Walk-ON! All Over Again

Chapter 4:

High Voltage

Ui Hirasawa was a student that thrived on a change of scenery. She always liked to see different cities, different towns, different types of people. To Ui, traveling meant a whole lot to her because it enriched her appreciation for the world around her. Ui believed in peace, not war. Resolutions, not conflicts. Agreements, not aggression. And to do that, when the opportunity came, traveling was a must.

As she prepared her belongings for the upcoming trip inside the living room, she produced a list that she compiled the previous evening. "Hmmmm..." Ui had to glance this over so that she didn't have missed a single article. "Let's see. Handkerchief and tissue paper...check. Brochures...check. Snack stash...check. Toiletries...check. Clothes...check plus plus." Of course, she had enough clothes to last the trip—and some. Now it was time to check that the exotic items in the inventory were accounted for. "Vibrator...check. Condom box...check. Variety box of dildos, ben wah balls and other related trinkets...check. iPod loaded with high-energy music and porn grooves clocking at 10,000 songs minimum...check." A nod. "All right. Looks like this baby is all set and ready to go."

Yui Hirasawa walked into the room, yawning boisterously. "Onee-chan, morning. What are you doing?"

"Oh, morning Yui. I'm just getting everything set for the trip to Kyoto."

"Ooooh. I've never been to that place. What are you gonna do down over there anyway?"

"Well, I'm going to go see some temples and talk to some locals in their dialect and go cruising around."

"Oooooh, cruising. Sounds like fun. Can I come?"

"No you can't, Yui. You have to be a senior."

She pouted dejectedly. "Awww."

Ui looked at her watch. "Looks like the time is at hand. I'm off, then."

"Onee-chan, have a nice trip!"

"You got it!" Soon after, Ui was off, on her date with destiny. It wasn't going to be the last date, either.

The bullet train flew past Tokyo into the Kansai region like an angel on a wing and a prayer, as if hordes and hordes of cherubim and seraphim were singing its arrival from the Kanto plains. Since Azusa was only a sophomore, she would sit this trip out. Her senior trip would not take place until 2011.

"Oh boy, everybody, here comes a one-way ticket to heaven!" Ritsu Tainaka said, stretching exuberantly.

"You know we ARE coming back after this is done, right?" Mio Akiyama reminded.

"Duh, we are Mio, but I was just saying. This just fires me up like a hot rod on Friday night."

"Where the heck do you get all these superlatives?"

"The mind, Mio. The mind."

"Tch. Figures. By the way," she noticed, "don't put your feet on the seat, all right?" Ritsu pouted.

"She's right, you know," Ui said as Tsumugi Kotobuki took a good look at the itinerary. "Better mind your manners."

"Easy for you to say, Miss Perfect!" Ritsu shot back.

"Ouch, that kills! What were you thinking?"

Mio snuck a sneaky remark aside. "Was she even?"

"I don't think so."

"Great minds think alike."

Ritsu could not believe the backstabbing before her very eyes. "I hate you all!"

"By the way," Mio said to Ui, "you may want to put away that Pocky box."

Ui swallowed a strawberry Pocky stick whole. "I beg your pardon?"

She was in shock. "How the hell were you able to do that without choking?" Ui did it again. "Son of a bitch..." She proceeded to hand some boxes to other passengers seated behind them.

"Here you go. Presents from the Hirasawa combine!" Ui said to the other passengers. "Enjoy!"

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear..."

Tsumugi offered some tea. "Here. Have some tea. Drink up."

Eventually she gave in, sipping. "Thanks."

"That's Mugi for you," Ritsu inferred. "Everyone, let's take a picture together. How about it?"

"Good idea," Ui replied. "What say you, Mio, Mugi?"

Mio was bewildered by the over enthusiasm. "Could both of you chill out for a bit?"

"Oh, come on Mio," Ritsu said in a bubbly tone, "it's gonna be another memento for the Light Music Club scrapbook. Let's do this." She whipped out the camera.

Ui concurred. "That's what she said."

Miss Sawako Yamanaka noticed the discussions from the front. "You guys in the back; be seated down there please! Don't stand if you don't need to!"

"Oh come on," Ritsu said, "we DO. Mio wanted us to take pictures!"

Ui concurred again. "That's what she said!"

"Enough already," Sawako replied, "back to your seats! You can do your photo-shooting when we get off."

"Get in the picture with us, Miss Sawako!" Ritsu added.

"Come on, join us!" Ui added. "Wait a minute; did you just call her Miss Sawako, Ricchan?"

"I like to be versatile."

"Not now, you girls!" Eventually, she did take part. One more photo for the scrapbook was in order.

Later on, she retired to a hallway between compartments, her inner child planning the next move. "Don't worry, Sawako," it said to her. "You can still do it. Believe in yourself!"

As Jun Suzuki played a game of Texas Hold 'Em with three others on her train and Himeko Tachibana played Solitaire on her iPod, the conversations continued in earnest. This time, the topic was on onigiri. "So what I'm hearing," Ui said to the other three in the back with her, "is all bollocks as far as I'm concerned. I mean, I want the rice ball to be wrapped in nori from the get-go. It tastes good when it's soft. Isn't that how you're supposed to do it?"

"Not true, dear Ui," Ritsu said, still sitting with her legs crossed like a pretentious Buddha with a headband. Such a Pharisee. Ui shook her head at Mio, as if to say, here we go again. "Silly kid. You wrap the rice in nori right before you eat it, and then you enjoy the crispness while savoring in its almighty fragrance. The taste of God is the taste of God when you do it the way He wants you to!"

"What is this, Episode 1 of Lucky Star all over again?" Mio said sheepishly while Tsumugi worked on a few chocolate Pocky sticks. Obviously, she was interested in the whole melodrama.

Ritsu noticed the Mount Fuji looming ahead. "There is it, Ui! The almighty Mount Fuji!"

Ui was in awe of one of Japan's symbols. "One of the reasons for our existence. That big snow-covered peak in the background, piercing through the skies."

"Ritsu, you are such a brat, you know that?" Mio said in disgust as Ui put her snacks away before getting a view of the peak. "Gee whiz..."

"That IS one of the reasons for our existence," Ritsu said. "As proud citizens of Japan."

"This picture is going to Azunyan's cell in 5...4...3...2...1...pic sent!" Ui said triumphantly, sending a snapshot from her mobile. "And it's sent. That is one big mountain right there."

"I can see those clouds passing by like dancing faeries," Ritsu said as Mio looked away with a bemused expression.

"Are you sure this is a train and not an airplane? What do you think?"

"Jesus H. Christ, you two," Mio said disgustingly. She remembered when Jun told her that she couldn't be in her group due to the limitations of four people per. So as a result, she was stuck with hanging with her light music clique, although Tsumugi kept an even keel on things. Further complicating matters was to make sure that Ui didn't go out on a limb with her out-of-the-box thinking. Ui wasn't the main issue here. Ritsu was.

"Hey Mio! Mio, take a picture with us!" Ritsu squealed, poising with Ui. "Come on, do it! With Mount Fuji sitting behind us!"

"God dammit..." She was close to tears. Jun could sense that Mio was feeling the heat from her best friend, more than anything, as she focused on the turn, the flop and the river.

"Kyoto, Kyoto," said the train conductor as the Tokaido shinkansen made its stop at Kyoto Station, located in Shimogyo Ward, at Platform 13. "For those of you getting off here please be sure to take all your belongings with you. Thank you for riding JR Central."

Finally, Sakuragaoka's senior class made it to the imperial capital of Japan, the old capital of the old Empire. Kyoto was a city full of festivals, a 1,000-year old tradition that never wavered. Universities like Kyoto University, Doshisa, Kyoto Institute of Technology and Ritsumeikan ensured that many of the country's scholars came straight out of the Kansai. And of course, there were those temples, the most famous of them being Kiyomizu-dera, an independent Buddhist temple in the east side of town.

"All right, we are here!" Ritsu exclaimed, leaping to the heavens.

"Exactly, Ricchan," Ui said. "This is the city."

"You know where we have to go first?" Mio asked Tsumugi, still looking at the map and itinerary.

"Let's see here...from Kyoto Station, we ride a bus to..."

Ritsu finished the sentence "Kinkaku-ji, y'all!"

"You know?" Mio asked.

"Yeah, y'all!"

"Are you speaking in Kansai-ben again?"

"See, this here's where I do more of mah versatility, see. When in Rome, I like to do 'em like the Romans, and when I'm in the Kansai, I gots to do 'em like the Kansai. S'all there's to it. So everyone of y'all gotta do it the same way, else y'all be in for a culture shock. It's a fun game, too. Try it."

"A game, too, Ricchan?" Ui was interested. "Don't mind if I do!"

"Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!" Mio was disgusted at the overt showiness of Ritsu.

Naturally, the four of them were at the front as Miss Sawako gave out instructions to Class 3-2. "Is everyone present?" she asked. "Group leaders, please check to be sure."

"The hell is she making us sit here?" Ritsu said to Mio disgustingly. "Why, gosh darn it?"

"That's because she is taking roll," Mio replied. "There always tends to be someone who goes missing, and we have to find that person. It's called accountability."

