A Not So Mundane Encounter
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Post by Fuukami Haruka on Nov 4, 2014 16:40:49 GMT -6
Time: 3:00 PM Date: May 21st, 2003 Location: 1-C's Classroom
The school bell had rung and dismissed all the students. Most of them rushed to attend their favorite clubs or sports' practices or some merely went home. The class representative for 1-B was the exception though. With her long black hair fluttering as she walked, Haruka fished out the classroom's key from her pocket and stopped at the classroom for 1-C. No teachers were present at this informal meeting, but this was an interest meeting for a fundraiser to help get money for the school's annual club budgets. It was an optional meeting, and not all the student council members had to join in, but still, Haruka ended up disappointed with the turnout. It was the class representative of 1-C's idea to hold a party after all.
But maybe it was only a simple suggestion in the end made carelessly by the girl in charge of 1-C. If that were the case, Haruka would have been tremendously disappointed because then what use would all the flyers for the fundraisers be for? You know, the ones Haruka had made herself because she liked the idea so much? Well, it wasn't that important. She didn't make many flyers anyway, so she didn't expect many people to come in the first place. Still, why wouldn't they be interested in attending a party?
Didn't they want to mingle with their friends and support the clubs they loved so much? Perhaps, she overthought things, and maybe that was what she wanted rather than anyone else. This freshwoman, unlike most class representatives, wasn't too popular. The only reason why she was elected was because she excelled in school and was undeniably a competent and hard worker. Personality-wise, though, she wasn't too liked. Now that all the people who were so invested in this student council were busy, this was a bit more than evident.
So be it then. Haruka had flyers to recycle. Grasping the small pile of extra flyers on a desk in the room, she dragged her feet forward onto the ground and tossed them into the recycling bin. However, one managed to escape from Haruka's grasp, causing her to almost cry out before she noticed that the aforementioned flyer landed before a pair of two shoes.
"Please excuse me," the brunette quietly said as she bent down to pick up the flyer, wincing as it crumpled up in her left hand. Much more carefully than before, she slid it into the recycling bin before looking up at the student whom the flyer landed in front of.
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Post by Gourlay Atsumori on Nov 4, 2014 17:27:52 GMT -6
Gourlay hadn't really been having a very 'spectacular' day as of late, though it wasn't his worst either. In fact it was just an ordinary mundane day like any other, which was most likely the reason he went to this class-representative 'party' of sorts. In all honesty, the idea of it hadn't been very appealing, himself having not seen the point of a 'party' to discuss charity events. After all, with all the money he'd assumed had been spent on this 'part' they could have probably argued their way into making a donation straight from the school's treasury. Then again, the call to meeting hadn't really been specific when they mentioned this 'party'.
So walking in to the 1-C classroom, he saw what he hadn't expected. The room was nearly barren, save for the a sole representative shuffling around the room, carrying with her a stack of papers towards the recycle bin. Gourlay was confused, had the thing even started yet? There was always the possibility that he'd arrived early. Or perhaps, this wasn't actually a party, but a meeting like any other. The other representatives could have seen this and just not attended, as it wasn't mandatory. And everyone knew the representatives had about as much work as the council put up, so Gourlay didn't really blame them.
Lost in his thoughts, he wasn't stirred from his mind until he felt the soft grace of paper on his shins. Looking down, he saw the same girl as before, looking up at him. In hindsight, he did suppose she looked familiar, if only faintly. Her name...What was it? Fuuzuki? Fuuko? Then, he finally remembered from all the other meetings.
"Good evening, Fuukami-San. It's rather...deserted. Has the meeting been gathered yet?"
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Post by Fuukami Haruka on Nov 4, 2014 19:22:33 GMT -6
Party this, party that. The thought of such a suggestion was a bit aggravating. The way the other girl mentioned it made it seem like she took it seriously when now she didn't. The two young ladies even discussed the implications, how the party could be set up, the theme, the admission fee, everything! What a pain, but it couldn't be helped. Deep down, though, Haruka had a feeling that the information could be misconstrued though. The interest meeting actually wasn't a party. It was an interest meeting for the party, but it was an easy mistake to make considering Haruka did offer to make tea for anyone interested in holding the fundraiser. The party was to bring in money after all. Of course, some money had to be used to make the decorations and decorate the room the party would be held, if it were to be held. That money would be insignificant in comparison to the amount of funds they could raise, though, if Haruka and the other reps paid out of their own pockets to help buy the food and stuff.
