Chapter 12: New Opportunity
Thoughts of how to get invited into the Ogasawara mansion preoccupied Ranma as she walked to school in the morning. There were only a few days left to accomplish the task, and it would be a lie to say it didn't worry her. She still didn't understand why there was that particular time limit, but Genma had been very clear that a deadline existed and that it was rapidly approaching.
"Gokigenyou."
"Gokigenyou, Ranko-san."
Several girls greeted Ranma on her walk through the Lillian school grounds, but she disregarded them in favor of speculating, imagining, and otherwise trying to come up with a plan. She likewise ignored her morning classes, instead thinking of her goal of the Ogasawara mansion. No matter how much she thought, though, she couldn't come up with a clever plan to get Sachiko to invite her. The only idea she could think of trying was challenging Sachiko to a duel, but she didn't see how that would help in this case.
Ranma reflexively dodged backwards and to the side. An arm was flying at her face, and the imminent attack penetrated her mental haze, instantly becoming the priority issue to deal with. She rolled out of her chair and into the open aisle, landing in a crouch. She quickly looked up at her attacker, ready to riposte or leap away, depending on what the follow-up to the attack would be.
The astonished and fearful face of Yoshino met her gaze. All around the room, everybody had stopped moving and was staring at Ranma.
"Sorry," Yoshino said. She flexed her free hand open and closed in an apologetic gesture as she lowered it from where she had been waving it in front of Ranma's face. "I didn't mean to scare you like that. I was just wondering if you were coming to lunch."
The girls who had remained in the classroom for lunch all continued to stare and openly eavesdropping on the conversation.
"What? Oh, right," Ranma said. She stood up and reached over for her book bag. Its thin profile caused her to remember, though. She had been so preoccupied in the morning that she hadn't bought anything. She asked, "Can we drop by the vending machines on the way?"
"I don't see why not," Yoshino said.
They left the classroom and began their journey. Behind them, their classmates slowly resumed what they had been doing, be it eating their lunches, preparing for the upcoming festival, or both.
Throughout the building, all pretenses of normalcy had vanished. There was no longer any doubt that the school was in full festival-preparation mode. Girls were briskly walking about, some on their own and others in small clusters. They carried papers, chairs, posters, rods, pots, bags, costumes, stands, tools, and a multitude of other items. There were only two more days to go, and everybody very overtly knew it.
As they walked down the stairs, Yoshino turned to Ranma and asked, "Is everything okay?"
"Hmm?" Ranma asked. It took a second for the question to get enough of her attention to register. Once it did, she said, "Right, yes, everything's fine, nothing wrong here, teeheehee." She scratched the back of her head reflexively.
"If you're sure," Yoshino said hesitantly. They walked a bit further. At the bottom of the stairs, though, Yoshino turned back again. "If anything is wrong, though, you do know you can talk to us, right? Shimako-san and me. I'm sure Sachiko-sama and everybody in the Yamayurikai as well. We all want to help, if we can."
"Yeah," Ranma said halfheartedly. Ironically, Sachiko was the problem in this case, and having that emphasized made Ranma feel ever worse.
However, there was something else as well. Yoshino's statement sounded familiar, somehow. Ranma was reminded of quilt-like bread and savory rice. She thought about that and was able to make the connection. The reason why it had sounded so familiar was that Sachiko had said something very similar a couple of days earlier, during the dinner after the costume fitting.
Sachiko had offered to help Ranma with her problems, and it turned out that she did have a problem: how to get invited into Sachiko's house. When she thought about it that way, it seemed obvious. She could just ask Sachiko directly. It would be easy to ask in the evening, either at the start of their practice or maybe after dinner. Problem solved.
In fact, knowing what she knew now about the soeur system, she probably could have asked directly right after she had been tasked with getting an invitation into the Ogasawara mansion. It would have meant that she could have completed her task immediately, before the welcome ceremony; and the costume fitting session; and the nights spent practicing with Sachiko; and the lunches shared with Yoshino and Shimako; and the curry feast; and the multiple dinners Sachiko had brought; and everything else that had happened over the past few days, she thought wistfully.
Ranma shook all the speculation on how things could have been out of her head and turned her attention to the more immediate matter at hand as she and Yoshino approached the vending machines. She inserted her coins into the machine, and she reached for the button for instant noodles. However, she hesitated as another thought occurred to her. She turned back to Yoshino and asked, "You and Shimako-san don't really like those noodles, do you?"
Yoshino slightly averted her gaze and said, "It's true that they wouldn't be my first choice."
"Then is there anything else you'd like instead?" Ranma asked.
Yoshino stepped closer and looked through the different products on offer. She asked, "How about some of this bread?"
Ranma checked the price. "Sure," she said. She pushed the button and became the proud owner of a roll of melon bread. Ranma then repeated the purchase twice more. The rolls were definitely smaller than the instant noodles were, which was a disappointment to Ranma, but if Yoshino and Shimako had brought as much as they had in the past, that would hardly be an issue.
Having purchased the appetizer, Ranma and Yoshino proceeded to meet Shimako at their typical place. Along the way, Ranma decided to stop worrying about the situation with Sachiko. She had a plan, and there was nothing she could do until the afternoon, so there was no reason to worry about it until then.
As they approached the solitary cherry tree behind the primary gym, they saw Shimako and Tsutako there. Shimako had one edge of a sheet in her hands while Tsutako had the other edge of the sheet in hers. The two girls were kneeling down to place it. Once it was firmly set, the two girls stood up and turned to Ranma and Yoshino.
"Gokigenyou," Shimako and Tsutako both said.
"Gokigenyou," Ranma and Yoshino both replied.
Tsutako picked up a small stack of photographs from the ground and held them out to Ranma. She said, "The pictures came out really well."
This first photograph was a picture of the dance practice the previous Saturday in the secondary gym. Ranma was at the end of a spin, hanging on to Rei's outstretched hand. To the side was Shouko, her hands clapped together. The bit of sill, jambliner, and grill on the edges of the picture made it clear that it had been taken from the outside peering in through a window. A small label on the top read, "Head of a Pin."
"You and Onee-sama look really good there," Yoshino said.
Ranma nodded. She agreed she and Rei looked particularly elegant in that picture.
She flipped to the next one.
The second photograph was of Yoshino, Eriko, and Rei walking down an outdoor path. They were in a line, and each of them was carrying a pot. Eriko's pot was labeled with a "2." Beside her, Rei's pot was labeled with a "1." Yoshino was the third in line, and she was carrying an unlabeled pot. The top of the photograph was labeled, "Succession."
Ranma looked at Yoshino, who gave a slight nod back. Ranma then flipped to the last picture in the stack.
The third photograph was of the previous day's lunch. Ranma, Yoshino, and Shimako were all sitting on a sheet on the ground with various small dishes spread out between them. Ranma had her chopsticks in her mouth and was obviously enjoying herself. Yoshino was in the middle of grabbing a cutlet with her chopsticks. Even though Shimako had her hand up to her mouth, the crinkles near her eyes and cheeks made it clear that she was giggling. This one was labeled, "Rose Garden."
"So, what do you think?" Tsutako asked. She had craned her head over such that she could see which picture Ranma held in her hands.
Ranma didn't know too much about photography, but the pictures looked nice enough. She said, "They seem fine to me."
"I like them," Yoshino said.
"Then can I use them for our photography club display?" Tsutako asked. She had a trace of apprehension in her voice.
