Notes: Thank you for the constructive criticism. With my writing style, I was trying to emulate the flow of the anime episodes.

Osaka: The author of this fanfic owns Azumanga Daioh…. No he doesn't. I lied.

Chapter 3

Inside the restaurant, the seven high school girls ordered their food. The waitress then asked how many checks to write. Chiyo answered, "Just one!"

After the waitress left with their orders, Sakaki looked at Chiyo. "Did you just agree to pay our bills?" Chiyo nodded with a smile. "Thank you," Sakaki muttered.

"Don't worry. My father agreed to pay for our accommodations!"

"Your father?"

"Yes, my dad loves New York, and he visits often on business."

Sakaki looked downward until a deep voice caught her attention. "Here's your order. Be careful. These plates are hot… and red." Sakaki glanced up at a hovering yellow feline.

The cat spun around, suddenly wearing a business suit. It tap-danced with its stubby legs and began to sing amidst a spontaneous burst of background music. "Start spreading the news. I'm leaving today. I want to be a part of it…"

"Sakaki-san?"

Sakaki looked up, startled. Chiyo was nudging her slightly.

"The food has arrived!"

The waitress served the plattera, and the girls stuffed their faces with American food. Yomi poked at her cheesecake sullenly. Tomo smirked and shouted, "Hey, are you afraid of getting fat like the other Americans in this room, Yomi-yama?" Tomo poked her friend in the stomach. Some of the diners gave looks of reproach, but the girl ignored them and ate.

"Seriously, are you hungry?" Kagura was interested in Yomi's cake this time. She sighed and pushed the dish over to the girl with the astounding metabolism..

"How is it?" Chiyo asked Kaorin, who focused her eyes forward while eating a moist tiramisu.

"So sweet and magnificent! Being here is like a dream!" Her eyes glazed over in ecstasy.

"You seem to really enjoythis food." Sakaki suddenly looked up into her eyes.

"Yes, Sakaki-san. The dessert are nice," she stammered, suddenly subdued.

Osaka yawned and looked to the girl on her left. "Hey Chiyo chan, are you ready for tomorrow?"

Chiyo nodded emphatically, pigtails bobbing, "I have been working on this project for months but…" her face paled. "I never thought the conference would be so big, and if I fail I'll disappoint the whole school." By this time the small girl was quivering.

"No bother, Chiyo-Chan. We're still your friends."

"But my whole family is watching this. They'll be upset if I don't perform perfectly."

"Even Mr. Tadakichi?" Osaka smiled vacuously, "I know! I can be your beta-tester!"

"My beta tester?"

"You read me your paper, and I'll time you."

"That's a good idea, Miss Osaka,. My essay is at the hotel." The two girls went to the base and rehearsed for the upcoming presentation.

"How was it?" Chiyo asked.

"That was good, but I have one question."

"What is it, Miss Osaka?"

"Who's Gava?"

"What do you mean?"

"You talked about the Gava guy. Does he hand out red, big balloons?"

"The word is gavagai." Chiyo explained.

Meanwhile, Kagura, Yomi, and Sakaki stepped out the doors of a toy store. Yomi held a small bag containing a Barbie doll. Kagura cradled a Playstation 3 close to her chest, and Sakaki carried a large opaque package. The three girls passed a theater, unaware that Tomo and Kaori waited for a movie within. Tomo bounced in her seat during the lull before the picture. Kaori ignored her for a while until she finally sighed. "Tomo, can I ask you something?"

"You know me, I be keepin it real!" She feebly emulated a rapper she had seen on American television.

"Do I annoy Sakaki-san? Does she ever talk about me when I'm not around?"

Tomo pondered momentarily. "I'm surprised she knows you exist!" Kaorin looked devastated, but Tomo ensued. "Look at me for example. Everyone knows who I am, because I'm Takino Tomo, super wild energy girl! That's spelled T-O-M-O!" After shouting her name to everyone in the theater, Tomo continued eating popcorn and bouncing in her seat. "What were we talking about?"

"It is not important. Thank you, Tomo-san." Kaorin whispered. At that moment, the lights dimmed, the previews started, and further conversation was impossible.

"I forgot to say, but I thank you, Miss Tanizaki." Mr. Kimura spoke at the blackjack table several blocks away at a casino.

