Note: This chapter will conclude the Mariko and Chiyoko flashback arc. Make sure you read to the end of this chapter to see what's next for this fanfic. Thanks for your support and please don't forget to leave a review.
One last note: Again, since I've been making the chapters longer and longer, this chapter will end up being one of the longest chapters of the story to date, if not the longest chapter of the story to date.
Friday May 25, 2012, 4:00 pm
It was a beautiful spring day in Tokyo. After they had gotten home from work, Mariko and Chiyoko decided to go out to the park to meet their boyfriends. Just to clarify things a bit, on Monday April 16th, the two girls started working at their new jobs. Mariko had taken a job working as a 1st grade student teacher at the Higashi-Jujo Elementary School (東十条 小学校). Chiyoko had earned the position of working as a 2nd grade student teacher at the Toshima Wakaba Elementary School (としま若葉 小学校).
Anyone who remembers Chapter 9 will probably know that Mariko & Chiyoko were studying at Tohoku University to become student teachers. But with this point now made, I digress. Now, getting back to the story. So anyway, the two girls got out of their work clothes and into something more casual. Mariko put on a pink spaghetti strap tanktop (that also showed her midriff), short blue jean shorts, and white sneakers. Chiyoko put on a blue T-shirt over a white tanktop, a light brown skirt and black strap on sandals, revealing the red-orange nail polish on her toenails.
"So are you ready to go?", Chiyoko asked. "Just let me get the tennis rackets out of the closet", Mariko answered. As she was about to open the closet, her friend warned her, "Wait a minute! That's the messy closet!". "Oh come on, how messy could it be?", she wondered. The answer came as soon as she opened the door and everything came crashing hilariously down on top of her.
"Oh no! Mariko, are you all right?", Chiyoko sputtered. "Don't worry, Chiyoko. I'm fine", Mariko explained, "But I'm really starting to hate slapstick". "Well, are you sure you're all right?", Chiyoko asked again. "Yeah, I even got the tennis rackets out of there", Mariko answered back. "Well, then let's go", Chiyoko asserted, "We'll just clean it up when we get back". "Good idea, let's head down", Mariko concurred. And with that they exited the apartment.
4:30 pm
Well anyway, the two girls were walking from the apartment. But right across the street from the park, they were blocked by a man wearing a ski mask and brandishing what at first glance looked like a knife. "All right! Give me all your money!", the man bellowed. Now Chiyoko did exactly that, preparing to get her money out and hand it to the big scary man. However, Mariko noticed that the knife wasn't a knife at all. In fact, it was just the long end of a spoon (God! What an idiot!).
With that, she charged at the douchebag and blurted, "Aw hell no! Not on my watch, bub!". He tried to use his "knife" to stab his intended victim but it did absolutely nothing. "His knife is fake! It's just a spoon handle!", Mariko shouted as she jumped on top of the guy. "What? Why you stupid pathetic waste-loid!", Chiyoko growled as she too jumped on their assailant. And so, these two cute young ladies were fighting back against this big dumb excuse for a burglar. Obviously, the old scumbag didn't know what to do at this point. And it was about to get even worse for him.
Having been alerted by their girlfriends' shouting, Katsuhiko and Fumihiko dashed across the 4-lane street (on the crosswalk of course), dodging cars rushing by them. With a final jump, they tackled the twat onto the ground and held him down, while Mariko and Chiyoko rushed to the payphone to call 119. Within a few minutes, the police were there and they took the guy into custody. "I can't believe it, foiled by a couple of girls and their friends", he grumbled as one of the officers handcuffed him and another officer shoved him into the back of the squad car.
As they drove off, the two boys shook their heads. "Man, talk about a pathetic excuse of a man", Katsuhiko noted. "Who tries to rob someone with something so primitive as a spoon handle", Fumihiko concurred. "Anyway, are you two all right?", Katsuhiko asked, turning to the girls. "That's what I'm wondering as well", Fumihiko added.
"Don't you two worry, we're both just fine", Mariko assured them. "As soon as we knew it was just a spoon handle, we started fighting back", Chiyoko interjected. "Good for you two!", Katsuhiko exclaimed. "Way to show him who was boss", Fumihiko chimed in. "I don't know how much longer we could have held him off though", Mariko explained. "Good thing you two came along and held that stupid idiot down", Chiyoko agreed. "Well, it was our duty of course", Katsuhiko answered. "We saw you two were in trouble and felt we had to do something", Fumihiko added.
