Chapter 306: Going Further and Further Away
October was a cool October, but in the teaching building of Osaka's N.º 1 High School, Yui leaned against the window and sighed.
"The schoolyard is empty. The first and second-year students don't have classes on Saturdays. I envy them."
"Alright, we were that age once too!" Han patted Yui on the head with a reference book beside her. "There's a short geography exam today. You have time to sigh, but you'd better hurry up and memorize the key points first."
After two years of high school studies, the two girls moved on to the third year, the most important and boring stage of life. Although the university entrance exam system in Japan doesn't determine anyone's life, it does determine the fate of many people... Students at this stage rarely rest. Even at Osaka's N.º 1 High School, they only have one day off a week. And the summer vacation in between is only ten days long.
Yui was patted by Han and returned to her seat helplessly. There were still a few minutes before the evening study session. A few day students entered the classroom one after another, and the classroom was noisy.
"Han, Yui!" Before sitting down, Han heard her friend's voice. Yui looked at her curiously. A short-haired girl with acne ran over. She said excitedly, "Listen to me, I just saw an ad for Mirai-sensei's new work on my way to school!"
The girl's name is Emi. She is an external student at Osaka's N.º 1 High School. She usually takes the subway and is aware of the news on the street.
"Mirai-sensei's new work?" Han and Yui looked at each other and asked in unison, "What new work? Why isn't it in the weekly?"
Although they are in their third year of high school, the two still read Weekly Shōnen and Weekly Shōjo Manga. This provides them with exceptional sustenance amidst their busy studies. If Mirai-sensei has a new work, it should be published in the weekly.
"This time it's not a manga, so of course, it won't be published in the weekly." Emi smiled. She turned around and saw that there was no teacher, so she took out her phone and flipped through her photo album, saying, "I'll show you Mirai-sensei's new work, Clannad, which is a game. It will be out in December."
Han took the phone first and looked at it. There was a freshly taken photo. Judging by the surroundings, it must have been an ad next to the elevator at the entrance of a subway station. The image was a bit blurry, but it didn't affect the content above, as the ad's background was just a cherry blossom, and then a very large Clannad title appeared, with an introduction written below.
——Spring, the season of cherry blossoms, a new chapter of love and joy approaches, a unique university romantic comedy game——
"Mirai-sensei's cherry blossoms are still so beautiful..."
Han finished reading. She handed the phone to Yui and praised, "This image reminds me a bit of Five Centimeters Per Second."
"Yes, yes!" Emi exclaimed excitedly, "This ad is beautiful! You know? In this season, suddenly seeing an ad with a spring-like feel completely captivated me... The people around were also talking about it, and when it comes to cherry blossoms, it has to be Five Centimeters Per Second. Mirai-sensei's work must be a sweet and moving love story like Five Centimeters Per Second."
"But the ad says it's a romance game?" Han frowned slightly and said something to attack, "Speaking of romance games, aren't many boys playing them lately? It's the kind of visual novel with very pornographic images and sounds, and you can choose options to conquer the girls, right? What's so fun about this type of game? It's so bad..."
"You didn't get it! Mirai-sensei's game is very good!" Emi defended. "I also played the Holy Grail War last time. I feel it's completely different from other visual novels. The plot is excellent and the characters are realistic. It's like watching a movie. It's great!"
She said with bright eyes, "This new work will undoubtedly be better, and it's also fun! I searched the internet and discovered that the Mirai-sensei's Corner Forum has been in an uproar. It is said that this game was first leaked by other companies, and Mirai-sensei had no choice but to start promoting it... Many people say it's a combination of the love from Five Centimeters Per Second and the fun love masterpiece of One Piece. Don't you find it interesting?"
Obviously, the status of Five Centimeters Per Second in the hearts of girls is naturally undeniable, and One Piece is also the most popular serialized manga in Weekly Shōnen. Since Mirai-sensei's updates have stabilized, this manga has held the top spot on various manga lists for six consecutive months. And as it perfectly combines the humorous style of painting with the moving plot, many critics consider him a genius.
"It will make you laugh like crazy and cry until you run out of tears!"
