Disclaimer: None of the anime used in this story belong to the writer. This is a work of fiction done for fun, not money. Please do not sue. You won't get much anyway.
Chapter Five: Summer Days
The little girl stirred. She shivered. It was so cold…so bitterly cold. Her worst enemy. Instinctively, she drew in the energy to warm herself. Then she began to take notice of her surroundings…and standing out most of all was the sound of the song.
She leaned up and looked over at the source. There, standing at the edge of the knoll, singing, was a young woman, still nearly a girl herself. Her hair was long and violet, her skin nearly as fair as the snow around them, and she was wrapped in a thick white coat of finest fur. The song was sweet and soft, pleasant and yet almost haunting. It was so familiar…it was her favorite song….
The girl stopped suddenly and turned to look at the waking sleeper. She smiled. "I'm sorry…did I wake you, Mai?"
"No," the girl said. "I was…waking. It's so cold here in December. I'm…hungry. Is Kalan back yet?"
The older girl's smile deepened. "As usual, you know what you want. He should be here soon…with breakfast."
"Aeli…what was that song?" Mai asked.
"Oh, that? Just a little song that's been in my family for years."
"It's very pretty."
"Why, thank you. Would you like to learn it?"
"Sure…."
Mai opened her eyes again. She sat up. ('Well, that one was…more pleasant than most…a reward after that grueling hell I went through, maybe?')
She smiled slightly. As she rose, just under her breath, she began to sing.
8-8-8
Meanwhile, in the lives of those girls who are not part of the new club….
The trio was sampling swimsuits. "Well?" Izumi asked cheerfully as she posed in a bikini. "Does it suit me?"
"Yes…I hate to admit it, but…" Riza began.
"You sure have grown into an appropriate shape for that," Miki finished. "It must be the magic of turning fifteen…."
"Bah, I'll be fifteen soon, too, but I know I won't have either Izumi's baby face or her blooming figure. It's completely unfair. You're a cheat, Izumi!"
"Eh?"
"That's right!" Miki agreed. "Therefore, she must be punished."
"W-wait a minute…."
"We~ell, Izumi-chaaaan…why don't you show everyone here a little more of your assets…?"
"N-no, you can't…!"
8-8-8
And….
('Kazumi's so busy now…with whatever she's doing with the other girls…') Yukari thought. ('Well, I didn't mind at first, because she was apparently getting closer to Kain-sensei, but now…I must admit I'm starting to get lonely. Matake's spending more time with Tanaka-kun as well, which is another double-edged sword….
('And…Kenjirô-kun…?')
Yukari spotted him walking the street, talking with Yue, Nodoka, and Ami…mostly Yue, it would seem. The other two seemed to be doing little more than watching the pair.
('What a rare combination…I wouldn't think Ayase-chan and Kenjirô-kun would get along that well…they actually look pretty close….')
And so, Yukari began to stalk Kenjirô for the rest of the day, observing him as he traveled about…talking to girls.
('Ah…now it's Heiro-san…that's right, he mentioned she'd been training him along with Kain-sensei…')
Next he met with a trio that she had seen before…one long-haired brunette, one with long black hair in pigtails, and another, the one talking to Kenjirô, with short red hair in twin tails.
('Hey…now he's with another girl…oh, those three…aren't they from the Festival's tournament and event? What are they talking about now…?')
Shortly thereafter….
('What? Now the Student Council President? It seems he even gets along with Hina-san so very well….')
"Jeez, Kenjirô-kun," Yukari muttered aloud. "You're becoming as bad a womanizer as Kain-sensei…." Caught up as she was in her concerns, she didn't hear or sense the approaching figure behind her.
"What are you doing, Yukari-chan?"
She started and whirled around. "R-R-Rakasu-chan?"
"How long have you been following Kenjirô-kun?" Rakasu asked conversationally.
"I-I'm not following him!" Yukari denied hotly.
"Is that so…? But I've been watching you two for some time now…it's good that he seems to have made so many friends in his short time here, don't you think?"
"Y-yeah…."
Yukari had lost Kenjirô what with Rakasu's invasion, and returned to her original purpose, which was shopping for ingredients for dinner. As she made her way home with her full bags, she sighed. "Jeez, Rakasu-chan…what was she doing there, following me…? Not that I should be talking, I guess…I just…."
"Ah, Hirai-san! Are you heading home?"
Yukari started and turned to this new assailant. "K-Kenjirô-kun…?" she said, managing to suppress a shriek. "Uh…y-yeah…."
"Just finished shopping? I'm heading back to the dorms myself…here, let me help you carry that."
Yukari stared in surprise as he took the bags from her. Then she smiled gratefully at him. "Ah…thank you, Kenjirô-kun!"
"It's not a worry. Let's see…isn't your birthday tomorrow? July 12th?"
