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> You scored pretty alright! Your Charm has increased. Except at home. Your parents think 1st is too low.; [Open - closed to Perspective participants]
Topic Started: Feb 21 2014, 09:34 PM (496 Views)
The One True Nobody
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"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
"Oh," Chika said, blinking a bit, sounding as if she'd only just then realized she'd said something incredibly ignorant. "I-I see. Alright. Sorry if it looked like I didn't think y'could handle it..."

Kyo shrugged a bit, tilting her head to the side and giving Oriyama a small grin. "Yeah, I gotcha. Ain't about t' push inta someone else's spotlight, yeah?" At this Chika gave the back of her friend's head a strange look, somewhere between exasperation and disbelief. The green-haired girl, oblivious to this, continued to rock back and forth on the balls of her feet, following Machi's gaze to the 1-2 roster. Ah, so that Momoko girl'd done good. Machi obviously cared a fair bit about that, from the look on her face.

While she hadn't paid much attention to the girl at first, Kyo had to admit Momoko was kind of cute in that timid-anime-girl kind of way. Besides which, "RestInPeaches" was a hilarious screen name.

"Let us know how it goes either way, okay, Oriyama?" Kyo added, turning her focus back to the boy. The speed with which she'd shifted back to seeming at-ease with the world was kind of impressive, Chika thought. The redhead only wished she could pull that off.

She probably doesn't want Oriyama thinking he's got her worried and getting uncomfortable about it, the girl mused, nodding silently in affirmation of Kyo's words. At the same time, though, she came to a completely incorrect conclusion. ...She probably doesn't want ME thinking I've got her worried and getting uncomfortable about it.

Damn it all, even her trying to avoid burdening people had just looped around and become another source of worry. Chika suddenly wanted to be anywhere but here--she wanted to disappear, to vanish, to be alone, to just... just get out and walk home by herself. But she couldn't. If Spencer or Kyo or Natsumi or someone didn't walk her back, they'd all get worried about that, too, and then they'd lecture her about it, and that would just make it worse.

Chika, for a few moments, looked almost miserable. Kyo, whose attention was on Oriyama, didn't notice. The redhead caught herself, though, and schooled her face back into a neutral look. Looking like she had something on her mind would only make it worse, too. She needed to look like she was fine. Like she was fine. Like she was fine...
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"I respect that." Machi ended up responding to Oriyama with yet another smile; it was like it was etched permanently upon her lips at that point. Noticing his stutter got worse, however, she couldn't help but somewhat blame herself for the outward approach; there was too much attention going his way, she reckoned. "Good luck."

To respect his unspoken wishes, she left the matter at that. Her eyes proceeded to make quick work of the first year classes - apparently most of her friends in such grades scored reasonably well, if not right in the top 10.

She didn't seem to pick up on Chika's distress at all while glancing at all the grades for the second year, but her grin grew wider when she saw the respective score. "Congratulations on your grade, Chika-san."

Perhaps it would bring at least some spirits up...?
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With how Oriyama's eyes roamed feverishly in embarrassment, he was able to pick up on Chika's lapse in composure, but hs eyes lingered only for a second. With how uncomfortable he looked already, it was unlikely that the others would pick up on his gaze. "Eh... Uh... I'll... I'll tell you how it goes, yeah." He nodded sheepishly at Kyo's request and shifted his attention to the bulletin again once Machi congratulated Chika on her grade.

It did not take him long to find her name on the 2-1 roster and he turned back to look at the girl with surprise. "Oh wow! Uh... C-c-congratulations!" Oriyama had done decently before, but he never knew the more popular or the higher-ranking students personally. This was a first.
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"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
Chika looked up, surprised. Kyo congratulating her was to be expected, but--"Oh! Um. Th-thanks," she blurted out, reaching up to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear, eyes flitting to the exam board as she lost her previous thread of thought for a moment. "I normally only would've ranked about the same as Kyo, maybe. But I've got more time these days, so--"

And she broke off, looking a bit confused for a few seconds. She normally didn't talk so easily about her life before Nagashima, she'd forgotten herself for a moment there.

"--well y'know, it's sort of, um... yeah," she said, eyes flicking downward for a moment. Kyo, turning to look, watched her with a look of suppressed concern for a few moments, before smiling.

"Well, y'did good! Ain't no shame rankin' below Isoroku, either, her memory is sorta crazy-good," said Kyo, before glancing at Machi. "I didn't expect Hanako t'be such a dark horse. It's kinda impressive actually, and a bit of a relief. I was worried her head injury might have lingerin' effects, but if she's able t' pull up first in exams, that clinches it, don't it? Speaking of--Machi, I saw your score. How the hell are you so good when you also have all that other shit on your plate? Like, honestly, tell me your secret. I need better time-management skills."

And as quickly as she'd slid from the subject of Hanako to Machi, her eyes went flat, as if she were honestly not sure how to process Machi being able to do so good when under so much stress. Surely the one week prior to exams where clubs didn't happen couldn't be enough to make up the difference, right? So what, was Machi a goddess of exam-taking or something? Was se the Shinto deity of exam-winning, born when Izanagi removed his reading specs while cleansing himself of the filth of Yomi?
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Machi tactfully decided not to intrude upon the visible hesitation of Chika's wording, despite flaring curiosity, merely deciding to keep her affable grin in place to put the situation at ease. It was a good thing, after all.

Her gaze was drawn to Kyo unconsciously as the girl spoke of Hanako, out of interest in her own best friend's mentions. For as much as her precious notes helped, ultimately, Hanako grabbed the grand prize on her own by studying them day and night without fail. She was very determined, and the blonde couldn't help but feel immensely proud.

