《Transition and Restart, book one: Arrivals》Chapter four, 2016, early resolutions, part five
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A week passed, and the contacts with their Swedish counterparts grew more sporadic. Apparently the third years in Sweden were busy partying.
Ryu didn't understand fully what was going on in Sweden late May, but Urufu-kun promised that the third years spent most of May and all the few school days in June in a frenzied haze as graduation grew closer. The haze resulting from large amounts of legally questionable alcohol.
Skype conversations with their first and second year contacts only confirmed what he said.
A long summer was looming closer in Sweden, and most of the students there were openly concerned about being scattered for over two months. For the graduating ones this summer would see most of them split up permanently. As far as he could understand they had no club activities to build continuity with, but apparently a few in the exchange club planned to stay together during summer break.
One of them was even headed for Japan mid-July and wondered if they could meet up. He was a bit taken aback when told about final exams, but early August presented an opportunity.
On the Japanese end things were progressing smoothly, and Urufu-kun was planning something for late June together with Kuri-chan.
Summer solstice held some special meaning for people in Sweden, and both of them wanted the members of the club to have a shared dinner outdoors. Kuri-chan even went as far as saying that voiding that was tantamount to sacrilege in Sweden.
Ryu shook his head remembering the spectacle at the amusement park. There was still a lingering impact from it on their class and the club, but Kuri-chan and he were both somehow elated above mere rumours. And now he knew she had the experience to back her claims.
He went in search for the second one with experience enough to back all claims and found him in their club room. Urufu-kun sat on the floor playing with one of his gadgets.
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“So, Urufu-kun, what's up?” Ryu said to announce his arrival.
Urufu-kun flipped open the lid to his laptop and it flashed alive in a second.
You sure got expensive taste. Never even seen one of those.
“I'm setting up the Skype call, but this time we'll need a projector.”
“Eh?”
Urufu-kun fished out a compact device from his bag.
“That's a projector? Looks like wireless speakers.”
“Yeah. Wireless. Love it. Projector's built in.” Urufu-kun was setting up the box with the eyes of a child in a candy shop.
“Why?” Ryu asked. He sat down on his feet and studied Urufu-kun.
“You'll see. OK, people we're ready. I'll call Sweden.”
Shortly afterwards a face surrounded by blond hair waved at them from the wall. “Ready?” the projector blared.
“We're ready in our end, run your presentation,” Urufu-kun answered in English.
On the wall the face was replaced by a white screen, and then the screen wasn't white any more.
The Japanese exchange student stood by it. The word 'Welcome' was replaced by its counterpart in kanji with the help of some computerised graphic trick. “Superb,” she said in Japanese. “Could one of you go on stage so I can finish the rig here?”
Urufu-kun waved at him, and Ryu obediently walked to the wall.
“Wow! A looker! Cute but too small for me,” the projector said in her voice.
“You just get over here and I'll show you small,” Ryu responded. It was just the kind of challenge he couldn't avoid accepting.
“Cheeky little boy. You some kind of class prince over there?”
“More the Prince of Himekaizen,” he said. It wasn't just bragging, and he was always aware of how much attention he attracted.
“Then my prince, why don't you stand there and pose a little while I finish the rig here. I promise to pretend to be very impressed with you and all that. If you want I can swoon a little as well.”
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Ryu grinned. An entirely honest grin this time. If that girl had really been here he'd have been more than a little interested. Girls usually didn't make fun of him that way.
“Rika, just tell me when you're done in Sweden and we'll have the club members inside for the presentation,” Ulf said into his microphone.
Ryu shook his head. First name basis with a Japanese upperclassman on another continent. And no honorifics. I wonder how long those are going to survive in the club.
***
Principal Nakagawa nodded at Hamarugen as the presentation proceeded. The kid had been right all along, and whatever doubts remained from their conversation yesterday vanished.
In terms of relative competence the students from Sweden were light years ahead when it came to present concepts in a readily understandable way. Glumly he admitted that the girl on the screen probably was better at it than most of his teaching staff. And she was Japanese with only a few years’ experience from a foreign educational system.
Still, that system performed atrociously on average. At least according to international tests. But Hamarugen had something else in mind.
Nakagawa listened and watched, and understood. How the planned summer schedule would mesh with the one in Japan. Because on this end Hamarugen and Ageruman had fired up their own thoroughly professional presentation. That they would be able to was less surprising. He knew their backgrounds after all.
