Setting: After the Shugo Chara! Party
Character(s): Saaya Yamabuki, Misaki Watarai, Fuyuki Kirishima, Amu Hinamori
We are Buono!: Independent Girl (独立女子であるために)
Seiyo Academy was a private institution that spanned an elementary school and a middle school, but not a high school. As such, it was not at all difficult to make the transition from elementary school to middle school if you were a returning Seiyo Academy student. Of course, middle school itself was still more difficult than elementary school, and Seiyo Academy's middle school was like the other middle schools in the sense that it was all for the sake of preparing you for high school entrance exams. Once the time for high school exams came, everyone in your middle school class would be separated upon going to high school.
That's why the transition from elementary school to middle school, especially at Seiyo Academy, was valued as being easy in comparison to middle school to high school transitions all over Japan.
Or, at least it was supposed to be.
Saaya Yamabuki, however, was bitter because of the class she had been placed into.
Each of the six elementary school grades had two classes: Star and Moon. Each of the three middle school grades had four classes each: A, B, C, and D. Whichever sixth grade class had the higher grades at the end of the year, the Star class in this case, would be split up into the A and C classes; with those getting higher grades being put into class A and those getting the lower grades being put into class C. As such, The other class, the Moon class in this case, would be divided into the B and D classes in the same way.
With this knowledge, Saaya should have been placed into the A or C class.
However, after the new arrivals were evenly distributed among each class, the Moon class still had less students in comparison to the Star class. There was also an uneven gender ratio. As such, some students from the Star class who had placed into the C class had been moved to the D class instead.
Saaya truly believed that she was the best, and the fact that she'd been placed into the D class, lowest of the low, was infuriating. The horror of having to be in the D class was supposed to be reserved for the losers, or the low-scoring students of the lower class. Saaya was not supposed to be among them.
And to top it all off, absolutely none of her followers had been moved with her.
The one thing that comforted Saaya about the situation, however, was the fact that her biggest rival, Amu Hinamori, had also been moved to the D class. She could not prove that she was better than Amu Hinamori if the pink-haired girl was in a higher class. At least this way, Amu Hinamori is on her level.
They were all in this together so to speak.
Even so, that didn't change the fact that being in the D class was one of the most aggravating situations she could possibly be in.
For one thing, Nagihiko Fujisaki-kun and the other smart and confident students of the Moon class had been placed into the B class. As such, she was left with the less-intelligent and spineless members of the Moon class as her classmates in the D class.
And oh were they spineless.
That ridiculous Ogata-kun from Osaka was always too busy raving about Osaka and ice skating, trying to get others to like them, too.
Little miss Nonaka would not stop spouting random nonsense in English, it was no wonder she didn't make it to the B class despite her intelligence. She, too, was excessively craving for everyone else's approval.
Not to mention Haga-chan was always hanging off of her seniors like a helpless puppy, and that Makino girl was so ridiculous with her energy and endless talking.
And it wasn't just the girls or country folk either, basketball-player Fuyuki Kirishima-kun was practically the definition of a love-sick puppy. He would get a petty crush and then be upset when it didn't work out, but everyone would know that it wouldn't because he could not get over Rima Mashiro-san. Next thing you know he'd be moping through class.
It seemed as though everyone in this god-forsaken class would just start moping or whining about the most trivial of things, especially unrequited love.
One day it was Ogata-kun from Osaka trying in vain to become friends with the new Ogata-kun that was not from Osaka, and the next it was that Makino girl tearing apart Misaki Watarai for daring to also have a crush on Fujisaki-kun.
No matter what it was, it was always trivial. At the end of it all, the D class would sit there in an awkward and depressed silence, especially when the teacher would call on someone to answer a question.
It was in these moments it was Saaya who would be the only one to correctly give the teacher the proper answer, which was ridiculous considering the fact that Saaya had never before been the smartest in her class. She had been so used to asserting her superiority to others and being challenged in turn. Now that she was in the D class, however, she was at a loss, there was no one challenging her.
She didn't even need to assert her authority anymore, because it was so clear that she was so much more independent and stable-minded than the others in her class that it was sad. It felt wrong.
She pitied them all for their lack of any independence, confidence, or self-worth.
This surprisingly included Amu Hinamori. After the first week or so of middle school, her former rival had become just as miserable of the others. Her cool and spicy character was gone in favor of a nervous silence.
It was sickening that not even her former rival was at Saaya's level of independence anymore. At least her own group of four followers were confident in their choosing to support Saaya. The D class didn't even have that much, always asking others for approval.
That was why Saaya was currently standing in front of the D class.
It was lunch time, and the students had all gotten out their lunches and were eating at their desks. Their teacher had stepped out for a moment, but Saaya knew that he wouldn't return until the majority of the students were done with lunch. It was no wonder, Saaya would've liked to step out, too, if only to preserve what dignity she had left.
