Boy oh boy oh boy! The Super GALS! DVDs are here! Finally! I get to see how Ran and the gang would sound in English. *pops champagne* As a celebratory present, I decided to model a new GALS! Fic on the TV series itself. Spoilers, I know. But this is done James Joyce style, a stream of consciousness. Third-person generally, maybe first-person if need be. Give me your thoughts on this one. I think you'll like it.
This chapter's inspired by Episode 7 of Ulysses. It's a funny episode if you read the book itself.
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An Orchid That Lasts Forever
Episode 1
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IN THE HEART OF THE JAPANESE METROPOLIS
9? Or is that a Q? 10-something. Albeit myself this is a good location for a headache, or a heartache, by all means of the imagination. Tall buildings. Neon signs in a language so hard to learn. Makes you claustrophobic even the least to think of such. My eyes can't see the glory of the coming of the Lord...well, shut your eyes and see. It will not come. It may never come, oh no, by no means. Just shut them if they are an overwhelmance. All eyes closed, yes. Greenbluepinkredbluepink, up and down around the town. Good for posterity. Bad for the eyes. Now open.
How modern is that for a change?
Basta! You are not in San Fernando, not by a chance. Just picture it.
PEOPLE MOVING OUT, PEOPLE MOVING IN
Absolutely everybody's invited, by the streak of the imagination turned reality. Going in and out to shop. Must be some discount prices here.
A looksee. Gah, there must not be. Spoiled people these yuppies are, though lovable. Masculine, feminine, all in between.
GOING OUT?
-Hey let's go out together.
So he thinks. It's like this everyday. Everyone think they can have a piece of me. Taketaketaketaketake and take.
-It's okay, you have a red mesh, but not a boyfriend, no?
Faith, you must be one lecherous loser. You can't fit in with me.
-I can see straight into your heart...
Oh please. Am I that prone to falling for that? Too into the ordinary. I take him by the collar, waiting, waiting, waiting...
-You do like me after all!
Stand to't, NOW!
STOP FOOLING AROUND!
Alas, a rupturous blow to the face. She doesn't fall for that stuff, no she doesn't. And if she did, she would have lost who she was. Does the world work that way. Ha! Thou wisht!
Tis but a flesh wound, a semblance of frustration.
-Who would ever like a clueless person like you? Don't take me lightly you asshole!
So not with any other girl that frequents here, most definitely.
HORRIBLE!
A few wandering schoolgirls with tanned complexions walk on by?
-That's horrible! What did you do to my boyfriend?
Ah, such is conversation between spoiled females. A hilarious comedy waiting to happen.
-Who are you?
-Shibuya's number one, the Queen of the GALS, Kotobuki Ran.
And now this city expects another cat [house] fight in the streets. Faith, what is the world up to? Quoth the prophet Martin Lawrence, "Can't we all just get along?" Shut your interrogations; the world doesn't work that way, no matter how much we want it to be.
RULES ARE RULES
The three know what mess they are dealing with. No surprise. I correct myself, it is a monster. And a gaudily looking one at that. One dyed blue, one red, one mellosmelloyellow, all tanned, ponder the situation.
-No, it's a GALS rule to always accept a challenge
So says the one in red. Well.
-There's no such rule.
So say the other two.
-You've got some guts, bring it on!
Oh, the heart is in for a coronary attack now. Where's the aspirin, with its gaudy color and faint effectiveness, who you most need it? It's like finding a needle in a haystack.
-What are you afraid of?
One would say, thou needeth to ask that question yourself.
K.SATSU
-Okay, miss, come to the police station with me.
And the party is over just like that. How rude.
-Hey! Let go of me!
Dragged like the net. And it's not even Friday. Twas 48 hours ago, but Columbia's cronies are not on the scene. Better stick with TV Tokyo. A.k.a. luck next time.
Hysterics.
-Idiot, moron! You got taken in for questioning!
THROWAWAY
The girl with the red streak hurled it in her former lecher's direction with relative ease. Ajoen, ajoen, make haste, make haste, all you nonbelievers of the gridiron! Someone call the Oakland Raiders, or the X League, by Ama-terasu O'Mikami; we have our new quarterback! I repeat, a passer with good accuracy! (And crappy at the same time!)
-Take that! I don't even want that stupid bag that you gave me!
Next time, Satoru, catch the bag. It was right in your direction. Lousy excuse for a split end. Use V05 to take of that. A little hot oil for your thoughts, sir? Faith, you hands are covered with it. And guilt. Naturally.
THINK INSIDE THE BOX, NOT OUTSIDE
Police station. Trapped with a peacemaker. A peacemaker and a hellraiser. Now isn't that a dutty combination? North meets South. East meets West. Black meets white. Curses. Even Aguilera would find it abhorring. Sean Paul would akin it to heaven akimbo. Just gimme the light, cause I gots to go-oh-oh.
-So boring.
A change of scenery. An unnecessary one. I should be stuffing my face at a takoyaki stand right now. Just. So. But.
-If your big brother hadn't save you, you really would have been in some deep think, so at least be thankful.
Take it with a pinch of salt and three smacks of an arse, will you, sister?
-Yeah, yeah, thank you very much.
Fancy that. Attagirl.
-Your dad's a big boss [at a half-century plus one], and your mom's a police officer, but as for you, you're so...so...
So what? In one ear, out the other. Who cares. So you say. Yasouyos. The same old story. Mr. Quarter-Century old, half the dozen the senior. OK Fine Whatever.
-I'm not going to be like you and become a cop like our parents at all, so there. I'm going to keep being a GAL until they give up, so good luck! Anyway, being a policewoman just isn't my thing, it's tiresome.
Stand true, stand tall. Though the blood courses through your veins like an illegal drug. Coming clean?
HELLO THERE SWEETIE!
The blonde girl with the orange highlights comes over for a looksee. Yamazaki Miyu, former ex-teamer, now would-be fiancée of Kotobuki Yamato. Same age as Ran. Sweet. Literally, and figuratively. At your service, my liege.
-Here's your lunch. I made it.
-Oooooh, a lunch made with love. Great job!
Snicker, snicker, snicker. Hungry? Why wait? Grab a snicker. From your little sister. And her best friend. That'll hold ya. Two for the price of one. Now there's a discount you don't see these days. Just don't.
I GOT PULLED IN FOR QUESTIONING!
-Don't you think it's dramatic to fall in love because I got pulled for questioning?
Faith, your hairdo back then would make even Courtney Love Madonna look like a saint.
St. Courtney, pray for us.
Holy Madonna, mother of drugs, pray for us.
Papa don't preach, Elijah do. At 32 feet per second per second per second.
