Episode 10: Misaki

[Hayate]

Power of Love

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~ Episode 10: Misaki (Promontory) ~[/u]

Act 1: Field Trip Day

The Nanbara household was particularly silent this Tuesday afternoon. As cousin Satsuki quietly sat still at the other end of the kitchen table, young Kyosuke Nanbara affixes his eyes to a sheet of paper lain unfolded in front of him. For near 2 minutes straight, neither individual has spoken. The only sound that could be heard was the boy’s left foot tapping the kitchen floor restlessly. “…Well, Satsuki?”, Kyosuke finally says out of impatience.

“…‘Well’ what?”, the blue-haired Satsuki answers. “What do you want me to say, Kyo? It’s only for one day. You gonna get all emotional over a one-day visit?”

“I know, I know, it’s just… It’s been a whole year now since I’ve left…” Focusing on the sheet of paper before him again, Kyosuke mentally reads aloud the words at the top. ‘Sapporo South High School Field Trip.’, it read in large, overly lavish lettering. “…”

…Several hours earlier that day, Kyosuke was in class, half-asleep as usual. At the front of the room, Misuzu Akiyama is seen addressing the class from behind a small podium. A short distance to Misuzu’s right, Kozue-sensei is casually seated at her desk. “LISTEN UP!!!”, the blonde class rep booms. “It’s that time again, everyone! This Saturday is Sapporo South High’s annual field trip! Where do you think we should go this year?”

In reply to Misuzu’s question, the class starts casting a diverse series of votes, ranging from well-known shopping districts such as Akihabara and Nipponbashi to amusement parks like Tokyo Disneyland and Hanayashiki. As anticipated, a compromise would be difficult to reach. While the rest of the class shouted their lungs out, one Emiri Sakurai is surprisingly quiet. “…” Perhaps she cared not where the class would go. Or perhaps she had no intention of going on the field trip in the first place. Whatever the case, her bout of silence was considered odd to those who knew her well. Her inattentive gaze rests on Kyosuke. The boy’s brain-dead state was somewhat infectious.

“…miri?”, a voice can be heard echoing in the background.

“…”

“…Emiri? …Emiri!”

Snapping back to reality, the daydreaming redhead quickly faces the front of the room. “Y-Yeah, Misuzu?”

“We haven’t heard from you yet. Where do you think the class should go this year?”, asks the blonde, ignoring her friend’s fantasizing.

The girl felt put on the spot. “Um… I, uh…” It was a question Emiri had no intent on answering, so it was natural for her to be tongue-tied. But then her eyes rest on Kyosuke again. “…”

“…You still miss Miyako-jima, don’t you? …You kept mumbling ‘Miyako’. You must still miss it a lot, huh…?”

“…” A rather spur-of-the-moment answer coming to her, Emiri rises from her chair and responds in a powerful tone, “…I think…we should go to Miyako-jima!”

“!!!”

The rest of the class is suddenly overcome by mixed emotions of shock and confusion. Hearing the mere utterance of the word, Kyosuke swiftly turns around in his seat, now 100% attentive.

For Misuzu at the front, it took a couple moments for the redhead’s answer to sink. “M-Miya-- Emiri, that’s a pretty…outrageous suggestion. Do you know how far off Okinawa is?”

“…Oh. Right. I guess I…wasn’t thinking clearly.”, Emiri says dejectedly, falling back in her seat.

“…Miyako-jima, huh…?”, Kozue-sensei can be heard murmuring in a sort-of thinking daze.

Misuzu simply sighs, dismissing her friend’s sudden outburst as a momentary lapse in judgment. “Anyway…if we’re all out of ideas now, we’ll take a vote. All in favor of--”

“Not so fast, Misuzu…”, Kozue suddenly interrupts. “Maybe…the idea of Miyako-jima isn’t so outrageous…”

Unrest begins to stir amongst the classroom at their teacher’s unexpected implication. “B-But… Kozue-sensei, it’s so…out there…”

Rising up out of her chair, Kozue half-turns towards the class while still keeping Misuzu in her line of view. “Tell me, class, how much do you know about such a far-off place like Okinawa? Not including Kyo-kun, of course.” Inarticulate under-breath murmurs blanket the class. “There, see? You barely know anything. Think of how enriching the experience will be -- to visit a place you’ve never been to before. The excitement, the wonder, the thrill…”

Misuzu’s eyebrow tilts upward. “…Kozue-sensei, why do I get the feeling you’re saying all this because YOU really want to go there?”

The brunette teacher could feel her face getting warm. “Oh, don’t be silly, Misuzu! I’m only thinking of my students’ best interests! Hahaha!”

