"Leaning back against the railing as the multitude of people ahead move to and fro, I do my best to pass the time by watching those who walk by."

"I had arranged to meet Suzu and Hisao at noon, but it's getting perilously close and there's still no sign of either of them. I probably should have listened to Hisao and taken the same bus as he was going to use after all."

"Not that I mind all that much. Just leaning back and watching others is entertaining, given the sheer variety in people you see. I suppose when you get enough people in one place, you'll eventually start seeing the odd ones."

"Of course, badly hidden glances from the occasional person who notices my left arm ending in a stump reminds me that I'm one of the odd ones myself."

"If I really cared, I could cross my arms, shove the stump in my jean pocket, or just pull down the sleeves of my shirt a little. It's not exactly hard to notice when my sleeves are rolled up, after all."

"It hardly matters, though. I'm out of their conciousness a minute after they lose sight of me, so I may as well just wear whatever's comfortable. That's one of the advantages of a city over small town life; when you're surrounded by so many people, it's easy to be forgotten."

"I look to my watch again to see the time, the dark grey digits reading out a time of five minutes to noon. At least I had an early lunch, so I'm hardly starving for food."

"As soon as I begin to wonder if either of them will actually be here on time, I notice a familiar young man with brown hair manouvering through the crowd. It takes a moment to identify him, given that this is the first time I've seen him out of his school uniform."

"Hisao doesn't look fussed by the crowd at all as he walks up, casually strolling through wherever he can see a gap in the people moving around him. Guess he's the punctual type, given how close he cut it."

his "Hey. Looks like I made it just in time."

mik "Getting out of the retirement home took a while, then?"

his "Huh?"

mik "The vest. It's not a cool look."

his "Don't knock the vest; it's smart."

mik "Whatever you say, gramps."

"He begins to protest, but turns to the side instead. My own gaze follows his out of curiosity, with the object of his attention becoming quickly obvious."

"Suzu runs towards us as fast as her legs can take her, her white summer dress billowing out behind her as she tries to hold her bag to her side. It's kinda sad how slow she is despite the fact she's running."

his "Damn..."

"I turn to see Hisao averting his eyes, holding his balled hand to his mouth to try and hide his expression."

mik "Hmm?"

his "She's cute."

"All I can do is give an amused snort."

mik "Yup."

"She pants heavily as she reaches us, barely managing to splutter out a greeting as she gasps for air. In the end we all got here on time, even if it was only just barely."

suz "Sorry... I slept in... I didn't..."

his "Just calm down and take a breath. It's fine."

"The two of us wait for Suzu to settle herself before either continues."

his "So do we actually have any plan about what we're doing, besides hanging out?"

suz "I need to buy a couple of new notebooks. I've almost run out."

mik "Stationery shopping? Really?"

his "To be honest, I could probably do with picking up a couple as well."

mik "You two are the worst."

"Further protests don't make any difference to either of them, so the three of us end up heading off towards a stationery shop to pick up school supplies. I guess I could buy a pen... or something. Beats waiting outside for them."

"As we walk on, the heat of the summer's day beating down, I find myself distracted by the sights alongside us. It's Hisao who eventually picks up on it."

his "What's up?"

mik "You know, I can never get used to those huge displays. The ones they use for advertising and stuff."

"I point upwards the massive screen mounted on the front of a tall store, the logo of some electronics company flashing up and moving about with wild and vivid color. Even in the summer's daylight, the screen is dazzlingly bright and impossible to ignore."

"Hisao, for his part, looks rather unimpressed. I might as well have pointed to a pebble on the ground for all the interest he takes. The best he can do is tilt his head as he tries to think of something to say about it."

his "Yeah, it is pretty big."

suz "He comes from the city. What do you expect?"

"So Hisao's a city boy. Should've guessed."

"Images of Tokyo and Osaka I've seen on television spring to mind; a teeming mass of people flowing through streets like gushing rivers of water, the bright blare of storeys-high screens beaming down on their heads."

mik "Man, I gotta go to Tokyo sometime. It's like living in the future, there."

his "Hold on, you've never been to Tokyo? Not once?"

"Even Suzu shares Hisao's disbelief, wheeling around to see me as the three of us grind to a halt. All I can do in response is shrug."

mik "Never needed to."

"The two of them share a knowing glance before continuing on. I think I just validated a whole bunch of ideas they had about me."

"With a quick skip up to them, we continue on our way."

# timeskip

"I just couldn't hack it. With the Suzu and Hisao dawdling around getting books, folders, and whatever else, I ended up bailing out and hitting the arcade next door."

"Dancing games are rather pointless without friends, so the choice was largely already made as to what to play. Cheap plastic gun in hand, I plink away at the screen for minutes on end, sending zombies and other undead sprawling to the ground."