Catch me if I fall.
-Hey, I'm still on duty!
On duty for what? Keeping the peace? If you're willing to make peace, best be ready for war. Society these days. Hence the rising rate of young virgin bucket kickers. How far does that bucket go? Where it lands, nobody know. Speaking of virgins, faith, I wonder if they sell olive oil around here.
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
-Thanks for the lunch, Miyu! Ran, go straight home! See ya.
Off on his bike, brakes broken. Now isn't that thinking outside of the box? No, there are rules, unfortunately.
HEARTS
-Oh, he's so cool!
-How so?
One who has gone astray, but had herself wrapped tight by an officer's warm heart inside a Love Station is not astray. Where're the directions to Dogenzaka, oh red-streaked Aphrodite? We have gone astray.
AND HAVE YOU KISSED?
-No, he told me to wait a bit until I get older.
Well, well, well, doesn't that make you the least bit uncomfortable? And impatient.
-Don't rush it. Take it easy. See, if two people aren't truly in love with each other, the body should be off limits.
Stringent philosophy from an orchid that lasts forever and ever and ever. Amen.
A kiss on her diary. Still waiting. I rest my case, your Excellency.
MANIC MONDAY MORNING
The teacher towered toward his tired student, awash in her own reverie. Red veins in his eyes from exasperation derived into frustration. Listen. Can you feel it?
-Kotobuki...
Dream on. It's just a phase.
-Kotobuki...
The tide of flames is growing louder. Now. Approach.
-KOTOBUKI!
SLACKER
Ah me! She speaks. O speak again, fair angel with the red streak.
-Ah, morning, Naka-sen.
-It's not Naka-sen, it's Nakanishe-sensei!
A.k.a. Mr. Nakanishi. A veteran teacher of Yamato's senior. Quarter century.
-Not only were you late, but now you're sleeping in class? What is this!?
Answer, proof of fashion-conscious slackers. A.k.a. spoiled children who have nothing to do but shop till they drop. Well, one is dropping right now, but being raised up again. On the first day. Faux messiah.
A slacker is your student, sir. The world would normally turn its back on such people.
Wrong answer:
-But I need 8 hours of beauty sleep for my skin's sake. It's a GALS! Rule.
-Get your sleep at home!
I think she's doing that. Not enough time on her hands. Oh the shame.
I.T.A.Z.U.R.A.
-Answer this question, Ms. Kotobuki.
Bard, speak, sir. We only have earse for you. Commence interrogation of her knowledge.
-The color of the flower is reflecting towards me, swaying timelessly in the air.
Ah. Now the punch.
-What does "itazura" mean here?
Good question, Master Nakanishi. And now the flawed answer from his dubious servant.
-Let's see, itazura, itazura, itazura.
Think hard. Though it not make sense to say so, she hardly followeth.
-Oh, I got it! It's about an Italian wig, right? Italia no zura, make it's short, and it's Itazura. I got it right, didn't I?
The sound of pathetic, citizen-style laughter from a slacker in a blue sweater and white shirt, untucked, sans tie, and green plaid. Not unusual.
TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!
-I've had enough. How about you, Ms. Hoshino?
A girl with long, black, shaggy hair, in a green jacket, green plaid, shirt and tie, smart enough to be pressuredhighpressed, comes forward.
-Not being admired. It means wanting something in vain.
Fancy that, madame Hoshino Aya.
-As expected from a top student in the class. Now can't you be more like her, Ms. Kotobuki.
She sleeps. It is uselessless to resist thisthis. SssSssSss.
BAGS AND IDOLS
-Hey, look at this bag, I got it from Meisho Daiichi High School.
So says another top student and good friend. Satsuki. Premium stuff. From one Asou Yuuya. Number Two. Grand Prix. The magazine they see. Shucks. Aw. A man with a blond do that seems to spell, Mr. Vain. I know what I want, and I want it now: I want you. Cause I'm Number Two.
A good looking guy. Ikemen. That's a gimme.
Quoth Satsuki:
-I wanted Otohata Rei's bag.
-Otohata Rei, you say?
The top guy that won the Grand Prix. Caution to the red meshed one: Looks can be deceiving.
-I hate that type of guy the most!
Well look at who speaks. But, say you, one can only think of clairvoyancy in that assumption.
LIKE A ROLLING STONE
And Lady Satsuki says to her subjects,
-Aye, but holding a Meishou Daiichi bag is a big status symbol for someone of the kogal persuasion.
The hunger stretches the long neck like a bottle without a top.
-I want. I want one too! I want one!
The insane girl flails, rolls to and fro, like a stone that gather no moss. No moss! No moss!
Buster Douglas couldn't have said't any betta.
The girls are not surprised.
GIMMES AND NOS
Agony! Out, you fiend!
The hand of greed lunges forward yelling,
-Gimme gimme gimme!
The yanking game. Pardon me, girls, but you're not in New York. Thought that might might be from.
-Gimme gimme gimme!
-No No No!
-Gimme gimme gimme!
-No No No!
The nerves of spoiled valley girls in Shibuya. Quite a dramatized opus waiting for a recall. Palm Beach anyone?
THERE'S NO USE HELPING IT NOW
Leaning by a window, watching the children engage in productive horseplay, she concedes the struggle unceremoniously.
-Man! She's really stingy. I guess there's no use helping it now.
(DIS)HONOR(ABLE) STUDENT?
A couple of girls (whose names are kept secret on count of anonymity), one in an aqua sweater, the other mellosmelloyellow, chatted amongst themselves in the shadows, on their way to their next class.
-Hey, did you hear about Hoshino?
-What?
-I heard that she had been doing escort services.
A shock to the system. She detests anyone going the way of prostitution, does Ran.
-Really? You're kidding. Isn't that a rumour?
A story of her walking with an older guy at the heart of the metropolis. They chat, they spread, they amaze. Naturally, negatively.
Well, isn't that so not her? One of my lambs in my flock gone astray. Time for me to bring her back. I mean to find out. Enter, red-meshed shepherd.
B-A-G
She perched on the statue of a dogsbody. Its name: Hachiko. A dog that was obedient to his master, even after he died. A pet of compassion, loyalty, faithfulness. I will always be here for you. And you perch on my head. Red-meshed shepherd.
Ah, poor dogsbody! Here lies galsbody on poor dogsbody's body. Hachiko! Bear with that, you noble Akita! Like you've done so many times before. Roll with it, baby.
-What are you doing?
-A bag. B-A-G.
-A Meishou Daiichi bag?
Exactly.
-Whatever you want, you must get. It's a GALS! Rule.
