Act 1- The giraffe in the room.
 
Note- This route branches from Shizune's route during the festival in Act 1. When Hisao wins the plush cat, he is forced to give it of one of the girls.
 
Misha looks at me with a playful smile. "Can I have it then?~". Shizune quickly signs something that needs no translation
.
Their eyes are drilling into my soul. This is a decision I am not prepared to make. My obvious internal conflict only spurs the girls on. Shizune places both her hands on her hips and stares me in the eye, while Misha simply makes a pouty face and looks longingly at the doll dangling from my hand. My mind races for an answer.
 
Maybe I am over thinking this? It's clearly just a stuffed cat I am giving to a friend, this certainly couldn't mean anything to them, could it? Be that as it may, my obvious peril may have injected importance into the situation they have now picked up on.
 
Certainly they have both competed for my attention at one point or another, maybe they see this as a declaration of which of them is the better friend. Or.... More. But am I just reading in this too much? For all I know they could both have boyfriends. I'm pretty sure I've been stalling for over ten seconds now. I need to make a decision.
 
Suddenly, Misha begins looking past me. Her eyes dart around, and her face takes the continence of a child in a candy store.
 
"Hicchan, I want that one now!" she says as she points with childlike glee behind me.
 
I turn around to see some new prizes have been added to the game, including what appears to be a large pink and white giraffe. "You still have some balls left, right Hicchan? Win me the cute little giraffy~" I'm not quite sure Misha meant to make a double entendre, but damn if it doesn't spur me on.
 
My first attempt is a direct hit, but lacked the power to dislodge the water filled glass. On my second throw I put all my strength behind the attempt and miss the glasses completely. As I pick up my third ball, a rising pain begins in my chest. Sweat collects on my brow, and I only then notice myself breathing with difficulty. A dull throb races across my body.
 
I hate this. The weakness. I'm a man at the prime of his life, unable to throw more than what amounts to 10 baseball pitches without the grim reaper knocking at his door. The reminder of my condition saps all the enjoyment I had out of the night sky.
 
These stupid games are not worth my time, let alone my life. And why the hell are they both acting like children who lust over every shiny object. I bet even if I won this stupid doll the damn thing would collect dust in a closet. A long forgotten trinket from the sap they convinced to do all their stupid council work.
 
I turn to the girls, hoping I can come up with a way to explain why I gave up and went back to my room without pissing them off. I raise my eyes from ground and mentally prepare for the backlash. Before I can speak, Misha shouts in a surprisingly authentic carry voice.
 
"Come on young fellow, win that lovely lady a prize! Show those bottles who's boss!" Shizune gives me a thumbs up.
 
Damn that's effective. Alright, one more attempt, then back to depression. My third shot sails through the air and I manage the impossible, which is greeted by a loud cheer from Misha. Both stuffed animals in hand, I head triumphantly to the girls.
 
Shizune makes a simple sign which I have come to associate with "thank you" and takes her cat. She holds it up to the sky as if to appraise it, then holds it to her chest.
 
As I turn to Misha, the pain returns to my chest. Then rises at an alarming rate. My breath becomes strained and I sink to one knee. The pain spikes again and all other sensations stop. I vaguely remember collapsing on the ground. The night sky looks beautiful tonight. Not a single cloud. I could easily die happy looking at that.
 
A shape obscures my vision. It's someone standing over me. Oh, pink. That has to be Misha. She straddles my body and lowers her head to my chest. She then returns to a standing position over me and begins barking orders. What's this, more pink? My eyes focus and I realize I am getting the upshot view of Mishas panties, which are as pink as her hair. I guess dying with this view isn't too bad either.
 
Blackness creeps over me, and I drift away.
 
I awake to the smell of sanitation. Dental hygiene, glass cleaner, lemon smelling floor wash. I'm in a hospital bed, and I hate this damn smell. My eyes slowly adjust to the surroundings. I wonder what day it is. Then what time it is. Then I wonder if I am really alive anymore, or if this is some sort of purgatory. Hospitals always really felt like purgatory to me, so that must be it. My train of thought is interrupted by movement to my right. Misha and Shizune sit in visitors chairs, both sleeping soundly.
 