Ranma didn't particularly care either way. She looked over at Yoshino, and the two shared a shrug. She looked over to Shimako as well, who also gave a non-committal look back.
"I think it would be fine," Shimako said.
"I don't have a problem," Yoshino said.
"Sure," Ranma said. She handed the stack of pictures back to Tsutako.
"Thanks," Tsutako said. She took the stack of photographs, but kept her hands outstretched. "The thing is, can you help me ask Rosa Foetida and Rei-sama? Please?" She offered two of the photographs out more directly to Yoshino.
Yoshino responded by taking the pictures. She said, "That's fine, but you'll need to ask Shouko-sama about this one yourself."
"That's fine. Thank you for your help. Thank you very much," Tsutako said. She gave some hurried, short bows. "Gokigenyou." She gave one more bow, and then walked away.
With the departure of Tsutako, lunch could commence. Ranma, Yoshino, and Shimako all spread out their respective contributions, with Ranma's distribution being substantially faster than the other two girls'. Not only did she have less to pass out, she was very motivated to begin the eating as soon as she could.
They had only just started to eat, though, when Eriko appeared on the path near the primary gym. She caught sight of them and then changed her direction to walk straight at the trio.
"Oh, you're all here. That's convenient," Eriko said once she was close enough to talk. "I'm sorry to interrupt your lunch, but we may have a problem."
The declaration of a problem caused Ranma to worry once again. It seemed this day was full of problems.
"What is it?" Yoshino asked.
"Youko, Sei, and I were talking, and we're worried about Kashiwagi-san," Eriko said.
"He's back already?" Ranma asked, and she eagerly jumped to her feet. Her worry evaporated, replaced with a giddy enthusiasm at the prospects of a rematch. That didn't sound like a problem. It sounded more like an opportunity.
Ranma had not expected Kashiwagi to have returned so soon. Rematches usually didn't happen that quickly. Typically it took more than a single night of special training to develop a counter to somebody's fighting style. It wasn't unprecedented, though, and those breakthrough cases had made for some of the best fights she had ever had. She was excited to see what new technique he had learned which he thought could beat her.
Eriko jolted back a step from Ranma's sudden launch upward. She said, "No, it's not that. He's not here. It's just he's supposed to be the prince for our play, right?"
"That's right," Yoshino said. She also climbed to her feet, much less abruptly than Ranma had. Shimako stood up as well.
"We were thinking that after what happened yesterday, he might not show up anymore," Eriko said.
"Oh. I guess that makes sense," Ranma said. Kashiwagi was probably dedicating his every waking moment to special training. After all, he had not only been beaten, he had been absolutely trounced, and maybe even humiliated.
"Then what should we do?" Yoshino asked.
In the distance, Sei approached along the path near the primary gym. When she saw the group, though, she paused. She then turned around and left.
"That's what I'm here for," Eriko said. "Do you two still remember your lines from two weeks ago, back when we only had Sister A and Sister C?"
"Yes," Shimako said.
"We've been practicing that way with Ranko-san," Yoshino said.
"You have? In that case, it's even better," Eriko said. "If Kashiwagi-san does withdraw, then we're going to go back to what we had originally planned to do, only with Sachiko playing the prince and Ranko-chan playing Cinderella."
"Sachiko-sama as the prince? Not Onee-sama?" Yoshino asked.
"Yes. Removing Sister B will cause less disruption than trying to figure out what to do with the wizard if Rei changes. We weren't even planning on having Sister B before Ranko-chan joined us, and Sachiko already has the prince's part memorized," Eriko said.
"Sachiko-sama does?" Yoshino asked.
"According to Youko she does," Eriko said.
"She does," Ranma said. She was reminded of her own surprise when she had found out. However, Sachiko had been correct; Ranma had found it easier once she had stopped concentrating on Cinderella's lines only. "She's been helping me practice, too."
"I see," Yoshino said.
"We're still trying to figure out if Kashiwagi-san will or will not be coming. Just be prepared in case we do need to do a late change," Eriko said.
"Understood."
"Gokigenyou." Eriko departed.
Ranma wasn't sure to think about this most recent development. She was certainly excited with the idea that Kashiwagi was preparing for a rematch, hopefully one which would be less one-sided than the previous fight had been. On the other hand, it did seem like this could cause a great deal of trouble for the play. On the other other hand, it meant Sachiko wouldn't have to face him again. On the other other other hand, it meant that Sachiko wouldn't get to face him again.
Was Kashiwagi more like Martial Arts Mountain Bicycle Racing to Sachiko, where it was important to keep getting back on and trying again? Or was he more like cats to her, where avoidance was the best course of action? Ranma wasn't sure.
In the end, though, Kashiwagi either would or would not show up. She could decide what to do once she knew which way it was. The specialty of Anything Goes Martial Arts was instant adapting to dynamically changing situations, after all.
Ranma, Yoshino, and Shimako sat down again. They quickly finished their food, did a bit of practice, cleaned up the evidence of their lunch, and then returned back to their classrooms.
Much like the morning the day before, classes in the afternoon for the First-year Chrysanthemum Group were interrupted in favor of festival preparations. Both the history and the mathematics classes were canceled, with Ami taking charge during those periods.
The first thing Ami did was arrange the shift schedule. A point was made to split the shifts of the two "star attractions," with Ranma getting the first time slot and Yoshino getting the third.
After the schedule was set, the rest of the time was spent with the back-of-house students practicing their food and drink preparation while the front-of-house students tried on costumes. Ranma and Yoshino in turn both ended up a red and black dress, with red hearts on the black sections and black hearts on the red sections. Other costumes around the room included a green suit with a large top hat, a yellow vest with bunny-ears on a headband, and a stripped purple and lavender dress with cat-ears on a headband. That the last costume was a bit disconcerting to Ranma, but it was abstract enough that she could ignore it without any real trouble.
Once all the front-of-house students had finished trying on their costumes and the back-of-house students had concluded their practice, all of the festival supplies were carefully sequestered away and stored. From there, the rest of the classes proceeded more normally. Then there was another after-school clean-up, and Ranma joined Yoshino in walking to the secondary gym; due to other competing festival activities, they would not be able to use the actual stage of the performance until their dress rehearsals.
Ranma and Yoshino were both intercepted right when they walked into the gym. One of the girls from the invention club pulled Ranma in one direction, and a girl from the handicrafts club pulled Yoshino in a different direction.
The girl from the inventions club had long brown hair, and she introduce herself as Harumi. She led Ranma to a corner of the gym which had had a curtain raised to surround it. In her arms she carried a sizable bundle of brown fabric.
Ranma stepped into the enclosed area, and Harumi followed right behind her. Before the curtain had settled to a stop, though, it re-opened. Sachiko stepped in. She was still dressed in her Lillian sailor uniform.
"Gokigenyou," Sachiko said. "Do you think you could excuse us for a moment, Harumi-san? There's something I would like to speak with Ranko about."
"Of course. I'll just be outside if you need anything," Harumi said. She then stepped out, leaving Ranma alone with Sachiko.
Ranma looked at Sachiko in curiosity.
Sachiko stepped closer to Ranma, and she reached down and straightened the neckerchief around Ranma's neck. She then said in a slightly quiet voice, "If Suguru-san shows up today, I'd like you to do me a favor."
"What's that?" Ranma asked.
"I'd like you to apologize to him," Sachiko said.
