Chapter 8: New Expectation
The previous day had been decidedly abnormal. This day was looking to be equally abnormal, albeit in the exact opposite direction.
"Gokigenyou, Ranko-san."
"Gokigenyou."
"Gokigenyou."
While Sunday had been a quiet day spent in near-solitude, Monday was downright boisterous. The number of Lillian students Ranma encountered on her way to class might have been the same as it had been throughout the previous week, but every single one of them reacted to her in some fashion upon seeing her.
"Ranko-san, gokigenyou."
"Gokigenyou."
"Gokigenyou, Ranko-san."
The girls near her all greeted her politely. Some nodded their heads as they spoke. Others were more emphatic in their bowing. On an individual level, each one was quintessentially demure, but the sheer quantity was overwhelming.
"I heard that she used to take ballet classes with Sachiko-san."
"Isn't she adorable? She's so tiny."
"You can tell why Sachiko-sama picked her. She fits right in."
The girls who were further away were less restrained in their reactions. While they didn't address her directly, she could see their inquisitive looks and hear their excited chatter in the distance. It was a dramatic change from the week before.
Shimako had told Ranma that the members of Yamayurikai were placed on a proverbial pedestal, but that was like hearing that it was a long swim to cross the Sea of Japan: it was literally true, but the mere words had utterly failed to convey the true magnitude of the situation. It seemed like Minako had not been exaggerating the amount of interest the student body had in the transfer student who had just become the newest member of the Yamayurikai. If anything, she might have been understating it.
Ranma wasn't exactly sure how to handle all the attention. She ended up ignoring the distant chatter, and she returned the verbal greetings with some tentative waves back. These were met with everything from polite smiles to flushed faces.
Like the students surrounding Ranma, Lillian itself had undergone a transformation in character, albeit one more gradual in nature. Near the entrance of the main building, somebody had placed a large sign embellished with a broad ribbon and a large paper flower. The top half of the sign read, "Days Remaining Until The Festival." Beneath that was a flip sign which displayed, "06."
Ranma walked past it and made her way to the vending machines once again. For the first time, she saw somebody else there. The girl had brown hair in a pageboy haircut, and Ranma recognized her as being Rina from her class.
Rina pushed a button, and a package of instant noodles fell to the bottom of the machine. She retrieved it, turned, and caught sight of Ranma.
"Ah. Gokigenyou."
"Gokigenyou."
Rina gave a slight bow and then walked away.
Ranma approached the machine and bought her own noodles. She then climbed the stairs on the way to her classroom, pausing at the top to cautiously look around the hallway. She was eager to see if Minako had regained her nerve and was waiting to ambush her again. It would be a good opportunity to apply the experience she had gained from her most recent witnessing of Sachiko's techniques. The corridor appeared free of newspaper girls, though. It was too early to be sure, but it seemed like the Saturday confrontation had in fact been a decisive victory.
Her entrance into the classroom was much more muted than Saturday's had been, which was to say that she wasn't immediately mobbed upon entering. The swarm of questions had been reduced to a more reasonable, if large, number of generic inquiries asking her how her Sunday had gone and if she was excited for the upcoming festival.
The relatively plain entrance gave Ranma an opening to approach Yoshino before classes began. She just had to talk to somebody about the screenplay she had read the day before.
"Gokigenyou."
"Gokigenyou."
Ranma pulled out Yoshino's copy of "Human Sword Hanjiro" and handed it over. She said, "Thanks. That was great."
"Wasn't it? I love the first fight scene. It's one of my favorite ones," Yoshino said as she took the book back.
"Yeah, that was good. Did you notice how it was similar to that fight in 'Bakumatsu Shinsengumi?'"
Yoshino's eyebrows scrunched at the question. She said, "No, I didn't. Which one?"
Two of them engaged in some light discussion of the screenplay, comparing it with Shoutarou Ikenami's other works, until the clock signaled that classes were about to begin.
"Stand. Bow."
Tanezaki entered the room and began the morning lessons. It proceeded as could be expected, with classes such as Biology and English taking their course.
When lunchtime arrived, Ranma remained in the classroom. Based on the results of Sachiko's confrontation with Minako as well as Minako's absence in the morning, Ranma didn't feel the pressure to reposition herself to the Rose Mansion for some peace and quiet. She simply pulled out her packages of instant noodles and her copy of the Cinderella script.
It was with some amusement that Ranma noticed Rina pull out her own package of instant noodles and stare at it in trepidation. She was sitting on the other side of the room with Yuka and Hiyori, and the three girls had entered into some animation discussion. It was clearly in regard to Rina's choice of lunch, but it was hard to tell whether they were encouraging or discouraging her.