"Hey" is the only word I manage to get out. It is sufficient to wake the girls. Misha is the first to realize I am awake, and leaps from her chair. The cacophony of noise she makes almost wishes I let her stay asleep.
 
"ohmygodHicchanwethoughtyoudiedyouwerefineandthensuddenlyyoucollapsed. Ididntknowwhattodoandshizuneranforthenursebutwethoughtitwastoolate!"
 
She finishes this by throwing her arms around me and giving me the biggest hug I have ever received in my life. Shizune rises and joins the embrace as well. Misha begins to sob, and is joined silently by Shizune.
 
We are cut short by a middle aged man in a white coat entering the room, no doubt alerted by Mishas volume. He gingerly shoo's the girls off me and begins to look me over quickly. Satisfied, he makes several marks on his clipboard and begins the normal doctor tirade. I shouldn't exert myself with my condition. I need to take this more seriously. What I have come to expect from all doctors at this point.
 
He finishes by telling me I had two back to back heart attacks, and was lucky. If I wasn't at Yamaku, I would certainly be dead right now. He follows up by saying it's been 10 hours since I have been admitted, and they need to keep me for another two days. I nod at all the right places in his speech and he exits the room.
 
The door barely has time to close before the infectious sound of Misha's laughter fills the room.
 
"Wahahaha~, you really hate Doctors, don't you Hiichan?" I guess she's right, no arguing that. Might as well answer honestly.
 
"I guess I kinda do. They just remind me I am not normal.".
 
Shizune begins signing. "Shicchan says she's never met a normal person in her life." Ok, point taken. I shoot them both a meek smile and nod my head.
 
"That's the first smile i've seen from you all week Hicchan!~ Glad to see you consider us such good company!" Misha's energy is infectious. Shizune signs, then places her hands on the rim of her glasses in her trademark gesture. "We knew you would be down in the dumps, so we snuck in some entertainment! We did? That's great Shicchan!"
 
Shizune takes the opportunity to produce a small gameboard and lay it out on the side of my hospital bed. Its Monopoly. This actually surprizes me a bit, considering this game is mostly dumb luck.
 
"Hey Shizune, I thought you didn't like games of chance?" I ask. The signs back quickly. "I don't Hicchan, but this is the only travel sized game the student council owns." Oh. Fair enough.
 
"Now the fun part- We are playing with stakes! Wahaha, sounds like fun shiccan." The stakes are laid out plainly. The winner will be treated to a free dinner by two losers."
 
 I could care less about the game or the reward, and I am pretty sure both the girls know this as well. This is an excuse to cheer me up and distract me from my mood, and I make a mental note to thank them for this eventually. I've only played monopoly once or twice as a child, so I just roll with the game and decide observe the girl's tactics. Misha buys up all properties she encounters, while Shizune takes great time to consider her options.
 
As the board finalizes, Shizune has bought or traded for all the powerful spaces on the board. The railroads, the boardwalk, and several small value monopolies are hers. Misha and me share several properties, but have a couple hotels ourselves. Misha has been telling us her master plan with glee.
 
"You see Hicchan, I'm not going to beat Shizune in the game of planning, so I am planning on winning with pure luck!"
 
She then buys 3 hotels on a mid price property. Shizune gives her a patronizing look upon this explanation. I have the bad luck of landing on Shizunes spaces several times and am eliminated. Shizune signs to misha. Misha signs to Shizune. They both take sideways glances at me and smile devious grins.
 
"No, I am not interested in buying back into the game for some increasingly unfair penalty." Both girls make pouty faces. I consider making the point that the last time they used that tactic on me I almost died.
 
As the game continues, Shizune slowly pulls ahead. Then, fate intervenes. Shizune hits a chance space, and is forced to travel to Connecticut Ave. Her eyes widen. That space is in the monopoly Misha has places all her trust in. This costs Shizune a large part of her fortune, but she should still be able to easily win.
 
Misha rolls, and lands on one of her own spaces. Its shizunes turn again. She rolls. A two. This lands her on the other end of Misha's super monopoly, and costs her the game. The look on her face is priceless. It is a mixture of a blush, anger, and embarrassment.
 