The conversations that had ensued as usual, went a little like this:
"Oh, so you like skating? What's that like?" Nonaka
"Oh, well I put on skates and then I skate on the ice!" Ogata-kun from Osaka
"Wow that's so cool!"
"Yeah, do you want to come with me sometime?"
"But it's not winter yet..."
"So? We can go to an indoor rink! I did it all the time in Osaka. I think America has indoor rinks too."
"Really? Is it possible? Would the ice still be cold?"
"Yeah! Or at least it feels like it. Do you want to come? I can show you!"
"I don't know, I'll go, but only if it isn't cold."
"What about Yamagishi-san? She's cute!" that Makino girl
"I don't know, she doesn't really show her personality, kind of like Mashiro-san." Kirishima-kun
"What about Niinuma-san? She's pretty!"
"I don't know, I hear she's really strong but just hiding it, kind of like Mashiro-san, but physically."
"What about Haga-chan? She's cute!"
"I don't know, she's kind of like Mashiro-san, but more like a little sister..."
"Asakura-san? Kishimoto-san? That damned Misaki Watarai?"
"Well, they just, uh, I mean, I don't know..."
"What about Rena-chan? Hamaura-kun? Nomura-kun? Inoue-kun? Fujii-kun? Taguchi-kun? Hirose-kun? Wada-kun? Do you swing that way?"
"I don't know! Please stop asking me!"
"What about someone from the C-class? I'm friends with-"
"I don't know! I don't know! Stop, please!"
"Wow... Are you really that same Amu Hinamori-san that was super cool and spicy in elementary school?" Tanimoto-san
"... Uh, yeah? I don't think anyone else in the school has that name." Amu Hinamori
"Wow... You have a little sister, right?"
"... Yeah. Ami."
"Wow... that's my name, too... Wow..."
"Yeah..."
"Wow..."
"Yeah..."
"Wow..."
"... Yeah, I'm just going to eat my lunch..."
"I hate them both so much!" Misaki Watarai
"Awww, please don't cry Misaki-chan." Haga-chan
"You need to get back at them." Yamagishi-san
"Eh, but that's not a nice thing to do!" Haga-chan
"But he broke up with her! And that's not nice." Kishimoto-san
"Yeah, and Makino-san wasn't being nice either." Asakura-san
"Maybe you should do something that isn't very mean... Perhaps punching them in the face?" Niinuma-san
"... Do you need a dictionary? That's not nice either." Yamagishi-san
"But, punching Makino-san and, uh, Misaki-chan's ex would be much more courteous than what they did to her with words." Niinuma-san
"But Makino didn't just use words, she slapped me, too!" Misaki Watarai
"That's not a nice thing to do." Haga-chan
"I think we're past being nice." Yamagishi-san
"See, that's why it's fitting to punch her!" Niinuma-san
"No." Yamagishi-san
"Yeah, that's not a nice thing to do." Haga-chan
"I'm not punching anyone." Misaki Watarai
"... But Makino-san was not being nice!" Asakura-san
"Yeah, and your ex did all of those awful things to you!" Kishimoto-san
"You should get revenge." Yamagishi-san
"If not with a punch, then perhaps with a swift kick to his private area?" Niinuma-san
"But that's really not a nice thing to do." Haga-chan
"I don't know..." Misaki Watarai
"Awww, please don't cry Misaki-chan!" Haga-chan
"Hey, your hair looks pretty today, Rena-chan." Fujii-kun
"Thanks, Fujii-kun! Oda-san said that it was in-style!" Rena-chan
"No way, a short bob? You should grow it out and curl it like Niinuma-san. It's so much better." Hamaura-kun
"Oda-san is a second-year! She would know if a bob cut is in style or not." Rena-chan
"I don't know... Did you see what she was wearing yesterday after school?" Hirose-kun
"It looked fine to me." Fujii-kun
"Besides, Ishida-senpai's clothes are way worse. Remember when we went to watch the game and she was wearing that weird-looking shirt with watermelons all over it?" Inoue-kun
"Either way, you need to get a fashion check stat, and change up your hair, too. You look like an old grandma." Hamaura-kun
"But Yamagishi-san has the same hairstyle!" Rena-chan
"But she's cuter than you are." Hirose-kun
"Yeah. If you want to be cool, you need to change... whatever it is you're doing now." Hamaura-kun
Yoshihashi-kun looked away from a pointless conversation with Nomura-kun, Wada-kun, and Taguchi-kun about girls upon noticing how irritated Saaya looked and asked, "... Uh, Yamabuki-san, are you alright?"
It was at that moment that Saaya had gotten up to the front of the class and dragged a piece of chalk across the board so that it screeched.
She'd successfully gotten everyone's attention.
"Ow! That was really loud!" that Makino girl complained.
"Good," Saaya sneered as she flipped her hair back behind her shoulder. "That means you heard it."
"Why would you want us to hear it?" Hirose-kun asked.
"Because I was trying to get your attention!" Saaya exclaimed in frustration. She sighed and rubbed her temple before beginning her monologue.
