[mekakuni] Memories of the Future ch.8: dash
Memories of the Future
chapter 8: #9 dash
Disclaimer: I do not own Mekakushi no Kuni.
Pairing: Namiki/Kaichou
Notes: for 30_kisses theme #9 dash. School festival.
Archive: lj / ffnet
Words: ~1550
----
The school festival was just around the corner and everyone found themselves in a flurry of activity. As Masahiro watched students hurry about, his lips quirked up. He wasn't the one who had to worry about deadlines and getting things done on time, allowing him to view all the running and yelling with amusement.
He distinctly remembered that he hadn't actually been pressed for time during last year's school festival either. In fact, he hadn't even thought of participating then--he wasn't one for school spirit. But somehow, he had ended up as one of the fortune tellers for his class, which had been as easy a role as roles could go. He let his classmates dress him up in those fancy robes while one of the girls did his makeup for him. All he had to do was sit in the booth and make pretty predictions of the future--predictions that were actually appreciated.
He didn't quite remember what had made him agree to take on the role in the first place, but when all was done and over, he found that his classmates had warmed up to him much more than before.
As Masahiro neared class 3-4, which was the class that Kanade was in, he saw a bunch of students in the hallway outside of the classroom. They were painting huge pictures propped up on stands. Kanade wasn't among these students, so Masahiro assumed that she was inside the classroom.
Many of those inside the classroom were sewing. Cloth of all sorts of different colors and patterns was strewn all over the place. Masahiro hoped that the soles of his shoes were thick enough to protect him from any stray needles that might have been lost among the disarray. He thought he saw something shiny on the ground, but when he blinked, he lost sight of it. He hoped he had seen wrongly.
Kanade was indeed in the classroom, though she wasn't among those who were sewing. Instead, she stood in the corner with a thin booklet in her hands, her mouth moving as she read the words to herself.
Masahiro quietly snuck up from behind, peering over Kanade's shoulders at whatever she was looking at so intently.
"I do so wish I could attend the Ball! But oh, I don't have a dress and Mother would never let me," read Masahiro, pitching his voice higher than normal once he realized he was reading a girl's part.
Kanade jumped at Masahiro's voice, for she had been entirely focused on the script in front of her.
"I take it that your class is doing some kind of play?" asked Masahiro once Kanade calmed down and greeted him.
Kanade nodded. "Our class is doing Cinderella. Aiko over there," Kanade nodded towards a short girl who was overseeing two other girls practice their lines, "was the one who wrote the script."
"So, who's Cinderella?" From what Kanade had highlighted in her booklet, Masahiro had a fairly good guess, but he always loved to tease Kanade. She rarely realized she was being teased and always responded so openly.
Just as Masahiro thought, Kanade smiled that bright smile of hers even as she blushed.
"Um, that would be me," she replied. She glanced down at her booklet. "I was shocked when the class voted for me since this is such a big part."
"But you fit the part well," said Masahiro. He could already imagine Kanade in old, dreary clothing with a broom, dreaming about a magnificent ball where she could dance to her heart's desire. She'd transform from an unknown maid to a beautiful princess easily for it was her inner self that shone. Kanade didn't just fit the role well--she fit it perfectly. He could see why she won the vote for that role.
Kanade smiled widely. "I'm going to try my best!"
Masahiro ended up practicing with Kanade. He read the other parts, often acting them out as well--from the jealous stepsisters to the hateful stepmother, from the fairy godmother to the young suitors at the ball--he did them all. Kanade laughed at his antics. She almost couldn't recite her lines because of how much she laughed.
"Namiki-san, if only you were in the class! You do the parts so well," said Kanade.
His lips quirked up. Last year, he had transferred to this school solely because Kanade had piqued his interest. It would have been nice being in the same class, but he settled for being in the same school. Transferring had been one of the better decisions he had made in his life, and even Junya had remarked on how he had changed.
