Katawa Shoujo - Akira Satou Route

Act 4-4 Web

“If you’ll recall from the chapter fifteen notes, solubility and dissolution are not the same thing. So in order to find the concentration of zinc chloride in the solution, you’ll have to…”

Words hum through my head, but my mind is in no condition to put any meaning to them, content to let them enter and exit without a thought. Mutou steps back and forth between the corners of the blackboard, the rhythmical tapping resulting from his hand movements somehow able to keep me from falling asleep.

At this point I’m almost jealous of that aqua-haired girl in the front row. I’ll bet she could manage to catch a few winks even in the midst of a fire drill.

You know, this is the second time I’ve come to class with a hangover. This is how bad habits start, I’m sure of it.

I lay my head on the desk, using my left arm as a sort of cushion in an attempt to avoid looking out the window. This act is met with a both an amused giggle and a disapproving glare by the two girls beside me, the closest of which passes me a white slip of paper.

[Tired?]

My hand fumbles around on the desktop searching for something to write with, the fatigue blanketing my addled brain driving me to try uncapping the pen I find with one hand. Writing in this position turns out to be a greater challenge than one would think, however, so I force myself to sit up in order to issue a proper reply.

[You could say that.]

Misha offers a conciliatory smile as she writes her response.

[Had trouble getting up? You missed three classes.]

Homeroom, my substitute for P.E. and Japanese literature were the three lectures I skipped out on today, opting to wait in my room in order to run in before science could start. I managed to make it to my seat before Mutou arrived, although my absence was still noticed during the first class of the day as indicated by Mutou’s expression upon entering the classroom.

[Yeah, I haven’t been sleeping very well lately. What did I miss?]

I cap my pen and push the white sheet back over to Misha, a curious Shizune unable to keep from glancing over every few moments.

[You need to get to bed sooner, mister! And all we’ve done today is review, review, and review.]

Figures that all we’re doing is covering old material, seeing as how trimester exams lie around the corner.

[I guess I didn’t miss much, then. Are you ready for finals?]

Misha lets out a hearty ‘Wahaha~!’ much to the dismay of my ears and the other students, warranting a confused look from Mutou as he checks the board over.

“Did I mess something up, Mikado?” He asks, setting the piece of chalk down and clearing his hands of dust.

The girl beside me loses her bravado in the blink of an eye. “No Mr. Mutou. I was thinking of something else~.”

“Please try not to let your mind wander. I know we’ve been over all of this before, but I’d hate for you to miss something important and have to redo your third year.”

Misha gives a faux salute before looking down and pretending to follow along with the lecture, the tip of her pen beginning to write a response to my previous note as soon as Mutou turns around.

She keeps her eyes on the board as she slides the note over to the surface of my desk with the tip of her finger. The answer to my previous question is written upon a new scrap of paper, reading only [of course I’m ready, Hicchan!]