Shoeless Joe and the Damn Yankees send help. Lol(it)a on the loose. Black magic woman she was. Santana would have been spellbound himself. The Shupernatural Shoeless Shaman Shpellbound. Shhhhh. It!
A SIMPLE MIND
-You're not thinking about stealing, are you?
-I know of a much better way than stealing...
Cha-ching.
-But you're so simple-minded. I don't like the sound of this...
Shameless truth. Speak your peace. Dong!
-That hurt!
FREEZE!
-Wait here, Miyu.
-Wh...where are you going, Ran?
She speeds off. Freeze. She's in your sight amongst the graffiti. Even the shining artwork doesn't lie, Ms. Hoshino. Sense of foreboding, perhaps, most definitely a.
THE COLD, HARD TRUTH
-Sup! It was you after all!
-Kotobuki-san.
-Well, Hoshino, you wear those kinds of things, too...that's quite an image change from what you wear at school.
Truth, partways.
-What's wrong?
-Nothing?
Liar.
-You're in a hurry. Are you all right? Cram school, perchance?
A lot of people go there. Across the seas, that is not the case. But here, pressure cooks you. It tenderizes you. Expectations. High. Esteem. Low. Kicking buckets? Frequent. How far? Nobody knows. Not even Mr. Anthony Rich and his failed project.
-Emergency pop-up. I'm ditching today.
-You those types of things too...
Well, doesn't anyone whose imposed pressure cooks them raw? Society can be so brutal. Somebody give the poor lugs a bucket or two, quickly! Lee Corso kens them a'.
-Say, Hoshino, is it true that you're doing escort services?
Aye! She's to the point. Not smart at beating around the bush. No need to be. Straight up like a straitjacket. It's her style. Unfortunately.
Lady Hoshino, silent.
-Why are you asking?
-There a rumor going about at school. If it's just a rumour, I'll set them straight. Then again, a honors student like you wouldn't do that stuff, no?
Laughter, in vain.
-Is it strange?
Stop. Look. And Listen.
-Would it be strange if I'm doing escort services?
Taken aback. The truth must be known.
-Yes. It's true. I am doing escort services.
TRAUMATIZED, THE POOR LASS IS
-I didn't mean to hide it or anything. You can tell the others that it's the truth. I gotta go.
No, I am beyond traumatized. Away from my flock she is. I am spinning in circles. She is serious, is Hoshino Aya. I must set her straight. Now. Before she, too, finds a bucket to kick.
Excuse me while I curse the sky.
GET THE PREY YOU'RE AFTER
Ran walked down the road. Shibuya Center. The Heart of the Japanese Metropolis. It is afternoon. Hot afternoon. Cruel sun. Three showers a day? Not yet. But will in due time. Disgusted with the bad news. Actually, it's bull dust, really. Unceremonious task of cleaning it up. Bah.
-Hey, Ran! Where've you been?
-Nowhere, really.
Actually, if I told you now, you'd be shocked. It's what the military (or in this case, Jiei-Tai) calls, "classified information." I'll take care of it, though. Don't sweat it, sister.
A young ikemen and his accomplice was by. Holding, Maishou Daiichi bags? Karupeidiemu, Kotobuki!
-Always get the prey you're after! That's a GALS! Rule.
Going back to Shoeless Joe and the Damn Yankees. And that black magic woman, Lola. L-o-l-a-lola...Lo-lo-lo-lo-Lola...
HELLO, OTOHATA REI! (THE BAG, PLEASE?)
She made a lunge for the bag. And what a surprise it was.
-What do you want?
Otohata Rei. First place, Super High School Grand Prix. Good looks, pessimistic p.o.v. You gotta love it baby.
-Small-minded; I can take him in one shot. Then I can rub it in my friends' faces.
Poor Miyu. She runs fast, but not that fast. Somebody give her an oxygen tank; she's sucking wind, the poor soul! Now, action!
-Hey, can I have your bag, please?
-Who are you?
-Kounan first-year high school student, Kotobuki Ran.
The Queen of the GALS, and the most unluckiest freshman on campus to date, at your service.
-It's okay, right? The bag, please?
-No way.
She won't give up that easily. The red-mesher tries to yank it away, like a piece of rubber.
SO SHE IS SIMPLE MINDED AFTER ALL.
Miyu, thou art a Nostradamus to thine own clique. Hallelujah, she is saved, can I have an Amen? Amen.
RETURN OF THE GANGUROS
-Can't you give up already?
-Hey, you're the second guy!
-He's had three bags stolen, better to just give up.
A.k.a. Asou Yuuya, a lecher in his own right. Shallow...Poor Rei. He seems to be the target of too many burglaries. Such is the youth of Japan today.
-Hey, Kotobuki!
And they were back. The tanned girls, with the red, yellowdello, and blue dyed hair. What perfect timing. Yawn. Obnoxiousness.
-Don't get close to Rei-kun! He's a GALS Idol! Why don't you go get questioned again?
Argument. And Miyu says,
-What is up with these four...
PAY WITH MY...BODY?
-How much?
She looks.
-How much do you have right now?
-None, I'm poor.
Big spender.
-If you pay me with your body, I wouldn't giving it to you. Frankly, I don't like GALS, but you'll sell yourself like they all do right?
Maybe on the bookshelves and other merchandise in stores, but certainly not...
IN PERSON!? AS IF!
She yanks the bag, out of anger.
-Don't joke around! If you think all GALS are willing to sell with their bodies, you'd better get your head on straight.
Words of wisdom from her majesty the Queen. God. Save. Our. Walking away bowlegged with bag in hand. Shamelessly. Chomuka. At least his wallet was spared. Lucky bastard.
I CAN'T LEAVE HER ALONE.
Back to Minato-ku, where the Kotobuki-family lives. How do they manage to get a good house with a green roof, and all the fixins? Looks wonderful when you see it. Just nice. Upper middle class home. Expensive nowadays, even by our standards in the West.
-Perfect. I stole his bag. Crap. My pride does not allow stealing.
She's not like other GALS, that's a gimme. The police blood, man. The police blood. Too obvious.
Hoshino comes to mind.
-But I can't leave her alone.
Unfinished business.
UNDER THE BRIDGE
Tuesday morning. Students commute along the river to Kounan. Great April day, cherry blossoms in bloom. Wonderful sight. People walking, talking, chatting about nothing in particular. A new school year, a new chance to fall into the pressure cooker. Tokyo never looked so inviting...and unforgiving, all at the same time. So with every city around the world. This is no exception.
Ah! There she is.
-Morning, Hoshino! Hey, wait, Hoshino!
Run, Ran, Run to the bridge, under.
