ACT II
Ami & Kikuyo 1: From The Very Beginning
"Before we begin, I have a question for Instructor Atago," Ami said. "You seem to be aware that there are different types of people among the Nishizumi School students, but how do you think most of them start out?"
Masae shrugged.
"From what I've heard, at a very young age," Masae said. "And when I think about it, those young children don't really know what they're getting into, do they?"
"I see," Ami said. "And why do you think they ultimately arrive at the conclusions they do? Is it because the Nishizumi School tells them what to think, or they learn on their own?"
Masae shrugged. She had heard of the so-called "ex-graduates" of the Nishizumi school, who had grown disillusioned with the Nishizumi style, and often, tankery itself. One of her assistants at her school, who had gone to the Nishizumi school, bitterly spoke about Shiho's leadership and teaching of the Nishizumi school. But what about those who remained loyal to the Nishizumi school? Did they necessarily uncritically accept everything Shiho said?
"I was honestly hoping you could tell me, Instructor Chouno," Masae said. "Or to put it better, give me some idea of how the process happened."
"That's what I wanted to hear," Ami said. "It' s as you thought, Instructor Atago; many of the students of the Nishizumi School are young children. Kikuyo, Takako and I were three such children, sent to learn from the best tankery school as early as possible, from around when we were eight years old."
"Does everyone who sends their children to the Nishizumi School have that mindset?" Masae said. "Or is it only those who get their children accepted?"
"I'm not sure about everyone," Ami said, "but the Nishizumi School does attract those with that mindset. And only the most ruthlessly determined get in."
"Are you still talking about children, Instructor Chouno?" Harue said. "Maybe it's because of how I was raised, but I find to hard to see kids being motivated from the very beginning."
"I was no exception to that, Akado-san," Ami said. "But my parents and teachers expected me to rise to the occasion, regardless of my motivation or lack thereof."
20 years ago
Ami was sitting around her family's apartment, reading a book. Her mother had been fairly anxiously watching the mail for the last few days. At this point, Ami could only vaguely recall the long name of the school, which sounded like the founder's surname.
Ami was fully aware of what tankery was, having been told about it many times by her mother. In spite of her knowledge, she found it difficult to care about it, given that she could not participate yet. A part of her had to wonder- whatever her parents expected her to get out of it, would it ultimately prove worthwhile? And what point was there to get started so early, when she was not yet ready to do tankery on any serious level?
Ami's mother walked in. She some papers out of a thick envelope, and handed them to Ami.
"Wonderful news, Ami!" Ami's mother said. "You got into the Nishizumi school!"
Ami recognized the name after hearing it again.
"Oh, that's great, Mom," Ami said, trying to sound excited.
"Of course it is!" Ami's mother said. "You're going to the best tankery school in the country!"
Ami barely paid attention as her mother rattled off a list of the things they would have to do- purchasing a uniform for Ami, getting her school supplies, and doing everything they could to prepare her. The list was staggering, and reminded Ami of everything that she had done to prepare for school- which her parents had told her was the equivalent of a full-time job until she got a job one day. Was this Nishizumi school really comparable to her education?
"Mom, are you sure we really have to do all that?" Ami said.
"What are you saying, Ami?" Ami's mother said. "There are only a limited number of spots in the Nishizumi School, and in order to get yours, you had to beat out many other contestants, and deprive another girl of hers."
Ami was sorely tempted to suggest that the other girl be given her position, wondering if she would need it more. But she realized that her mother was adamant that she be the one who took advantage of this opportunity, and wondered if the other girls were similarly reluctant.
Ami then committed herself to her studies with the same sort of resigned determination that she did to her schoolwork. She resolved to do well because her parents expected it, because she did not have the choice to opt out and because it seemed like what anyone else would do in her position, not for the reasons that were at this point still beyond her comprehension.
Present Day
"A good portion of the girls who study at the Nishizumi School can be compared to a train going along the tracks," Ami said. "They head forward, in one direction, without fully understanding why, but they do so determinedly, believing in many cases that it's the only way to go."
Ami paused and took a deep breath, reflecting on herself as a child.