"What are you talking about? Hit me!" The English teacher grinned as she saw a seventeen on her end of the table.

"I am grateful for the repairs on my paper." He clarified.

"You mean that? There was nothing good on television, so I was bored. Hit me!"

"Twenty"

"I noticed that you have an great vocabulary, but you make a lot of small errors. Hit-"

"No! Stay!" Kimura pre-empted Yukari, winning her five hundred dollars. He commented, "I have studied English since grade school but almost never speak it"

"Don't you have any English-speaking friends?"

"My social chances are limited. I study English to read Shakespeare and Milton, and they do not use current English." The male teacher sipped more of his Long Island tea.

"Why does a Japanese literary teacher have so much interest in English writings?"

"I cannot believe you ask this! Desire you, a language teacher, not to know the deepness of art and knowledge?"

"You learn for fun? Are you some kind of nerd?" Yukari rolled the dice on a green felt table. Neither teacher seemed to understand the game they were playing, but one of them just lost one hundred dollars.

"Teachers are the bringers of knowledge. They are responsible to build their minds!"

"Loosen up, nerd. It's pretentious to keep learning things you don't get paid for. I barely remember last year's lesson plan." Yukari flung the dice again, and this time a small pile of red chips were given to her.

Kimura shed a tear. "This is terrible. You have your youth and lucky job, but yet you throw your mind away."

"Come on, you crybaby! I'm not the one who's too drunk to speak properly"

"You have very more experience in drinking and English speaking!" Kimura protested in a slur, but Yukari cut him off.

"You know the adage: Shame on the road is forgotten!"

"Remember the internet."

Yukari gambled for a while, until the pile of colored disks evaporated with one flick of her wrist.

"We lost all our money, Da-mu-netu!" Kimura exclaimed.

"What the hell was that?" Yukari laughed.

"Dam na!" He retried.

"Listen to me: damn it!"

"Damn it!" Kimura finally uttered. At this point they burst into laughter.

"You finally relaxed. This place really sucks when you don't have money." Yukari slappedhim on the back. She stood, but stumbled after five steps. "I seem to need assistance."

"Should I carry you again?"

"Yep!"

"I am making sarcasm. I am married."

"What does that have to do with it?"

"I like my wife."

"Nyamo carries me all the time, and sometimes my mother still does"

The literature teacher tilted his head in thought. "I will help you, but under a condition."

"What do you mean?"

Kimura spoke slowly, "I will help you, if you take me to a museum tomorrow."

"Whatever would you want to attend a museum for?"

"There are dinosaurs there that can crush cars in their jaws!"

"Really?"

"Their bones are, anyway, and a laser exhibit is there."

"Okay, we'll go, if you insist. Now help me up."

He stretched his limbs and lifted the light woman. She held on to him with a faint smile. Outside, he grimaced at the smell of alcohol on her breath and said, "I bet I can go without alcohol longer than you can."

"You're on, idiot." Yukari muttered. "What do we do now?"

Kimura sighed, "Let's go to bed now, Tanizaki-san."

Yukari slapped him, "Perverted punk!"

The man's jaw clenched for a moment, but he did not drop the woman, "Not for sex. Without sleep, we will miss the presentation of Chiyo-chan."

"All right... if you want to see it that badly." Yukari nodded. They continued for a few blocks. "This feels good. Tomorrow I'll carry you, Hiro-kun." She hugged the middle aged man.

"Are you somehow becoming drunker?" Thewit was lost to Yukari's sleepy mind. On the other hand, Kimura felt his own clarity increasing. He perceived a couple of familiar people at the other end of the block, but his heart nearly stopped when he saw a pair of unfamiliar people beside them.

"Give us your money, and no one gets hurt." One of a pair of thugs spoke slowly to Kaorin and Tomo while his partner silently held them at gunpoint. Kaorin reached for her purse, but a voice sent shivers down her spine.

"No one will harm schoolgirls while I'm around!" Mr. Kimura cried, grappling a man from behind.

"Scumbags!" Yukari added as she kicked the gunman between the legs, causing him to drop the weapon.

The two teachers pounded on the criminals, who were soon unconscious. The four breathed hard as they examined the defeated criminals.

"What do we do?" Yukari shrieked.