However, mere what-if's were hardly important. All she needed to do was dispose of the flyers for the interest meeting. That was, until she finally noticed Gourlay was in the room. Oh god, that was embarrassing. She was so preoccupied she almost missed him! Regardless, the deed was done and the flyers were already in the recycling bin. But even more embarrassing was the fact that Okada, the 1-C representative discussed the fundraiser with Haruka all for nothing. Okada even suggested she would go and discuss the idea with the other members, but after days with no results, the class rep for 1-B decided to take matters into her own hands. It was almost mortifying.
So who was the boy her useless flyer had perturbed? It was none other than Gourlay Atsumori, a class rep in her year that was of obvious Western descent, not that it mattered. Haruka's own cousin was half-Russian, but she was slightly curious about the boy since they never really got a chance to get to know each other during previous meetings.
"Hello, Gourlay-san. Sorry about that. This was an optional meeting for determining how to replenish the annual school club budgets with a fundraiser. The Founder's Festival depleted enough of the treasury's donations already so Okada and I thought of doing a party fundraiser, but it has slipped from her mind that she was to mention it to the other class reps. Either way, I still made tea and the flyers for the meeting she and I had planned, so would you like some tea to compensate for the trouble and time you took to attend such a meaningless meeting?"
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Post by Gourlay Atsumori on Nov 4, 2014 19:39:43 GMT -6
I'm stupid, and I'm sorry.
Ah, so wasn't a party itself, but a meeting to make the party! To Gourlay, that made much more sense. Perhaps it was because the announcement was made a few days ago, and time had worn on it as it did all things. Then again, was he sure it was even an announcement? He didn't suppose it mattered now, even if a small pang of worry sparked in him that he had intruded, though the brief touch of his notebook soon destroyed any stress.
"Ah, I see. I suppose that the Festival did do more damage than we'd expected, though the free student workers we got surely did help." Then, thinking on her next question, he supposed that he could use the time he'd opened in his schedule to drink some tea. He knew it'd be a largely needed stress reliever, and in the process he could learn more about Fuukami. She was an enigma to him, mostly, and he didn't particularly like things he didn't know. "Perhaps, I've not had a cup of tea in ages."
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Post by Fuukami Haruka on Nov 4, 2014 20:35:46 GMT -6
Last, you're not stupid. You're just too smart. It was an easy mistake to make since Haruka offered to make tea for anyone who attended the interest meeting and the actual flyer wasn't available to be read.
Honestly, it had been several days ago since the flyers were put up. The intercom announcement was bundled up with a lot more exciting things like mock exams and schedule changes and the like. It made sense if anyone misunderstood the announcement of having an interest meeting for a party because a meeting and a party could be the same thing. But not all meetings were parties nor were all parties meetings. Even so, they were close enough, if you asked Haruka. Therefore, she couldn't fault the other reps for not coming or for Okada for forgetting about it.
"They really did. It makes me happy that so many students were willing to pitch in." After all, the Founder's Festival showed off both the good and bad about the students and so far, the good had outweighed the bad, and that was what mattered. Haruka was also impressed with the tenacity of all the students who helped. It really gave Hikarizaka High an impressive reputation. Of course, certain events were a disaster, but really, she couldn't fault the students involved for a lack of interest in the ideas they had. Still, a lot of the fun stuff was pretty creative. Even Haruka found herself enjoying the events with her cousin and acquaintances.
The class rep for 1-B promptly began to pour Gourlay a cup of tea from fresh leaves and a kettle full of water she had just boiled in the student council room not too long ago. After handing him the cup, Haruka expected that the tea would be just the perfect temperature for drinking. It was slightly odd that Gourlay had not drunk tea in so long though; Japan was a country that certainly loved its tea. To be frank, however, Haruka would say it loved its fish and salt more.
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Post by Gourlay Atsumori on Nov 5, 2014 18:51:32 GMT -6
"They really did surprise me. I didn't expect them to help so willingly. If I recall...No never mind. Thanks for the tea." Then, he let silence take over as he took a sip of tea, which proved to be much better than he expected. So much so that he felt his pupils dilate. Making him smile towards her for a moment, he spoke back up.
"This is wonderful tea! Was there any special type of leaf used?" Then, he took another sip and glanced around. The classroom could have only been more barren if it didn't have any desks, which surprised him. Those on cleaning duty, despite popular belief, usually did horrid jobs in cleaning the classrooms themselves. "Did you clean all of this so well, or is class 1-C much more responsible than mine?"