As Masahiro read over the last few lines of the play, his eyebrows shot up.
"The prince leaned over to kiss Cinderella on the lips. And then they lived happily ever after."
Kanade blinked before a full blush hit her and she started stammering. "W-What? I-I didn't know about that!"
"Ah, seems like your scriptwriter neglected to tell you some things, didn't she?" Masahiro was quite amused to see Kanade blushing so furiously and waving her arms all over the place. A sudden thought hit him though.
"Who's the prince?" he asked, since he hadn't come by that knowledge even after all this practice.
Kanade murmured something quietly, too quiet for Masahiro to catch.
"What was that?" he prodded.
She blushed further as she pointed her finger at someone across the room.
Masahiro turned his head, looking for the "prince."
The guy Kanade pointed at had a head of wavy blond hair and a set of exquisite features.
Masahiro's eyebrows rose even further.
It was Ezawa, of all people.
Eri's boyfriend.
Kanade was in quite a situation. If it had been anyone other than Kanade, there'd be a need to worry about jealousy. After all, Kanade was stuck in a situation where both her best friend and her boyfriend had a cause for jealousy. But since it was Kanade, Masahiro was pretty sure that everything would turn out all right.
Masahiro didn't even notice his own lack of jealousy over the staged kiss.
-----
Arou was in the next class down. Masahiro decided to pay him a visit too before he headed back to his college campus. When he stood outside the door to class 3-3, he strained his neck glancing around the room full of fake cobwebs and half-painted decorations.
"Looking for Kaichou?" asked Arou, who appeared at Masahiro's right. He was all dressed in white. It seemed that Arou's class was doing a ghost house. This would be the second time Arou got landed with the role of playing a ghost.
Masahiro blinked. "What makes you say that?"
Arou ignored Masahiro's question and instead offered information that Masahiro hadn't even asked about. "She's in a school council meeting right now," he said.
A scowl came over Masahiro's face. "Thanks for ignoring my question. Besides, I was here to visit you, you prat." He flicked Arou in the forehead, something that he quite liked to do for some reason. It was nicer than a punch.
This time it was Arou's turn to blink as part of Masahiro's past flickered before Arou. Masahiro supposed it couldn't be helped. Arou's power was like a broken faucet that couldn't be turned off.
When Arou shook his head to clear it, Masahiro was ready to deal with Arou and whatever he was going to throw at him.
At least, he thought he was ready. He never knew what Arou would see, but he was almost always fine with whatever Arou did see. With Kanade and Arou, Masahiro never considered it a breach of privacy. Masahiro was even ready to tease Arou with Kanade's role in the play...
"So, when are you going to tell her?" Arou's expression was solemn, but the tone of his voice was not.
...that, Masahiro did not expect.
But he had already made up his mind, hadn't he?
"When the timing's right, I will," answered Masahiro, his voice firm.
Arou, for some reason, looked satisfied. Masahiro had to wonder why.
-----
He saw her as he was about to leave. She had just come out of the classroom where the school council meeting had been held. She carried a huge box of stringed lights, reminding him of the decorations she had put around the school last year, almost all by herself until he stepped in to help. It looked like she was about to do the same this year.
Masahiro noted that out of all the students who were frantically preparing for the school festival, Kaichou was perhaps the busiest.
Seeing Kaichou put up all the decorations on her own, seeing how hard she strove to make the school festival run perfectly...perhaps that was the root of why he had decided to participate in last year's festival.
"Kaichou?" he called out.
She tried to turn, but the box of stringed lights wobbled precariously. He hurried over and righted the box, grinning over the box at Kaichou's thankful expression.
"Why don't I give you a hand here?" he suggested.
He supposed he could spare a few more minutes.
---tbc----
next chapter: #14 radio-cassette player
The school festival part in the manga was one of my favorites. ♥
Er, it seems that I'm averaging a chapter every 2 months. How sad. If it weren't because of the deadline, I wouldn't have gotten around to this chapter either.
chapter 8: #9 dash
Disclaimer: I do not own Mekakushi no Kuni.