"For what?" Ranma asked. She wasn't opposed to apologizing when she, or Genma, had done something wrong. However, she couldn't think of anything wrong she had done to him.
"For the fight yesterday," Sachiko said.
"Ahh..." Ranma said. That made sense. It also explained why Sachiko had asked Hamuri to give them some privacy. Ranma leaned in a bit closer and asked in a quiet voice, "What's the trick?"
"Trick? What do you mean?" Sachiko asked.
"You said I should apologize, right? What's the trick we're going to pull on him?" If she hadn't done anything wrong, then the only other reason to apologize was to do a trick, such as the Tatami Flip technique, not that the gym had tatami mats.
"There's no trick," Sachiko said. She sighed and shook her head. "I know. You didn't really do anything wrong. But Suguru-san didn't deserve to be hurt like that, either. We need to do something to repair the relationship."
"Sure, I guess," Ranma said. She still didn't understand, but if Sachiko said she should do it, she could go along with it and see what happened.
"Thank you," Sachiko said. She straightened up, walked back to the curtain, opened it, and stepped out. In a slightly loud voice, she said, "Thank you, Harumi-san. I'm finished." She held the curtain open as Harumi re-entered, and then she left.
As the curtain settled again, Harumi held the bundle of brown fabric she was still carrying out to Ranma and said, "Here. Put this on, please."
Amazingly, the brown mass was even bulkier than the white dress Ranma had worn two days earlier. It felt much heavier than she thought it should, and there were numerous large gray patches sewn all over it. It was shaped a bit strange, too, and Harumi needed to help Ranma find the edge and subsequently don it.
"How does it feel?" Harumi asked.
"Fine, I guess," Ranma said. She twisted back and forth in an attempt to check how it looked.
The costume appeared just as bulky on her body as it had in Harumi's arms. More than anything, it looked like somebody had taken a sack and cut some holes in it for Ranma's head and arms to poke out from. It was strange, though. Even though the curves of her bust and waist were barely visible on the surface of the dress, Ranma could still feel the bodice tightly hugging her torso.
"That's good. Now here's the trick. You see these cords?" Harumi asked. She pointed out some small lines on the side of the costume. "Go ahead and pull them. Straight out." Harumi took a step back.
Ranma gave the cords a tug as instructed.
The brown cloth ripped open, revealing swaths of white inside.
"Somebody else will need to pull on these cords on the bottom to finish the transformation. Please hold still," Harumi said. She fell to her hands and knees, crawled forward, and pulled something down near Ranma's waist.
This completed the transformation. The white dress she now wore looked completely different than the formless brown bag she had initially put on. It wasn't quite the same as the dress she had had fitted to her two days earlier, but it was close enough that it was clear they had been modeled after each other.
"How does that feel? Does it still feel okay?" Harumi asked.
"Yeah," Ranma said.
"Good," Harumi said. "Now keep in mind that this is just a temporary dress for the transformation scene. You'll still need to change into the real one for the dance scene. Why don't we go over there now and see how that works?"
Ranma followed Harumi across the gym, to the corner where the handicrafts club member had taken Yoshino earlier. The calf-length skirt was a lot better than the over-sized monstrosity she had initially worn on that fitting day, but Ranma still slightly lifted it as she walked across the gym to prevent any accidental missteps.
There was another curtain-enclosed area here as well. The three members of the Yellow Rose Family were all standing just outside of it. Rei was dressed as a Western nobleman, and Eriko was wearing her red Victorian dress. Undoubtedly, Yoshino was the center of attention, though. She looked mildly impatient as Eriko and Rei both hovered around her and fussed with her blue dress.
Ranma stepped into the larger makeshift changing room. Within it were Sachiko and Fuuko. Sachiko had changed into her red and black dress.
"Ranko-san. Perfect. Here," Fuuko said. She held out a large bundle of white cloth.
With Harumi's assistance, Ranma removed the transformation dress. Harumi then claimed it and took it out of the changing room while Fuuko helped Ranma put on the dance dress.
"Is anywhere loose? Is anything pinching you?" Fuuko asked.
"Nah, it's good," Ranma said. The dress paradoxically felt both looser and more secure than it had during the fitting two days earlier.
"Good," Fuuko said.
"Before I forget, try these on as well," Sachiko said. She handed over a pair of high-heel shoes. Somebody had glued silver sequins onto them such that they sparkled in the light, drawing the eye and demanding attention.
Ranma double-checked that her feet were in fact on solid ground, rather than on the hem of her skirt, and then she slid the shoes on. They were a perfect fit.
"How do they feel?" Sachiko asked.
The height of the heels subtly changed Ranma's center of balance and her posture, but there wasn't anything particularly painful or problematic. She said, "Fine."
"Good. Then we had best go," Sachiko said. "Onee-sama is trying to gather everybody together."
The added height of the shoes further raised the hem of her skirt to the point that Ranma didn't think she was in any danger of tripping on it. Nevertheless, she was still very deliberate with where and how she placed her feet as she walked across the room to where a large collection of girls were gathering around Youko; the high heels changed how her feet contacted the ground, and she had to adjust her gait to compensate for that.
"Sachiko, Ranko-chan, you're here now? Good," Youko said. She was dressed in her royal regalia. She looked back and forth across the assembled girls, both the Yamayurikai and the members of the dance club.
All the girls in the area had dressed up in fancy clothes. About half of the girls wore long dresses, and the other half wore fairly formal shirts and trousers. However, the Yamayurikai wore the most ornate clothing by far.
Youko raised her voice. It wasn't quite a shout, but it was loud enough to carry through the crowd near her. "Everybody. This will be the last practice session before our dress rehearsal tomorrow, so let's make it count. We'll begin by doing the whole dance choreography from the beginning. Please pair up with your partner and take your places." Youko then lowered her voice to more of a typical speaking voice. "Ranko-chan, as Kashiwagi-san isn't here yet, you'll need to dance on your own for now. Just pretend like you have a partner and do the best you can. I'm sure you'll do fine."
Ranma walked over and took her place in the center of the makeshift stage.
On the side of the gym, Shouko pushed a button on a CD player, and stately music filled the room.
Merely walking around while wearing the elaborate dress and high-heeled shoes was substantially different than walking around in a Lillian sailor uniform. Dancing with them was even more different. The skirt swayed and flared out dramatically, especially during the spins, and the extra inertia of it changed Ranma's timings and momentum. More impactful to her performance, though, were the shoes. The high heels changed Ranma's center of balance and her relationship to the ground. Her movements, and especially the placement of her feet, were different enough that Ranma had to constantly mind them. She slightly stumbled three times, once when her heel hit the floor unexpectedly early and twice due to off-balance foot placements, but each time she caught herself well enough to prevent a fall.
About 15 minutes into the session, while Youko was talking to three pairs of girls about adjusting their positions, Sei entered the gym. Even as she approached Youko, she shook her head and hand in a motion of negation. It was enough to catch the attention of everybody in the room, including Youko herself.
When she got closer, Sei said, "No luck. I think Kashiwagi-san's out. I tried calling Hanadera, and they said that something important had just come up and that they couldn't talk."
"I'm sure that's it," Youko said, her flat tone of voice making it clear that she didn't believe it at all. "In that case, we had best go with our backup plan."
Eriko and Sei both nodded in response.
Youko raised her voice to call across the room. "Fuuko-san?"