“…Sou desu ka…?”

“I’ll take it up with the school board. They might be skeptical at first, but I’ll warm them up to the idea.”, says the woman confidently. “Hehehe.”

As the idea of visiting the island prefecture begins to sink in, the class starts to build with excitement. Kyosuke, however, didn’t really know how to react. Should he be happy to have a chance to visit his old home? He had more than a whole year to get over his sudden relocation, and now he was going back -- if only for an afternoon.

Several hours later, Kyosuke and Emiri are seen routinely exiting Sapporo Station and trekking towards their respective homes. For the duration of the commute, the boy’s been particularly silent, which had made Emiri restless. “…S-So…”, the girl awkwardly starts. “…It’s…pretty cool that we’re…going to Miyako-jima, isn’t it…?”

“…”

“…Um… H-Hey! There’s this place nearby that serves some awesome dango. Chiaki showed it to me. You wanna stop by there before heading home?”

“…”

“…No? Okay… Then…how about we hang out and do our homework together? I’m sure we’ll get it done faster if we…help each other out…”

Just then, Kyosuke stops in his tracks and hides his eyes with his hair, his arms rigidly at his sides.

“K-Kyosuke?”

“…Why’d you have to go and say that in class?”

“Huh? Say what?”

“Miyako-jima! Why’d you go and suggest that!?”

Shocked by the boy’s eruption, Emiri takes a few steps to her rear. “What are you getting so worked up about? I thought you’d be ecstatic.”

“Ecstatic!? I’ve been away from home for over a year! I’ve finally gotten over the pain of leaving, and now that I’m going back, all the pain’s rushing back again! What’ve I got to be ecstatic about!?”

“I… I just wanted you…to be happy…”

“Yeah!? Well, the next time you want to make me happy, why don’t you just mind your own business?!?”

“!!! …I…” Before she could say anything more, the redhead spins around and frantically dashes for home…

…leaving Kyosuke by himself to ponder on what had just happened. “…Shimatta…!”

…Cut to the present time, and we rejoin Kyosuke and Satsuki at the kitchen table in the Nanbara household, where Kyosuke is still looking intently on the sheet of paper in his hand. “…” Even now, the room was blanketed by a somber silence. “…It’s…only for one day…”, Kyosuke whispers aloud to himself. “…Emiri… Tch. I’m such a sappy idiot.”

“I know…”, inserts Satsuki. “…Then again, you’ve always been like that. Heh.”

“…I should probably--” Being cut off mid-sentence, Kyosuke hears the cell phone in his pocket going off. “Hmm?” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the cell to receive an unexpected caller. “It’s Emiri…!”

“Ahhh… I’ll leave the room then. Wouldn’t want to eavesdrop on you two lovebirds.”, teases Satsuki with a wink. Rising up out of her seat, the blue-haired girl exits into the living room.

A bit hesitant to answer at first, Kyosuke listens to his ringtone for a few seconds. “…”

Just then… “ANSWER IT ALREADY!! THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME!!”, Satsuki calls out from the next room.

“URUSAI YO!!! …Jeez…” Finally, the black-haired lad presses a button on the phone and positions it next to his ear. “…Hello…?”


“…Alright! Is everyone here!?”

Saturday would arrive in the blink of an eye, and Kozue Natsushima addresses her Class 7-A group in Sapporo South High’s courtyard. “Okay, class! This is it! The annual school field trip!”, exclaims the elated teacher, inviting her students’ excited shouts. “Yeah! That’s what I like to hear! It’s Miyako-jima or bust!”

Near the rear of the crowd of students, Kyosuke and Emiri are seen standing side by side. As Emiri turns to her friend with a smile, Kyosuke does the same. The tension that had risen between the two days prior had all but vanished.

“Listen closely and I’ll explain how we’ll be reaching the island. First, we’ll board the Chitose Line at Naebo Station and ride it all the way to Minami-Chitose Station in Chitose City. From there, we’ll transfer onto the Shin-Chitose-Kuko Line until we get to the New Chitose Airport. Then, we’ll be boarding a private school-funded jet that’ll take us all the way to Miyako Airport. All goes well, and we’ll be on the island by 2:00.”

Mumbles of wonder and bewilderment stir amongst the crowd of students. Apparently they were completely oblivious to the fact that Sapporo South High had a privately funded jet plane.

“Alright then! If we’re all ready…iku yo!”, the overly excited teacher calls out, leading her students out of the courtyard. “Hup-two-three-four! Hup-two-three-four!”

