"Question Six-dash-B…" Silas was muttering to himself. "…given this scenario… draw a free b-body diagram… frictionless plane… solve for tensions T1 and T2? Th-they're not the same? But…"

He sunk his head into his hands, and tried to make sense of the practice problem before him.

"S-So… sum of forces in… the x-axis… w-wait, no, no… the y-axis? But that's j-just m-times-g, right…? There's no w-way it's that easy…"

He scratched his head.

"Th-the point mass is here, gravity is exerting a downwards force here…" He made some strokes with his pen. "So the y-component of… of the sum of the two tensions… b-but then, why is the ball there?"

He had been at this for hours now.

Math was easy. It had hard rules with simple tests. If he forgot a sign, it was trivial to catch that in a second pass. If he factored a polynomial incorrectly, all he had to do was check his work against an online algebra calculator.

Science was… harder. He knew it was just math applied to the real world. Theoretically, it should also be easy. But the context was consistently stumping him. He knew the formulas by heart, but he wasn't good at interpreting the graphs and diagrams to plug in the data into the formulas.

His games always did that for him… ugh.

A brief thought crossed his mind. He hadn't played in a while. There was an unfinished campaign in Division IV he was doing. A half-built fortress in Onol-no-Kuni. Some incomplete side objectives in Deathseeker.

Thinking about video games made him feel tired, so he pushed those thoughts to the side.

He'd been doing that a lot recently.


There was no time to waste over the weekend. Silas was a busy bee. He wanted to be studious. He wanted to make his teachers, especially Sowa-sensei, or maybe even Geniichiro-sensei (no matter how annoying he might be), proud. He wanted to pass the first midterm.

Still, there's a hard limit to what one can do over the course of two-and-a-half days. The more time he put into it, the more Silas felt his mind shutting down.

So… he tried to pace himself. An hour here, then he'd go and fold laundry. An hour there, then he'd go and order lunch. Add two more hours, and then take away thirty minutes to sweep the floor.

It felt a lot more manageable that way. And also a lot more productive. That was the most important thing—he had to be productive. He had to keep doing things, or else…

…well, he didn't know what would happen. He was just sure that he couldn't let idleness set in.


Silas wasn't used to Sera fussing over him like this.

He had only mentioned that he was going to attend a public function for his school's Student Council in passing. He didn't expect Sera-nee to get so excited about it.

She had practically dragged him to her room, and now, he was sitting in front of a (surprisingly barely furnished) bathroom vanity, while Sera straightened out the wrinkles in his dress shirt, fixed up his tie and his shoes, and, most annoyingly, tried and failed to tame his hair.

"Have you… considered visiting a barber, Silas?" she said, gently.

"No."

"Ahh." She chuckled. "I'm just saying, it would make you look a bit more… presentable."

"Okay." Silas looked away. Since when was she so pushy?

"Oh… I do hope you have fun. It can be important to make a good first impression in things like these, you know. Get an 'in' on Council politics."

"You say that l-like… like I'm about to attend a dinner at the Miyao City Hall."

"In a way, you are, I would say. Lower stakes, perhaps, but… everyone starts somewhere, right? I started with a server technician. Look where I am now."

"...I don't think I am g-going to ascend to the office of the Student Council President in my last and only year in Yamaha Se-Senior High."

"That… depends on the line of succession. I'm sure it could be arranged with enough gumption."

"Sera-nee…"

Silas tried to laugh, but he wasn't feeling all that mirthful. He was already feeling kind of worn out from the last few weeks. And now… he was about to attend a very public event. He was probably gonna have to deal with a bunch of new people.

This was going to suck. Thankfully, Inoue would be there, probably… right?

"I think that's the best I can do," Sera finally said. Silas's hair had not changed a smidge. "Do you think you'll need anything while you're there? Snacks?"

"I'm g-good, thank you." Silas stood up. "I sh-should get my bag…"

"And your coat!" Sera beamed at him.

Oh, what had he gotten himself into?


"Hello! Welcome to the Student Council Orientation," chirped the girl stationed at the door. "You're actually a bit early. Auditorium won't open for a few. There's pastries and coffee in the hall, if you wanna hang around. I don't recognize you, mister…?"

"Y-Yamigawa. Silas. Third year. Th-This is my first… one of these…" Silas looked around.

