Disclaimer: I am, in no way, the owner of Angelic Layer. I only own Saya, Hinako, Chihiro, Rikan, Yuri and some other characters who'll come out in the ficcie.
big note ~ I WILL TRY MY BEST TO MAKE MY CHARACTERS DIFFERENT FROM THEIR PARENTS. ALTHOUGH IT MAY SEEM LIKE THAT. IT WILL TURN OUT DIFFERENT.
Information Nook~
* Mihara Saya (12 and 1/2 years old)
Although her relations are mostly AL buffs, these people cannot seem to influence her at all. Saya does not hate the layer, in particular. She just cannot be pulled into its fast-paced world. However, she does know a lot about it. The girl just doesn't show it. Saya has a great resemblance to her mother but thinks rather a lot like her father, Oujirou. She can be caring sometimes and indifferent other times. She likes to muse a lot and is a little stiff in communicating with her peers, acting formal towards them. The girl rarely loosens up in the face of others. One of the exceptions is her grandaunt Shouko's adopted daughter, Rikan, who has the nick "Ran".
Later on in the story, Saya takes an interest on an unforeseen thing. Also, in this whirlpool of meetings, the girl meets people who will affect her as they were supposed to when she was younger.
*
prodigal school - these are deuses with exceptional abilities to hone the skills of their angels to the max, surpassing the limits of an angel.
* SM12-4 chip - first beta chip created by AL developers. Failure.
* SM12-4X chip - new microchip created after the failure of the first one. It is buried in the body of a person.
*
Project SS - there was an earlier name for this project 2 years ago. It was
called Project Shizumi which became a failure. The new revision, Project SS, was
successful compared to Project Shizumi.
Prologue
10 years ago...
"Why did you allow him to do it on her?! Was he playing the older-brother-should-be-followed thing again?"
"Of course not. He wasn't even suggesting the procedure be done on our daughter."
"Oh really? Then, whose bright idea was it?"
"It was mine. I wanted the microchip on her."
"You should have consulted me first! I could've disagreed, you know."
"Misaki, look. There's no harm in embedding..."
"..No harm?! What do you mean by that? After what happened a year ago?!"
Kobayashi Tamayo heard the loud cries as she was nearing the door. Before her, Icchan propped himself on the very door that the shouts were erupting from. He was staring ahead of him, melancholic in his countenance. Tamayo coughed to let her presence known.
"Oh hi," Ichirou said weakly. He had bags under his eyes, indicating lack of sleep. Tamayo guessed that he could have been having restless nights these days. She also noticed that the layer expert was much much thinner than she remembered.
Tamayo chose her words carefully lest the man might turn edgy. "Hi. Uh, how long has that been going on?" Tamayo pointed an index finger at the closed door Ichirou was leaning on.
"Not too long actually," Ichirou replied. Then, he added, "...only an hour ago."
"That bad huh?"
"You could say that again."
The shouts were getting louder now. Ichirou went away from the door. He sighed and rubbed his neck, which was getting quite stiff. "Long time no see, Kizuki-san, or is it Kobayashi now?"
"I'm Kobayashi Tamayo now," confirmed Tamayo.
"Finally caught up to that bickering couple in there," Ichirou said, briefly glancing at the door. The argument was still ongoing. "I bet you had a great honeymoon."
Tamayo turned a bright shade of crimson. She still blushed whenever topics like that were brought up. Shaking off the thought, she decided to stir the conversation towards another topic. "Icchan, how are you? You look strained. Does the fight inside that room have anything to do with it?"
"..."
"Aiiyayay...Here I was, coming up to the AL Company to greet my dear best friend but it so turns out this thing is happening right now. I was hoping she'd be here, smiling like usual. But all I can imagine at this time is a Misaki spitting out flames."
Ichirou nodded. Right that moment, the door burst open. A woman in her twenties with wayward strands of copper hair all over her face came out. Her face was scrunched up in a way that showed she had been holding back tears. She was hugging her small frame, blue eyes filled with forlornness.