Ranma herself had no such hesitation. She simply bit into her first block of noodles with a satisfying crunch. She then opened the script, which was definitely starting to show signs of wear from all of its handling, and got to work. As she went, she used her free hand to block the words on the page, trying to remember the lines without looking.
Her results were decidedly mixed. She felt semi-passable with Cinderella's patterns of speech, but the contents of that speech was far more of a challenge. Only very occasionally was she able to recall what a line should be without checking it first, and each time she did check the script, she felt dumb for not having remembered such an obvious line on her own. The entire experience left her feeling frustrated.
Once lunch and its associated training was over, the afternoon classes resumed without note. There was the lackadaisical volleyball game in the primary gym, the further examination of the early Genpai War, and all of the other courses. Then came the after-class cleaning, and another school day was brought to a close.
Ranma had been tasked with turning in the daily log, and Yoshino accompanied her as she went to deliver it to the teacher. They then made their way to the Rose Mansion.
In contrast to the previous Friday, Ranma approached the other members of the Yamayurikai with a feeling of excitement. She had done a considerable amount of training over the past few days, and she knew that she had improved a great deal. It was time to prove it.
Sachiko, Shimako, and The Three Roses were all sitting around the table of the conference room when Ranma and Yoshino arrived. The rich aroma of coffee filled the air, undoubtedly sourced from some of the steaming cups in front of each of the girls.
In the center of the table was a basket filled with breads and pastries. Additionally, there was also a plate covered with sandwiches there. That was the topic of conversation as Ranma entered the room. Apparently Sei had thought it was her turn to bring snacks, which had result in there being "too much" food. Internally, Ranma dismissed Youko's obviously incorrect assessment of the situation. Externally, Ranma couldn't help but smile at the opportunity Sei's mistake presented.
Yoshino went to the tea service at the side of the room and started preparing herself a cup of tea. Ranma took a cup as well, being very careful to avoid the steaming electric kettle beside it as she did so, and carried it to the kitchen to get some cold water for herself. By the time she returned to the conference room, Yoshino had already taken a seat and had a sandwich on a small plate in front of her. Ranma grabbed a plate for herself and took a sandwich as well as the largest piece of bread she could see. She then sat down in a chair at the table and eagerly started eating. Past experience suggested that once training started, she would have limited ability to partake of the food before her.
Ranma had only just taken her second bread roll when Rei entered the room.
"Gokigenyou," Rei said, greeting everybody as she walked in.
"Gokigenyou."
Yoshino stood up and began preparing another cup of tea.
"What's that?" Eriko asked.
"This?" Rei asked, holding up the piece of paper she was carrying. "It's a special delivery for Ranko-chan, courtesy of Minako-san. The newspaper club is humbly requesting her to fill out a questionnaire for them." She held it out in offer.
Ranma didn't respond to the sheet in any way. After all the trouble she had had with Minako and the others, there was no way she was going to get involved with them again.
When Ranma didn't take the questionnaire, Sachiko took it instead. She looked it over, and said, "It looks like they're asking a lot of basic questions. What's your blood type? What's your birthday?" She put it down. "You would have thought that they'd have asked all of these things before they printed that article."
Several of the girls shook their heads in bemusement.
"After what they did. You can tell them to take their questions and shove 'em," Ranma said emphatically. Her declaration was met with a small gasp.
"Ranko," Sachiko said, her voice a mixture of understanding and reproach. "I'm sure that everybody here can appreciate that sentiment. However, may I suggest that you decline more respectfully at this time, rather than telling them to 'shove them,' as it were?"
Ranma looked around and saw several of the girls were giving quiet nods of agreement.
"Why? After all they did," Ranma said. She had no sympathy for them at all.
"It's rarely a good idea to offend somebody," Sachiko said. "Once a relationship is damaged, it can be very difficult to restore, as I'm sure you're discovering right now with them. It's much better to leave the door open for a more positive relationship in the future, rather than making an outright enemy of the entire newspaper club."
"Who cares? You said in yourself. The Yamayurikai can just cut off their entire club," Ranma said. It was like Genma had said. Humoring somebody, or worse, coddling them, was a waste of time; time that would be better spent on improving her martial arts. It wasn't as if there was anything to gain out of a relationship with them in the future. Strength was acquired through self-improvement, not through others, and especially not from the weak.