But those Swedish high school students. That was troublesome.
“Until you find another teacher,” he had said. That was no longer an option. He'd stay on as advisor for as long as possible. Hamarugen had suggested they use the exchange club as a learning platform based on his experiences from providing educations professionally during his previous life.
I knew the arrivals were important, but I had forgotten their impact when they're here in real life.
Obviously a lot was thoroughly rotten with the foreign education system, but stealing what worked was pure brilliance. You'll have your 'walking talking' sessions. As long as your club members perform better than average. And they would, he knew that. Himekaizen Cultural Exchange Club was turning into a thinly disguised cram school. No, something different than merely a cram school.
Somewhere deep inside Nakagawa realised Hamarugen wouldn't stop there. “I can't transform Japan by myself, but I can create those who will, and I will start here,” he had said. Kiddo, you know, you might just be able to.
Nakagawa watched how the Swedish students tried to adapt to the pacing of a near perfect, professional presentation given by two persons who had done this for a living. He watched how those students made a frighteningly good job at it.
You two, you're inside this small room in Tokyo, and you're changing people on another continent. You scare me.
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The Echo Realms: Through the Stones
Gemma is a happy young woman with a simple life. As a jeweler's daughter, she doesn't want for much, and her sleepy town is well protected, verdant, and a great hub to meet strangers with interesting quests. But growing rumors of what's going on in the Tennison Manor just at the edge of town soon prove to be more than that, and in an instant, the peaceful world explodes. The mundane, including any hint of the human world, has vanished. Gemma's family and friends find themselves twisted into elves, dwarves, warforged, tieflings, orcs, and other creatures and beings previously thought to only populate fairy tales and children's stories. With sudden access to magic and new threats once restricted to imagination, Gemma is forced to confront her family's dangerous past to make sense of this new world. The Echo Realms is also a homebrew D&D 5th edition podcast set in the same world, but a different time. This is a submission for the Royal Road Magazine Contest.
8 144Journey of 365 Days (((Kind of Completed)))
365 days, 365 scenes.Battles among supreme beings.Poems about losing love.Dragons showing mercy.Kids stumbling upon magic. This journey involves my answering of 365 creative writing prompts in a desperate bid to overcome my laziness.The prompts come from https://thinkwritten.com/365-creative-writing-prompts/ and I used to write one a day, but since I've been making progress with overcoming my laziness I'm spending much more time working on my Works in Progress (real novels). THE SITUATION RIGHT NOW: I've gotten over the majority of my laziness. I'm unlikely to update this much. It's pretty much complete. The novel I'm working on is Dark Seas Leading Demise
8 55After the Fall. (Book 1 of the Shardfall Saga)
Not too far off in the future, a meteor strikes the earth leaving the world in devastation. The impact of such a massive object changed the enviroment entirely, from tsunamis to tornadoes and the complete rewriting of the world's ecosytems. The worst part of it though was the fact the meteor was not composed of rocks and minerals. Mana, otherwise known as magic, composed the meteor in its entirety. With this foregin element introduced, the very biology of everything changed. Meet Ridge who even after living in this new world for several months doesn't have a clue as to what he is, because not everyone was lucky enough to change into things from fairy tales. Instead he has to work to find out what he is and what his dreams mean, all while trying to find a way to survive the monsters and dangers that lurk in the new enviroments.
8 186Henchman
Three individuals, drawn into the world of heroes, villains and the henchmen who serve them. Some enter this dangerous world by choice, others are born into it but for our henchman, he is dragged into it and has to use all his skills to not only survive but to also stay true to himself.
8 308A Cursed Life.
In a continent ravaged by war between humans and magical beings, an orphan child has taken residence at the bastion of hope in the human kingdom. Though displaying incredible dexterity, his terrible luck pins him against foes he could not hope to defeat. A chance encounter with thugs leaves him stabbed and left for dead. With an intense desire to live, he awakens the innate and powerful darkness magic to bolster his life and take back what others have stolen from him. This chronicles his journey as he learns to harness his power, whether it is for good or evil, you'll have to read and find out. To everyone interested in this story, I have every intention to finish it, but chapters will be very slow since I am going to college. If my studies allow me any spare time I will update the story and write a new chapter.
8 186VKOOK PICS ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
(discontinued)just vkook pics for you thirsty sinnersdamn, my army days were wild 👁👅👁
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