The Grandmother Problem
Cast:
Cure Rouge, Natsuki Rin - age 16
Shibiretta, Hikage Kusunoki - age 74
Ibara Shou - Shibiretta's grandson - age 22
Kurusu Shuuhei - Shibiretta's grandson - age 22
January, 2009
The first shrine visit of the year.
Five PreCures and Milky Rose ascend the steps as an elderly woman followed by two young men descends from the top. The old woman is wearing a green kimono with mushrooms embroidered on it and a wide-brimmed hat that droops down over her face almost as if it was the cap of a mushroom itself.
The girls have encountered her several times before.
"Shibiretta!" they exclaim at practically the same time.
She stops walking. The gentlemen with her also stop and stand on the steps. One of them, a tall man with green hair and orange-tinted sunglasses, interposes himself between Shibiretta and the girls.
"I don't know who you girls are, but our grandmother is very old and in ill health. Please move on and do not disturb her."
The other man has long pink hair, which has obviously been dyed. He also wears sunglasses, but his are more ordinary. He instead addresses Shibiretta.
"Grandmother, did you spend the entire year picking fights with teenagers? I thought we agreed that you'd stop doing things like that."
The green-haired man whirls to face him. "Shou! This is not the place for-"
"You know I'm right, Shuuhei! Stop being such an Orange!"
"Shut up, both of you!" Shibiretta snaps. "You boys never visit. You never call. I have to entertain myself somehow."
"You did those things because you were bored?" Rin asks.
"And for no other reason," Shibiretta says, as she lifts the brim of her hat just enough to meet Rin's gaze. "Did you think I was employed to do such things? There likely isn't a business anywhere that could gain any value from those shenanigans... except maybe a television studio. The things that they show on the television these days are simply disgraceful, I'll have you know. People used to have standards!"
Shou steps between Shibiretta and the girls. "I'm sorry, but this conversation needs to end before Grandmother says something that we'll all regret. She needs to go home and rest. You young ladies clearly haven't gone up to the shrine yet, so I'll just accompany you up while she and my cousin go down, and he can take her home to rest. Right, Shuuhei?"
"M'not an Orange..." Shuuhei grumbles sullenly.
"After you're done here, I'll treat you all to something sweet."