"Ah! Well, welcome, Yamigawa-senpai. Now, feel free to wait while we get ready…" She gestured towards a table arranged with little cakes and donuts.

"Free of charge," she added. "Courtesy of the Volunteering and Public Service Committee!"

"Th-Thanks…"

He took a little chocolate brownie, and dispensed some warm coffee into a paper cup. He still found it hard to maintain eye contact with anyone around him.

The hall started to fill up with students, almost to capacity. The mood seemed to sour a little, with some people arguing with the girl at the door to allow them to sit. Apparently, there was something big that they were still preparing for. Absolutely no one could enter unless they had the go-ahead from someone higher up.

"Ohh, are these from Natsukiyori? Niiice. God, my legs are killing me. What a great pick-me-up."

That voice sounded familiar, for some reason. Silas looked up, and saw a scrubby, brown-haired boy adding a few cupcakes to his plate. As he stepped away from the table, he looked around—for a seat, Silas realized—and his eyes locked with Silas's.

"Yo, senpai," he said, approaching him. "Is it alright if I take this seat?"

"S-Sure."

"Sweet! Thanks. I owe you one!"

The boy sat down, and dug into one of the cupcakes with a fork. "Shhay," he said after a while. He gulped down his food. "Say… do I know you, senpai?"

Silas furrowed his brow. Yes… he did. And at least time, he was fairly sure that it wasn't because of something annoying. He tried to remember…

…ah. Back at the school gate. The person who took his name on his first day at Yamaha Senior High. First person he'd ever talked to. It felt like so long ago now.

"Tachibana… Kei-kun. Right?"


"Ahah! You were… Yamazaki-senpai, I think."

"Y-Yamigawa," Sias corrected.

"Gotcha. Yamigawa, Yamigawa…" he grinned. For some reason, he kept looking up to his hair, then back at his eyes, all the while keeping up that placid smile.

"...wh-what's wrong?" Silas said. He suddenly felt kind of uncomfortable. His hairdo wasn't that bad, was it?

"Oh, well, I just uh…" He kept grinning. It was starting to put Silas on edge. "I'm just wondering, like… you… must have traveled far, huh? To get here, I mean."

"What's… that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing! Nothing. I mean… in this city, you get used to all the same faces, right? Mostly you're Miyao-jin, or Imperial, or Amberrish. But you're, uh… from one of those Far Western states, right? Not the Signatories, the, uh… the…"

"'Barbarous Countries?'" Silas said drily.

"Hey, I was avoiding that term for a reason!" He insisted. "Am I… wrong?"

"...no."

"So, who are your parents, then?" Kei continued. "Merchants with one of the Pityrskiyy trade companies? Eleventh Republicans? Refugees from that thing down in Eastern Samothrace?"

"I… I don't…" This conversation was making Silas's head hurt. "I d-don't remember who my parents were. And I do n…n-not care to remember. They were not good… people. Okay?"

He tried to keep his voice low. He didn't want to cause a scene. Again.

Kei's smile seemed to falter. But his expression grew kinder. "Oh… I think I understand."

"Do you?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. I know I can be annoying, my senpais tell me all the time. I'm just… I'm a bit of a history nerd."

"You are?" Silas blinked.

"Yeah! I was hoping you'd have stories about the non-Imperial Sphere. It's so hard to get primary sources from over there."

"Ah… I c-can respect that." Silas looked down in shame. And here he was, about to explode again. God, he was such an asshole. "I'm sorry I don't h-have anything fun to share. My memory's not that good."

"Nah, it's alright." Kei shrugged it off. "You figure it's better here than over there, though?"

"Yes," Silas's answer was immediate. "I'm s-safe here. Safe here… A-And…! The weather's a lot n-nicer. It's pleasant… and green…"

He looked off wistfully.

"Oh, wow. You're kinda mysterious, Yami-senpai. In a cool way."

"H-Huh?!" Silas said, flustered. "Th-Thanks, I guess?! Where did that c-come from??"

"Nowhere, nowhere!" Kei laughed. "Just… the way you talk, is all! All… kuudere and shit. Oh, they're calling us into the auditorium."

Silas looked over. Indeed, people were filing into the auditorium now.

"Hey, you mind if I sit with you, Yami-senpai? Could use the company."