From sad and bitter loves to witty and fun battles, Mirai-sensei has never stopped surprising us! It's already on sale. The promotional image for this work is cherry blossoms similar to Five Centimeters Per Second. The main content is undoubtedly love, and adding joy excites people even more.
"Mirai-sensei has progressed a lot." Emi said proudly, like a critic, "When he drew Five Centimeters Per Second, he was still a melancholic and sentimental literary girl. Now, this Clannad aims to use a fun and cheerful style to describe the love story. This shows that Mirai-sensei has matured a lot and has become an adult!"
This phrase left Han speechless, "Well, stop pretending, where have you read this nonsense?" "I will definitely buy it, and you? Do you want me to buy you a copy? I have a channel!"
The game has not yet been released, but she is eager to buy it.
"No, I'm not interested in games." But Han shook her head and refused, "And I don't have time or the means."
"Me neither." Yui, by her side, nodded and reluctantly returned the phone to Emi, "That ad is beautiful..."
Yui wanted to play, but there was no computer in the dorm, so there was no way to play.
"Ah, what a shame...! Then wait until I finish playing and listen to what I think!" Emi felt a little sorry, but soon cheered up, took the phone and turned to talk to other girls.
Looking at her from behind, Han felt some envy. The female students in the class who were from Osaka wouldn't have much pressure on the entrance exam. As long as they were admitted to a suitable university, they wouldn't fear staying. However, for people from outside who have no family in Osaka, if they don't get good grades on the entrance exam, it will be very difficult for them to stay in Osaka in the future.
"And speaking of which, is Shiori going to Suhua?"
Han asked suddenly.
"Well, she said that Takumi's dream is to go to Suhua University. I heard that Hinotori Publishing will also move there..." Yui nodded and said, "Shiori has a goal. I really envy her."
Han suddenly felt a little sad. Shiori had told them a while ago that she had found the path to the future. She will debut as a voice actress after graduating and will be with Takumi at university. Her biggest dream for the future is to become his assistant... She has started to receive various trainings. In addition to singing and studying, there are also professional trainings. She often doesn't attend school.
However, her grades are stable and the school is not at all worried about her. Of course, this stability is also achieved through hard work. Han saw Shiori staying up late studying. So as not to disturb her sleep, she always turned on the desk lamp to review in the corner and only slept four hours a day. So much work and effort did not receive a greeting from Takumi. Han used to think that if it were her, she wouldn't last long.
But deep down, she felt a little envious of Shiori, and a little envious of Shiori, who dreamed of "doing everything to achieve it." Han also longed for a dream for which she could give everything and move forward bravely. She also wanted to live a life like Shiori without regrets...
"It's all because of Takumi..."
Han knew the reason was the boy who seemed so strange. She still remembered the scene where Takumi laughed and played with them when she knew nothing. However, since she learned his identity, the distance between them has widened, and even Shiori has grown even more distant from Han.
Shiori went so far to chase that boy. She is so far away that Han now feels very strange. Shiori has been in contact with more and more people and knows more things. She no longer participates in the girls' conversations in class. The topics she occasionally discusses have become foreign to them. She has matured a bit, like a woman who has entered society.
For Han, Shiori is very far away, and the distance continues to grow.
"But in Shiori's eyes, Takumi is like that..." Han thought. Her feelings for Shiori could be the same as Shiori's for Takumi. Precisely because Takumi is moving further and further away, Shiori becomes restless and tries to catch up, because if she doesn't, she will never be able to reach him.
These two are geniuses loved by God.
Han has never believed that there are people in the world better than the two of them. They are intelligent and hardworking. Sometimes, Han would stare at her classmates who were studying hard in class and look at them with immaturity. She is in this group, but she can't help but wonder: are they and Shiori really from the same world?
"Yui..." Han sighed, "I suddenly thought: how wonderful it would be if people could go back to the past."
She didn't know why she said it. Yui was stunned for a moment, and then smiled.
"What a coincidence! Me too..." Her smile seemed a little sad, "I've been dreaming these days, dreaming that we play with Shiori, dreaming that we play with Takumi... I also think: how wonderful it would be if I could go back to the past. I always feel that the two of them are moving further and further away, as if I could never reach them."
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