-What do you want?
-You know, you should stop this escort service stuff...
-It has nothing to do with you.
-Why do you want money that badly?
She explains.
-My parents are very strict. I have a curfew and, of course, can't have a part-time job. I get yelled at if I get bad grades, but I just want to have fun like all of you.
This is what you mean by being thrown into the pressure cooker. Where's that bucket, oh Doctor Death? It needs a kicking.
-That's the reason you want the money? [A pathetic situation to be in. My parents are not like that.] Hoshino, you couldn't be...
Dramatics. Aye, it's the truth.
-All I've been doing is dating so far. But next time, it'll most likely be...
She looks into her face, wanting to know these answers? What is it? What is it? Just tell me.
-I can do whatever I want! Please just leave me alone!
Chased, but to no avail. This is serious. How can I? With your situation, how can I?
IT'S HIS BAG.
The school swerves around.
-What? This is Otohata-kun's bag?
-The real stuff. Genuine.
R.O. You know. Hohoho. Santa Claus can't give me a lump of coal for that!
And they want to touch it. Go ahead, touch it while you can. Hohoho. Merry Aprilmas! No mas! No mas! Even Buster Douglas would want a piece of this bag, floating along the Nile River. It would sink, though.
Miyu. Indifferent. Whatever.
A RECORD?
-Huh? You want a record?
The officer looked at with an interested eye.
-Her name is Hoshino Aya, would you have to happen a record of her.
Well, that was an easy task. The officer scanned the files in a few seconds.
-Nope. No record of her.
-You're useless. Well, I didn't expect her to have a record anyway.
-Then don't ask!
Now wasn't that a useless question?
BUNKAMURA?
-Hey, Ran, I saw Hoshino! She looked like an onegal!
And older-sister GAL, so to speak. News from outside the box. Good thinking, Miyu.
-Bro, I'm borrowing your bike.
She zooms out, fast as a bullet. Makes even Lance Armstrong feel slow. Yeah, the Lance who rules France by the pants. That one.
-Hey, Ran, the brakes are broken!
-What?
Uh, oh...ouch.
-Say that sooner, stupid brother...!
HURRY UP AND GO!
Rei and Yuuya are best friends. Ironic that the top two guys in the nation are best friends. You don't see that every day. Or in a lifetime. Unless the magazine is reprimanded for "Fix." It probably is anyway, but no one's complaining. Weird.
Oh, and here comes the girl with the red-mesh. Bravo. 10 for landing on the scooter perfectly, 5 for form and impossible physics. Please do not try out for the gymnastics team, Ran. They wouldn't need you anyway. Snickersnickersnicker. Mighty hungry. Not winning this war. For now.
-Take me to Bunkamura.
-But I have work.
-Just hurry up and GO!
Rei works part time as a DJ in some of the clubs in Shibuya. Oh, I'm so sorry Rei, but even the top ikemen in the nation must follow orders from his superior. A necessary evil, and a cute one, too. This girl's definitely different. One that wants it all now. Scary.
CORNERED
Indeed, waiting for her escort like a sitting duck. Fool. Got her.
-Sorry, I may not be able to compare to you in schoolwork, but I won't lose in a foot race.
Indeed. Track team star. Budding. Budding. Blossoming. Like an orchid. Sprints. 100, 200, 400, 800, you name the distance, she'll take it in stride. Potential to letter all three years. Win multiple medals. Great speed, great agility, great heart. Needs to boost up her grade to letter and be captain of the girls' track team. Might be thinking to meself that she could make the Olympic roster one day. Don't even think of stripping her medal, IOC, cause it all comes from within. Naturally. Marion Jones, Zhanna Block, meet your maker. Are those Chariots of Fire I hear? Vangelis, Tokyo's calling...
-Why did you come here for?
-You're waiting for your escort, right?
-I told you to leave me alone, didn't I? It doesn't matter to you want I do, does it?
Wrong.
-It does matter! We're classmates, right? I don't have any money, either, but being a GAL is fun. Don't you have any pride?
-That doesn't matter anymore. At first I felt guilty all the time, but it's just dating. So once I started thinking like that, I thought as long as I don't lose my heart, it'd be okay.
Nope. Wrong again.
-So, your body is a thing, unlike your heart.
-That's right! What's wrong with that?
Three strikes, you're out!
BITE DOWN HARD!
-Hoshino, bite down hard!
A hard slap to the right cheek. Vicious. Agony.
-What did you do that for!?
PREACH, SISTER, PREACH!
-Don't be a sissy! It hurts, doesn't it? If you were just a thing, you wouldn't feel the pain at all! If your body was just a THING, it'd be like if your heart was really dead! Why don't you cut off your own flesh? If you can't do that, don't be saying such big words!
AND MIYU RESOLVES THIS!
-It's much more fun if you hang out with us, instead of older men. And we'll listen to your problems, too, 'kay?
-Yeah, but that'd take a whole night.
-All right, bring it on!
IT'S IN YOUR DNA!
-Well, Ran, looks like you are the daughter of a police family after all!
-Ack! I just went with the flow.
Don't deny what you just said to Ms. Hoshino, Ms. Kotobuki. It's in your DNA. The police blood flows through you like an illegal drug. Courses through your veins. You can't deny that...Miyu knows that firsthand. Guess she's not that simpleminded...Judgment refuted, to an extent.
TAKOYAKI...ANYONE?
She hands out a wadful of yen to Yamato.
-I haven't used any of the money that I got from dating, so please take this.
-No problem, ma'am.
Now how much takoyaki could I buy with that? A mountainfull. Damn...
THAT SARCASM JUST DOESN'T FIT YOU
-Hey, Otohata, I would like to return this bag that I stole from you.
-No, you can keep it.
He looked on, with a keen, interested eye.
-You've shown me something interesting today.
-That sarcasm just doesn't fit you.
What sarcasm? He still wants her? Or is it the police blood?
-I hear that all the time.
That sarcasm...turns to seriousness. Hmmm...I sense a fallacy with your argument, Kotobuki Ran-sama.
-Oh well, bye, thank you.
YOU ROCK, RAN-CHAN!
Yuuya was still over his heels.
-Ran-Chan...you rock!
Rightfully so.
-She's dangerous.
Rightfully so.
KARAOKE, HERE WE COME!
Late afternoon conversation.
-So, how do GALS have fun?
-Well, we head to the drugstore, put on some makeup samples.
-Oh yeah, there's the karaoke bar! Discount time until five, Aya!
And the three of them head over, awash in the light of youth and happiness.
DON'T SPEND MONEY THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO. THAT'S A GALS RULE!
