Irony
"Number 10, number 6, number 42, number 153." The announcer's drone finished.
The blond standing in the crowd, the most eager of all the eagerly waiting girls couldn't
believe her ears.
"Wait! Didn't you forget a number?"
The man looked down his long nose, his expresion not so much contempt as surprise that
a lowly entrant would dare to adress him "I can assure you, I did not." he responded
coldly.
"Then...then...you must have got the last number wrong!" The girl exclaimed desperately,
eliciting a glare from 153 "You meant 154! Right?"
"There was no..." he paused. She was already running away, the expression on his face
telling her all she needed to know.
Minako dragged her feet, concentrating on the pavement. *Trip on a crack, break your
mother's hand* she thought idly, realizing it didn't sound right. *Damn it, I can't even get
a simple quote right*
"Minako! Why so down?" Motoki asked, disgustingly cheerful
Minako didn't even glance up.
"I didn't make it." she mumbled.
"What?" Motoki was surprised. "I thought you said that the competition was nothing!
That it'd be easy as cake!" *She's rubbing off on me* he thought amused, then belatedly
*whoops, I think I just rubbed salt in the wound* "Hey! Cheer up! Why don't you play
one of the video games. How 'bout Sailor V? Speaking of which we got in some new V
doll catcher dolls. Wanna try for one?"
Minako gave a martyred smile. "I think I'll just go home, thanks."
"Well, alright..." Motoki trailed off awkardly, watching her mope off. "You look thirsty!
Get something to drink first O.K.?" he yelled thinking of his sister *I hope Unazaki can
cheer her up better than I can*
As fate would have it, Unazaki was the next person Minako ran into. Literally. Unazaki
had been hurrying back to the cafe. One of her friends had told her about the new Sailor
V plates that a store was selling, and she'd just had to scoop them up for the shop before
anyone else got to them. *A fat lot of good that did me* she thought dismally, looking at
the smashed china. She sat up and dusted herself off.
"Sor..." but Minako was already on her way again.
Ami glanced up from the book she was reading to see Minako walk past. *She looks
upset* she thought. She was about to get up, when she glanced guiltily at the book in her
hand. It was not her usual academic fare. Ami settled back down and continued reading.
Someone! Help me! ***** Ha ha, no one can hear you now. ***** That's what you
think! ****** Who's that?! ****** I'm Sailor V. Preying on innocent victims! I won't let
you! Sailor V Kick!.
"What's wrong?" Mamoru asked, concerned.
Minako ignored him and continued walking.
"Hey! C'mon! Talk to me! Please! I'll buy you a stuffed Sailor V doll." He weedled.
"What?" Usagi had come upon them at an inoportune moment. Tears swam in her eyes.
"But... that's what you just did for me..."
"Usako! I didn't mean to..."
"Oh, grow up Usagi," Chibi-Usa groaned popping another Sailor V chocolate in her
mouth.
"I was just trying to figure out what was wrong," Mamoru explained.
"Huh? Minako are you O.K.?" Usagi turned and found herself adressing the empty air.
Minako truged past the movie theatre, not paying attention to the four girls walking out.
"Can we see it again?" Hotaru asked Setsuna cheerfuly.
Haruka did not seem to share the little girl's opinion. "Cut out the 'we'. I'm never
watching another cheesy action anime again. How did you stand it Michiru?" she asked.
Michiru made a face and displayed several sketches of Sailor V kicking a pin suit
wearing villain. "I used it as an exercise in sketching movement."
Setsuna smiled placidly. "Well at least we all got something out of it, ne?"
Minako saw a vending machine, next to an animation studio, and decided she was thirsty,
after all. She fed in some yen, randomly pressed a button, and grabbed the drink that
rolled out. She barely noticed Rei, who, dropping all pretense of coolness for once, was
jumping up and down in excitement.
"I got the autograph! I got the autograph!" Rei waved the cel of Sailor V excitedly in the
air.
"You know, judges always play favorites." Minako's mother consoled. She might as well
have been yelling about Minako's grades for all the gratitude her daughter gave. Minako
rushed up the stairs slamming her bedroom door shut behind her. Her mother sighed,
deciding it was better just to let her cool off, and, picking her chopsticks off the Sailor V
chopstick holder, took a bite of rice.
Minako flopped down on her bed. She popped open the can of "Sailor V Super Soda!"
and sighed. "I just want to be famous!"