Silas hesitated. "S-Sure."

"Sweet! Well, uh… go ahead, senpai! You have seniority."

"Y-You care about that?"

"No. Lol." He snickered.

"Did… y-you just…" Silas shook his head, let out a chortle, and made for the auditorium. Kei followed close behind, grinning all the way, like he'd just told an amazing joke.

This underclassman… Silas thought. He's… not so bad.






"Hello and welcome to the first weekly General Body Meeting of the Yamaha Senior High Student Council! Thank you all for coming out today! We will begin these proceedings by swearing in our Committee Chairs."

The room was stuffy and smelled faintly of… ash. Or maybe burnt oil. It felt like there were way too many people present for what was shaping up to be a… kind of banal bureaucratic procedure. A boy—someone from his year, but in a different class—stood up, announced the ascension of a new Officer or Committee Chair, talked about past achievements, and everyone would clap.

It was agonizingly boring.

Kei, for his part, was playing on his phone.

"W-Won't you get in trouble for that…?" Silas had asked.

"Nah," he whispered back. "Everyone else is bored out of their minds, they're just too afraid to do anything about it."

"Alright! Now, we will introduce our new Student Council Officers by year. First, up, the First years! President Nobuna, please introduce yourself…"

"B-But…" Silas glanced at his armband. "You're… im-important, right? What if someone disciplines you?"

He just shrugged. "It's not that big a deal, senpai, you'll see."

"Okay…" Silas started to feel an extreme temptation to reach for his own phone. Just to check the weather. Maybe browse some wikis. Look at pictures of airships.

"Onto the second years… President Tanaka! She needs no introduction, I'm sure… but I see a lot of new faces here. Tell us about yourself!"

"Hey-hey!"

Silas nearly jumped out of his seat as a new person suddenly popped into the empty seat next to him. "Kei-kun, yo, wassup?"

"Nothing much, Airi-kun. I can't believe you made it," Kei rolled his eyes, and shut off his phone. "Thought you said you were gonna skip this one?"

"Well, ahh…" The boy snickered. "Sensei says that they might formally kick me out of I keep scampering. Oh, who are you?"

He seemed to just now notice that Silas was sitting right there.

"Ghk—"

Silas was having trouble finding his words.

"...Yami-senpai? You good?"

"Yes. Guh. I, u-uh…"


Silas felt… small.

This boy, Airi, was well built, with a pretty face and some clean up-bangs. He was overwhelming. He made Silas feel more… more unkempt, more pathetic, just by being near him. He couldn't figure out what to say.

So he continued to not speak.

"...I'm not sure what's going on here," the boy said, after a while.

"Are you blushing, Yami-senpai?"

"I think he is…? You… you aren't saying anything."

"I… " Silas found his voice. "I, uh…"

"Sooo…" The boy pursed his lips. "...do you like guys?"

Silas blanched. "What. Th-That's not…! I dunno! Why do y-you care? What's that got to do w-with anything?!"

He had said that a bit too loud. A couple people nearby were casting him dirty looks. Shit… I've made another enemy…

"Ah. Sheesh." The boy's expression was inscrutable. "Sorry. Yeah, uh, I think I'm gonna go… sit with my friends over there. Ciao, Kei-kun?"

"..." Kei just shook his head, tsk-tsking at him.

Mercifully, the boy decided to shrink away without comment, leaving them alone… and leaving Silas very confused.

"...I thought h-he would get mad at me."

Kei looked at him, confused. "Airi Hasegawa-senpai? Mad? For what?"

"R-Raising my voice at him?"

"Nahh. He has a lot of bluster but he's a frickin' softie. With no rizz, apparently."

"Huh..."



There was a murmur from the auditorium stage. A new face was climbing up to the podium.

"Alright. Alright!" The boy clapped his hands together. "As the president of the third-year, I guess it is my duty to wrap things up, as per tradition."

A silence fell over the auditorium.

The boy cleared his throat.

"We are now concluding the swearing-in ceremony. Are there any orders of business from the Committee Chairs? I will go from left to right. Volunteering and Public Service Committee?"

"None."

"Outreach Committee?"

"Nay."

"Internal Affairs?"

Silas looked around as the President listed out more and more Committees. For some reason, the whole room seemed to now be in rapt attention. Even the irreverent Kei.