"W-what? Er, yes…."
"Yoshida-san made mention of it, and she and Ogata-san insisted I remember. They're planning something for you…er, you did know that right? In any case, I'll have to visit and pay my respects, and get you a present, of course…is there anything you'd like?"
"Oh…well…."
They continued chatting as they made their way back, Kenjirô acting the same as ever. ('Well, whatever…I guess, like Kain-sensei, he's just a friendly-enough guy….')
8-8-8
And back to Izumi, Miki, and Riza.
"That's right, we have to torment Izumi some more," Miki said.
"Eeeehhh!?" Izumi protested. "Didn't you do enough of that at the clothing store!?"
"That was for leaving us behind and hogging all the feminine charm for yourself," Riza explained. "Now we have to harass you about your boyfriend. Have you sent him any e-mails yet?"
"He's not my boyfriend!"
Rewinding a few weeks….
["Ah…what a fun day it was yesterday," Izumi sighed. "Not what I'm used to on my birthday, but it was certainly entertaining! I still have so much energy, I can't stay indoors…."
Still, she reflected, there wasn't much to do. After the chaos of the Festival and the constant partying, everyone was exhausted, and was making use of their 'rest day' for just that purpose. But, as Izumi had narrated, she was still full of energy, perhaps over a slight displeasure that 'her day' (and her father's doting on her over the years had given her that impression of it) had been ignored in favor of the festivities, as great as they were….
"Ah, Segawa-san! What luck!"
"Eh?" Izumi turned to the speaker. "Kain-sensei! What are you doing out?"
The man approached, his pet on his shoulder. "Ah, the Festival's over, but I still have plenty to do," Kain explained. "I'm going out to help clean everything up…but, for now…." He fished into his pocket. "I know your birthday was yesterday, but it was so hectic…I never got a chance to wish you a happy birthday."
"Ah!? Oh, no it's nothing! I had enough fun just from the Festival's final event…."
So she said…but humans are naturally greedy creatures….
"No, no. It's been tough, but I have a reputation to keep up as a thoughtful and attentive teacher. Although I had help this time."
"Help?" Izumi asked in confusion.
Kain removed a small box from his pocket. He opened it to reveal a pair of earrings with alexandrite set in them in the shape of a rose—the birthstone (one of three) and birth flower associated with the month of June. "There are two here," he explained. "One from me, and one from Kalan. It was disappointing, but he had to go back early yesterday morning. He couldn't even stay for our Final Event…but when I told him that the 21st was your birthday, he wanted to give you something as well." In actuality, Kamo had giving him plenty of advice on the matters, but….
"Oh!" Izumi clapped her hands in glee, then eagerly took the gift. "They're lovely! Thank you, Kain-sensei! And…give my thanks to Kalan-san, too!"
"I will, of course." He bowed. "I hate to be short, Segawa-san, but I have so much work to do…."
"Ah—w-wait!" she insisted as he started to walk away. "Um…d-do you have…Kalan-san's e-mail address? I'd…like to keep in touch with him…."
"Eh? Ah, all right…."
And so, returning from the flashback….
8-8-8
"So, have you sent him any letters or messages?" Riza pressed. In their current information age, the Japanese had no real difference between e-mails and text messages…or the words for them.
"Of course!" Izumi replied cheerfully. "I text him every other day or so! I talk about everything that's on my mind, and he sends me encouraging replies."
Miki and Riza stared at her, then exchanged a look. "That's no good," Miki said. "The love-struck girl is supposed to be shy and demure about her crush, barely talk about harmless things like future plans, and pine for him while claiming that those few brief hours together at the Festival were enough…."
"Eh? What kind of person is like that…?" Izumi demanded.
"Or she's supposed to go crazy and send him at least 300 texts a day," Riza agreed.
"Eh? Isn't that stalking…?" Izumi queried.
"Well," said Miki, "there's only one way we can embarrass her then. We have to send Kalan-san sexy photos of Izumi!"
"Eeeehhh!? Noooo!"
"Sailor fuku, maid outfit, oh, the bunny girl outfit from before…what else can we do…?"
"S-save me!"
8-8-8
"So, you created a fake e-mail address for 'Kalan'?" Kamo asked. "And you're auto-forwarding all his mail to yourself? So…in other words, you're just indulging Izumi-chan's fantasy of you…?"
"I guess you could look at it that way," Kain said, sipping his tea as he began to load up his computer. "Still, it's the safest thing to do."
"The safest?"
"Yes. If I don't reply to Segawa-san, Hanabishi-san will get suspicious and start investigating what happened to Kalan Lockeheart."
"Ah…good point. That ojô-chan is pretty fearsome. You know, she'd make a pretty good partner for you herself…."
"Yeah, yeah," Kain said, taking another drink of his tea. "Anyway, I better check my e-mail…."
