Character Story 8: The Rest of One's Life, or, the Beginning of Youth

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Yuuki visits the "Ivory Tower," but Yuni has still yet to find a new research topic. She sits at her desk, sighing over and over.

Yuni
Sigh...

Yuni
I wonder what it is. My fingers feel awfully heavy, trying to turn pages today.

Yuni
A hanging feeling of fatigue is relaxing my body, and this drowsiness is playing a prank on me, stealing my concentration like a ray of warm spring sunlight. In other words, to put this in layman's terms --

Yuni
I don't feel like doing anythiiing....

Yuuki
1. What's wrong?

Yuni
I wonder what IS wrong? I've been searching for the answer to that all day.

Yuni
Aah, why is the ego known as myself here right now...?

Yuuki
1. Really, what's the matter with you?

Rosetta
Pon! Answer! Doctor Yuni is currently in the process of finding a new research topic!

Rosetta
However, being she has found no good ideas, ambition, urge, motivation, all are drastically declining! Due to this dullness of thought, she has entered Twilight Mode!

Rosetta
Humans in this mode are inclined towards poetic sensibilities, and are likely to induldge in sentiment to re-examine their own life!

Yuni
Haah... Come to think of it, why did I even leave the mountain and decide to become a student?

Yuni
If it were just to peruse books, and compose theories, it would've been sufficient to do so at the sages' study.

Yuni
Scentless winds, a stagnant assignment, and an unbrilliant room. Hey Rosetta, what color is the sky right now?

Rosetta
Pon! Answer! Please look out the window!

Yuni
In other words, I should be confirming that for myself. Goodness, it's tough, to be rejected by even my pet golem.

Yuni
Hm... look, Yuuki-kouhai. There's irony in the stark contrast between the state of my fretting heart, and today's large, open skies, a magnificent blue, without a single cloud in sight.

Yuni
And looking downward, there lies the green route to school. There are the cute, young girls, singing their pink-colored cheers, chattering, giggling, and skipping about.

Yuni
Gracious, it makes quite the picture doesn't it? That itself is famous for being one act of youth. It's the rosy-colored school life that I'd once admired.

Yuni
Hm?

Yuni
I'd once... admired it...?

Yuni
*Gasp*

Yuni
I remember now! Right, that's it!

Yuni
That's the ideal I'd yearned for! The was the original reason I decided to drop the books and leave for the town!

Yuuki
1. What is?
2. What is it this time?

Both options lead to the same result.

Yuni
Hmph, laugh if you think it's unlike me! However, I will speak the truth, revealing all!

Yuni
Indeed! I came here, admiring this so-called school life that I've heard about!

Yuni
......

Yuni
Hey, are you listening, kouhai? What's with the wide open mouth, like you're dumbfounded?

Yuni
Don't you know? It's school life, school life! It's said that within youth lies moments of lively emotion.

Yuni
In layman's terms, I want to experience youth.

Yuuki
1. I sort of don't understand.
2. You should calm down a bit.

Both options lead to the same result.

Yuni
Silence. I want to experience youth. Come now, we will experience youth.

Yuuki
1. Yuni-senpai, did you get enough sleep?
2. Yuni-senpai, did you drink some strange potion?

Option 1.

Yuni
Are you trying to say I'm sleep deprived? But it is a question of how much is sufficient. If you were to tell me to go to sleep, my composition would currently be able to for years and years.

Yuni
I am someone who is half awake when I dream, and half asleep when awake. The world filled with lies anyway, going in half asleep is perfect.

Option 2.

Yuni
That, I did. It's Master Mitsuki's hustle potion. However, I've always been taking those. What are you saying, this late into the game.

End of branches.

Yuni
Hm? What's this, mysterious light that I feel I both have and haven't seen before...?

Yuni
*Gasp* I think I've heard about this before. Youth has often been symbolic of lights and sparkles...

Yuni
I see, I've been waiting for this! I see, this is the famously rumored youth of light!

Yuni
That's the lively sparkle! Filled things like love, dreams, and hope!

A dream. A cafe in Japan.

Yuni
Ah, Yuuki-kun! What a coincidence! No way, what're you doing here?

Yuni
Eh, you're alone? Can I sit here? Thanks, excuse me.