Frugality, defined. Couldn't have said it any better myself. Hachiko watches, the guardian, smiling, confirmed, a shining, shimmering red as the sun went down and night fell in the heart of the Japanese metropolis.
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END EPISODE 1
This chapter's inspired by Episode 7 of Ulysses. It's a funny episode if you read the book itself.
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An Orchid That Lasts Forever
Episode 1
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IN THE HEART OF THE JAPANESE METROPOLIS
9? Or is that a Q? 10-something. Albeit myself this is a good location for a headache, or a heartache, by all means of the imagination. Tall buildings. Neon signs in a language so hard to learn. Makes you claustrophobic even the least to think of such. My eyes can't see the glory of the coming of the Lord...well, shut your eyes and see. It will not come. It may never come, oh no, by no means. Just shut them if they are an overwhelmance. All eyes closed, yes. Greenbluepinkredbluepink, up and down around the town. Good for posterity. Bad for the eyes. Now open.
How modern is that for a change?
Basta! You are not in San Fernando, not by a chance. Just picture it.
PEOPLE MOVING OUT, PEOPLE MOVING IN
Absolutely everybody's invited, by the streak of the imagination turned reality. Going in and out to shop. Must be some discount prices here.
A looksee. Gah, there must not be. Spoiled people these yuppies are, though lovable. Masculine, feminine, all in between.
GOING OUT?
-Hey let's go out together.
So he thinks. It's like this everyday. Everyone think they can have a piece of me. Taketaketaketaketake and take.
-It's okay, you have a red mesh, but not a boyfriend, no?
Faith, you must be one lecherous loser. You can't fit in with me.
-I can see straight into your heart...
Oh please. Am I that prone to falling for that? Too into the ordinary. I take him by the collar, waiting, waiting, waiting...
-You do like me after all!
Stand to't, NOW!
STOP FOOLING AROUND!
Alas, a rupturous blow to the face. She doesn't fall for that stuff, no she doesn't. And if she did, she would have lost who she was. Does the world work that way. Ha! Thou wisht!
Tis but a flesh wound, a semblance of frustration.
-Who would ever like a clueless person like you? Don't take me lightly you asshole!
So not with any other girl that frequents here, most definitely.
HORRIBLE!
A few wandering schoolgirls with tanned complexions walk on by?
-That's horrible! What did you do to my boyfriend?
Ah, such is conversation between spoiled females. A hilarious comedy waiting to happen.
-Who are you?
-Shibuya's number one, the Queen of the GALS, Kotobuki Ran.
And now this city expects another cat [house] fight in the streets. Faith, what is the world up to? Quoth the prophet Martin Lawrence, "Can't we all just get along?" Shut your interrogations; the world doesn't work that way, no matter how much we want it to be.
RULES ARE RULES
The three know what mess they are dealing with. No surprise. I correct myself, it is a monster. And a gaudily looking one at that. One dyed blue, one red, one mellosmelloyellow, all tanned, ponder the situation.
-No, it's a GALS rule to always accept a challenge
So says the one in red. Well.
-There's no such rule.
So say the other two.
-You've got some guts, bring it on!
Oh, the heart is in for a coronary attack now. Where's the aspirin, with its gaudy color and faint effectiveness, who you most need it? It's like finding a needle in a haystack.
-What are you afraid of?
One would say, thou needeth to ask that question yourself.
K.SATSU
-Okay, miss, come to the police station with me.
And the party is over just like that. How rude.
-Hey! Let go of me!
Dragged like the net. And it's not even Friday. Twas 48 hours ago, but Columbia's cronies are not on the scene. Better stick with TV Tokyo. A.k.a. luck next time.
Hysterics.
-Idiot, moron! You got taken in for questioning!
THROWAWAY
The girl with the red streak hurled it in her former lecher's direction with relative ease. Ajoen, ajoen, make haste, make haste, all you nonbelievers of the gridiron! Someone call the Oakland Raiders, or the X League, by Ama-terasu O'Mikami; we have our new quarterback! I repeat, a passer with good accuracy! (And crappy at the same time!)
-Take that! I don't even want that stupid bag that you gave me!
Next time, Satoru, catch the bag. It was right in your direction. Lousy excuse for a split end. Use V05 to take of that. A little hot oil for your thoughts, sir? Faith, you hands are covered with it. And guilt. Naturally.
THINK INSIDE THE BOX, NOT OUTSIDE
Police station. Trapped with a peacemaker. A peacemaker and a hellraiser. Now isn't that a dutty combination? North meets South. East meets West. Black meets white. Curses. Even Aguilera would find it abhorring. Sean Paul would akin it to heaven akimbo. Just gimme the light, cause I gots to go-oh-oh.
-So boring.
A change of scenery. An unnecessary one. I should be stuffing my face at a takoyaki stand right now. Just. So. But.
-If your big brother hadn't save you, you really would have been in some deep think, so at least be thankful.
Take it with a pinch of salt and three smacks of an arse, will you, sister?
-Yeah, yeah, thank you very much.
Fancy that. Attagirl.
-Your dad's a big boss [at a half-century plus one], and your mom's a police officer, but as for you, you're so...so...
So what? In one ear, out the other. Who cares. So you say. Yasouyos. The same old story. Mr. Quarter-Century old, half the dozen the senior. OK Fine Whatever.
-I'm not going to be like you and become a cop like our parents at all, so there. I'm going to keep being a GAL until they give up, so good luck! Anyway, being a policewoman just isn't my thing, it's tiresome.
Stand true, stand tall. Though the blood courses through your veins like an illegal drug. Coming clean?
HELLO THERE SWEETIE!
The blonde girl with the orange highlights comes over for a looksee. Yamazaki Miyu, former ex-teamer, now would-be fiancée of Kotobuki Yamato. Same age as Ran. Sweet. Literally, and figuratively. At your service, my liege.
-Here's your lunch. I made it.
-Oooooh, a lunch made with love. Great job!
Snicker, snicker, snicker. Hungry? Why wait? Grab a snicker. From your little sister. And her best friend. That'll hold ya. Two for the price of one. Now there's a discount you don't see these days. Just don't.
I GOT PULLED IN FOR QUESTIONING!
-Don't you think it's dramatic to fall in love because I got pulled for questioning?
Faith, your hairdo back then would make even Courtney Love Madonna look like a saint.
St. Courtney, pray for us.
Holy Madonna, mother of drugs, pray for us.
Papa don't preach, Elijah do. At 32 feet per second per second per second.
Catch me if I fall.
-Hey, I'm still on duty!