"Public Morals and Student Conduct?"

"None here."

"And the Sub-Committee is… absent. Noted. Well then! I now open the floor to public comment. Do we have any questions from the general body?"

The room was still.

"Going once?" He grinned.

Nothing.

"Twice?" His smile grew.

Someone coughed.

"Wonderful!" He reached under the podium, and pulled out several cardboard boxes. Behind him, several more officers did the same. A few others were uncovering stacks of paper plates, tableware, cups, and drink dispensers. "Now begins the annual Student Council potluck. Who's hungry?!"

And the room exploded into motion.

Kei jumped up immediately. "C'mon, senpai! Now's the time! We gotta go, before all the good stuff's gone!"

"H-Huh?!" Silas almost immediately lost Kei in the sea of people.

"Orderly line, people! Orderly! Just because the senseis are gone doesn't mean we can descend into chaos! Single file, now, let the kind Volunteer Committee members serve you…"

Silas stood there, among the tide of people… and decided that he wanted to be nowhere near that.

He made his way to the back of the auditorium.


Silas leaned against the wall, watching students crowd around the food tables. When they opened up the containers, a strong smell had wafted all around the room. Salty, savory… he was pretty sure he saw someone outright grilling yakitori in the corner, on a little barbecue grill. They were allowed to bring those inside?

He was starting to feel like he was starving. But no way was he going to get entangled in that mess. He'd order something nice for dinner, to make up for it.

"Ugh… oh no… I'm late… gah… how typical…"

A girl was wandering near him, pacing back and forth across the floor.

"Stupid… had to miss the ceremony just to photocopy those papers... stupid Sub-Committee... and their stupid rules..."

She suddenly perked up. Her whole body went rigid. "Oh! Hello there! I hope you are enjoying the Student Council General Body Meeting… and potluck! It's truly… really… well-organized, huh?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Wait a sec. No way. You… I talked to you! You're here because of me, aren't you?! Oh my gosh, the number of people I brought to this meeting is greater than or equal to one! I didn't do all that talking for nothing! Hi! Hello! I hope you enjoyed and/or are enjoying it here!! My name is Yuuko Takahashi, by the way!"

Silas nearly stumbled back trying to deal with the force of the girl's energy.


"Th-Thank you? Yes, I am? Sort of?"

"That's wonderful! Institutions like… like… the Student Council… blah… civil service…" The girl let out a deep breath. "...I'm really tired, please don't make me repeat the spiel…"

"Y-You don't have to, it's fine," Silas said quickly.

She looked relieved. "Thanks… ugh. Why are you here? Did you already eat?"

"...don't wanna go."

"Oh? Why's that? They have vegetarian options, I'm pretty sure."

"It's not that."

"Well… then what is it? Did they cut the hearings short again? Are you sad about that? I would be. I kind of like those public proceedings. Nice and formulaic, you know? Kind of like what they do at City Hall. Do you watch cop shows?"

"Wh-What?"

"Wait! Sorry. I shouldn't go off like that. We were talking about…?"

Silas stared at her. "...th-the potluck?"

"Oh, right! Are you not hungry? It doesn't seem fair to be here all on your lonesome. You should enjoy yourself! That's half the fun of the Student Council."

"B-But… I…" He grit his teeth. He was loathe to admit it. "The… the cr-crowd… it's… too much. I can't…"

He gestured at the shifting mass of people.

She opened her mouth, but stopped herself midword. She pursed her lips.

"Yeah… it is. I wholeheartedly agree."

She seemed to be frozen to the spot, deep in thought.

"If… i-if…" She gulped. "If you had to choose… between those southern spring rolls over there, or Airi-kun's yakitori over there, or the meat buns we bought from Natsukiyori… wh-which… would suit your fancy?"

"Th-they all sound delicious…" he admitted.

"Right." Her face turned ashen. "Of course."

The girl very suddenly jerked herself forward. She pat her cheeks. "Okay, Yuuko-chan," she muttered to herself. "You… are a fearsome lioness. Yes, you are. You're brave. You're…"

"W-Wait…" Silas called out after her, but she had already gone.

