Ms Abe walked slowly up the steps leading to the elementary school. The wooden stairs were slick under her feet from the pouring rain, and she gripped the wooden handrail cautiously. Her umbrella was soaked through, huge raindrops falling off without pause. Her students would have to be extra careful today, she thought.
"I guess we'll have to all stay indoors today," she murmured to herself, finally reaching the top of the stairs and twirling her umbrella over her head. Raindrops flew out in all directions, and she smiled before continuing on her way.
"But that's alright," she continued. "We'll have a fun day, anyway."
OP: Your Glow
Episode 9: A Rain In Our Teacher's Heart!
"Awwwww , why'd it have to rain?" Kumi whined as she and her friends trudged up the stairs. She, like everyone else, carried an umbrella over her head, so it looked like there was a parade of brightly-colored flowers moving towards the school. A lot of umbrellas were overlapping with their neighbor's, so despite the downpour, the kids were totally dry. "I wanted to play soccer!"
"It's okay, Kumi," said Kazu, patting her shoulder. "We can play with my new ball another time. The rain'll stop eventually."
"That's pretty mature, Kazu," said Haru.
"It's what my mom always said when I was mad that I couldn't play outside."
Rui blinked, confused. "Can't you guys just push all the desks against the walls and play soccer in the classroom?"
Everyone else stared at her.
"What?"
"Rui," Masako said slowly, "I'm still shocked that Mr Tenoh lets you guys do that."
"What? Just because he's strict doesn't mean he thinks we shouldn't get exercise." Their group reached the top of the stars and stepped aside, allowing everyone else to pass while they finished their conversation. "It was one of the first rules he put down when the school year started. As long as we don't break anything, we can play games indoors." She turned to look at Kumi. "Did you guys do that at your old school?"
"Sort of. We just moved into the gym."
"Well, we can't do that in Ms Abe's class," said Masako, shaking her head. "We just play or talk quietly, or do silent reading."
"Awwwww!"
"Hey, everyone!" Kanon suddenly yelled from a distance, her hand cupped around her mouth. "You better hurry up and get inside! It's almost time for first bell!"
Sterling and Electrum sat at their brother's bedside, looking down at him. Electrum sat with one leg over the other, arms folded across his chest. Sterling seemed less calm, with her legs pressed together and her fists in her lap as she leaned forward.
Onyx did not appear outwardly different, he still seemed to be deep in sleep. But he had spoken, Electrum and Sterling both knew it.
And he was still speaking now, his voice echoing from the blood-red brooch on his collar.
"Sterling. Electrum. I'm pleased I can speak with you again. I've been trying to gain enough strength to do so for weeks."
"You've been awake this whole time?" asked Sterling.
"Sterling!" Electrum hissed.
But Onyx's voice just chuckled. "Not exactly. I wouldn't say I was awake, or that I am now. It's more like... I'm in a dim, distant dream. Only now, I'm aware that I'm dreaming, and that there is something on the outside I need to do. Someone I need to speak to. The two of you."
"We've been trying to wake you," Sterling said, leaning forward with her fists still in her lap. "We've been gathering dark energy and-"
"I know. And I thank you - because of your combined efforts, I was able to do this much."
Sterling and Electrum looked at each other with relieved smiles, but their happiness was short-lived.
"However, it's still not enough. I need even more in order to fully awaken."
The siblings' hearts sank. Electrum leaned forward. "And then you'll simply let this be?" he asked. "We can just leave the kingdom? We nearly lost you and I think after what's happened the three of us should-"
"No." Onyx's voice was harsh, and stern. Electrum flinched and leaned back; Sterling put a hand on his shoulder. "Not yet. There is still work to do when I wake..."
The sound of rain hitting the windows and the scraping of chalk against the blackboard were the only sounds in Ms Abe's classroom.
Ms Abe smiled as she faced the board, writing a sentence in English. Behind her, her normally-alert and attentive class were in various stages of melancholy. Kumi sighed quietly, staring out the window with her chin in her palm. Kazu was draped over his desk, dozing off. Masako tapped her pencil against her desk.
Even Riko and her friends seemed listless, Riko toying with her hair and leaning back far in her chair so that the front legs were off the ground.