"Alright," Saaya began, "I am standing here right now because I am the only independent girl in this entire poor excuse of a thing you call a class."
"You're not the only independent girl here," that Makino girl retorted.
"Yeah, and what about the guys?" Taguchi-kun asked.
"The point is," Saaya asserted, "That all of you need to grow some spines, and some brains, too." She pointed to Nonaka in the back, "Ice rinks are cold whether indoors or outdoors, you don't need to be so simple minded."
She then addressed Ogata-kun from Osaka and said, "Not everyone needs to be your friend, and some people just want some space. The other Ogata-kun will be your friend if he feels like it, and no other time sooner."
She then pointed to Misaki Watarai and said sternly, "Misaki Watarai!"
The girl in question looked up from her tears to shoot Saaya a glare and replied, "What?"
"Why are you still crying for that guy?" Saaya walked over to Misaki Watarai's desk and crossed her arms as she continued, "If he really loved you, he wouldn't have done those horrible things to you! Open your eyes, not every crush is going to work out: no means no!" Misaki Watarai had stopped crying at this point, and seemed unsure of how to respond.
Saaya took a step back and shot Fuyuki Kirishima and the rest of the class a pointed look as she added, "All of you are blind. You may think stuff like love is just a bad medicine or something that comes and goes. Change yourself so that it comes, cling to your partner desperately even if things aren't working out, and get a little revenge after it goes."
Saaya scoffed as she said, "That's not how real love works! It shouldn't be that painful. You don't give in to other people and change your clothes and your hairstyle for someone else's sake, turning into someone who does as they're told by anyone."
Saaya started walking around the classroom as she talked, looking at each and every person as she continued, "Yeah, you real love might not be for middle schoolers, but that just makes it that much more pointless to change yourself for someone else and be blind to the abuse they're putting you through!" She stopped at Kirishima-kun's desk and jabbed her finger on his desk as she said, "Not each and every crush you have will work out."
Kirishima-kun seemed incapable of saying anything, struck by the words.
Saaya backed away from Kirishima's desk and walked towards Amu Hinamori's as she addressed the entire class, "For any of you to stoop down to a level so low, so stupid and mindless makes me realize that its no wonder that I'm the only one in this class that is capable of being independent."
She stopped in front of Amu Hinamori's desk, who seemed the most alert she had ever been in weeks, "Being that mindless isn't your real self. Other people, even a crush or the popular crowd, can't decide who you are for you. Hurry up and realize reality!"
Saaya walked back to the front of the desk and faced the class, who were struck, all of them watching Saaya in a dumbfounded confusion of sorts, unable to say anything, "It's no wonder you're all in the D class, you're all mindless followers! But, if you want to be independent like me, then you need to hurry up and regain yourself. And believe me, if you could hear yourselves, you'd know that you must become independent to stop being stupid so you won't be stuck in a stupid D class next year."
She continued, "When you guys aren't having pointless conversations during lunch, you're randomly checking your phones and moving about like a slave everyday, as if you can't life without someone telling you what to do, and it's sad. Listen to me, none of you are an object for someone else to control."
Saaya then put her hands on her hips as she asserted with confidence, "I don't need anyone's opinion to know that the answers I decided by myself for myself are right, and you shouldn't either. You are you, and I am me. You can't blindly let the popular trend or a boyfriend tell you how you live your life! We must open our futures for ourselves."
She paused briefly, and, after seeing no reaction come from her fellow classmates, she sighed and relaxed, before saying, "It won't happen over night, of course, but you don't need to sulk each and every time something goes wrong. If you have doubts, an opinion is good! But, know that you can't let anyone else decide what to do for you. You don't need to worry if someone will disapprove or if something will go wrong, know that whatever you do for yourself will be fine."
Saaya let a confident smirk emerge on her face as she said, "I'm an independent girl, and I will at least decide how I want to live my life." She then walked back to her desk, to finish her lunch, not paying any mind to her still unresponsive classmates.
It wasn't until the teacher returned with a "Hello class, sorry about that, I'm back now" that Saaya's words really clicked.
"It's ok if Mashiro-san will never like me," Fuyuki Kirishima realized, "She'll never like me, but that's ok."
"I'll just ignore Makino-san and my ex," Misaki Watarai decided, "They're toxic, and I don't need people like that in my life."
Amu Hinamori closed her eyes and took a deep breath in and out, whispering under her breath, "I don't need to be liked by everyone. It's ok if cool and spicy isn't working out." A small smile came to her face as she realized what an opportunity she had, "This just means that I can shape my new persona to be more like my true self."
Slowly, Fuyuki Kirishima, Misaki Watarai, and Amu Hinamori began clapping for Saaya's speech. One by one, the class began joining in on the applause as Saaya's words began sinking in. Soon enough, the class had erupted into applause.
The teacher watched the class clap in confusion, having missed it all, "Uh... Thanks?"