He stared, transfixed, as the girl weaved through the tables, until eventually he lost sight of her. Surely, she wasn't going to… he didn't do anything to deserve special treatment, he…

Nevertheless, she soon returned. Silas's eyes widened. She was carrying a truly large stack of food with her. And by her side—Kei, from earlier, carrying a few stacked chairs. They were talking together animatedly.

"Aha, senpai!" Kei said, once they reached him. "Found you at last! Whatcha doing back here? Thought you could get away from the food, did you?"

"Oh, Kei-kun, you know him?"

"Yeah! Well, I met him today. His name is Yamigawa-senpai."

Silas bowed awkwardly. This was so much…

"I see! Pleasant to make your acquaintance! I brought you… a-a bit of everything! Consider it a taste of Student Council hospitality! Literally! You can taste it!"

She brought the plate down on a table nearby, while Kei let the chairs down. "Borrowed these from the teacher's lounge down the hall," he explained. "They won't need it. Wanna sit here with me and Yuuko-chan, Yami-senpai?"

Silas stared at the food, and at the two grinning Student Councillors, and could not find it in him to possibly say no.

"Th-Thanks—" he almost let out a tear. "Thanks… T-Takahashi-san… I really… I don't…"

"Don't mention it! It wasn't… that bad… really…" She let out a nervous breath. "Besides…! I was doing it for me, too. I need to get better at this. Shock therapy, or something."

"Nah, Yuuko-chan is just a masochist."

"...you're one to talk."

"Pfft—gahk—" Kei had been in the middle of swallowing a piece of skewered chicken. After swallowing, he doubled over, giggling. "Untrue! These are some spurious allegations being levied against me by a ranked member of the Student Council!"

"To be an 'allegation,' there needs to be at least a possibility for it to be untrue..."

Silas took his seat, and let the two bicker in front of him. He still felt kind of guarded. Like he was waiting for something bad to happen. But the food Yuuko had brought him was good. Sweet chicken, spicy And the two were so accommodating.

He felt himself sink into his seat. This was… comfy. This was nice.



He noticed the change gradually, as the evening went on. Students were filtering out, in bits and pieces.

And it wasn't natural.

Silas was used to listening in on whispers now. Even in an environment as loud and cacophonic as this, he heard something rippling through the crowd. A series of words. Repeated several times, with several different carriers. Like a code phrase. And it went…

"Hey. Yuuko-chan. Kei-kun. Serious classroom politics are going on at the usual place, at the unusual time. Pass it on, and meet me there."

Silas slowly turned his head around. An unfamiliar girl was bent over their table, whispering at the two of them. She said a few more things, but Silas couldn't make out the words.

She noticed him staring. "Apologies," she said quickly. "I'll leave you three in peace. I hope you enjoyed the general body meeting. Please feel free to come again."

And she was off.

Kei looked uncomfortable. Yuuko was shifting back and forth in her chair. Both of them had gone quiet. They'd stopped eating, too.

"You know—" Kei said, quite loudly. "I just realized… I'm supposed to be on a diet, anyway. Yami-senpai, I really don't wanna burden you, but do you mind taking my portion home? I can lend you my lunchbox."

"Uh… sure? I h-have my own, thank you for the offer. I c-can share this with my sister…"

"Cool! Cool…" Kei got up, and stretched his arms. "I think I gotta… go out for a walk. See you around, senpai. Yuuko-chan."

He left quickly. Yuuko sat there, fidgeting with her fingers. She kept checking her watch.

"D-Do… you have somewhere to go, too, Yuuko-san?"

"Hmm? No! I… have to wait."

"For what?"

"I have to wait," she repeated.

A few seconds passed.

"If… you wanna hang out with us again.. the Student Council does meetings like this on the week, too. And weekends. We post the schedule in the halls. You'll always be welcome there, senpai!"

"A-Ah. I didn't think of that…" As a matter of fact, he was wondering if he'd ever see any of these people again. After all, they were all in different classes, and Silas… didn't feel all that comfortable leaving his homeroom. He'd look… like a weirdo, or a stalker, wouldn't he?

Yuuko checked her watch again.

"GoodenoughsorrysenpaiIgottagotakemyfoodtoopleasethanksbye!"

And she bolted out of there. Silas was left alone at the table, with quite a lot of extra dinner.

Overall, the auditorium was still crowded. Only maybe one in ten students had gone. But… that number seemingly included everyone he'd met today.