"Okay, everyone," Ms Abe said, lowering her chalk and turning around. "Who would like to translate this? Hm?" Her smile faded, and she blinked as she took in her students' current state.
"Hey!" she called out, snapping her fingers and bringing everyone back to attention. "Come on, we'll have recess soon. For now, let's focus on the lesson, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am," chorused all thirty students tiredly.
Ms Abe frowned harder, planting her hands on her hips. She'd gotten the answer she had wanted, just not the energy . "Now, now," she chided. "I know. It's raining. Nobody wants to spend recess and lunch indoors. But that's just how life is sometimes; there's a rainy day and there's sunny days. You just have to wait the rainy day out and make the best of what you have."
Her only response was a chorus of half-hearted mumbles.
Ms Abe stood silently for a moment, then sighed irritably, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Okay," she began slowly, "what can I do to get you back with me? What can I give you to make you pay attention and liven up a bit?"
"Ms Abe, are you bribing us?" Haru asked meekly, raising her hand.
"I prefer to call it... 'field research.'"
Kumi suddenly blinked and straightened up, a delighted look appearing on her face. She stood up, slapping one hand on top of her desk and shooting the other into the air. "Ms Abe! For recess, can we play soccer in the classroom?!"
"Play soc- what?" Ms Abe's jaw dropped.
"We can push all the desks against the walls and play soccer! Please! I promise to pay attention if you say yes!"
All around her, various other students began whispering and chiming in, their voices slowly becoming more animated and alive.
"Hey, yeah, that'd be fun..."
"Soccer sounds pretty good right now."
"I've never played a sport indoors before. That could be fun!"
"We could stretch our legs and stay dry!"
"Ms Abe, I wanna play soccer inside, too!"
"Yeah, please, Ms Abe!"
"Yeah!"
Ms Abe stared, a bit flabbergasted as her students began to perk up one by one. All of them looked a lot more lively, a sparkle coming to their eyes as they excitedly began talking. She even saw Haru sit up straighter and start smiling brightly as she too began asking about indoor-soccer. The noise was so loud it began to drown out the rain hitting the windows.
Finally, feeling a bit overwhelmed, Ms Abe put her hands up. "Okay - okay, everyone, please - okay!" she cried. The room fell silent. "Okay. If I agree to indoor soccer at first recess, will you all pay better attention today?"
"Yes, ma'am!" everyone chorused again, more lively.
Ms Abe sighed. "Alright. We'll play indoor-soccer at first recess. Now, Minami, will you please come to the board and translate this?"
With Ms Abe agreeing to Kumi's idea, the rest of time before recess went by much faster. Kumi could barely keep still as she worked, tapping her foot or humming under her breath as she translated English phrases. Her eyes kept darting to Kazu's backpack, where the soccer ball sat waiting for everyone. She could see a few other students doing the same thing, smiling brightly in anticipation.
Finally, with five minutes before first recess, Ms Abe nodded her approval at Masako's own translation. "Excellent, Byron. You may return to your seat." She glanced up at the clock, and hm 'd. "Well, we have a few minutes left. Let's take this time to move the desks and chairs to the edge of the room. I'll be at my desk, grading your quizzes from the other day."
The room chorused with cheers as everyone stood up and began to move their desks. Kumi grinned broadly, pushing both her chair and desk at the same time. Kazu did the same, right next to her. "That was a great idea, Kumi!" he whispered loudly. "We get to play after all!"
"Don't give me the credit!" Kumi giggled. "Rui gave me the idea!"
By the time the bell for recess chimed, all the desks and chairs had been moved away to clear a huge space in the middle of the room. There weren't any teams, instead the kids were content to just kick the ball around and let it go to whoever. They kicked the ball against any desk they could, not keeping track of any points, but instead just happy to be playing and kicking something. It was very crowded, and a lot of students ended up kicking each other by accident, but it was fun.
At some point, Kumi's backpack wiggled a bit, and Glimmer tentatively poked her head out. "What's all the commo- eek!" she shouted, ducking back inside as the ball flew in her direction. Masako ran in, headbutting it at the last second and sending it back into the game.
Ms Abe stayed at her desk, doing her best to ignore the loud cries and the sound of the ball smacking against metal and wood. She rested her chin on one hand, idly grading quizzes.