Yuni
Wow, this is, um, really something, huh? Even though we've been meeting up in Astorum a lot, it's been a while since we've met in person, so it sort of just, you know, feels weird. Hee hee.

Yuni
Eh? What're you talking that way for? I know I'm your senpai, but we go to different schools, so don't worry about being so polite.

Yuni
... Huh? Come to think of it, Yuuki-kun, how did you talk to me in Astorum?

Yuni
Oh yeah, riight, it was that weird mix of polite and casual. Then, just the other day after you made a typo, you tried to hide it by turning it into an emoji you never use, and I thought it was pretty gross.

Yuni
Ahaha, kidding, kidding, it was cute. I laughed there.

Cafe Employee
Welcome. Have you decided on your order?

Yuni
Ah, umm... I'll have an espresso.

Cafe Employee
Certainly.

Yuni
Haha, so fun. But sorry, for bothering you. Yuuki-kun, you were reading a book just now right?

Yuni
What book is it, by the way?

Yuni
Hm? That's the one I IM'd you about yesterday... Eh, you bought it?

Yuni
Why though! If you'd said something about it, I'd have let you borrow it!

Yuni
Eeh? Don't worry about it so much. It's fine, I can meet you offline. Contact me all you like!

Yuni
Nah, I wouldn't particularly go meeting with just anyone. Hm... what I mean is, I'm fine meeting if it's you.

Yuni
Eeh? I mean, you're a friend to me, and in a special sort of --

Yuni
Aah! I don't... don't mean it that way! When I say special, I, umm, don't mean anything big...

Cafe Employee
Sorry to keep you waiting, here's your expresso.

Yuni
-- Ah, Th-Thanks.

Yuni
......

Yuni
*Sigh*

Yuni
Umm... right, hey. Yuuki-kun, the other day you said you wanted to watch that, right? Uhh, that movie... yeah, that one that with the sequel.

Yuni
I got curious about it, so I Googled it afterwards and saw a preview for it. It was great, you were right, it seemed interesting. Yeah. So I sort of thought maybe, I could go see it sometime...

Yuni
......

Yuni
Uh, what about you? Have you seen it already?

Yuni
Ah, you haven't yet! Oh, got it, got it, you've been busy.

Yuni
Mhhm, I see, so you've been busy! Well, yeah, we all have those days! I haven't been that busy recently though, ahaha.

Yuni
Mhhm, I wonder what to do? When should I go to see it?

Yuni
.........

Yuni
Oh hey! Just, by the way but! N-Next week Sunday... do you, have something to do? Um, like, plans or something.

Yuuki
1. Sunday morning shows.
2. Lots of sleep.

Option 1.

Yuni
Hm? Sunday morning shows ^[1]?　... Uh, what do you mean?

Yuni
Eh, anime? Aah, anime... right, you've got Sunday morning anime, so you'll be busy. That's when those, um, masked hero shows are.

Option 2.

Yuni
Lots of... Ah, I see... it's Saturday night, so you'll be up late, busy. Wow, you'll even stay awake until 10 AM the next day? That's crazy.

Yuni
Well, if you do that... yeah, you'd want to sleep in Sunday. Once you wake up, you'd be just in time for those national kinds of anime. Ahaha, I know what you mean... I, think?

End of branches.

Yuni
Oh, well, then... do your best!

Yuuki
1. Thanks! I will!

Yuni
Aaah... the expresso's tasty.

End of dream.

Ames
No! You're supposed ask her ooout!!

Ames
Eh, what? Hold on, what was that bittersweet feeling there!?

Ames
It was so good up until that part! I could feel the youth! It was like a love comedy! Watching it made me so excited!

Ames
Despite that... Why didn't you ask her out...!? Don't pull the dense protagonist card there...!

Ames
Well, I know I'm the one showing this dream to you...

Ames
There's gotta be a bug somewhere there, in your guys' memories...

Ames
... Hm? What's with that blank look? You can go already! Shoo, shoo, get out of here.

End of Ames conversation.

Yuni
Hoaa...

Yuni
... I feel like I just had a horrible dream.

Yuuki
1. I don't really remember, but uhh, sorry.

Yuni
Hmm... I don't really remember either, but yes, I feel as though I deserve an apology.

Yuni
*Sigh*

Yuni
Aaah, let's study.

As if nothing had happened, Yuni returns to her desk, diligently tackling her research topic.