Miss Sawako went on with her debriefing. "And please walk in a like so that we don't get in the way of other people."

"Well she's here," Ritsu said, referring to Ui, who was too busy listening to Sade's "Kiss of Life" on her iPod.

"She eats Pocky, and then listens to smooth jazz that is soothing as hell," Mio observed. "That's Ui for you."

"Talk about cultured."

"Well would you believe that," Ui said, pointing at the skyscraper from below just outside the station as the speakers blared out Masami Okui's Rinbu Revolution. "That's Kyoto Tower. Looks like a daikon. Speaking of which, nearby Osaka hosted the Japan Science Fiction Convention in 1964, 1971, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1993 and 2008 under the nickname DAICON. This city hosted the convention in 1974 under the nickname MIYACON."

"How the hell do you know all this?" Ritsu asked with a puzzled look painted on her face. She thought it over. "Oh never mind, now."

"Take a shot, sunshine."

Ritsu did. "Hey you guys!" Miss Sawako called out. "Hurry up and board the bus, or we'll leave without you!"

"That's one more for Azunyan," Ui said triumphantly as she took her seat with the others.

"You actually follow the Japan SF Conventions?" Mio asked.

"Well, here's the thing: I loved the opening ceremony animation," Ui said, working on a box of Vanilla Pocky, "for DAICON III and DAICON IV. And thus, the bunch of night hawks from GAINAX was born."

"Oh boy, now we're going into a history of anime and manga of the 1980's and the 1990's?"

"You want to? I can, if you want."

"I'll pass."

The coach passed into the heart of the city, down the old machiya townhouses that dated back to the era before World War II. That was another of Kyoto's charms: it was spared the damage laid on other cities like Osaka and especially Tokyo at the request of one Henry L. Stimson. Ui, Mio, Ritsu and Tsumugi were in awe of the historical significance of these structures that the coach passed through.

Today, the class would not go to Kiyomizu-dera, but to another temple in the city, the Kinkaku-ji Temple. Designated as a National Special Historic Site and a National Special Landscape, Kinkaku-ji is one of 17 World Cultural Heritage sites in Kyoto and is known for its garden that dates back to the Muromachi Period. The word Kinkaku-ji means "Temple of the Golden Pavilion." True to its moniker, the temple features a shariden gilded with gold and houses a bevy of relics of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. It is known officially as the Rokuonji, or "Deer Garden Temple," due to the presence of deer surrounding the temple on Mount Hokuzan.

"Let's go, you guys!" Ui said, skipping off the bus ahead of the others. "Come on!" The other three all had to catch up with her because she was running so fast. "Look at this garden. And the temple. This is awesome! I've never seen anything like this."

"You ain't kidding one darn bit," Ritsu said. "This knocks my socks off!"

"That is one shiny temple," Mio concurred.

"Gilded with gold, no less," Mugi said.

"Absolutely."

"I love Kyoto, and Kyoto loves me, don't ya know!" Ui proclaimed.

"And don't ya know Kyoto loves ya back!" Ritsu replied. They both chest bumped.

"That's what I'm talking about, y'all!"

"Sho nuff! But you better not think of scraping off any them flakes down there, y'know? Cause, y'know, ya gonna git yerself caught by the cops and put ya in the hoosegow."

"What makes ya say that, pardner? We jus' came to git us a visit here, see?"

"Amen."

"But see, Ricchan, that there is one big-ass temple. If Yui was here, I tell ya, she wish that was made of chocolate so she could eat that bad boy down and done with!"

"Ain't kiddin' 'bout that."

"Such a drag," Mio thought. She then spoke. "We're not from here, you two. It's okay to speak like we are from Tokyo, because we are. Be true to yourself."

"Awwww, come on Mio. I was having fun speaking like the locals."

"I keep telling you, we aren't locals! We're tourists! Actually, students. Student-tourists! That's it."

Mugi gave a bit of a history of the place. "The site of Kinkaku-ji was originally a villa called Kitayama-dai, belonging to a powerful statesman, Saionji Kintsune. Kinkaku-ji's history dates to 1397, when the villa was purchased from the Saionjis by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and transformed into the Kinkaku-ji complex. When Yoshimitsu died, the building was converted into a Zen temple by his son, according to his wishes. During the Onin war, all of the buildings in the complex aside from the pavilion were burned down. On July 2, 1950, at 2:30 am, it was burned down by a monk named Hayashi Yoken, who then attempted suicide on the Daimon-ji hill behind the building. He survived, and was subsequently taken into custody. The monk was sentenced to seven years in prison, but was released because of mental illness on September 29, 1955; he died of other illnesses shortly after in 1956.

"The present pavilion structure dates from 1955, when it was rebuilt. The reconstruction is said to be an exact copy of the original, although some doubt such an extensive gold-leaf coating was used on the original structure. In 1984, the coating of Japanese lacquer was found a little decayed, and a new coating as well as gilding with gold-leaf, much thicker than the original coatings (5/10,000mm instead of 1/10,000mm), was completed in 1987. Additionally, the interior of the building, including the paintings and Yoshimitsu's statue, were also restored. Finally, the roof was restored in 2003. And that, dear soul sisters of rock and roll, is the history of Kinkaku-ji, which is officially known as Rokuon-ji."

"Where the hell did you get that history?" Mio asked, turning to Tsumugi with Ritsu and Ui following suit.

"Wikipedia, verbatim."

"Shit, I should have known you were that much of an online bookworm."

She placed a finger to Mio's lips. "Now, now, now, I don't want you talk dirty to one of your friends. You know better, right?"

"Fine, whatever."

"Good girl."

"That's Tsumugi Kotobuki for you," Ui said, nudging Ritsu. "Fair, but firm."

"And bold, I might add," Ritsu replied in tears, returning to the regular Tokyo accent she was accustomed to. "She knows a lot more than we will ever know."

"And that's what so great about her," Ui replied, applauding with Mio to Tsumugi. "Old habits die hard."

"Hello, hello, hello, they serve some green tea and sweets at the cafe," Ui noticed while reading a sign near the entrance. "Shall we take a bit of a break and soak these environs in? What say the rest of you?"

"I think that would be a good idea," Ritsu said with a grin. "What about you, Mio, Mugi?"

"Really, that stuff is no different from what we serve—well, what Mugi serves—after class," Mio replied.

"So? What's wrong with that?"

Tsumugi was in. "Let's have some, let's have some!"

Once again, Mio was outvoted. Three against one, and so she gave in.

It wasn't anything too pretentious. A small square block of candy and a bowl of freshly prepared matcha were on the house. A tantalizing combination.

"Let's give this a try," Ritsu said. She took a sip.

"According to the etiquette of tea ceremonies," Tsumugi said as Ui took visual notes, "you have to eat the candy before the tea."

"I see."

"Basically, it brings out the bitterness of the tea leaves better and balances it with the sweetness." Ui took one of the pieces of candy, and then drank her bowl. "See? She's doing it right."

"Ritsu," Mio scolded, "you should brush up on some of the rules of proper etiquette, too." But for Ritsu, such restricting formalities never registered much in her head. It was about being informal, being casual. This was a whole new world for her, and it was one she wanted to get out of in a hurry.

"Exactly, dearest Mio," Ui said. "Lady Ritsu, I fancy that a classless rascal like you will need to watch your manners while consuming this delightful beverage in these hallowed grounds, less the worst comes to pass."

Ritsu was defiant in her response. "Easy for you to say, you trite Pockyholic! Bloody oath."

An hour after touring Kinkaku-ji, the coach proceeded on its Kyoto magical mystery tour to Kitano Tenman-gu, a Shinto shrine in Kamigyo Ward. Built in 947 A.D., the Kitano Tenman-gu was created to appease the wrath of Sugawara no Michizane, a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian Period of Japan. The grounds of this temple are full of plum blossoms, or ume, the man's favorite tree. As Michizane was a man of great knowledge and wisdom, the temple is popular with students who wish to pray for success in their exams, and it is for this reason that Miss Sawako's Class 3-2 passed by Kitano Tenman-gu, which also hosts flea markets on the 25th of each month.

"So this is Kitano Tenman-gu, huh?" Ui said, in awe of the large torii awaiting them. Next to the parking was a statue of a cow, decked with a bell, cords and paper.

"Is this also a famous place?" Ritsu asked.

She chuckled hesitantly. "Judging by the looks of it...you're probably right."

"You know, we also have shrines around our school as well, so I really don't know what distinguishes this one from all the others," she replied with her hands behind her head casually as the four of them paced the grounds.

"Yui may think there may be a daibutsu here, but since this is a Shinto shrine, she would be disappointed." A daibutsu is a giant Buddha. They saw one at Kinkaku-ji, a huge one.

"Spot on," Mio said. "You know your shrines and your temples. But who am I kidding? You're Ui Hirasawa. You know all."

"As Tsubasa Hanekawa of the show Bakemonogatari would say, 'I only know what I know.' And that, my friend, is the bottom line," Ui said with a wink.

"Right."

"Aha, there you are," Jun said with a smile. "So, Mio, were you successful in preventing Ui from going off the deep end?"

"To an extent."