And there was no sign of Inoue. Weird. She was a Class Representative. He was kind of hoping to bump into her here.

With no more reason to stay, Silas resolved to pack up his things, put far too many leftovers into his far-too-small lunchbox, and head home.

What an odd night, with such an anticlimactic ending. Was this how… parties typically went? All of the fun in the middle, then nothing but longing and confusion after?

It was all so new to him…

On the way out, he caught a few Student Councillors in a corner, and could hear some of their whispers:

"That girl—"

"You don't think?"

"Not Yumika-san… no way…"

Something about that rubbed Silas the wrong way. Yumika? The girl from the other day?

Was she in trouble with the Student Council?


New entries have been added to the Character Database!

Silas has been introduced to his first Org!
Organizations are social structures that, among many other things, allow students to interact with each other outside of their designated homerooms.

Silas can only interact with a student if he shares a homeroom with them, shares an org with them, or ???. He would die of embarrassment otherwise.

There will be a way to remove this restriction in the future.



Sleep came quickly. All too quickly. After coming home from the Orientation, Silas fell like a log. By Sunday morning, he still had no energy to do anything. He felt sluggish. Everything moved more slowly. He felt like a piece of taffy, or a pound of dough, stretched out and out by mechanical pincers, rolled into itself over and over again.

He felt oddly light. And still, on edge. He felt happy, but also that he shouldn't be. It was… nice, to go to the Student Council orientation. To be near it. He didn't have to feel so envious about other people anymore. He had walked among them. Ate with them, even for a little bit.

But something was wrong. All wrong…

He fell asleep early on Sunday. The sun was still in the sky. And he dreamed.


"J-Just… who the hell are you?"

He opens his eyes, and he recognizes, instantly, where he is. A bright, blaring light above him. Distant murmurings. A cool breeze. A cold floor below.

It's that stage. He's dreaming. He knows this immediately. He's been here before.

"Tsk. Finally awake, dumbass? Can't believe you slept through the final act."

"W-Whuh…?"

He blinks, and the grand theater hall melts away. The light is his own ceiling light. The noise was chatter from his television set. The breeze—gentle air from an open window. It's summer.

"Just who the hell are you?" says a woman on the screen.

"Oh, you... you pitiable creature. You'd know already. If you'd only look with your eyes."

"Answer me directly, jackass. Or I'll... I'll..."

The show pauses. Silas's hand is on the remote.

"I… w-why didn't you wake me up?!" Silas said, realizing, then, that he had no control over his own voice. He tried to sit up, but his body would not move. He couldn't see who he was speaking to. Just the lamp, the television, and the window.

"You looked comfy." He heard a sigh. "...and it wasn't that good, anyway. Kinda mid. Can't expect too much from a film adaptation. Barely even worth pirating. Can't believe Nillis-san convinced me to pay for access to their UBI subscription, grumble-grumble…"

"W-Well… I still wanted to see the ending…!"

"Clearly not that much! Don't worry, you didn't miss anything spectacular. I'm gonna have to go see if I can't find a slime tutorial of the real deal, some time. I'm almost certain they did a professional shoot of Interminable Night. Just gotta figure out who has it…"

Silas felt his body rise from his awkward position on the floor, and crane his neck. Finally, he looked over to see the person he was speaking to… but his eyes never seemed to find her face directly. He'd stare at the television screen, or at her serafuku, or at the wall, or the clock, never staying at one place for long enough to get his bearings. His vision didn't feel right. It was so narrow…

His gaze fixated on the floor, where the girl seemed to be sorting through photographs.

"W-What's that?" he asked.

"Hmm? Well, while watching Interminable, it, uh… awoke some memories in me, haha. I wanted to go through some of the older polaroids in my scrapbook."

She held it up, and Silas saw a gaggle of faces. Smiling, happy, throwing peace signs. At the center, a girl with a bright, toothy smile. It wasn't the person talking to him.

"...w-who is she?" Silas asked, pointing at the photo. But he already knew.

"Oh, her?" She sounds surprised. "She's… a friend. We don't talk much nowadays."

"She l-looks kinda cute…" he said, without thinking. Instantly, his hand went to cover his face.

But the girl just laughed. "Pfft-ha-ha-ha! Cuter than me? C'mon. Be honest."