"It took me a while to come to grips with it," Ami said, "but I gradually learned that it was quite an opportunity for those interested in tankery- although 'interested' is perhaps not a strong enough word- even if I didn't yet understand why I was doing it. My relationship with my parents improved over time as I became interested in tankery, but I see them as the ones who got me started in tankery, rather than the ones who gave me a reason to do it."
Yoshiko nodded. The first time she met Ami's parents was when she and Ami graduated from the academy, and she noticed how proud they had seemed of their daughter. Ami kept a keepsake of that day- a photo of herself in her dress uniform, posing with her parents- in her office. Yoshiko had always seen Ami's parents as invested in their daughter's success, but she realized that she had come to that realization as an adult, and doing the same would be much more difficult to a child thrust into a rigorous training program in spite of her apathy.
"Going back to your previous question, Instructor Chouno," Masae said, "was it because you did it on your own?"
"Perhaps," Ami said, "but there were others who were influences on me, like Kikuyo."
"My parents sent me to the Nishizumi school to learn discipline and good etiquette," Kikuyo said. "Tankery was a means to an end, and it was one of a few things my parents expected me to do in hopes of making me a better adult."
Masae, Yoshiko and Harue glanced at Kikuyo, wondering what kind of person the demure, kimono-clad maid for the Nishizumis was like in her youth.
"I know what you may be thinking," Kikuyo said. "But no, I was not a juvenile delinquent or anything of the sort. On the other hand, not unlike Ami-san, I didn't yet understand the idea of giving my all for the sake of someone else."
Ami and Kikuyo meet
Ami stepped into the classroom, and waited for the instructor to arrive. Looking around, she didn't see anyone who appeared to be interested in talking, so she let off a sigh.
"Honestly..." Ami muttered out loud. "What's the point of having to be on time if the one who called us here isn't?"
"Punctuality is an important part of courtesy," the girl sitting next to Ami said calmly and politely. "And courtesy itself is something that should be practiced, even if it is not reciprocated." The girl paused, realizing that she had gotten to the point at which she should introduce herself. "My name is Kagurazaki Kikuyo. May I ask what yours is?"
"Chouno Ami," Ami said. "It's nice to meet you."
"It is nice to meet you as well, Chouno-san," Kikuyo said, standing and bowing.
"It certainly is," Ami said, after reciprocating. "You're something of a breath of fresh air, Kagurazaki-san; most of the others seem somewhat aloof."
"It is possible that they still see the others as the competition," Kikuyo said. "They will, in time, come to understand that the Nishizumi style does not stress competition among allies, but rather, cooperation to reach a greater goal. Rather than worry about outdoing each other, they should be focused on realizing their full potential. The others' efforts should serve as a means of inspiring them, rather than something they should outdo."
"I hadn't thought of it that way," Ami said. "In fact, I hadn't really thought about it at all."
"Mother told me that the Nishizumi school's standards should be thought of as a way of telling students what sort of determination they should invest into their goals, rather than a means of controlling behavior," Kikuyo said. "By practicing those methods once you get older, you will achieve success, whatever endeavors you may pursue in the future."
Ami nodded, but still felt conflicted. Kikuyo sounded sincere, but she also seemed to be parroting her mother's words.
"All this seems somewhat easier for an adult to understand than for a child," Ami said.
"Perhaps so," Kikuyo said, "but, if we follow it as much as we can, we will be more likely to become good adults. At the very least, we are here, and we should make the most of this."
Kikuyo let the conversation drop as their instructor walked into the room. Ami found this observation hard to contest. Perhaps her experience at the school would be more meaningful and enjoyable if she committed herself to it. She might not yet understand where her destination lay, but perhaps the journey would prove worthwhile.
Present day
"Meeting Kikuyo was my first step toward understanding why I was attending the Nishizumi school," Ami said. "I didn't get all that many chances to test my theories about the others, but when I spoke with them, I realized that many of them came from similar places as I did, and few honestly claimed to be a tankery enthusiast from the start."
Masae pondered what Kikuyo had said two decades ago.