"It's not that easy. We've been entrusted with authority because we have demonstrated that we are worthy of it, and it would be reprehensible to violate that trust in a petty act of vengence," Sachiko said.
The others around the room were all nodding in agreement. Youko additionally had a prominent smile on her face.
Ranma tried to follow Sachiko's thought process, but no matter how she contorted her mind, she couldn't make sense of it. Nevertheless, she was acutely aware that she was in Lillian to learn a new set of skills, and not understanding the nuances of a new discipline was a common experience for her. Having both her arms tied behind her back for Martial Arts Bicycle Racing made sense in hindsight in that it forced her to learn to steer with her body alone, freeing up her hands for attack and defense. Holding her breath for Martial Arts Beekeeping made sense in hindsight in that it was an essential prerequisite to safely using using the more exotic smokes. She was sure that the reasoning behind Sachiko's actions would make sense in the fullness of time.
"Okay. Then how should I do that?" Ranma asked. She was always willing to learn from a master, and she had already personally witnessed Sachiko's power.
"There's no need to be complicated here. You can just go back to them and tell them that you are respectfully declining at this time. Considering the recent past, if you'd like me to come along as well, I can do so," Sachiko said. She held the sheet out to Ranma
"Sure, I guess," Ranma said. She took the questionnaire this time.
"We can go tomorrow. We shouldn't keep everybody here waiting, and the newspaper club won't be expecting an answer before then anyway. I'll find you after classes are over," Sachiko said. Behind her, Yoshino placed the cup of tea she had prepared in front of Rei and then resumed her seat.
Youko nodded. She said, "Very well. We have dance practice tomorrow, but Kashiwagi-san said he would not be able to attend. The earliest he can come is Thursday."
"Thursday?" Eriko asked. "That's kind of late, isn't it? The festival's this Sunday, and that only gives us three days to practice with him. Will everything be okay?"
"It's going to have to be. What else can we do? He is the student council president of Hanadera; he has his own responsibilities," Youko said.
"I think it should be okay. Kashiwagi-san has a pretty good reputation," Sei said.
"Indeed. I'm more worried if we will be ready for him. We have the first costume fitting on Wednesday, too, so we won't have much time to practice before he arrives," Youko said.
It was left unsaid, but Ranma was sure that everybody was thinking about her. That was fine. She would show them what she was capable of shortly.
"How about if we skip that first fitting? We can try to do all of it in one big shot this Friday," Eriko said.
"That won't really work. After the handicrafts club finishes Cinderella's dress, the inventions club will need a couple of days to work on it, too," Youko said. "Besides, a delay wouldn't really be fair to either of them. Remember, they're just helping us out as a side project. I'm sure they'll all be busy with their own activities by the end of the week."
"I know. It's just..." Eriko said. She trailed off, her arms moving in abstract gestures of consternation.
"It is, but what can we do?" Youko asked. "Well, there's no use in worrying about things we can't control. We should focus on the things we can."
"Right. So the plan is to have dance practice tomorrow, the costume fitting on Wednesday, the first script practice with Kashiwagi-san on Thursday, the first dance practice with him on Friday, and then the final dress rehearsal of everything on Saturday?" Sei asked.
"Don't forget about the second costume fitting on Friday, too," Youko said.
"And all of the stuff we need to do as the festival's executive committee," Eriko said.
"We expected that, though. That's why none of us have any of the major roles, right? Ranko-chan and the others will still be able to focus on their practice, even when we're not here," Youko said.
"Yes," Eriko said. "At least this week won't be boring."
"Very true," Youko said. "Speaking of which, we should probably get started. I was thinking we should do a full run through of the entire play now to see what our weak points are, and then we can concentrate on those points for the rest of the day."
"That sounds good," a few girls said.
Youko looked over to Ranma and said, "Whenever you're ready."
Ranma shoved the last of her sandwich into her mouth and concurrently pulled out her copy of the script. She chewed fast, swallowed hard, took a gulp of water, and then started reading from the top.
Even by the end of the first page, Youko and the others visibly relaxed. Ranma's tongue danced around the flouncy language with the skill resultant from three days of intensive special training. She could have used more polish, but she now sounded more like a hesitant young woman than a foreigner in a level 4 Japanese Language Proficiency Test. It was as dramatic an improvement as Ranma had expected.
Eriko had had only just announced the upcoming ball when Ranma heard a quiet, hesitant knock at the front door. She looked around, but nobody else seemed to care, so she continued on. A few minutes later, while Sachiko and Shimako were discussing the different clothes they were going to wear to the ball, she heard another knock. It was even more hesitant than the first one had been.