"I'm…" Silas felt his entire body tense up. His throat felt congested. He started fidgeting with his fingers. "I… I'm… n-not… saying… a-a-a-n-nother… word…!"

"Oh, calm down, you. Hey, are you okay? Breathe a little. In… out. In…"

He inhaled, and exhaled, just as she told him. After a few moments, his breathing had normalized.

"Yeah, haha… that was mean of me. I'm sorry, Saa-kun."

"It's o-okay…" Silas replied contritely. "I know th-that isn't… a normal reaction…"

"Pffft. Fuuuck normal. I think it's cool, in its own way. Like it's your supervillain weakness."

"What is?"

"Cute girls. Mweheh."

He couldn't help himself. He giggled, too.

"The g-girl… you said you d-don't talk anymore? Why is that?"

"Oh, uh. Well, I dunno, to be honest. We drifted apart, I guess."

"That's s-sad."

"Yeah." She paused. "She changed. But this won't."

She fiddled with the plastic film, slipping the picture back into the scrapbook. "This… will stay forever. It's why I like polaroids. And vinyl. Feels more… real. You know?"

"I g-guess. Having it in your hands is… d-different, than looking through a m-monitor. Fewer… d-degrees of separation."

"Pft. Yeah. Ain't that right, 'nee-chan'?"

"Please... continue to pretend that I am not here."

"Th-That girl…" Silas said suddenly. "What's her name?"

"Huh? Oh. Tsk. She's bad luck. Come here, come close, and I'll whisper her name in your ear."

"Oh… kay…"

He felt her get closer. She was breathing down his neck, almost. Her breath smelled like popcorn.

...

"...that's it?"

"Yeah! What, did you expect something more theatric? Mweheh."

"Y-You're so lame."

"You are an actual shut-in gremlin. A bona-fide NEET. A terminally unloveable, dorky, silvette dumbass with a chatbot vtuber for a caretaker."

"I resent that identifier. I am much smarter."

"S-So mean…" he said, his voice dripping with mock indignation. It only took a second for the facade to crack, and he was left giggling on the floor. Another summer breeze was coming in. Life was good.


Silas jolted awake. His heart was pounding. He felt like something had just been ripped away from him. That laugh…

He threw his covers off. He started to feel tears welling up in his eyes. Who was that? What was that? A memory? It was also so tender, so comfortable… but it was also impossible. He was not close to anyone. He could not get close to anyone. Even for his big sister, he always kept a respectable distance, a certain aloofness. He just… didn't like people. He would never have a friend like that… and yet…

He started to pace his apartment, slowly at first. He tried to latch onto specifics of that dream, but the details were quickly scurrying away. The name of a movie... the smell of popcorn...

He eyed his closet. It was stuffed with possessions. He went in, and dug through everything. Old clothes, impulsive online purchases, bedsheets, household goods. He found no scrapbooks filled with polaroids, nor old cameras, nor serafuku.

And he couldn't even remember the last time he'd used his television. Where even was the remote? The dream wasn't matching up to reality.

…but he had been there! That was his room! He'd shared this space with someone else, and had been comfortable enough to fall asleep while they were within arm's reach. The memory was old, but in the moment, it felt like it could have happened yesterday.

There was a hole in his heart. Something had been taken from him. It was so clear to him now. She was something important to him. She had to be.

Something bright was obscuring his vision. He turned to look at the window, and noticed the sun peeking out. It was dawn. His alarm began to blare.

He had to get ready for class.

Week IV is starting.

Select one Focus.

[] [Focus] SOCIAL GRACES. People might take Silas seriously if he puts extra effort in... (+1 to all Charisma rolls this week. Opportunity to increase, or gain new, Charisma specializations.)
[] [Focus] CREATIVE MUSINGS. Get lost in his own thoughts. Stare at clouds, and imagine dogfights or spear walls. Listen to gossip when no one thinks he's listening. There's plenty of ways to pass the time. (+1 to Imagination rolls this week. Opportunity to increase, or gain new, Imagination specializations.)
[] [Focus] INTELLECTUAL PURSUITS. It wouldn't hurt to find out what Silas likes to do. (+1 to Smarts rolls this week. Opportunity to increase, or gain new, Smarts specializations.)
[] [Focus] WANDERING. Take advantage of lunch breaks and afterschool dismissals. Find quiet places to be away from people. (+1 to Physique rolls this week. Opportunity to increase, or gain new, Physique specializations.)

