V. I Saw You

MASARU

INT. MUSIC ROOM - EVENING

The sun is setting... There shouldn’t be anyone in the school.

Within the music room, there is a cold atmosphere as Masaru stands over the music desk. He grabs the music sheets scattered across the desk and proceeds to pile it up in his hand. He continues with this for a couple of papers, hesitating as he does so, but also smiling faintly as he looks down on them.

The eerie silence of the room continues to develop. With no clear indication of how silent the room truly is, Masaru holds a paper in front of him. His body holds an unwanted tenseness, but refuses to let go of the smile on his face. Tightening his lips, he continues to stare at the paper he holds up. A steady upkeep of breathing can be felt, but the cracks within it are just as noticeable.

A brightness builds up within his eyes, not falling... just held in place. Able to feel it, he blinks to clear the moisture.

Again, after a moment, the brightness gathers. This time, quicker. The moisture gathers at his lashes just as quick.

Drops start falling, creating tiny puddles on the page beneath him.

It became clear at this moment. The fragile smile he once held breaks away, crumbling under the pressure.

Confusion breaks through, wiping the moisture out of his eyes with his hand. Again, he puts on a shaky smile as another drop falls down his face.

Quickly reaching for his other eye, his smile falls again. At some point, holding it back becomes harder than letting it happen. There’s too much.

The moisture gathers a final time, this time clinging. He doesn’t wipe it away. His arms stay where they are, fingers tightened instead. There’s no use.

The control he’d been holding together is gone... Masaru is no longer able to hold his shape anymore.

INT. MUSIC ROOM - EVENING

Masaru can be seen sitting at the music desk, filtering through papers, seemingly looking for something specific. While his attention is focused on the papers, in his peripheral vision, the door slides open. Turning his attention toward the door, Masaru widens his eyes, realizing who’s standing there.

Yuuko stares at the state of the room, slowly adjusting her stare to Masaru as he grabs his white board. Displaying a sense of internal conflict, she steps in, closing the door behind her.

MASARU

...

YUUKO

...

Masaru, turning back from collecting his white board, looks back towards Yuuko. She continues to stand at the entrance, not having made a single step since entering. Masaru exhales while putting on a smile, grabbing the marker sitting on his desk.

TEXT: Sorry for the mess.

Turning the board around, he directs it toward Yuuko. She glances at it, reading the words before she nods her head in a simple up and down motion... slowly.

Masaru pauses for a moment at this reaction. Continuing to keep up his smile, he looks back down and flips the board back toward himself.

TEXT: I’m surprised you’re here so late.

YUUKO

...

This time, she’s a couple steps closer. Again, she looks at the white board, giving the same reaction as before. Still staring right at Masaru.

Putting on a slight face of discomfort, Masaru makes an endearing squint with his smile, and looks back down at the white board.

TEXT: Make sure you go home soon, okay?

This time, as he flips the white board toward her, she walks toward him. Completely ignoring the white board now, Yuuko keeps her gaze fixed on Masaru.

Masaru glances away for a second, immediately looking back to Yuuko, who is now standing a couple feet away from the desk.

Yuuko breaks her stare to look down in a FIRST PERSON SHOT, bringing her hands into view, and looking back up to Masaru.

A FRONT SHOT OF YUUKO is on display, where she lifts her hand in front of her, and points to her nose, mouthing the word “I”.

Moving her hand up to her eyes, she then forms a V with her fingers, pointing from her eyes to Masaru’s while mouthing the word “saw”.

Another sign goes up, moving both her hands to cut the air, and she prepares for one final sign. Hesitation fills her face as Masaru widens his eyes. The smile he had a moment ago had started fading at some point, completely dropping to his mouth agape.

Bringing forward one hand to point at Masaru, Yuuko finishes her statement. “You”.

“I saw you”