"Close enough. Anyway, the god enshrined here, Sugawara no Michizane, is the 'God of Academics,' so it says on this itinerary. People who need to prepare for college entrance exams come here. There are seniors from high schools all over the country that come to this shrine, from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south."

"Told you this was a famous place," Ui said to Ritsu.

Jun led the four to a cow statue. "You see all of these cow statues throughout the shrine," she explained. "Rub the head like this, and it should make you smarter."

Ui gave it five strokes and beamed. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"Mmmmm."

However, Ritsu had other...more sinister plans. She vigorously rubbed the head as if it was Buddha's belly. "Come on, bring me good luck, bring me good luck!" she squealed. Ui shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head.

Jun was worried for Ritsu. "Actually, rubbing it too hard, too long might bring her bad luck." If Ritsu kept it going long enough, she might tip the poor thing over!

"Tainaka, what are you doing!" Sawako exclaimed, scolding the four of them. "You've already rubbed it long enough. Stop already, sheesh!"

Jun's clairvoyance never failed to impress her. "I knew it."

"So, as we continue this tour of the Kitano Tenman-gu," Ui said to the others, "we see some ema in our crosshairs!" Ritsu took notice of sign next to a plethora of wooden plaques where worshippers wrote their prayers and wishes. "How about that."

"Damn! There's a gripload of them! Talk about knocking on wood! All right Ui, we know what to do! This is gonna be a memento for the ages. Let's write some!"

"Let's send these wishes to the gods that be. Brilliant!"

"Hell yeah! It's ema time!"

"Cow-abunga!" The two of them walked off to make their plaques.

"The gods will reject this." Little did a deadpanning Mio realize how wrong she would be down the road.

Back at the gift shop, a hesitant Sawako made a purchase. "Um...I would like to have one match-making good luck charm, please," she asked the cashier in miko attire.

"No problem, that will be 600 yen," she replied, procuring the good as Sawako paid up. "Here you go. Enjoy."

"Thank you." That would be something she would treasure as the countdown to destiny began.

"O gods! My heavenly gods! Come to us!" Ui exclaimed with passion and burning desire.

"Please come for from your celestial throne and shower your glory to your people!" Tsumugi testified wholeheartedly. "Make them come true, forever!"

"Hear the maidens' prayers!" Ritsu proclaimed, joining in the three-woman running séance. "Hear them! Hear them! Can I get a witness up in here!" Mio had to chase the other three, bumping into trash cans, old ladies, infants...the whole shebang-bang-boogie all day long. "You seriously think this crap is going to really work?"

Ui know what to add. "As the Quakers would say, 'I hope so!' By the way, that means Hell Yes!"

"Please let them come true!" Tsumugi added, adding fire to the beseeching as Mio continued to pursue them. "Let them, let them!" Miss Sawako was starting to get annoyed by the uncommon ruckus going on at the Kitano Tenman-gu.

"Oops, I forgot to throw in the money," Ritsu added. "D'oh!"

"The hell you did!" Ui said, running like the wind with the others. "Let's try this again, from the top!"

"Da-da-da-da-DAAAAA! CHAAAARGE!"

"Goddamit, what the hell is wrong with you girls!" Sawako shouted in tears, stopping them in their tracks. "Are you fuckoffs doing this on purpose?"

"Sawa-chan, I believe you were way off base with that statement."

Tsumugi chimed in. "She's right. We came here to hang the ema with our wishes on it."

"Exactly," Ui added. "We wanted our wishes to have a good impression." For Ritsu, it was about getting their first gig at Budokan. For Mio, it was acceptance at a college of her choice, while Tsumugi wanted to also pass the college entrance exams. As for Ui, she wanted that, the Budokan gig, and to protect Yui by being the best older sister she could be. As with all of their work, Ui drew an illustration of a guitar with a face, a symbol of Gitah's spiritual presence in Class 3-2.

Sawako reached her limit with the shenanigans at the shrine. "Quit making this crap up, the lot of you! Let's go already!" The evening was approaching.

"Right, right..." The typical time-wasters. But Hokago Tea Time's mark was there for future visitors to see. Some time down the road, tourists would take photos of that, aside from the usual sights and ritual obligations.

A hotel in the outskirts of Kyoto was where the entire class would stay for the night. The rooms didn't have too much fanciness like the Best Westerns, Hyatts, Westins or Hiltons of the world. It just had the essentials: a bath, a closet to put away clothes, a cupboard where a King James Bible—of all things—was located, and a television that had all the terrestrial channels plus ESPN and CNN. It was a hotel with the bare essentials. Oh yes, and it had wireless, but none of the girls brought it with them. Ui was close to bringing hers, but realized that since it was a short stay, there was no need.

"Holy cow, I just realized something," Ui said, relaxing on the tatami in the room she shared with Mio, Mugi and Ritsu. "I'm spent. That was a great first day, you guys."

"Geez, you had me scared back there at the Kitano Tenman-gu," Mio said as she took her blazer off.

"Better get changed first, Ui,' Ritsu said.

"You don't have to remind me," she said, getting up to change into her track suit in the bathroom. "I already know."

"Hey, a little reminder never hurt nobody..."

"Fair enough, fair enough."

Tsumugi opened the closet door to test the fluffiness of the pillows. With a pump of her fists, she concluded to herself that they met/exceeded her standards and that the whole crew would get a good night's rest with flying colors. The staff did their job.

They turned to Mugi, who closed the closet. "What's up, Mugi?" Ritsu asked to her, who gave a thumbs-up and a grin. "A-ha..."

Mio zipped up her track suit jacket to finish the change. "All right you guys, I think since we have some time to crash, we should make some tea. You got it all set down there, Mugi?"

"Yes, I do, Captain," she replied in the manner of a flight attendant. With her was an electric hot water maker, some packets and some snacks. And of course, Ui had most of her stash of Pocky available for an immediate boost of carbohydrates.

Ui was too busy listening to "Beautiful World" by Hikaru Utada while playing Solitaire. "This is why a little Apple a day keeps the boredom away."

"That's not an apple; that's an iPod," Ritsu said sheepishly.

"But it's made by Apple, Ricchan. Do you see where I'm going with this one?"

Ritsu smirked "Oh. Tch, yeah. Now I do."

"Yeah, that's because the fruit known as an apple is different from a product—i.e. the one in my hand—made by company known as Apple."

"Guilty as charged, then. Hey Mio, I got a deck of cards we can use. Will that work?"

"Hey guys, let's try this one out," Mugi suggested. Make It A Hit was something that she played with her family for a few years, and some of the house staff even joined in where there was certainly nothing to do. She had enough room in her suitcase to pack the game inside.

"Hey, we have that at our house as well," Ritsu chimed. "Good idea. Let's do it."

Ui turned off her iPod and charged it. "Tsumugi Kotobuki saves the day again."

"Saved you from your boredom," Mio said sheepishly. "And your iPod overdose."

"Exactly."

"So in this game," Ritsu said, "you're trying to be a celebrity with whatever. I love this one."

"Let's do it while eating something," Ui suggested. "Kill two birds with one stone."

"Yes, let us!" Ui stood up to grab some Almond Pocky from her snack stash to share. She tossed one of the satchels to Ritsu, another to Mio and another to Mugi.

"I've always wanted to try one of these," Tsumugi said, working on one. "These are pretty good."

Mio wondered why they would even go through this. "Dinner's going to be on the way anyway; I'm not sure why we have to play this if we don't need to."

"Leave it to me, leave it to me," Ui said, getting a box of Chocolate Pocky.

"We'll be full; don't you worry," Ritsu assured.

"Man, you'd better be able to finish everything," Mio warned.

She rested a hand on Mio's shoulder. "Ease up, Mio. I will."

Little did she know how wrong she was, after 30 minutes of gaming. That's because a generous dinner was on the house. It consisted of salmon rolls, four other types of sushi, shrimp and vegetable tempura, soba and rice, replete with tea, and a little wasabi and soy sauce for garnish.

"Hey, are you able to finish that?" asked Haruko Chikada, who was sitting next to Ritsu, who was in obvious discomfort.

"I can't," she said. "You can have it."

"All right." Of all the students in the class, Haruko was the hungriest of them all. She proceeded to clean out Ritsu's set meal. Thank Michizane that there are students with gluttonous appetites. Meanwhile, Ui had already cleared out her plate with flying colors. "You know, that's quite a waste and you know that, right, Ricchan?"

She was disconsolate. "Shut up."

"You know, I like how all of the flavors mesh with each other on that one," Ui said to Mio and Mugi. "I really need to know how to make a set meal like that. It just looked perfect from the beginning."

"Easy for you to say; you wolfed the whole thing down!" Mio exclaimed.

"With flying colors." Tsumugi had to smile.

There was also an onsen on-site, and the four of them couldn't wait to soothe their weary souls. "Hey Mio," Tsumugi said, creeping up to her, "you have really pretty hair."

She blushed. "Eh? Y-you think so? No one's ever told me that before. Thank you."

"But of course."

"Taking of care of my hair during the winter is quite troublesome because it gets real dry."

"What type of shampoo do you use?"

"Well, I'll go for the record here to say that it's probably not the stuff you have in your bathroom."

