Shoko Komi's Ultimate Challenge
by Ulquiorra9000
Communication 26: into the future
"I can't believe my little boy is about to start high school!" Shuko Komi cheered one chilly February morning. "It's so exciting! Can you believe it, Shoko?"
There were the four Komis at the breakfast table, and Shoko was halfway through her breakfast when she looked up at her mother patting her Shosuke's head, messing with his dark hair. Shoko timidly nodded.
"The time sure has flown, hasn't it?" Shuko said warmly. She clapped her hands together and beamed. "Shosuke, what are you looking forward to most about high school? Or college? Or even your future career?"
Shosuke gave his mother a "what the heck?" look and resumed eating in stony silence.
The boy is still young, Masayoshi's relaxed expression said. He took a sip of hot tea. I'm sure he'll figure out his future later when he's ready. Right, son? He gave Shosuke a look.
Shosuke merely hunched his shoulders and kept eating. Classic.
"How about you, my dear daughter?" Shuko asked Shoko brightly.
Shoko gasped and gave it a moment of thought. I'm not sure about my future yet. But I'm positive it'll be something you can be proud of, Mom.
"S-such a thoughtful answer!" Shuko sobbed. She wiped her eyes with her napkin. "What a good girl!"
Whoa, Shuko was in a really sentimental mood today! Shoko had no idea why that was, but maybe she could find inspiration from it? She glanced at her emotional mother and her politely silent father, and then a challenging idea took shape in her mind. While Shoko had no idea what kind of college she'd attend or what kind of career she wanted, she could prepare for the future in another way. An artsy, sentimental, fun way!
She couldn't wait to get started.
*o*o*o*o*
"Here are your tests," the math teacher announced at school that day, walking around the room and handing out the papers. "Good scores this time, though a few of you are falling behind. Be sure to catch up soon, all right?"
There were many "yes sirs" and a few agonized groans, giving Shoko a hint about who was bombing this test and who wasn't. Anyway, Shoko got her own test back, and to her delight, she had a 92%. And this test was a tough one, too! She happily showed it to Hitohito Tadano.
"Great work, Komi! I got 75%, totally average," Hitohito said with a goofy grin. He showed her his test. "I swear, no matter what I do, I never get more than 3% above or below that score. The universe wants me to be perfectly ordinary, I guess!"
Well, getting good test scores was one way to prepare for future studies and get a good job, right? Shoko raised her hand to get the teacher's attention, then with her notebook, asked permission to keep this test and have the professor make a photocopy for his own use. To Shoko's relief, the professor agreed.
"You wanna keep your test?" Hitohito asked, raising his eyebrows. "How come?"
Shoko made a small smile, wrote her answer, then passed a note: I'm making a time capsule, Tadano! It'll be fun! I want to capture this month with photos, items, and more. I'm giving myself a week to finish it. Why not remind my older self that I'm good at school? It's something to be proud of, right?
Hitohito beamed. "What a cool idea! Can I add something?"
Shoko nodded.
"But what should it be?" Hitohito glanced up in thought, scratching his head. "There's nothing noteworthy or memorable about me for our future selves to see."
An indignant Shoko held up her next note: Don't say that, Tadano! I'm sure there's something special you can add to my time capsule.
"For real?"
This is a magical time of our lives, Tadano. You can do it!
"Okay, sure." Hitohito laughed lightly. "I'll think... it over..." His eyes widened, and then he went cherry-red and clapped his hands over his face. "I, uh... hoo boy..."
What in the world was Hitohito pondering? It wasn't something naughty, was it?! No, Hitohito wasn't the kind of person to do that. A few of Shoko's other classmates were, but not him.
Well, she would find out, all in good time.
Until then...
*o*o*o*o*
Shoko scoured the school to find friends who could contribute to the time capsule, but their ideas weren't too great, if they even had any at all.
"Oh! How about a lock of my hair, just for you," Ren Yamai offered in the locker rooms right before PE. "I've been saving it for a special occasion. Here you go!" She thrust the handful of soft brown hair in Shoko's face.
Shoko gasped in alarm and gently pushed Ren's hand away. That was just weird!
"A time capsule? Perfect! How about a complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica? All in good condition, of course!" When asked for a contribution, Himiko Agari beamed and presented a formidable stack of hardcover books that was nearly as tall as Shoko herself.
That's... a bit much, Shoko admitted on her paper.
Himiko's face fell. "But... a time capsule is the perfect way to preserve knowledge in case of worldwide catastrophe! Pleeeeeaaase?"
I don't think my capsule will be big enough. I still need to get the capsule itself, in fact, Shoko explained, her hands trembling as she held the page. What a shame to reject Himiko's idea! But she had to, tragically enough.
"Here you go," Shinobino declared when asked, holding out a pair of nunchaku. "These date back to the 1840s, a family heirloom!"
I can't put your family's treasures in there! Shoko objected with her paper.
"How about this ninja manga volume, then?"
Sorry, no.
"Ninja figurine with posable arms?"
No thanks.
"Ninja girl wall scroll?"
That's too R-rated! Don't let the teachers see it!
Shinobino put away his stuff into his school bag, and somehow, it all fit inside. "I'll think of somethin', I'm sure."