4:45 pm
Soon after they got in the park, the quartet set up a net to play tennis, since the girls had brought the tennis rackets and the tennis balls. "Are you ready for this, Chiyoko", Mariko asked her friend. "I guess so Mariko", Chiyoko answered back, "As long as I don't get hit in the face with anything".
But as it turns out, that hope proved to be farfetched. Not only did Chiyoko get hit, she got hit a total of eight times (twice in the head, four times in the stomach, and twice in the chest), though rarely very hard. After the eighth time, Mariko decided that it was time for them to end the tennis match. "What? You mean the game's over already?", Katsuhiko protested. "I didn't think that it would end that soon", Fumihiko concurred, adjusting his glasses.
"Are you all right, Chiyoko?", Mariko asked, clearly concerned about her friend. "Yes, I'm fine", Chiyoko told her, "I guess I just suck at tennis". "Why don't we try volleyball instead?", Mariko suggested. "Well, all right. I'll try my best", Chiyoko answered. "I've got the volleyball right here", Katsuhiko called out. "Then volleyball, it is", Fumihiko interjected.
However, during the first game, Chiyoko got hit in the face with the ball twice rather hard, and one of those times was by her own boyfriend (accidentally of course). "Oh my god, Chiyoko!", Fumihiko sputtered, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hit you!". "Don't worry, I'll be fine in a minute or two", Chiyoko answered back, wiping her eyes. "Damn! You gave her quite a hit there, dude!", Katsuhiko commented. "Now now, I'm sure he didn't mean to hit her", Mariko insisted.
I might not have said this but apparently Chiyoko can't play most sports, even if her life depended on it. Whenever she plays something that involves a ball, a lot of times the ball heads straight for her and hits her in either the head or the abdomen. You could say that she is a ball magnet (Something about that statement didn't sound right). And in something like running, she'd usually end up tripping or similarily falling onto the ground. Or in one particularly embarrassing incident, taking several runners with her as she fell.
Luckily, it only took a few minutes for her to regain her composure and the game restarted. She ended up getting a little better with each game. Arguably, the best moment was when she jumped up and finally managed to hit the ball over the net (after about sixteen tries), even though she faceplanted onto the sand right after. "All right, you did it!", Mariko cheered. "Wait, you mean I hit it over the net?", Chiyoko wondered, geniunely surprised. "Yeah, and you girls scored a point too", Katsuhiko answered back. "That was a very good save on your part", Fumihiko agreed.
6:00 pm
A little while later, Katsuhiko and Fumihiko left the park to get something for the group to have to eat. You see, the quartet had decided to have a little outdoor picnic. And it was actually a very nice day for it. They had told the girls that there was a new take out restaurant downtown, and that they would be back in about a half hour. The boys had asked Mariko and Chiyoko if they had wanted to come along, but the girls politely declined. Besides there were people all over the park now. This would help make the possibility of being robbed go way down.
So while they were gone, Mariko and Chiyoko set up the blanket that they would all sit on. Once that was set up, they sat down and got comfortable. "You know this is nice, being outdoors like this", Chiyoko noted, as she gently undid the straps from her sandals and removed them. "I know what you mean, it's such a nice day today", Mariko agreed as she untied her sneakers and took them off, revealing the dark red nail polish on her toenails.
"By the way, Mariko. Facing that guy today made me think of something", Chiyoko chimed in. "Oh really, Chiyoko. Well, what did it make you think of?", Mariko wondered. "That time back in 6th grade when that bully was picking on me and you", Chiyoko answered. "Yes, I still remember that", Mariko replied.
Start of Next Flashback
Tuesday June 4, 2002, 12:00 pm
It was a very nice late spring day at Higashimurayama Elementary School. By this point in time, Mariko and Chiyoko were in the sixth grade. The former was now 11 years and 6 months old. The latter was now 10 years and 9 months old. Anyway, that day the two were eating lunch outside. However at that time, 3 girls in the same grade as them came up to them looking to cause some trouble.
