Chapter 7: Family Reunion at a Shinto Shrine
Friday has arrived. Rocko, Heffer and Filburt were packing their swimsuits into their bags.
"Are you two ready?" wondered Rocko.
Heffer and Filburt nodded.
"I'll just call Ai and see how she's doing," said Rocko.
Rocko got out his mobile phone and dialled Ai's number.
"Moshimoshi," greeted Ai, once the call picked up.
"Hello, Ai," Rocko greeted back. "Where are you going to today?"
"Me, Zukin and Hiroshi are going to a Shinto shrine," replied Ai.
"That's great," said Rocko. "Me, Heffer and Filburt are going to the hotel's swimming pool."
"That's where me, Zukin and Hiroshi went to the other day," said Ai.
"I see. Is it okay if I hang up?"
"Sure, we have to go now. Sayonara."
"Bye."
They both hung up. Rocko put his mobile away.
"Guys, don't try and throw me up in the air at the pool because you know what happened last time," Rocko explained.
Flashback to "A Day of Nonsense"
"Phew, I'm glad that's finally over," said Rocko.
But then, he noticed people staring at him and some trying not to laugh. At first, he didn't know what he did that amused them. But when he looked down…he realised he didn't have his swimming trunks on! He looked around further and noticed that his trunks were floating near him!
"AAAH, MY SWIMWEAR! I'M NAKED!" he yelled.
The humour in the Rocko's situation was clear as everyone in the swimming pool started laughing at him, including Heffer and Filburt.
"That was so funny!" cheered Filburt.
Rocko, on the other hand, was not impressed over being humiliated the way he was.
"Come on, guys, let's go," mumbled Rocko, stepping out of the pool, taking Heffer and Filburt and his lost trunks with him.
And so, the trio left the swimming pool with their equipment.
End of flashback
"We won't," said Heffer and Filburt. (But I bet you they will!)
"Okay, let's go," said Rocko.
Rocko, Heffer and Filburt left the room with their stuff.
Later, at the pool, Heffer and Filburt were swimming all about.
"Wooiiiee! This is fun!" cheered Heffer.
"There must be something else we could do," said Filburt.
Heffer and Filburt looked at Rocko swimming. Then they got an idea and made anime sneaky expressions.
"Let's pull his swimming trunks down!" Heffer and Filburt snickered.
Heffer and Filburt sneakily swam up to Rocko. Rocko, who was swimming himself, didn't realise his two mischievous best friends sneaking up on him. Then before he knew it, his swimming trunks got pulled down by them!
"Heffer! Filburt!" Rocko growled.
"Hey, look!" called a boy. "That person's flashing!"
In less than a few seconds, everyone started laughing loudly at Rocko, with a few teenage girls wolf-whistling. Rocko blushed with embarrassment as Heffer and Filburt giggled as well.
"How embarrassing," said Rocko.
Meanwhile, Ai, Zukin and Hiroshi were at a Shinto shrine.
"I just called Haruka-chan and she and Hajime-kun gave me permission to tell one of our family members about what they're doing," said Zukin.
"I see," said Ai.
"This is a good view to take a picture of this shrine!" Zukin giggled.
Zukin and Hiroshi got out their cameras and took their own pictures of the shrine. While they do this, Ai saw two people that looked familiar to her.
"Onee-chan, otouto, is that our parents over there?" wondered Ai.
Zukin and Hiroshi looked at where Ai's looking.
"It looks like it!" gasped Zukin.
"Shall we go and see?" asked Ai.
"Hai," replied Zukin and Hiroshi.
Ai, Zukin and Hiroshi walked off.
A couple was standing outside. The woman took a picture of the shrine. Just then, the man saw three children that he knew.
"Hotaru-chan, look over there," said the man.
The woman looked. She saw Ai, Zukin and Hiroshi.
"It's Zukin-chan, Ai-chan and Hiroshi-kun!" the woman exclaimed. "Nee, nee!"
Ai, Zukin and Hiroshi looked. It turns out the couple are their parents! (Well, to the man, Zukin is his stepdaughter as stated in Chapter 2)
"OKAASAN!" Zukin screeched happily.
Zukin ran up to her mother, Hotaru and hugged her.
"Ai-chan, Hiroshi-kun!" their father, Akira (or stepfather to Zukin) said happily.
Ai, Hiroshi and their father hugged.
"I can't believe you're here, my babies!" Hotaru squealed happily.
"It's so nice to meet you again," said Ai. "We came here to Japan for a one-week spring vacation. We're on our sixth day."
"How's your vacation going?" asked Akira.
"Very good," replied Ai.
"Yeah, I love it!" Zukin also answered.
"Me too!" said Hiroshi.
"Your uncle Yuki, your aunts Suki and Hoshi, and your cousins Nadeshiko, Konami, Daichi and Taeko have also come," explained Hotaru. "They're inside the shrine. Kita, Taro, Rie, Hajime and Haruka didn't want to come so they're at the hotel."