"Yes, Rosa Chinensis?" Fuuko asked, walking closer at being addressed.
"I'm afraid to say that we will need to have a casting change. Sachiko will be playing the part of the prince now," Youko said. She spoke more moderately than her previous near-shout, although it was still a bit louder than normal such that she could be heard over the music playing in the background.
Fuuko nearly squealed, "Sachiko-sama will be playing the part of the prince? How exciting."
"Yes. I hate to impose on you, but do you think it would be possible to have the prince's costume adjusted to fit?" Youko asked.
"Yes. Yes. Of course. Definitely," Fuuko said quickly and loudly. She had a glint in her eye. "Sachiko-sama, if you could please come this way? If you don't mind?" She escorted Sachiko across the gym to where a cluster of girls in the handicrafts club were standing.
Youko then raised her voice again and called across the room. "Shouko-san?"
"Yes, Rosa Chinensis?" Shouko asked, approaching Youko like Fuuko had earlier.
"Did you hear what I said to Fuuko-san?" Youko asked.
"I'm sorry. I did not," Shouko said.
"We are going to be making a casting change. Sachiko will now be playing the part of the prince," Youko said.
"I see," Shouko said.
"Would it be possible to arrange a new dance partner for Kana-san?" Youko asked.
"I think so. Sachiko-san was doing a follow part, right? One moment please," Shouko said. She walked back across the room to where some girls in the dance club were watching from near the wall. She exchanged some words with the girls there, and then returned back to the center of the room. There was some excited chattering left behind in her wake.
"Yes! For prince Sachiko-sama!" The loud shout overpowered the music in the air and caught Ranma's attention. She jerked her gaze away from the approaching Shouko and looked in the direction of the shout.
Across the room, Sachiko was standing a bit to the side and was watching as the seven girls of the handicrafts club all raised their right fists high in the air in unison and cheered, "Ohh!" Sachiko remained absolutely still.
"They certainly seem to be excited," Youko said, drawing some attention away from the bustling girls and back to the center of the room. She then turned back to face Shouko, who appeared to be hovering in indecision a few meters away. She asked, "Did you have any luck?"
At the prompting, Shouko resumed her walk forward. When she was closer to Youko, she said, "Yes. Seika-san would be happy to join, if you would have her."
"That would be most acceptable. Shouko-san, if you would be kind enough to help Seika-san?" Youko turned back to the assembled group as a whole and clapped her hands twice. "Okay, everybody. Take your places. Let's start over from the top."
Shouko beckoned back to the girls at the side of the room, and a girl with short, wavy, blonde hair approached. She joined the assembled group as everybody took their places once again.
They practiced for another hour before Youko brought it to a close. Some generic "thank yous" and "good jobs" filled the air as the assembled group started to disperse for the evening.
Whether it was a coincidence or not, Sachiko entered at this point. She had changed back into her Lillian sailor uniform, and she walked straight at Ranma.
"Onee-sama," Ranma said, seizing the opportunity. "Can I come visit your home today?" If she waited until after dinner, it would probably be too late to get any real observation of Sachiko in her home element.
"That's a good idea," Sachiko said. "We really must get some dance practice in, and my house is probably a better place to do it. Let me call my parents and see what they say. Do you need to call your father?"
"Nah, it'll be fine," Ranma said. It was impossible to call him, anyway. She didn't know where he was; if he was at the camp, she didn't know the phone number of the temple in which they had hidden themselves; and even if she did know that number, she couldn't have called without revealing their presence there.
Sachiko walked away, leaving Ranma tense, hoping her plan worked. While Sachiko was gone, Ranma changed clothes, and she emerged from the curtained area as Sachiko walked back into the gym. It was the critical moment, and Ranma was both nervous and hopeful.
Sachiko said, "My mother says that you are welcome to come. Shall we?"
So after all of Ranma's thinking, planning, and worrying, it turned out to just be that simple.
The school campus was still brightly lit as Ranma emerged from the secondary gym beside Sachiko, but the light from the dipping sun had started to take on an orange hue. There were a couple of girls who could also be seen walking to the front gates as well. All combined, it gave Lillian the feel of a quiet hamlet beginning to shut down for the evening.
At the front gate of Lillian, Ranma's eyes automatically flicked over to where she knew Sachiko's chauffeur would be waiting. To her surprise, though, she wasn't there.
"Where is she?" Ranma asked.
"Where is who?" Sachiko asked. She continued to walk, irrespective of the missing person and vehicle.
Ranma followed her away from the unlit streetlight the car was always parked at. She said, "Your driver person. The woman who's always bringing dinner with Yamamura-san."
"You mean Shimono-san?" Sachiko asked. "I don't know. She's probably back at my house."
"Huh?" Ranma asked. "Then how do you go home?"
"Oh, I see," Sachiko said. "You don't understand. I usually take the bus and train to come to school. I've only been driven home the past few days because of how late it's been."
"Oh," Ranma said.
It proved that this was in fact a valuable expedition to undertake. Ranma was already learning things about Sachiko which she hadn't known from her prior experiences within Lillian. How those things fit in with her verbal techniques, Ranma wasn't sure, but she didn't need to at this point. Imitation was one of the first steps to learning and understanding.
Ranma followed Sachiko to a nearby bus stop. There, about two dozen girls were standing in a queue. The bus was already in sight as they arrived, so Ranma and Sachiko slightly sped up, and they were able to join the end of the queue right as the bus's doors opened.
As was typical, Ranma waited for the trickle of people leaving through the back door to end. In this case, nobody left from the nearly empty bus. She then darted into the back door and proceeded to blend in with the people there, acting nonchalant.
There was a brief moment of surprise and confusion on Sachiko's face when she entered and saw Ranma was already standing there. Sachiko shook her head and joined her, although Sachiko's eyebrows remained furrowed.
The bus made a few more stops on its route, but it remained conspicuously dominated by Lillian students until it reached the M Train Station. There, it emptied out, spilling girls everywhere. They formed into two rough groups, with one group heading to other nearby buses and the other group walking into the train station. Sachiko, and by extension Ranma, were part of the latter group.
Ranma stayed close to Sachiko as she approached the station wickets. As they walked, Ranma surveyed the area for any station attendants. She saw none, so when she reached the gates, she quickly hopped over them.
"What are you doing?" Sachiko shouted. She ran forward four steps to stand in front of Ranma.
"What do you mean?" Ranma asked.
"What about your ticket?" Sachiko asked. She pointed back to the wickets she and Ranma had passed through and over respectively.
"Ticket? What ticket?" Ranma asked.
"You don't have a ticket?" Sachiko asked.
"No," Ranma said.
"So you just hopped over the gate?" Sachiko asked, exasperated.
"Yeah. That's what we always do," Ranma said. It was like a game. It was even better when she and Genma were caught. Running away through the crowds was always good training, and moreover, it was fun.
Sachiko directed a disapproving stare at Ranma, and that concerned her. She was supposed to be observing and learning from Sachiko on this expedition.
"Is that a problem?" Ranma asked.
"Yes!" Sachiko sighed. "Why didn't you just say something? Come here. I'll get you one."
She led Ranma to a nearby counter. Sachiko discussed the situation with the attendant there, and then reached into her book bag. She fiddled around inside it for a few seconds before pulling out the largest note Ranma had ever seen before. Sachiko handed the note to the attendant, and she received back a ticket and several notes in return.