Ranma asked, "Should we be getting that?" She casually gestured to the door.
Sachiko and Shimako paused in their planning of fashion accessories and looked over at her.
"Getting what?" Youko asked.
"The front door. Somebody knocked," Ranma said.
Youko sent a confused look to Sei. Sei matched the confused look, but she stood up and left the room despite that.
Sachiko and Shimako exchanged looks of their own, and then continued their scene with Ranma, Yoshino, and Eriko. They were nearing the conclusion when the conference room was invaded. Sei entered, and ten other girls followed behind her. They were walking as excitedly as if they were first-time tourists visiting the Temple of the Golden Pavilion and as nervously as if they were going to be given a test about it at the end of their tour. Ranma recognized two of the girls as being from the group she had met the day before.
"The invention club is here to see to see Rosa Chinensis, and the handicrafts club is here to see Rosa Foetida," Sei said.
"Please excuse our interruption," the visiting girls said, bowing in semi-unison.
The rehearsal paused as The Three Roses all spoke to different subsets of the visiting girls. Youko met with the two girls from the invention club, the group Ranma had seen on Sunday, about the different gadgets and devices planned for the upcoming play. Eriko met with the four girls from the handicrafts club to confirm that the costume fitting was still scheduled for Wednesday. Sei met with the four remaining girls from the fine arts club to see the set backdrop samples they had brought with them. The Three Roses were all much more serious and business-like with the visitors as compared how Ranma typically saw them act.
Ranma took advantage of the break to grab another sandwich and another pastry. She quickly consumed both, well aware that once practiced resumed, she would once again be too busy to eat.
Once The Three Roses had concluded their discussions, one of the visiting girls asked, "Umm... would you mind if we stayed and watched?"
"Sure," Youko said brightly, which was met by a collective squeal of excitement from the girls. She turned back to Eriko, "I think we were at the scene where the step-family is preparing for the ball?"
Eriko nodded and then restarted the rehearsal, joined in by the others.
That scene concluded smoothly. In the momentary silence between it and the next scene, though, one of the girls observing from the side of the room could be heard whispering to another, "She's so cute. You just want to put her in your pocket and take her home."
The entire Yamayurikai heard her interruption and turned to look at her, which caused the relatively short girl in question to flush a bright red and virtually wither under the attention.
"I'm afraid I'll need to ask you to remain quiet if you want to watch," Youko said.
"O..of course. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," the girl hastily said. She frantically bowed in apology as she stepped backwards, the crowd helpfully parting such that she could escape from view.
The rehearsal then continued, with all of the impromptu audience members staying absolutely silent for the remainder of the session.
Overall, everything went well. Ranma was able to get through all of her lines without a hint of hesitation, repetition, or deviation. In all ways, it was decisively better than Friday's session had been. Sachiko, Youko, and the others all looked upon Ranma with approval, and Ranma basked in the glow. It was a satisfying validation of all the training she had done.
"Very good. I like the improvements. I don't think we have any particular weak points, besides Ranko-chan needing to memorize everything, of course. Hmm..." Youko said. "I think it may be best to focus on the meeting between between the prince and Cinderella today. That's probably one of the two scenes that everybody will most remember. Ranko-chan and Rei-chan, I'll work with you two on that. Why doesn't everybody else practice the ball preparation scene? We should start using those props we have downstairs."
"Sounds good," Eriko said.
"Thank you for letting us watch. Gokigenyou." The ten spectators took their leave.
Sachiko, Yoshino, Shimako, Eriko, and Sei left the room as well, leaving Ranma with Youko and Rei. Ranma took the opportunity to grab two more sandwiches and another bread roll from the almost empty supply. Those disappeared into her mouth even faster than the others had, considering how short a break the transition represented.
Ranma and Rei ended up going through the ball scene a few more times. They repeated individual lines and short segments this time, focusing on Ranma's pronunciation and emotions. They practiced for about an hour, at which point the other five members of the Yamayurikai re-entered the room.
"You're making great progress. Good job," Youko said.
"Good job," Rei said.
Ranma smiled in triumph. She felt good about how she was doing. She was definitely catching up to the others.
"Please keep at it. Remember, the play is this Sunday," Youko said.
"I'll be ready," Ranma said confidently. The only major obstacle that remained in her way was the need to actually memorize the whole thing. However, she still had a week for that. It should be fine. She was getting more invested into the part, and her pride insisted that she do well.
"That's great," Sei said, "because that means we can spend tomorrow evening doing something special."