"Okay," said Ai. "See you a minute."
"Hai!" called Hotaru.
Ai, Zukin and Hiroshi went inside the shrine. They saw their uncle Yuki Shiga, their aunts Suki Taiyaki (née Shiga, Yuki's twin sister) and Hoshi Shiga (née Inoue, Yuki's wife) and their cousins Nadeshiko and Konami Shiga (Yuki and Hoshi's daughters). Nadeshiko and Konami were humans like the Futaba siblings and they both had blue eyes. 11½-year-old Nadeshiko was a friendly tomboy and had purple chin-length hair and wore a purple shirt with long black sleeves, black pants and black trainers. 8-year-old Konami, on the other hand, was a cute, smiley girly girl. She had gold shoulder-length hair and wore a lilac shirt, pink skirt, white socks and pink shoes. The two girls saw the Futaba cousins.
"Okaasan, otousan (dad), obasan (aunt), look who's here!" exclaimed Nadeshiko.
Hoshi, Yuki and Suki turned around. They saw Ai, Zukin and Hiroshi.
"Zukin-chan! Ai-chan! Hiroshi-kun!" called Hoshi.
"Konnichiwa, minna!" greeted Zukin.
Zukin, Ai and Hiroshi hugged Hoshi. Then Ai and Zukin hugged their cousins while Hiroshi hugged Suki and Yuki.
"Ogenki desu ka (How are you)?" asked Hoshi.
"We're fine," replied Ai. "We decided to come here since this week is spring vacation."
"Sugoi (Great)," said Suki.
"I'm so happy you're here!" Konami giggled.
"I know," said Ai. " Where are Daichi-kun and Taeko-chan? We want to say hi to them."
"They're over there," replied Yuki.
"Arigato," said Ai.
Ai, Zukin and Hiroshi walked off. They then saw Daichi and Taeko Midoriyama (Hajime and Haruka's older brother and sister) taking pictures. They were both crossbreeds between light brown cats and humans and they both had brown eyes and light brown hair. 18½-year-old Daichi wore a light blue jacket over a white T-shirt, blue jeans and white trainers while 17-year-old Taeko wore a sleeveless shirt, short jeans and white socks and trainers. They walked up to them. Taeko turned around to see if her aunts, uncle and cousins were still there when she saw Ai, Zukin and Hiroshi.
"Zukin-chan? Ai-chan? Hiroshi-kun?" wondered Taeko.
"Konnichiwa, Taeko-chan," greeted Ai.
"Oh my gosh! Long time, no see!" Taeko exclaimed.
"Daijoubu, imou-?" Daichi began, before seeing his cousins for the first time in nearly two years. "Zukin-chan! Ai-chan! Hiroshi-kun!"
"How are you three?" asked Taeko.
"We're fine," replied Ai. "We're enjoying our one-week vacation."
"So you've come back for a vacation?" said Daichi. "Cool!"
"Yeah!" Taeko agreed.
"Hajime-kun and Haruka-chan are staying at the hotel, right?" said Zukin.
"Un (Yeah)," Taeko answered, nodding. "They've gone to the hotel pool."
"Well, I have something to say," said Zukin. "Hajime-kun and Haruka-chan have been annoying a person with music using their music player whenever he did something embarrassing. They've already pulled the stunt four times. And you'll never guess what Haruka-chan did when she and Hajime-kun were called perverts by him. She kicked him in the privates."
Even though Zukin knew the person she was talking about was Heffer, she decided to keep his identity to herself...for now. Daichi and Taeko, on the other hand, were wide-eyed.
"Do you know what song they were using?" asked Daichi.
"Yes, I've heard it and I know its name," replied Zukin. "It's called 'Me ga Au Toki' and it's off the video game, The Idolmaster."
"That's not very nice of what they are doing," said Taeko. "Do you think I should call Okaasan?"
"Un," replied Zukin, nodding.
Taeko got out her mobile phone and dialled her mother's number. Then the call picked up.
"Nee, Okaasan," greeted Taeko. "I'm fine, our family's having a great time. Zukin-chan, Ai-chan and Hiroshi-kun have come back here in Osaka for a one-week vacation. I know. Well, there's something important I've got to tell you. Imouto and otouto have been annoying a person with music via their music player whenever he did something embarrassing lately and they've performed the stunt four times. Also, imouto kicked him in the privates after she and otouto were called perverts by him. Zukin-chan told me. Right. Okay, sayonara."
Taeko hung up.
"Okaasan said she's grounding imouto and otouto for two weeks and imouto's getting a month extra for performing her groin attack," Taeko explained.
"We can see that," said Ai.
"Why don't we enjoy the rest of our trip together with the family?" Daichi suggested.
"Hai," answered the Futaba siblings.
So they did.