"Misaki...," Tamayo called.
The tears that where being held back gushed down Misaki's cheeks. Misaki fled.
oCast Meeto
Chapter 1
Father's Brainchild and the Surroundings
(present period)
For many years, the game known as the Angelic Layer has evolved from the use of simple dolls to complex creations. Angels, originally the brainchildren of Mihara Ichirou, perceived that this dream would change lives aplenty. He manipulated the layer to a certain level that the so-called "angelic fever" spread even to countries abroad.
Angelic Layer, in its entirety, is a battle between two people, known as Deuses. It is in the Deus's will that the angel he/she controls renders mobility. The height, size or appearance of the angel does not matter at all. The outcome of the battle does not depend whether the angel is weak or mighty, speedy or slow, heavyweight or lightweight. The Deus's determination and desire to win is more important.
Angels are not all the same in build or in what they look like. People see them differently as well. To the Deus, his/her angel may be a toy, a friend, a companion, a lover, or a reminder. It may have taught the Deus something valuable in life or it may just simply be a form of entertainment.
Yeah, right.
Twelve year old Mihara Saya couldn't care less at what was written in the pages they were supposed to read in class. They didn't as much as tell the students to read about Angelic Layer in class a few years back. The students weren't even required to know what the word meant. Saya only found out about the ridiculous setup last week. The Layer was to be introduced to the school's curriculums. To develop young minds, they said.
A lot of students, particularly the girls, loved the new program. They liked the fact that since Angelic Layer was so hip, it should be part of schooling. The construction of a small tournament dome was in the process already. Almost everyday, students would pass the towering circular building erected near the school to take a peep at the future battle area for student Deuses.
So what was wrong with the picture?
Saya wasn't jolly with the idea. To begin with, she was never ever interested the slightest bit with the popular tournament. What was so addictive about it, Saya couldn't find the reason. She hated to admit it, but her relatives all seemed to be "layer buffs". Her uncle, Mihara Ichirou and her father, Mihara Oujirou, were connected with Angelic Layer big time. Her grandmother, Shu-something had been a champion in Angelic Layer three times in a row. About her mother...Saya didn't know much about her. But she understood that she had also played in the layer.
My mother, according to dad, has gone someplace far. He said that she wouldn't be back until her job was done. Is he really telling the truth?
The passion just wasn't in her blood. Somebody might have ejected it out of her system when she was born. Well, she did try to make herself like it. She sometimes went with her dad to the Angelic Layer Company. She watched the manufacturing of the dolls, how they molded the form yet left the design and type of angel not tampered. It failed. It didn't arise any feeling.
All of this Saya pondered as she left "The Layer in Truth: A Close View on Angels" unopened. Her eyes were directed at the cover of the book though her mind was wandering far off.
The girl wasn't aware of her seatmate talking to her. She only realized it when her mind came back to reality. "Saya, Inori-sensei has been calling on you and you aren't even looking at her!" hissed July, her seatmate.
"Wha-?!" Saya glanced at the teacher in front. Inori-sensei was waiting for her to pay attention. Saya could already see how impatient the teacher was getting. She bolted up and bowed her head clumsily, mumbling an indistinct apology.
Inori-sensei loomed over her. "Next time, Mihara-san, you ought to show more respect to your elders. I understand how the subject of the angels do not appeal to you. But you will stand up when I tell you to read from the book."
Saya buried her head as low as she could.
"You may sit down," the teacher said.
Obviously, Saya had gone against an Angelic Layer enthusiast who wanted everyone else to be enthusiastic about it. She couldn't stand putting up with teachers like Inori Sakura. They were somber women wearing their hair in tight buns and piercing through your soul with such close-set eyes.
Inori-sensei continued her discussion. "...the SM12-4X chip, formerly known as SM12-4 was developed 10 years ago. As you can see, the angels that the SM12-4X chip can control have abilities beyond the common type of angels....."
Luckily, dismissal time came as usual.
Saya piled her books and carried them in her arms. She waited for her classmates to leave first. She was always the last to go out of the room.