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Post by Fuukami Haruka on Nov 5, 2014 22:25:34 GMT -6
Haruka nodded in understanding to what Gourlay meant. Some of the recruiting for volunteers didn't go so well, and not all of the events went well, but a multitude of factors involved, seldom including the student volunteers. Mostly some people couldn't make it if that was the problem and those people were ill. Others were not so cooperative. Either way, she smiled back at the other class rep, satisfied knowing he enjoyed the tea.
The brunette adjusted her reading glasses carefully as she inspected the box the tea leaves came in. "It's gyokuro tea I brought here from home, which is better than the usual tea served at restaurants. My parents wouldn't mind me bringing it here, in case if you're curious, because they prefer matcha tea anyway, but that kind of tea is far too bitter from me." After all, matcha tea was used in tea ceremonies. Even served with sweets, it would still be too bitter for her. Her eyes widened slightly at his remark of all barren the classroom was. "I don't know what Okada does but she's popular enough that anyone would do what she'd ask of them, including cleaning up the classroom. There were a few forgotten items, though. I brought those down to the Lost and Found in the main office."
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Post by Gourlay Atsumori on Nov 6, 2014 17:36:06 GMT -6
Gourlay nodded. He agreed wholeheartedly that the tea was much too bitter. Surprisingly, he still had that childish quality of hating things with such a taste. Then hearing her next words, he frowned. "I envy her, I'd not be able to fully reign in 1-A for the life of me. I do wonder how she does it though. I mean, it cannot be only out of popularity, can it? If it were that simply, then she'd probably be able to do the same for all of the first year classes...Ah, forgive me, rambling is a nasty habit of mine."
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Post by Fuukami Haruka on Nov 6, 2014 19:06:32 GMT -6
It was good to see that Haruka wasn't the only one who detested tea ceremonies. When she was in junior high, her mother made her attend a few tea ceremony classes. At first, the first year was fine, aside from thinking the tea was slightly more bitter than she was used to. However, instead of getting used to the flavor, she found it more and more intolerable as she drank it, but that was besides the point. Then, Gourlay made a good point about Okada's people skills. There had to be more to it, so Haruka decided to speculate what may be the case. "Don't apologize, Gourlay-san. You don't ramble on at all, but you're right. There's gotta be something more. Not even my class is this clean about this kind of stuff. There are a few that stay to help out though."
Waving a reassuring hand, Haruka stepped back, only to bump into a storage closet, earning the appropriate thud! but also warranting more rumbling than expected. Speechless, she peeked a little more carefully at the closet, small dents revealing that the doors had to be slammed in order to be fully closed. Equally, the closet looked filled to the brim, the lock just barely keeping it closed. Simply poking her finger around in the lock's gap ended up forcing an avalanche of sorts, but luckily, Haruka pulled back as the smallest, middle compartment of the closet burst open. She rushed to gather all the things that were supposed to be cleaned up and packed away properly and put them back into the closet in a more orderly fashion. "So, that's what it is. And to think I expected much from her class... But they kind of tried? Maybe not all hope is lost." the brunette concluded, sighing a little ruefully at such forced wishfulness.
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Post by Gourlay Atsumori on Nov 6, 2014 19:33:37 GMT -6
He nods. Even if he'd had one of the worst classes so far, (A fellow classmate, Yasuda Erina, seemed to be his worst enemy. Even if she had kind intentions, her antics tired Gourlay out daily) there were still some who stayed to aid with the cleaning. At this point, Gourlay knew he'd have to come back every day to finish the cleaning, and the few who actually saw him doing so and cared, helped, if only a little.
When the storage exploded, he released a small grimace. Such negligence nearly pained him, so he ended up aiding Fuukami with cleaning it up. "Yeah, not all hope is lost, is but a glimmer still remains, the spark can erupt across the lands into a glorious ray of hope. They had the best intentions in mind, and probably didn't do it properly due to the lack of knowledge how to. I mean, they never really give you classes on these things. But, I digress." His eyes began searching around, grasping for some kind of conversation material, until his mind set on one thing.
He didn't really suppose it was much a secret now, having already revealed it to Kazue the day before. Then again, she didn't seem like one to spread such things. Even still, for some reason, he got the feeling that Haruka was the type to enjoy literature, though he couldn't say why. Perhaps he'd overheard her speaking about it before? Likely, however improbable. Though, he supposed it didn't really matter. There were a few selections in his notebook that had been written with well intentions, after all. (If I end up posting any poetry, it'll likely be a mix of self-owned and non-orginal.) And, to bring it up, though it required a mental fortitude that he might not have been able to muster, he knew she didn't have to show interest. If she didn't then it could drop.