So far so good, she thought to herself. Everyone's been doing well...
Suddenly the ball hit her desk with a loud thwack! Ms Abe looked up, frowning slightly. "Be careful , everyone," she called out.
"Yes, ma'am! Sorry!"
With that, Ms Abe returned to her work. She kept an ear open for the end bell, but most of her focus was on the quizzes. She drew another star atop a paper, feeling proud. Everyone's doing a great job these few weeks, she thought as she reached for her coffee cup and took a long drink. She set the mug back down on its coaster, quietly pleased that she'd thought to bring it with her from the teacher's lounge. It really made the rainy weather more bearable, a hot drink.
In the game proper, Kumi was standing in the center of the room, trying to keep the ball away from the other kids. "No way!" she cried. "This point is mine!"
"Nuh-uh, Kumi! It's mine!" another girl yelled, running in to try and steal the ball.
Kumi shrieked and backed away, taking the ball with her by lightly knocking it with her heels. A few feet away, Kazu waved his arms above his head. "Kumi!" he shouted. "Kumi, pass it here, pass it here!"
"There's too many people in the way!" Haru said. "She'll never make it!"
"Oh yes I will! Kazu, heads up!" Kumi shouted, pulling her foot back and then snapping it forward.
The ball flew high into the air, arching over everyone's heads and falling down towards Kazu. Everyone gasped, watching it fall...
...over Kazu's head, despite his best efforts.
And then it hit Ms Abe's coffee cup, spilling the contents all over the desk and soaking her graded papers.
Ms Abe yelled in shock and jumped away. And then the room was dead silent, with the exception of the ball rolling across the desk and dropping to the floor.
Ms Abe and the class stared at the soaked papers. The coffee was spreading across the top of the desk, turning all the quizzes a muddy brown and blurring all the writing.
Kumi finally broke the silence. "Uh- Ms Abe, I-"
"It's fine." Ms Abe sighed loudly, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. "It's - Natsukawa, it's fine. Everyone, put your desks where they belong, I'll clean this up and we'll start class again."
"But what about the quizzes?" asked Riko.
"Everyone gets an A. Just get to work replacing your desks, if you please."
Everyone quickly moved to do what she said, noticing the short, clipped way she pronounced her words. Kumi's stomach twisted as she looked over her shoulder at Ms Abe. Her teacher was yanking paper towels out of a roll, pressing them to the spill on her desk and sweeping the quizzes into the garbage. Though her back was to the class so her face wasn't visible, Kumi could see how tense her shoulders and back were.
Eyecatch 1: Kumi, Masako, Haru, and Rui are shown one by one wearing a princess dress in their theme colors. Then the four pose in front of a mirror together as the Crown Jewels Pretty Cure logo appears in the corner.
Eyecatch 2: Kumi is shown in front of a vanity, holding a series of earrings up in front of her. She cycles through pink hearts, blue diamonds, yellow teardrops, and green clovers before settling on white crowns. She then clips the crown earrings onto Glimmer's ears as the Crown Jewels Pretty Cure logo appears in the corner.
"You got to play soccer indoors after all?" Rui asked, blinking as she lowered her fork. "You actually convinced Ms Abe to do it?"
"Yeah, but I bet she never will again," said Kazu. "After what happened today."
Because of the rain, everyone was eating indoors. Rui had taken her food and joined her friends in their own classroom, and now the group was sitting at several desks pushed together.
Kumi sat opposite of Rui, and was slowly sinking in her seat, looking as heavy as the flowers in the school garden at the moment. "I didn't mean to..." she mumbled dejectedly. "Oooh, it's all your fault, Rui, you gave me the idea!"
"Wha- hey, that's no fair, Kumi!"
"I know," Kumi groaned, leaning across her desk. "I know, I'm sorry. I just feel so bad!"
At that moment, Riko and her friends looked up. "Hey, don't feel too bad, Natsukawa," Riko called out. "Thanks to you, we all got A's!"
"Yeah, thanks, Natsukawa!"
"You guys aren't making me feel any better at all!"
"C'mon, Chino, back off," Kazu said, frowning up at her.
"What? I'm not being mean, I'm just being honest."
"Chino," Rui said warningly.