8-8-8
"Oops..." Miki muttered. "I sent them…."
"'Them?'" Riza asked. "All of them? Including that rather risqué one?"
"Eeeehhh!?" Izumi shrieked.
8-8-8
Kain spit out his drink in shock. Kamo laughed. "Ah…there's no hope for those girls…."
8-8-8
And now that the little preliminaries are out of the way, on to the main attraction….
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Kanade announced happily through her loudspeaker. "We welcome you to the first ever Class 3-A Home-Ec Make-Up Cook-Off! Subtitled: Baking a Cake with Love!
"To explain: we recently discovered that these students had make-up work to do in their home economics classes at the end of the term! It's terribly hard to correct at this point, so our beloved principal has allowed us to fill in the holes with this activity! Divided into three teams, our cooks will try to make the best cakes they can with these ingredients! Let's hear it for our teams!"
Despite the number of students who had already departed for their summer vacation, there was a pretty good crowd gathered for this interesting fiasco. Miki, Riza, and Izumi, the usual culprits, were in one group. Kaoru, Kiami, and Akari made up another. Yue, Mai, and Miyu rounded out the final team.
"Now, their cakes will be judged by these guys who were sitting around with nothing better to do. Let's hear it for our judges!"
Iori smiled and waved. Seiichirô sat stoically next to him. Konosuke Kaoru (the never-remembered P.E. teacher) sat, looking annoyed and almost depressed, and Kajirô seemed likewise dejected at being subjected to this.
Mai ran her errant streak of bangs through her fingers as Kanade droned on. "Why do I have to bake a cake today?" she sighed.
8-8-8
Seventy-two hours earlier….
The term is often used incorrectly in modern television dramas, where the scene opens at night and has a dramatic event threatening the lives of the protagonists, and then at the crucial moment it flashes back to show how they reached this point, usually in an increment of twenty-four hours. However, the time they nearly always 'flashback' to is morning, the beginning of the day…obviously not the exact time claimed. As is often the case, the writers attempt to seem more erudite by changing an inexact but useful term with something more exact but which turns out to be completely incorrect. In this case, however, the term is literal and correct. In the morning, three days before, Kain was speaking to Kanade.
"Ah, a birthday party for Mai-chan?" Kanade crowed. "Yes, yes! That's a great idea! Although," she leered, "you've never thrown a party yourself for any of your other students…."
"Ah…." Kain flushed. "I haven't…had everything I needed before: motive, methods and opportunity. Suffice to say everything's come together this time. Well, almost everything," he qualified, "which is why I've come to you. As an organizer, leader (more or less) and schemer, I'd like to ask you to find an excuse to keep her out of her room all day. Can you manage that?"
"Oh ho…." Kanade leered at Kain again. "Such a back-handed compliment. Nevertheless! Yes, in three days I can organize an excuse to keep Mai-chan occupied the whole day. I've got some people I can call on for support…and I think I can even get the principal on board." She gave him a thumbs-up. "And if you need more guys in the dorm for this, the dorm supervisor gives her a-ok!"
"Thank you, Yûki-san," Kain said with a bow.
8-8-8
"And so, let the cake competition begin!" Kanade cheered.
Mai raised a hand despondently. "If I may ask," she murmured, "why are you running this and not some teacher? Or someone else responsible, like Hinagiku-san?"
"Everyone else was busy," Kanade said glibly. "The only other person available to run this was Katsura-sensei. Mr. Principal asked Kain-sensei, and he said I was marginally preferable to her."
('Marginally…?')
"In any case, let the cooking begin!"
Mai sighed, then turned to her comrades. "Well, Yue-chan, Miyu-san…I guess we'd better get cooking. Is there anything you'd like to cook?"
"Nothing, really," Yue muttered. ('Ah, boy…what a troublesome situation. I'd rather be practicing magic than doing this…still…it's for a good cause….')
"Alyssa-sama is quite fond of lemon chiffon cake," Miyu stated in her somber tone.
"No one asked…" Mai began, then sighed. "All right…that's as good as anything…let's get started, shall we?"
Miki and Riza grumbled while Izumi looked on. "Kanade-chan asked us for help…and this is what we have to do?" Miki grumbled. "She played us. Now we're stuck doing this? Who knows anything about cooking here?"
"Well…" Izumi hazarded.
"I guess all we can do is try our best," Riza said. "Well, a chocolate cake shouldn't be too much trouble, right…?"
"Let's try it. It shouldn't be too hard."
"Oooh, I don't know a thing about cakes," Akari muttered.
"But I've eaten your cooking before, Akari-chan," Kaoru objected. "You're a fine cook!"
"Well, practical cooking, yes," Kiami agreed. "But she's never had a woman's hand or touch, have you, Akari?"
"W-what's that supposed to mean?"