The corridors were rumbustious with the chatter of students. Some were giddy and frolicking around. Others were laughing so profusely. Saya heard a few clamoring on about a certain person whose name the girl was not able to catch. It seemed to her that these students were getting excited because of an event in school. Saya couldn't figure out what.
She made her way to the locker area which was also crowded with noisy girls and boys. Saya did her best not to bump into any of them. The girl stopped short in front of her locker. She turned the combination lock and click! Tugging at the handle with one hand, she balanced the books in the other arm. As she placed her books inside, she eavesdropped on a group of gossipers near her locker. From the corners of her eyes, Saya recognize them as sixth-graders.
"Hey, hey. Did you hear?" Saya caught the words of one of the girls, a layer fanatic with glasses.
"Uh-huh. So, it really is true that the dome is going to opened this afternoon huh?"
"...and one guy from Angelic Layer Company is coming here!"
"Kobayashi Hinako-chan too!" added a pony-tailed female.
A blonde girl among the group clapped her hands. "You mean THE eight year old Hinako-chan, known as the Élan of the layer?" she spoke rapidly.
"Of course! It's none other than the kawaii and genki Hinako-chan! She's the Deus who is going to test out the functionality of the new layer in school, " the pony-tailed girl answered.
"I can't wait to see it then."
The drove of girls slowly moved away. Saya listened to their loud voices until they were faint in the distance. She closed her locker. The twelve year old child suddenly remembered that she had a report to submit. She padded along the hall to the teacher's faculty.
Saya knocked first, then twisted the knob and opened the faculty door ajar. She was surprised to see that the place was devoid of the entire teaching staff. There wasn't anyone sitting at his/her own desk. The girl left the faculty, thinking.
The mass of students was thinning out, she observed. Apparently, they were heading outside. Where?
Probably gone to that new extension wing, the Angelic Layer Dome, Saya thought. She guessed it so because it was still too early for teachers and students to leave right away.
Saya halted. Her head turned toward the windows to gaze at the new annex. From the windows, she saw the circular structure that was the dome. A huge cheer went up from it.
I was right, confirmed the girl. Saya made up her mind to go to the dome.
*****
A sandy-haired child of ten years beamed proudly at her handiwork. She was delighted that she was able to impress the audience with Mimosa's display of skills, the angel she cherished ever since she started playing Angelic Layer 5 years ago.
"What you've just witnessed was the Élan of the layer, Kobayashi Hinako, and her angel, Mimosa! That was surely a sugoi demonstration by our genki eight year old on the new layer," the announcer blared over the speakers. Just like the previous times, the announcer was still perched atop his post.
Hinako, the mentioned genki ten year old, got off the Deus' high seat. She waved at the crowd with vigor. Her lavender eyes twinkled brightly. Several fangirls squealed at this. Hinako gestured towards her angel. Mimosa, standing on the edge of the disc known as the layer, gave a fanged smile, winked, and did a double flip in the air, landing square on the shoulder of her Deus. More squeals came.
Hinako waved one last time before exiting, as the announcer continued commentating.
"Enjoying yourself, Hina-chan?" a voice said from behind the eight year old Deus.
Hinako turned on her heel. She grinned widely at the speaker. "Icchan-san, I really did!" she told the man.
Mihara Ichirou smiled back. He took his hands out of its place in the pockets of his white lab coat and pushed his eyeglasses up his nose. "Well, since the Élan is satisfied, I guess the new layer's working fine." Ichirou started walking at a leisurely pace, which wasn't at all leisurely for the young deus. "Say, aren't you tired Hina-chan, after that demonstration?"
Hinako stared wide-eyed at him. She moved her head back and forth as an answer of "no". Then, the little girl stopped in her tracks. She pursed her lips and stomped her left foot indignantly. "Icchan-san! Don't walk super fast!"
Ichirou spun around. His forehead wrinkled in sympathy. "Gomen, Hina-chan," he apologized, running a hand through his unruly black hair.
Hinako smiled. "This is the first school to have its own layer, right?" asked the young Deus, catching up to the older person.
