Blind Spot
by Axel Terizaki <axel at teri-chan dot net>
MSN: axelterizaki@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
- ICQ: 81441376
Website: http://blindspot.teri-chan.net/
Chapter 7: The final answer.
* * *
Autumn had come around once more. Months had flown by, classes had
began again, and I was still unsure where I should be going with my life.
"That episode was truly awesome, ne?" Naruzaki, one of the girls of
our class, asked.
Karen, a few classmates and I were eagerly chatting during recess
time about a recent drama series called "Ten'to chi no Hazama(1)",
often abbreviated into "Ten'haza". Calling it merely 'popular' would
be something of an understatement. From what I had read in magazines,
they did put a lot of time and money into the project to make it
different from any drama series that existed before. A young engineer
named Tetsuya created a gynoid named Alfeena with an ancient artefact
given to him by his dying grandfather. Alfeena was the fruit of
techonology and occultism in a sense, and her character was a great
part of the success of the series. She wasn't played by an actress,
but by computer-generated graphics, and a voice actress. It was really
well integrated and allowed the series directors lots of liberties.
"It was a big clue about her true origins, when she told the Lord of
Void that 'we shaped the world around'. Do you think she's some sort
of god?"
I shook my head. They were referring to a battle in the last episode,
where Alfeena started getting serious. It was the first time we saw
her with her wings out, too.
"I don't think so. I rather see an angel when I look at her with
those wings." I said, participating in the discussion.
"Heh, you're probably right Suzumiya, but I guess we won't know until
the very last episode..."
"I hope she'll be able to save Tetsuya. It'd be really lame for him
to die like that," Karen added.
I nodded a little. I had gotten a little closer to the girls of our
class with Karen's help. It helped that the series had given us a good
common topic ever since it started during the summer. I'd never really
been able to make friends aside from Karen and ****zuka until recently.
Karen, on the other hand, had some friends over at the s****ts club.
Maybe I should've joined a club already, but none of them were really
of any interest to me, not even the literature club. Whenever you came
in they would ignore you and keep reading their books silently unless
you spoke directly to them.
"It's time!" I heard Ryukawa announce, meaning recess time was almost
over and we had to get back to our seats. I sat back at my computer,
unlocked it with the fingerprint reader I begged my father for, and
watched silently as Ura sat next to me, elbowing me on her way.
"Ow." I let out softly, frowning. She just seemed to grin.
"Rise! Bow! Sit!" our class representative did her routine, and we
were soon on for some deadly Mathematics.
* * *
During the classes, however, Miho was more a pest than usual, and
found a new way to torment me, like unplugging the fingerprint reader
I used so she wouldn't be able to mess with my laptop when I was away.
The thing was, it kind of backfired at me, since obviously the laptop
would lock itself if the reader wasn't connected, and disabling that
would prove it to be quite useless in the end.
"That's enough, stop that already!" I let out in a whisper, the
teacher explaining something on the blackboard. I couldn't read it
anyways.
"I'm not done with you yet Suzumiya."
"Oh god, what will it take to make you stop bullying me? I don't have
anything against you."
"But I do." she simply whispered back.
"Come on, this is ridiculous!" I was starting to lose patience, but
her tone of voice made me believe she wasn't in a good mood either.
"It is not, I won't let you get away with this. I know you want to go
out with Shou-chan."
Shou-chan? When did SHE get so close with him? (2)
"I'm not interested in Ogata-kun, is that clear?" I told her, without
specifying he liked Karen better. I didn't even notice my own voice
escalated suddenly in anger.
"What!?"
The class suddenly looked back at us with her outburst, even the
teacher, Kaga****ma-sensei, was interrupted. And our mathematics
teacher didn't like being interrupted.
"Suzumiya! Ura! Stop disturbing my class and go stand in the hallway!"
I made a grimace, and stood up. Anger took over my embarassment and I
just picked up my folded cane, my sunglasses, and got out with Miho
following behind me. We were to stand in the hallway for the rest of
the period, and that was her fault.
* * *
"It's your fault."
"No, yours." I replied dryly before letting out a little sigh.
We were standing facing the door, our backs to the hall windows. In
my frustration, I'd forgotten to lock my laptop, but it wasn't like
Miho would be able to touch it. It wasn't exactly the first time I'd
been punished this way. In my first year of middle school, ****zuka was
the one standing by my side after we chatted and giggled a little too
loud for our teacher's taste.
"I'm not interested in Ogata-kun." I continued, stating this again.
"I know you went out with him last year."
"That was last year!"" I corrected. "And he's the one who asked me
out!" I said for my defense.
"But you accepted." she says, closing her eyes.
I wanted to punch her or something, but when I looked her way, she
had her eyes closed, and was just standing there proudly, arms folded
under her chest. Her blonde hair was truly wonderful to look at. I
kind of wanted to feel it, but I was too scared of getting my hand
biten by the viper next to me.
"You have beautiful hair, you know?" I said without really thinking.
"W...What's that now?" Oh my, did I just embarrass her?
"Nothing, just trying to change the subject since you seem completely
persuaded I'm in a love affair with Ogata-kun, while there is nothing
of the sort!"
"You're trying to trick me!"
"Like hell I am!"
I kept my voice low, but it looks like we caught the attention of two
schoolgirls who were passing by.
"Well well, what do we have here?"
I frowned as I heard those voices, and Miho let out a sigh as well.
"If it isn't model student and blind girl sitting outside the class.
Got punished for arriving late?"
The two girls were third year students. They liked defying the rules
and disobeying teachers a lot. One had a dark complexion and blonde
hair, but it wasn't as good-looking as Miho's. The other one had very
short hair and a mean look in her eyes and voice. They were known
around the school for slacking off, skipping classes, and bullying
students. Luckily I wasn't among these, but I possibly could have been
if Karen hadn't been there.
To my surprise however, Miho didn't dare respond. Was she afraid of
them?
"Hey, your watch looks nice, mind giving it to us?" one of them said.
I wasn't wearing any watch, so it was probably Miho they were talking
about.
Miho did reply this time.
"Sorry, I can't, it's mine."
"Oooh, come on."
I heard Miho gasp when the darker-skinned girl took her wrist in hand
and started taking off her watch.
"Stop that!"
I frowned. While seeing Miho in trouble would normally be pleasant,
there was something horribly wrong with this situation. Besides, there
was a possibility they would pick on me next.
"Let go of her." I said simply, mastering the skill 'Bravery' to
level two.
