Saturday morning, May 28th – The Talent Show Arena at the Hisamitsu Estate
The temporary constructions in the fenced off pasture were completed in time for the talent show. With the rising mountain on one side and the forest of pine and maple on the other side of the lovely estate house, the scenery was certainly dazzling. The stage had been set up to face the west which meant that the performers would also have a view of the lush green Tokushima valley down below as well.
The judges sat at a table in front of a small arrangement of review stands. Since this had become a private audition, there wouldn't be many more observers than there were judges. Ami and Ryuuji's friends were there, but that would still leave a lot of empty seats even with the maids and stablehands that also came to watch the show.
Ryuuji sat next to Ami at the table, but Hisako, Suzume, and Aiko-chan were also present for the performance review. Ryuuji told the hopeful young girls that they would also meet with, and be interviewed by Yuri-sensei and Yasuko.
"Huh? Why me?" the surprised teacher asked.
"Sensei, you remember that I once considered throwing away my higher education opportunities?" Ryuuji reminded his former teacher of their many discussions and lectures about his education and what it meant for his future.
"Yes, I remember." Yuri also recalled being scared to death in front of the fearsome looking teen and feeling that she was ineffective in her persuasive skills.
"If it hadn't been for you and Ami, I would have…" Ryuuji blinked when his brain caught up with his words and he realized just how badly things might have ended for him if it hadn't been for his teacher, his mother, and Ami. But this was not the time to reminisce. Because of the impending weather, their production was hurried, "I would have abandoned my education… and with it, my future."
"Ryuuji…" Yuri felt a tear come to her eye. For a teacher, this was better praise than getting an award from the school board, or even the government.
"Anyone who has read the magazine articles about us will know that I am not a professional Manager." Ryuuji turned so that his words would reach the group of candidates gathered on the nearby stage. "I only do this as a favor to Ami… and an obligation to Aiko-chan's parents. Because of that, you won't find the usual contract when you work for me. Having a full performance schedule or being as profitable as possible are not as important as your education."
Several of the girls were surprised at this attitude and a few were openly dismissive, thinking that this was just rhetoric for the tabloids. Many of them had originally considered a career in entertainment because it would allow them to drop out of their boring schools and troublesome classes. The mutterings became silent when the tall dark haired model stood and gazed at them as if she were looking at slime cultures in a biology class.
"He's not kidding, you know. Even I… am going back to school." Hisako revealed.
There were stares and gasps from the girls, and a few from the audience.
"Hisako-chan, does that mean you'll be attending university with me?" Nanako asked brightly.
"Yes." Hisako blushed a little now that she knew she had excited her beloved Nanako.
"Does that mean, I will be your senpai?" Nanako teased. She knew that Hisako was older, but Nanako would be a year ahead of her lover at the university. So that meant…
"Technically, yes. But we won't have any classes together since I will be pursuing an education in small business management." Hisako replied apologetically.
"But we will be in the same club." Nanako stated.
"The Tea Ceremony Club?" Hisako asked since she knew that Nanako had joined that club recently.
"Yes, I look forward to seeing you there." Nanako said with her enigmatic smile.
"I don't know if I'll have time…"
"I look forward to seeing you there." Nanako repeated with her enigmatic smile.
"But I…"
"I look forward to seeing you there." Nanako insisted with her enigmatic smile.
"Y… yes, senpai." Hisako bowed slightly to the purple haired girl. She had little interest in the classic Japanese Tea Ceremony, but being in a club with Nanako would be its own reward.
"Aiko-chan and Suzume-chan are in different grades, but attend the same school, Hisako-chan will be at Tokushima, and Ryuuji and I are at Todai." Ami summed it up for the auditioning group and imperiously told them, "If you're behind in your classes but want to learn, don't worry. Our Yuri-sensei can get you where you need to be. But, if you are determined that you won't be going to school anymore, you should quit now and audition for someone else."
All of the auditioning girls blinked at this sudden turn. They had expected a tough stance from the evil looking manager or the recently reviled Hisako, but Ami? No-one had anticipated such toughness from someone whose performance personality was so clumsy and ditzy.
"Um… Ami-sama, I don't think I could get into Todai." one of the girls stammered.
Ami was about to respond, but Suzume beat her to it.
"It's not Todai you have to worry about." the tall redhead high schooler may have been younger than some of them but as a model and performer, she had already 'made it' in the business they all aspired to break into. So despite her relative age, in this environment she was their senpai. "All of you are in high school… or middle school, right?"
