Katawa Shoujo - Akira Satou Route

Act 2-4 A Spark Ignited

"Hey, are you okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just not very good with surprises." I answer.

He reverts to his calm demeanor, gradually accelerating back to highway speeds before someone can ram into us, meanwhile I'm still left clutching my chest in pain, wincing as my heart throbs against my sternum. I'm not sure if Mutou knows it, but surprises don't really work too well with my condition.

******************

"We're late." Mutou grumbles.

Of course we're late. We just spent half an hour trying to find a parking spot. I knew there was going to be at least a thousand people here, but couldn't a few of them carpooled or something? Maybe some of the more accomplished scientists decided to drive both of their expensive cars here just to show off.

Speaking of which; every other car here is a Prius. I've lost count of them, in fact - there's got to be at least twenty in this single lot alone, not counting the one we drove in with.

I wonder if all of the people here dress like Mutou. He's about as close to a genuine 'scientist' as I can see, discounting all the faces I've seen in the news over the years. Imagine that, a mob of young to middle-aged men all with unkempt hair and tan longcoats.

He checks his watch and grimaces. "We're going to miss the lecture on genome mapping I wanted to attend, but if we hurry we can still get to the one on global warming."

I nod and follow him as he steps off to a building around the corner.

"Do you know anything about global warming?" he asks from over his shoulder.

"Only a little. I've never really worried about it." I reply.

"I hope you're not the worrying type. The first time I heard this program I went out and bought a new car." Mutou responds with a chuckle.

"It's a shame he hasn't changed his content in five years, though. Maybe there'll be something different this time." he muses, thinking back to past events.

It's apparent that he comes here every year, so he's gotta know where to go; but could he at least mention some directions? It doesn't help that he walks so fast. I've never really seen him outside of class, so I can't tell if this is his normal walking speed, or if he's just ecstatic to get inside. Considering how 'at home' he feels in the classroom, this must be some kind of heaven for him.

Once inside, I'm reminded of just how much of a crowd a thousand people is. There's at least a hundred standing around here in the lobby, their conversations blending together and creating a cacophonous roar. A very calm and enlightening roar, but it's a lot of noise regardless.

Also worth noting is that the only other man in a brown duster the one standing beside me.

It's at this point that Mutou hands me my nametag -- a white slip of paper with a safety pin on back. The previous name, 'Isaac C.', has been scratched out with black sharpie marker and replaced with 'Hisao N.'

I attach it to the lapel of my suit jacket and continue onward, stepping in and out of the crowd of scientists or other such science-affiliated persons. It takes us a few minutes to make it to the other end of the lobby, in front of a sign that reads 'Global Warming - A Simple Explanation.'

A simple explanation? I suppose that's a good thing for people like me - especially since I appear to be the only person here under the age of 25. It's also worth noting that I'm the only male without facial hair of some sort; be it anything from Mutou's stubble to a waist-length white beard.

"Alright, we made it with a few minutes to spare."

We peer into the small lecture hall, almost silent except for the sound of shuffling papers on the stage. Every seat is vacant despite there only being a few minutes until it begins.