"Heh, your name is Suzumiya, right? Don't bother us, you're next
anyways." she said sharply at me. The way she said it would probably
send the shyest girl running away crying, but I wasn't like that.
With a swift move of the wrist holding my white cane, I wanted to
play bluff and lifted my arm, the movement making the cane unfold
before me with the distinct noise of metal clicking into place. That
was enough to startle the two girls, at least, but when I tapped the
other end of the cane in my palm, they got the message: I was going to
use my cane to hit them. I tried to look as menacing as possible, but
it was clearly a bluff. My s****ts abilities were close to zero, the
cane had a light weight, and if they really decided to fight, I was in
big trouble.
"H...Hey, back off! Here's her watch!"
They, much to my surprise, threw the watch in the air. Miho managed
to catch it after she recovered from the shock of seeing me defend
her. I guess anyone would be shocked, including myself. I was sure I
was going to bang my head against a wall later that day while thinking
of what I just did.
"Uhm..." Miho sounded hesitant, as she saw the two girls frown and
leave us alone. I folded my cane again slowly, realizing I just wanted
to use it as a weapon.
"I'm sorry, I just couldn't stand it." I admitted to her, blu****ng a
bit.
"Y...You didn't have to do that!"
Was she blu****ng too? It was difficult for me to tell. I wasn't too
sure of what to do or say next, and cleared my throat quietly before
returning to my place standing next to her.
"Hmph." I heard her say.
She didn't even thank me!
* * *
After the period ended, we went back into class to grab our things
and go eat at the school cafeteria. Miho didn't say a thing, and I
wasn't sure if I should tell Karen about what happened. She might get
angry at the girls.
"Hey Sakazaki, that omelette looks delicious. Mind trading it for
some of my sausages?"
There was also Ogata-kun, but I doubt he cared much about what
happened to me. I watched in amusement as he tried to pick up a piece
of omelette from Karen's tray with his chopsticks.
"No way, you should have chosen the omelette if you wanted it!" Karen
replied protectively, trying to ensure he couldn't get at her food at all.
"Awww!"
I ate silently as usual. Come to think of it, I rarely saw Miho
around in the cafeteria. I guess she was probably eating a bento
outside most of the time with her friends.
"Why are you sticking with us during lunch? You don't have any
friends, do you?" Karen asked with a smirk. That was rude, I thought.
I tried to change the subject to today's classes and asked what I
missed while I was in the hallway. They didn't seem to argue much on
the facts there, for once, and Karen was almost finished with her meal.
"Hey, Sakazaki, I was thinking..."
I looked up at Ogata-kun as he spoke. He seemed a little hesitant,
and I wondered what he was going to ask her.
"Are you free this Sunday? I got two tickets for this new amusement
park they opened recently..."
"DangoLand?" she asked, apparently intrigued.
"Right."
I could feel her hesitation now, as she took her tray in her hands
and stood up. Or was she searching for a reply?
"Why don't you give me a few hours while I think of a negative reply?"
I placed my palm over my face in exasperation.
"Karen-chan!" I said to get her attention.
"She already left." I heard Ogata-kun reply. I looked at my side, and
indeed Karen wasn't there anymore.
"She's fast." I commented back.
"I know about that..."
He let out a little sigh, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"I'll go talk to her after classes, okay? She had no reason to
refuse, I know she loves the Big Dango Family."
"Heh, you don't have to do that, I'm sure I'll manage to convince her
sometime."
I looked away a bit. I felt really sorry for him right now.
"But still..."
"Don't worry Suzumiya." he said to me.
Having finished my lunch, I stood up and took my tray in hands.
"I'm not worried, I'll take care of her." I said with the best smile
I could make.
Ah, Karen, you're not making this easy on me!
* * *
Sadly, I didn't really have time to talk to her that day. Having a
part-time job isn't easy, and it's been a while since the three of us
had any fun with karaoke. Miho was strangely silent during the day.
She wasn't as agressive as she was before the incident this morning,
but she still kept her distances with me.
"I still don't know what to do, really." I told Takagi-san, who was
sitting nearby. I was behind the counter of Tama****i Toshokan, waiting
for today's ****pment to arrive so I could sort it.
"You will know soon enough, when it will be time. You are still young."
He always spoke like that. It was a bit irritating sometimes.
"Maybe working here will be my only option." I said, looking down at
my hands.
"I don't wish you that. A youngster like you should follow her dream.
If you don't have any dream, any goal, you won't live a happy life."
"Hmmm..."
What he said was true, we live by setting new goals over and over,
because life can be so short...
"Looks like our ****pment arrives." I heard him say.
And indeed, the delivery man entered with packages full of books. I
started to open them while Takagi-san used his stamp on the papers
acknowledging the delivery.
I kept thinking about it over and over while sorting the new book
****pment, when something caught my attention. There was a girl
searching for something on the shelf I was putting books on.
"Welcome to our shop, how may I help you?" I asked politely like I do
to everyone else. The girl seemed to have the same age as me.
However, she didn't reply.
"Errr, hello?"
No reply either...
I observed her a little. What struck me was her uniform, quite classy
with a blazer, and a sweater underneath. Her purple hair was tied in
two short ponytails. I didn't know which school she was from, but I
asked again, quietly. I was a little afraid to disturb her. Maybe she
was deaf? I started thinking that was the case, and I felt like I just
had to help her, even though a blind girl helping a deaf one out would
make some people laugh.
"Are you searching for a book?" I said a little louder to test her
ears. Again, she didn't reply. I wanted to help her, but I realized a
little late I didn't know the sign language when I touched her arm
gently. This however had the effect of making her look at me. She
turned her head to face me and looked me up and down a little.
"Are you searching..." I started making weird movements with my
hands, I wasn't even sure of what I was doing.
"Book?" I said, taking a book in my hands and pointing a finger at it.
She looked down at the book, and that's when I finally heard her
voice for the first time.
"Are you a bully?"
I sweatdropped.
"H...Heh?"
I wasn't sure how to take this, and wondered what the girl was
thinking now. Me? A bully? No way!
I then heard the bookstore's door open and close again with the
little bell on top of it ringing to announce a new customer.
"It's us, Ayako!" I heard ****zuka's voice call out.
It was Karen and ****zuka! It was time for me to go!
I quickly excused myself from the strange, creepy girl. I guess I'll
let Takagi-san deal with her. I headed in the backroom to change back
into my uniform, and grabbed my schoolbag. Let's get home now!
She must have been definitely deaf or something...
* * *
"You're WHAT?"
I couldn't believe my ears.