"You're obviously not feminine enough to make a cake," Kiami persisted. "No one would want to eat your treats. I, on the other hand…."
"Oh…I'll show you! This is nothing!"
Kaoru stared at the pair as they enthusiastically went to work. ('I'll never understand these two…oh, well…I better help….')
The judges watched the scene with mixed expressions. "Ah, they're working so hard," Iori chuckled. "We are quite blessed to sample the work of these young lovelies, aren't we…?"
"I don't know," Kajirô muttered. "I'm a little afraid of what we might be eating. At least some of it…."
"Ah, yes…" Iori teased. "You would only want a cake if Hina-chan made it, eh…?"
"Whatever…."
"I don't even know what I'm doing here," Konosuke muttered. "I could be making more Gundam models right now…."
Seiichirô said nothing.
"Hurry up, Kain-sensei!" Momo insisted as they carried their bundles into the dormitory. Kain was glancing back behind him, in the direction of the distant field where Kanade's competition had been set up. "It's not like baking a cake is dangerous at all…."
"No, it's just…I'm curious, actually," Kain admitted. "Maybe it's better I'm not there, but how is Yûki-san's 'Cake-Baking Contest' going?"
"Oh…interested in tasting Mai's cake?" Kagome teased.
"I have had her cake before," Kain pointed out. "She made a very nice cake for Momo's birthday last month…."
"Oh, that's right…."
"Can we really use your room as well, Kain-sensei?" Erika pressed.
"As much as needed. I'm privileged to have it all to myself, and I don't use it very often…if there's not enough room in Mai's place, mine's right next door, so it'll be fine."
"Well, we better hurry…no telling when the little activity is going to finish…."
8-8-8
High above the school, out of sight and out of range of its magical detections, a young man (by appearance) with ice-like white-blue hair and pink eyes perceived the scene. "How unfair," he muttered. "I want to taste some of Mai-chan's cake, too…I bet they'd never let me, even if I asked."
He shrugged. "Oh well. Nevertheless, I should give a little present to our precious birthday girl as well…right…?"
Smoke began to curl from his pockets and began to liquefy, dropping down in two quick streams into the grounds of Mahora Academy.
8-8-8
Mai labored industriously at the cake. She turned and scowled at Yue, who was reading her book (her artifact book) in a chair off to the side. "You really should help out, Yue-chan," she said crossly.
"There's really not much for me to do, between you and Miyu-san," she pointed out. She gestured to Miyu. Mai looked her direction.
"Beginning whipping the cream," Miyu stated. Her hand moved in a blur, twisting like a drill at nearly supersonic speed. A few moments later she ceased, and the mixture was now a fine liquid. "Whipping completed."
"See?" Yue said. "I'm really not a cook like Nodoka or you, so I'll just stay out of your way."
"Aha…." Mai laughed mirthlessly. Then she suddenly tensed as a sensation ran through her. "What is…?"
"What is it?" Yue asked as Mai glanced around warily.
"I don't know…I felt…a chill, or something, as if something slimy ran down my back…it's gone now. Maybe it's nothing…."
8-8-8
"Mai-san will be fine with strawberries, right?" Hinagiku asked.
"How many cakes are we baking?" Riku demanded.
"Need more sugar over here!" Nanami called.
It was pandemonium, but the pleasant, happy kind of pandemonium that comes from an excited group involved with a unified purpose in a thrilling endeavor. As Momo hurried around, directing the efforts, she started as a sound emerged from her pocket.
"E-excuse me!" she trilled, and hurried out the door.
"Who's calling Momo-chan?" Yukari asked. "Did Mai-chan find out already?"
"No…I don't think so…" Kain murmured. ('That was…not her regular cell phone…that was….')
He hurried out after her and met her near the end of the hallway. "Momo, that was…?"
"Yes…it seems there's a hollow nearby…."
"A hollow?" Kain blinked. "Odd…this would be only the fourth hollow I've seen since I've been here…and during the day…?"
"Yes…it is odd. I better see if I can find it and take care of it." She popped her gikon and headed out as a Soul Reaper.
"So, I should help with the party preparations, doki doki?" 'Honoka' asked cheerfully.
"Er…no," Momo objected. "Head outside and keep an eye out for the hollow, just in case."
Kain also thought this wise, as Honoka's unique behavior and quirks of speech would give her away too easily, even to their usually carefree class. "I'll keep things in order here," he assured Momo.
"Right. I'm off." And she and Honoka both headed out.
Kain nodded, and heading back to the group. "Okay…Momo had to go take care of some things she forgot, but there's no worry…Mai's still busy, it seems, so let's keep going! Let's make sure we're ready when she finally shows up…."
"Hai!"
Outside, Momo looked at her Soul Pager…and was surprised in two quick breaths, first at the two signals her Pager was tracking, then at how quickly they suddenly vanished.
