DISCLAIMER: Ojamajo Doremi © Toei Animation in 1999-2004. I don't get any commercial benefit from this fic.
The Future Story 2
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Chapter 11 – Will I be Like Her? The First Exam
Weekend, at the witch kingdom's castle…
Two young witch examiners came to visit the Queen, and they went there to report that they were ready for the first examination, which would held tonight.
When the Queen walked into the large hall where the two examiners waited for her, they bowed their head and politely said, "Long time no see, my Queen."
"Hey hey, you both are my best friends so just drop the formality here," Hana waved her hands, "Teki-chan, Tekipaki-chan, let's just calm down for a bit…"
"Even so, we'll talk about the first exam, so we should be professional here," replied one of the examiner named Teki, "Queen Hana, we're here not to talk about ourselves."
"Oh, come on. Just call me with my name, please," requested the Queen, "Anyways, how about the preparation for the exam? Have you both already consulted it with your mothers?"
"Of course, Queen Hana. We're ready for our first job as the examiners," said the one named Tekipaki, "We've already prepared some simple questions for your nieces."
"Well, that's great. I just want you both to be nice with them," sighed Hana, "Don't be strict with them, okay?"
"I'm sorry, Queen Hana, but I think we can't promise about it," Teki apologized, "Our mothers suggested us to be strict with any witch apprentice in the exams."
"Huh, alright then. I think I can't persuade you both about this," Hana shrugged, "Even so, don't be too strict with any of them, okay? I'm afraid if later they would think that the examinations were horrible and too difficult."
"Well, if that happened, we could conclude that they weren't as great as their grandmothers," said Tekipaki coldly, "and they weren't qualified to open the Rainbow Gate."
"Whatever. I see you both are drastically changed now," the Queen rolled her eyes, "How about the questions itself? Are those questions easy enough for them to solve?"
"Don't worry, Queen Hana. I think they can easily solve all of those, if only they're as capable as their grandmothers," Teki assured, "The first exam is the level nine exam anyway, so it won't ever be that difficult."
"Even so, I think I doubt with someone. You know, the one who'll get 'the reborn fairy'," Tekipaki smirked, "Even if she's capable enough to become a good majingen, it's still possible for her to fail in this exam because… you know…"
"Don't say any bad things about them!" shouted Hana angrily, "I can't believe this! I said that you both were changed but now I see that there's something bad about you which is never changed, Tekipaki, and it's your habit to say some irritated words! Do you think I don't know about what you mean?!"
"Well, I just want to say the truth…"
"Even if you say the truth, don't say it as if you knew that it would happen again! I know that she'll do her best in her exam, so don't convince me otherwise!"
"Oh, alright. I'm sorry, Queen Hana," Tekipaki finally apologized, "I don't want to offense you. We're best friends, right?"
"Fine, I forgive you," Hana sighed, "but don't say anything bad about my mother and my niece anymore, or you should say 'goodbye' to your job as the examiner."
Tekipaki nodded, then Teki explained about the upcoming exam further to the Queen.
.O.
"Coffee syrup?"
"Yes, and I'll use it for the breakfast tomorrow," Himawari answered Fami's question while she put a bottle of coffee syrup into a cupboard, "I used to eat pancake with this, instead of the maple syrup."
"Wow, you really have a great taste, Auntie Hima," praised the pink haired girl, "Now I wonder if otousan knows about the coffee syrup…"
"Well, he also will stay here tonight, right?" the young woman smiled, "Then he can enjoy his pancake with the coffee syrup tomorrow."
"I know he'll like it," Fami smiled back, "Otousan likes coffee so much."
Just then, someone knocked the front door of Himawari's house. Izumi walked to the door and opened it, "Ah, Grandpa Kotake, do you also want to stay here with Fami-nee and Uncle Murasaki?"
Kotake nodded, "Of course. All of you are also my family anyway, so I should be near with you all."
"I'm glad to hear that," Izumi giggled, but then she noticed a plastic sack which Kotake brought, "By the way, Grandpa Kotake, what is that? Do you bring something for us?"
"Well, actually… it's for Fami, as she kept saying about this thing in her sleep last night."
"What do you mean, ojiichan?" asked Fami as she walked to her grandfather there, "I don't ask anything to you."
"Here. You mentioned this thing in your sleep anyway," Kotake quickly gave the plastic sack which he brought to his granddaughter, "You also said something about clue and exam, so… I think this will be important for you."