I was walking home with Karen and ****zuka as usual, when she told us
about what happened in her school recently.
"You heard it, finalist." ****zuka said, proudly.
"That's incredible, ****zuka. But somehow it doesn't surprise me much,
I knew you had it in you." Karen said, as overjoyed as I was.
"Hehe, thanks, girls." she said with a little giggle.
She paused.
"It wasn't that hard honestly, but the finals will decide if I get
that ticket for two weeks at the Onneyu onsen this summer, in Hokkaidô."
"Two weeks... And you can go with the person of your choice, right?"
I asked.
She nodded in response.
"Ah, I'd love to go there!" I said a little wishful, but I realized
after I said that that ****zuka would probably bring her boyfriend with
her instead of me.
****zuka was actually participating in a contest at her school aimed
at motivating students into making original hair creations, and she
was one of the finalists for the grand prize.
"When are the finals, by the way?" Karen asked.
"In mid-May. We're supposed to pick one person to try our hair style
on in front of a jury, but I haven't decid..."
"Pick me!" I said, surprising the two. Even myself, actually. I
wasn't much into these shows usually, but it was ****zuka we were
talking about here! I could entirely trust her!
"Heh?" Both ****zuka and Karen replied. The stunned tones in their
voices made me think twice and blush. I looked down at my cane, which
I was still holding and waving in front of me while we walked towards
home.
"I uh... I mean, I'd like to be the test subject, if you wouldn't
mind?" I asked ****zuka, a little more calmly this time.
"Hmmm, well, you've got plenty of hair, and it looks pretty
style-able," she said. "And the hairstyle I chose would certainly look
good on you, yes." she adds.
"Can we see it? What you imagined, I mean." Karen asked. It's true I
should have asked for that before volunteering.
"I didn't bring the concept sketches with me today, but I can bring
them tomorrow if you'd like?"
Both Karen and I nodded our heads at this.
"All I'll have to do will be to sit there and let you cut my hair,
right?"
"Yeah, but we'll see the details about that once I have all the
official papers in hand, okay?" she said gently.
"Okay!" I replied cheerfully.
It was soon time for Karen to leave us. She waved at us and we
continued on our path home while chatting as usual.
* * *
When I got home that day, I heard mother on the phone. I didn't pay
much attention to the conversation she was having, and waved a little
at her from the hallway before heading upstairs to my room to change.
On my way, I met Miyuki, who was hurriedly heading downstairs. I heard
her put her shoes on and leave without a word. Maybe she got an urgent
call from Seiji?
I emerged from my room in some more comfortable clothes, and went
downstairs, to find my mother preparing dinner in the kitchen.
"Ayako-chan."
I raised an eyebrow, as her tone was quite grave.
"Uh, yes, mother?"
"We will be eating quickly this evening." she started saying without
even looking at me.
"What's going on?" I asked back. The atmosphere in the kitchen was
too deep to stay unnoticed.
"It's your cousin Kenji. He was suffering from back aches for the
past few months, and the doctors discovered only today that he..."
"He... what?" I asked again, feeling a ****ver run down my spine.
My mother lowered her head, but she didn't turn around to look my way.
"He has a cancer, and he's currently being hospitalized. Your father
is already there, Miyuki left earlier, and we'll go join them when
we're done with dinner."
Oh.
I sat down on a kitchen's chair. It was the only thing I could manage
to do.
That dinner was probably the longest dinner I had in my life.
* * *
I didn't sleep very well that night, to be honest.
Even my morning shower didn't wake me up fully the next morning, and
everyone in the house had a gloomy face, especially Miyuki. She always
had been close to Kenji... Needless to say, Aoi had been looking
devastated yesterday evening. I didn't stay for long in Kenji's
hospital room. He sounded a bit weak, and my mother told me he had
lost some weight and looked pale. I didn't dare approach him to
confirm, that would have been awfully rude.
I quietly finished the breakfast father prepared, and bowed in thanks.
"I'll be going now." I said simply.
I closed the front door behind me and headed off to meet Karen and
****zuka and walk with them to school with them.
I didn't want to bother Karen and ****zuka with that for now. It's not
like they knew Kenji very well, but there was also the fact that it
was just family matters. Just family. This wasn't concerning them.
And what scared me most of all, is that I was feeling like I was the
least affected by the news. It felt strange. Was I blocking the whole
thing out of my head, or didn't I consider myself close enough to
really care? Of course I was sad, but not like the rest of my family.
It's almost like they were considering him gone already! I didn't like
that idea...
My thoughts were interrupted by a starfish.
More exactly, a starfish-shaped cookie.
"Please, Here's a starfish."
I looked up from my laptop. It was Karen. She was giving out handmade
cookies to the whole class. It's a new recipe she tested yesterday and
it was pretty good, from what she told me.
She leaned on to whisper to me then.
"Don't worry, I have some more in my bag. We'll share them later with
****zuka." she said with a wink.
I smiled a little. At least I could count on my friends to cheer me
up. Looking to my left, ****zuka had even given one to Miho. I couldn't
say I agreed, but she at least said a weak 'Thanks' and munched on it
gracefully. As gracefully as munching could get, of course. I had to
admit that Miho had a very ladylike demeanor, like a wealthy girl.
Karen was actually the wealthy one here, with her parents making a lot
of money every month, but then again, she knew how to keep her feet on
the ground and not act like a snob. She was a normal girl, and ****zuka
and I liked her for that simplicity she kept everyday.
Speaking of Miho, she was strangely bearable today...
"Oh, Karen!"
She came towards me when she heard the sound of my voice. I could
have stood up and came to her, but among all the students around in
school, and the fact that we all wore the same school uniform, it was
difficult for me to spot someone from a distance. So I called them out
instead.
"Yeah?"
"Could we talk for a bit... like hmmm, after school?"
Luckily I had a day off my part-time job today. Ever since I started
working part-time, I had much less time to spend with my two friends,
which was making me a bit sad sometimes...
"Sure. Is something wrong?" she asked, curiously, tilting her head a
little. Karen had always been concerned with my well being, it'd be
normal that she worried.
"Oh no it's about..."
Then something hit me. I looked at my left and saw Miho looking away
from us. Perhaps she was bored, but she could be listening.
"...****zuka's birthday!"
"Heh? But it's in February."
Wrong move, Ayako!
"Well, we need to plan far ahead for a present, haha!" I said with a
little giggle, trying to find an excuse.
Because if Miho were to find out Ogata liked Karen...
I ****vered at the thought.