Misha lets lose a victory WAHAHAHAHAHAHA and pumps her fist into the air. "I can't remember the last time I beat Shicchan in one of these contests!" She possibly glows in the moment. She adds to her victory celebration by jumping up and down, naming all the delicious foods she's going to force Shizune and myself to buy her.
 
"I want a doughnut. I want TWO doghnuts. I want... a sundae! With whipped cream! And a doughnut on top! No I want big parafat! It needs to be as big as my head! No i want..."
 
The list continues like this. I dont think Misha is really speaking to either of us at this point. She seems to be just living in the moment of her victory, bouncing around the room, naming her favorite sweets.
 
I cannot help but notice the way Misha's body moves during this display. The skirt on her school uniform, clearly not designed for this type of movement, gives me a more than chaste view of misha's thighs and a small portion of her undergarments. I am able to confirm that her panties are in fact pink, and my previous view was not a heart attack induced hallucination.
 
The top half of her does not fair any better in keeping a lady-like appearance. Her bust seems to be making its very best effort to escape from the cage that is her uniform top. I can almost see the fabric strain under the assault. It occurs to me this is the second time today I have looked at Misha in a more than an friendly manner. Shizune seems to make a connection between my blushing slack jawed stare and Misha's celebration.
 
She blushes slightly, then does her best hands-on-hips disapproving glare. Misha remains completely oblivious.
 
"Ohh I want cheese cake. But it has to be cheese cake that tastes like.. Ice cream! No wait, I know what I want, I want choclate moose, but I want it in the shape of a moose! With big antlers!"
 
Now she's just way too in the moment. Speaking of in the moment, I realize I still haven't stopped staring, despite Shizune's glare. I think Shizune has realized this as well, because her glare has deepened and she has now stood out of her chair to glower over me. Misha finally snaps out of her victory induced euphoria.
 
"What's going on guys?" Shizune signs with purpose. Misha begins her normal act of singing what she speaks.
 
"Hicchan! How naughty! If you weren't in the hospital already I punch out your lights for that!" Misha pauses. She seems to mull over a question in her mind. A sultry smile then spread across her face. Her eyes lock with mine. She places her hands behind her back, leans forward slightly, and speaks without signing.
 
"You like what you saw Hiichan~?"
 
My brain stops. I would say my heart skipped a beat as well, but with my condition, that's a real fear. I feel heat arise in my cheeks. I wish I was smooth. A thousand different answers swim in my head. What comes out of my mouth is a nervous stammer, sounding something like
 
"I, erm, um, erm". Well played, master of romance. Misha frees her hands and begins her normal speaking and signing routine.
 
"Wahahahaha~! Shicchan is right. Your very easy to fluster Hicchan."
 
I can't argue that. Shizune makes a triumphant pose as well. The girls share several signs back and forth. Misha lets loose another Wahaha while shizune rocks with silent giggles. What just happened?
 
Conversation returns to normal after this. We make plans to meet at the Shanghai the day after I am released to treat Misha to her victory dinner. They both promise to visit me at least once more during my hospital stay when they have the free time. Noticing how dark its gotten outside, they both pack up the game and leave.
 
Finally alone with my thoughts, they have a nasty habit of drifting back to my two new friends. I decide now is a good time to be honest with myself. They are both undeniably attractive, and I would be a liar to say it doesn't make me feel better about myself being seen with them. I am lucky to have such caring people around me, and I should leave it like that. There, feelings solved forever.
 
It does not surprise me that I have trouble getting to sleep. I find myself replaying the events of the festival and my hospital bed over and over in my mind. Each time it seems to lose a little detail, and focus more on what Misha was doing at that time. The expressions she makes. The childlike glee shows over the littlest things. She's just such a warm friendly person.
 
She's caring, loving, and fun to be around. She brightens up the room just by being there. Wow, it sounds like I am confessing to her in my own head. Slow down there Casanova, you don't even know if she's single, let alone likes you any more than just a friend. First step is to get out of the damn hospital. Once your back at school, you can play at teenage romance.
 
I make a mental note to come up with something witty or embarrassing to say to counter the next time Misha decides to fluster me.