"That was an interesting observation about the rules, Kagurazaki-san," Masae said. "However, I've noticed that the Nishizumi School, in practice, seems more controlling, seeing perfection and victory at all costs as ironclad standards to be enforced, rather than ideals the students should pursue on their own. Has it changed, or has it always been that way? Or is there some other explanation?"
Kikuyo paused, evidently uncomfortable with Masae's question, before shaking her head.
"I...I'm sorry, Instructor Atago," Kikuyo said. "I'm not at liberty to answer that question."
Masae paused, considering Kikuyo's lack of an answer. She did not find it surprising that Kikuyo was not able to answer all questions about the Nishizumi School, but wondered why she did not take advantage of the option to provide another explanation, one that provided, or at least was in compliance with, the Nishizumi school's position.
"Odd..." Masae thought. "I was fairly certain she'd have made an excuse of some sort. She struck me as fairly loyal to Instructor Nishizumi, but might that loyalty not be absolute? I doubt she'd answer, and perhaps she doesn't even know the answer herself."
Ami and Takako looked at each other, then back at Kikuyo, hoping to find some way to resume the conversation.
"Why don't we pick up where we left off, Kikuyo?" Ami said. Kikuyo nodded.
"Still, while Ami-san and I got along well from the start, it took us a little while to open up enough to truly become friends," Kikuyo said. "My parents had always drilled the importance of politeness into me, and well... what was it that you said back then, Ami-san?"
"Ah, yes," Ami said. "We'd grown to trust each other, but she still seemed to keep me slightly at a distance, even as she was willing to listen to what I had to say."
20 years ago
"Is something the matter, Chouno-san?" Ami said after class, noting that Ami seemed somewhat discomfited
"You know, Kikuyo," Ami said, "You've always been quite formal with me, about as much as you are to other people."
"I came here to the Nishizumi school to learn how to be a proper young lady," Kikuyo said. "Mother and Father believe that good etiquette is of the utmost importance, and I should practice it as much as possible in my daily life."
"Maybe so," Ami said. "It is important to be civil to each other. But if you go too far, and keep trying to be on your best behavior all the time, the 'real' you, whatever that is, is sealed behind the layer of politeness. I tend to like to think that people who get along with me do so because they like me, rather than because of some set of rules."
Ami paused, letting it sink in, but realized, after a moment, that she was the one who had come to a realization.
"You know, I think I now realize why the others seemed aloof at first," Ami said. "They were under a great deal of pressure to perform as well as possible, so they had no desire to engage in seemingly unnecessary interactions, in which they could only compromise themselves. But I'm not scrutinizing you or out to get you, Kikuyo; I'm your friend."
Kikuyo looked surprised for a moment, as much as her refined image would allow.
"So are you... Ami-san," Kikuyo said. "You have always been quite honest with me; few would admit to being reluctant to come a place like here to someone they had only just met. But you're also quite committed and quite capable. I find myself relating to you more than the others, which is why I enjoy talking with you so much."
"That's the spirit, Kikuyo," Ami said, glad to have someone with whom she could share the good times and the bad. Proceeding forward under the Nishizumi School's high expectations was not easy, but now that she had found someone who understood her, she would not be doing it alone.
Present day
"Kikuyo and I became fairly close," Ami said. "We weren't the only ones with personalities like this at the Nishizumi School, but she was the only one like me with whom I interacted on a regular basis."
"I see," Masae said. "To be honest, the two of you seem like fairly affable individuals, which I hadn't expected from people who... take tankery as seriously as the Nishizumis do."
"Well, Instructor Chouno is calm, serious and professional," Yoshiko said. "But Ami, while off duty, likes to let her hair down, so to speak, and be more sociable. Part of the reason why I address her by her title while on duty is out of professional courtesy, and the other part is to acknowledge that I am dealing with that side of her."
Masae nodded. She realized that so far, she had heard relatively little of Shiho or her mother, and mainly only heard of her through the discussion of what she had taught, even if Shiho personally believed in such teachings. Shiho's students referred to her by her title both out of respect for their teacher, and out of an acknowledgment that she was their teacher- nothing more and nothing less.