Walking a short distance away from Kyosuke and Emiri, Chiaki could barely contain herself. “Whoo-hoo! This is gonna be so much fun! I bet Miyako-jima’s got all kinds o’ awesome food!”

“Mattaku…”, a frustrated Misuzu is heard groaning. “Honestly, Chiaki, is food all you ever think about?”

“…You ready for this, Kyosuke?”, Emiri asks the boy innocently.

“I…I’m not really sure. But…I think, with you here, I’ll be alright.”

“!!!” Emiri feels a warm sensation rush through her. Did Kyosuke truly mean what he had just said? Or was he just being nice? “…Hehehe. Y-You surprise me when you say things like that.”, the girl pokes with a light blush.

“…Hmm? What do you mean? Did I say something weird?”, replies Kyosuke in a sort of boyish ignorance.

A short time later, the class would reach Naebo Station, purchase their tickets one-by-one, and board the Chitose Line bound for Chitose City. The lengthy train ride carries the group all through Shiroishi-ku, Atsubetsu-ku, Kitahiroshima City, and Eniwa City until they finally reach their appointed destination: the New Chitose Airport terminal building. Once there, Kozue-sensei and the class would have a brief window of time to take in the sights before having to depart. Through a reserved terminal, the class boards the jet plane that would take them to Miyako-jima.

Standing near the front of the plane, Kozue turns to address the class again. “Okay, class, buckle up, ‘cuz just one hour from now, we’ll be on the island.” As the class does as their teacher had instructed, Kozue enters the jet’s cockpit to meet with the pilot. “We all set to go?”

“Hai, Kozue-san!”, answers the pilot -- a man who appeared just a few years older than her. “Just say the word, and we’re off!”

After a few last-minute preparations, the jet positions itself at the start of the runway and, segueing from a slow push forward to a swift motion, takes off into the sky.

The slight turbulence caused by the takeoff startles Emiri a little. She grasps the armrest tightly as the rest of her begins to quiver. “Ohhh…”

“Afraid of flying?”, Kyosuke, sitting to the redhead’s left, inquires.

“Heh. Kinda. Once, when I was little, I was on a plane with my mom. I was so scared that the plane would crash, I couldn’t stop crying. So my mom held my hand throughout the whole flight.”

“Really…? …Then, you can hold my hand if it’ll make you feel better.”

“…H-Hontouni?”

“Yeah. …But don’t expect me to sing you any lullabies or anything.”

“Hah! Like you could!”

Sitting across from the two, Chiaki and Rudy listen to them share a laugh. “…Huh. Those two sure are chummy lately, ain’t they?”

“Yeah… You know, Chiaki, if you get scared during the flight, you can hold my hand as well. Or I can always…wrap my arm around you.”

“…I think I’ll pass.”

As the plane soars from Hokkaido to Okinawa, passing over Japan’s various regions such as Chubu and Shikoku, the class takes great pleasure in gazing down at their home from high above, even catching a perfect view of Kanto. Not too long thereafter, the plane approaches Kyushu. “Hello, class!”, Kozue-sensei giddily spouts into the intercom. “In just 5 minutes or so, we’ll be on Miyako-jima! In fact, if you look out the window, you can clearly see the many islands of Okinawa, like Iriomote and Ishigaki!”

As Kyosuke gazes out the plane window towards Miyako-jima, he’s suddenly overcome by mixed emotions of homesickness, nostalgia…and soft anguish. “…I’m…home…”

~Misaki: End of Act 1~

Act 2: Cape of Memories

Miyako Airport.

As the class of Kozue Natsushima exits this rather small airport shortly after arriving, they’re immediately greeted by the brightly shining sun and fresh salty air, carried by the wind from the seawater that surrounded them. As Kozue-sensei stretches her arms up to the sky, she lets out a long refreshed sigh. “Ahhh… Just smell that air. Isn’t it wonderful, class?”

It was an interesting aroma, the class had to admit. It wasn’t like the harsh salty air you’d smell at the beach. This air was indeed salty, but at the same time sweet and alluring. Kyosuke had missed this scent.

“Alright!”, exclaims the teacher as she turns to face the students of 7-A. “What say we kick off this field trip with a tour? …Kyo-kun!”

“Yes, sensei?”, the boy calls out from the back of the group.

“You know more about this island than anyone here. Why don’t you show us around?”

“M-Me?”

“Mochiron! Why spend money on a tour guide when we have one right here? Ha-ha!”

“I, uh…” At that moment, the class starts to egg Kyosuke on, encouraging him. It was one of the few instances that the class showed the boy any kind of positive reinforcement. It made him blush a little. “…Y-Yeah, okay. I’ll do my best.”