Ranma had to juggle around her book bag and the silver shoes she carried to receive the ticket, but she managed to get it placed into her book bag. She then followed Sachiko to a train platform.
They made their way towards the end of the platform and ended up in the second-to-last car of the train when it arrived. The entire car was filled with girls, about half of which were from Lillian and half of which wore different sailor and gakuran uniforms from schools Ranma didn't recognize. There wasn't a single boy in sight, but after a week and a half in Lillian, that was hardly an unusual experience.
After several stops, Sachiko led Ranma off the train and onto another bus. This time, under Sachiko's watchful eye, Ranma slid the ticket she had been given into the machine at the front of the bus while she was getting on.
The sun had fully set by the time Ranma and Sachiko exited the bus. The slowly fading twilight still illuminated the open spaces and greenery all around them, though. They walked for a few more minutes through the quiet streets before they reached a large wall. Several trees towered over the wall, displaying desaturated greens, yellows, and reds against the darkening sky.
Sachiko led Ranma to a huge stone gateway, as large as the one in the front entrance of Lillian and twice as opulent. In the center of the crossbeam on top was an intricately carved emblem. On one of the columns on the side of the gate was a large sign reading "Ogasawara." Sachiko walked to the opposite column, though, and pressed a button on a small panel embedded there. She announced her presence, and the gateway door opened on its own.
Passing through the gate was like entering an entirely different world, more akin to a forest than urban Tokyo. The road gently curved through the aesthetically placed trees, and the gate and the city behind it quickly disappeared from view. It eventually emerged into a large clearing, in the center of which was a literal mansion.
If the Rose Mansion was a fancy title for what was effectively a small house, the Ogasawara mansion was the exact opposite. It was grand to the point that, if anything, the title may have been an understatement. The palatial building was huge, possibly rivaling Lillian's main building itself. Large rectangular windows covered its walls. Tall stately columns gave it a feeling of grandeur. A broad balcony stood above the main entrance awning, overlooking the English garden in the front of the building. The mansion could have been transported from 1900s Europe straight into Tokyo.
To the side of the building was a porte-cochere. There, Shimono and another pretty, young woman sat on some chairs under the awning. Beyond the porte-cochere was a large covered parking lot. It was empty, though, not even containing the large dark car Ranma had always seen picking up Sachiko.
Sachiko walked to the front door, which opened at her arrival. She entered and announced, "I'm home."
"Welcome home," a woman wearing a kimono said from the other side of the entry hall.
"Mother, I like to introduce you to my petite soeur, Ranko Sugita," Sachiko said.
Ranma looked up at the woman in greeting. Small wrinkles lined the woman's face, and she had a refined and stern look. More than that, though, she bore an unmistakable resemblance to Sachiko; if Sachiko was the tentative princess coming into her own, then the woman was the mature queen who exhibited the full confidence of her being.
"My, how cute. You have a good eye, Sachiko-san," the woman said.
"Nice to meet you," Ranma said. Behind her, the pretty, young woman who had opened the door for her and Sachiko closed it. "Do please call me Sayako-obasan, and I shall call you Ranko-chan, okay?"
"Okay," Ranma said.
"We shall be practicing in the ballroom," Sachiko said.
"I understand. It was a pleasure to meet you," Sayako said. She then turned and walked back into the hallway behind her.
While the outside of the mansion had been decidedly Western, its inside was more of a fusion between Japanese and Western decor. There was a distinctly Japanese style at its core, with tatami mat floors, sliding doors, and an overall feeling of brown and beige. The decorations had an undeniable Western feel to them, though. The hallways were kept warmly lit by the numerous gold sconces set high on the walls. Also along the walls were numerous paintings, with each hallway having its own theme, such as images of village life which turned into blurry nonsense upon close examination, and photo-realistic images of Mt. Fuji in the different seasons. Additionally, in certain key locations, there were tables upon which were displayed various decorations, such as orchids, porcelain vases, and objects made of silver or lacquer.
Sachiko led the way through the mansion, through one hallway where a pretty maid was replacing some flowers on display, and then into another intersecting hallway. As they walked, Sachiko pointed out, "This is the library. The servants live down that hallway. That's the ballroom. The kitchen and dining room are over there. Did you need to use a restroom? There's one there if you need it." She walked up a flight of stairs and went through another two hallways. "That's my father's room. That's my mother's room. This is a guest room. This is my grandfather's room. That's the furo. That's another guest room. And this is my room." She entered the last room she mentioned, and Ranma followed her into it.
It was a large room, with 12 tatami mats lining the floor. There was a built-in desk under the windows, and several cabinets lined the walls. Upon these were some books, a couple of closed cases, and a photograph of Sachiko in a kimono with a man and woman also dressed in kimonos behind her. The woman was Sayako, and presumably the man was her father.
Sachiko walked over to one of the cabinets and slid it open. She knelt down, looked a bit, and started searching through the clothes inside. She eventually found something which satisfied her, pulled it out, and handed it to Ranma. She said, "Here."
Ranma took the long skirt being offered to her. She asked, "What's this for?"
"It's for practice," Sachiko said. She turned back to the cabinet and continued to dig around in it.
"Practice?"
"Yes, practice. You said you haven't worn many long skirts in the past, right? You'd best practice. It'd be a disaster if you tripped in front of the whole school on Sunday."
Ranma was a bit skeptical, but she couldn't disagree that dancing with the long skirt had felt different. The shoes were a bigger issue by far, but the flares of the skirt had changed her momentum enough to be worth practicing, too.
"Fine," Ranma said, and took off her sailor dress. She put on the skirt, as well as a blouse that Sachiko handed over. They weren't a great fit, but they were good enough for some basic practice. Sachiko took the opportunity to change out of her sailor uniform into a more casual blouse and skirt as well.
"Shall we?" Sachiko asked. She led the way back through the upstairs hallways, down the stairs, through another hallway, and eventually to the room Sachiko had identified as the ballroom on the way in.
The ballroom was somewhat smaller than the primary gym at Lillian, but was decorated much more finely. It exhibited an even stronger Western decor than the rest of the house did. Two large gold chandeliers hung from the ceiling above, illuminating the entire room in a warm yellow light. There was a huge bank of windows along one side of the room, and the wall opposite it was covered in large mirrors which caused the room to appear even larger than it already was. There were numerous plush chairs and gleaming tables along the other two sides of the room. On the tables were a collection of silver and jade statues, as well as some more porcelain vases. A pretty maid was dusting the room, but as Sachiko and Ranma entered, she gave them a small bow and left.
"Go ahead and put on your shoes," Sachiko said as she walked over to one of the side walls. She slid a hidden panel open and fiddled with the machine within. This caused the room to become filled with slow and stately music.
Ranma slid the silver shoes she had carried from Lillian onto her feet, and she walked to the center of the room. The heels once again altered her balance and posture, adding a definite sway to her gait.
Sachiko approached her from the other side of the room. She still stood taller than Ranma did by a fair margin, but the height from the shoes went a good way to reducing the difference. She held out her hands and asked, "Shall we?"
Ranma stepped forward and adopted the starting position of the dance.
At the first contact with Sachiko's soft hands, unadorned by the callouses that Rei and Ranma herself possessed, Ranma could already tell the experience would be different. Then Sachiko stepped forward and proved it.