"Clue? Exam?" said her, didn't understand, "I think I just dreamed about something…"
'Wait a minute! I dreamed about obaachan last night!' she finally remembered, "I know! So this means…"
Fami immediately opened the sack and took out the content, which is a cup of Shiratama Cream Anmitsu from a famous convenience store. She read the letter on the cap, "Shiratama Cream Anmitsu?"
"Actually, you just mentioned anmitsu*, but I think I need to buy this for you," admitted the old man, "I have a feeling that it will help you in your exam tonight."
"I'm not really sure, though…" Fami opened the cup, "Anyways, can I eat this? It looks so delicious."
"Of course, you can. I buy it just for you," he smiled while at the same time his granddaughter ate the mentioned dessert, "So, do you want to explain about your dream to me?"
"Well, what should I say…" Fami thought for a few minutes before she whispered something to her grandfather, "I dreamed about obaachan's first exam."
"Really?" asked Kotake. Fami nodded then explained about her dream as she kept eating the dessert.
"I see. So that was what happened in your dream," he concluded, "Then, if you were her, what would you do?"
"Hmm… I think I would try to concentrate and listen to the clues carefully," said Fami, uncertainly, "but the last clue is just…"
"Eh, Fami, don't you eat the Shiratama Cream Anmitsu with the kuromitsu**?" Kotake realized something, "I don't think it will taste good that way."
"Ah? Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Thank you, ojiichan," Fami quickly poured the kuromitsu in a sealed packet inside the plastic sack onto the Shiratama Cream Anmitsu, "Fortunately, I haven't finished it yet."
Before she continued eating the dessert, Fami noticed something about the kuromitsu and whispered, "Kuromitsu and coffee syrup have the same color… could it be…"
'The correct answer is the most delicious anmitsu with milk ice cream and coffee syrup in the world!'
"Umm… Fami? Are you okay?"
Fami nodded, then finished the Shiratama Cream Anmitsu.
'I hope this can help me to concentrate in my own exam…'
.O.
At night…
"Eh? So you dreamed about that?" said Majorika in disbelief right after Fami told her about her recent dream, "Well, I think it's your magic power which wants to warn you that the first exam actually needs concentration, even though this is the easiest exam from all of the nine exams."
"Maybe you're right, but… how if it was obaachan who wanted to warn me? Maybe… she doesn't want to see my failure up there tonight…"
"Who knows? There are so many possibilities," Majorika shrugged, then looked around and asked, "By the way, where are Nozomi and Rizuko? You usually come here with them."
"Uh, I come here from Izumi-chan's house this time, so… I can't come here together with them," Fami explained, "because I want to stay at Izumi-chan's house tonight."
"I see," the old witch said to the four new witch apprentices which were already there, "Now we just need to wait for them before we go to the witch world."
"Okay!" replied Fami, Izumi, Shiroyuki and Molly in unison. All of them then sat down on the chairs around a big table there, but then Majorika noticed that Fami looked so anxious.
"Do you still think about your dream and the first exam?" she asked, "Are you afraid if you…"
"I don't know? I just… wonder," Fami sighed, "Will I be like her in my first exam? Will I fail in my first exam… like obaachan?"
"Maybe yes, maybe no, but I don't think she wants to see your failure tonight," Majorika opined, "Moreover, she took her first exam when she was two years younger than yourself now, so… I don't think that you'll have a problem in this exam."
"Really?"
The old witch nodded, "However, a few days ago, I felt that your grandmother whispered something to me."
"Eh? Are you serious? I mean, she was…"
"I know it's impossible, but I say the truth. It was when you fixed your grandfather's problem," she started to explain, "Firstly, I wanted to prevent you to go home, but then… I heard her voice. She wanted me to let you go, and when I communicated with her in my mind and told her about how important your practice was, she assured me that you'll pass your first exam."
"I hope so," the pink haired girl sighed again, "I don't want to make her disappointed."
"Sorry, we're late!" greeted both Nozomi and Rizuko who just recently arrived there, "We just recently took our dinner at a restaurant."
"Well, at least you come here now, so we don't need to wait any longer," Majorika walked to a door near the toilet, "Let's we go to the witch world for your first exam."
The six young girls nodded, then followed their old mentor to the mentioned door. There, Majorika asked Fami to open the door, and she obeyed it. In an instant, all of them walked into the witch world and explored it.
The new witch apprentices looked around in awe, as they never seen any place like the witch world, but somehow, it looked so familiar for their leader, Fami.