Riko scoffed and went back to her lunch. Kumi just kept groaning against her desk.
Meanwhile, in the teacher's lounge, Ms Abe wasn't having a very good time, either.
"You let them kick a ball around indoors?" Mr Tenoh asked, his fork positioned halfway to his mouth. As if to punctuate his question, the bite of rice and curry fell back into his lunchbox.
Ms Abe groaned, rubbing her temples. She was too upset to eat, frowning down at her convenience taiyaki. "You don't have to say it like that, Tenoh," she grumbled. "Besides, from what I hear, you let your students do that."
"Yes, but my students have done it many times before, so they know the rules. They know how to behave and not to play as fiercely as they would outside. Abe, your students have never done this before - an accident was bound to happen! What were you thinking?"
"I was just trying to make things fun for my kids, Tenoh! Would you lay off me?"
"Abe," another teacher said sympathetically, "I understand that, but anything could have gone wrong. You're lucky it was only some soggy quizzes - it easily could have been a broken window or a busted light."
"Yes, thank you, I didn't consider that," Ms Abe said sarcastically, her lip curling into a sneer. "Look, I learned my lesson, alright, now please back up and let me eat." She turned away, furiously biting into her taiyaki and squirting bean paste onto the desk. Ugh, just what I need! she thought, grabbing a tissue from her bag.
Ms Abe's mood didn't improve during the rest of the day, despite everyone's best efforts.
Kumi sat as quietly as she could, keeping her head down and focused on her work. Haru answered every question correctly. Kazu offered to pass out papers so Ms Abe wouldn't have to. Even Riko and her friends were uncharacteristically quiet, their hands folded on top of their desks and their faces pointed towards the front.
But Ms Abe didn't seem to notice. Or if she did, it didn't have much of an effect. Her shoulders were tense for hours, and Kumi noticed there was a slight huff in her voice when she spoke. She couldn't help but flinch a little, the guilty, twisting feeling in her stomach getting worse. She felt like she'd swallowed a live snake, it was so bad.
The feeling didn't go away after the final bell rang, and she was chosen to stay after for the class cleanup. Kumi knew she'd have to be picked eventually, but considering what had happened today...
'I hope she's still not angry,' she thought glumly, as she swept a few errant dust bunnies towards the dustbin Haru was holding.
As if reading her mind, Masako looked up from wiping down desks. "Hey, Kumi, don't worry. Ms Abe's never mad for too long."
"Yeah, by tomorrow she'll have forgotten all about it," offered Rui. She had been walking past the classroom earlier, intending on meeting her friends outside, but had seen the trio on cleanup duty. With Kazu being picked up by his mom that day and being unable to stay, Rui had opted to stay in the classroom to offer company and to avoid being in the rain for a little bit longer. "Besides, she's probably not even mad at you."
"I was the one who kicked the ball," Kumi sighed. Then she groaned loudly, shaking her head and throwing her broom to the floor. The resulting noise made the other three girls flinch. "This is the worst! I didn't mean to make Ms Abe upset!"
Kumi's backpack wiggled, and then Glimmer popped out the top. "Are you going to apologize to her?" she asked.
"Why should she?" Rui asked back. "It was an accident!"
"But even so... it might help her feel better. And it's important to apologize, even if it was an accident."
"I will, I will..." Kumi sighed, picking up the broom again. "I just hope Ms Abe won't stay mad forever."
"Oh, Kumi, you know she won't..." Glimmer chuckled.
Outside, Ms Abe stood on the front steps, taking cover under her umbrella and watching the last of the students head out. She sighed dismally, giving her umbrella a half-hearted spin and making rain fly off it. 'Well, at least the weather feels appropriate now,' she thought.
Meanwhile, high up in the treetops, the air shimmered, and Sterling appeared. She got to look graceful and intimidating for a solid one second before her heels slipped on the tree branch and she had to grab the trunk to steady herself. " Ugh , rain," she groaned, pressing closer to the trunk, seeking shelter in the leaves. "It had to be raining when I was sent out..." She looked down at the schoolyard, eyes zeroing in on Ms Abe. "But it's not too bad, I suppose. There's prime Dark Energy right there!"
And with that, she extended her arm, pressed her thumb and forefinger together, and smiled. "Fade away!"