All of the girls quietly nodded their reply.
"Then what you have to worry about is getting into Meji. Not the university, but the affiliated school." Suzume told them, "We practice a lot, and with new members, we'll need to practice every day. Did you think that we would fly out to Okayama every time we need to practice with you?"
"Then… it's no good, is it. I mean…" one of the girls looked crushed and had a hard time continuing but another girl followed her up.
"We might be able to get the grades, but the region we're from is mostly just farms, you know? We… we don't have the money to go to a private school in Tokyo."
"That has already been arranged," Yuri gave the girls a kind smile while she revealed an unexpected prize, "for those of you who pass the audition and accept the offer, you will receive room and board, and a scholarship at Meji."
"A scholarship… at Meji?!" the girls cried out. Some voices were astonished, others thrilled, while some seemed frightened.
"Is there something wrong with Meji?" Aiko-chan asked innocently.
"Um… I just don't think I can get in there either." one of the girls admitted but several others nodded in agreement.
"You won't be expected to join us immediately." Yuri tried to comfort them, "For those of you who can pass the test before the end of the summer break, you can join us when classes start back up in September. If you can't make it by then, you can come to Meji at the beginning of the next school year."
"A year?" several girls groaned.
"It's only ten months from now, and I know that sounds like a long time but…" Ryuuji took off his mirror shades and looked at each one of them when he told them, "This is not something I will be flexible about. I will not allow the entertainment industry to devour your youth for their benefit, then spit you out onto the street when they please. To think that anyone would do something like that to Suzume-chan, Aiko-chan, or… any of you… is… is… unforgivable."
The girls shrank back from Ryuuji both from his fierce looks and because of the rage evidenced in his fists that shook in anger. Ami noticed that he had just destroyed another pair of sunglasses and worried about these small fits of rage that Ryuuji had started expressing ever since their return to Japan.
"Ryuuji-sama is so worried about Aiko-chan and Suzume but he doesn't care about me." Hisako pouted. Nanako leaned into her tall friend and comforted her with some delicate head pats.
"Seriously?" Ryuuji laughed and turned to the tall dark haired model, "Hisako-chan, you are the reason why I insist on this. Ami and I may have helped a little, but your future is assured mostly because of your own efforts."
"Eh?" Hisako was stunned. She did feel safer now than she had in years, but she had only ever credited that to being rescued by Ami and Ryuuji.
"When I think of what you had to go through when the media and the industry was hazing you… you were truly amazing. The perseverance and fortitude that carried you into each withering day is the stuff that legends are made of. I don't know if anyone else here could have survived that." Ryuuji gazed out at the others around him in challenge. There were a few people that looked a little defiant until he added, "I know that I could not endure it."
Ami's eyes opened wide when she realized what it was that had been bothering her husband.
Taiga looked away. Without seeing them directly, she felt several pairs of eyes looking at her.
She wasn't wrong.
Minori looked at her friend and frowned. Her hand moved to pat Taiga on the shoulder reassuringly, but her own doubts made her lower her hand again.
Yasuko also looked over at Taiga. Her former glare of contempt was gone, but there remained a pity for what had been lost by the short girl's carelessness.
The girls on stage knew that there was something going on between the important people that would be watching and judging them. The atmosphere hadn't become unfriendly, but there was a definite heaviness that made it difficult to be the first person to break the silence.
Haruta and The Major arrived just then and wondered what had happened to make everything so awkward. They could see gloom on the faces of some of their friends and the nervousness of the girls on the stage.
"Yo! Forget about all this heavy stuff!" Haruta's lighthearted voice was like a clarion bell in the suddenly sullen mood, "You dudettes have made it, right? This is the big chance that you asked for! You got a chance to show your stuff in front of Ami-chan and her crew, so do it!"
"That's right!" The Major clapped his hands and added, "This is your time to shine! Show Ami and her entourage what you showed Koji-san and me. These are my friends and I told them that I saw something clever and entertaining. So, don't let me down!"
While The Major was giving the girls encouragement, Haruta sat down next to Muyuki and put his hand on hers. Thinking it an accident, she almost pulled her hand away, but stopped. Did he mean to do that? If I turn my hand over, will he hold my hand? Or… will he realize he is touching me and pull away from me? Surely this is just an accidental touch. Haruta is not clever enough for such subtlety. Then again… he did know how to break the oppressive mood with such ease. Could it be that he is reliable after all?
