Spring Awakenings

Signs of Love

Wednesday, 4/22/12, Yasogami High, Late Afternoon

Rise had never seen the pyramids of Egpyt, but she was definitely starting to feel a kinship with the thousands of slaves who built them. She didn't know what was worse, indulging in their daily routine of backbreaking and agonizing work to appease cruel masters, or listening to a lecture about said daily routine.

Kimiko Tofue was whispered about amongst 2nd years, but in the few weeks since school had started, Rise now fully understood why she had been given the nickname "Queen Tut." Despite the opening unit being entirely focused on the "Warring States" period, Ms. Tofue always seemed to find a way to spiral off topic, typically (only) into Egyptian history. Her penchant for wearing an Egyptian headdress like the old Pharaohs while she prattled about pyramids didn't help. The lectures were often as heavy handed as her looks, offering little substance beyond raw facts and complaining about not being able to talk Egypt 24/7.

As Rise felt her head begin to dip, a sudden reprieve in the form of the cleanup bell burst out through the room. It was 3:30, and the last thirty minutes of school was reserved so the students could tidy up the classroom before they left, which saved them from more rambling. Ms. Tofue looked sad as she bid farewell to the class, but Rise would be the first to say she loved to see her go.

Letting out a big sigh, Rise looked up toward the ceiling at the dated grey tile smiling down on her. Truth was, she couldn't focus on school at all ; there were simply too many things going on. Number one of course was her return to the music industry, which was taking up much of her spare time. Even now, she was constantly clearing her throat and sucking down lozenges to repair her voice after vocal training; a year was a long time to go without using her singing voice. 

As her classmates talked and cleaned around her, she put her head down on her desk and watched the window through messy maroon locks as the sun began to close its eye for the day. She had left her hair down for the day, and it was a relief to be able to get a moment's quiet while lost in her normal hair. Kanji, who was also in her class, had been absent to help his mom get some blood work done, so there was no one really to distract her as she nearly dozed off. This would have been impossible a year ago, to get a second to breathe on her own, but things had changed. She had been at school long enough that the celebrity appeal had worn off for the most part, and her dormancy when it came to performing had also done its job in making the paparazzi leave her alone. She had to thank Inoue-san, her manager, who had done an excellent job of making her comeback a top industry secret; for all the world knew, Rise was still taking a break in some nowhere town and doing nothing exciting.

But all that was about to change, a fact that Rise didn't take lightly. While it was nice to finally not be bothered, Rise was a natural dramatist, and when she was left on her own it was easy to get caught up in the eternally busy schedule she was about to face, wondering if she could handle it and still keep up with her good buddies in Inaba. Today was no different, the negativity beginning to pour in the longer she stared outside the window. Alongside her anxiety about the future was the increasing worry that her friends would find out about her relationship with Yu; the longer it remained a secret, the heavier the albatross around Rise's neck got.

Desperate for happier thoughts, she began to think of Naoto, which improved her mood quite a bit. Rise had been pleasantly surprised in the progression of her friendship with the erstwhile Detective Prince. The last minute hangout at the bookstore had definitely had its awkward moments, but it had been enlightening in many ways too. Rise was surprised to see Naoto be both attentive and open, asking her about modeling and her work while also gushing about one of her own favorite books. Craziest of all, Rise accidentally found out that Naoto liked reading comic books, something she would have never suspected!