"Really? I can bring you some my house next time..."

"No, no, no, no, that's all right. I can manage with what I have at home."

She crept closer. "You sure?"

"Well, you have pretty hair too. Do you get it permed?"

"Yes, I do."

"Wow. Awesome-hyaaah!" Before she knew it, she was getting groped lovingly by Tsumugi.

"Whoa, they are starting to get real big," Mugi said in amazement.

"Why are you feeling me up like this, this is so, this is so...haaah!"

"I never knew they were this huge. I'm so glad I am able to touch the beautiful side of you, Mio-chan." Through the controlled moans, she could sense that Mio was enjoying this but would cause a mess in the onsen if it all gushed out.

"Hey Ricchan," Ui said, "how are you feeling?" She could notice the trickle of blood spilling out from Ritsu's naughty smile and chuckles. "I take it that's a mood that's too hot to trot."

"Those two have such huge boobs...why? Why can't I have them as big as theirs? Oh the shame! I guess I'll just have to do this."

"What are you going to-aaaah!" Ui was getting groped on by a salivating Ritsu.

"They feel so big and so soft...heehee!"

Her heaves got desperately pronounced. "You're doing it all wrong! You have to move your hand up and down. Here, you have to feel them for all they are worth so I can...so I can...haaah!"

"I'm actually being guided here?" Ritsu had to relent to the motions.

"This...is how...my sister grabs me...and the way she does it...it feels so good..."

"You're right! I'm actually going deeper into your softness. This...-this is unreal!" Ritsu noticed that she was actually rubbing on Ui unconsciously and couldn't stop the impending tribadism. "You're actually enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Oh, don't stop...don't stop!" Ritsu's guided groping and Ui's subsequent Ritsugasms caught the attention of Mio and Mugi, the latter getting a nosebleed of her own.

"Oh my God, what the hell are you two doing?" Mio said with a disgusted look on her face.

Ui's answer said it all. "Haa...haa...getting...haa...haa...getting...off..."

Tsumugi's eyes sparkled. "Dontakoi desu."

"And we were having such a nice conversation about proper hair care until this had to happen!" Mio wailed as Mugi continued to massage her boobs with a more vigorous pace, almost electric. "Dammit! Damn you all!"

"My God, that was a transcending experience at its finest," Ritsu said while scarfing down a bottle of milk as they changed back into their track suits. "I hope I can do it again one day."

'You want to pace yourself with that; else it will corrupt your mind for life," Ui reminded her as she blow-dried her hair before putting back on her clips.

"I always wanted to have my hair grow longer."

Ui chuckled. "That would fit you. Go for it. Did you want to grow taller, too?"

She spit out the remaining milk she was drinking as if on cue. "The hell did you have to say that?" Ritsu was shorter than Mio and envied her height and her bust.

"Because I can, Miss Grope-A-Lot!"

"You made me go deeper into you; what are you talking about? Grrrr!"

"You shouldn't have spat that out, either, by the way."

Her pitch got childish. "Whatever, I will grow taller, Mommy!"

"I wasn't forcing you, if it makes you any better..." The damage had already been done. "And I'm not your mother either."

"Good arrangement here, Mugi," Mio said, taking a look at the comforters and pillows on the tatami. "I'm impressed."

"As a matter of fact," she explained, "I visited many different parts of this country and I asked hosts and hostesses how they arrange pillows and pillowcases. I ask how they ensure high quality, superior service, and an overall enjoyable stay to keep themselves in business. This is one way to do it. I tested the pillows to ensure that they are at a standard that will allow you enjoy a good night's rest, and I believe that they got it down pat. So you should have no problems. This is a good hotel, too."

"Cool."

"Actually, I have a little bit of an idea here. Hang on a bit." She proceeded to punch her pillow to make it extra fluffy. She was on high voltage, itching for the good ol' pillow fight.

"All right, guys, I'm going to turn this off," Mio said, turning off the chandelier with a pull of the switch.

"I've already set the alarm to 6:00 a.m.," Ui added.

"That's good. We have to get up early tomorrow; there's a lot of places we're going to check out down here." Tsumugi threw her pillow at Ui with pinpoint. "Hey Mugi, what the hell are you doing?"

"Miss Mio, Kotobuki did it!" Ritsu said as her pillow got chucked at Mio's face by Mugi the Mischievous.

"Whoa, quit your cheating; I didn't get set up here with the right music," Ui said, plugging her iPod to a device in the room that turned the iPod into a radio, setting the music to "Don't Slow Down" by Matt & Kim. "Let's get ready to rumbllllllllllle!" Soon after, Ritsu threw Mio's pillow in Ui's direction, hitting squarely in her face.

"Hahah! Missy, you are in a war zone, where no woman is safe and every girl is an island," Ritsu said, fired up before getting slammed across the room by the same pillow she threw back. It also sent her flying. "Ooof!"

Tsumugi joined in, throwing one in Ritsu direction. Another direct hit. The socialite was on a roll. That's three.

"You should be on the baseball team or compete in the javelin," Ui said as an aside to Tsumugi. "You got quite an arm."

"Thank you. I never fail to impress. Ooof!" She let down her guard as Ui got her payback.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Now we're even Steven."

"All right, now you punks have done it," Ritsu said in full vibrational mode. "Take...THAT!" Unfortunately for Miss Sawako in her magenta track suit, she picked the wrong time to walk in. Bad timing for the teacher, worse timing for the light music club. And while Ritsu could pass for a competitor in the hammer throw (albeit barely), it was slow enough for Mugi to dodge and hit Sawako right between the eyes. At the military academies, they would be fried 6,000 for such conduct; that is, expelled. Here, it was lights out.

"Dammit, my bad luck never seems to go away with you pillow-fighting rats," she said, her hair disheveled and her limit broken while the four of them went to bed almost immediately. "Cut it out already or else the next time we have class I will make every one of you stand in the hall, carrying buckets of water, regardless of how you behave! Urgh!" She walked to Ritsu, stepping on her tushie as she turned off the. "Tainaka, you are continuing to disappoint me with your inexcusable conduct! You are on a dangerous path and you know it! Get off it this instant and behave yourself from now on! Everyone of you, go to sleep already! We got a lot of stuff to do tomorrow! Good night!" Sawako exclaimed, slamming the door shut before storming out of the hall. "I should have just stayed as the music teacher instead of going homeroom with these bastards..."

"Oh man, that was close as fuck," Ritsu said with a sigh.

"The hell?" Mio said. "You jackass, why the hell did you throw that pillow in Miss Sawako's direction? Asshole!"

"Shut up! It's her fault for stepping into friendly fire!"

"But it's your fault for shooting your pillow at her while trying to target Mugi. You suck at pillow-throwing, and the track and field team would not even give you a shot at competing in the hammer throw because you would poke somebody's eye out! Motherfucker!"

"Bitch, please." Ritsu turned the switch back on, her eyes sparking payback. "Mugi, you better believe that this fight's just getting started! You ready?"

"Bring it. Ui-chan's the only one that's hit me so far, and you couldn't hit the blind side of a barn with that throw," she replied. "What kind of a candy-ass throw was that?"

"Oh, not again," Mio moaned, rolling her eyes. "Damn!"

"That was only a warm-up, you blonde primadonna," Ritsu bluffed. "The real heat's coming right about...NOW!" And the action continued as Fatboy Slim's "Rockefeller Skank" played in the background.

"Uff! A direct hit! She got me! But that's just gonna get me going even more, HYAAH!"

"Hey, let me join in the fun, you punks!" Ui said, grabbing her pillow to throw at Ritsu. "All for fun and fun for all! The Funk Soul, Brother!"

Mio relented. "Fine, I'll make you rats pay for ruining my beauty sleep tonight! Take this!" A direct hit on Ritsu, followed by one on Mugi. They went at it for the longest time, amid the laughter, merriment, and bonds shared. And all of this wearing track suits.

After 30 minutes had passed, it was finally time for lights out. While all the other groups were already asleep, they were the last to officially call it a night. "All right guys," Mio said. "I'm gonna turn this baby off."

"Good night," Ui said, and she would not wake up until the alarm rang.

"Good night," Mugi chimed before tucking in.

"That was great, everyone, and you're not too bad yourself, Mio" Ritsu said admirable, in true sportsmanlike fashion. Mio smiled through her disheveled bangs and locks. They were in need of some shampoo because they were most likely dry again.

A few pulls of the switch, and the lights were out. Ritsu was clearly snoring. Ui and Mugi were quiet, like bears in hibernation.

"I found a skull," Tsumugi said. She and Ritsu laughed as she passed the message to Azusa on her cell. Mio was clearly distressed, while Ui was too fast asleep to even hear the discovery.

"Both of you, shut the fuck up already," Mio grunted.

Now it was Ritsu's turn. "Flick-a-fling," she said discreetly. Tsumugi laughed again, whole Mio scowled amid Ui's dormant state. "Flick-a...FLING!"

Tsumugi's laugh was so strong that she snorted. "Hey Mugi, did you snort?" Ritsu said. "Don't tell me you actually brought cocaine with you!" Tsumugi couldn't help the swine-infused gesticulations. "That's not allowed at school! You may even not be able to wake up tomorrow!"