Eriko looked up from where she had picked up her book bag. She asked, "Special? Like what?"
Sei grinned at Eriko and said, "I'm glad you asked. Tomorrow's the one week anniversary of Ranko-chan coming to Lillian, right? I was thinking that we should have a celebration."
Her suggestion caught the attention of everybody in the room. Youko placed her book bag down on the chair in which she had previously been sitting and looked over. Yoshino and Rei stopped from where they had begun collecting dishes and looked at Sei as well.
The idea seized Ranma's imagination. If they were going to have a celebration, then they'd need to hold it somewhere. It was the perfect opportunity to go to Sachiko's mansion. The question was how could she direct the conversation in that direction.
Sei continued without a pause in her words, "We could have a dinner party, right here in the Rose Mansion, with all the Yamayurikai." As she spoke, she spun her finger all around in a circle in the air.
Ranma mentally cursed. Even faster than it had appeared, the opportunity was slipping away, as mirage-like as a judo grandmaster's apparently undefended flank. It left her feeling disappointed. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but be excited for the idea in and of itself. A dinner party meant food, and she was always interested in food.
That last thought reminded her. She took a look across the table, but the plate of sandwiches and basket of baked goods were both empty.
"That sounds exciting," Eriko said.
"I agree, but tomorrow? We're short enough on time as it is," Youko said. "It would probably be better to do something at her three-week anniversary. The festival will be all over by then, and we'll have more time to relax."
"A one-week anniversary is much better than a three-week one, right?" Sei asked. "Besides, seeing how Kashiwagi-san can't come tomorrow, we've got to have some extra time, right?"
"Yes, but I was thinking we could use that time for some more practice with the script," Youko said.
"We could, but we're much further ahead with dance practice than anybody would have guessed, and the script is going better than expected, too," Sei said.
"I think it's a good idea. We've all been working hard, and I think we've earned a celebration. We don't want to overdo it, right?" Eriko asked.
Sei grinned at Eriko before turning that grin to Youko.
"That is true," Youko said. She turned to look at Ranma. "Ranko-chan, you're the one who has the most to do. What do you think?"
Ranma didn't hesitate in the slightest. She immediately said, "We should do it." She was already imagining what the dinner would be like.
Youko nodded and turned back to Sei. She asked, "In that case, what were you thinking of?"
"I was thinking we'd start with a big dinner party first. The Three Roses can bring the ingredients, the petite souers can do the cooking, and then we'd all eat together. After that, we have a formal welcoming of Ranko-chan to Lillian. We can do something like a small version of the welcoming ceremony we hold every May for all the first-year students," Sei said.
Shimako lightly clapped her hands together and said, "That sounds like fun. We do have that kitchen we never really use. If everybody else is able to, then I'd be willing to cook after the dance practice." She glanced over at Yoshino.
Yoshino nodded. She said, "I okay with helping out."
"I'd be happy to cook, too," Rei said, raising her hand as she spoke.
"I could also be available," Sachiko said.
"I'm in," Ranma said. She would have preferred it if it had been at Sachiko's mansion, but she wasn't going to turn away free food, even if she did need to cook it herself. She was always the one to cook on the road, anyway; Martial Arts Stir Frying was possibly her most used set of techniques on her perpetual training trip.
"Okay. The ceremony itself should be fairly straightforward. We still have those extra medals in the storage room. I can get them while dinner is being prepared. What about the corsages? Do we want to do those?" Youko asked.
"That might be a bit hard on such short notice," Eriko said. "How about we just use plain roses instead? I can get some from the greenhouse. I'm sure the gardening club won't mind."
"Then I think we're all in agreement?" Youko asked. The girls around the room all nodded in response.
"Great. In that case, the next question is what should be on the menu," Sei said.
Shimako already had a sheet of paper and a pencil out in front of her.
Sei continued, "Does anybody have any requests?" She looked down at Ranma. "As the guest of honor, I believe that Ranko-chan should get the first choice."
"I'm good with anything," Ranma said. She was more interested in the quantity of dishes, not the form they happened to take. Good food was good, but more food was better.
"Really?" Yoshino asked. "In that case, you said you enjoyed cooking, right?"
"I guess so," Ranma said. It was more the eating that she liked, but if she needed to cook it herself, then that was a price she was more than willing to pay.
"What kind of things do you usually cook?" Yoshino asked.