"I wonder if I can get used to the quiet of home after being in a place like this. Fancy amusements like arcades, music stores, and concerts still feel like a novelty to me, but everyone else barely notices how amazing they are."

"Even as I gun down more monsters in a violent pixellated rampage, a couple at the entrance can be heard deciding to go to the cinema instead of wasting time here. I did see movies before moving to Yamaku, but it was a rare treat back then. Here, it's just a spur of the moment decision."

"That momentary lapse in concentration is all the excuse the game needs to destroy me, scratch marks suddenly littering the screen. I try to fight back, but my pace is completely gone."

"As the continue screen comes up, hungry for more coins as always, a familiar voice comes from beside me."

his "You did pretty well. That game's pretty unforgiving."

"Hisao and Suzu stand side by side, having patiently waited for me to finish. It's kinda funny to see them together like this; they look like they're cosplaying an elderly couple. No sense of fashion, not that I'm one to speak."

"What he said piques my curiosity, though; I wonder is he's any better than me at this, given that he seems to have played before."

mik "Fastest lightgun in the West. You any good at this stuff?"

his "Start up a 2-player game and I'll show you."

"Something about the tone of his voice is different than usual. I only realise what it is after he's given Suzu his bag to hold and taken up position with the second lightgun, pulling it from its holster with practiced ease. He's excited. Just a little, but it's there."

"I occasionally throw a glance at him as I set up a fresh round, throwing in my last few yen as he looks down the sights. Guess I'll be mooching off someone for dinner again, but my curiosity's demanding to be sated."

"The two of us take up our positions as the co-op story mode starts up, going through the same lame intro sequence I've seen so many times before."

"And then... it begins."

"As undead spring up from the corridors we walk through, the two of us blast away as fast as the guns allow. We get past one level, then two, then three."

"I'm starting to have problems as we reach the fourth, with more and more enemies requiring more and more shots start launching themselves at us. One life gets used, then another, and by the time the level's over, I'm sitting on just one left."

"I hardly feel bad about it, though. It might only be by the skin of my teeth, but this is the first time I've managed to get to the fifth level. Hisao's quite the comrade, and peering over at his side of the screen, it looks like he's still got two lives left to my one."

"He looks like like the other runners in the club when they get into the zone, with their eyes narrowed and mind focused. It's a cool look. Perhaps a little too cool, as his focused expression almost makes me miss the first enemies of the new level."

"That said, it wouldn't have made of a much difference if it had. My last life disappears in the opening few moments, leaving the rest to Hisao. Not that he seems to mind, as he manages the challenge of two player's worth of enemies at once for some time."

"But then it happens. One life is gone by the time the level's wrapped up, and by the time the sixth level has started, it's obvious he's overwhelmed. He puts up a heroic last stand, but in a few minutes, he's taken out by a veritable flood of enemies."

"The continue screen returns once again, the both of us well and truly beaten. Hisao lets out a long breath as his shoulders slump, the adrenaline leaving him as he returns the lightgun to its holster."

suz "That was pretty good."

mik "Thanks. Had a good wingman, though."

"Hisao just shrugs. He just looks at the screen for a while before turning to us with a cocky smile. I think it's the first time I've seen him genuinely proud of an accomplishment."

his "That's how you do it. We heading off?"

"Suzu nods and takes the lead, handing Hisao his bag before the three of us file out into the busy street outside. The difference between the air-conditioned arcade and sunbaked walkway is like night and day, with the afternoon's heat setting in."

suz "You look pleased with yourself."

his "Just been a while since I hit the arcades. Kinda happy I can still pull that off."

mik "You're the only guy I've seen manage to get that far. I thought they rigged those things so you had to keep buying lives to continue."

his "They pretty much do. Actually finishing is nearly impossible."

mik "Well look at Mister Arcade Machine Expert talking big over here."

"I turn to Suzu to back me up, only to find her no longer in sight. Both Hisao and I turn to check where she is in confusion."

"Walking slower and slower behind us, Suzu's eyes remain pinned to the ground ahead of her. I might not be particularly bothered by the heat, but Suzu isn't as hardy as most."

"My heart freezes as she suddenly begins to fall, legs crumpling underneath her and giving no resistance as her body drops downward. A movement from the corner of my vision darts forwards before I even have a chance to react."

"It's all over in what must be less than a second. Hisao, hero of the day, stands with his legs bent as he holds Suzu's limp body to his front. Every time he lulls me into thinking he's just another boring studybug, he goes and pulls something like that."

mik "That was some amazing stuff, dude."

his "Don't worry about that. Could you take her?"

mik "Sure, hold on."

"Back when he first entered Yamaku, everyday conversations tended up put him on guard, but now he's dealing with a public situation without panicking in the least. He might be sweating a little, but I'm still impressed."