"Don't be worrisome," she said, snorting a little more. "I didn't bring any. You're way too funny, and I couldn't help it!" A few more snorts.

"Sooo-ey!"

"Both of you, don't you two know what 'Shut the fuck up' means?" Mio deadpanned. "Learn it. Geh..."

Ui had to be admired for failing to react, let alone hear anything. She was skilled at closing down, like a TV station ending its broadcast for the day.

Morning came across the Kansai region, and the four of them awoke to some punk rock. "Oh, that was a good sleep," Ritsu said, stretching. "Is that the Ramones I'm hearing?"

"Yep," Ui replied. I programmed it so that once the alarm hits 6:00, 'Blitzkrieg Bop' is on."

"That's good. Mugi, Mio, wake up."

"I swore I heard some rock in the background," Mio said, stirring.

"Oh, that's the first track from their first album," Tsumugi noticed, stretching while cracking a few knuckles.

"Correct!" Ui said. "Nicely identified."

"But why?"

"You'll know why, right about...now."

"Hey, ho, LET'S GO!" said the unmistakable voice of the late Joey Ramone.

"Ohhhh. All right, let's get going!" It took them about 15 or so minutes for them to wash up and get ready for Day 2 of their trip through the Kansai.

"Okay, is everyone here?" Miss Sawako asked the whole Class 3-2 assembled outside the hotel. She did a quick head count. Soapbox time. "All right, looks like everyone's here. Today is your day. You get to choose where you want to go. This is your city to explore, to savor, and to enjoy. I cannot stress the importance of Carpe Diem. Seize the moment. Live it. Experience it. Now each of your groups has submitted to me a set schedule last week, and I have approved every one of them. Therefore, it is very important that you stick to the schedule you submitted. As your instructor, I strongly advise that you stay together, and not get lost. Finally, if there is any issue, AT ALL, each and every one of you has my cell phone number. If you are lost and you cannot find you way back with the rest of the class by the end of the night, you are to call me immediately. My cell phone is on all day if you need any help. This is a big city, it's a big town, and there's so many things to do. The last thing we want is to leave a Sakuragaoka student behind on the train back home. Do I make myself clear, class?"

"Yes, Miss Sawako!" they all chorused in response.

"I want you guys to be back here by six o'clock tonight. So you have 11 hours to enjoy Kyoto. Have fun!"

Unfortunately for Miss Sawako, Ritsu wanted a head start, and was walking with Ui, conversing. "So how the heck did you get those snacks?"

"Elementary, Ricchan. FamilyMart had a sale: Pocky boxes: 6 for 500 yen. I had to snap it up. I also bought some other stuff as well. But it was the Pocky in stock that was for sale."

"Gotcha."

"Tainaka, Hirasawa, get back down here!" Sawako exclaimed. "Dammit you two, I keep calling both of you numbskulls out again and again!"

"So much for the head start."

Ritsu froze. "Yeah, so much for that!"

"All right, let's take a look at our itinerary today," Mio said to Tsumugi. "First off, we're going to visit Arashiyama."

"Should we go take a taxi to get there on time?"

Mio knew that anytime Tsumugi was with them, any taxi ride would do. "That would give us extra time, and a head start on the others." Of course, it could be done, but there was one problem. "Hey, where the heck are Ui and Ritsu?"

"That's a good question." They both turned and saw Ui and Ritsu peering through the window of a music store, Ritsu face squarely on the window. "Question answered. Window-shopping for instruments."

Ritsu was fired up for this one through her piercing eyes and deep blushes. "All right, baby bubba, this is our first stop! Rock City!"

"You jackasses, why the hell do we need to go to a music store in Kyoto? We already have 10GIA and it's shitloads better than this crap!"

Mugi admired her comeback. "Spoken like a true lady."

"Sarcastic bitch."

"How did you know I was being sarcastic?"

"I can see it in your eyes."

"Ahhhh."

Mio had to smirk before dragging Ritsu away from the store. "Come on! We're heading to Arashiyama right now!"

"Noooo!" Ritsu wailed. "Mio, you meanie, I wanna see the drums! I wanna see the drums, waaaaah!"

"You can go to 10GIA after we get back home, all right?"

"Ohhhh, but Mio...just for a bit, though!"

Ui rolled her eyes. "Crybaby. We're outta this dump, let's roll. Mugi, you got the taxi ready?"

Mugi presented a black cab, complete with driver inside and a heart dashboard at the top. "She's ready to roll."

"Awesome."

Ritsu noticed something. "Mio, they got lefty models here..."

All of a sudden, Mio walked to the window, her face now stuck to the glass. "Oh my god..."

"Change. Of. PLANS!" Ui announced to a crowd of zero. Well, it only took them three minutes, but it was Ritsu that had to drag her to the taxi. An about-face that wouldn't slow down.

And so they got on the taxi, taking off for Arashiyama. This was a district on the western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan. A mountain across the Oi River, Mount Arashiyama forms a backdrop to the district. Arashiyama boasted sights like the Iwatayama Monkey Park, the Moon Crossing Bridge, the tomb of Kogo of Sagano, Tenryu-ji, the home of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism, the hamlet of Kiyotaki, a home to a noteworthy Shinto shrine, the Matsuo Shrine and its spring that beckons local sake and miso companies for its blessings, and Kameyama Park, where the late Zhou Enlai visited many years ago.

A man and his rickshaw carrying two passengers juxtaposed with old houses and modern automobiles. The old was slowly being absorbed by the new, but for the time being, they were meshing quite nicely.

"Whoa," Ritsu said, soaking in the sights of the district. "So this is Arashiyama! Awesome!"

"Quite a lot of stores here, too," Ui added. "It's perfect."

"And there's quite a lot of folks here, too!"

"Guys, we're heading first to the Moon Crossing Bridge, Togetsu-kyo," Mio said to the other three.

However, it was Iwatayama that drew Ritsu's attention more. "Cool. They got a park full of monkeys here! I could be in this place forever, man."

"You sure could!" Ui agreed, her iPod geared in to Gnarls Barkley.

"Hey you two, we have to stick to the itinerary if we're gonna get out of here on time!" Tsumugi was in awe of the goings-on in Arashiyama.

"Let's go, Ui!" Ritsu said, taking off for Iwatayama.

"¡Vamonos yá! ¡Venga! ¡Venga!" Ui cheered, making the mad dash.

"Come on guys, why the hell do we need to see monkeys down in Kyoto?" Mio exclaimed with her and Mugi giving chase. In her mind, there already was one monkey in her group, and she happened to be playing the drums.

Over 170 monkeys lived at Iwatayama, located on Mt. Arashiyama, which was not far from the Saga-Arashiyama rail station. Visitors can approach and photograph the primates. At the summit is a fenced enclosure, from within which visitors can also feed them. For Ritsu, it was a perfect getaway as they made the dash across the Moon Crossing Bridge while going up the hill. Ironically, Ui set her iPod to a certain 1970's hit from a certain Bill Conti.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Hokago Tea Time (minus Azusa) is here at Iwatayama, everybody!" Ritsu exclaimed out loud. "It's a pleasure."

"This is quite a change of scenery, Ricchan," Ui said. "I never thought I would see so many monkeys frolic around like this; it's unbelievable!"

"There's a great view of the city as well. It's like I'm on top of the world!" Ritsu did a little Rocky dance.

"She's gonna fly now...I agree, though; it's got a good view of Kyoto."

"Wow, amazing," Mio gasped in awe. "I personally didn't expect this great of a view up here."

"I feel as if we're part of this city already," Tsumugi added. "I really do. Hey, you what else?"

"What's that, Mugi?"

She pointed out a spot. "You that rest area over there? That's where we can feed those monkeys."

"I see." Mio turned around to identify the area. For 100 yen, visitors could give the critters their snacks. Legend has it that the monkeys have seen visitors from at least 120 countries. Whether or not the legend has any merit is currently up for debate. It's a pretty high number...for a really low cost.

Mugi was a little bit scared when trying to give the macaque her snack. "You don't have to be scared," Ui said. "These are good buddies. Watch. Here, friend, a present from HTT." The macaque eagerly grabbed the snack and munched it happily, smiling. "See? Give it a try."

"Okay..." She did, and the macaque grabbed it and munched on that, beaming and nodding. "I did it! I did it!"

"Told you it wasn't a problem."

"The human is at first intimidated by the macaque's complexion and countenance and interprets it as one of the threatening variety," Ritsu said in a prim and proper tone while peering with one naked, open eye. "But the macaque is used to interactions with similar humans who plod in various corners of the planet and assures that it will welcome the intimidated female with trust and goodwill. She chooses to break out of her shell and offer a piece of food, to which the macaque consumes and says, in his tongue, 'Thank You.' The female beams and smiles wholeheartedly in her newfound accomplishment. And thus, a new bridge has been built, forged by a deep understanding between primate and primate."

"Are you trying to be like those folks from National Geographic or something, Ricchan?" Ui asked.

"Pretty much."

She chuckled "Not bad."

"Charmed. A-googly-dooogly."

"I had a monkey of a time," Ui said to Ritsu later on as they left Iwatayama.