[] [Focus] CLASSES. Take notes. Pay attention to teachers. His classmates will appreciate him being a good sport. (+2 to Habit: Studying actions. Also, choose an additional bonus. Gain Trust with different members of his homeroom depending on the choice.)
-[] [Focus] THE LIBERAL ARTS.
-[] [Focus] ENGINEERING.
-[] [Focus] PHYSICAL EDUCATION.

[] [Focus] NOTHING. It is time to rest, and recuperate. Now, of all times?!

Considering everything, does Silas still want to make time for Inoue's Tabletop Club invitation this week?
[] [Tabletop] OF COURSE. Maybe it would be nice to have a distraction... (Roll for a free Habit: Strategy Games action. Roll for one more INTRODUCTION action.) (The stress from taking all of these consecutive actions may be taking a toll on Silas...)
[] [Tabletop] HE'LL PASS. The club should still be there next week, right? Inoue will understand. (No effect. Opportunity may arise to join Inoue's Club again in the future.)

Select one action. Spend it wisely~!

INTRODUCTION

Tags: Social. Adds a new character to the Character Database, if applicable. Unlocks normal social actions. On success, increase Trust. On failure, nothing happens. Difficulty is 10 + Conformity Difference.

[] [Action] Introduce himself to one of the TEACHERS OR FACULTY members. (INT social check. DC ???)
[] [Action] Introduce himself to one of his CLASSMATES. (CHA social check. DC ???)

SOCIALIZE

Tags: Social. Increases Trust on success. Difficulty is 0 + Conformity Difference.

Class 4-1
[] [Action] Go speak with YUMIKA MATSUOKA, the bubbly songbird of 4-1. (CHA social check. DC ??) Impossible. Silas does not fulfill the requirements to interact with this student. (Needs to share a homeroom, an organization, or a ???).

Class 4-2
[] [Action] Get to know MIKADO YOSHI, the odd nerd, better. (INT social check. DC ??)
[] [Action] Hang out with KEL IBARA, a quiet foreigner. (IMA social check. DC 6)
[] [Action] Try to get close to TAMMY AOMORI, the loudmouth. (CHA social check. DC ??)
[] [Action] Talk with SARA INOUE. Silas is surprised that he didn't see her during the Orientation. (CHA social check. DC 0)

The Student Council
[] [Action] Try to find the uber-talkative YUUKO TAKAHASHI at one of the Student Council workshops this week. (IMA social check. DC 0 + Random number from +8 to -8)
[] [Action] Go find KEI TACHIBANA, who always seems to be lounging around near the Teacher's lounges during breaks. (SMA social check. DC 9)
[] [Action] Seek out AIRI HASEGAWA, who isn't very good at smooth-talking. (PHYS social check. DC 15)

GOSSIP

Tags: Social, Info. Gain intelligence on someone this character knows. May reveal new characters for INTRODUCTION actions later. Success also increases Trust. Difficulty is 10 + Conformity Difference.

[] [Action] Gossip with SARA INOUE. She would know a lot of people In Class 4-2, and maybe even plenty of people inside the Student Council, right? (CHA social check. DC 10)
[] [Action] Gossip with KEL IBARA. He might know plenty of folk in Class 4-2, and… who knows who else? (IMA social check. DC 16)
[] [Action] Gossip with KEI TACHIBANA. Energetic as he is, he must have plenty of friends. (SMA social check. DC 19)
[] [Action] Gossip with YUUKO TAKAHASHI. She seems like someone who would know a lot of busybodies in the Student Council. (IMA social check. DC 10 + Random number from +8 to -8)

HABIT

Tags: Self. Build progress towards habits, which constitute permanent stat growth. Good rolls leads to greater gains.

[] [Action] He will continue his efforts at trying to figure out STUDYING. It's not just about doing it... it's about making it consistent. (Smarts check, DC 8)
[] [Action] He will work on his STRATEGY GAMES fascination. He should have plenty of free time to find someone to play with. Inoue-san, maybe? (Smarts check, DC 8)
[] [Action] He will continue to write in his report-book, which is most definitely not a DIARY. (Imagination check, DC 8)

RELAXATION

…he can't relax… not now…