"Hiding?" she muttered. She sighed. "I hate it when hollows can do that. Oh, well…better look around, just in case…."
As she began her search, the girls cheerfully continued their preparations under Kain's supervision. Risa, not one of the better cooks and relegated to the task of manual labor, moved a cake to the windowsill to cool. She didn't notice the dark form lurking nearby as she turned away and hurried off to get the next one. When she returned, to her shock, the cake was gone, with only crumbs scattered about the plates.
"Risa-chan!" Caria cried as she came over to investigate the girl's stiff reaction. "For shame! You shouldn't be eating the cakes right now…especially so much at once! You'll get way too fat!"
"Do you really think I ate all that in the blink of an eye!?" she shot back.
Kain hurried over to investigate. He stared at the plate while more of the girls started to move in, murmuring and arguing. "It's…like an animal devoured it…what's going on?" he muttered.
8-8-8
"Apparently that trio is baking us a 'smoke-flavored' cake," Iori commented, still seeming quite cheerful. His fellow judges didn't bother to reply.
And the trio was so concerned over their overly-cooked dessert that they didn't notice a black shape slinking around the table. It crawled up to the smoking cake and, while the three tried to clear the smoke from their little oven, took an inquisitive bite of the cake. It actually gagged and choked before slinking off. Even here, the distracted viewers didn't notice the intruder.
Mai noticed, however…after she set her own cake aside to cool and stared with bemusement at the Baka Trio's fiasco. Then the shadow slipped up her table and began to eat Mai's cake. It sighed happily as the cake saved it from the horror it had previously consumed.
And then Mai glanced back and saw it. "W-what the…!?" she shrieked. "What's this!?"
Her commotion attracted attention, and they all saw…the half-eaten cake. A few more saw the indistinct black shape that seemed to be the culprit. Mai pounced at the thief, but it jumped down and darted across the field. "Come back here!" Mai demanded angrily, pursuing it.
And, much to Kanade's surprise, Yue, Akari and Kiami, interested in this strange intruder, chased after it as well. She stared in shock and then announced, "W-well…it seems we have a distraction…we'll give them time to come back…."
"That was…" Kajirô began.
"I'm not quite sure," Iori smirked. "But it seems our little event just got a little more interesting…."
8-8-8
Kain excused himself and went out to investigate the cake thief. A spell quickly allowed him to track the strange, unnatural creature. "Is this…the hollow?" he muttered. "A hollow that eats cake?"
It was heading into the forested region nearby, and he hurried that direction. He continued for a few minutes without anything occurring. All of a sudden there was a flare of power…both far behind…and in front. And then, rising up from the forest floor was a large black creature with a white mask over its 'face'. It was amorphous, with no other features—it was a 'blob'.
The mask opened and it spat a stream of liquid at him…liquid that ate away at the ground where it fell when he dodged it. ('Acidic spit…wonderful. What's this other one…?')
"Kain-sensei!" Momo dropped down next to him, then looked up at the creature. "You've found it! But what about the class? And…." She wrinkled her nose in confusion. "Why does it smell of strawberries?"
Indeed, the acidic expectoration did have the scent of strawberries. "Perhaps because of the cake it ate," he suggested.
"The cake…?"
"Later, Momo…it's attacking!"
8-8-8
An identical creature rose up in front of Mai, Yue, Akari, and Kiami, not that they were in a position to appreciate the similarity.
They were, however, in a position to notice its unique odor.
"A distinct lemon smell…it must have really enjoyed our cake," Yue noted.
"W-what is it!?" Mai demanded.
"I think it's one of those 'hollows' Momo-chan talks about," Kiami suggested.
It spat out its acidic venom, and the four girls dodged. "Regardless of what it is, it's a threat…and it'll make good target practice!" Akari declared. "Let's see how far we've gotten from this last month of training!"
"Agreed," Mai commented, calling on her artifact.
Yue did the same, and Akari and Kiami, not needing to summon any weapons, charged right in. As amusing a distraction as it was, this creature would have perhaps been a threat to Yue had she been alone—against three such master fighters as these had become, however, and with Yue's support, it was quickly eliminated.
Kain and Momo, likewise, had no difficulty dealing with their own creature. As it evaporated, Momo examined her Soul Pager. "Hmm…there was a second one…it looks like it was down by the cake competition, but it's gone now. I wonder if Mai and the others got it…?"
"Probably…still, what odd hollows…why would they be after cake…?"
"Search me…."
8-8-8
"Taste test!" Kanade announced.
The four judges stared at the cakes before them. Mai and the others had returned in time, but only to present their cake…they didn't have any time to prepare a replacement. So, the cakes presented were one completely burned cake, one cake that Kaoru, in her desperate efforts to finish preparing on her own, had dropped, and one cake that was mostly consumed and consisted now of crumbs. There was nothing edible there. Nonetheless, the wise master Kanade insisted that the reluctant judges fulfill their duty.