On duty for what? Keeping the peace? If you're willing to make peace, best be ready for war. Society these days. Hence the rising rate of young virgin bucket kickers. How far does that bucket go? Where it lands, nobody know. Speaking of virgins, faith, I wonder if they sell olive oil around here.
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
-Thanks for the lunch, Miyu! Ran, go straight home! See ya.
Off on his bike, brakes broken. Now isn't that thinking outside of the box? No, there are rules, unfortunately.
HEARTS
-Oh, he's so cool!
-How so?
One who has gone astray, but had herself wrapped tight by an officer's warm heart inside a Love Station is not astray. Where're the directions to Dogenzaka, oh red-streaked Aphrodite? We have gone astray.
AND HAVE YOU KISSED?
-No, he told me to wait a bit until I get older.
Well, well, well, doesn't that make you the least bit uncomfortable? And impatient.
-Don't rush it. Take it easy. See, if two people aren't truly in love with each other, the body should be off limits.
Stringent philosophy from an orchid that lasts forever and ever and ever. Amen.
A kiss on her diary. Still waiting. I rest my case, your Excellency.
MANIC MONDAY MORNING
The teacher towered toward his tired student, awash in her own reverie. Red veins in his eyes from exasperation derived into frustration. Listen. Can you feel it?
-Kotobuki...
Dream on. It's just a phase.
-Kotobuki...
The tide of flames is growing louder. Now. Approach.
-KOTOBUKI!
SLACKER
Ah me! She speaks. O speak again, fair angel with the red streak.
-Ah, morning, Naka-sen.
-It's not Naka-sen, it's Nakanishe-sensei!
A.k.a. Mr. Nakanishi. A veteran teacher of Yamato's senior. Quarter century.
-Not only were you late, but now you're sleeping in class? What is this!?
Answer, proof of fashion-conscious slackers. A.k.a. spoiled children who have nothing to do but shop till they drop. Well, one is dropping right now, but being raised up again. On the first day. Faux messiah.
A slacker is your student, sir. The world would normally turn its back on such people.
Wrong answer:
-But I need 8 hours of beauty sleep for my skin's sake. It's a GALS! Rule.
-Get your sleep at home!
I think she's doing that. Not enough time on her hands. Oh the shame.
I.T.A.Z.U.R.A.
-Answer this question, Ms. Kotobuki.
Bard, speak, sir. We only have earse for you. Commence interrogation of her knowledge.
-The color of the flower is reflecting towards me, swaying timelessly in the air.
Ah. Now the punch.
-What does "itazura" mean here?
Good question, Master Nakanishi. And now the flawed answer from his dubious servant.
-Let's see, itazura, itazura, itazura.
Think hard. Though it not make sense to say so, she hardly followeth.
-Oh, I got it! It's about an Italian wig, right? Italia no zura, make it's short, and it's Itazura. I got it right, didn't I?
The sound of pathetic, citizen-style laughter from a slacker in a blue sweater and white shirt, untucked, sans tie, and green plaid. Not unusual.
TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!
-I've had enough. How about you, Ms. Hoshino?
A girl with long, black, shaggy hair, in a green jacket, green plaid, shirt and tie, smart enough to be pressuredhighpressed, comes forward.
-Not being admired. It means wanting something in vain.
Fancy that, madame Hoshino Aya.
-As expected from a top student in the class. Now can't you be more like her, Ms. Kotobuki.
She sleeps. It is uselessless to resist thisthis. SssSssSss.
BAGS AND IDOLS
-Hey, look at this bag, I got it from Meisho Daiichi High School.
So says another top student and good friend. Satsuki. Premium stuff. From one Asou Yuuya. Number Two. Grand Prix. The magazine they see. Shucks. Aw. A man with a blond do that seems to spell, Mr. Vain. I know what I want, and I want it now: I want you. Cause I'm Number Two.
A good looking guy. Ikemen. That's a gimme.
Quoth Satsuki:
-I wanted Otohata Rei's bag.
-Otohata Rei, you say?
The top guy that won the Grand Prix. Caution to the red meshed one: Looks can be deceiving.
-I hate that type of guy the most!
Well look at who speaks. But, say you, one can only think of clairvoyancy in that assumption.
LIKE A ROLLING STONE
And Lady Satsuki says to her subjects,
-Aye, but holding a Meishou Daiichi bag is a big status symbol for someone of the kogal persuasion.
The hunger stretches the long neck like a bottle without a top.
-I want. I want one too! I want one!
The insane girl flails, rolls to and fro, like a stone that gather no moss. No moss! No moss!
Buster Douglas couldn't have said't any betta.
The girls are not surprised.
GIMMES AND NOS
Agony! Out, you fiend!
The hand of greed lunges forward yelling,
-Gimme gimme gimme!
The yanking game. Pardon me, girls, but you're not in New York. Thought that might might be from.
-Gimme gimme gimme!
-No No No!
-Gimme gimme gimme!
-No No No!
The nerves of spoiled valley girls in Shibuya. Quite a dramatized opus waiting for a recall. Palm Beach anyone?
THERE'S NO USE HELPING IT NOW
Leaning by a window, watching the children engage in productive horseplay, she concedes the struggle unceremoniously.
-Man! She's really stingy. I guess there's no use helping it now.
(DIS)HONOR(ABLE) STUDENT?
A couple of girls (whose names are kept secret on count of anonymity), one in an aqua sweater, the other mellosmelloyellow, chatted amongst themselves in the shadows, on their way to their next class.
-Hey, did you hear about Hoshino?
-What?
-I heard that she had been doing escort services.
A shock to the system. She detests anyone going the way of prostitution, does Ran.
-Really? You're kidding. Isn't that a rumour?
A story of her walking with an older guy at the heart of the metropolis. They chat, they spread, they amaze. Naturally, negatively.
Well, isn't that so not her? One of my lambs in my flock gone astray. Time for me to bring her back. I mean to find out. Enter, red-meshed shepherd.
B-A-G
She perched on the statue of a dogsbody. Its name: Hachiko. A dog that was obedient to his master, even after he died. A pet of compassion, loyalty, faithfulness. I will always be here for you. And you perch on my head. Red-meshed shepherd.
Ah, poor dogsbody! Here lies galsbody on poor dogsbody's body. Hachiko! Bear with that, you noble Akita! Like you've done so many times before. Roll with it, baby.
-What are you doing?
-A bag. B-A-G.
-A Meishou Daiichi bag?
Exactly.
-Whatever you want, you must get. It's a GALS! Rule.
Shoeless Joe and the Damn Yankees send help. Lol(it)a on the loose. Black magic woman she was. Santana would have been spellbound himself. The Shupernatural Shoeless Shaman Shpellbound. Shhhhh. It!
