Katawa Shoujo. (Playthrough 1)

Pantsman · Mon Jun 30, 2014 5:59 pm

Obligatory BGM
Her enthusiastic statement of the obvious makes people around us stare, but Misha doesn't seem to care so we proceed to the line.

: (chuckles)Well, she's nuts.

Shizune, on the other hand, seems indifferent.

Maybe it's one of those advantages of being completely deaf?

There is a rather long list of menu options, which seems great until I realize that many of them are to accommodate students who need special diets.

How nice. It almost feels like I'm back at the hospital, eating portions measured with scientific precision to meet the needs of the patients.

I pick something at random and follow Shizune to a table, sitting opposite of her.

As I nibble indifferently at the food I'd rather not eat, Misha pokes me in the side to get my attention and points to Shizune.

: "..."

I don't understand sign, so the point escapes me.

Maybe looking at a person who "talks" to you is proper and polite?

: Do you want to know something?

: What?

: About anything! We're your guides so you should ask if there is something~!

: Oh great, I can hear her Wahahaha~ ing in my head now... :confused

: Hmm, I wonder...

: Oh, yeah. Is there a library in the school? Lately I've gotten into reading a lot so I'd like to check it out.

Misha gives the kind of frown that makes it clear she doesn't consider reading a healthy hobby, but then picks up her smile again.

: There is~! It's in the second floor, we can show it to you sometime!

: Thanks.

I return to my food while the girls talk between themselves.

Misha and Shizune sign back and forth very animatedly, throwing sideway glances at me but Misha refrains from translating.

Maybe they are talking about ~~feminist~~ secret girl stuff or something.

...

I quickly notice a conversation in sign is not enough to fill a silence.

BGM - Daylight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzCJASxRdTQ

We arrive in the classroom early, but we're not the first.

She jumps a little when Misha crashes into the room with the elegance of a rhino.

Actual footage of said event

She shrinks deeper into her seat. I can feel her tension all the way from here, as if she were slowly turning into stone just from our presence.

: (mumble) If she does, she's definitely Stone Kirby.

Misha and Shizune either don't notice or don't mind it, as they walk directly past her to their seats and begin to converse.

I'm left wondering about her, even when the classroom slowly fills with other students and finally, the teacher.

Getting into the rhythm of school feels strange; it's as if my brain remembers how this is done, but my body doesn't.

Towards the end of the class I start yawning and counting the minutes left.

I shouldn't be this tired on my first day of school.

Maybe it's the long time I spent in the hospital that made me like this. I'm even feeling physically weak and lifeless.

Before long, the final bell rings.

School is finally over for the day.

Beside me, Misha and Shizune are having a short conversation. After a bit of deliberation, Misha turns to me.

: "..."

: LONG LIVE JJLEHTO!

: Huh?

:...Nothing.

: Unfortunately we can't stay and show you around today, Hicchan. We've got to hurry already, since there is a lot of work for us to do.

: "..."

: You'll find your way around here, I'm sure of it.

: Ah, wait! The teacher said I'd have to see the nurse. Where do I have to go?

: Is that so? We can at least show you that much~!

: Come on, the nurses have their own building, so we have to go outside.

We join the flow of students making their way down the stairwell and outside, with the girls pointing out other senior classrooms in the same hallway as ours.

When we get outside, the girls make their way to the smaller building right next to the school.

It's built in the same style, so it looks like it's actually a part of the main building.

: ...

: This is the auxiliary building here. There's a lot of official and important stuff inside, like the Yamaku Foundation office and all the nurses' offices. They even have a swimming pool!

I close my eyes and imagine Shizune and Misha in school swimsuits. Maybe coming here wasn't such a bad idea...

: How is that official?

: ...

: Don't be silly, Hicchan! It's for physical therapy of course.

: Anyway, all the nursing staff facilities are in there too. The head nurse's office is on the first floor.

: You'll be fine from here, right~? We'll be going, then! See you tomorrow!

: Yeah, thanks. Bye.

A whole building for stuff that has nothing to do with the actual education?

I guess it's necessary for a place like this.

Phew. I somehow managed not to get taken for a ride.

I walk in, hoping that this really will be only a quick visit like the teacher said.

On a white door on the left is a green cross with the text "Head Nurse" and a nameplate.

A voice from the inside responds to my knock almost immediately, but I can't quite make it out.

It sounded a bit like an invitation to open the door, so I invite myself further in.

The room is not large and it smells strange. A friendly-looking man turns around on his office chair to face me as I enter.

His desk is neat and tidy, but the bin under the table is overflowing with used medical utensils and there are at least a dozen coffee-cup rings lingering on the desk.

BGM - Ah Eh I Oh You

Smiling man: "Hello there. What can I do for you today?"

He is young-looking and sort of rugged, but the dimples in his cheeks wash that impression away when he smiles. His face appears to be completely, memetically replaced with a strange pixel photograph that tugged at my memories.

: "Erm, are you the nurse?"

He smiles like a person who has heard this very same question hundreds of times.

Smiling man: Why yes, I am. It says so on the door, no?

: Actually, no. I was confused because of your face...

Suddenly realizing that he was wearing a Laughing Man mask, he pulls it off, then grins wryly.

: You can call me by my name or just 'the nurse' like everyone else.

Of course. I shake off my confusion, realizing I probably should grab his extended hand. His handshake is rather firm and friendly.

: Right... err, I'm a new student and my homeroom teacher told me to come and meet you. My name is Hisao Nakai.

His eyes light up with revelation and he snaps his fingers.

: Oh you're THAT Nakai. I was just reading your file in the morning.

: Some kind of chronic arrhythmia and related congenital heart muscle deficiency, right?