"Whatever happens to be around. I guess stuff like stir fried meat," Ranma said. In the wilderness, she could usually catch something if she put her mind to it, even if that something was less palatable than could be hoped for. Frying was an easy and effective way to cook whatever it was she happened to catch and make it taste reasonable. It was almost an axiom that frying made everything better.
"Then how about some stir fried chicken?" Sei asked.
"Sure," Ranma said.
Shimako wrote it down.
"That's a really good idea. No matter how early we finish dance practice, we won't have much time for preparation. Frying things is pretty fast," Rei said. "So how about if we add some omurice to the menu?"
"Then we should probably have some salad to balance them out," Sachiko said. She positioned herself such that she could read the paper from over Shimako's shoulder.
Shimako wrote both of those ideas down.
"If we're going to be cooking rice, we can make some onigiri, too," Yoshino said.
Shimako wrote that down as well.
"I have a good idea. What if we combine the chicken and the eggs together? It can be like an oyakodon, but fried rather than simmered," Rei said. She walked to the other side of Shimako so she could look at the paper as well.
"And tamagoyaki," Shimako said. She wrote it and Rei's suggestion down.
"I think that's probably enough. What do we have?" Sei asked.
Shimako picked up the paper and said, "We have stir fried chicken, omurice, salad, onigiri, oyakodon variant, and tamagoyaki."
"That's a lot of eggs," Eriko said.
"It will make the shopping easy, at least," Youko said.
The Three Roses worked with Shimako to determine who would buy what. Meanwhile, Ranma drew the curtains around the room shut. As she did so, she kept a close eye on Yoshino and Rei as they resumed their collecting of dirty cups and plates. The coffee and tea may have grown tepid over the hours, but Ranma was taking no chances, especially with the electric kettle still plugged in.
Once they had completed everything, all of the other girls left, leaving Ranma behind in the Rose Mansion for another evening of training.
Ranma paced back and forth in the conference room as she practiced, trying to project her voice as if to a listening audience. Much like at lunch, she deliberately used her hand to cover the script as she went, but it wasn't going well. Try as she might, she simply couldn't think of what she should be saying. When she gave up and looked, it felt so obvious that she couldn't understand how she had been stymied, until she tried to think of the next line and became stuck once again.
While she could adroitly read "Your highness is most generous with his attentions towards one who is as inadequate as I find myself to be in your company" without a single fumble now, the moment she covered the page with her hand, the words all blended together with hundreds of other lines scattered throughout the play. The rare times she did manage to remember a line, she wasn't sure which of the remaining lines still floating around her head followed next. The cycle of forgetfulness, followed by a peek at the page, followed by feelings idiocy, followed by forgetfulness repeated itself over and over, page after page, and Ranma's frustration progressively grew and grew.
It was infuriating. She could memorize a 70-step kata almost unconsciously. She wasn't sure why she was having so much trouble with this. She fumed before eventually throwing the script hard against the table in frustration.
"Is something wrong?" Sachiko asked as she entered the room. In her hands she carried a few boxed drinks and a bag of snacks. It was far smaller than her offering had been the previous Saturday, but Ranma too frustrated to be disappointed.
"That thing," Ranma said, pointing at the rumpled booklet lying innocently on the table, "is terrible. The lines keep getting mixed up."
"I see," Sachiko said. "Would like some help?"
"Sure," Ranma said. She was more than willing to learn any secret techniques that the verbal master would impart to her.
"It's usually easier to practice with a partner. Their lines will help cue you to what you have to say next," Sachiko said. She placed the drinks and the snacks on the table.
That made sense. It was the exact same phenomenon Ranma had experienced when learning the rare paired kata. Those always did seem to be easier to work out, given a decent partner.
"What part are you working on now?" Sachiko asked.
"The part at the ball, when the prince is talking to Cinderella," Ranma said.
"Oh?" Sachiko asked. The tenor and bearing of her voice changed, at once sounding more robust and gallant. "I have searched far and wide and never seen one such as yourself. Truly throughout all the kingdom, there is none who can compare with your singular beauty."
Ranma was shocked into silence. Sachiko had just recited the prince's first line at the ball.
Sachiko waited for a second. She then gave a beckoning gesture with her hand and repeated, "Truly throughout all the kingdom, there is none who can compare with your singular beauty."
Ranma closed her eyes and tried to think. She had just been reading that page a few minutes ago. What had come after that? What had come after that? What had come after that?
"... As... charming as.. it may be, such a falsehood is unbecoming from one as exalted as your highness."
"Perish the thought of falsehood, for how could one possibly speak untruly when your presence itself is enough to remind one of the most heavenly of angels?"
