033 [voice; Japanese]

[shockinglycool]

[Sorata sounds tired, but also pretty amused.]

I understand now.

There's a reason people under twenty shouldn't drink....

...It turns out to be dangerous.

How enlightening.

Comments

[bakuhatsushinji]

...Dangerous?

[shockinglycool]

To be honest, even I'm pretty cynical about some things. In it's own way, though, it's pretty hard. When reality is unpleasant, it's also unpleasant to look at.

[bakuhatsushinji]

You are? That... does kinda surprise me, no offence. It's only natural, though.

Yeah, that's true. Which is why you should work to make it more pleasant. Complaining and being passive about everything doesn't do anything.

[shockinglycool]

Even cheerful idiots like myself can have some depth.

People just enjoy complaining, I guess. There's probably some fancy science reason for why complaining makes them feel better, but I don't know it.

[bakuhatsushinji]

I didn't mean it like that. Your cheerfulness reminds me of someone. It always used to surprise me when he came out with these things about people and... stuff. It wasn't that I didn't think he didn't have those feelings, it's just that-- It just felt a little bit worse when it was him that was saying them, you know?

No idea. I sucked at science.

[shockinglycool]

[...] Yeah... I understand that. People always get really surprised when I get overwhelmed by things. It makes me feel badly that I even got upset, actually. Like, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to worry you by feeling this way." Guess that's a little different from what you're talking about, though.

I was always real bad at science, too. Actually, all of my classes. It's strange...

[bakuhatsushinji]

...Not really. I don't know how he actually felt about those kinds of things. He might have thought the same, but I'm a different person, so I would always be the one thinking 'oh, so he feels that way'. He didn't like to dwell on those things so when he did, it was surprising.

Strange? There were only two classes I was good at. Or, three if you include sports.

[shockinglycool]

Hmm. I guess it just goes back to, 'in the end, it's rare to find someone you understand completely.' Maybe your friend also felt like I do, but maybe he thought in a different way. I shouldn't assume. That just leads to problems...

I can't think of a single class I'm good at in school. Sports are included.

[bakuhatsushinji]

Yeah, it is, unfortunately. Circumstances help or hinder that understanding, as well. I asked him a question once. He gave me something... that wasn't a serious answer in response which annoyed me, because it was something I wanted a proper answer to. But after I thought about, I decided that was probably just his way of trying not to make everything so serious. So, I think you're probably right.

I don't think classes are much use for anything, really.

[shockinglycool]

At the same time, your sort of understanding - just the effort of it, that's pretty rare. Y'know. It's easier to assign things to your ideals and beliefs, and much harder to put an effort into understanding, even just after the fact. It basically means you're a good person. Which I'd already figured out, but I like getting more proof.

Classes help you... prepare for your place in society and adult life...?

[bakuhatsushinji]

You think I'm a good person? ...Thanks.

Maybe. I don't really think they do. Or, maybe... I don't think mine would have other than 'this is how you're meant to talk to--', but if parents or carers are interested, they can teach you that.

[shockinglycool]

I'm pretty sure you are. I'm good at guessing at this kind of thing.

Hmm. I guess, it could be that you use your classes to discover your interests, or something... but that only works if you have interesting classes...

[bakuhatsushinji]

I think mostly, school is somewhere to shove kids so that adults can go to work if they want to go to work, have a break from kids if they don't want to work. I don't really know where teachers fit into that, though. And as an attempt to keep kids of the streets.

[shockinglycool]

That is cynical. I don't really know, though. I'm no good at school, but I don't mind it. As far as 'places to throw kids during the day' go, it could be a lot worse, I guess.

[bakuhatsushinji]

...Uh. Maybe your school was better than mine. The education system, adults... where I'm from, in general, weren't that great.

[shockinglycool]

I pretty recently transferred schools. My new one, it's almost scary-fancy. Real high class. The chairman's paying my tuition, which is how I was even able to transfer into it. So I like it, but I definitely know that's not how schools usually are. My old one, back in Kouya, yeah... hmm.

I don't know. I guess an experience with two schools in my life isn't actually a large pool to draw from.