"Well, if you insist, I'm curious to see whatever you've got in mind
this time." she told me. Looks like she bought my lie.
"Suzumiya-san?"
I heard another voice behind Karen. She moved away to allow me to see
who was talking to me. It was Ryukawa, our class representative.
"Yes?" I replied, looking up again. It was pretty rare for the class
representative to come to see me. Did I do something wrong?
"Suzumiya-san, I'll go right to the point. The drama club needs your
help."
"Heh?"
Drama club?
I heard Miho let out the same exclamation as I just did.
"Is there something wrong at the club?" Karen asked Ryukawa.
"Ah well."
She readjusted her glasses a bit before continuing.
"We are supposed to do a play next week, but Tsukiyo-san, our
voice-over for the play, recently got ill and we have no one at the
club to replace her."
Uh oh. I don't like where this is going.
"So I was thinking that maybe you could help? I know you have a
splendid voice that can reach far. You'd only have to read lines of
text, you don't even need to appear on stage, I mean, with your
handicap and all..."
She sounded a bit embarrassed, but was mistaking things. Since when
did would bad eyesight would prevent me from going on stage...?
...Okay well, maybe if I were to not see some cable or something
lying on the ground...
...Ah, there are the spotlights too which could blind me.
Fine! Maybe that'd be a problem then.
"You want me to replace this person for your play?" I asked, just for
confirmation, by pointing a finger at myself.
"Yes, that's i..."
"No way!"
Miho stood up from her seat and looked at me, and then at Ryukawa,
startling us with her outburst.
"You can't let an amateur do this! There is no way she can do it!"
Heh? So many questions just popped in my head right then.
"Ura-san, please understand, I feel she can do this." Ryukawa replied
kindly, not even raising her voice.
"You're the club president! You should take responsibility and not
hire amateurs! I'm sure I can find..."
Ryukawa raised her hand to shut Miho up. Wow.
"Suzumiya-san, would you mind showing us if you can handle a tongue
twister?"
I was a bit surprised. Was it a test? I was good at those, but still,
the pressure was im****tant now. I slowly stood up.
"Let's see."
I took a deep breathe and thought of a simple one to begin with.
"Tokyo tokkyo kyoka-kyoku kyou kyuukyo kyoka kyakka!(6)"
I let out a sigh. I thought I'd handled it well.
Ryukawa giggled, too.
"Perfect! I see you're perfectly capable."
I heard Miho stand too, next to me.
"But...!"
"No way there's a person more suited than Suzumiya-san for this task
here. None, I won't accept anyone else." she said, firmly. So Ryukawa
is the drama club's president? Woah!
"I... can I think about it?" I dared say, wanting to sound polite.
Honestly, I wasn't really interested.
"Sure, but please give me your answer by tomorrow. You understand
I'll have to find a replacement quickly if you refuse." she said, softly.
I nodded in response, but someone was still disagreeing.
"I can't allow this!"
Miho let out again, clenching her fists next to me. She wasn't
planning on hitting me, right? Right?
"That's enough Ura-san!" Ryukawa raised her voice, which surprised
me. She sounded cold and commanding for a moment, far from her usual
kind tone. "I'm sure Suzumiya-san is the one we need."
I was impressed. Very impressed.
Ryukawa turned her back to us and went back to her friends, after
telling me those words.
"I'll wait for your answer tomorrow, Suzumiya-san."
I blinked, twice.
* * *
Classes ended and Karen and I left school for our favourite café in
****buya. We were supposed to meet ****zuka here, eat some cake, drink
tea, and head for karaoke together.
Time for action!
"Ne, Karen..."
"Yes, Ayako-chan?" she asked.
"You really don't like Ogata?"
I could almost hear her wince. We were walking side by side, her arm
holding mine. I guess that with my cane now having another girl walk
so closely against me felt a little less weird for others. It was
normal to help a blind person like this, right? I considered it normal
now, but until last year, I was always embarrassed by it.
"Well, it's not that I don't like him..."
Ha ah!
"It's just that I don't trust him around girls. His smile is too
bright, you know?"
I felt her shrug her shoulders.
"Why do you ask?" she continued. "Are you interested in him?"
"Not at all." I replied as naturally as possible. It was the truth too.
"Then why?"
I didn't answer just yet. I gave a slight pause to our conversation
to collect my thoughts. Could I tell her the truth?
"You know, nothing happened during our date. He was just as much of a
gentleman as anyone else."
"You told me about that, but what's your point?"
Ah, this was so awkward!
"Look, Karen, maybe you should reconsider your hate for Ogata..." I
said, more a suggestion than an order.
"Hate? I don't hate him."
I looked at her face just now, quite of surprised. Was it all a
misunderstanding to begin with? What a relief!
"I just wish he would get hit by a car." she said with a grin.
...So that was it.
"Mou! Karen!" I pouted.
She giggled, and squeezed my arm closer to hers for a second to get
my attention.
"I'm just kidding. Actually it's a little difficult to explain. Maybe
I'm a little possessive after all." She had a much softer tone in her
voice as she said it, as if she was regretting it.
"I'm happy you noticed that." I replied sarcastically.
"Mou! Ayako!"
"Oh don't mimick me, that's mean!"
We both laughed loudly at that. I guess people must have turned their
heads towards us when we laughed so loudly like that, but it was fine,
I didn't care one bit. I couldn't see their faces. I couldn't see if
they were looking at us or not.
"Seriously though... I don't hate him, it's just... Well, I'd like a
second chance I guess, but I never really dared say anything, I always
thought he always had lots of girls around him wanting to date him.
And that did upset me."
Good news.
"The main problem is Ura-san, actually. She truly tries to get him."
I explain. "Actually everything you heard about him is just rumours
spread by Ura-san."
"...Did he tell you that?"
"Uh, yes."
"And you were naive enough to trust him?"
Ah, that hurt now. But Karen had a point, what if he deceived me?
"I... have my reasons to trust him." I replied cryptically.
"So he kissed you! Gah, ****zuka won the bet then!"
I facefaulted.
"A bet!?"
But before she could reply, another voice revealed its owner's presence.
"Yep! A bet about if Ogata kissed you or not during the date you had
with him!"
Before us was ****zuka, waiting for us near the entrance of the café
"Café Yume". Looks like we had arrived. I was so much into my
conversation with Karen that I didn't notice. That's the problem when
you let a person guide you around.
I tapped my foot on the sidewalk.
"A bet!? But nothing happened during this date! I swear it on my
name!" I defended myself, telling them the truth. besides, there was
nothing embarrassing about it!