Of course, Misuzu would be there to poke a little fun at the kid’s bashfulness. “Just try not to get us lost, okay, Nanbara? Remember: it’s been more than a year since you’ve been home. Hehehe.”

“…Don’t start with me, Misuzu.”

Soon thereafter, the group is lead by Kyosuke from the airport through to the island’s main streets. The hustle and bustle was on a level nowhere near that of Sapporo, but there was still quite a bit of activity. And almost everyone the group passes by has a bright smile on their face. “Miyako-jima has a pretty small community.”, Kyosuke begins. “You’d probably see a lot more faces outside on Okinawa Island, but everyone’s pretty nice.”

“Hey, how come everyone talks weird?”, Chiaki curiously queries.

“That’s ‘cuz almost every island in Okinawa has its own dialect. There’s the Miyako dialect here, the Okinawa dialect on Okinawa Island, the Iriomote dialect, the Ishigaki dialect, and so on. They’re all branches from the original Ryukyuan family, so there isn’t that much of a difference between them. But out of the 1.3 million people who live in Okinawa, only about 4 to 5% of them speak in the Miyako language.”

“Wow…”

Kyosuke, Class 7-A’s Miyako-jima Tour Guide, spends the following hour or so showing his teacher and classmates the various sights around the island, from the numerous beaches bordering the isle, like Maehama and Painagawa, to its places of culture, like the German Cultural Center. Eventually, the tour leads the group back to the city plaza, where Kozue-sensei reassumes control. “Well, that was a wonderful tour! Arigatou, Kyo-kun!”

“S-Sure. No problem.”

“Alright, class! Now that you’ve seen what Miyako-jima has to offer, I’m gonna let you explore a little bit on your own. If you remember, you’d all been given fully-detailed maps of the island during the flight. Use it to find your way around, feel free to check out some of Miyako-jima’s other sights, and we’ll meet back here at 5:00. Remember: 5:00 on the dot! If you’re even one minute late, you’ll be cleaning chalkboards for the rest of the school year!”

The students could feel their stomachs churning. “…”

“…Okay then! Have fun!” As the class disperses into groups, Kozue-sensei was finally alone. “…Hehehe… Yosha! Time to hit the hot springs!”

“…Hey.”

“Hmm?” Emiri turns to face Kyosuke with a inquisitive look. “What’s up, Kyo?”

Then, the boy takes the girl by the hand and nudges her east. “C’mon. I wanna show you something.”

“…O-Okay, sure.”

And with that, the two were gone. To where, only Kyosuke himself knew.

Meanwhile, somewhere in northern Miyako-jima, Chiaki and Misuzu are seen walking towards an Okinawa-style noodle bar. “This looks like a good place to grab some chow.”, says the highly-expectant Osakan gal.

Misuzu was amused by her friend’s one-track mind. “Heh. It figures that, as soon as the class breaks up, this is the first place you’d head to.”

As soon as the pair heads inside, Chiaki’s nose hairs twitch with delight. “Ohhhh… That smell… I’ve just gotta try this island’s noodles now!” Drawn in by the intoxicating smell, Chiaki dashes for a counter seat. “One bowl of your best soba noodles please!”

“You got it!”, replies the chef with gusto. And in almost 20 seconds flat, a bowl is laid in front of the green-haired girl. “Douzo!”

“Arigatou!” Looking down at the bowl before her, Chiaki was always driven to drooling. Visually, the dish looked exceptionally appetizing. The pleasing aroma only added to this. Finally, Chiaki picks up her chopsticks and downs a single ‘spoonful’ of the food. And in an instant, the girl was euphoric. “Ahhh… Perfection! Up until now, I thought the best soba was made from buckwheat, but no! It’s flour! The texture of the noodles is so much softer, yet at the same time more flavorful! This is truly the work of a noodle-making master!”

“Hehehe! Sure have a way with words, don’t ya, green-hair? Here! A second helping -- on the house!”

“Yatta!!! Oki ni arigatou!!!”

Misuzu could only watch in this in amusement. “Huh… Who knew Chiaki was such a noodles connoisseur?”

Elsewhere, near the city plaza, Rudy -- as well as other 7-A classmates -- is seen taking a stroll through Miyako-jima’s Tropical Plant Garden, admiring the many species of flowers like Tiger’s Claw and Bougainvillea. “Mmmm… Nothing more pleasing to the eye than the sight of flowers in full bloom…” Just then, not too far from his position, the boy from New York could see a group of 7-A girls giggling amongst themselves. “…Hmm… I stand corrected.”, says Rudy with a confident smirk. He begins to make his way over. “Oh, la~dies…?”