"I quickly jog up and turn around, Hisao helping manouver her onto my back. The heat alone wouldn't do this, but if she was tired before coming here, it might have finished her off. Whether it's cataplexy or a sudden sleep attack, she's not going to be in a condition to walk much more in either case."

mik "See anywhere we could rest a bit?"

"He scans around a little before pointing to a small cafe with some free outdoor tables."

his "Let's head over there. We can grab a coffee while she recuperates."

"Sounds like a plan. I nod in assent as we move off, the slumbering girl on my back drawing more than a few badly hidden glances. I'm kind of glad she isn't awake for this, as she'd no doubt hate the attention."

"Thankfully it isn't far to the place Hisao pointed out, with him going inside to order a couple of coffees while I deposit Suzu in a chair before taking a seat myself."

"It's been a long time since she passed out in public. Now that I think about it, it must look incredibly suspicious to the people around us for two teenagers to be dragging around an unconscious girl. Maybe it's a good thing I'm a girl too, as two guys dragging her around would look even worse."

"I idly rap my fingers on the table while occasionally glancing to her, arms and head arranged on the table in what's hopefully a comfortable position."

"Thinking back to when she fell, I reach into the wallet in my back pocket and fish out some yen. I can't really ask Hisao to spot me the coffee after what he did for her; it's incidents like that which gave her that stupid knee brace in the first place."

"Eventually he emerges from the glass door of the cafe, setting down a cup in front of me before sitting down. I put several notes on the table and slide them over in return, earning a nod of thanks before he slips them into his pocket."

mik "Bit of excitement there, eh?"

his "I could do without more excitement in my life, to be honest."

mik "Where'd you get reflexes like that, anyway?"

his "Dunno, probably partly from playing so much soccer. Before the heart attack, anyway."

his "I miss playing that..."

"He gives a wistful sigh as he looks out to the street."

"I feel terribly bad for asking. I know that sting all too well, and here I am inflicting it on someone else, albeit accidentally."

mik "Wanted to go pro, or...?"

his "Nah, nothing like that. It's just... it was structure, I guess. Something to dedicate myself to."

his "I was good at it, you know. Nothing amazing, but I could keep up with the others easily enough. It was something I could do with friends, see myself improving at, and look forwards to each day."

his "I guess I didn't realise how much that meant to me, before I lost it."

"Ah, I think I understand him a lot better now. The reason he studies so much isn't because he's some nerd, but because he wanted to fill that hole in his life."

"That's admirable, I think. To deal with such a shock in that particular way is something I can respect."

"Suzu begins to stir as we talk, mumbling something unintelligible as she tries to sit herself upright. The two of us just wait for her to fully wake, knowing that engaging her while she's so disoriented would be futile."

"After shaking her head and pinching the bridge of her nose, she appears a little more lucid."

suz "Where...?"

his "Just a cafe nearby, don't worry."

mik "Superman here managed to catch you before you fell, so you're not hurt."

"She just nods silently, still trying to regain her senses. Where she is and whether she ended up injured should cover just about everything."

"As if to prove me wrong, she digs around in her bag a little and retrieves her trusty mobile phone, no doubt to check how long she's been out. It wouldn't have been all that much time, so it shouldn't come as a shock."

"She pauses a little after doing so, looking to Hisao with a hint of shyness."

suz "If you want my number..."

his "Ah, sure. May as well take it."

"He quickly grabs his phone from his pocket and slides it across the table towards her. Her fingers make short work of the task, adding her number to his phone and vice-versa."

"Feeling left out, I drag my old phone from my pocket as well. It might be noticably older than either of their whizz-bang things, but it does the job."

mik "Yo, gimme."

"Suzu glances to Hisao for confirmation, with a shrug being the answer as he busily sips his coffee."

"With another slide his phone reaches me, and I quickly set about bringing up his contact list. It's difficult to just ignore what's right there, so I scroll a couple of times to see who he's deemed worthy before adding my own details."

mik "Huh. You've got the student council goons in here?"

his "You make that sound like a bad thing."

mik "Well... I mean, I'm fine with them, but..."

"I glance to Suzu, who evades my staring."

mik "They can be a bit intimidating."

his "I suppose I can see that, but they've been a lot of help. They do take their job seriously."

suz "That's part of the problem."

mik "You just gotta know how to deal with 'em. Straight back, stiff lip, and tell 'em what you mean."

his "You're the last person I expected to defend them."

mik "Pfft, they're fine. I can appreciate pople who take their work seriously, you know."

his "Maybe you should try doing that yourself."

"Suzu's gaze shifts to me, waiting to see my comeback. I just settle for sticking my tongue out at him."

"With the argument headed off and his phone returned, we content ourselves with drinking and talking for a good long time."