"You went bananas, that's for sure."

"I don't think they sold any bananas down there."

"You went ape over watching the macaques."

"No gorillas in sight, either. I would like to see one of those things one day."

"You can always buy a costume."

"One King Kong is enough." They all laughed as they got to the souvenir shop. "So, what should we buy?"

"I don't know; these things all look really cute!"

"You know what, we have to buy one for Azunyan."

Mio concurred. "I agree. It's too bad they won't let us bring her along because of the rules, but she's with us in spirit, so let's do this." They didn't realize that a storm system passed through the city, and they all sensed that it put Azusa in a bind.

"I believe we should make it more relevant and buy something that relates to Kyoto," Mugi suggested. "She's gonna have the city and the memories of our trip with her for the rest of her life if we make this purchase."

"Something that relates to Kyoto, huh?" Ui wondered. "Hmmm..."

They all pondered for the longest time. There were many symbols of the city, from weeping willows, to Japanese maples, to the camellia, the azalea, the sugar cherry blossom and the Katsura tree. They could go with a replication of one of those trees. They could with the flag or a trinket of the prefecture's emblem. They could purchase a replica of Kinkaku-ji of Kitano Tenman-gu. And they could take the easy way out and buy a plush monkey from the souvenir store. The last thing the four wanted was to give Azusa a souvenir that represented a part or the entire city, but didn't make her feel as if she was with them in spirit, so they had to do this right without any mistake.

One thing was for sure: Iwatayama was out of the question. So it was off to the shops in Arashiyama to find the answer. "How about we go for this?" Ui suggested. It was a doll of a chibi geisha holding an umbrella, representing the many festivals held in the city throughout the year.

"Or maybe this?" Tsumugi was sporting a stylized samurai jacket and a replica sword, a tribute to the legions of warriors who protected the imperial capital and their emperor for many centuries.

"This has to be it!" Ritsu held a life-size/scaled-down inflatable version of the Kyoto Tower. "Now she definitely has a part of the city in her room."

"Ritsu," Mio deadpanned, "that is the LAST thing she wants, okay?"

"Awwwww."

"So we're gonna give her this." She pointed to a sigh that indicated that the store sold Yatsuhashi, a souvenir sweet and one of the best known meibutsu (famous regional products) of the city. The rationale was this: first, the four of them (with the obvious exception of Mugi) didn't have that huge of a budget (though it was significant), and the suggestions Ui, Mugi and Ritsu offered were too specific and not broad enough. Secondly, everyone in 11 wards of Kyoto knew what yatsuhashi was and so did the people in the Kansai. Everyone knew it and everyone loved it. Yatsuhashi was to Kyoto as chocolate-covered macadamia nuts were to Hawaii. Third, if it was going to be something that Azusa was going to have, it had to remind her of Kyoto. With one bite into that delightful blend of rice flour, sugar and cinnamon, there was no doubt that she would feel as if she was there. And her class was scheduled to visit the same place anyway, so this basically was a preview of what was to come for the younger of the two guitarists while traveling with Yui and Nodoka. Finally, with the money she had, Mugi could buy this in the boxloads and purchase chockfulls of the concoction for all five of them. Heck, she could clear the whole store of its yatsuhashi. But of course, Azusa got first dibs because she was, after all, the special one.

The sun was starting to continue over the shimmering waters of town, the afternoon sinking in. A couple of cranes conversed with one another. One seemed to say "How's business?" with the other seemed to respond with, "Well, so-so, y'know, the usuals." And the beat went on.

"One heck of a magical mystery tour," Ui said at a local restaurant, where the other groups were meeting, over tea and pastries. "Hey Mugi, you got the yatsuhashi with ya?"

She laughed, and said, "Five large boxloads. In bulk."

"Attagirl."

"You know, I also wanted to check some other spots down here, but I guess we're short on time," Mio inferred.

"It's of the essence, that."

"What?"

"Time."

"Oh."

"I bought some souvenirs and snacks for myself, since I had a good amount of cash for the cause," Ritsu added, carrying her bag of spoils.

"I also got my stash of souvenirs, and the yatsuhashi," Ui said, carrying her bags.

"Woo hoo! You go, girl!"

"All right."

Mio shook her head. "Oh, you two..."

Sensing that Mio was bored out of her socks and disappointed that time failed to stand still, Ui elected to change the pace "Allow me to go into Yui mode once again. You mind?"

"Oh boy," Ritsu grinned to Mugi. "This'll be fun." The music in the background was James Brown's "Paid The Cost To Be The Boss."

"So, I'm thinking to myself as sit here at this restaurant in a city that I have only stepped foot on for barely over a day—that's a 24-hour day, for you night hawks keeping watch—and I ask myself, and I ask you, 'Why the heck do I have so much money?' I don't get it. I just don't get it. I mean, I've got all these—ALL THESE—sacks of stuff, and I still have some cash with me. Am I just spoiled by onee-chan or something?"

"You probably are," the others said in unison.

"That cash slap must have paid its dividends right about now," Ritsu said with a sneaky glare.

"I still don't get it, though," Ui said, playing her younger sister's role down pat.

"I would think it's because you want to buy souvenirs for Ui and your parents," Mio suggested.

Ritsu turned around in shock. "Oh my fucking god! I bought the wrong souvenirs! I just lost the game!"

Ui in Yui mode still didn't get it. "Huh?" She broke out of her role-playing for a bit. "Actually, this is all for Yui, since she would love this. I just hope she cleans after herself. Now back to Yui mode." Ui turned to her bags in horror. "Oh my god, Ricchan, I lost the game too! Dumb minds lose alike! Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, what will onee-chan think of this!"

Mio anticipated the question. "She won't think highly of you, that's for sure, because all the stuff you bought for her she didn't want anyway."

"Oh God, have mercy on my world possessions."

"Yeah, have mercy indeed." Mio yawned. "You idiots really forgot, didn't you?"

Ritsu's head was about to explode. "God damn it, damn it, damn it!" She definitely screwed Satoshi and her 'rents over this time. It was all going downhill for her.

"And Yui mode...done," Ui said. "Well, where off to next?"

A few clouds were in sight, but it was and otherwise wonderful blue heaven above the bridge, the river under the bridge and a marshland in the river under the bridge. A few cyclists could be seen traversing Togetsu-kyo, making the most of their leisure time along the way.

The afternoon was starting to die down, and it was time for the students to get ready to rendezvous with the others. Ui, Mio, Ritsu and Tsumugi would not realize that it would be a difficult endeavor that awaited them.

"The day seems to be wrapping up, so we gotta get back to the hotel in a hurry," Mio said, looking at her watch and the itinerary before slinging her backpack behind her shoulder.

They were at the Katsura River. "Let's go ahead and take the train back," Tsumugi suggested.

"Spot on."

One of the deadly sins that the foursome committed was allowing Ritsu—who had no knowledge of her surroundings whatsoever—to navigate. "The train station is this way! Fol-low me~~~~!" she said in a singsong voice.

"Ritsu, you better know where the station is so we can get back to the hotel from here!" The objective was to get to Arashiyama Station and catch the train on time. Tsumugi would be paying the fare for the four of them. Unfortunately, the result of Ritsu's lack of knowledge saw them walking around other houses in the district, well outside of the station.

"The hell?" Ritsu wondered.

"Jackass!" Mio exclaimed disgustingly. "Are we lost?"

"Don't believe so."

"I can tell a lie when I see it and hear it, Ritsu. You should know this since you've known me all this time. Did you also use the map?"

"Several times over. Rechecking..."

"Logic indicates that if you are looking at a certain place in the map several times over, you're most likely lost. Your lack of logic never fails to amaze me, Ritsu Tainaka."

"Shut up. Can't talk. Rechecking."

Mio placed a palm to her forehead. "Dammit!"

Tsumugi saw Ui pet a local bulldog. "Hey there, old sport," Ui laughed gleefully as the canine gave her a good lick. "Whoa, slow down there, that tickles!"

Tsumugi was in awe of Ui naturalizing herself to the Kansai. She could pass for a resident of Kyoto, and no one would not the difference. Mio, however, could not believe that Ui possessed such an uncanny ability.

"Sit, Ubu, Sit!" Ui said. That actually was the bulldog's name. "Good dog." The bulldog responded a hearty woof. By this point in the day, Jun Suzuki figured that Mio and her group were indeed lost and her control on Ritsu was starting to get tenuous, and so her group decided to head out to bring them back.

The night went on. "E-Excuse me, ma'am," Ritsu asked hesitant to an 80-year old lady on her daily walk.

"Yes, do you need something?" she responded in her craggy tone.

"How do we get to the train station?"

"Ah, that's not too far from here," the lady said. "You take this street, and turn right when you hit the T intersection."

"I see. Thank you," Ritsu said with a bow before squealing to the others. "See, it worked!"

"I hope you're right this time," Ui said.

"So you have it figured out, I take it?" Mio asked.

"100% Perfectamundo, baby!" Ritsu replied with a victory sign flashing out. "Follow me!" But Ritsu ended up turning left after hitting the T intersection. Too much belatedness could become a bad thing. Somewhere in the back of her consciousness, as they returned right back where they started from, Ritsu regretted rubbing the cow at the Kitano Tenman-gu too fast and too long.