Well, there was no actual need for an ambulance, but all four were shortly thereafter carted off to the nurse's office.
And, sighing, Mai finally returned to her room. "What a day," she muttered. "After everything I've gone through, why did I have to have a birthday like this…?"
To her surprise, the door to her room wasn't locked…and to her further surprise, it was completely dark inside. "What is…?" she demanded, and flipped on the light.
"SURPRISE!"
Mai jumped and stared around. Thank goodness that the academy's dormitories were large, because Mai's was currently filled. She stared around at the smiling faces. As she caught sight of Kagome's smirk, realization struck her. "You rats…you planned this, didn't you!?"
"Is that any way to talk to friends who have worked so hard for you?" Hinagiku replied with a smile. "Come in, come in…let's get this party started…."
And so they did. The other cake bakers soon arrived, and the party was under full swing. Nothing more needs be mentioned. Let it simply be said that Mai had, perhaps, her best birthday ever.
8-8-8
"Hohoho," the principal chuckled. "American Culture Research Club, eh? Better than some of the rumored names I've heard floating around, but still…it seems American culture won't be the only thing being studied…."
"Aha…" Club President Mai Tokiha said nervously. "Well…."
"Yes, yes…let the cute ones go on a journey, as the saying goes….very well, I approve!" He stamped the papers.
"Thank you very much!"
Shortly thereafter, a collection was gathered in Alyssa's palace.
"All right, line up! Now, sound off from the right!"
"One!" declared Akari.
"Two," stated Momo.
"Three!" Mai cheered.
"Four!" Kagome announced.
"Five!" Kain put in next.
"Six," Kenjirô drawled.
"Seven," Kiami offered.
"Eight," Hikaru added.
"N-n-nine," Nodoka managed.
"Ten," Ami said.
"Eleven!" Yue declared.
"Twelve!" Nanami said.
"Thirteen…" Chisame sighed.
"Fourteen," Rei stated flatly.
"Fifteen," Erika followed.
"Sixteen," Hinagiku announced.
"Seventeen," Kazumi finished.
"All right," Alyssa declared, Miyu flanking her as usual. "Your club, 'The Lockeheart Legacy' (temp) has now been officially recognized by the school. To be a recognized as an official club of Mahora Academy is to receive a great advantage in gaining information and resources regarding current or any future 'club' activities." She smiled. "Congratulations. Your audacity has gained power."
As they cheered, Jynx, standing off to the side, clapped his hands and shook his head. "What a little army," he muttered. "Even at the end, we had less than a dozen in our little band…and that was including little Mai."
Nanami had withdrawn from the group and began to take pictures. "Looking nice~! Quite a good group picture we make. Although you four are party-poopers, dressing in normal clothing like that," she said half-leering at the normally-dressed group. "You're all our comrades, after all…you should try to fit in…."
"Eh? This…is just what I'm comfortable fighting in," Akari objected, dressed, as she usually was, in a t-shirt, shorts, fingerless gloves and short boots—very basic, practical, and plain.
"Same here," Kenjirô said, dressed in his usual jacket and pants. "I don't need to play dress-up to fight."
"Ah…and my cloak here…is all I need," Kain said—still, as always, in his suit with that discordant white cloak about his shoulders. "Besides, I'm the advisor, so…."
"And since when did I become one of you!?" Chisame demanded.
"Isn't Chisame-san our comrade?" Rei asked.
"S-she is, isn't she?" Kazumi queried.
"No!"
"Still, it's a pretty awesome group, just as Jynx said," Nanami continued. "Looking at you all…if you were going up against normal people, even armies, you'd be invincible. You did, after all, take down Sakura-chan's plan…."
"No, we still have a ways to go," Hinagiku insisted with a sigh. "I've finding the more and more I learn and grow from this training, the more I have to find out…."
"Well then," Ami offered with a smile. "I guess we'll just have to continue growing, right? It's been going much faster since Jynx joined us, after all…."
"Yeah!"
Chisame stared at the group with her exasperated, annoyed half-smile. ('Oh brother, what an optimistic bunch of idiots. Just knowing that these guys are my friends makes my head hurt….') She stopped suddenly. ('W-what…? Friends…? Oi, wait a second, that's wrong! When did I become one of them!?')
She stopped her rambling, worried thoughts, and focused on Jynx, Alyssa and Kain, who were all talking together.
"Really, those brats are so excited," Alyssa murmured.
"Well, it's heartwarming to see them, so optimistic and working so hard," Jynx replied.
Alyssa snorted. "What, getting nostalgic for the old days?"
"Maybe…."
Alyssa turned to Kain. "Anyway, when are you planning to leave?"