"Awww, you're no fun Ayako-chan." ****zuka said, shrugging her
shoulders, and admitting defeat. "Fine then, I'll have to pay this
session it seems."
Karen giggled in victory. Looks like she didn't believe Ogata would
do anything to me. Or maybe she didn't want that to happen, rather.
* * *
Once inside, I let Karen guide me to a table with ****zuka. I sat down
and let my cane rest against the wall on my left.
"Is the light okay?" Karen asked.
I sat right next to a window, so the light from outside was coming
through . Karen was often worried it'd blind me.
"Yeah, it's alright, don't worry." I said softly.
A waitress soon came to greet us and give us the menu. However, I
didn't receive one.
"Excuse me..." I said softly, not wanting to bother her much, I could
always use Karen's or ****zuka's anyways.
"HEY!" ****zuka called her over a little loudly, however, seeing that
I was a bit troubled by not getting a menu.
"My friend here wants a menu. She's a customer too, you know." she
added, and the waitress nodded a bit shyly I think, and went to fetch
another menu and give it to me.
"I apologize." she said simply, and left us.
****zuka sighed.
"I hate it when people are like that."
"It can't be helped sometimes." Karen simply added.
That's the only drawback I could think of when having a cane with me.
People were often thinking I couldn't see, and assumed that I was
blind and couldn't read.
"Karen's right, it's not like she could guess I'm able to see just
like that." I said.
"Ayako, you need to learn how to make your presence known and tell
people what you really want. Someone is going to step on your feet one
day if you don't get stronger." ****zuka explained to me while browsing
through the menu. I nodded a bit in response, and did the same. I
guess I'll be having some strawberry cake with iced tea. That sounded
right.
The cafe was well decorated, with clouds on the wallpapers and
curtains, and the waitresses wore cute uniforms. They didn't look too
revealing either, making them easier to wear for them I guess.
"Have you chosen yet?" the same waitress came again after a few
minutes to check on our order.
"Yep, I will take a Cloudy Ice Cream and a tea." ****zuka began.
"A tea for me as well, and a strawberry cake." Karen did say,
ordering almost the same thing as I did.
But before I could open my mouth to speak, I got interrupted by the
waitress who turned to ****zuka.
"And what will your friend order?"
Why didn't she ask me directly? Did she confuse being blind and mute?
****zuka, however, sighed.
"Look, that's quite rude. She is a person, she can say what she wants
by herself. Right, Ayako?"
I nodded, and looked at the waitress. She had her short black hair
tied back in a small ponytail,
"I will be taking a strawberry cake as well, and some iced tea,
please." I said that while handing her back the menu.
"Okay, I'll be back shortly with your order..." and with that said,
she left us alone again. The cafe was decently crowded, and I could
get a glimpse of her going to another table to attend to the other
customers.
"She must be new here." Karen remarked.
"This kind of attitude pisses me off anyways." ****zuka said.
"Are you in a bad mood?" I asked, "Did something happen at school?"
"Not really at school." she shook her head. "Let's just say I got
into an argument with my parents, but there's nothing to worry about
really."
"What is it about?" I asked anyways. I wanted to know, ****zuka was my
friend after all.
"They don't recognize my goal in life. The only reason why I was able
to go to this school was because it could let me get a little more
easily into Todai(4)."
"Todai, heh..."
"They still want you to become a lawyer?" Karen asked, sitting
directly in front of ****zuka.
"Yeah, well, I think they still do. In my opinion they're believing I
will be going to the justice department once I get into Todai, if I
get there." she says with a little smile.
****zuka was definitely not intending to follow her parents' wish, no
matter how hard a clash with them would be. This really impressed me,
as I don't believe I would be able to do such a thing to my parents.
If they told me one day that I should do this career more than aother
one, I would follow their advice, because I thought they had more
experience and knew better. There's also the fact that, so far, they
didn't direct me to anywhere in particular and let me make choices by
myself, and that's why I would trust them if they told me to take on
secretary work, for instance.
But then again, ****zuka was right, and showed me that with
determiantion you can make decisions for yourself.
We idly chatted about each others' day when my turn came...
"Well, today, our class representative went to me and asked if I
could help them out with doing voice-overs for their play. They are
lacking someone it ssems." I told her.
"Ooooh. So you've accepted?"
I shook my head.
"I'm not too sure yet, I don't know if it's something for me."
****zuka hmmed a little. She seemed thoughtful for an instant.
"I think you should try. It's just reading text, right? You don't
have to face the public, I think that's the most difficult thing."
"And as for the lines, we all know you remember song lyrics easily,
so why wouldn't it be the same for some lines? The narrator shouldn't
have a very im****tant part too, you'd do just fine. You're not
participating in any clubs Ayako, now's your chance."
My friends apparently wanted me to participate, but I wasn't too sure
myself.
Our order arrived, and we kept on chatting idly about what happened
today at school, and about my cousin too. I decided to tell them
despite it being a family problem, simply because ****zuka and Karen
were my best friend, and part of my own own little family in a sense.
Once we were finished, we headed for the Karaoke box to relieve the
stress. I needed it badly too, and ended up singing alone solo on
Tears Infection by Kaori. Our karaoke sessions were always a good way
to vent out the steam.
* * *
When I arrived home, dinner was almost ready, but the atmosphere was
still gloomy. I took off my shoes and called out.
"I'm home!"
I then heard my mother call from the kitchen.
"Welcome home, Ayako-chan!"
I smiled. looks like her mood was back to normal...
"I'll go change." I simply said, and headed upstairs to my room to
get a change of clothes. I had been in my uniform the whole day.
As I took a shower and changed, I was able to smell the food my
mother was cooking. Once I got comfortable, I headed downstairs and
met with Miyuki who just arrived. But she wasn't alone. Seiji was with
her.
"Oh, Seiji-kun." I said, not even greeting my sister. It was a little
rude, come to think of it, but that is how I saw my sister back then.
"Hey, Ayako-chan." he smiled and greeted me back.
"We're home, mother!" she announced from the hallway while taking off
her shoes and coat. Her boyfriend was doing the same. Looks like he
was invited for dinner. I didn't mind much though. Seiji was kind of a
fun person to be with, always making little jokes, and he was
sometimes playing video games with me, too.
Miyuki seemed to want to go change. I watched her climbing up the
stairs. I admit I liked her office lady outfit too, it gave her a
classy look; very businesslike. But I'd feel weird wearing that all day.