Pairing: Namiki/Kaichou
Notes: for 30_kisses theme #9 dash. School festival.
Archive: lj / ffnet
Words: ~1550
----
The school festival was just around the corner and everyone found themselves in a flurry of activity. As Masahiro watched students hurry about, his lips quirked up. He wasn't the one who had to worry about deadlines and getting things done on time, allowing him to view all the running and yelling with amusement.
He distinctly remembered that he hadn't actually been pressed for time during last year's school festival either. In fact, he hadn't even thought of participating then--he wasn't one for school spirit. But somehow, he had ended up as one of the fortune tellers for his class, which had been as easy a role as roles could go. He let his classmates dress him up in those fancy robes while one of the girls did his makeup for him. All he had to do was sit in the booth and make pretty predictions of the future--predictions that were actually appreciated.
He didn't quite remember what had made him agree to take on the role in the first place, but when all was done and over, he found that his classmates had warmed up to him much more than before.
As Masahiro neared class 3-4, which was the class that Kanade was in, he saw a bunch of students in the hallway outside of the classroom. They were painting huge pictures propped up on stands. Kanade wasn't among these students, so Masahiro assumed that she was inside the classroom.
Many of those inside the classroom were sewing. Cloth of all sorts of different colors and patterns was strewn all over the place. Masahiro hoped that the soles of his shoes were thick enough to protect him from any stray needles that might have been lost among the disarray. He thought he saw something shiny on the ground, but when he blinked, he lost sight of it. He hoped he had seen wrongly.
Kanade was indeed in the classroom, though she wasn't among those who were sewing. Instead, she stood in the corner with a thin booklet in her hands, her mouth moving as she read the words to herself.
Masahiro quietly snuck up from behind, peering over Kanade's shoulders at whatever she was looking at so intently.
"I do so wish I could attend the Ball! But oh, I don't have a dress and Mother would never let me," read Masahiro, pitching his voice higher than normal once he realized he was reading a girl's part.
Kanade jumped at Masahiro's voice, for she had been entirely focused on the script in front of her.
"I take it that your class is doing some kind of play?" asked Masahiro once Kanade calmed down and greeted him.
Kanade nodded. "Our class is doing Cinderella. Aiko over there," Kanade nodded towards a short girl who was overseeing two other girls practice their lines, "was the one who wrote the script."
"So, who's Cinderella?" From what Kanade had highlighted in her booklet, Masahiro had a fairly good guess, but he always loved to tease Kanade. She rarely realized she was being teased and always responded so openly.
Just as Masahiro thought, Kanade smiled that bright smile of hers even as she blushed.
"Um, that would be me," she replied. She glanced down at her booklet. "I was shocked when the class voted for me since this is such a big part."
"But you fit the part well," said Masahiro. He could already imagine Kanade in old, dreary clothing with a broom, dreaming about a magnificent ball where she could dance to her heart's desire. She'd transform from an unknown maid to a beautiful princess easily for it was her inner self that shone. Kanade didn't just fit the role well--she fit it perfectly. He could see why she won the vote for that role.
Kanade smiled widely. "I'm going to try my best!"
Masahiro ended up practicing with Kanade. He read the other parts, often acting them out as well--from the jealous stepsisters to the hateful stepmother, from the fairy godmother to the young suitors at the ball--he did them all. Kanade laughed at his antics. She almost couldn't recite her lines because of how much she laughed.
"Namiki-san, if only you were in the class! You do the parts so well," said Kanade.
His lips quirked up. Last year, he had transferred to this school solely because Kanade had piqued his interest. It would have been nice being in the same class, but he settled for being in the same school. Transferring had been one of the better decisions he had made in his life, and even Junya had remarked on how he had changed.
As Masahiro read over the last few lines of the play, his eyebrows shot up.