"Yep. We're planning to build other centers nationwide."
Hinako liked the thought of having Angelic Layer everywhere. She really loved it. She was happy she had an angel like Mimosa who was just as energetic as the little girl.
"Arigatou, Icchan-san." Hinako looked up at the father of Angelic Layer. "Without the layer, I wouldn't have been able to meet Mimosa." Hinako glanced at the doll sitting on her right shoulder. It acknowledged her with a warm smile.
Ichirou patted Hinako's dark head. "You're welcome."
From the other end, a woman who looked distinctly like Hinako was waving at the child. "Hina-chan!" she called out.
Hinako perked up at the sound of her mother's voice. "Coming, okasan!" she cried back. Hinako said goodbye to Ichirou and sprinted to her mother's side.
Ichirou suddenly felt tired. Nowadays, he always did after events such as that. It was time to wrap up everything for today. The trial was successful after all. He turned right round a corner and paused in front of a steel door. The layer expert punched in a code number on the keypad at the side. Ichirou gained access. He entered the video room.
"Oogata, let's go. The new layer's doing well. The first battles should be starting around next week," Ichirou droned on to his assistant the minute he stepped inside. He didn't even pause to direct his eyes at Oogata.
Masaharu Oogata had a bright look on his sweating face. "Ah, Chief Mihara! I'm so glad to hear that. I feel totally wiped out now. Imagine doing all that repair in the main AL facility and you suddenly going ballistic because you forgot all about the test run on the recently built layer in this school. I had to drive you hear in like what, 10 minutes. You almost didn't make it!"
"Yeah yeah." Ichirou sighed, plopping down on one of the chairs. He shut his eyes tight.
"Chief, I'm sorry I didn't ask for your permission. But I let her in," Oogata uttered.
Ichirou remained in the same position. "Who?"
"Your niece."
The man blinked his eyes open and straightened up to see the sight of Mihara Saya.
"Saya-chan, I didn't notice you," Ichirou said, "I almost didn't recall that you studied here. Of course, since you were only a building away from the dome, you would certainly go to this place."
Saya came nearer to her uncle.
"So, what brings you here? Based on my experiences, I know that my dear niece doesn't have a liking for the layer. Are we starting to change light?"
"I was only checking things out, Uncle Iichirou," replied the copper-haired twelve year old. A sweatdrop was beginning to form from the back of her head. She anticipated what was coming next.
Ichirou's eyes gleamed in a weird way. A funny smile registered on his elongated face. "Saya-chaaan. I think you're starting to take interest in the game, aren't you? And didn't I tell you to call me Icchan instead of Uncle? You're making me old."
"But you are around 40 and that's considered old. Calling you Icchan Uncle Ichirou sounds so wrong. It's almost like some name a perverted guy would want to concoct. Besides, you're my dad's brother. That makes you my uncle, right?"
The 47 year old man's jaws hung open. He couldn't believe the words coming out of the mouth of a fifth-grader. They hit a spot. Not only that, it showed how similar Saya was to his younger brother. She got the sarcasm from him, the looks from her. But what about the rest of her personality?
Saya hadn't started Angelic Layer at all. It was introduced to the girl when she was a little over 4 years. The reaction of the child to the game, at that time, was far from his expectations.
"Uncle, your cellular phone," Saya remarked. She wasn't sure about what she said to make her uncle go into oblivion. He had been talking to himself and kept on rubbing his chin unconsciously for a while. The man didn't even realize that his phone was ringing.
Ichirou shook his head. He smiled uneasily at Saya, then snatched the cellular phone from the pocket of his trousers. "Hello?" he half-shouted in a brisk manner.
"Oh, it's you," the layer expert said with a hint of disappointment. "Yeah, I'm going back now. The trial was a success."
Saya pretended to leaf over an angel catalog from a nearby table, all the while listening to her uncle talking on his cellular phone.
"Uh-huh. She's here. What?!... You're outside?! Why didn't you tell me earlier?!!! You love spiting me so much, don't you?"