"August 12th. We'll be in the air and in Wyoming for a couple of days, and then head to Arcanus Myrror and spend a few weeks investigating before returning to Earth.
"Heh…choosing a time when there are no birthdays in our class, eh? Anyway, just a little over two weeks? We could push the envelope and get you 3 or 4 more months worth of training…."
"E-eh? W-we still need that much…?"
"Well, it's hard to say. I suppose you're right…what are you planning on visiting?"
"Mostly just Grand Chokma, capital of the Grandall Empire, and Ouritel, capital of the Halteese Republic. After all, my father mostly worked for the Grandall Empire, from what I understand, and the Halteese Republic is where our gate in Wyoming leads. Also, Kamo's convinced we should stop and visit Avalon…."
"I see. Yes, places far from danger."
"That's true…really, this is planned to be an information-gathering trip. I don't have much else to go on…I have a feeling that the Obsidian Star is out there, waiting, but I don't have any way of locating them, and I don't think I'll be able to find my father's whereabouts that easily, either."
"Well…both nations are quite well-developed, and public order is well-kept," Jynx advised them. "Despite being small, Avalon is also well-off, perhaps even more so now after the war. As long as you don't stray from the capitals and the main highways, there will practically be no danger to speak of. Everyone's training…perhaps it has gone to waste, but I guess only Kenjirô would be really upset about that…."
Chisame considered them carefully as she digested her words. ('Well…that's all true, I guess…but really?')
"In any case, it seems you can stop worrying, I guess."
"Yeah…maybe." ('But,') Kain thought, ('there's still too much to imagine it will all go smoothly…we can't expect the Obsidian Star to stay quiet forever. Especially…around Mai…if she was their weapon, will they try to get her back? If Eminus was a member, and if they then sent the Graf after us earlier…what have they been doing in the meantime? And most recently…those two hollows we fought on Mai's birthday. They didn't act like any hollows Momo had ever encountered before, but she was certain they were hollows…where did they come from?')
Kamo, sitting on Kain's shoulder, sensed his disquiet and advised him, "Well, it's true that the biggest hassle you should have is traveling between the countries, and that shouldn't be too dangerous. The principal has all sorts of clout over there, and he should be able to get things arranged for us as well. As long as you don't stick your neck into something troublesome, we'll all be fine."
Alyssa grinned. "…Anyway, for now just treat it as a sightseeing tour and enjoy your summer vacation. Your little party should enjoy seeing real magic at work."
Chisame continued staring at them, mulling this over in her mind. She was distracted again by Nanami, who was trying to raise a cheer amongst the party—rather successfully, actually. "All right, everyone! Do you want to go to America!?"
"Yeah!"
"Do you want to go, no matter what!?"
"Yeah!"
"Then let's finish our training, and to America we go!"
"Go!"
('What a bunch of morons…') Chisame thought.
F I N
Author's Note: Japanese Pronunciation Lessons
Wow, I really have a party of seventeen. And that's without Alyssa and Miyu, or Jynx, who won't be traveling with them. What a party I've built….
A pause here, before entering the bulk of summer vacation. The main base of the story is Mai's birthday, ripped and adapted from her My-HiME anime, of course. It was worth doing. And Nagi dropping hollows (rather than just orphans) into the group shows that a) he's back and b) he's…unique…. More on him and his powers (much, much) later. In any case, I had to have Mai's birthday be paramount, due to her character importance, and the fact that, like Hinagiku's, it was a fine preexisting scenario. The rest are little mini-scenarios adapted from the existing Negima summer vacation snapshots, some of the ones I enjoy more and could use easily to fill in some things on characters.
For instance, Izumi has melded in two points here. Some of the more minor characters have their 'traits' and sub-plots split amongst many of my characters, and my characters have picked up traits from many sources in these cases. One minor but amusing event (a single page) focused on the sometimes-together trio of Yuuna Akashi, Makie Sasaki, and Ako Izumi. Yuuna, although not one of the early 'bust monsters' of the class, is revealed at this part to be growing nicely in this area of female concern…leading, of course, from her comments, the two girls to start trying to consume milk, a traditional Japanese young female superstition of a solution for the 'small bust' problem. I'm taking slight liberties with Izumi here—although certain girls are shown to be more flat-chested in Hayate (Hinagiku and Nagi are usually the victims of this discrimination), few girls are shown in a particularly well-built manner. Also, Hayate has only minor smatterings of fan-service, and little involving anyone in the Baka Trio, at least in the manga—but, on that note, Izumi is the usual victim, and she seems blessed enough from these few parts. Mostly, this is an homage to her popularity—the Hayate characters usually react to the popularity votes the author holds, sometimes with even whole chapters or episodes dedicated to the results, and Izumi always finishes in the top ten, usually around 6 or 7. The other two members of the trio are not nearly so popular, usually finishing in the 20s or lower. They tend to use this as an excuse to torment Izumi…in this case, since I don't have a popularity contest to use, not having enough readers to make it worth it (although I've considered ideas to make one work), having Izumi's feminine charms developing serve as a good point of contention between the trio.