"The prince leaned over to kiss Cinderella on the lips. And then they lived happily ever after."
Kanade blinked before a full blush hit her and she started stammering. "W-What? I-I didn't know about that!"
"Ah, seems like your scriptwriter neglected to tell you some things, didn't she?" Masahiro was quite amused to see Kanade blushing so furiously and waving her arms all over the place. A sudden thought hit him though.
"Who's the prince?" he asked, since he hadn't come by that knowledge even after all this practice.
Kanade murmured something quietly, too quiet for Masahiro to catch.
"What was that?" he prodded.
She blushed further as she pointed her finger at someone across the room.
Masahiro turned his head, looking for the "prince."
The guy Kanade pointed at had a head of wavy blond hair and a set of exquisite features.
Masahiro's eyebrows rose even further.
It was Ezawa, of all people.
Eri's boyfriend.
Kanade was in quite a situation. If it had been anyone other than Kanade, there'd be a need to worry about jealousy. After all, Kanade was stuck in a situation where both her best friend and her boyfriend had a cause for jealousy. But since it was Kanade, Masahiro was pretty sure that everything would turn out all right.
Masahiro didn't even notice his own lack of jealousy over the staged kiss.
-----
Arou was in the next class down. Masahiro decided to pay him a visit too before he headed back to his college campus. When he stood outside the door to class 3-3, he strained his neck glancing around the room full of fake cobwebs and half-painted decorations.
"Looking for Kaichou?" asked Arou, who appeared at Masahiro's right. He was all dressed in white. It seemed that Arou's class was doing a ghost house. This would be the second time Arou got landed with the role of playing a ghost.
Masahiro blinked. "What makes you say that?"
Arou ignored Masahiro's question and instead offered information that Masahiro hadn't even asked about. "She's in a school council meeting right now," he said.
A scowl came over Masahiro's face. "Thanks for ignoring my question. Besides, I was here to visit you, you prat." He flicked Arou in the forehead, something that he quite liked to do for some reason. It was nicer than a punch.
This time it was Arou's turn to blink as part of Masahiro's past flickered before Arou. Masahiro supposed it couldn't be helped. Arou's power was like a broken faucet that couldn't be turned off.
When Arou shook his head to clear it, Masahiro was ready to deal with Arou and whatever he was going to throw at him.
At least, he thought he was ready. He never knew what Arou would see, but he was almost always fine with whatever Arou did see. With Kanade and Arou, Masahiro never considered it a breach of privacy. Masahiro was even ready to tease Arou with Kanade's role in the play...
"So, when are you going to tell her?" Arou's expression was solemn, but the tone of his voice was not.
...that, Masahiro did not expect.
But he had already made up his mind, hadn't he?
"When the timing's right, I will," answered Masahiro, his voice firm.
Arou, for some reason, looked satisfied. Masahiro had to wonder why.
-----
He saw her as he was about to leave. She had just come out of the classroom where the school council meeting had been held. She carried a huge box of stringed lights, reminding him of the decorations she had put around the school last year, almost all by herself until he stepped in to help. It looked like she was about to do the same this year.
Masahiro noted that out of all the students who were frantically preparing for the school festival, Kaichou was perhaps the busiest.
Seeing Kaichou put up all the decorations on her own, seeing how hard she strove to make the school festival run perfectly...perhaps that was the root of why he had decided to participate in last year's festival.
"Kaichou?" he called out.
She tried to turn, but the box of stringed lights wobbled precariously. He hurried over and righted the box, grinning over the box at Kaichou's thankful expression.
"Why don't I give you a hand here?" he suggested.
He supposed he could spare a few more minutes.
---tbc----
next chapter: #14 radio-cassette player
The school festival part in the manga was one of my favorites. ♥
Er, it seems that I'm averaging a chapter every 2 months. How sad. If it weren't because of the deadline, I wouldn't have gotten around to this chapter either.