The girl side-glanced at the lab coat-clad man. She caught the expression on his face. It was one that the girl couldn't read.
"Alright. I'll tell her to go and meet you."
After a few more words exchanged, Ichirou clicked off the phone. He let out a deep sigh. Saya dropped the catalog. She stared inquiringly at him.
"Your dad's waiting outside," Ichirou simply stated. "That baka! He didn't inform me at all!!"
Ichirou's niece laughed outright at the sudden outburst.
The father of angelic layer scrunched his face at the offending action. "I'm telling you, he hasn't changed after all these years."
Saya smiled. "So that Uncle Iichan will stay Uncle Iichan."
Somehow it didn't matter, Iichirou realized.
*****
The child tugged lightly at the skirt of her mother. Hinako did. "Look, kaasan, it's Ou-san!" Hinako pointed at a man leaning on a car, waving.
Hinako's mother looked at the man. "You're right, Hina-chan."
"Let's go to him, okaasan!" The sandy-haired girl pulled on her mother's hand as they approached the person.
"Ou-san!"
"Hello, Hinako-chan," greeted the man calmly within hearing distance. He was still leaning on the car, arms crossed. He gazed from Hinako to the girl's mother. "Tamayo-san, I just read the results today. Your budding daughter performed well in the qualifying tournament for this year."
The parent of the young deus smiled. "Is that so, Oujirou-kun? Hear that, Ms. Élan?"
Hinako nodded. "Hai, kaasan. That true, Ou-san?" Hinako, full of innocence in her lavender eyes, stared at Mihara Ouirou.
Oujirou stepped forth towards the child. His movement was very smooth with grace even as he placed his hand on the girl's head, affectionately ruffling her sandy-hair. "Would I lie to Hinako-chan? Of course it's true. In fact, you're the top in your division."
Hinako jumped happily upon hearing the news. "Kaasan, kaasan, I'm on top!"
"I'm proud of you my dear. Now why don't you go over there and buy something?" Tamayo handed the child a few coins from her purse.
The child accepted the money. She hopped merrily towards the snack bar. All of a sudden, the jovial mood in the air was slowly being sapped away. The serious and composed facade that Oujirou always had was up again. He never showed his feelings, neither did he let anyone reach out into his scrupulous mind. He had been like that to one such person. But that person was somehow able to crack open his outer shell. Dark-haired and sapphire-eyed, he was. He had a genial air about him. These qualities made him known to the girls. He was their "prince", the name he adapted in the layer. Oujirou, in turn, had his own one and only princess.
"Ne, prince of the layer, has hime-chan made contact yet?" Tamayo asked.
"That's getting old already. I'm not a deus anymore, remember?" Oujirou said.
"I know. So, are the two of you having any communication at all?" This time, Tamayo stared squarely at the ex-deus. Oujirou, even with his poker face, wasn't able to meet her eyes. He knew where the conversation would lead to. Everytime she was being talked about, he lost his composition. Everytime her name was mentioned, he would stiffen up, not knowing how to react and what to say. And the words following her name were the worst he couldn't handle.
"Have Misaki and Saya met already?" Tamayo pursued.
A deafening silence ensued.
Tamayo slapped her forehead and shook her head in disbelief. "I guess not."
More silence.
"I see that there's no point in doing this because you always enter a mute state whenever I ask about these things," the woman said. "Well, I'll be checking on Hina-chan. Will she see you next week?"
Oujirou had gone back to his poker face after the subject was given up like usual. "Of course. You two take care."
Tamayo sighed. "See, that's the problem with you. You're absolutely deadpan again," she remarked. Tamayo walked to the same direction her daughter headed to.
The prince of the layer smiled a poker smile as soon as Tamayo was gone. "I have to or else this relationship will fall even more apart," he told himself. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a copper head coming to him. Saya. He waved a hand at her. It's funny how I keep seeing her in Saya.
"I wasn't expecting you to be interested in the new dome," Oujirou said.
"I'm a cat who gets the best out of curiosity," Saya replied.