It was impossible to explain how or why, but somehow Ranma just knew what Sachiko was intending with her every movement. Forward, backwards, spin, turn. While Rei had telegraphed her motions for Ranma to read, with Sachiko, it was more of an instinctual understanding. Rei had felt challenging in their dance, but a better description of Sachiko might have been supporting.
Even if it was smoother, their dance was by no means perfect. Early in the practice, Sachiko twice stepped on Ranma's feet. Ranma also had a few mishaps of her own, once when her skirt got caught on something, and thrice more when her heels struck the floor earlier than she expected them to. As the dance continued, though, things improved. Sachiko stopped stepping on Ranma's feet, Ranma felt more comfortable with her attire, and the world disappeared in favor of the back and forth between the two of them. Around and around they went in vaguely circular patterns of different sizes and complexities, accompanied only by the music in the air and the reflection of two young women dancing in the mirror.
At some point, the volume of the music lowered before turning silent. Sachiko slowed to a stop. She was panting and a light sheen of perspiration covered her face.
Ranma likewise stopped. Even she felt a bit tired. It was a light tingle of exertion, so different than the sharp exhaustion after a protracted fight. Apparently they had been dancing for two hours, and she could feel the fine sheen of sweat coving her skin. She had been having so much fun that she hadn't even realized. It was like the script practice they had been doing before. Somehow it seemed like time just passed by faster whenever she was with Sachiko.
Sayako stood at the side of the room, near the hidden panel which controlled the music. She asked, "Will Ranko-chan be joining us for dinner today?"
Before Ranma could say anything, Sachiko said, "Yes, she will be." She smiled down at Ranma and asked, "Right?"
"Yeah," Ranma said emphatically with a nod.
"Excellent. Dinner shall be served in five minutes," Sayako said. She then left.
The energetic smile was still on Sachiko's face as she turned back to Ranma. "I had no idea dancing could be that fun."
"Me either." Ranma had a matching smile on her face.
"We had best clean up," Sachiko said. She was quickly catching her breath. "Let's go. The restroom is this way."
The restroom Sachiko led Ranma to was huge. It was more like being in a fancy hotel than being in a traditional house. There was a long bank of sinks on the wall, each with its own golden-framed mirror in front of it. The golden sconces found throughout the mansion lined the walls of this room as well. There was a small stack of towels on a stand near the door, and a covered basket sat beside them.
Sachiko took one of the towels on the way into the room, wet it under a sink, and used it to dab around her face and her arms. Ranma imitated her, being sure to use cold water from the faucet. Afterward, they both dropped their towels into the small basket near the door, and Sachiko led Ranma from the restroom to the room she had previously identified as the dining room.
Like seemingly all the rooms in the mansion, the dining room was huge. A full 16 tatami mats lined the floor of it. Sliding doors formed the walls, and along one side were some large silk screens. In the center of the room was a low lacquered table of moderate size. Three cushions had been placed around it, and the three place settings had been set on it.
Sayako was already sitting on one of the cushions. In front of her was a salad. The empty cushion across from her had the same in front of it. The one beside that was also similarly arranged, only having two salads instead.
Sachiko hesitated ever so fractionally when walking in, but then took a seat across from her mother. Ranma sat on the last cushion, next to Sachiko.
"Is father not joining us today?" Sachiko asked. A hint of a frown came to her face.
Sayako said, "Your father called earlier. He said that he would be working late today."
"I understand," Sachiko said. Her frown grew more pronounced.
Yamamura and another pretty woman ghosted around the table, serving tea for Sachiko and her mother and serving cold water for Ranma. Then dinner began. Both Sachiko and her mother picked up their silver forks and began eating their salads. Ranma, mindful that she was trying to observe and subsequently absorb every detail she could of Sachiko's home life, mimicked their actions.
Even with the added presence of Sayako, dinner was quieter than the lunches Ranma shared with Yoshino and Shimako, let alone the outright fighting over food with Genma. Sachiko was much more reticent than was typical during the meals Ranma had had with her in the past, and Ranma thought she looked a bit glum.
As they ate their salads, Sayako asked Ranma where she had learned to dance, which she answered by once again explaining that she had only learned it a week ago in Lillian. That transitioned to Sayako asking what Ranma thought about the school thus far, which Ranma answered with some general comments about her enjoying it.
Once the salads had been finished, Yamamura and the other pretty woman cleared away the forks and empty plates. They then brought in some new plates, each containing a hamburger and fries. Once again Sachiko and her mother received one while Ranma received two. Additionally, new silver forks and pristine silver knives were distributed out.
Sachiko and her mother used their forks and knives to cut into the hamburger, and Ranma made sure to imitate them.
During this portion of the meal, Sayako asked about the upcoming festival and what would be happening within it. Ranma mentioned the scripture reading seminar, the newspaper club survey, and the other things she had heard from Yoshino and Shimako the day before. She also expressed her interest in seeing the kendo demonstration and the Second-year Cherry Blossom Group's curry restaurant.
Half-way through eating the hamburgers, after Ranma had finished her first one, Sayako complemented Ranma on her good table manners. Right after she had said that, Sachiko violently coughed into her napkin, and she had to drink some tea to settle herself. For the first time since dinner began, a smile graced Sachiko's face, albeit a wry one.
The hamburger plates and the used forks and knives were once again cleared by Yamamura and the other pretty woman. They then brought out dessert: small apple pies the size of which could be conveniently carried in a single hand. More gleaming silver forks were brought out as well.
At this point of the meal, Sayako talked about her own time in Lillian, back when she had been a teenager. She added in some slight bragging of the accomplishments Sachiko had done over the years, too. Sachiko appeared to be in a better mood than the start of dinner, but she still remained mostly quiet. It was only when Sayako elicited a promise from Ranma to share any interesting gossip about her daughter in school did Sachiko give a half-hearted protest.
Dinner concluded, and Yamamura and the other pretty woman cleared away the final plates and refilled drinks.
Sayako used the moment to turn to her daughter and ask, "It's getting late. Maybe Ranko-chan would like to stay for the evening?"
Sachiko's eyes jerked open ever so slightly. She quickly glanced at Ranma, and then turned back to her mother. She asked, "Tonight?"
"Why yes, of course," Sayako said. She smiled at Ranma and added, "Sachiko-san so rarely has friends over to visit. It might be fun to have a sleep over."
Sachiko turned to Ranma and said, "You can stay. That is, if you'd like to."
Ranma weighed the options in her head. She had learned a great deal of Sachiko's lifestyle already. She could go back to the hidden camp and the cold bedroll within it. She would need to somehow avoid giving away its location, and even its existence, to the Ogasawara family as she did so, though.
The other option was that she could stay in the Ogasawara mansion for the night. This had the benefit of seeing more of how Sachiko lived, but it also carried the risk of having her curse be exposed.
She looked over at Sachiko, and saw her expectantly looking back. That was what tipped it. She hadn't missed how Sachiko had perked up at her mother's suggestion.
"Sure, that sounds like fun," Ranma said.
"Excellent. I shall make arrangements. Do you need to call your father?" Sayako asked.
"No. It'll be fine," Ranma said. He had to expect that Ranma would be visiting the Ogasawara mansion at some point. Besides, she had no way to call him, anyway.
"That's no good. It's not safe for a young lady to be off alone like that," Sayako said. She slightly shook her head as she spoke.
"I can take care of myself," Ranma said.
"She really can," Sachiko said with a nod.