He gestures me to sit down in a vacant armchair in front of his desk.

: Eh, yes.

: Good. Well, you've probably been briefed about the school enough, so I'll just go over this quickly.

: We have all kinds of facilities available, mostly physical therapy and such.

: There's always someone from my staff around, even at night, so never hesitate to call us if there is a problem.

The famous twenty-four-hour nursing staff.

: Wow, this is like a hospital.

: Well, not exactly. For instance, we don't do brain surgery here.

His joke feels so out of place that I'm left thinking why he even said it.

Link

: Yeah... just that it's really weird to have so many medical people at a school.

: You'll get used to it.

I'm not so sure of that myself but I don't let the nurse know it.

: Now, let me just find your file again...

While he searches for something from his computer and shuffles stacks of papers around, I let my gaze wander around the room.

It's the epitome of generic, I'd like to say.

Beige walls and ceiling, dark gray laminate flooring, and all the equipment you'd expect from a school nurse's office.

Even the ridiculous educational posters are hanging on all four walls, reminding me to eat properly - three times a day and from all the food groups.

Smiling, the nurse draws a thick file from a stack of smiliarly thick files and opens it.

: So, you already have medication for the arrhythmia, just remember to take your pills every morning and evening or it won't be much help.

: Apart from that... do you do any sports? Rash stuff like... I don't know, boxing?

He grins to his own joke but I don't.

: Eh, well. I played soccer occasionally with some classmates.

: All right, I'm afraid I'm going to have to recommend you refrain from doing that. At least, for the time being.

: Oh.

My lack of reaction makes him raise an eyebrow, but really, I'm not too bothered by him forbidding me to kick a ball around.

I guess I never did it out of burning passion for the sport. Just to have something to do.

: Any kind of concussion might be very dangerous to your heart and risking another attack is not a good idea.

: Was the previous one caused by a sudden concussion to the chest area? There is no mention of the cause in your papers.

: The lesser you know, the better.

: Huh?

: Err... not exactly.

I sidestep the question acceptably, and he glances at me over his papers, with a more serious expression on his face.

: Still, you need to keep your body healthy so some exercise would do you good.

: We have physical therapy and such available as I said, but I don't think you really need such heavy measures.

: Just get some light exercise regularly.

: Brisk walks or even light jogging, jumping rope, that sort of thing. Swimming, maybe? There's a pool here.

: You heard that, Loffy? Brisk walks.

: So I was told.

: You were? Very good.

: At any rate, and I'm sure you've been told this before, you just need to take care not to overexert yourself.

He wags his finger to emphasize the point. No need really, I've heard this a thousand times already.

: Absolutely no unnecessary risks. Take care of yourself.

: Okay.

He goes over my papers one more time and sets them on the desk, obviously content.

: Good. That's it, then. Come meet me if you ever need something.

I'm ushered out before I even realize it. A quick visit, indeed.

BGM - Stride

I end up standing in front of the main building and the auxiliary building, although to my eyes, they still look one and the same.

It's the first real look I get at the other students, so I watch people coming out of the school, going towards the gate or the dorms.

Everyone seems to know where they are going.

And I still keep thinking that most of them don't look too special for being students at a special school. Then again, neither do I.

Does that make me one of them? One of us?

...

I should go somewhere too, to prevent me from getting lost.

It's around dinnertime, but I feel tired instead of hungry.

The weariness in me only grows as I trudge towards the dorms, set a little way apart from the main building complex.

There is a garden of sorts between the school and the dorms; shrubbery, flowers, and that overbearing smell of fresh cut grass that fills the atmosphere.

It dawns on my tired mind that the smell feels novel because I haven't been outside at all for so long.

The dorm building is big and made of red brick. Like the others, it feels way too pompous for what it is, so I push forward, going inside.

It takes more time than necessary to fish out the key I was given from my pocket.

: Room one-one-nine...

Despite the ornate exterior, the inside of the dorm is fairly new, functional, and boring.

Just like in the main building, the halls and doors are wide to accommodate wheelchairs. The same goes for the elevators and the ends of the hallways.

I poke my head around the corner of the common room door.

Inside a few students are watching the television.

One nods and gives a quick "hello" before turning back to the TV.

Seems that only the girls around here are sociable. I suppose that's perfectly fine with me.

: Is this real life, or is this fantasy?

: Maybe it's because... heh...

I climb the stairs to the upper floor.

Here, small corridors branch off from the main hallway.

Each of these minor halls seems to have a toilet and shower, as well as four rooms.

About halfway down the hall, I spy room 119.

The name plates on the rooms adjacent to mine are blank. I guess there are just two of us here.

Light shines from below the door of room 117, so I knock lightly.

: Hello, is anyone home?

From inside, I hear a few movements, then the clicking of way more locks than I thought these doors had. After a moment the door squeaks open.

BGM - Out of the loop

A bespectacled boy is standing in the doorway. He is looking at me very intently through his extremely thick eyeglasses.

???: Who is it?

Blind? No, at least not completely, why would he have eyeglasses if he was?

He leans closer to me until our noses are almost touching. His breath stinks of garlic.

: Hisao Nakai... I'm moving into the next room. I thought I should introduce my...

His face suddenly brightens in realization, and he stands back upright, thrusting his hand out in a smiling greeting, almost straight to my diaphragm.

???: Oh, 'sup dude? The name's Kenji.

Kenji. A man born to inherit the legendary Shaman Eyes - the man that would someday battle destiny itself for the fate of the world...

My memories and knowledge of alternate dimensions gave me flashbacks and flashforwards of this living legend...

: Ah, hi.

I take Kenji's sweaty hand and shake it, still a little rattled by the sudden change of attitude and vehement welcome.