.
With Haruta breaking the depressing mood and The Major's encouraging proclamation, the show finally got underway and the contestants did their best. All of the girls showed that they could sing and do choreographed dance movements. A few showed off gymnastic feats and one tried to do magic tricks.
While their performances plowed through the morning and into the early afternoon, the sun crested over the painted plywood backdrop and lit the stage with it's late spring magnificence. The metallic paint glittered beautifully under such direct light and made the girls seem to glitter as well. It wasn't all good for the contestants though. They were already tiring from their earlier performances and now they were doing their finishing routines under the heat of the midday sun. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only problem up in the heavens.
From the view of the East facing audience and judges, there was something else going on besides the show in front of them. Tropical Storm Songda had fallen from the lofty status of a Super-Typhoon, but that just meant it had lost a lot of it's wind power. The storm was still dropping a lot of rain and it was still moving toward the main Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku.
"Let's stop here and move inside for the interview portion now." Ami announced when two of the girls had finished a duet. There were others waiting in the wings to do their next performance and she could see their disappointment.
"Were we not good enough?" one of the girls still at the microphone asked.
"You're doing great," Ami pointed at the line of ominous dark clouds behind the stage, "but there is another problem. The sky behind you is getting very dark and I don't think anyone wants to be up on a stage when the lightning gets here."
Ami's warning spurred the girls into motion. Some climbed to positions where they could see the darkening sky, then joined the others at collecting their things to rush back to the safety of the estate.
Watching the girls scurry about the stage, Ryuuji considered his impressions of them. Some of them seemed driven by their ambition while others seemed desperate. Some had very good voices while others performed their dance moves flawlessly. In all, he thought that the whole group was very entertaining and wished that he could give them all a shot. But there was no need to make any decisions just yet. They still had the interviews with Yuri and Yasuko to go through, and that would give him plenty of time to go over the selections with Ami, Hisako, Suzume, and Aiko-chan.
Ryuuji wasn't the only one who had been moved by what they had watched and heard since coming out to the performance area this morning. Obāsama waved Shinako over after ordering the maids to assist the young girls with retrieving their costumes and gear from the backstage area.
"Obāsama?" Shinako asked after the maids hurried off to their tasks.
"Do we have a continuing education program for our maids? Or… for any of our staff?" the old woman asked.
"No, Obāsama." Shinako replied.
"Tell Noto that I would like to see a proposal for one on my desk, before he returns to university." Obāsama commanded before she joined the others in the trek back to the main house.
Shinako turned to face Noto and Maya, who were only a few paces behind her. They hadn't been so far away that they didn't hear the matriarch. So, with a simple raise of her eyebrow, Shinako relayed the order.
"I think it's a great idea." Noto replied and turned to his wife.
"Why are you looking at me?" a flustered Maya asked when she realized that both Shinako and Noto were expecting something from her.
"Maya-sama, within a handful of years, you will become the wife of the head of the Hisamitsu family. You are already the mother of the eventual heir to that title as well. As such, you will be in charge of all the family's non-business properties. Villa's, estates, retreats, beach-houses… and all the care and maintenance that goes with them." Shinako explained patiently.
"Yes, you've told me that before. That's why I chose so many small business and property management courses in my degree plan." Maya worked a little bragging into her reply.
"I see." Shinako realized the disconnect and covered her mouth to avoid anyone seeing the small laugh. Fixing her face to a firm neutral expression she continued, "Did you not understand that the operation and maintenance of all those properties also included all of the staff?"
"S… staff?" Maya stuttered.
"Butlers, maids, gardeners, stablehands, contracts for plumbers, roofers, general repairmen…" Shinako started running down her mental list.
"No!" Maya gasped, "I… I didn't know I would have to manage people! I thought I only had to look after things!"
"Don't worry, Maya-sama. There is still plenty of time for you to learn." Shinako smiled before she turned the conversation back to the original question, "So now it should be clear why we looked to you. Any long term plans that affect the Hisamitsu residential staff will need your input. Obāsama may have asked Noto for the plan, but your opinion should be heard nonetheless."
"I… I see." Maya wished there was someone she could turn to just as she felt a pair of hands settle on her shoulders. Nanako's long purple hair flowed down over her chest to mix with her own orange-brown locks.