Seiji went to the kitchen to greet my mother. I followed, since
dinner was about to get be ready.
"How is Kenji-kun?" she asked, sounding a bit worried.
"He should be fine as long as he stays in the hospital for now. The
doctors are still examining him thoroughly, they said." he explained.
Looks like he went with Miyuki to the hospital earlier today.
"I see..."
I wanted to tell them about the play today, get their opinion about
it, but seeing the mood they were in, I wasn't sure if it was a good
topic. I didn't want to bother them with my questions. I had to make
this decision alone. Father soon joined us for dinner, and we ate
together, chatting idly as usual. I wanted to thank Seiji for trying
to lighten up the mood, but even he didn't succeed in that. Everyone
was still worried about the news from the day before. I couldn't
bother them with my own little problems... I didn't feel this was so
im****tant, even if deep inside, I wanted to scream at them for being
so gloomy. But they might have thought I was taking this too lightly...
* * *
I had trouble getting to sleep again that night, not because of my
cousin's condition, but more because I was still debating with myself
if participating in this play was a good idea or not. If they asked me
for a song, I would have probably accepted, but reciting lines, even
if just as a voiceover...
"So, have you made up your mind?" I heard Ryukawa-san's voice taking
me out of my thoughts during our second period's recess.
"Ah hm..."
In fact, I hadn't brought myself to a decision just yet, but I
couldn't tell her that.
"You're still unsure?"
She then hummed, apparently thoughtful.
"Would you like to come see how the club feels like after class? This
is just an invitation."
An invitation, yeah, sure. She was insistant....
"Okay, I guess."
But then again, I was too kind and polite to refuse.
"Fine. You know where our club room is, or do you need me to wait for
you after classes?" she asked. I enjoyed the attention, but I really
didn't know where the club room was, and wouldn't be able to read the
club rooms plan hanging on the wall either.
"Please wait for me, I'll let you guide me to the club room then." I
gave her a smile, accepting her offer.
Classes went by as usual that day and weren't really interesting per
se, but what struck me was Miho. She still showed hostility towards
me, but she wasn't playing pranks anymore, and just avoided my gaze
the whole time. It really puzzled me.
When the bell rang for the last time that day, I hadn't even finished
packing my schoolbag when Ryukawa came for me.
"Shall we go?" she offered me her arm.
"It's okay, I can follow you." I said with a gentle smile while
fini****ng stuffing my laptop inside of my bag. Miho had already left
without a word, and Karen was about to pass the classroom's door.
"I'll be waiting for you at the school gate." she offered to me . I
just replied with a nod, and smiled to our class representative once
again.
"I'm ready now, let's go." I said, holding onto my bag, and following
the other girl out of the class.
* * *
I followed Ryukawa through the corridors. It was almost empty the
whole way, since a lot of students either left for home or went to
their own clubs. We got to the clubrooms' building, and she slid the
door of the drama club's room open. The room was quite big, almost
like a classroom's, but there were no desks or chairs. Just cardboxes,
a screen behind which people probably changed into their costumes,
and a table in the back with a few seats. There was also what looked
like a chest full of clothes, possibly costumes. I looked around,
unable to make out any faces. I heard voices though, talking about
various things I did not immediately understood. I guess my arrival
was pretty discreet.
Or not.
I heard Ryukawa clap her hands to catch everyone's attention.
"Everyone, this is Suzumiya-san. She will be our narrator for the
play. Please be kind to her since she has eyesight problems."
"Uh, hello." I said shyly, waving a hand to everyone.
There was a roughly equal mix of boys and girls in the club room.
Everyone greeted me back. and I heard a familiar groan of displeasure.
I knew it was Miho's way to say hello to me.
"Ni****jima, come here please."
"Yes."
Everyone resumed their activities, and a girl about my height with
brown hair covering the sides of her face came to me. She was a first
year judging from the color of her ribbon.
"Ni****jima is our stage coordinator. She'll be guiding you through
the play and show you around. I will be leaving you two together for a
bit." Ryukawa excused herself then.
"I'm Ni****jima Haruka from class 1-C. Nice to meet you,
Suzumiya-san." she then said and gave a bow, which I returned.
"Likewise. I'm Suzumiya Ayako from class 2-A. I will be in your
care." I replied politely. Ryukawa was the only person in the club
that I even remotely knew, save for Miho, and I was a little lost
without her around, but this Ni****jima seemed pretty nice.
"Let's go to the back at the table so we can chat about what you'll
have to do. It'd be good if you knew about the play, too, sempai(5)."
I nodded, and followed her. It was a bit weird to be called sempai,
but now that I was in second year, it was unavoidable, especially in a
club where students from various classes and years were able to meet
and construct something together. That was perhaps the only aspect of
a club that I really liked.
"So hmm... How do we proceed? I guess I will tell you all about the
play orally so you don't have to bother reading, right? Will you be
able to read the script at home if I give you a printed copy?"
Her questions surprised me. I wasn't expecting her, a complete
stranger, to care this much.
"Well hmmm, if it's possible, I'd like the original, digital
version." I said, assuming they wrote it on a computer to begin with.
"Ah... So you can read it on your computer, I see." she nodded, and
stood up.
"Hey, Seno-kun!" she called out.
I looked back and saw a boy come closer to our table. He had short
hair, but I couldn't distinguish any facial feature from where I was.
Besides, his back was to the windows, making him look like a shadow to me.
"Could you please send a copy of the script to Suzumiya-san so she
can read it on her computer?" she politely asked.
"Sure." he said, and went away from us.
"Seno-kun is our scriptwriter. Speaking of the script, actually, it's
just an adaptation of Cinderella. You know the story, right?"
I nodded.
"Well, we just made a few adjustments here and there, but the story
stays true to the original. For example we have three fairies instead
of one. They make an amazing trio." she says. "In this club, we try to
make everyone's role fit them. Hinata, Onoki and Yanagimoto are good
friends and often act with each other. "
I nodded silently again, letting her continuing on her explanations.
It was pretty interesting, I really felt like a tourist, though.
"So, about your part..."
She took some sheets of paper, and seemed to be reading something there:
"Basically all you have to do is tell the story inbetween scenes to
introduce each one. You'll have a lot of work at the beginning of the
play, a bit in between each act, and a little too towards the end. It
should last only a few minutes overall, no more. Is that okay with you?"
"Uh, sure..." I said softly.
"I will be with you at all times with Kenmochi-san and Matsuhiro-san.
They'll be in charge of lights and music for the play." she explained.