A SIMPLE MIND
-You're not thinking about stealing, are you?
-I know of a much better way than stealing...
Cha-ching.
-But you're so simple-minded. I don't like the sound of this...
Shameless truth. Speak your peace. Dong!
-That hurt!
FREEZE!
-Wait here, Miyu.
-Wh...where are you going, Ran?
She speeds off. Freeze. She's in your sight amongst the graffiti. Even the shining artwork doesn't lie, Ms. Hoshino. Sense of foreboding, perhaps, most definitely a.
THE COLD, HARD TRUTH
-Sup! It was you after all!
-Kotobuki-san.
-Well, Hoshino, you wear those kinds of things, too...that's quite an image change from what you wear at school.
Truth, partways.
-What's wrong?
-Nothing?
Liar.
-You're in a hurry. Are you all right? Cram school, perchance?
A lot of people go there. Across the seas, that is not the case. But here, pressure cooks you. It tenderizes you. Expectations. High. Esteem. Low. Kicking buckets? Frequent. How far? Nobody knows. Not even Mr. Anthony Rich and his failed project.
-Emergency pop-up. I'm ditching today.
-You those types of things too...
Well, doesn't anyone whose imposed pressure cooks them raw? Society can be so brutal. Somebody give the poor lugs a bucket or two, quickly! Lee Corso kens them a'.
-Say, Hoshino, is it true that you're doing escort services?
Aye! She's to the point. Not smart at beating around the bush. No need to be. Straight up like a straitjacket. It's her style. Unfortunately.
Lady Hoshino, silent.
-Why are you asking?
-There a rumor going about at school. If it's just a rumour, I'll set them straight. Then again, a honors student like you wouldn't do that stuff, no?
Laughter, in vain.
-Is it strange?
Stop. Look. And Listen.
-Would it be strange if I'm doing escort services?
Taken aback. The truth must be known.
-Yes. It's true. I am doing escort services.
TRAUMATIZED, THE POOR LASS IS
-I didn't mean to hide it or anything. You can tell the others that it's the truth. I gotta go.
No, I am beyond traumatized. Away from my flock she is. I am spinning in circles. She is serious, is Hoshino Aya. I must set her straight. Now. Before she, too, finds a bucket to kick.
Excuse me while I curse the sky.
GET THE PREY YOU'RE AFTER
Ran walked down the road. Shibuya Center. The Heart of the Japanese Metropolis. It is afternoon. Hot afternoon. Cruel sun. Three showers a day? Not yet. But will in due time. Disgusted with the bad news. Actually, it's bull dust, really. Unceremonious task of cleaning it up. Bah.
-Hey, Ran! Where've you been?
-Nowhere, really.
Actually, if I told you now, you'd be shocked. It's what the military (or in this case, Jiei-Tai) calls, "classified information." I'll take care of it, though. Don't sweat it, sister.
A young ikemen and his accomplice was by. Holding, Maishou Daiichi bags? Karupeidiemu, Kotobuki!
-Always get the prey you're after! That's a GALS! Rule.
Going back to Shoeless Joe and the Damn Yankees. And that black magic woman, Lola. L-o-l-a-lola...Lo-lo-lo-lo-Lola...
HELLO, OTOHATA REI! (THE BAG, PLEASE?)
She made a lunge for the bag. And what a surprise it was.
-What do you want?
Otohata Rei. First place, Super High School Grand Prix. Good looks, pessimistic p.o.v. You gotta love it baby.
-Small-minded; I can take him in one shot. Then I can rub it in my friends' faces.
Poor Miyu. She runs fast, but not that fast. Somebody give her an oxygen tank; she's sucking wind, the poor soul! Now, action!
-Hey, can I have your bag, please?
-Who are you?
-Kounan first-year high school student, Kotobuki Ran.
The Queen of the GALS, and the most unluckiest freshman on campus to date, at your service.
-It's okay, right? The bag, please?
-No way.
She won't give up that easily. The red-mesher tries to yank it away, like a piece of rubber.
SO SHE IS SIMPLE MINDED AFTER ALL.
Miyu, thou art a Nostradamus to thine own clique. Hallelujah, she is saved, can I have an Amen? Amen.
RETURN OF THE GANGUROS
-Can't you give up already?
-Hey, you're the second guy!
-He's had three bags stolen, better to just give up.
A.k.a. Asou Yuuya, a lecher in his own right. Shallow...Poor Rei. He seems to be the target of too many burglaries. Such is the youth of Japan today.
-Hey, Kotobuki!
And they were back. The tanned girls, with the red, yellowdello, and blue dyed hair. What perfect timing. Yawn. Obnoxiousness.
-Don't get close to Rei-kun! He's a GALS Idol! Why don't you go get questioned again?
Argument. And Miyu says,
-What is up with these four...
PAY WITH MY...BODY?
-How much?
She looks.
-How much do you have right now?
-None, I'm poor.
Big spender.
-If you pay me with your body, I wouldn't giving it to you. Frankly, I don't like GALS, but you'll sell yourself like they all do right?
Maybe on the bookshelves and other merchandise in stores, but certainly not...
IN PERSON!? AS IF!
She yanks the bag, out of anger.
-Don't joke around! If you think all GALS are willing to sell with their bodies, you'd better get your head on straight.
Words of wisdom from her majesty the Queen. God. Save. Our. Walking away bowlegged with bag in hand. Shamelessly. Chomuka. At least his wallet was spared. Lucky bastard.
I CAN'T LEAVE HER ALONE.
Back to Minato-ku, where the Kotobuki-family lives. How do they manage to get a good house with a green roof, and all the fixins? Looks wonderful when you see it. Just nice. Upper middle class home. Expensive nowadays, even by our standards in the West.
-Perfect. I stole his bag. Crap. My pride does not allow stealing.
She's not like other GALS, that's a gimme. The police blood, man. The police blood. Too obvious.
Hoshino comes to mind.
-But I can't leave her alone.
Unfinished business.
UNDER THE BRIDGE
Tuesday morning. Students commute along the river to Kounan. Great April day, cherry blossoms in bloom. Wonderful sight. People walking, talking, chatting about nothing in particular. A new school year, a new chance to fall into the pressure cooker. Tokyo never looked so inviting...and unforgiving, all at the same time. So with every city around the world. This is no exception.
Ah! There she is.
-Morning, Hoshino! Hey, wait, Hoshino!
Run, Ran, Run to the bridge, under.
-What do you want?
-You know, you should stop this escort service stuff...
-It has nothing to do with you.
-Why do you want money that badly?
She explains.