"I see," Sayako said. She stood up. "In that case, I shall have the servants make preparations. Enjoy your evening."
Sachiko stood up as well, as did Ranma.
"Would you like to have a bath?" Sachiko asked.
The offer set off a warning flag in Ranma, causing her skin to prickle in worry. A bath meant hot water, and hot water meant danger.
"No," Ranma said, a bit louder and faster than she had intended to. More naturally, she said, "No. I couldn't."
"It's no trouble at all. It's already prepared. I certainly need to clean up, and I expect you may as well. We were rather vigorous in our earlier exertions," Sachiko said.
Ranma couldn't deny the truth of that statement. She had wiped off her face and arms earlier, but she could still feel the light crust of dried sweat all over her body. Besides, if that was what Sachiko was doing, then that would be what she did as well for the night.
As long as she didn't actually use the hot tub itself, it should be safe enough. She could just use a cold shower to wash away her perspiration, and then be out of the bathroom with Sachiko none the wiser. As long as she didn't actually touch any hot water, it would be fine. She could even have some cold water set aside so, in the event she did accidentally transform, she could quickly transform back in case Sachiko happened to walk in on her for whatever reason.
"I guess I could," Ranma said.
"Okay, it's this way," Sachiko said. She led Ranma through the maze-like mansion once again, going upstairs and ending up in a large antechamber.
The room had some built-in wooden benches with three golden clothes racks beside them. Several towels were stacked on a cabinet on the other side of the room. Ranma could feel the humidity from the hot tub next door.
Sachiko started pulling off her blouse.
That caused Ranma to panic. She had expected to be left alone to clean herself, not jointly bathe with Sachiko. She was supposed to be observing and copying Sachiko, but there was a limit to everything.
If Sachiko were actually in the room, the danger Ranma faced would spike impossibly high. With a second person in the room, the chances of a happenstance splash were far greater, and it didn't matter what precautions Ranma took if Sachiko was looking straight at her when a transformation happened. That wasn't even considering the questions which would be raised if Ranma didn't enter the hot tub at all.
"Wait!" Ranma exclaimed. "What're you doing?"
"I'm getting ready for the furo," Sachiko said, confusion coloring her statement. "Why do you ask?"
"But..."
"It's okay. It's big enough for both of us," Sachiko said.
"But... but..."
Sachiko turned her head to look at Ranma, who fidgeted under her gaze. She said, "Ahh... That's right. You grew up with only your father, didn't you?" She pulled her blouse back on. "You can go first." She gestured with her hand toward the far door. "I'll use it after you." Sachiko then left the room and shut the door behind her.
Ranma leaned back against a wall in relief. That was one problem solved. It still left Ranma on edge, though. The bathroom, like the kitchen, was a major danger zone. No, it was even worse than the kitchen, considering the large tub of hot disaster within it, and the less time she spent near it, the better.
She quickly took off her clothes and rushed into the inner room. Ranma stayed as far away as she could from the expansive hot tub which dominated the area, and she instead took a seat on a small stool in front of one of the three small shower stalls on the near side. She filled a small basin with cold water and placed it to the side, just in case. She then quickly scrubbed herself clean. It was like cleaning in a cold stream, albeit less jolting and more convenient to rinse off her whole body. Once she had finished, she rushed back to the changing room, far away from the hot tub. It was at that point that Ranma finally started to relax. The major crisis was over, and she could towel herself dry in relative safety.
Ranma had just slid her slip back on when the door opened and Sachiko walked in. She was carrying two kimonos. She startled at the sight of Ranma and stopped. She asked, "You're done already? That was fast."
"I guess so," Ranma said. She scratched the back of her head out of reflex.
"Here," Sachiko said. She held out an orange and peach kimono. "I thought you might want a change of clothes."
"Thanks," Ranma said. She hadn't worn a female kimono since training with Fukuyama, but she remembered how it went. She had struggled with it enough that she would not soon forget it.
"Would you like some help?" Sachiko asked. She hung the other kimono, a purple and lavender one, on one of the golden clothes racks.
"Sure," Ranma said. Male kimonos were complicated to don, and female kimonos were even more so.
Once Ranma had completed dressing, Sachiko said, "Okay. You can wait in my room. I'll just be a little while."
The mansion was large, but after having crossed the hallways a few times, Ranma thought she understood where everything was. It was a short walk back to Sachiko's room, and she was satisfied when she opened the door and confirmed that she had not gotten lost.
She took a seat and leaned back against a wall. Ranma then started reciting the upcoming play to herself, varying the voice she used based on which character was supposed to be delivering which line.
Sachiko entered the room partway through Ranma's second recitation. She had dressed in the purple and lavender kimono, and her hair had been twisted up into a bun held set by a large hairpin. Dressed as such, there was an even closer resemblance between her and her mother.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting," Sachiko said. "What are you doing?"
"I was practicing the play. Would you like to help?" Ranma asked.
"The play?" Sachiko asked. She crossed the room and took a seat at the table in front of the window. "Why? We both already know it all already."
"I guess," Ranma said. Sachiko was right, though. She had everything memorized, even the lines of all the other characters, and she was satisfied with her presentation. The only thing preventing her from completing her mastery was some final polish with the others.
"Actually, there is something I can use your help with, if you can," Sachiko said.
"What is it?" Ranma asked.
"Remember how I had asked you to apologize to Suguru-san earlier? As he did not come today, I think it would be best if you were to write him an apology letter. We can send it to him and see if that helps," Sachiko said.
"Really? Why bother? If he shows up, then I can just talk to him then, and if he never does, then he doesn't really matter," Ranma said. Kashiwagi had been weak enough that Ranma wasn't sure if he would return for a rematch or if he would just fade away into irrelevant obscurity.
"I'm afraid it's not that easy," Sachiko said. "Remember what I said about how it was important to maintain relationships? This is like that, only more so. This is the kind of thing which could ruin the partnership between Lillian and Hanadera, and we must not let that happen. It would be best to mend things before it's too late." Sachiko then averted her eyes to the side of the room and lowered her voice. "Also, he is my fiance. It's intolerable for you two to remain like this."
Just like in the afternoon, Ranma wasn't intrinsically imposed to apologizing, especially if Sachiko wanted her to. She did have a problem, though. She asked, "But what am I supposed to say to him? Sorry you're so weak? Sorry you got caught when you were attacking Onee-sama?"
Sachiko gave a sharp inhalation. "No. Nothing like that." She sighed. "Okay, I can help you write something. The important thing is that nobody did anything wrong. You didn't do anything wrong, but Suguru-san didn't do anything wrong, either. It's just a bad situation."
It took over an hour and five drafts until they managed to create something which Sachiko thought was passable and Ranma thought was acceptable. While they worked, a pretty maid spread out two futons in Sachiko's room and placed a black nightgown upon one of them.
The final product of Ranma's and Sachiko's efforts was a polite, formal missive expressing regret at the circumstances of Ranma's last encounter with Kashiwagi which had resulted in misunderstandings. It was full of indirect, impersonal, non-fault-placing statements of dissatisfaction with the current situation. It ended with an expression of hope for a future reconciliation.
Ranma was mentally exhausted from the effort and gave a large yawn. It contagiously spread to Sachiko, who yawned in response as well.
It was time to go to bed.
Sachiko changed into a white nightgown. Ranma likewise changed, slipping into the black nightgown the maid had brought in earlier. The two of them then slipped into their respective futons.