"Let's take his gun." Tomo snatched the weapons off the ground.

"It is too dangerous for young ones!" Kimura took the weapon with his free hand and discarded the weapons in a dumpster. He then looked at Kaorin, who was still visibly shaken. Mr. Kimura extended a hand toward her. "Are you hurt?"

"Aah! Take it away!" Kaorin screamed. The teacher looked at his own hand. He had disarmed a man wielding a combat knife, and a cut stretched across the middle of his palm.

"We must return to the hotel." Kimura said. He wrapped his hand in a handkerchief, and the four hurried to the lobby. Tomo and Kaorin went elsewhere as the English teacher asked for a first aid kit and attended to the other teacher's right hand.

"You don't want to go to a hospital?" Yukari cleaned the wound off with antiseptic as the bleeding slowed.

"America is a very violent place. The hospital is probably booked solid with people who are more injured than I. Besides, someone lost all our money at the casino."

"Don't worry. I rolled the guys we flattened back there. We have plenty."

Kimura frowned and whispered, "Stealing from a criminal is still wrong."

"Would you like to return their money to them? Even if it is a crime, we have diplomatic immunity!" Yukari grinned.

"My hand is still exposed."

Yukari spoke while bandaging his hand, "You know, tonight taught me something."

"Yes?"

"There are guys out there even creepier than you."

"I will accept that as a complement." As the adults retired for the night, some of the teenagers were still active.

Kaorin stepped into the hotel room, where Sakaki sat on the bed in nightwear, "Miss Sakaki! I thought I'd never see you again."

The girl looked up and swiftly concealed her toy cat., 'Are you alright?" Kaorin stopped trembling as she recounted the events. "That's unfortunate. Is anyone hurt?"

"Mr. Kimura cut his hand open, but it's bandaged up now."

"Fortunately you're all safe." Sakaki patted Kaorin on the head.

"Miss Sakaki!" Kaorin blushed.

"Well, good night." Sakaki yawned and turned off the light.

"Good night." Kaorin replied.

In the weight room downstairs, Yomi sat in front of the mirror, engaging in a vigorous set of exercises. Kagura nearly stepped on her as she walked in. "Hey, Yomi, What's up?"

"I'm doing aerobics," she responded.

"You look pretty advanced." Kagura examined her technique.

"Not as advanced as I wish," she grumbled, folding her arms around her stomach.

"Maybe you aren't doing the correct exercises for your body type."

"What do you mean?'

"I'm going to lift some weights, would you like to spot me?" Yomi agreed. Kagura slid under the bar and completed several reps with ease. During the last one, Yomi stared at Kagura's sweat- streaked face and heaving chest. "Spot!" She said. Yomi quickly assisted her classmate. 'It's your turn."

"Wow! That looks intense."

"It is, but that's the trial of excellence. On the subject of trials, you probably know all about that."

"What are you talking about?"

"Even I don't study while exercising!" Kagura pointed to a calculus book propped open in front of Yomi's mat. "That's a really bad habit."

"You can't even score above a fifty in English class. How can you teach me about studying?"

"I don't know much about studying, but I know you have to focus only on your work, or you won't do it best. Bench pressing is a great way to build focus."

"Build focus?" Yomi pondered as she stared at the ceiling and took the bar. She panted heavily after the fourth repetition, unable to complete it without a spotter. Yomi stood and frowned.

"Don't worry. It's a gradual process. That's more than I could bench press when I started weightlifting!" Yomi smiled until a familiar presence charged into the room.

"Yo-mi! Is this how much you can lift? I can do way more than that!"

Tomo slapped two twenty five pound discs on the bar and took the bar off the mounting before anyone could stop her. "One!" She shouted. "Two" she proclaimed. The third repetition never came, and Yomi and Kagura had to exert themselves to keep Tomo from being crushed. Tomo jumped up and flexed her biceps. "I just bench pressed 150 kilograms!"

Yomi adjusted her glasses and read the weights. "Actually you lifted 150 pounds. That is about 68 kilograms."

"Whaaaaa!" Tomo exclaimed.

"That's still good for a beginner." Kagura said.

"I don't need your pity!" Tomo pointed at Kagura and ran elsewhere.

After that incident, Yomi and Kagura worked out until thoroughly exhausted.