"Oh, there'll be music, too?"
She nodded.
"Yes, the school's pretty well equipped."
I never knew there was so many ressources for the clubs in this
school, but then again, Karen seemed to have everything she needed at
the s****ts club...
"Is Ura-san part of the play, too?" I dared ask, a bit curious.
Ni****jima nodded again.
"Yep, she's playing Cinderella, actually."
"And Ryukawa-san?"
"She's the evil aunt."
I just let a soft giggle at the thought. Maybe it was going to be fun
after all. I still lacked self-confidence, but I believed it was
possible, that I would be able to do it. I wouldn't be seen by the
public, my voice was the only part of me that the spectators would hear.
"When is the play supposed to happen?"
"In about two weeks. Everyone is rehearsing right now, as you can
hear." she said, looking sideways at the other corner of the room.
There were other club members here indeed.
Two weeks? That would give me enough time to memorize my part perfectly.
"I think I will accept your request, I will do the voiceover and
narration for the play."
"Excellent! Ryukawa-san!" Ni****jima stood up and called over the
drama club president. She came to me, and we shook hands.
"Thank you so much, Suzumiya-san." she told me.
"Yes, thank you, we were really in need." Ni****jima said, visibly
happy as well.
I felt warm inside, as for the first time in my life, I really felt
needed, I really felt like what I would be doing would be of use to
someone. That I would be able to participate in something. I guess
that's part of the reason we have clubs, isn't it?
* * *
These two weeks passed too fast, definitely too fast. I did practice
on my voice on the weekends when I was alone in my room and memorized
all my lines, but there was still the pressure of the first time.
Karen and ****zuka tried to help me relax by taking me out to the city
yesterday but it didn't have the desired effect on me.
I soon was accompanied by Karen and ****zuka to the school on a bright
Sunday. I sometimes came here for the school festivals, but I always
was a visitor then. It wasn't a festival that was bringing people
today, but the drama club's presentation of Cinderella.
I came about one hour before the play was scheduled to begin, as
instructed by Ryukawa.
"Feeling pressured?" ****zuka asked with a giggle as we entered the
school's theather.
"A little." I admitted.
I brought a printed version of the script so I could do last-minute
checks, Ryukawa came to greet me. She was already in her costume, a
long dress which made her look like a woman from ancient times, just
like in the fairy tales.
"Wow, you look good." Karen let out with a smile. Ryukawa bowed in
thanks, and took my hand.
****zuka bowed as well and introduced herself.
"I'm Makihara ****zuka, second year at Sunagawa High School. I'm
Ayako's friend."
"I'm Ryukawa Kimiko, second year and class representative. I'll take
care of Suzumiya-san. So please don't worry about anything, and relax
in your seats." she told them.
"Later." I simply told them, before looking forward and following
Ryukawa to the backstage.
Everyone there was adjusting their costumes, and a few students were
running around preparing props and other things I didn't fully
understood at that time. Ryukawa took me to the other side of the
backstage, inside of a box.
Inside, I immediately recognized someone by her hair.
"Ni****jima, Suzumiya-san's here." my guide told her.
"Oh!"
The girl lifted her head from some papers, and looked my way. I
smiled back There were two other people in the room. Two boys I
didn't know. They were probably the ones in charge of the lights and
sound effects, but their names had escaped me.
The room was pretty small, and it had a panel full of controls for
the different aspects of the stage. To me it just looked like sliders
and buttons you had to turn left and right. There were labels on each,
but I couldn't read them; not like I was interested anyway.
"I'll leave you all. Let's work hard together!"
Everyone in the room let out a "Yes." in unison, except me, but it's
because I wasn't used to that yet...
After Ryukawa left us, Ni****jima addressed me.
"Well, Suzumiya, this is Kenmochi-san and Matsuhiro-san. As I told
you back in the club room, they're in charge of lights, and sound
effects."
"Nice to meet you." they both said in turns with a bow. I bowed back
politley.
"I'll be in your care now."
"You ready?" she asked me.
I nodded.
"Okay, here's your seat."
She showed me to a seat in front of one part of the console panel.
Once I sat down, I saw the microphone in front of me.
"The control is there..."
Before I could ask, she took my hand gently in hers, and guided it to
a switch.
"Push it up to turn the microphone on, and down to close it. Just
turn it on before you speak."
I nodded.
"I remember, from the rehearsal last week." I said.
"It'd be nice if we could one last test." one of the boys said. I
guessed it had to be Matsuhiro. He had a deep voice, and judging by
the build of his frame, he seemed quite athletic. But that's all I
could tell.
"Another test?" I asked, intrigued.
"To hear if your voice is too loud or not. It sounded okay during the
general rehearsal, but we need to test it one more time before the
actual play." he explained. Open the microphone and say something in
your normal voice.
I'd done a lot of practice in my speaking voice over the last two
weeks, and assumed I had to use a neutral tone when narrating this
story. I took a deep breathe, and turned the microphone on, before
speaking.
"This is Suzumiya. I am doing a test, everyone."
It was probably very silly. I heard my amplified voice while I spoke
in there, and a few giggles from outside, making me blush in
embarrassment. This wasn't what I expected, but... It felt nice, somehow.
"Sounds all good." Matsuhiro said next to me.
"Everyone's ready then, all we have to do now is wait for the
beginning of the play. You'll announce it, right, Suzumiya-san?"
"Of course!" I said with a little grin, staying on my seat. I
trembled a bit, but I was able to control myself so far. This was my
first time, and I was very nervous about it.
* * *
"Once upon a time..."
I spoke calmly into the microphone, my eyes closed as I recalled the
lines . I'd put a lot of effort into memorizing them so that I
wouldn't be bothered by trying to read them during the performance.
With my handicap, that'd mean holding the script between me and the
microphone.
"...there was a girl, opressed by her stepmother and stepsisters, who
was trying her best to keep her gentle smile and sweet manners in
contrast with the rest of her new family..."
Frankly, I practiced a LOT, because not laughing at the association
of 'sweet manners' and Miho was difficult. I'd thought about
suggesting they rename the play, 'Tsunderella' but decided to keep
that to myself.
I spoke fluently into the microphone, but I didn't really listen to
my own voice. I hope I didn't make any mistakes, but I was doing this
very seriously even though it was just a voiceover. The drama club,
and Ryukawa in particular, as well as Ni****jima, had put a lot of
trust into me. I couldn't disappoint them!