"Number 10, number 6, number 42, number 153." The announcer's drone finished.
The blond standing in the crowd, the most eager of all the eagerly waiting girls couldn't
believe her ears.
"Wait! Didn't you forget a number?"
The man looked down his long nose, his expresion not so much contempt as surprise that
a lowly entrant would dare to adress him "I can assure you, I did not." he responded
coldly.
"Then...then...you must have got the last number wrong!" The girl exclaimed desperately,
eliciting a glare from 153 "You meant 154! Right?"
"There was no..." he paused. She was already running away, the expression on his face
telling her all she needed to know.
Minako dragged her feet, concentrating on the pavement. *Trip on a crack, break your
mother's hand* she thought idly, realizing it didn't sound right. *Damn it, I can't even get
a simple quote right*
"Minako! Why so down?" Motoki asked, disgustingly cheerful
Minako didn't even glance up.
"I didn't make it." she mumbled.
"What?" Motoki was surprised. "I thought you said that the competition was nothing!
That it'd be easy as cake!" *She's rubbing off on me* he thought amused, then belatedly
*whoops, I think I just rubbed salt in the wound* "Hey! Cheer up! Why don't you play
one of the video games. How 'bout Sailor V? Speaking of which we got in some new V
doll catcher dolls. Wanna try for one?"
Minako gave a martyred smile. "I think I'll just go home, thanks."
"Well, alright..." Motoki trailed off awkardly, watching her mope off. "You look thirsty!
Get something to drink first O.K.?" he yelled thinking of his sister *I hope Unazaki can
cheer her up better than I can*
As fate would have it, Unazaki was the next person Minako ran into. Literally. Unazaki
had been hurrying back to the cafe. One of her friends had told her about the new Sailor
V plates that a store was selling, and she'd just had to scoop them up for the shop before
anyone else got to them. *A fat lot of good that did me* she thought dismally, looking at
the smashed china. She sat up and dusted herself off.
"Sor..." but Minako was already on her way again.
Ami glanced up from the book she was reading to see Minako walk past. *She looks
upset* she thought. She was about to get up, when she glanced guiltily at the book in her
hand. It was not her usual academic fare. Ami settled back down and continued reading.
Someone! Help me! ***** Ha ha, no one can hear you now. ***** That's what you
think! ****** Who's that?! ****** I'm Sailor V. Preying on innocent victims! I won't let
you! Sailor V Kick!.
"What's wrong?" Mamoru asked, concerned.
Minako ignored him and continued walking.
"Hey! C'mon! Talk to me! Please! I'll buy you a stuffed Sailor V doll." He weedled.
"What?" Usagi had come upon them at an inoportune moment. Tears swam in her eyes.
"But... that's what you just did for me..."
"Usako! I didn't mean to..."
"Oh, grow up Usagi," Chibi-Usa groaned popping another Sailor V chocolate in her
mouth.
"I was just trying to figure out what was wrong," Mamoru explained.
"Huh? Minako are you O.K.?" Usagi turned and found herself adressing the empty air.
Minako truged past the movie theatre, not paying attention to the four girls walking out.
"Can we see it again?" Hotaru asked Setsuna cheerfuly.
Haruka did not seem to share the little girl's opinion. "Cut out the 'we'. I'm never
watching another cheesy action anime again. How did you stand it Michiru?" she asked.
Michiru made a face and displayed several sketches of Sailor V kicking a pin suit
wearing villain. "I used it as an exercise in sketching movement."
Setsuna smiled placidly. "Well at least we all got something out of it, ne?"
Minako saw a vending machine, next to an animation studio, and decided she was thirsty,
after all. She fed in some yen, randomly pressed a button, and grabbed the drink that
rolled out. She barely noticed Rei, who, dropping all pretense of coolness for once, was
jumping up and down in excitement.
"I got the autograph! I got the autograph!" Rei waved the cel of Sailor V excitedly in the
air.
"You know, judges always play favorites." Minako's mother consoled. She might as well
have been yelling about Minako's grades for all the gratitude her daughter gave. Minako
rushed up the stairs slamming her bedroom door shut behind her. Her mother sighed,
deciding it was better just to let her cool off, and, picking her chopsticks off the Sailor V
chopstick holder, took a bite of rice.
Minako flopped down on her bed. She popped open the can of "Sailor V Super Soda!"
and sighed. "I just want to be famous!"