"It sounds like a wonderful idea," Nanako replied over her old friend's shoulder, "but it also sounds like Maya-chan was surprised with it. Do you mind if we chat about it a little before she gives you her reply?"
"An excellent suggestion, Nanako-san." Shinako agreed with a small bow. She shifted her gaze to the tall Hisako who was always near Nanako when she was in Tokushima. She half expected the dark haired model to be furious that Nanako was paying attention to someone else, but she was pleasantly surprised to see a look of approval instead. Hmm. I guess Maya is acceptable to Hisako. I wonder if it is because she knows that Maya and Nanako are inseparable friends, or has she already committed that much loyalty to the Hisamitsu family?
.
In a makeshift testing room set up in the estate, Yuri didn't waste any time. Still stunned by Ryuuji's education declaration, she could only call his change of view on education - miraculous. And, since he was attributing some of that perspective change to her, she was filled with determination. The Major had helped her quickly review the documents they had on all of the girls and came up with appropriate questions that should match their expected education levels. Deena and Aiko-chan arrived to help them set up just as The Major left to print out the tests.
The tall Aussie moved chairs into rows while Aiko-chan laid out the pencils and erasers that the girls would be using. Carrying the freshly printed tests, The Major entered the room just ahead of the group of young hopefuls.
"What… what kind of test will this be?" one of the girl's timidly asked as they all took their seats.
"I will answer your question, but first let me ask you… all of you know of Meji University, right?" The Major asked.
"Yes, of course." some of them said aloud but most just nodded their answer. A few of them thought this was a weird question since they had already discussed Meji, but they remembered that the American man and the Japanese boy that was always with him, hadn't been there during that conversation.
"Were you all aware that they have an affiliated school program that runs from Kindergarten through High School?" he asked them.
None of them replied aloud, but all of them nodded.
"I'm honestly surprised. I didn't know that their affiliated school was that well known." The Major admitted.
"Well… we talked about it before you came out to watch the auditions." one of the girls explained.
"And… it was in the magazine article about Yuri-sensei." another of the girls added.
"To answer your question," Yuri said through the blush caused by the reminder of that article, "To get into the Meji affiliated school, you will need to pass a comprehensive admissions test. The test I am going to give you now is not nearly as rigorous. This is just an evaluation to determine where you are academically. There will be questions on Japanese grammar and literature, History, Mathematics, Science, and English comprehension."
"Ugh." there were several groans in the class as soon as she mentioned math, but a few were in shock when she mentioned English.
"Why do we have to learn English? I'll never use it, and it's too hard anyway."
"Oh? Do you really think so?" Deena showed the girls a sly smile then turned to Aiko-chan and asked her little friend in English, #Do you really think that English is too hard?#
#No… well it was at first, but Yuri-sensei and The Major are good teachers.# Aiko-chan replied to the tall Aussie in the best English she could muster.
#They don't think they will ever need to use it. Do you think that's true?# Deena asked.
#Not at all. I can't wait to go back to Australia and talk to people in English there.# Aiko-chan replied happily.
#I am very glad to hear you say that.# Deena gave her little friend a thankful bow then turned to glance at the stunned girls in the room. She asked them, "Did any of you understand what we just said?"
The younger girls shook their heads in response. The older ones, who should have already been learning English in their High School courses, just looked down in humiliation.
"Aiko-chan, please tell them why you think it will be useful to speak English." Deena winked at the young girl.
"Sure! We went to Australia a few months ago and we might go back there again. I think it would be great to be able to talk to the people there. But that's not the only place. Manager-sama once told my parents that we might get asked to go to shows in Hawaii, California, New York, and England. I want to go to all of those places and all of them speak English." Aiko-chan looked around at the room and saw that many of the girls looked sad. Thinking that she might have frightened them, she asked, "Don't you want to go to those places too?"
"Yeah… I'd love to go to those places. It's… it's just kinda intimidating that a middle schooler can speak such good English and I didn't understand a word of what you said." one of the older girls replied sounding a bit defeated. The others nodded their heads in agreement.
"Me?" Aiko-chan asked in surprise while pointing to herself.
"Yeah." several of the girls responded.
"But I'm not in middle school. I'm still in grade school." Aiko-chan reminded them, but it didn't seem to help their mood. Quite the opposite, actually.