It was a secret language for them to speak that way. Their exchange was usually plain and short. The two always knew the next action without communicating it.
Oujirou clambered into the car and so did Saya. Then, as soon as they were settled, Ouirou turned the key and started up the engine.
This time, it was understood that they needed quiet time between father and daughter. No noise, including the radio, was heard as Oujirou drove the car.
The car zipped by trees, stores, and people walking the streets. It only slowed down when traffic accumulated. Seconds and minutes passed. Oujirou just looked straight ahead, seemingly contemplating on whoever knew what. While Saya, obviously without much of a choice, turned to sightseeing.
"Angelique," Saya murmured. She was staring at a shop's sign to her left, at Oujirou's side.
Oujirou stared too. He mentally read the skillful calligraphy scrawled on a signboard hanging from a horizontal pole protruding in front of shop. Catchy was the word for it.
The door of the shop opened. A woman with hair color similar to Saya came out. She was holding one end of a poster in her right hand and a roll of masking tape with the other.
Oujirou's eyes widened upon seeing the woman. He gripped the wheel tightly. This, Saya noticed.
Saya assumed the woman owned the store. She watched her put up the poster on the thick see-through glass, taping down four corners of it. Saya tilted her head to see what was on the poster. As if the shop owner read her mind, the copper-haired woman stepped aside. And as if she also knew she was being watched, she snapped her attention to the two people studying her. That was the twelve year old and her father. With crystal-clear cerulean eyes, the woman glanced briefly at them before returning into the shop.
The vehicles started moving forward. Traffic was back on the run. Soon, the Angelique was left far behind them.
"That lady looked like me," Saya said to her father.
Oujirou conformed with the slightest jerk of his head. A vague and stiff yes. Saya could have sworn his father looked a tad uneasy. "How was school?" Oujirou asked when Saya dropped the subject, not saying anything anymore.
"The same. Inori-sensei's still not as pious as her name tells. She's a heretic, I say."
Oujirou laughed, amused. "Young lady, you must watch that tongue of yours. Better tone down your language or you might make enemies of people."
Saya frowned disapprovingly. "It is true, you know."
A few moments of silence.
"Dad," said Saya, "who was that woman you were talking to earlier, just before I approached you?"
"Do you mean Tamayo-san? She's a friend. She came with her daughter, Hinako. Hinako led the demonstration of the layer's features. Her child is a prodigal deus."
"Is this Hinako the one with the angel named Mimosa?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
There wasn't an answer to Oujirou's question, not until they arrived home. Saya got out of the car, saying, "I think, if by any chance I was interested in the layer and had an angel, mine would defeat it."
Saya was sure and firm of her statement, Oujirou felt.
*****
"I'm leaving, " Oujirou told Saya as he was going out of the door just after he and Saya finished eating dinner.
Saya, who was cleaning up, poked her head from the kitchen. "Where're you going, dad?" Saya asked, surprised. She was holding a towel and a plate.
"AL International Tournament Opening Ceremony tonight," the father of the girl answered. "Need to be there in the observation booth."
Saya nodded.
Oujirou was about to turn the doorknob but paused midway. He turned around.
"Saya-chan," he started. "I'm sorry for being busy these days..."
Saya nodded again. "...you're telling me that we're gonna spend the weekend all to ourselves, I know," she finished for him.
Oujirou seemed hesitant at first. Then, a smile gradually made its way to his face. Saya smiled too. They shared something others would not understand.
"Well, got to go now."
"Be looking forward to Saturday!"
Oujirou was gone, meaning Saya was now alone; she set to do the rest of her tasks.
Later, Saya had nothing else to do that night. She had cleaned up already and was done with her homework. The girl felt like watching TV for awhile. Flipping it on with the remote, she flopped down on the couch in front of the TV. To her dismay, there wasn't anything eye-catching on TV right now. She channel-surfed and found about ten channels broadcasting a live coverage of this year's Angelic Layer International Tournament.
Saya stopped at one channel and turned the volume up.