"Hey look everyone! It's the little nerdy girl!", one of them shouted as she pointed at Chiyoko, "I mean, glasses and braces together on one face? Hello! Total geekwad!". Just to clarify things a bit, by this point, Chiyoko had to start wearing glasses because of her vision. Not to mention that her teeth had become crooked, so she had to wear braces too. Unfortunately, this meant that the poor girl had several people teasing her because of it.
"Hey come on, geek!", the leader yelled while pulling hard on one of her victim's pigtails, "Say something! Don't you disrespect me!". By now, the poor little girl had tears in her eyes. At this point, Mariko had seen and heard enough. "Hey leave her alone!", Mariko shouted, "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?". "Oh yeah, well you're one to talk, you stupid idiot!", the second girl blurted out.
"What did you just say to my friend?", Chiyoko demanded, suddenly very angry. "She said, that your friend is an idiot!", the third girl boasted. "Oh that's it! You can insult me all you want! But when you insult Mariko, that's when something hits the fan!", Chiyoko shouted. "Oh yeah? So what are you going to do about it?", the first girl dared. "Mariko, do you care to give me a hand?", Chiyoko asked. "With pleasure, Chiyoko", Mariko answered.
Next thing you know, the five girls were punching and kicking each other. But as it turns out, the three bullies were all talk, as the two good girls somehow managed to beat them handily, with several punches to the face each. As the three ran away, the leader yelled to her henchgirls, "Not a word of this to anyone! Understood?".
"Oh boy, that actually felt really good", Chiyoko admitted. "Not good, frigging brilliant!", Mariko corrected, "I've never seen you stand up to someone like that before". "Well, they called you an idiot", Chiyoko explained, "And I know for a fact, that while you're no genius, you're certainly NOT an idiot". "It's the same thing with them calling you a nerd", Mariko answered, "I can't stand that".
"But from now on, let's agree not to use violence anymore", Chiyoko suggested. "Good idea. Only use force when it's absolutely neccessary", Mariko agreed.
End of Flashback
Note: I should mention once again that violence is NOT the answer to something like this in real life. I just wanted something to help the girls stand up to those bullies. If you are ever bullied, go and tell a responsible adult immediately.
Flashforward back to May 25, 2012
"And from that day on, we never used violence again", Mariko interjected. "Yes, we only used force when it was absolutely positively neccessary", Chiyoko concurred. "I really don't like to fight against someone", Mariko admitted, "No matter how mad they make me get". "I totally agree with you", Chiyoko added, "I'm not a very good fighter anyway".
So anyway, a few minutes after that, the two boys returned holding a giant pizza box. "We're back!", Katsuhiko announced, "I hope you girls are hungry". "We ordered the biggest pizza on the menu", Fumihiko explained, "It's got absolutely everything on it". "Oh boy, that sounds delicious", Mariko chimed in. "It does sound very appetizing", Chiyoko agreed.
As they set the box down, the boys noticed the blanket on the ground. "Oh, you girls set up the blanket already?", Katsuhiko wondered. "Yeah, we did that right after you left", Mariko answered. "Well, now this is absolutely perfect", Fumihiko noted. "Well, thank you very much", Chiyoko replied back. So with that, the group sat down and started eating. Despite its size the group finished it within a half hour.
A little while later, the group was walking around the park, admiring the nighttime scenery. "Wow, the park and the city are gorgeous at night", Mariko noted. "You're right, it is very nice to look at during the night", Chiyoko agreed. "I've heard the park can be at its most beautiful at nighttime", Katsuhiko replied. "And apparently you would be right", Fumihiko concurred.
"You know, we both have jobs now", Mariko and Chiyoko chimed in together. "Oh really? Well, what job?", Katsuhiko and Fumihiko asked in unison. "Well, I'm working as a 1st grade student teacher at Higashi-Jujo Elementary", Mariko answered. "And I'm a 2nd grade student teacher at Toshima Wakaba Elementary", Chiyoko explained. "Well that sounds interesting for the both of you", Katsuhiko replied back. "I wish you two the best of luck at what you're doing", Fumihiko interjected.
So after a little while longer, and seeing a fireworks display someone had set off in their backyard, the four lovers each headed back to their respective homes. But not without some hugging and kissing each other first. You know, like most young couples do.
