User blog:ToastSoul/Dialogues: Niishiro 1

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← Chapter 1: in retrospect

 - NIISHIRO 1 -

FOREST NEAR THE OCEAN - STORMY DAY

Rain falls from the grey, clouded sky, making an audible pitter-pattering sound as it strikes the leaves above and the ground below.

Plodding through the undergrowth, HIRYUU shields her eyes from the rain with her right arm, looking rather joyless. Leading the way ahead of her is AKEMU NIISHIRO, an easily distracted 19-year-old girl currently in the middle of her month-long trial period at a nearby naval base.

HIRYUU Akemu, it’s pouring out here. Shouldn’t we go back?

AKEMU What!? But things were just starting to get exciting…!

HIRYUU We’re getting drenched out here. Won’t you catch a cold?

AKEMU Silly Hiryuu, that’s why we brought an umbrella! And rain boots!

HIRYUU The umbrella broke in the wind earlier.

AKEMU But we’ve still got our rain boots! And that’s like, 50% of the protection still left! 67% if you count each of the boots as a separate item!

HIRYUU (sighing) I think you’re missing the point here.

AKEMU Oh, and you don’t have to worry about the money, we can always swing by the station later and pick up a cheap vinyl one that someone’s left behind for free!

HIRYUU Uh, you may have forgotten, but I’m not exactly allowed to go to the station. Or wherever here is. Most places, for that matter.

AKEMU That’ll be fine too, no one would ever think of coming out to look for you in the forest in the middle of a storm!

HIRYUU stops in her tracks, raising an eyebrow at the statement.

HIRYUU I hate to admit it, but you may have a point there.

(sighing defeatedly) Guess it was my fault for trying to argue against you.

AKEMU (grinning) Mother always used to tell me I was impossible to reason with.

HIRYUU I don’t know what kind of person your mother is, but I get the feeling she didn’t mean that as a compliment.

HIRYUU walks up to AKEMU’s side, looking down to her.

HIRYUU So, are you going to explain where we’re going yet, or is that still a secret?

AKEMU Well, I was kinda just thinking we could go on an adventure!

HIRYUU So basically you have no plan.

AKEMU Don’t sound so pessimistic! Just think of it like this - we have a really great plan to have absolutely no plan at all!

HIRYUU Even if I do accept it as a plan, it certainly sounds like a horrible one. I don’t think I’m anywhere near as optimistic as you would like me to be.

AKEMU And that’s okay for now! You just have to stop looking so ‘meh’ all the time and start thinking about more sunny things from now on!

HIRYUU (gesturing to surroundings) I’d like to point out that that being all sunshine and rainbows is incredibly difficult when we’re practically being beaten down by the rain out here.

AKEMU jogs ahead to a small clearing in the midst of the trees. Were it a sunny day, the clearing would've allowed the sunlight to peek through the trees and shine on her; however in the midst of the storm, standing in the clearing only manages to get her more wet.

AKEMU turns to face HIRYUU. Soaked by the rain, her hair sticks awkwardly to her face. Still, she smiles.

AKEMU The rain can’t last forever!

HIRYUU blinks and pauses for a moment.

HIRYUU Y’know, they say idiots can’t catch colds, but I’m pretty sure it would be impossible for even an idiot to avoid having one after standing out there like that.

AKEMU Worrying about me, huh? That’s not exactly the response I was going for but-

HIRYUU forcibly picks up AKEMU by the waist and begins to walk back the way they came.

AKEMU (trailing off) Oh, hey, wait, what are you doing? Adventure isn’t that way! Probably! Actually, now that I think about it, going back could be a completely different…

HIRYUU Yep, definitely gonna catch a cold.

Stepping her way back through the trees, HIRYUU’s gaze softens, just a little.

Chapter 2: (re)start →