Secondly, Izumi's attraction to 'Kalan', the older Kain, is starting to come out, based on Ako Izumi's crush on 'Nagi', Negi's 'cousin' (as is often the case in Japan, the name Izumi can be personal or family—Izumi Segawa's Izumi name is personal, but for Ako it is her family name. An ironic coincidence regarding the names in this case). As tragic as it is, I like the subplot of the girl liking the adult version of the teacher…ah, I'm sorry for my sadism…in any case, Ako had this exact experience with the cheerleader trio egging her on. Since Izumi is always picked on by the other two anyway, it was natural to go ahead and put her in this situation.
Of course, it isn't exact. Ako was head-over-heels from the get-go and, like Nodoka, she's a rather shy and withdrawn girl who isn't exactly up to pursuing her crush, so she has to be egged on by her 'friends'—her reaction was lampooned by the first suggestion of the 'proper' actions regarding a long-distance relationship. Izumi, however, is more cheerful, outgoing, and very air-headed, the kind of girl who could act quite normally around her crush for a long time without realizing she even had feelings beyond her usual cheerful friendliness to everyone. This happened to her in Hayate—she's actually the only member of the trio who has truly fallen for Hayate, but it took a long time and weird circumstances for her to realize her feelings, and even afterwards she's mostly able to act normally, her usual cheerful self, around him. In this case, she's attracted to Kalan, to be sure, but—at the moment—her feelings aren't stronger than that. Something else will cause them to bloom fully later on, and start the real trouble. For now, he's just a nice friend to chat with over texts and such.
Now I've decided it's about time to attempt to help out my readers with a guide to pronouncing Japanese words.
Compared to Chinese, what little I know of it, Japanese Romanizations are actually rather easy to pronounce. There are no differences in consonants; they are pronounced just like they are seen. The vowels, however, are what set Japanese apart. First of all, all vowels in a word are pronounced, and usually separately. The vowels have a standard pronunciation, as well. 'A' is pronounced 'ah', 'E' is pronounced 'ay', 'I' is pronounced 'ee', 'O' is pronounced 'oh', and 'U' is pronounced 'oo' as normal.
And, as I said, every vowel is pronounced, including ones that are put together. Some of the combinations are nearly silent, so much so that westerners can't tell the difference but the Japanese will, particularly the double letters. However, when singing, every vowel is usually individually pronounced, quite distinct and succinct.
So, some examples….
'Yue' is pronounced 'YOO-AY'. 'Seiichirô' is pronounced 'say-EE-CHEE-roh'. This is a case where there are two almost-silent letters…a nearly indistinct 'ee' between the 'say' and the other 'EE', and the 'oh' or 'oo' at the very end, after the 'roh'—whichever it is. 'Nodoka' is pronounced 'NOH-DOH-kah'. We're used to the almost-English Erika's pronunciation, but in reality, the pronunciation would be 'AY-REE-ka'.
Oh, and the 'eye' sound, as found in words like 'Mai'? Like that name shows by example, 'ai' is pronounced 'eye'. This is still a double vowel sound, however, and comes from the combination of the 'ah' and 'ee' sounds. If you say them very quickly in succession, it DOES sound like 'eye'. And, again, in songs, both the 'ah' and the 'ee' sounds will be individually enunciated. Likewise, the rare but present 'ao' sound, such as in 'Kaoru' is put together into an 'ow' sound, so 'Kaoru' is pronounced 'KOW-roo'. As shown, the 'ei' is (for us Americans) almost indistinguishable from the normal 'e', and the 'ô' sound almost indistinguishable from 'o'.
Luckily, the 'e' sound before consonants like 'n' or 'm' shortens it, so names like 'Kenjirô' are pronounced 'KEN-jee-roh', not a cumbersome 'KAYN-jee-roh'. However, this only seems to apply to the 'e' sound as near as I can tell. 'Rin' is pronounced 'REEN' in actuality, not, well, 'RIN', although Americans usually find it nearly impossible to say the long 'ee' in those words. 'Ran' is pronounced 'RAHN', and a name like 'Kon' is pronounced 'KOHN'.
Let's see…a few more of the more difficult names to help set the mood…
'Iori' is 'ee-OHR-ee'.
'Chisame' is 'chee-SAH-may'.
'Kiami' is a name I mostly made up, but is a pseudo-Japanese 'kee-AH-mee'. And 'Ami' is not 'AY-mee' but 'AH-mee'.
'Akari' is 'ah-KAH-ree'.
Well, that's enough of this for now. Onward!