#sapling noises

Naegi never really hung out in the North District except for whenever he had to go to gym (a dreadful experience, mind you), or whenever he volunteered to run an errand for someone when he happened to be in that area, but this is the first time he ventured beyond the second floor by himself.

The student found himself that day after school, upon suggestion, in what was known as the recreation room, a room he wondered how he could have missed hearing about on the extensive tour he was given...now that he thought about, he missed a lot of things, hell he was still carrying around a map by the first full month of school. What other amenities could this place possibly have? For a second he forgot he was in a teaching facility and not back at one of the summer camps he attended with his friends.

"..so they weren't lying about this place after all, huh."

It was a weekly thing.

On Saturdays after the half day is done, a good part of the student body leaves campus, getting any activity in before curfew at 10. Come Sunday morning by noon, the dormitories and hallways are deserted. You'd be lucky to find anyone who was awake and still indoors, unless they were getting ready to leave.

Despite the weather it was the same, and Naegi sat in his own dorm, knees propped to his chest and watching the rain hit the window pane. After a small breakfast and spending nearly an hour staring at the ceiling he had changed out of the clothes he slept in and pulled on his regular attire and was in the middle of a debate: whether or not he should venture outside with the rest.

He weighed out the pros and cons..and then hopped to his feet, laced up his shoes and grabbed the key to his room sticking it in his back pocket. On the way out, he grabbed his wallet (his parents were gracious enough to send a bit more money his way) and left his room. He wasn't exactly sure of where he was going. He just knew he was going outside. To escape for a moment.

As he was passing through the hallway he had an idea--a crazy one..and seconds later Naegi found himself in front of Kirigiri's door, reaching for the buzzer...worst case scenario would be that she would be sleeping--or that she would be gone already. It was almost two in the afternoon, she could already be out getting lunch in town, or in the library studying again.

..he pressed the buzzer, deciding he had nothing to lose on asking her to take a walk with him and leaned into the caller system installed neatly on the side of the doors.

He distinctly remembered the weatherman saying it was going to be sunny and warm all week.

He distinctly remembered how excited everyone was when the first couple of days it proved to be true, for it to finally be in the upper-70s which called for lunch allowed outside on the bleachers, and even the day before their world history teacher allowed them to have class on the lawns, a great change from being inside of that stuffy classroom.

Naegi had been betrayed by Mother Nature for the last time.

Now it was around 3:30pm and the boy was freezing his ass off, almost completely soaked head to toe from the pouring rain that managed to come down full force from the time he left the shelter near the track. He was offered an umbrella earlier but he didn't count on the sudden downpour he managed to get caught in. But, no worries! He was almost back at the main building--

Suddenly, a couple of 12th years ran into him (who, in their defense, were also making a dash for the entrance to the dormitories), knocking him into the mud and scattering his books about him.

..Naegi groaned and lifted his head from the ground, sputtering and spitting out the sludge that got into his mouth.