"...yes siree. This year's turning out into a big one. We've got lots of deuses coming from all parts of the globe," roared the announcer.
Saya was familiar with him. He was the same announcer she always saw commentating on the Angelic Layer tournaments. The one with the visor and bowtie. Not to mention, bad taste in clothing as he was wearing a purple coat all the time.
The twelve year old continued to listen to him. "We have here one rookie from Hong Kong. According to her, this is her first time competing in the AL's major leagues. The girl's standing beside me right now. Ms. Tai Fengtian, what have you got to say about what you have seen so far?" At this, the camera zoomed in on a girl around 12 whose black hair was braided.
Ms. Fengtian spoke hyperactively, literally jumping. "It's all so exciting. The deuses and their angels look so amazing, especially the élan and her angel, Mimosa."
"How would you feel if you had the chance to fight Ms. Kobayashi Hinako?"
The interviewee smiled radiantly. "I would be honored, of course. It has been my dream to compete against one of the prodigal schools!"
"For those of you who don't know who the prodigal schools are, they are the deuses who can control the new generation of angels built with the highly-complicated SM12-4X chip. These deuses are really something to have been able to handle the angels from Project SS," explained the man with the visor.
The announcer turned his head and the camera was trained on a petite child making her way through the crowd. "Speaking of the élan. Here she is! Hina-chan! We absolutely want your word!" The child was jostled forcefully in front of the camera.
Saya stared at the so-called Hinako Kobayashi. She was an utterly small girl with pale-yellow tresses and lavender pools in her eyes. The child had on a dress that matched the color of her eyes. Placed on her left shoulder was her angel, Mimosa. The doll looked almost exactly like its deus except that its hair was flaming red with a tinge of brown and so were the eyes.
"Hina-chan, we've just been talking about you. Are you expecting any challenge from the prodigal schools this year?" the visor-wearing announcer asked with much enthusiasm.
"Er, I can't tell this early. But there's someone out there who's bound to give me a tough time. That person might just be waiting somewhere," Hinako said.
"Great choice of words, Hina-chan!" piped the ever-energetic commentator. A scornful 'hmph' was heard from the background. Saya was sure it was the chinese deus, Tai Fengtian. The camera spun around and Saya had a view of the girl. She wasn't as hyper anymore, probably because she had been forgotten by the commentator already. The scowl she wore on her face showed it.
"Palooza!!" shouted the announcer off-camera a little too loud. It caused Saya to turn down the volume a few notches. "It's our very own creator of Angelic Layer! The man himself, Mihara Ichirou!!"
Saya's famous uncle appeared in view.
"Just as I expected," Saya said to herself. She chuckled silently when she saw that Mihara Ichirou, the father of Angelic Layer, no doubt with unkempt hair, was in his dirty-white lab coat smeared with chemicals dried in time. He pushed his glasses up his nose.
"Dr. Mihara, anything humongous happening this time?" The announcer held the microphone in front of Ichirou.
"Ah, my dear commentator. I'm glad you asked. As a matter of fact, we do! This year marks the 7th year since the success of the SM12-4X chip. Although it is not yet widely distributed, people have gaped at the wonders of the SM12-4X chip. We are planning on a special event involving all the prodigal schools! Keep in touch with me, Mr. Announcer, if you want to hear more."
The announcer, at the mention of this, gave Ichirou a definite thumbs-up. "You betcha! Boy is Dr. Mihara the genius! He's da bomb!"
Ichirou turned crimson at the praise. He was evidently pleased and started to scratch the back of his head. "Aw, not really. I was... " he was mumbling entirely.
The camera focused solely on the announcer now. "Folks, the air is full of excitement. Everyone's going wild! It's pandemonium out here. (The scene swept over the stands, showing thousands of faces.) Competition is tight and intense this time around. (A close-up of Hinako standing at the top of the stands, making a 'v' at the camera, was seen.) Who will win? This, we will see! Stay tuned, everyone!"
The words
-ANGELIC ANGLE NEWS NETWORK LIVE COVERAGE-
flashed across the scene for a few seconds before it turned to commercial breaks.