"You motherfucker, we're right back where we started from!" Mio shouted, giving her directionless partner-in-crime a well-deserved headbump as the crows began to caw.

"Owwww!"

"How could all of this crap be happening to us?" she moaned.

"Let's see," Ui recollected. "Based on what we did, Little Miss Directionless with her back turned against us turned left instead of right at the T intersection."

"Why didn't you tell me we turned left!" Ritsu shot back.

"Because we entrusted that you would turn right."

"How is that an excuse!" she wailed. "I won't be able to pass a driver's exam this way!"

Ui put a comforting hand to Ritsu's shoulder. "You're in Kyoto. Believe, Ricchan. Believe!"

"You're not helping things with your purported words of wisdom!"

"I am. Trust me." Ui was left to console Ritsu's incessant sobbing.

"You know, I wish we could figure out where we are right now," Tsumugi said to Mio with a worried expression.

'Shoot, I just hope one of the others parties finds us, that's all."

"You know what, guys?" Ui said to the three of them. "While you figure out what to do, and wait for the others to find us, I'm gonna go see how Azunyan is doing."

"I guess that wouldn't hurt," Mio said.

"Tell her we're dying down here!" Ritsu suggested.

"Like hell I'll do that, Ricchan," Ui replied.

"You can tell her we're enjoying ourselves," Mugi added.

"Leave it to me. Leave it to me." She pressed a few buttons and dialed Azusa's number. Ui knew that she was at the Hirasawa house, but was worried that Yui was being a proper host, so she had to do the checkup.

Azusa answered the phone. "Hello, who's this?"

Ui couldn't believe the unfamiliarity. "It's me, Azunyan."

"Ui-sempai! How are you?"

"Great. Or, as they say in the Kansai, 'Ma, bochi-bochi denna.' Listen. How are things down at the house. It's not a mess down there, is it?"

"Well, not really," she responded, "but your younger sister seems to be quite a handful. How the hell do you put up with her, Ui-sempai?"

"Simple. I clean up for her."

"Man, that's exactly what I had to do. Her room is a literal mess. It's a pigsty, man! Unbelievable!"

"Onee-chan...ice cream..." Yui moaned in the background.

"Can I speak with her?" Ui asked Azusa.

"Um...sure. Hold on. Yui, it's for you."

"Hi, onee-cha~~~~n!" she squealed.

"Hey there Yui. How you doing?"

"Onee-chan, I want some ice cream!"

"Listen, and I'll be telling Azunyan this too. We're gonna be coming back tomorrow morning and when class is over, we'll stop by the FamilyMart and buy you a few cartons. All on me, your flavor."

"Cool. You're the best, onee-chan!"

"And we're gonna give you some souvenirs. Be sure to put them away when I hand them to you. Don't make a mess."

"Okay."

"All right. Can I go speak with Azunyan?"

"Here you go, Azunyan," Yui said to Azusa, handing the phone over.

"Ui-sempai, how's Kyoto down there?"

"It's a beautiful place. They got some good temples and shrines down here. We also got to feed some monkeys that live in the area, too. And we even tried our hand at speaking the dialect here."

"Hmmmm. Sounds like fun."

"Hey Azunyan, have you heard of yatsuhashi?"

"Oh, that's the sweet that they sell down there, right? Yeah, I've heard of it."

"We're gonna be bringing you a boxload of it when we get back."

"Awesome! Ui-sempai, it had been raining for a while down here and me, Yui and Nodoka had to stay at your house for the night because it was raining like crazy."

"It was?"

"Yeah, it was."

"I hope you didn't get wet."

"No, as a matter of fact we stayed dry."

"That's good. What do you think of some of the pics we sent you?"

"These are great shots, but I don't get the 'skulls' message Ritsu-sempai sent me. But Yui was laughing like crazy when she read the message. And she was coughing."

"I was not!" Yui complained with a pout.

Azusa covered the phone. "Yes, you were!"

"Azunyan?" Ui asked

"Yes?"

"While we're away, I need you to fill my shoes and make sure that Yui does not cause any trouble. Past experiences have told me that she is not a very good host, and because of this, I have to watch her every move because she can be hard to handle at times. Can you do that for me?"

"Actually, Ui-sempai, me and Nodoka have been taking turns watching over her. We actually had some fun and went to a batting cage to practice our swing. So it wasn't too bad. Yui's pretty well-behaved. She just likes to...how can I say this...feel up on me sometimes." Ui snickered in the background. "Is there something funny?"

"No, not really, that's just how she is. But she's the best younger sister I could ever have. You should be fine. I'm gonna go ahead and hang up soon. I hope you guys are safe down there, and we'll be back later on. And be sure to watch over Yui. Don't go too crazy over her, or I will be mad."

A sweatdrop came down Azusa's head. "Y...Yes, Ui-sempai!"

"Okay. Love ya!" And Ui hung up.

Eventually Jun and her group found the other four. "Ah, there you are," she said. "That's Ui's group. Ui! Mio! We're over here!"

"Hey Jun! Thanks for finding us!" Ui responded.

"You are a lifesaver!" said a crying Ritsu, about to glomp Jun wholeheartedly.

"How do we get to the station?" Jun asked.

Ritsu immediately dove into the ground, just four feet short of the group.

"OUT!" Ui said, delivering a jab in the manner of a plate umpire.

"So you guys actually got lost while finding us?" Mio asked Jun as Ui quickly dusted Ritsu off.

"Yeah, we did. However, North is this way," Jun replied, pointing at the right side of the T intersection, "so this has to be the right way."

"You're probably on the spot."

"I think if we let Jun do this honors here, we should be good," Ui said

"Actually," Ritsu inferred, "why didn't you do the navigating?"

"I just wanted to soak this place a little bit more. It would be easy for me to lead you guys back and if that were the case we would be at the hotel by now, but this was a team-building exercise at work. And I had to check up on Yui and Azunyan."

"Figures."

"According to the map, we turn left here, right?" Ritsu asked the other seven.

"I believe so," Ui inferred.

"And if we follow this street..." Jun added as they walked.

"...We're back to square one," Ritsu said as the crows continued to caw. They were right back where they started. They all went in a circle twice.

"You're not kidding."

Mio was in tears. "Jun...how can the student council president be lost this time?"

"Hint, hint, hint: Call Miss Sawako," Ui whispered to Jun.

"I'll go check the map again," she replied, nodding. She took the longest time.

Ritsu broke the silence with a deadpan tone. "Skull." Mio's frustrations with this trip were at an all-time high. They began to turn to madness. She chuckled. "S..." The chuckles got louder.

"Mio, is there something wrong?" Jun asked.

Mio was laughing like crazy.

"Ritsu," Ui said sheepishly to her headband-donning friend, "what the hell did you do?"

"Nothing, I just said 'Skull'." Soon after, Mio's gesticulations were that of a hysterical level. She was even in tears while laughing. The next time around, the two groups were able to get to the station and take the next train back to the hotel.

Dinner was on the house once again on their final night at the hotel. This time, the band was treated to portions they could stomach. For some off reason, Ui didn't feel completely full, but she did have a bit of a feeling after taking care of the usual soup, rice and sushi platter served by the staff.

"Timing is indeed everything, and I am relived we got here in time for dinner," Tsumugi said to Ui as she listened to John Sebastian's "Welcome Back."

"Indeed. It feels good to officially be back."

"Is that John Sebastian on your iPod?" Sawako asked.

"Yes it is."

"You must like to play music that fits the mood of whatever is going on."

She nodded. "That's one of the benefits of a product like this."

Sawako turned to the rest of the group. Ritsu had a guilty look on her face because she was the main person responsible for holding the rest of the class up. "And guys, don't give the rest of us any more things to worry about. Especially you, Tainaka."

"Sorry fer troubles, ma'am," Ui replied.

Mio laughed out loud. This trip was all too much for her.

"I got me bowl'er rice in m'hands," Ritsu chimed as Mio continued to laugh. "How y'all been? Mah name's Akiyama, and I play this here bass. S'nice t'meet yer." She knew how to drum out a humorous spin on things just as much as she knew how to work her drum set. "I got me some fans on Facebook, and they all from Mizzourah." The whole of Class 3-2 could hear Mio's lame attempt at restraining her laughter while Ritsu worked on her rice bowl.

"God dammit, Ritsu, you're killing me!" Mio exclaimed through her laughs. "I don't think I will be able to wake up tomorrow!"

Ui summed it all up under a night with a half-moon. "Good ol' Ricchan."

"Hey guys, it's getting a little bit late," Sawako said to two of her students who were purchasing beverages. "You need to head back to her room because we will be getting up early to leave tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am," one of them said after the two purchased their drinks.

"Good night, Miss Sawa-chan," said the other.

"Good night. Wait, Miss Sawa...?" With a sigh, Sawako retired to her quarters. It had been one busy day. It had been one long day. She personally got to see all the spots of her itinerary with the rest of the instructors, but her class got delayed because of Ui's group.

The headmaster, who was with the senior classes on the trip, came over. "Miss Sawako?"