Snap .
Ms Abe suddenly gasped, dropping her umbrella. A few students and parents stopped, turning around to see what was wrong. But Ms Abe didn't notice them. All she felt was cold. Pain. Falling. Fading. A pulling in her chest.
No! she thought. Not me, not in front of the students, no no no!
And then things went dark.
"AAAAAAH!"
The scream cut through the silence as the girls finished cleaning. Kumi dropped her broom again and ran for the window. "Oh no-!"
Just outside, a six-legged, multi-eyed Usugurai was rearing back and screeching at the top of its lungs. "Why did it turn out LIKE THIS?!"
"That voice-!" Rui gasped.
"It's Ms Abe!" Haru added.
"Change! Elegant Crown Jewel!"
"Summer's jewel is full of love! Cure Ruby!"
"Winter's jewel is filled with light! Cure Diamond!"
"Autumn's jewel is filled with truth! Cure Topaz!"
"Spring's jewel is filled with energy! Cure Emerald!"
"The sparkling jewels! Crown Jewels Pretty Cure!"
The girls jumped out of the first-floor window, landing with a series of small splashes in the soaked grass. Ruby briefly lost her footing, but grabbed onto Diamond and steadied herself just in time.
"Everybody, run!" Ruby shouted from the top of her lungs. The students and adults who were still on the school grounds wasted no time. Parents grabbed their children, older kids grabbed the hands of younger ones, and ran as fast as they could.
They managed to get out of the danger zone, but the girls could still see the tendrils of Dark Energy drifting from each terrified person.
"Ms Abe!" Emerald yelled, charging forward. Everyone else ran after her, rainwater and mud being kicked up behind them. "Don't worry, we'll save you!"
"Why did it go wrong?!" the Usugurai shrieked. "All I wanted was to make them happy!"
Topaz and Emerald were in the front of the group. They leaped up high into the air, twisting their bodies around to deliver a falling kick - only to get smacked aside when the Usugurai tossed its head.
"Gyaaah!" they screamed together.
"Topaz! Emerald!"
Ruby and Diamond ran forward, jumping up and catching their friends. Diamond skidded against the mud as she set Topaz back down; Ruby floundered a bit as she righted Emerald. "The rain and mud is making it worse!" Ruby lamented.
"We've got to keep trying!" Diamond called back, wiping her wet hair out of her eyes. "Ms Abe needs us!"
Up ahead, the Usugurai shrieked again, slamming its two front-most legs against the ground. A wave of mud, water, and grass flew up from the impact, moving quickly towards the girls.
"Oh no!" cried Topaz, ducking her head and covering it with her arms.
Diamond ran forward, hands out in front of herself. In a split-second, there was a frozen solid spot in the wave, directly in front of the girls. In the next second, she punched the frozen mud hard, making it shatter. The rest of the wave passed around the girls harmlessly.
"Thanks, Diamond! Mud's gross," Topaz murmured.
But Ruby was focused on something else.
"Girls!" she shouted. "The weak spot - it's underneath - it's on the Usugurai's tummy!"
"Are you sure?" asked Emerald.
"Positively! You girls keep her busy, I'll get the weak spot!" And with that, Ruby ran forward, her shoes slipping in the mud. The rest of the girls exchanged a look, nodded once, and ran after her, splitting up in several directions.
"Be careful, girls!" shouted Glimmer from her perch in the windowsill.
"Don't worry, we got this! Ms Abe! Over here!" shouted Emerald, skidding and sliding past. "Look this way!"
"No!" called Diamond, from the Usugurai's other side. "Look over here!"
The Usugurai was confused. It glanced between the two Cures quickly, missing the way Ruby was getting closer.
"Up here!" Topaz shouted, jumping high into the air. A burst of wind from Emerald kept her airborne even longer, allowing her to keep distracting the monster. "Keep looking!"
"Will that make you kids happy?" the Usugurai wailed. "Or is this gonna go wrong, too?!"
Ruby bit her lip as she suddenly put on another burst of speed and let herself slide. She sped along the grass as if she were on a slip-and-slide, dropping to her knees and bending backwards. There was mud and grass in her dress and hair, but she paid it no mind. She stared at the dark underbelly of the monster as she sped past, waiting for that familiar bright star.