Their defeat was complete. They looked like ashen remains of the hopeful girls they had once been. Yuri hoped a puff of air didn't enter the room and scatter what was left of them into dust.
A few hours later, all the testing and evaluating was complete. Ryuuji met with all the judges and interviewers to discuss the results.
"You don't look very happy about this." Deena observed.
"It was pretty hard to decide. Some of the girls that showed the best inherent talent, didn't match… other criteria." Ami sighed.
"Well… do you really have to decide now?" Deena asked.
"What do you mean?" Ryuuji raised an eyebrow.
"If the problem is something they can't fix… like too tall or too short, then the decision wouldn't be so hard. So, I'm guessing that it is something they could fix if they were given time and they tried really hard." Deena said.
"Yeah. The girls with the talent are lacking the education we are looking for, and the ones with the education need to work on their performance abilities." Ami confirmed.
"What are you suggesting?" Ryuuji asked Deena.
"If there isn't a good reason to bring them on immediately, then take the September transfer option off the table. Make the admissions test to Meji part of the requirement and tell them that there will be a followup interview in March. That way, the academically weak will have time to cram and the performance weak will have time to practice." Deena suggested.
"Not bad." Ryuuji considered what Deena had suggested. He would need to call Ami's uncle before changing their response, but he didn't find any issues with Deena's idea.
"Have you done this before?" Ami was stunned that Deena had come up with that solution.
"No!" Deena laughed, "I borrowed that from a manga about a high school idol group. The leader of the group was also the student council president, so she didn't want any new members who…"
"Okay, okay! I should know better than to ask that kind of question to an otaku." Ami waved off the energetic fervor coming from the Japanese manga and idol loving Aussie.
"Squeeee! Ami-chan called me an otaku!" Deena smiled through her blush.
"Only a foreigner would think that was praise, you know." Ami pointed out.
"Deena-chan is a foreigner?" Aiko-chan asked in a tired voice.
"Aiko-chan… you're awake!" Deena spun and pulled the little girl into a close hug.
"Deena-chan is most definitely a foreigner." Ami smirked, "No Japanese person would be able to hug someone so energetically without getting thoroughly embarrassed."
"My mother…" Ryuuji countered.
"Okay… other than Onee-chan, no Japanese person would be able to hug someone so energetically without getting thoroughly embarrassed." Ami corrected in a monotone. After thinking about it, she turned to her husband and asked, "Does your mother get embarrassed about anything?"
"Yeah… I found out when I met my grandparents for the first time. She was defensive and pouted when her father scolded her, but she lost it when her mother praised her." Ryuuji recalled how stunned both he and Taiga had been to see that side of his mother.
Ami wanted to ask more about it, but she knew it was a memory that had been made with Taiga and not one she wanted to make Ryuuji reminisce about. Then she recalled one of the trips they had all gone on together - the one where her mother was mercilessly teasing Ryuuji's grandfather. Yasuko had shown her embarrassed side then too. Yes! I have my own memories with Yasuko and her parents. Wait… Isn't this competition over? Why do I feel so victorious when I don't let Taiga beat me? Am I really that petty? Hmm...
.
Sunday early morning, May 29th – The Hisamitsu Estate
The full force of the tropical storm had arrived while most of the residents, staff, and guests were asleep. Taiga awoke from a particularly strong clap of thunder and was dressed within seconds. She knew how a storm like this could spook the horses and how badly they could hurt themselves in a frightened state. Of course, it was the stablehands' job to look after the horses at a time like this, but she was determined to make sure that her precious Midnight Star was okay.
In minutes, she was at the door that opened on the covered walkway to the stables and the view out the window wasn't good. The rain was coming down in sheets and the night was still pitch black, broken only by the occasional lightning. Even then, she could only see the first five or six meters of walkway before it was all obscured by the rain. Patting the bag full of celery, she waited until the next lightning flash and dashed out the door and down the walkway.
Clutching a flashlight, she could see the path ahead of her and noticed that ropes had been tied from one support beam to the next to aid anyone that had to be out in this weather. However, halfway down the path she realized that it wasn't as bad as it had seemed. The high winds had either dissipated or were being blocked by the mountain, so almost all of the rain was shielded by the roof that protected the walkway.
"Taiga-sama!" One of the stablehands called out when she entered the building. Given her affection for one of their horses, she was one of the few house guests that the stablehands all knew. Worried that something was wrong, he hurried up to her and asked, "Whatcha doin out in this here weather?"