Meanwhile at the hotel swimming pool, Rocko, Heffer and Filburt have just finished getting redressed in the changing stalls.
"I had a great time," said Rocko. "Did you two have a great time?"
"Yeah, said Heffer and Filburt.
Suddenly, Rocko felt the urge to pee.
"Guys, is it okay if you two stay there for a moment?" said Rocko. "I just need to use the bathroom."
"Yeah," replied his two famous best friends.
Rocko walked off. That's when Heffer and Filburt made anime sneaky expressions.
"Hey Filburt, you know the western toilets have those squirting devices in Japan?" wondered Heffer.
"Yeah," said Filburt.
"Let's squirt him when he washes his hands," said Heffer.
"Good idea, Heff!" Filburt snickered.
Heffer and Filburt sneaked quietly into the bathroom. They saw Rocko entering a stall.
"This is gonna be awesome!" Heffer giggled quietly.
"I know!" Filburt agreed quietly.
Heffer and Filburt giggled quietly. In the stall, Rocko was squatting over the squat toilet, doing his pee. He didn't need to use the balance bar since he knows how to keep his balance. He heard some noises that sounded quite familiar.
"For a second there, I thought I heard voices," Rocko said to himself. "Oh well, probably my imagination."
Outside the stall, Heffer and Filburt sighed silently with relief since they heard what Rocko said.
"That was a close call," Heffer mouthed to Filburt.
"Yeah," Filburt mouthed back.
Just then, they heard the toilet flush. Rocko came out of the stall and went over to one of the sinks to wash his hands.
"Let's go," Heffer mouthed.
Heffer and Filburt quietly snuck into the first stall since Rocko's in front of it. They luckily found a western toilet with the device.
"We shoot…" Heffer and Filburt mouthed.
Heffer pressed a button on the device. Rocko was washing his hands at one of the sinks. Suddenly, he felt himself getting sprayed and screamed with shock.
"…and we score!" Heffer and Filburt cheer, before giggling.
Rocko recognized those voices. He moved out of the way of the spraying water and turned around to see Heffer and Filburt in the stall.
"Heffer! Filburt!" Rocko growled. "Why did you spray me?"
"We decided to prank you!" Heffer hollered.
"Well, turn that squirter off, will ya?" Rocko yelled. "And don't you ever prank me like that again!"
"We won't," said Filburt.
Heffer and Filburt pressed the stop button on the squirting device and the squirting stopped. Then the three guys left the bathroom. But just after that happened, someone in the pool splashed water on Heffer's clothes, making it look like he's wet himself! This makes "Me ga Au Toki" play again! Heffer knew that it was Ai, Zukin and Hiroshi's twin cousins, Hajime and Haruka. So he got out a lightsaber, stretched his arm like in a cartoon, sliced what is presumed to be the music player in half, then put it back in his pocket after returning his arm to normal size. Fortunately, Heffer was right because one of the changing stalls opened and Hajime and Haruka pop their heads out of the door. And they were really angry.
"HEY!" they screamed.
"I can't believe it's happened again, even after two days!" Heffer sighed, frustrated.
Later, Hajime and Haruka arrived back at their hotel room.
"Tadaima!" they called.
Their parents Kazumi and Himawari didn't look too happy with them.
"Midoriyama Hajime and Haruka," Himawari said firmly. "We got a call from Taeko-chan and she said that you two have been annoying a person by playing music on your music player whenever he did something embarrassing and that you performed the stunt four times. Is this true?"
Hajime and Haruka knew that what they did was wrong.
"I guess we did," they replied.
"But today, we performed the stunt for the fifth time," Hajime explained.
Kazumi and Himawari were shocked at what Hajime said.
"A fifth time?" their parents gasped.
The twins nodded.
"Haruka, we've also been told that you also kicked him in the privates when he called both of you perverts," Kazumi explained firmly. "Did you do that?"
"Yes, I did," Haruka answered. "But he called us perverts because of our music stunt."
"We don't care why he called you that," said Himawari firmly. "You two are grounded for two weeks. Haruka, you get a month extra because of your groin attack performance. And that means no TV, no going on the computer, no video games and no going out except for family outings and school."
"Yatta!" the twins cheered.
Their parents were confused.
"Yatta?" Kazumi and Himawari wondered.
"Oh, gomen. Maa (darn)," Hajime and Haruka sighed, realising what their parents said.
Later, at night-time, Ai, Zukin and Hiroshi were in their beds.
"That was the best outing we ever had today!" Zukin cheered.
"Yeah!" Hiroshi agreed. "It's too bad it's our last day here tomorrow."
"I know," Ai agreed. "But at least we met our family again."
"True," said Zukin. "Well, oyasumi."
"Oyasumi, onee-chan," said Ai and Hiroshi.
Ai turned off the light and she, Zukin and Hiroshi fell asleep.
Seven chapters down, two to go! The next chapter features…A TRIP TO A KARAOKE BAR!