Katawa Shoujo - Akira Satou Route

Act 4-7 Battle Phase

"Well, it may just be that she has high standards for everyone." The blonde girl across the table from me notes regarding upcoming exams. "I understand that English is a difficult language to grasp, but don't you think it's a little late in the year to be panicking?"

It's enough that we've been cramming throughout the entire weekend, but the fact that it's a Monday doesn't help in the slightest. The two pairs of eyes in the room that can see jump back and forth between the textbook on the table and Lilly, trying to catch everything from both sources.

Of course Lilly doesn't have trouble with English. She's half Scottish and she's one of the smartest girls among the third years -- I'll bet she's even picked up a handful of other languages on top of that.

"The only things I'm concerned with are english and history. Supposedly the third year history teacher gives extremely difficult exams before break." I respond, wishing I had another set of eyes to study the other textbook in my bag.

Lilly gives a small giggle. "They are quite challenging, but it's nothing you shouldn't be able to handle."

She takes a sip out of the dainty white teacup perched between her fingers, its contents reflecting a slight glow from the open window beside us. The table has been set for lunchtime, a pair of boxes containing sandwiches filled with tuna salad, fruit, or any of another number of combinations between us. However, Hanako seems bent on at least curbing my dependence on vending machines, as she's offered to share out of her own lunch box and even produced an individually wrapped sandwich just for me.

"These are really good. Did you make these?" I note in an attempt to raise conversation.

She avoids eye contact, glancing between her hands and the girl across the table. "L-Lilly has been teaching me how..."

I turn and tilt my head at Lilly, more to display my own confusion at a blind girl knowing how to prepare food than to make a gesture that would go unseen regardless. "Really? Maybe she should teach me how to make something better than simple three-step dinners."

She smiles at the notion before giving a slight shake of her head. "I shouldn't take all the credit. She's been reading up on things and asking Akira as well."

"Asking Akira? Yeah, I heard she's actually a really good cook." I reply, recalling the conversation I shouldn't have heard from last week.

"What could you mean by 'actually?'" Lilly asks, seeming puzzled. "Why is it strange for Akira to know how to take care of herself?"

Hanako seems to share the same confusion, tilting her head as she waits for my response.

"Well, I, uh..."

I shift in my seat uncomfortably. What's a good way to say this? I had Akira pinned as the fast-living kind of girl. I've seen her buying groceries before, but I was always under the impression that she lived entirely on high-class restaurant food or even personal catering.

"It's just a thought I had. When I first met her it was easy to imagine a team of personal chefs catering to everything she wanted." I respond, feeling my face become red with embarrassment. "I've had the same thought about you, as well. Back when Emi was talking about you being in the Yakuza or something like that."

Lilly forces a smile at my statement. "Well, that was certainly the case while we were growing up. It wasn't so much a team as it was a single personal chef, however, as Mother hated cooking."

She ends that thought with a bit of regret, pursing her lips in thought before continuing. "It was hardly a bad thing, though. He was very much a friend of the family, and he didn't mind me helping out in the kitchen."