafeteria, buy some bread, and rejoin her up here...but the notion seemed too far-fetched. By the time he walked down there, fought the crowds, and returned, he would likely be left with little time to...socialize (If that's what it could be called); not to mention he was too lazy. Food wouldn't be available to him until the bell tolled, and even if he waited, it would look suspicious if he were to walk all the way back to the library with bread in tow - more likely then not he would just be intercepted by a curious teacher.
In the first place, it wasn't so much that she wanted to share her lunch with him, but that she wanted him to stay a bit longer. But why? The question hung in his mind as the answers ranged from the improbable to the impossible, but he was certain it was of a much simpler nature. As she sat there all by herself, surrounded by her books, her pillow, socks, and bento beside her, looking up at him with searching eyes...he could see the loneliness that surrounded her. His heart wouldn't let him leave, yet his stomach wouldn't let him stay...so instead he opted for a compromise. With a sigh he moved towards the opposite side of the desk they were closest too, stating
"You eat. I'll watch, but just for a bit longer okay?"
He pulled out the chair closest to her and settled in as comfortably as he could. Just until lunch began. He had planned to go early to beat the rush and nab one of the tastier breads...but Anpan wasn't bad every once in a while. As her unsure eyes locked with his once more he could see she was hesitating.
"Really. It's fine. I'm not that hungry anyway."
He was. Or rather, he was going to be soon, but he would deal with that when the time came. For now, the sleepiness that had been crawling through him before he stumbled upon her form was creeping back into him, and the warmth of the sunlight seemed to affect him just as his blankets at home did. With a yawn he rested his head on the desk, reasoning that the bell for lunch would wake him when he needed to leave. With that thought on his mind he closed his eyes in peace, realizing for the first time just how quiet the library really was...
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selene Guest
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Post by selene on Jan 30, 2012 0:41:27 GMT -6
Her polite offer was declined. She wondered if the comment he said so easily earlier was sincere or rehearsed. If he thought the food she made was delicious, shouldn’t that meant he would enjoy sharing her lunch. She looked down at the careful arrangement of food. It looked like it would taste good in her opinion. It had several key nutritional items. It was well balanced instead heavy on any particular group. There were different sources of protein and carbohydrates, not to mention all the vitamin enriched foods. But despite the taste and diversity, he just wanted to watch. She couldn’t surmise any enjoyment out of watching another eat. Watching someone eat didn’t provide nutrition. It didn’t fulfill some primal urge. She couldn’t remember the Tomoya from her childhood wanting her to eat as he watched. He could watch her read a book. He watched her play the violin. But he didn’t watch her eat.
”…uh,” she moaned.
She supposed she could protest this act. She could insist on him eating, but she didn’t think that would get her far. If she said ‘but please eat, I want to share,’ then he might counter with ‘but I am not hungry.’ If he wasn’t hungry, she couldn’t tell him to eat. She could insist, but she couldn’t force him to. She could stress the importance of a healthy body and mind came from a well balanced diet, but she wasn’t too sure what he had for breakfast to even know if he was following such a meal plan. He might have had a carbohydrate enriched breakfast with no protein. If that was the case he needed more protein for lunch. He would especially need it if he was going to do something physical later within the day. ”…beef stew.” Something like beef stew would be a good source of protein.
”Really. It's fine. I'm not that hungry anyway.” He had already started on the conversation she predicted. The dark haired girl looked up at him with a frown. She should ask him to do it next time? That would cover getting him to return and eat all in one question. There was a flaw there, however. If he dislike d her food and simply thought it was good beforehand out f niceties, he would surely decline her offer. She didn’t want him to never come back. What was the best way to approach this? What was she supposed to say? She could answer things about science. She could reiterate history if asked. Kotomi could explain advanced math concepts. But social interactions were challenging. Humans didn’t follow a set pattern. There were too many deviations she couldn’t calculate.
She moaned again. It was hopeless to try to think she could simply wish for something to happen and it come to fruition without work. If she wanted something accomplished it required work. But what kind of work did she need to do to reclaim friendship. There hadn’t been some book she found upon such a subject. There wasn’t anyone that came to mind to consult about such a problem. Just what was she supposed to do?
All she could feel was defeated. Was that the correction emotion to have right now? He didn’t leave. He was sitting right there. His eyes were slowly closing as he placed his head down. He was going to sleep? Was it because he was lacked energy from not eating or was he ill? She wasn’t too sure. For a moment, she placed her lunch and chopsticks away as she started at the sleeping boy. Should she ask him something? She had a sneaking suspicion even if there was something wrong he would deny it. She supposed she should have been happy he was there and looked so peaceful. Peacefulness was close to happiness. And in the end, friends wanted each other to happy.
”Sleep well, Tomoya…” she whispered lowly before picking up her book from before. If he was happy sleeping there she could be happy reading her book. Just so long as he was around that was enough. It was more than it had been for so long.
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