She turned. "Ma'am!"

"That takes quite a load off of us, don't you think? Now we just need to head home."

"Right. But we still have work to do this evening." They did have some work to do, no question. The lesson plan for the following week had to be put in place, and the school year was still young, for all it was worth. Carpe Diem.

"All right, guys, I'm going to turn off the light," Mio said back at her group's bedroom.

"Day 2: a resounding success," Ui evaluated. "This was a lot of fun."

"We're going to bed earlier tonight this time. No more pillow fighting; we're done with that. Sleep tight, folks."

"Yes, ma'am!" the others said as Mio pulled the string a few times.

As always, Ritsu has other plans. Tonight's menu: horror stories. To do this, she brought a flashlight with to the trip, and she flicked it on with a sadistic grin. "Hey Mio..."

She flailed. "W-W-W-W-What the hell!"

Ritsu grabbed her as she was flailing. "Muhuhuhuhahahaaah! The night is still young, my dear! It's time for some horror stories."

"Stop it! Let me go, you perv!"

"Can we do this some other time?" Ui said, a palm to her forehead.

Of course, Sawako had her own flashlight. "Shut...your...mouths!" she said to the four in her deep, grave tone to resemble that of a banshee.

"See you tomorrow," Ui said, instantly sinking into her dormant state while the others scrambled to regain their sanity.

Sawako turned the lights back on. Of course, Ui could sleep with the lights on, too. "You guys need to take a nap already! We're gonna be going home tomorrow. You can do your horror stories when you get back."

Ritsu looked at her quizzically, "Who the hell are you?"

She responded by wrestling her silly. "Idiot, it's me! It's ME!"

"Oh my god, it's her! It's HER! I'm getting contorted in all shapes and sizes by HER! Ohhhhh the humanity!" Sawako threw Ritsu across the room. "Ouch. I can hear the band play Taps right now."

"Even during the trip, you don't even change. You just can't seem to get off the dangerous path. It's pathetic."

"Fact: Sawa-chan without makeup is ten times scarier," Ritsu pouted.

She stretched her cheeks. "What was that garbage you said? I couldn't hear you! Could you repeat that for me?"

"Uhh ffurrd fuwwfurn wufffurd murffrd erf shs sshas suuure!" ("I said Sawa-chan without makeup is ten times scarier!")

The stretchiness got stronger by the second. Ui was oblivious to the goings-on. "Huuuuuuh? How dare you make fun of my looks, your insubordinate underling!"

"That had to hurt," Mio said as she saw Ritsu bent over in a top-down, bottom-up fashion. She decided to give her cheeks a little pinch. "Raw, too."

"That's enough from me. I want you guys to go to sleep okay? I'm not gonna waste any more energy, or else I can't get what I need to get done out of the way."

"Awww, but Sawa-chan," Ritsu said, "at least chat with us for a bit."

She was spent. "Oh boy. You guys, this is not a sleepover. I'm doing this as your instructor. This whole field trip here? This is a school activity. You know, I'll be fine talking with you if this was a not a school activity, and we'd actually be chatting deep into the morning. But I'm your homeroom teacher, and we have a lot of stuff to get out of the way tomorrow. If I don't do my job, I'm gonna be in trouble, and chances are, I won't be your teacher anymore. You gotta think of it as a give-and-take sort of deal, you guys. You help me, I help you."

"Awww, but just for a bit?" Tsumugi asked. "Ui also brought some Pocky with us."

It was tempting. "Don't try to bribe me!" In the end, she gave in. "Whatever, I got a lot to talk about here." Ui snapped out of her dormant state to hear all.

Sawako loved Pocky. And she loved chatting with it. "Man, if I get reprimanded by the top brass at the school, you guys will be carrying buckets as I pack my belongings and leave. I just realized something when the rest of the other groups got back from the trip earlier today. Ricchan, you must have started some type of crazy-ass revolution, because now they all now call me 'Miss Sawa-chan' instead of 'Miss Sawako.' It's pretty embarrassing. You, my friend," she said, pointing to Ritsu, "have been doing a lot of things that have ticked me* off this trip. You overrubbed one of the cow statues at the shrine we went to yesterday. You threw me into a pillow fight last night. You tried to get a head start on the rest of the other groups with Ui earlier today. A few hours ago, you got lost while disregarding your itinerary, and were lucky that you weren't denied dinner from the staff. Actually, they told me that they've seen this all before with other classes in previous years, and they are nice people. Then you tried to bring up some horror stories just to disrupt the other groups in the other rooms down the hall. And now everyone is calling me 'Miss Sawa-chan'! Dammit, what the hell is wrong with the four of you?"

Ui elbowed a guilty Ritsu. "Hooo boy, now you've really done it this time...Ricchan."

She went on with her angst. "My dignity has hit rock bottom thanks to you! See, my role is to be a modest and kind teacher for my students, but you guys won't let me do my job here. Instead, you all go about, messing around, doing god-knows-what to god-knows-who in god-knows-where at the campus."

"Sorry if we did cause you that much trouble."

"You bet you are! Of all the groups today that I've had to put up with, you four will always be the one I need to always focus. It just...it just drives me nuts. I mean, put yourself in my shoes, okay? Pretend you are me, discussing today's subject, and you see a certain student in a hairband—well, she's got a top-knot for now—showing off and calling you out, saying, 'Hey Miss Sawa-chan! Look at me! I'm important, I'm extra special! Yaaaay!' And now imagine that going on six days a week. Nonstop. End-to-end. You can probably internalize what I'm going through right now. Do you? Tell me."

"I guess I do. It must be hard being a teacher, isn't it?"

"It pays well, but you have to put up with some bad apples, and I'm sitting next to one right now! Listen guys: all I'm asking is that you behave yourselves when we are in the classroom or taking part in any school activity. When you have your club meetings or you guys are off-campus, do whatever. But when we're in class, conduct yourselves accordingly. That's all I ask. It's not much. Can you please, PLEASE do this for me."

"Yes, ma'am!" the four of them said.

"Thank you. My God, those were the words I wanted to hear. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"I think we shouldn't have invited her," Ritsu whispered to Ui.

"But we've been getting attention for all the wrong reasons, and she's being honest, too, so it's important that we heard what she had to say."

"Right, right..."

Eventually, Mio turned off the lights. For Ui, she decided to snap out of her dormant state for a little bit longer to reflect on the trip. "I still can't believe that we are seniors," she thought to herself while staring the ceiling. She noticed that Ritsu was snoring and probably drooling on her pillow as she went along. Mio and Tsumugi were in their dormant state. "Time does fly when you are having fun."

Ui wished that after all five graduated, they would continue to perform together as a band and perhaps play wherever there was a show, and it could be a gateway to Ritsu's ultimate wish. Clearly there would be a record deal on the way, and untold riches abound. But there was also the importance of an education, the importance of a college degree, and that was something she, Mio and Tsumugi emphasized. They wanted to do that first, and this would delay things for a bit. Just for a bit. She kept that in mind as she snapped back into her dormant state.

All of a sudden, the door opened. "Miss Yamanaka!" It was the headmaster again. Apparently a flailing Miss Sawako forgot that she was sleeping in the same room as the others. Big mistake.

Ui snapped out of her dormant state one more time. "Oh crap, we forgot that Sawa-chan was here." And it was back to her dormant state again. Sawako was due to get a talking to, and that was on her. 100 percent.

Before the five left with the rest of Class 3-2, Mio noticed some charms hanging from the stall of the souvenir shop. "Guys," she asked. "I think we have may have something."

"What is it? What is it?" Ritsu asked.

"Take a look!" It was a series of charms in hiragana. Prominent were the hiragana for the letters "ke", "i", "o", "n" and "bu"

"Would you believe that," Tsumugi said in awe.

"Guys," Ui said triumphantly, "Azunyan's not only gonna get yatsuhashi on the way back. We got just what the Light Music Club ordered."

As the morning came over the Land of the Rising Sun, the band said farewell to the Kansai and the city Kyoto and took the morning shinkansen back to megalopolis that was Tokyo. Miss Sawako was short on sleep and had to catch up on her rest, drooling incessantly on the headmaster's right shoulder. "You're staining my blouse," the headmaster said.

"Urrrgkkk..."

"A little story to tell you folks as the Hokago Tea Time group (minus Azusa) makes its way back to Sakuragaoka," Ritsu said. "So, I was trying to purchase this one tankoubon that was at a discount at one of the stores near the school. It was one of those shounen manga series that I liked. But when I looked at it, I found out...wait a sec, I already own this book."

"I see," Ui said.

"So I decided, bugger this, I'm gonna give it to Satoshi."

"Good idea."

Ritsu took notice of the reason for her existence. "There's Mount Fuji again!"

"That peak never fails to amaze us." Ui whipped out her iPod and prepared to switch it to the eighth track from AC/DC's second studio album.

"Let me go take a look, too," Mio said. But she ended up dropping a sack of candy.

"You may want to be careful next time."

They all laughed amid the students sleeping around them, and the bullet train continued to make its way across the Kanto plains and Mount Fuji with a vigor unlike any other, as Ui's iPod played "High Voltage."

END CHAPTER 4