"There is no wind, so the path was okay. I just wanted to check on Midnight Star." she replied while she waved one of the prized celery stalks in the air.
"The wind ain't the problem. Make sure ya stick to the path on yer way back. With this much rain, the ground gets saturated and the water will sheet off the mountain real fast like. It'll carry away a small-un like you 'afore ya know it, an drop ya inta some gully far away from here."
"I'll stay on the path. I promise." Taiga reassured the stablehand. His comment about her being a 'small-un' didn't sting when it came from these guys. She knew that people who worked with horses valued a small person who could ride. Shaking her head, Taiga wondered if she should give up Kendo and become a Jockey, then walked up to her equine friend. "Miss me?"
Snort! His person was here and that meant she probably wanted to go for a ride. Midnight Star did not like riding in the rain… at least, not a hard rain. He didn't mind the drops of water falling on his head, but hated when the ground under his hooves got squishy and unpredictable. He let her know with a dismissive snort and a tail flick.
"No, huh?" Taiga pulled the celery out of the bag. Waving the stalk of celery back and forth, she teased the big black horse while slyly asking, "Now do you miss me?"
Midnight Star's personality changed instantly. Suddenly docile and affectionate, he nuzzled Taiga for the treat she held in her small hand.
Taiga let him have the stalk and picked up one of the brushes hanging from the post at the front of the stall. Celery wasn't the only thing the old horse liked. A good brushing with attentive focus on some of the itchy places was something he especially enjoyed. And Taiga prided herself on knowing where to find his favorite itchy places. A step-ladder allowed her to reach some of the places high on his shoulders and on his back. While she was up there, she could feel how calm he was and commented, "This storm doesn't bother you too much does it?"
"Nah, it don't bother most of em too much. Cept fer the missey's new pony, most of em ere a buncha old soldiers. They all git nervous an a few of em git spooked with the big thunder, but nuttin like a sceered youngun." the old stablehand replied to her comment.
"How is Freckles doing?" Taiga asked about the only horse in the whole stable that wasn't considered elderly.
"She's right nervous. Don worry though. We gots blankets on er, an someone brushin and talkin to er all calm like. She'll be awright." the stablehand assured.
Taiga stayed until her equine friend had finished all the celery, then pulled a blanket over him and put the ladder away… or started to.
"Ah can use that in another stall.'' The stablehand swept up the ladder under his arm and helped close the gate behind Taiga. "Ere ya headin back ta the estate house now?"
"Yeah. He seems calm enough." Taiga nodded at the satisfied horse.
"Ya wont some help gettin back?" the stablehand asked while he walked her to the door.
"I'll be fine. You've got plenty of work to do here." Taiga appreciated his offer, but she had her flashlight, the ropes were a help, and there was no significant wind.
"Awright, be careful little miss." the old man opened the door for her when she was ready to head out, then closed it securely to keep the sounds of the storm out of the stables as much as possible.
It was quite a bit colder outside the stables even if the rain was no longer coming down in sheets, and the wind was barely enough to blow the falling water onto the wooden path. Taiga remembered being in a big storm before, and the wind was so strong that the rain looked like it was falling sideways. But, like the old stablehand said, the real danger now was the fast moving water. She could hear it rushing down the sloping ground underneath the protected wooden walkway.
Although she knew of it's danger, she liked the sound that it made. Like the sonorous sound of a babbling brook, the rushing groundwater and the falling rain were the only things that could be heard on this dark night.
Such was the evolution of storms like these. The dangers came in stages. First would be the high winds that could knock down trees and hurl small buildings through the air. Then the rains could cause flooding like the stablehand had warned about. Finally, the water saturated ground could give way, especially in hilly or mountainous areas.
Taiga was thinking about the last of the storm's dangers as she got back to the house. Turning, she looked back in the direction of the mountain that rose up high into the sky behind the pasture. Even with the occasional flash of lightning she couldn't see it through the rain, but she knew it was there.
She had taken the paths and trails up that mountain several times now and thought she knew it pretty thoroughly… except that one weird place that she saw once and could never find again. It seemed almost like a dream now, but she could still remember that flat rock, the cold water of the clear brook, and the curious red fox.
Was that all just a dream? Taiga wondered, not for the first time. But that was a puzzle she would worry about later. For now, she needed to clean up and get back to sleep.