Nokoko, meanwhile, offered a handful of acorns she had found from a nearby tree, but that wouldn't work. Rumiko offered the latest copy of the ViVi fashion magazine, but that wasn't personal enough for the capsule. Then, Nakanaka motioned with her hands and claimed that she had given Shoko a piece of the dragon force to put into the capsule, except that was a bit too... intangible, let's say. Then Nene offered a simple tissue from her purse, which was a practical but not terribly exciting item to contribute. And of course, Najimi offered something so X-rated, Shoko's innocent eyes digitally blurred it automatically, and Shoko fled the scene in a hurry.
That poor time capsule was still empty! Once Shoko got it, that is. How big should it be, anyway? Hmmmmmmm...
Not big enough for a stack of encyclopedias, at least!
*o*o*o*o*
Shoko spent the evening at home looking for items to put into her time capsule, from a recently-minted 500 yen coin in the family's change jar to a political campaign flyer that Masayoshi had been given at work, all the way to one of her mother's favorite hairpins to a handwritten recipe from Yuiko Komi. Shosuke had even less to offer, half-heartedly suggesting a GameStop receipt that Shoko politely turned down.
Well, shucks! Was Shoko's life so boring she had no way to represent it with small items meaningfully? That thought weighed heavily on her as she crawled into bed, holding the covers up to her nose and watching the dark ceiling. The day was over, and it would never come back. How would Shoko remember this February day? She wouldn't, and she probably wouldn't remember tomorrow, either. So many days relegated to the hazy past, all jumbled up and forgotten...
Shoko wouldn't let that happen! She made a quiet "hmph!" and resolved to find a way!
*o*o*o*o*
The next day, Shoko still didn't find any other items worth putting in her time capsule, and she still needed to get an actual item to serve as the capsule's body. Maybe a plastic box? Or a metal one? Or even a tough wooden box with brass hinges? How classy! But maybe Shoko should finalize her collection of items before picking out a container.
Still no items! Nothing really worth adding came up, and now Shoko was questioning her contribution of that math test, too. She wanted something perfect, something truly ideal for her capsule, and a simple math test didn't seem right.
That left just one thing...!
The day after that, Shoko borrowed a special something from her mother that morning and brought it to school, capturing the imagination of all her classmates.
"Oooooooh, a Polaroid camera!" Nene said fondly. "That's so cool, Komi. What are you gonna take a picture of?"
Shoko wrote some instructions to her popular friend, and Nene saluted. "I'll spread the word!" Nene promised. Perfect!
Shoko was eager for school to end, and once it did, she hurried to the front grounds of the school. She was the first one there, and soon enough, her lumbering friend Makoto Katai arrived for the project, followed by Nokoko, Nene, Makeru, Ren, Shinobino, Kaede, Himiko, Nakanaka, Rumiko, Najimi, Netsuno, a few others, and finally, Hitohito Tadano, plus the gym coach.
"Sorry I'm late," Hitohito said. "Coach here agreed to help us out."
Ren folded her arms and pouted. "About time, Tadano! Hurry and get into position. Komi's waiting!"
True, Shoko was anxious to get started, but she didn't feel bad about Hitohito's delay. It was all worth it. She happily stood with her friends, with the front row kneeling and the back row standing up. It was like an unofficial class photo, except the theme was Shoko Komi's friends! The gym coach snapped the picture with the camera, and once the photo slid out, Shoko checked it out. Perfect! Everyone was together, and they all fit in the frame.
"Hey, nice photo!" Najimi cheered, swiping it from Shoko's hands and holding it high. "But we look so serious. Let's take another where we get crazy! Haha!"
It actually was a great idea, so the friends gathered once again. Once the coach took the photo, everyone did their own funny face or pose, with Shoko deciding to throw up two peace signs. And Najimi was very happy with how the photo turned out. The group of friends soon disbanded, and right away, Shoko hurried to the local mall to get two small photo frames, one for each Polaroid picture. Then she got a sturdy, thick plastic container and walked home with all that in her shopping bag.
"Welcome back, Shoko," Shuko greeted her happily in the living room. "Did you stop by somewhere after school? What's in the bag?"
Shoko motioned for her mother to join her at the dinner table, where she put the photos in the frames and showed them to her delighted mother before securing them in the plastic box. The box even had latches to make sure it wouldn't ever pop open.
"This is such a wonderful idea, Shoko!" Shuko cried. She wrapped her arms around her daughter. "So sweet, and so thoughtful! Where are you gonna bury it? And when will we open it?"
Shoko had already thought of that, so she quietly answered. "Can I bury it on the grounds of Grandma's house and mark the location with something?"
"Sure thing! Your father can talk to Yuiko and ask her to help out."
"And, um... I want to open it with everyone when I turn 40, when I'm a wonderful woman like you, mom." Shoko felt herself blush. "I think that's a good time to think back on my school days."
"Sh-Shoko! Oh my word...!" Shuko hugged her even tighter and started sobbing. "You're incredible! But I'm not 40. I'm eternally 17!"
17, 40, whatever. Shoko was eager to grow up someday and become someone her younger self could admire, and become someone who would fondly look back on her 16-year-old self and remember every day of it. And all the friends, captured under the glass of those frames. The challenge was complete, and the countdown to 40 began! This would take a little while...
But what was the item Hitohito had thought of for the capsule? It must have been important! Shiko made a mental note to ask him when the time was right.