The first act began after my monologue, and I took my monocular to
watch Miho, Ryukawa, and the other members of the drama club play on
stage. It was impressive. Miho had that serious look, she was so much
into it... I could tell how im****tant it was to her. I briefly
wondered if she was trying to start a career, or if she was just that
serious about the club...
As I watched the first act come to a close, I suddenly remembered I
wasn't just a spectator when I felt a finger on my left shoulder.
"Suzumiya-sempai...!"
"Oh!"
I blushed in embarrassment and sat down, taking a deep breath. I
turned on the microphone again when Ni****jima whispered in my ear.
"Go!"
I nodded, and started reading my lines once again. I was slowly
beginning to get comfortable with it.
"...and when the announcement of the dance arrived to Cinderella's
home, her two stepsisters were boiling with excitement. They wanted
the Prince to choose them!"
I wasn't speaking like I was simply reading the words, but more like
I was telling a story to someone. That is how my father did it for me
when I was little... I couldn't read well since it was tiring for my
eyes, and my father often sat on the edge of my bed to read me a book
while I was about to go to sleep.
That is how I really liked books and stories, and wanted to read many
more. By forcing myself to read despite my bad eyesight, I managed to
get better at it, by making pauses once in a while. I adapted, I found
workarounds for my handicap. That was my everyday life, and
experiencing words like this was something completely normal to me.
The different scenes and acts flew by faster than I'd expected it to
go when I had first read the script. I liked taking on this
storyteller's voice, as if I was someone watching over the characters,
holding a book on my lap and reading it to the audience. But the thing
was, I didn't need a book since I knew the story by heart. I could
tell them about it with different tones and by marking certain words
over others. I couldn't do gestures, but I didn't need to. I couldn't
make faces, but I didn't need to do that either. All the feelings of
this story, all my feelings, were conveyed by my voice. I was able to
make the audience ****ver in anticipation or make them laugh with the
tones I used.
And there it was. The answer that I'd been searching for, for so long.
"The prince left with the new princess in his beautiful carriage, and
they lived happily ever after."
I took a deep breathe after shutting off the microphone, and I heard
applause coming from the spectators. I then felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Suzumiya-sempai, it's our turn now." Ni****jima said, took my hand
and led me to the stage, where everyone was lined up.
"Bow with everyone else!" she whispered again to me, and I did,
seeing everyone in the audience applaud the drama club. I was a part
of their crew after all, I blushed vividly and bowed in thanks to the
public while holding hands with Ni****jima. On my right was a girl I
didn't know, but who was part of the club too even if it was just for
this play. I didn't care actually. I couldn't see Karen or ****zuka,
but I knew they were in out there.
The applause lasted for a full minute, before the curtain lowered on
us, and everyone congratulated each other. I stood a little away from
this... I was just doing the voiceover inbetween the acts... It was
nothing compared to the work they accomplished on the costumes, on the
props, on music and sound effects, all the work they'd put into
everything...
...but I was wrong.
"Suzumiya."
I looked up a little, and saw Miho, in her Cinderella dress.
"Your hand." She said simply, and I realized she was holding hers
out. I took it gently in mine, and she shook it. Yes, Miho and I shook
hands. Needless to say that I was completely astonished.
"Thanks for saving the play. You did well."
"Save... the play?"
"Yes, it was very im****tant to me. My parents are getting transferred
to Europe, so this is my last year here."
The news was so shocking that I didn't let go of her hand.
"Are you serious?"
She nodded, simply.
"Again, th-thanks." She looked away, visibly embarrassed.
his was a completely different Miho than the one I'd known.
"Did aliens abduct you?"
She let go of my hand.
"Huh?!"
"Just kidding, really." I felt a bit stupid after that joke, but I
couldn't help it...
"Ayako-chan!"
I heard a familiar voice call out for me from afar, and turned to
face them. Karen and ****zuka had managed to get to the backstage...
Then, something even more unexpected happened before my eyes. Karen
took me into her arms and hugged me in front of everyone else.
"K...Karen? That's a little embarrassing...!"
There were people around us after all, but I guess Karen wasn't
embarrassed by hugging someone in front of others after living in the
United States.
"Ah, sorry sorry." she said and let go of me.
"That was incredible! Hearing your voice in the speakers like that,
it was as if you were a completely different person." ****zuka smirked.
"More mature too."
I blushed.
"Ah, well, I suppose... You know..."
I was trying to find my words.
"I realized something during this play. I... I want my voice to reach
everyone. I want to use my voice to give life to characters and stories."
I took a deep breathe and closed my eyes for a few seconds, before
opening them, and taking my friends' hands. I felt my chest fill with
warmth and excitement.
"I want to become a voice actress!"
* * *
To be continued...
Next time!
Karen : "****zuka-chan, what's wrong with you?"
****zuka : "I don't want to talk about it..."
Karen : "You're so gloomy! You won't be able to help Ayako reach her
dream like that."
****zuka : "..."
Karen : "Love problems."
****zuka : "You wish."
Karen : "So I was right..."
****zuka : "Do you want me to discuss about your love life instead, or
rather the lack of it all?"
Karen : "Geh!"
****zuka : "Next time, in Blind Spot chapter 1337!"
Karen : "*sigh* All wrong, it's 8!"
****zuka : "'An adult's choice.'"
Karen : "You're an adult now?"
****zuka : "I'm closer to being a grown-up woman than you are, at least."
Karen : "HEY!"
* * *
Author's notes:
(1) The title of this TV show would translate as "Between Heaven and
Earth" It is completely fictionnal and doesn't exist.
(2) In Japan, calling someone by their first or last name is of great
im****tance and shows what kind of relation****p you have with that
person. Even students often call themselves by their last name, unless
they are friends. Calling people by their last name is also a sign of
politeness, generally.
(3) Onsen means hot springs. These are very popular in Japan, and
Ayako is a fan of these.
(4) Todai = Tokyo Daigaku = Tokyo University. One of the most, if not
the only one, recognized universities of Japan. For a lot of
companies, there is Todai, and the rest. If you are not coming out of
Todai, you are going to be paid less, in a sense.
(5) Sempai: See
http://blindspot.teri-chan.net/dc2/index-en.php/post/2007/01/01/15-les-titres-honorifiques-en-japonais
.. Basically, Ni****jima calls Ayako her sempai because Ayako is in
second year of high school while Ni****jima is in her first, making
Ayako "more experienced" per se.
(6) Tongue-twister: this one means literally "The Tokyo patent office
hurriedly rejected the permission today." See
http://www.uebersetzung.at/twister/ja.htm
for more of those.
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