'This world… It's exactly like what obaachan said in her story, and I feel comfort here,' she thought, 'I like this place.'
A few minutes later, they arrived at the examination booth, where both Teki and Tekipaki waited for them. Majorika then introduced the examiners to the new witch apprentices.
"Both of them are the Queen's best friends, but it doesn't mean that they'll make this exam easier for you all," Majorika warned, "Just do your best, okay?"
"Hai!"
"Alright then, we'll start from you," Teki pointed at Rizuko, "Give me some salad in a tortilla bread."
"No problem! Pupuru Pupu Famufimafi! A salad tortilla appears!"
When the mentioned food appeared, Teki tasted it, "Hmm, not bad. It's delicious."
"You pass!" Tekipaki announced.
"I know I can do it!" cheered Rizuko, "How many levels which I pass?"
"Of course just one. Just level nine," the bigger examiner said while gazed at her, "Since this year, one exam is just for one level."
"Okay," Rizuko sighed, "I think I can be like my grandmother though…"
"The next one is you," Tekipaki pointed at Molly, "Give me a square-shaped berry tarts."
"What an easy request. Paretun Rekokun Parirori Poppun! A square-shaped berry tarts appears!"
This time, Tekipaki tasted the mentioned tarts, then when she told them that it was delicious, Teki announced that Molly passed her exam as well.
"Now I want to ask you," said Teki to Shiroyuki, "Give me a heart-shaped pizza toast."
"I'll do my best," said the new orange witch apprentice, "Pakita Pikoto Piwipawapu! A heart-shaped pizza toast appears!"
The examination was still continued as Shiroyuki passed with her pizza toast, then both Izumi and Nozomi also passed theirs.
"Pikisho Pukishiro Pukiran Peperuto! A bowl of creamy ramen appears!"
"Piriran Pururara Fomofima Peperuto! A spicy cake appears!"
Finally, it was Fami's turn. Tekipaki requested, "Give me a creamy and fruity, matcha mitsumame*** and pancake sauce."
"Eh? What a difficult request…" commented Nozomi, who then asked her older cousin, "Fami-chan, are you okay? You can do it, right?"
"Don't worry, Non-chan. I'm alright," assured the pink haired girl. She thought, 'So the clues are creamy, fruity, matcha, mitsumame and pancake sauce… creamy fruity matcha…'
"I know it!" she shouted, "Pirika Pirirara Poporina Peperuto! A matcha cream fruits mitsumame with maple syrup appears!"
Tekipaki was surprised, but then she professionally tasted the unusual dessert and commented, "You get it right, and the taste is also delicious."
"All of you pass the first exams!" Teki announced, "Congratulations, everyone!"
The new witch apprentices shouted happily, "We did it!"
"As for the reward, we'll give you your fairies," said Tekipaki while she handed five crystal balls to Nozomi, Rizuko, Shiroyuki, Molly and Izumi, "and special for you, Fami-chan, you can wake your fairy with your power now."
"Eh? But Dodo is obaachan's…"
"I know, but from now on, she's yours," Tekipaki smiled, "Just you wait until Teki bring her here."
The smaller examiner then went to the castle to take Dodo away from the Queen, and at the same time, the five girls who already got their fairies' crystal balls noticed that their fairies flew out from the crystal balls and greeted them.
"Nonono!" greeted a green fairy on Nozomi's hands.
"I see. Your name is Nono, right? Nice to meet you!" replied Nozomi.
"Nono!" she blinked. The other fairies also had their own conversation with their owners.
"Zuzuzuzu!" said a maroon fairy on Izumi's hands. She crossed her arms, "Zuzu!"
Izumi smiled, "Glad to see you, Zuzu!"
Fami looked at her teammates with smile on her face, then noticed what their fairies said.
'I get it. So, Rizu-chan's fairy is Kiki, Shiro-chan's fairy is Yuyu and Molly-chan's fairy is Riri,' she thought, 'All of them are cute. It makes me wonder about Dodo…'
Just then, Teki was back there with a small box where Hana put Dodo into. She said, "Alright then, Fami-chan, you just need to touch this box with your hands. Are you ready?"
The new leader nodded, then she obeyed what Teki's said, and suddenly, a pink fairy flew out from the box…
*Anmitsu: a Japanese dessert with sweet azuki bean paste (anko)
**Kuromitsu: a sweet black syrup for Anmitsu
***Mitsumame: a Japanese dessert with boiled azuki beans