After all, there was a future possibility of it being a conversation starter if it actually worked. So, reaching into his uniform pocket and pulling out a small, velvety notebook, that of which was made of worn leather and a crimson tint, he said, "I don't suppose you'd have any interest in literature, would you?" TWI-LIGHT ISN'T LIT-RA-TURE XP
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Post by Fuukami Haruka on Nov 6, 2014 21:02:36 GMT -6
So the rumors were true... Even Haruka knew about some gossip; she wasn't completely without friends. Her friends just weren't very close, including Okada. Okada had not spoke much of her class's neatness, but Haruka didn't ask out of courtesy. Although, when others brought the matter up, Okada Mitsuha was plenty flustered. In turn, she lashed out, if one could even really call it that, by saying that there were worse classes, with 1-A just being one of the several examples thrown out there. If one of her friends brought it up, Haruka was afraid Okada would chew her out like a guard dog's chew toy. Now, she loved dogs but the possibility was so likely that it scared her.
Fuukami bowed lightly to Gourlay for taking good care in assisting her with cleaning up the remnants in the storage. So far, he seemed rather poetic. His metaphor was beautiful but slightly thick. It was better than using overused idioms, however; she had to give him credit for that. He was also pretty clever. Maybe they could capitalize on the idea he just gave her! "You're quite the poet, Gourlay-san, but how high do you dream?" If he had plenty of ambition, it only made things better. Haruka appreciated a healthy resilient spirit that succeeded when things got tough. "By the way, if people don't know how to clean up, then maybe we could hold a special assembly to show students how to do basic chores and stuff assigned to them at school. That way, they might lose a sense of cluelessness. Equally, those who can do this kind of thing might think we're patronizing them so we ought to be careful if we give it a shot."
Fuukami Haruka was a very secretive person, unlike most people. Although she had friends who did gossip while others did not, she also didn't join in with them or talk to them very often. No, she was not very sociable either and had a hard time communicating with people who didn't meet up to her moral standards. If they couldn't help it, then she would simply have to appreciate the good those people did have in them. Nobody was completely useless. Even evil criminals, though trash, weren't useless. After all, the phrase was garbage can, not garbage cannot. That made sense, right? Either way, in the corner of her sight, she noticed Gourlay thinking about private thoughts that she did not pry into, at least not until she realized that she was in for a surprise.
Haruka stared intently at the book her fellow class rep took out of his pocket. It was a small, velvety book made of worn leather and tinted crimson. She wasn't judging it, more so accepting its existence like how a court clerk accepted evidence and took it for safekeeping. But unlike a court clerk, she did not touch the book at all. Gourlay then tried to start up another conversation. "I do. It's good for passing the time. I tend to enjoy historical fiction and sci fi the most, like the Great Gatsby or 1984. Aside from literature, I enjoy nonfiction and haiku poetry too, although I only have one compilation of nature haikus. What kind of literature do you like?"
It's been so long since I've heard such a reference!
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Post by Gourlay Atsumori on Nov 6, 2014 21:37:31 GMT -6
"Ah, but why set your limits in the cages of thought, when your very goal could be to expand across an infinity!" Even Gourlay knew how ridiculously optimistic that sounded, still though, he said it all the same. Still, he had said how high he could dream. Though he had a great deal of ambition, that on some days he could use, other days it was fleeting, escaping that fog of stress. Still, it was not the time for such thoughts. "And that isn't a bad idea at all. But why make it mandatory...Though I do suppose those who actually needed the lecture would be the ones to not show up. Then why not...Ah! Why not have a test of common cleaning knowledge? Those who pass can stay out of the lecture, and those who get under a set grade must go!"
When Gourlay pulled the book out of his pocket, he immediately knew that Fuukami had misunderstood. He hadn't meant reading literature, but writing it. He didn't really blame her though, seeing as the probability of mistaking his notebook for a type of actual published work was oddly high, until you opened it. Though, he supposed this tangent of the conversation was interesting enough. After all, wasn't the best thing about literature the discussions you had about how you perceived it?
"Ah, I guess I can say that I enjoy all types. In all honesty, my tastes range from Fahrenheit 451 and The Illustrated Man to Les Miserables and then all the way to A Wild Sheep Chase. Though I do favor poetry, my favorites being 'Cold Iron' by Rudyard Kipling and 'Nevermore' by Edgar Allen Poe."