“…C’mon, Kyo, tell me! Where are we going?”

“It’s just a little farther, Emiri. …Okay, ready? Open your eyes.”

As Emiri slowly opens her eyelids, her heart practically skips a beat in response to the view she’s treated to. As she stands behind a white fence, Emiri looks out towards a promontory that overlooked the sea. From where she was standing, Emiri had a perfect view of the glittering blue-green waters and the sun that shone down upon them. “W-Wha… What is this place?”

“Higashi-hennazaki. Miyako-jima’s Eastern Cape. It’s my favorite place on the entire island.”

“It’s…so beautiful…”, says Emiri, stricken with near-speechlessness. “…You must’ve come here a whole lot…back then…”

“Yeah… I probably never would’ve known about this place if it weren’t for…her…”

“‘Her’? ‘Her’ who?”

“…My best friend in the world… Miyako.”

“Hahaha! Come on, Kyo, it’s this way!”

“Hah… Hah… For God’s sake, Miya-chan, we’ve been walking forever!”

“Oh, don’t be such a baby! Now let’s go! It’s just past this point!”

“…Oh, wow… Look at all the water!”

“Hehehe… Cool, isn’t it?”

“…Miyako?”, asks Emiri.

“Yeah. We grew up here on Miyako-jima together. Every day after school, we come here to look at the water and talk about stuff. …In fact…she even saved my life here…”

“W-What are you doing, Kyo!? Get down from here!”

“Come on, Miya-chan! It’s fun! …Aah! W-Whoa!!!”

“KYOSUKE!!!”

“…I was playing around the edge of the rocks. Miyako knew I didn’t know how to swim and called me back. But I didn’t listen…and eventually fell in. If Miyako wasn’t there to help me, I would’ve drowned.”

Emiri didn’t know what to say. Apparently there was anotherreason Kyosuke was upset about leaving Miyako-jima. “…This Miyako must be…really special to you then, huh?”

“…Uh-huh…”, mumbles Kyosuke, half-entranced by the view. Just then, he would feel something soft touch his shoulder. Glancing over, he notices that Emiri was leaning against him. “Emiri?”

“…Gomen… Can I stay like this…just for a bit?”

“…Sure.”

As she gazes out towards the water alongside him, Emiri couldn’t help but think back on the past few months she and Kyosuke had spent together. She was always her happiest when she was with him. After an afternoon like this one, the redhead could no longer deny it: she was in love with him. …But…who does Kyosuke hold dearer: Emiri? Or his childhood friend Miyako? It was a question that would no doubt plague Emiri’s mind for some time. “…”

Just then… “OI!!! Kyosuke! Emi-chan!”

“Hmm?” Turning to their rear, the pair sees Chiaki, Misuzu, and Rudy motioning a wave towards them. “Oh. Hey, you guys.”

“Come on, you two! It’s time to go!”, shouts Chiaki.

“But we can come back in a few minutes if you’d like a little more time alone!”, remarks Rudy with another of his signature teases.

“…” Realizing their proximity, Kyosuke and Emiri quickly back away from each other, their faces as red as beets. “Um… W-We should probably head back now.”

“…Y-Yeah.”

Before long, Kyosuke, Emiri, Chiaki, Misuzu, Rudy, and the rest of Class 7-A would be back on the jet headed for Sapporo. As it takes off, Kyosuke takes one last passing glance towards the island, his heart at ease for finally gaining some closure. Thus, Sapporo South High School’s annual field trip draws to a close…


…The following morning, the sun of the new day beats down upon New Chitose Airport. With a small bag propped over her shoulder, a girl is seen exiting the airport and gazes up at the cerulean sky. “Wow… It’s even prettier than I imagined.”, says the girl to herself. Then, as she flicks several strands of her long, flowing brown hair out of her face, she flashes a wide, self-assured grin. “Alright! Look out, Sapporo! Miyako Inoue’s comin’ to town!”

~Misaki: End of Act 2~

~Power of Love: End of Episode 10~

~ Power of Love: Next Episode ~

Misuzu: Old faces meet…

Miyako: ‘Sup, Kyo!?

Kyosuke: M-Miyako?!?

Chiaki: …Memories are recalled…

Kyosuke: You’re in town for the whole day?

Miyako: Yup!

Rudy: …And relationships are put to the test.

Yuzu: Next time on Power of Love. Episode 11, “Tsunagari (Bond)”.

Emiri: …Kyosuke… I…[/color][/font][/size]