Saya couldn't get it. Why were people so crazy about Angelic Layer? There was nothing great about becoming puppeteers controlling dolls to fight with other dolls.
Uncle Ichirou, you're like a child for inventing something as pointless as Angelic Layer, Saya thought. She wasn't really supportive of her father and uncle's involvement with the layer. But still, she did not object every time they let her tag along for the ride. True, she was knowledgeable about angels from the rudiments to the hard-to-understand. Yet how could that knowledge prove useful? Where was it applicable to life? That, didn't take a five-year old to figure out. Well, if that five-year old had the brains enough to see the reality, he/she would think that AL was just a waste of everything. Saya did not dare say this out loud. It would hurt her uncle, she knew. So she just kept quiet as usual.
Saya watched the advertisements shown on TV one after the other. She snorted at ridiculous commercials that said things like: "Tomikase Yuri fans everywhere! Now is the time to show full support to your idol! Join the TTFN Community - True Tomikase Fans Now!! For every membership, we'll give you a free t-shirt with Yuri prints and a Yuri notebook, PLUS, a pen that squeaks 'I Love Yuri' when you twist the cap off! So, what are you Yuri fans waiting for? Join now! Remember, TTFN!"
"Calling Minamoto Chihiro followers! The new line of Dominique holographic images is now available! We have the 'SNoWY Day' version, 'Teacher Dominique' version, 'Drinking Coke(TM) from a Coleman Dominique', and the newest hologram - 'Dominique's #Dance Grooves#'. Hurry, stocks are limited in available stores! For inquiries, call 244-44-70 or Chi-hi-ro!"
"Can't get enough of watching your favorite deus and his/her angel? Then, this is just the thing for you - ALCaps. Angelic Layer Captures guarantees you 100% that you'll be able to see any angel's single moves. Buy the latest collection of Yuri's angel's swift moves - Alexander at a Millisecond Glance: Speed Reduced 99%. The box set comes with the Silver Edition of Mimosa's Spunky Styles!"
The commercial break was over but the girl lost her interest in watching the live coverage. She switched to another channel. She chanced upon a series called "Cat's Paw".
Saya gradually lulled herself to sleep. All she could remember before going stretching out on the sofa was the image of a fuchsia-haired teen transforming into a cute fluffy pink cat.
The next day, Saya woke up with a start, realizing she was late for class. She hastily dressed up and made for Eriol Middle School at lightning speed, almost running over a man struggling with some AV equipment as the girl reached the school gates. Saya blurted out a sorry to him.
"Here, lemme help you mister." Saya dropped down to pick up lengths of wire.
"Ara ara. If it isn't my grandniece," Saya heard a voice say. The girl turned her head up to see the speaker.
"Hehhh!! Aunt Shouko?! What are you doing here?" Saya glimpsed the AV man. He had on a Tokyo Net t-shirt. "I should have known by this guy's shirt that you must be here."
Asami Shouko, 44 years of age and still a broadcaster, smiled. She flipped her straw-colored mass of hair. "Something tanoshii is about to happen. Your dad invited me."
"He's here also? How come I did not know?"
"Be-cause," Shouko poked at the side of Saya's face, "he said you were dozing off from the time he arrived home to the time he left in the morning."
"It figures..."
Right at that moment, the school bell tolled. It brought Saya back to what she was supposed to be doing. "Ack! I'm going to be late!! Gomen, Aunt Shouko. Got to go. I'll see you later!"
"Sure. Do well in class, okay?"
Saya rolled her eyes. "I'd do well to irritate my teacher," she stated, grinning.
Five minutes later, she was seen sulking outside her classroom. She had the same punishment as usual. Saya was told to go out with a sharp fingernail directed at the door. The girl was more the merrier to step out of the horrible teacher's class.
Better out here than suffocating in there. Saya thought, leaning on the wall. "Hmm, I wonder what's going to happen later on that Aunt Shouko considered fun."
*****
* to be continued *