Ranma kept her eyes closed as she thought. The next line flashed in her memory, complete with pink highlight. She said, "... Your highness is most generous with his attentions towards one who is as inadequate as I find myself to be in your company."
"And modest as well as seemly. This yet further demonstration of the veracity of my judgment."
They continued back and forth, reciting the entire encounter. From the first meeting to Cinderella's panicked flight at the stroke of midnight, Sachiko was flawless in her recital. In contrast, Ranma hesitated at each line, and she had to pull up the script twice to check it. Even so, the run through with Sachiko was a relief. It proved that Ranma had managed to absorb most of Cinderella's part, even if her presentation had been jerky and halting.
"There, see? Much easier," Sachiko said once they had finished.
"I see," Ranma said. The additional context of Sachiko's recitations did make it much more apparent which of the numerous disparate things taunting at the edge of Ranma's memories was in fact the correct thing to say next.
They were interrupted by a knock at the door. It was decidedly louder than the one from the visiting clubs in the afternoon, and the noise carried throughout the quiet building.
"It sounds like dinner has arrived," Sachiko said.
Ranma perked up. She asked, "Dinner?"
"Yes. We've been working late for the past few days, and I thought it was better to arrange something, although now that I think about it, earlier you did eat quite a bit. I'm not sure if you're still hungry," Sachiko said.
"No, no, no. I'll eat. I mean, it'd be a shame to waste it all," Ranma said. Long experience traveling through the wilderness had taught her that it was never the correct choice to skip food when it presented itself; it was impossible to tell when the next meal would be, and by the time the regret came, it would be too late. Besides, she hadn't really eaten that much, only maybe five sandwiches, two rolls of bread, and two pastries.
"Okay, but don't force yourself. You don't need to feel obligated," Sachiko said.
Far from feeling obligated, Ranma was more thanking her good fortune for the unexpected bounty as she followed Sachiko through the hallway and down the creaking stairs.
Sachiko opened the door to the dark night outside and revealed two people: the chauffeur who had been picking her up after training, and another pretty, young woman. The chauffeur was dressed in her uniform, and he was carrying two large covered trays stacked on top of each other. The other woman was dressed in a black dress with a white frilly apron, and she was carrying a large bag in her hands.
"Good evening, Sachiko-sama," the pair said.
"Gokigenyou," Sachiko said. "Please come in."
"Pardon the intrusion," the pair said upon entering.
Sachiko led them to the upstairs conference room. Once inside, the woman in the black dress pulled a tablecloth from her bag and spread it out on top of the large table. She then took out two place settings and laid them on the tablecloth with professional efficiency.
Ranma sat at one setting, and Sachiko sat at the other.
The woman in the black dress then served them. In front of each of them she placed a tray, uncovered it, and subsequently removed the lids from all of the bowls and plates inside. It revealed something of a miniature banquet. There was a bowl of salad with an orange sauce; a plate with some tofu covered in a brown sauce; several plates of sushi, including squid, eel, and various fishes; and a bowl with some sweet rice balls in a translucent sauce. The sight of it all brought an enormous smile to Ranma's face. It was like eating out, only the food had come to her.
"I believe that Ranko would prefer some ordinary, cold water," Sachiko said, drawing Ranma's attention away from the food in front of her. The woman had been about to pour Ranma a cup of tea before Sachiko's interruption.
Ranma nodded her head in agreement at the woman's inquisitive look.
"There is a kitchen on the ground floor," Sachiko said.
"Understood," the woman in the black dress said. She screwed the cap onto the thermos she was carrying and placed it back into her bag. She then picked up the cup from Ranma's tray and walked out of the room with it.
Ranma didn't bother to waiting for her to return before starting to eat.
At the first bite, Ranma could already tell that the food was excellent, which was even more impressive as all of it was approaching room temperature. The fish almost melted in their tender flakiness. The tofu was seasoned to perfection in the delightful savory glaze. The rice balls felt amazing in her mouth, filling it with a sweetness which was satisfying without being too much of a good thing. The dishes were better than any restaurant Ranma had ever eaten in. They were, in fact, good enough to present a serious challenge to the student council of that one cooking school she had attended years ago, assuming the chef's skill in combat was equally up to the confrontation.
"How did you know the prince's lines?" Ranma asked Sachiko as she ate.
"You mean in the play? I thought I told you earlier. I memorized the whole thing," Sachiko said.
"I thought you meant you'd learned all of Cinderella's and Sister B's lines," Ranma said.