10:30 pm
After they reached the apartment, Mariko and Chiyoko made it their job to finally organize that damn closet. It took about a half hour total but eventually they got it cleaned up. The last item remaining on the floor was a book that read on the cover "2006-2007 Ryouou High School Yearbook (2006-2007 リュ·高等学校の 年鑑)". "Hey look, Chiyoko", Mariko called out, "It's our first yearbook from Ryouou High". "You're right Mariko", Chiyoko concurred, "I haven't seen this in ages".
"You know during our junior high years, we weren't able to see each other much", Mariko remembered. "That's right, since we were at different schools during that period", Chiyoko added. "But at least we were able to e-mail each other every other day, and call each other each weekend", Mariko stated. "That way we were able to keep our friendship alive despite being pretty far away from each other", Chiyoko explained.
"I still remember the day that we met each other again", Mariko chimed in. "That was back on our first day at Ryouou High", Chiyoko interjected. "Man that was a great day", Mariko sighed. "Yes it certainly was a wonderful day", Chiyoko agreed.
Start of Last Flashback
Monday April 10, 2006, 8:30 am
A few years after the previous flashback, the first day of school had arrived for the students of Ryouou High School. It wasn't exactly the most pleasant of days, in terms of weather. It was mostly cloudy, with a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit), and it was supposed to rain later that day. Anyway, enough about that though. Let's get back to the story at hand.
As the many first years (10th graders in Japan) walked into the building, they checked the class lists to see what teacher they'd end up with. Among those students was Chiyoko, who looked at the bulletin board for the several class lists. Like everyone else, she was wearing the winter school uniform though she combined it black thigh high stockings and braided pigtails. She also no longer wore braces and the glasses would come off with her laser eye surgery a few months later. Anyway, she eventually found her name in Ms. Takahashi's homeroom, along with 19 other students.
Now, at the exact same time, Mariko walked up to the same bulletin board. She also wore the winter school uniform, combining it with white over knee socks as well as a simple ponytail. She looked at the many class lists, and she saw her name in Ms. Takahashi's homeroom as well. It was just then that the two girls noticed that much to their surprise they were standing right near each other this whole time. "Mariko?", Chiyoko sputtered. "Chiyoko?", Mariko wondered. "Is that you?", they asked in unison.
Once they realized who the other person was, they immediately ran through the crowd and hugged each other. Both were jumping around, holding each other and crying tears of joy. "I can't believe it! We're back together once again!", Mariko squealed. "I know! It's been so long since we've seen each other!", Chiyoko squeaked. It took a few minutes, but they finally regained their composure.
"I thought you were still living in Tokyo", Mariko replied, "When did you move to Saitama?" "Just this past weekend in fact", Chiyoko explained, "My father got a new job right near the school". "That's awesome!", Mariko cheered, "Now we can see each other more often now!". "Yes, that's exactly right!", Chiyoko realized, "And do you realize something else, Mariko?".
"What is that, Chiyoko?", Mariko asked. "Well, we both have the same homeroom teacher", Chiyoko told her. With that, they both took another look at the class list, just to be sure. "Oh my god! You're right!", Mariko gasped. "This is just incredible!", Chiyoko beamed. And a few seconds after that, the two girls once again hugged each other, then they went to join their fellow first years at the assembly that was being held.
End of Last Flashback
Flashforward back to May 25, 2012
"Yeah, that day was one of the best of my life", Mariko sighed. "It was one of the best days of mine as well", Chiyoko agreed. "To think, more than 16 years has gone by since we first met", Mariko added. "And we've had a great deal of memories over that amount of time", Chiyoko concurred.
At the same time, the two girls got out a bottle of sake and poured some into 2 small glasses. Don't worry, they were both legal age to drink. "A toast to many more years of friendship", Mariko called out. "And a big amen to that", Chiyoko replied. With that, they clinked their glasses together and gulped down the liquid.
Author's Notes:
Chapter completed on June 30, 2012
Higashi-Jujo Elementary School - a real life elementary school located in Kita-ku, Tokyo.
Toshima Wakaba Elementary School - a real life elementary school located in Kita-ku, Tokyo. It opened on Friday November 22, 2002.
Now that this arc has been completed, it's now time to move on to what a lot of you have been anticipating for a long time now. Chapter 26 will mark the start of a Yutaka and Minami arc.
Once again, I thank you all for your continued support during this arc.