-My parents are very strict. I have a curfew and, of course, can't have a part-time job. I get yelled at if I get bad grades, but I just want to have fun like all of you.
This is what you mean by being thrown into the pressure cooker. Where's that bucket, oh Doctor Death? It needs a kicking.
-That's the reason you want the money? [A pathetic situation to be in. My parents are not like that.] Hoshino, you couldn't be...
Dramatics. Aye, it's the truth.
-All I've been doing is dating so far. But next time, it'll most likely be...
She looks into her face, wanting to know these answers? What is it? What is it? Just tell me.
-I can do whatever I want! Please just leave me alone!
Chased, but to no avail. This is serious. How can I? With your situation, how can I?
IT'S HIS BAG.
The school swerves around.
-What? This is Otohata-kun's bag?
-The real stuff. Genuine.
R.O. You know. Hohoho. Santa Claus can't give me a lump of coal for that!
And they want to touch it. Go ahead, touch it while you can. Hohoho. Merry Aprilmas! No mas! No mas! Even Buster Douglas would want a piece of this bag, floating along the Nile River. It would sink, though.
Miyu. Indifferent. Whatever.
A RECORD?
-Huh? You want a record?
The officer looked at with an interested eye.
-Her name is Hoshino Aya, would you have to happen a record of her.
Well, that was an easy task. The officer scanned the files in a few seconds.
-Nope. No record of her.
-You're useless. Well, I didn't expect her to have a record anyway.
-Then don't ask!
Now wasn't that a useless question?
BUNKAMURA?
-Hey, Ran, I saw Hoshino! She looked like an onegal!
And older-sister GAL, so to speak. News from outside the box. Good thinking, Miyu.
-Bro, I'm borrowing your bike.
She zooms out, fast as a bullet. Makes even Lance Armstrong feel slow. Yeah, the Lance who rules France by the pants. That one.
-Hey, Ran, the brakes are broken!
-What?
Uh, oh...ouch.
-Say that sooner, stupid brother...!
HURRY UP AND GO!
Rei and Yuuya are best friends. Ironic that the top two guys in the nation are best friends. You don't see that every day. Or in a lifetime. Unless the magazine is reprimanded for "Fix." It probably is anyway, but no one's complaining. Weird.
Oh, and here comes the girl with the red-mesh. Bravo. 10 for landing on the scooter perfectly, 5 for form and impossible physics. Please do not try out for the gymnastics team, Ran. They wouldn't need you anyway. Snickersnickersnicker. Mighty hungry. Not winning this war. For now.
-Take me to Bunkamura.
-But I have work.
-Just hurry up and GO!
Rei works part time as a DJ in some of the clubs in Shibuya. Oh, I'm so sorry Rei, but even the top ikemen in the nation must follow orders from his superior. A necessary evil, and a cute one, too. This girl's definitely different. One that wants it all now. Scary.
CORNERED
Indeed, waiting for her escort like a sitting duck. Fool. Got her.
-Sorry, I may not be able to compare to you in schoolwork, but I won't lose in a foot race.
Indeed. Track team star. Budding. Budding. Blossoming. Like an orchid. Sprints. 100, 200, 400, 800, you name the distance, she'll take it in stride. Potential to letter all three years. Win multiple medals. Great speed, great agility, great heart. Needs to boost up her grade to letter and be captain of the girls' track team. Might be thinking to meself that she could make the Olympic roster one day. Don't even think of stripping her medal, IOC, cause it all comes from within. Naturally. Marion Jones, Zhanna Block, meet your maker. Are those Chariots of Fire I hear? Vangelis, Tokyo's calling...
-Why did you come here for?
-You're waiting for your escort, right?
-I told you to leave me alone, didn't I? It doesn't matter to you want I do, does it?
Wrong.
-It does matter! We're classmates, right? I don't have any money, either, but being a GAL is fun. Don't you have any pride?
-That doesn't matter anymore. At first I felt guilty all the time, but it's just dating. So once I started thinking like that, I thought as long as I don't lose my heart, it'd be okay.
Nope. Wrong again.
-So, your body is a thing, unlike your heart.
-That's right! What's wrong with that?
Three strikes, you're out!
BITE DOWN HARD!
-Hoshino, bite down hard!
A hard slap to the right cheek. Vicious. Agony.
-What did you do that for!?
PREACH, SISTER, PREACH!
-Don't be a sissy! It hurts, doesn't it? If you were just a thing, you wouldn't feel the pain at all! If your body was just a THING, it'd be like if your heart was really dead! Why don't you cut off your own flesh? If you can't do that, don't be saying such big words!
AND MIYU RESOLVES THIS!
-It's much more fun if you hang out with us, instead of older men. And we'll listen to your problems, too, 'kay?
-Yeah, but that'd take a whole night.
-All right, bring it on!
IT'S IN YOUR DNA!
-Well, Ran, looks like you are the daughter of a police family after all!
-Ack! I just went with the flow.
Don't deny what you just said to Ms. Hoshino, Ms. Kotobuki. It's in your DNA. The police blood flows through you like an illegal drug. Courses through your veins. You can't deny that...Miyu knows that firsthand. Guess she's not that simpleminded...Judgment refuted, to an extent.
TAKOYAKI...ANYONE?
She hands out a wadful of yen to Yamato.
-I haven't used any of the money that I got from dating, so please take this.
-No problem, ma'am.
Now how much takoyaki could I buy with that? A mountainfull. Damn...
THAT SARCASM JUST DOESN'T FIT YOU
-Hey, Otohata, I would like to return this bag that I stole from you.
-No, you can keep it.
He looked on, with a keen, interested eye.
-You've shown me something interesting today.
-That sarcasm just doesn't fit you.
What sarcasm? He still wants her? Or is it the police blood?
-I hear that all the time.
That sarcasm...turns to seriousness. Hmmm...I sense a fallacy with your argument, Kotobuki Ran-sama.
-Oh well, bye, thank you.
YOU ROCK, RAN-CHAN!
Yuuya was still over his heels.
-Ran-Chan...you rock!
Rightfully so.
-She's dangerous.
Rightfully so.
KARAOKE, HERE WE COME!
Late afternoon conversation.
-So, how do GALS have fun?
-Well, we head to the drugstore, put on some makeup samples.
-Oh yeah, there's the karaoke bar! Discount time until five, Aya!
And the three of them head over, awash in the light of youth and happiness.
DON'T SPEND MONEY THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO. THAT'S A GALS RULE!
Frugality, defined. Couldn't have said it any better myself. Hachiko watches, the guardian, smiling, confirmed, a shining, shimmering red as the sun went down and night fell in the heart of the Japanese metropolis.
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END EPISODE 1