"That's true," Masae said. "You would see the sterner side of me if you studied at my tankery school."
"We're used to having strict teachers and superiors," Ami said.
"Yes, our instructor- the current Instructor Nishizumi's mother- was quite strict," Takako said. "Of course, while Ami and Kikuyo weren't entirely comfortable with that, they weren't turned away by that, as I learned when I first met them."
20 years ago
A few weeks after she had started, Ami and Kikuyo were sitting in class, which Hotaru, the head instructor of the Nishizumi School, was teaching alongside her only daughter, Shiho.
"One final note," Shiho said, on behalf of her mother. "Tests will be coming up in the near future. Keep in mind that your performance on them will be a crucial factor in determining whether you can remain at this school. You are dismissed."
Shiho said nothing else as students filed out of the class. She believed that her last point went without saying; if anyone had questions, they were free to approach her in private, but she had little patience for being asked about what she had already said.
Students began to file out of the classroom, and, in the hallway, Ami and Kikuyo stopped, out of earshot of Shiho and Hotaru, and began to talk.
"The Assistant Instructor's rather strict," Ami said. "Do we really deserve it?"
"Do you mean that you didn't know that when you got involved?" Takako said, revealing that she had overheard the conversation.
"Wh-who are you?" Ami said.
"Kubo Takako, and, like you, I'm relatively new here," Takako said.
"It's nice to meet you, Kubo-san," Kikuyo said, bowing. "My name is Kagurazaki Kikuyo."
"I'm Chouno Ami, and it's nice to meet you, too, Kubo-san," Ami said. "But what do you mean, exactly, by what you said earlier?"
"I"m saying that you have things backwards," Takako said. "You wonder what you did to incur the instructor's wrath. You should think of it the opposite way. Why did you decide to come here? And why are you still here?"
Ami and Kikuyo looked at each other.
"My parents asked me to come here," Ami said. "And I'm still here because they want me to be here."
"As did mine," Kikuyo said. "To be honest, the same applies to me to an extent, so, if I may ask, Kubo-san, why did you want to know?"
"I can't really argue with your or Chouno's answer to the first question, Kagurazaki," Takako said. "But your second one is only half the question. We're making the conscious decision to come here every day, however reluctantly, but the Instructor is also keeping us here. Why is that? It's because she thinks there's value in teaching us."
"I think I understand now," Ami said. "But do you go around telling everyone that?"
"Actually, you two are the first people to hear this from me, since you're the ones who need it, and the ones who could benefit from it," Takako said.
"Thank you very much, Kubo-san," Kikuyo said.
"I appreciate that," Ami said. "Let us know when we're thinking of things the wrong way."
Takako smiled slightly and nodded.
"It's not a charity service," Takako said, "but because I think it will be worthwhile to help you two out in this way. I'm looking forward to seeing what you take away from my lessons and this school's."
Present day
"The two of us became closer to Takako-san over time, and appreciated the brutally honest persepective she offered us," Kikuyo said. "It's very difficult for me to express such things to Ami-san, so I was grateful that Takako-san could do it in my stead."
"That's true," Ami said, before turning to Takako. "But why didn't you feel the same way when I shared my honest opinion about your methods of discipline?"
"You know why I do things the way I do, Ami," Takako said. "That little anecdote should have been enough for even the people at the table who don't know me."
Ami reluctantly nodded, noticing that Takako had not discussed why she had acted the way she did when confronted with the accusations.
"I think I'm starting to get it," Masae said. "But that doesn't explain why you're as harsh as the rumors suggest."
"You do seem to understand how strict the Nishizumi School is, Instructor Atago," Takako said. "Just as the Nishizumi School uses all methods necessary to win, I use all methods necessary to discipline my students, to break them of bad habits and make them disciplined. Those methods may be what some people find unacceptable, and go against the Nishizumi school in some ways, but I chose them because I believed in them."
Author's Notes
Ami and Kikuyo share their POV chapters, since they had largely similar experiences, even if they had different career paths. Starting with the next chapter, you will start seeing some of the experiences that Takako had, which affected her in separate ways.