"No. I learned all of them. I find it easier that way. Like I said, it's easier to remember what goes where when you have the cues," Sachiko said. "Besides, I like the story."
"In that case, then why did you not want to play Cinderella?" Ranma asked. She had assumed that it was because Sachiko wasn't interested, or that she hadn't been willing or able to learn the part. It seemed like none of those were actually the root cause.
Sachiko didn't answer. A quick glance revealed the vague tension in her face. She answered in a voice every bit as dark and gloomy as she now appeared, "It's complicated."
"I see," Ranma said. She wasn't sure what the story behind Sachiko's recalcitrance was, but she felt bad for having reminded Sachiko of it. "Sorry."
"Oh, no, it's fine," Sachiko said.
The rest of the meal was relatively quiet. The serving woman occasionally darted in to refill a cup or to remove an empty plate, but her actions were unobtrusive and easy to ignore. For her part, Sachiko slowly recovered her equanimity as time went by.
Ranma finished her meal much faster than Sachiko did, and she had to wait while Sachiko finished the second half of her dinner. By the time Sachiko had done so, she had regained her typical luminescence. The serving woman then re-covered the two trays, picked them up, and handed them to the chauffeur to carry.
"How long do you expect to stay?" the chauffeur asked Sachiko. Meanwhile, the other woman was gathering the remaining linens.
Sachiko looked at Ranma, redirecting the question to her.
"I don't know. Maybe we should practice the whole thing one more time?" Ranma asked.
"We'll be approximately an hour," Sachiko said.
"In that case, I will bring Yamamura-san back to the estate and then wait for you at the front of the school," the chauffeur said.
"Understood," Sachiko said.
"Good evening," Yamamura said with a small bow. Beside her, the chauffeur also gave a small bow. They then both took their leave.
Ranma spent the next hour training with Sachiko. The exercise proved three things. The first was that Sachiko hadn't been exaggerating when she had said that she had the entire play memorized. The second was that Sachiko was skilled in her acting abilities; she was able to change her tenor and speech patterns so well that Ranma had no problem distinguishing the three step-sisters, the step-mother, the wizard, and the prince from each other. The third, and the most important, thing it proved was that Ranma actually did have most of the play memorized already. With another person to play off against, the various scattered lines floating around in her memories took shape, and she was able to find the correct place for most of them. She was back to hesitating and stuttering in her presentation, but given the time to think about it, she probably had about three-fourths of all the lines figured out. It was much better than she had feared.
The two of them then packed up for the evening.
A quick glance at a clock caused something of a surprise. It was far later than Ranma had thought it was. Upon consideration, it shouldn't have been that surprising. They had had the practice with the Yamayurikai, the interruption of the three clubs, dinner, and then more practice. Of course it was late. Despite knowing that intellectually, though, it somehow didn't feel real. The time with Sachiko had just blinked by. The clock didn't lie, though, and it really was the dead of the night when they left the Rose Mansion behind and made their way to the tall gateway at the front entrance of Lillian.
As they walked through the darkened campus, Ranma considered the situation. She still had to figure out some way to get invited to Sachiko's home. The party in her honor would have been the perfect opportunity, but that was now an impossibility, and she didn't have any other ideas how to maneuver Sachiko into inviting her. Besides that, even if she could figure out some other way to trick Sachiko into offering her an invitation now, it was getting late enough that Ranma wouldn't have much time to observe anything before it would be time to go to sleep.
It appeared that Ranma would not be able to accomplish the next task of her training today. She wasn't worried, though. A week was a long time, and she was sure an opening would present itself at some point.
At the front entrance of Lillian, the chauffeur was waiting in the large black car as she had promised. She exited the car and held open a door for Sachiko.
"Gokigenyou."
"Gokigenyou."
Sachiko drove off with the chauffeur, and Ranma began her own trip back to her camp.
As she walked, she pondered Sachiko's reaction to her earlier question. What had caused the normally confident and bright Sachiko to darken so much? Was there anything Ranma do to help? She found she couldn't stop thinking about it, the question looping around in her head.
Once Ranma returned to camp, the question was forcibly driven from her mind. The daily training session with Genma occurred, and it was especially vigorous to make up for the shortened time frame caused by the late hour of her arrival. They fought along extra hard through the streets and the parks of the neighborhood.
Afterward, an exhausted Ranma returned and collapsed onto her cold bedroll. Once there, without the exertions of sparring to distract her anymore, the question of what had bothered Sachiko once again plagued her for the brief time it took her to fall asleep.
Last Updated: December 27, 2021