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Post by Fuukami Haruka on Nov 6, 2014 22:26:03 GMT -6
"That's the spirit, that's what we need, Gourlay-san! What good are dreams if they cannot develop into greater ones? We need the past to advance the future, but we can only achieve it if we bring our wishes to life! Hope transcends time and space but it can affect reality if we put our minds to it!" She cleared her throat before returning to her normal self. She just got worked up over seeing a boy with lofty ambitions like her own. Of course, part of it was exaggeration because this is the kind of things people did for poets. Acting as if nothing happened, Haruka swiftly returned to the subject of the assembly. "Anyway, another excellent idea. All we need is the approval of the homeroom teachers for such a test. We'll need a petition with an explanation of our efforts which the teachers will sign, and then we hand it in to the principal. I can do the petition, but it's up to you to define common cleaning knowledge. Perhaps a grade of 70 to 80 should suffice if we grade the tests out of 100."
To be honest, Haruka did not recognize the piece of literature the boy held in his hand, but it looked very well-used. If it was used so often, it must have been valuable to Gourlay so she had enough respect to not touch it and pry the pages. But she, if he asked directly, wasn't too much of a writer. She enjoyed writing up journal entries though and analytical essays on history, particularly Ancient History. The most creative thing that the bespectacled girl enjoyed writing the most were probably limericks. When she was younger, she came across a whole book of humorous limericks and had always wanted to write one. After several tries, though, she realized she did not have the talent.
Her eyes brightened up considerably as he brought up very famous books and poetry. "Farenheit 451 is one of my absolute favorite books, but the Illustrated Man is good too. I didn't like Les Miserables as much as I could have but my mother gave it to me to help me during my research of the French Revolution. I hadn't read A Wild Sheep Chase yet though. Is it good? "Cold Iron" and "Nevermore" are very good pieces, but I actually prefer Dickinson."
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Post by Gourlay Atsumori on Nov 7, 2014 20:40:03 GMT -6
Gourlay would have said something equally boisterous to her comment, but was much too surprised by her outburst. In him, he felt a smile and a look of confusion bubbling up to his features. How little did he actually know about her? After all, only moments ago, that unemotional monotone voice had been speaking to him. Ah, be he digressed, who was a person without there true, hidden, personality. "Ah, yes, I do suppose there is the burden of teacher approval. Though, I'd expect them to follow through with it, seeing all of its benefits. And, I guess knowledge of the subject could reference what items are used to clean what items. Though, it could also refer to how long, hard, and delicately some surfaces should be cleaned and how to properly organize school equipment."
At her mention of literature, his mind brightened considerably. "Ah, yes, there are many reasons to dislike Les Miserables, though my opinion might be biased. An old friend of mine recommended it to me a few years back, and his highlights of its good values made it...quite hard to see its bad ones. And A Wild Sheep Chase isn't really a classic, only a writing from a contemporary author of the 1970's, though in my opinion, it's the best book I've every read. I haven't even the slightest idea why, though it's the same for Dickinson. On the same basis of not knowing why, I was never able to become interested in her poems."
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Post by Fuukami Haruka on Nov 8, 2014 3:47:09 GMT -6
In response to his astonishment and bemusement, a full-on smile spread across the bespectacled girl's face. While she was fairly serious and a well-structured young lady, she enjoyed these sorts of outrageous outbursts and remarks with a timeless effort. She supposed it stemmed from being an overprotective older sister while desiring to not be boring and impossible to stand. There was always enough time for fun; you simply had to fit it into your schedule. That's what she believed in. "Very good. If that is the case, then we can expect the petition to be done in a day. Some pictures of the specific cleaning tools mentioned shall aid too. While it would certainly be effective to not warn the students about it beforehand, it wouldn't be fair. I suppose we give them a warning three days prior."
Haruka found the class rep's interest in literature rather intriguing. Perhaps, her class could be more productive if they invested it in their interests while maintaining a good school performance. "I suppose so, but I don't dislike Les Miserables. It just isn't what most dystopian novels are to me. The theme of injustice and the importance of love and compassion can be rather similar at some pivotal moments but there is something that Les Miserables has that a book like 1984 wouldn't have. My wish is to keep Les Miserables in a different sort of league but not necessarily a higher one. And I might check A Wild Sheep's Chase out if it's as good as you say, though I will need to research more on its context.
"And Dickinson can be a hard poet to read. Not everyone enjoys her full acceptance of death, but she is a very romantic and transcendental poet. Most people like her poems though because they tend to be formatted like church hymns. It is through her poems, Emerson's writing, and Thoreau's Walden that I was able to learn thoroughly about transcendentalism (but Alcott also played an important part too) and what America was like when they were alive. I guess Whitman could be considered a transcendentalist but he was more famous for his bold, freestyle poetry."
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