Introduction II
It was another ordinary Friday in the lives of the Azumanga Daioh characters. Almost mind-numbingly ordinary, or so it was the case for Koyomi Mizuhara, a resourceful young woman with few concerns, or, for that matter, passions, in life. She careened out of her futon, her head numb and her thoughts nebulous. Hurriedly she pulled on her uniform, complete with her trademark leg warmers, while brooding on the day that lay ahead of her; a horrifically dreary affair which, unfortunately, she would be forced to confront. Automatically, she began packing her necessary "texts" into her satchel, and ambled downstairs for a quick bite to eat. Her quixotic step-brother, Koji, was reclining on the loungeroom sofa, skimming through an issue of Gravitation (she was rather bemused by his tastes). He acknowledged her with a hint of a smile, and then turned his attention back to Shuichi's melodrama. Koyomi poured herself a warm mug of coffee, drained it, then hurtled out of the house, waving nonchalantly at Koji as he shut the door behind her. As she ran in the general direction of the high school (the name eluded her), it occurred to her that perhaps it would be preferable to save her energy for her maniacal buddy, Tomo Takino, and so she decelerated, opting for a reposing amble.
Arriving at the school gate several minutes later, she was surprised when her good friend, Kaorin emerged from seemingly nowhere and approached her, beaming awkwardly.
"Kaorin… what's up?"
No response, only some neurotic fidgeting.
"…Uh… Kaorin? You ok?"
Yomi was, unofficially, Kaorin's confidant, and thus she was familiar with many of Kaorin's predicaments – particularly her infatuation with the calm, collected Sakaki, a topic that they discussed on an almost hourly basis. Her attitude today could indicate several things – perhaps she had finally mustered the audacity to "make a move" upon the imposing girl, and she had some final apprehensions to deal with; or perhaps she had already approached her and been rejected callously.
"Look, Kaorin… Is this about Sakaki?" Yomi asked, straining to conceal the impatience in her voice.
"N-no… Sakaki has nothing to do with this…"
Kaorin shuffled her feet.
"Ok then… what's the problem?"
Kaorin gazed at her for a few moments, and then she heard a familiar, effervescent clamor.
"Goddamn…"
Just before Tomo's satchel came into contact with Yomi's cheek, there was a succinct apology, and Kaorin coalesced into the raucous hoi polloi, unnoticed by all but one.
Kenji's note: This chapter is in its "primordial" form, and will possibly undergo a few revisions later. But it's only an introduction, so length isn't particularly important... right?