Katawa Shoujo - Akira Satou Route

Act 5-5 My way

The sounds of sweeping, mopping, and dusting linger in my head, clouding all of my other thoughts. Today I've been tasked with quite possibly the most tedious list of jobs yet, following a particularly lengthy research and testing period covering such invigorating hypotheses as 'does this new antibiotic cause drowsiness in all patients, or only some' and 'why doesn't the vending machine ever work.'

Everything here just feels dull as of late, regardless of how complex some of the experiments may be. The only excitement I can find is in watching the real scientists work, which is also losing its glow despite being such a rare occasion. I suppose it couldn't retain its air of wonder forever, but even being able to use the equipment has gotten old. For one, autoclaves are just an excuse to watch TV and wish I had a book with me rather than an interesting machine. It doesn't help that all of the tools and glassware that used to keep my curiosity on high have become just that; simple tools and glassware.

On top of that, daily tasks have finally begun to feel like chores.

Pull all of the glassware out of the counters. Make sure it's all clean and ready to go for the next project. Dust out the cabinets, even if there's no conceivable way that they could have gotten dirty in the week since you last did it. Sweep every square centimeter of the floor. Wipe down every single surface. It seems like easy work, and really and truly it is - the only thing holding me down is how utterly boring it's become.

It's a little amazing that I used to view this place with such wonder and excitement, and now here we are a little over a month later and it's even more boring than an English lecture. Is this what all jobs are like, or is it just this one?

At this point, the only reason I'm not falling asleep is the sudden vibrating in my pocket every few minutes.

"[The pizza place a few blocks away from the jazz club is generally pretty good, from what I hear. I'm not one for pizza though, so we'd have to find somewhere else.]"

I check over my shoulder before reading and responding to the message, having already been warned about phone usage during my shift. It's amazing that I can get a response in the first place, considering how much work Akira has to do right now. Thank goodness for dinner breaks, I suppose.

Digital lettering floods the screen as I tap my reply into the keypad. "[I'm not really too bothered about where. If you really want me to choose then there's a good Korean barbecue place not too far away.]"

Not that there's much to talk about aside from date spots. The subject of her father has been avoided ever since the episode in her car yesterday, and I'm not quite at the point where I'm going to press for any details or stories of the past. It'll come out when she feels it should come out, I suppose - I don't think she'd hide anything from me, provided there were anything to hide in the first place.

By the time I finally finish taking care of every detail in the first floor lab, the only reply I receive is a short "[Barbecue sounds pretty great. I'll get back to you after work.]"

After sending a short response, I slide my phone back into my pocket and continue going about my duties. Rather, going to get more duties, since I've finished everything ahead of schedule.

I pull the mop bucket into the elevator, content that there's nothing to interrupt at seven in the afternoon, long after regular work has finished. A few researchers linger in the hallways, spending their short breaks in front of the television before heading back to their offices to take care of personal business. I used to think that they were here to take care of matters so pressing that they didn't get to leave with everyone else, but now I know that they're just checking emails and finding some way to cram even more drinking-straw-and-duct-tape models into their already-cramped workspace.