The fuzzy warm futon on the soft tatami mat had a beguiling soporific effect entirely unlike the cold bedroll back at camp, and Ranma quickly fell asleep.
Omake:
Sachiko followed Fuuko across the gym. Fuuko had a manic, almost hungry gaze to her, and Sachiko couldn't help but feel a bit put off by it. She did her best to mask her feelings, though. Fuuko, and indeed the entire handicrafts club, was doing a big favor for the Yamayurikai. Accommodating this late casting change was even more of a favor. It would do no good to offend them.
The cluster of six girls they were walking towards were watching their approach with curiosity.
Once they had reached the girls, Fuuko said, "We need to redo the prince's costume."
"What? Why?" Fumiko asked.
Youko had spoken in a conversational voice earlier, and clearly it hadn't been loud enough to be heard over the music this far across the gym.
"The play's only two days from now," Aya said.
"I know," Fuuko said. "But there's been a casting change. The prince will now be played by Sachiko-sama."
The six girls gasped.
"Sachiko-sama's going to play the prince?" Yuka asked. A glint appeared in her eye, not unlike the one in Fuuko's eye, and she squealed. "I want to see it. I want to see it."
"Me too. Me too," Nao said. Her hands had balled into fists, and she shook them in front of her mouth.
"This is will be the greatest challenge and the greatest opportunity for the handicrafts club," Fuuko said, raising her voice. "Can we do it?"
"Yes! For prince Sachiko-sama!" the other six girls of the handicrafts club all shouted unison. All seven of the girls then raised their right fists high into the air. "Ohh!"
That had not been at all the reaction Sachiko had been expecting. It was flattering, but it was also embarrassing in the extreme. She had known that she was the school idol, but she had had no idea that there had been that much interest in her.
It took all of Sachiko's composure to remain calm and impassive. She had already been mercilessly teased by The Three Roses when they had noticed the third-year Fuuko addressing her using the "sama" honorific; she could only imagine the reaction she'd receive from them about this.
As long as she didn't turn to the center of the room, as long as she didn't make eye-contact with anybody, she could pretend that nothing special had happened when The Three Roses inevitably brought it up later.
Omake:
"I understand. Work hard," Sayako said, playing her role in their kabuki play. Tooru wasn't working. She knew that. He knew that she knew that. However, appearances needed to be maintained, especially in a family like the Ogasawara family.
"I will. Goodbye," Tooru said, completing the exchange. He then hung up the phone.
Sayako hung up the phone as well.
Apparently Tooru would not be joining them for dinner this evening. Undoubtedly he would be in the arms of his waiting mistress before the hour was up. Like father, like son; both of them were certainly in their respective second homes, whiling away the hours with their female companions of choice for the evening.
Sayako didn't have anything to complain about for herself, though. She had known what she was getting into before she had married Tooru. Her father-in-law likewise had only been dedicated to his wife to the extent that honor and public appearances demanded. Tooru had even told her outright what to expect at the start of their relationship.
Tooru was an honorable man, and he was a good man. He simply wasn't a decent man.
She had thought she could live with it. Apparently she could, given their years of marriage and the wonderful daughter that had born of their relationship. In hindsight, though, she really wondered if she had made the correct decision. If she could choose all over again, she really wasn't sure she would make the same choice.
That was her, though. She had made her choice, and that choice was hers to live with.
On the other hand, Sachiko had never made that choice, and Sayako could see how much it gnawed at her daughter every time Tooru was absent. Even worse, she could see the outright pain it caused Sachiko whenever she caught a glimpse of the woman who currently held Tooru's fancy. He was careful, but mistakes happened. As much as plausible excuses and stonewalling could deflect impertinent questions from the outside world, they couldn't really mask the truth, especially from family.
Sayako began her walk to the ballroom to deliver her announcement to Sachiko and Ranko.
Ranko Sugita. Sachiko's new petite soeur. Just the thought of her warmed Sayako's heart. Sayako had been worried that Sachiko had never found a petite soeur of her own. Sayako's relationship to her own soeurs, both grande and petite, had been the most meaningful thing she taken away from Lillian. They were almost as important to her as her biological family.
Sayako's mother's estrangement from her own soeurs was one of her three greatest regrets, and she had made very sure that Sayako would not repeat that mistake; the soeur ceremony was as sacred as a marriage and it should be treated as such. Sayako was glad that she had taken those lessons to heart, too. She was grateful for their continued presence in her life.
So, as the weeks of the new school year had turned into months, Sachiko's not having found a petite soeur of her own had increasingly worried Sayako. Sachiko had a wonderful older sister, mentor, and mother in Mizuno; but she had never found a younger sister, protegee, and daughter of her own. Both of the relationships had been such an important part of Sayako's own life, both within Lillian and after graduating, and she had been saddened by the idea that Sachiko could miss the experiences for herself.
Sachiko had finally found Ranko, though, and the vicarious happiness Sayako felt for her daughter was almost palpable. And, if even half the stories she had already heard of Ranko were true, then Sayako was sure that things would be interesting in the coming years and beyond.
In her own case, to this day, even decades later, Sayako still frequently met with her petite soeur for meals and casual dates. It was much harder to do that in the case of her grande soeur, though, as she had moved to France. However, even with that, they still exchanged regular letters and phone calls. In fact, that was part of the reason why the Ogasawara mansion had such a French flare to it; Sayako had wanted to share something in common with her grande soeur despite the physical distance between them. Coincidentally, the Ogasawara Group did business in several countries, including France, so it all worked out nicely.
A thought struck her as she walked through the hallways. Tooru had some upcoming business in France, as she recalled, and he had expressed some interest in showing Sachiko more of the Ogasawara Group's business. They could make it a family trip. That would definitely be fun, and it had been far too long since she had seen her grande soeur. She would need to bring the idea up to see if things could be properly arranged.
The music from the ballroom grew louder as Sayako approached it. It was set to an appropriate volume, but without the crowd in the room to absorb the sound, the noise managed to echo out into the hallways. It was a stately song in 3/4 time, most likely for a waltz.
Sayako was still wondering about how to break the news of Tooru's absence to Sachiko as she entered the ballroom. No matter how much it upset Sachiko, and it did to the point of visibly impacting her, Sayako couldn't think of a way to soften the message. Tooru was not coming home for dinner. Most likely, he wouldn't be coming home for the evening at all. There was just no way around it.
Inside the ballroom, Sachiko and Ranko were locked arm in arm and moving in a flowing circle around the room, carefree happiness on both of their faces. It was exactly what she had thought Sachiko had been missing. Mizuno was an impeccable grande soeur, and Sachiko had reliable friends such as Rei and Sei. However, none of them could inspire this aspect of joy within Sachiko. It reminded her of her own time in school with her own soeurs.
Watching Sachiko and Ranko sweep around the room without a care in the world brought another idea to Sayako's mind as well. It was true that Tooru, let alone her father-in-law, wouldn't be joining them, but it didn't have to be a quiet dinner for two. It could be a family dinner of a different sort this evening. Besides, it would be rude to not at least offer.
Sayako walked over to the control panel at the side of the room and turned the music off. Sachiko and Ranma slowed to a stop and turned to face her. Given how tired Sachiko looked, they must have been dancing for hours, even if Ranko still looked relatively fresh.
"Will Ranko-chan be joining us for dinner today?" Sayako asked.
Last Updated: May 24, 2021