"...?"

However, Machi seemed to be a bit startled at the question thrown her way. So good? She never thought of herself as especially talented to do such a thing; rather, she was time efficient.

Might as well share the 'secret', she figured.

"Well, for one, I make a point to forget about any sort of time limit regarding studying. I also stay away from anything that might indicate me what time it is so I don't become impatient." She started, while clasping her hands behind her back. "After that, I always tackle school work the moment I get home, until it's fully done, no matter what it is. I don't stop studying until I completely understand the matter at hand and can understand things easily, as if a second nature."

Of course, taking on an outsider's point of view, she could understand how it could sound like too much to do. But she was so used to it that she blazed through studying within the blink of an eye at that point, due to...

"...Study in advance as well, so you have a bit of a grip to what's taught in class the next day. Take notes of everything, create mnemonics... All sorts of things can help you remember tiny details."

Machi then figured they probably wouldn't go along with the study plan - it was a bit of a workaholic thing. And thus, she decided to answer the rest of the question. "As for this particular trimester, I was constantly making sure that Hana-chan's notes were the best they could be, so I invariably memorized most of the topics studied."
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"Oh, uh."

Oriyama caught Chika's moment of hesitation—hard not to notice people stumbling when every human interaction he'd ever had was miserably awkward—but the conversation moved too fast for him to make comment. Kyo seemed to be exuding happiness at the moment—did she do well too?—and soon enough, Machi launched into advice for scoring high.

He tried not to look too slack-jawed as Machi revealed how much time she sunk into getting to her grades (a given that Oriyama wasn't comfortable with ceding) and nodded along. "That's uh... That's g-g-g-good information." His voice came out slightly weakly. What Machi said wasn't world-changing, since the counselors and teachers pushed the same study habits, but that didn't make the task any less hefty.
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"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
Kyo visibly slumped at the shoulders as Machi went on and on and on, though she didn't look discouraged so much as de-energized.

"Gosh, I feel burnt-out just listenin' t'ya. But what I meant was more, like... how d'ya have time for that along with everything else? Y'steal Hermione Granger's Time-Turner or somethin'?" she asked in a slightly faint voice. Then, however, she blinked a bit. "Oh! So y'helped Hanako while she was out, that explains it. I was wonderin' how she managed t' catch up on the lessons she missed. So it's kinda like her win's a win for you, too, eh?"

Chika remained silent. She didn't seem especially bowled over by what Machi had had to say, nor did she seem to agree with it. A shrug of her shoulders preceeded the quiet statement: "Well, different things work for different people, so..."

Kyo nodded a bit in an absent-minded way. And she looked to Oriyama, feeling a vague curiosity. She considered for a bit, and then asked, "Say, Ponpoko-man. I know y'ain't seen your grade yet, but how'd it feel when ya actually took 'em? Y'think y'had a good grip on exams, or are ya a little anxious about 'em?"
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Machi could feel her audience shrink as she went on and on, but couldn't help herself - keeping education matters organized was a blessing, at least in her life. She proceeded to smile rather apologetically, raising a hand for the same reason.

"I know it sounds like a lot, but it's only tough at first. Once you're used to the pace, you can easily do things in one hour a day or so."

'Yeah, every day... I like my weekends, thank you very much.'

"I'm glad she got the first place, yes." She eventually let out with a proud smile. "She most certainly deserves it after what she's been put through, coupled with the amount of dedication she put towards catching up afterwards."
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"Yee, uh... I, uh... I unders-s-s-stand! Uh... Thanks for the talk." It might have seemed like Oriyama was responding directly to Machi, but it was really a word of thanks clogged in his throat from the last time he opened his mouth to speak. He scratched his head in embarrassment, not quite sure what to do with himself right now. As soon as his brain unfroze, he turned to Kyo.

"Oh... uh... I do... uh... did... W-w-worse than I usually do." He took a deep breath and began to speak slowly. "Um. Normally I study... pretty hard. B-b-but there are reasons... Ruins. ...why I'm... f-f-falling behind. L-l-less time to study. I... just wanted to make a d-d-difference. T-t-this means... M-maybe lower middle of the class...

"B-b-but I'll really try harder!"
Edited by Yes, Mar 20 2014, 09:39 PM.
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"...does this clockwork hand follow you... or guide you?"
Chika nodded a bit, as if she understood the concept Machi spoke of completely. Kyo, on the other hand, looked skeptical. "Guess it makes sense it'd feel like less the more ya do it," she said, rubbing at the back of her head. "I always gotta, like, have somethin' I can switch to in the background, like, a toku or the forum or something. Can't really keep goin' nonstop."

The two girls focused on Oriyama as he spoke, and a curiously identical expression passed over their faces (neither of them could see it on the others). It was a polite one, a patient one--both of them were simply waiting for Oriyama to work through his stutter and say what he wanted to say. When he had, it was Chika who spoke first.

"Wantin' t' make a difference is really cool of ya, Oriyama-san," she said, nodding slightly. "I know whatcha mean. I can't do much myself, but I've been puttin' work inta... makin' a difference, too."

Kyo scratched at her cheek, looking away for a few moments. She knew that by making a difference, Chika was referring to her volunteer work with Nana in her own case, because she didn't have it in her to make much headway in the ruins at this point. How could cynicism and naivety mix so cleanly, though? Why couldn't Chika see how shaky the whole thing was? Well, whatever. Her choices were her choices...

"It's only really recently, I thought o' tryin' t' make any sorta difference," she admitted easily, rocking back and forth on her heals. "I just sorta... screwed around, up 'til now. I wonder how good I can do at exams if I study the whole semester through and stuff..."
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