"All I want is to make my kids happy! That's all! But one little thing goes wrong, and then everyone is on my back!"
That's not true, Ms Abe... And if it is, I'm sorry. You do make us happy, you really do...!
The twinkling, bright spot appeared.
"I'll tell you about it, Ms Abe! Pretty Cure Ruby Firework!"
Sterling groaned, lowering her arm away from her face. Man, that light when the Pretty Cure stopped Usugurai was so bright... "Well, that was annoying," she grumbled. "Onyx better be grateful for this!"
And with that, she teleported away.
Ms Abe gasped, blinked, and was shocked to see four young girls standing in front of her. Three were from her own class, and the fourth... she was sure she was part of Mr Tenoh's class. They were all looking at her with wide, concerned eyes, and she realized what must have happened. "GIrls!" she cried, reaching forward and grasping the closest girl by the shoulders, who happened to be Kumi. "What happened?! Why didn't you run away? What-"
"Ms Abe, it's okay! We were in the classroom the whole time," said Masako. "We only came out when the magical warriors turned you back."
"Was everyone else alright?"
"Uh-hm," said Rui with a nod. "Everybody was fine."
Slowly, Ms Abe's expression went from panicked to a soft, relieved smile. "Thank goodness," she sighed, shoulders slumping. "If anything were to happen to you kids, I..."
"Ms Abe?" Kumi piped up nervously. "Listen, I wanted to say... I'm sorry I kicked the ball that hard. And spilled your drink on our quizzes. I'm sorry I suggested it in the first place."
"Oh, Natsukawa, honey, it's not your fault, it was an accident."
"But you wanted to do something really nice for us. And you did do something nice. And then I did something to make you upset. And not only that, but I pushed you into doing it in the first place. That wasn't fair."
"Natsukawa..." Ms Abe's expression softened even more, and she dropped to her knees, hugging Kumi close. Kumi stiffened in surprise for a second, then hugged her back. "It's not your fault, I didn't blame you or anybody else. I was mad at myself, not you."
"But it was my fault to begin with-"
"Natsukawa, is that what you think? That you kids made me let you play soccer indoors? That my bad mood was because- oh, honey, no." Ms Abe pulled away and shook her head. "No, I agreed to let you kids play. That was on me. I was angry at myself for my own lapse in judgement. I should have expected something like this would happen. It's none of your faults."
"But... But the Usugurai - we heard it saying that all you wanted was to make a fun day for us, and it went wrong."
"I'm sorry you heard that... But I was only angry at myself. I was angry because I was making a silly mistake, and didn't take responsibility earlier. And after that some minor things were happening that... Well, never mind. I'm not angry at any of you kids, and none of you caused this. Alright?"
"But..." Kumi faltered.
"I understand you're feeling guilty, Natsukawa, but no. It was all on me. Okay? How about this? How about this?" she asked. She met Kumi's eyes with a bright smile. "We'll both say that it was nobody's fault. Nobody is at fault, nobody should be upset. Okay?"
Kumi nodded slowly, and a tiny, tentative smile appeared on her face.
"On count of three. One, two, three-e-e-e..."
"It's nobody's fault!" everyone chorused at once, then dissolved into giggles.
"Good. Now, tomorrow, I want both of us to be in a good mood! Actually, that goes for all of you," she added, sweeping her gaze around the other three girls. "All of us are going to be feeling better tomorrow, and not bring this up. Okay?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Do you all have safe ways home?"
"Yes, ma'am," the girls chorused again.
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."
The girls waved goodbye as they carefully made their way down the stairs, watching as Ms Abe held her umbrella over her head and waved back. Once they were out of her sight, the girls breathed a collective sigh of relief, and giggled together.
"That went better than I thought!" said Kumi.
"I told you Ms Abe wouldn't be angry at you," said Glimmer, popping out of Kumi's bag.
"Hey, Kumi, are you okay?" asked Haru, frowning.
"Fine! Ms Abe's not mad!"
"No, I mean your voice sounds funny."
"I'm fi - hp- thchoo!" Kumi covered her sneeze with her palm at the last second, making a face when she pulled her hand away.
"Kumi, ewwwww!"
ED: Miracles Can Happen