Later that morning, the weather had improved… a little. There were light gusts of wind and the rain had died down to a lackluster drizzle. But the sky was a featureless grey which made the cool air seem oppressive rather than crisp.
Under the inconstant but calming patter of raindrops on the tile roof, Taiga was still asleep while the rest of the house was busy. The servants were helping to load up the bus with all the costumes and props that the girls had brought with them. The girls were awash in an uncomfortable mixture of lingering hope and recent disappointment.
Ryuuji had told them the conditions of the selection that he had decided on. All of them understood that they would now have to be much more aggressive with their academics and that there would be another talent competition in a half a year. While this meant that a select few wouldn't be rejoicing just yet, it also meant that their friends wouldn't be going home in tears. So they were sad that none of them had been selected, but glad that none of them had been crushed with defeat.
Thus the melancholy mood.
Against this gloomy atmosphere and the equally dismal weather, Obāsama emerged from the house with Noto, Shinako, and Maya.
"Maya-chan," the old woman stopped the girl with the orange-brown hair and quietly asked, "are you sure you are ready for this? I respect your determination, but your health is more important. If this will be too stressful for you…"
"Thank you, Obāsama." Maya bowed to show her gratitude to the family matriarch, "I do appreciate the offer but I feel… I feel like I need to do this."
"Very well then." Obāsama smiled and took a step back as she gestured for her daughter-in-law to proceed.
"May I have your attention?" Maya called out to the girls that were gathering around their bus.
The servants had already been told of the announcement that the young mistress would be making to the departing girls. While the girls stopped their conversations and turned to the person calling them out, the servants quietly moved into precise rows on either side of Obāsama.
"I am Hisamitsu Maya, wife of Hisamitsu Noto. My husband and I currently attend Tokushima University. After he graduates, and when he is deemed ready, he will be taking control of the family and all it's enterprises. As his wife, I will be responsible for all the non-business properties… like this estate. That will include the staff necessary to keep them all properly cared for." Maya could feel the shakes from all of the eyes on her and wondered how Ami and the others were able to deal with it.
The girls were either bored or starting to get a little annoyed. The first part of Maya's little speech sounded like nothing but bragging to them. However, the last sentence made a few of them blink and wonder if this was something more than a rich girl's gloating.
"I watched all of your performances, and I was there when you were interviewed by Yuri-sensei. I really think that all of you are wonderful. Really, I do." Maya told them earnestly and noticed how many of their expressions changed. "So I would like to offer all of you a job… to work for me."
"What!" the girls had not expected such a strange proposal.
"Specifically," Noto added, "if you are not selected in your next talent competition, you will have the opportunity of a staff position for the Hisamitsu family."
"You mean like maids? Serving food and folding laundry… that kind of thing?" one of the girls stammered.
"I should think you could do better than that." Shinako said cooly. "As servants to the young miss, you will be helping to raise their children. Do you know what that implies? Equestrian, archery, academics, music, dance, art… the kind of person we are looking for will do quite a bit more than… folding laundry."
There was quiet while the girls considered what they had heard. All of them still wanted to chase their dream of becoming a performer. A few knew that they wouldn't be interested in such an offer. A few others didn't think they could do it even if they wanted to. But there was one…
"Excuse me… could I… could I take that offer now?" a smallish girl asked meekly.
"How old are you?" Obāsama asked levelly.
"S… sixteen?" the girl's eyes darted away from the formidable looking woman.
"Look at me, child." Obāsama waited until the girl's eyes met hers again before continuing, "In this day of technology, it is a bad idea to lie about something that is so easily verified. Now, tell me the truth. How old are you?"
"Thirteen." the girl lowered her head after having been caught so easily.
"I see why you lied. You're a smart girl." Obāsama replied with a sad smile.
Noto and Maya looked at her with curiosity, but the others in the room understood.
"Performance jobs are one of the few exceptions to the child protection laws." Obāsama explained to Maya and her grandson. Then she focused on the distraught girl and continued, "I am afraid that our offer does not qualify for that kind of exemption. But… you already knew that, didn't you."
The young girl silently nodded her head but kept her face down so that the others couldn't see her embarrassed blush, or her tears.
"Why?" Noto stepped forward and asked the distraught young teen, "After knowing Ami-chan and her friends I have an idea what drives performers, but tell me… why is it so important for you to get this job?"
"My family is… very poor." the girl replied between sobs, "My onii-chan is so smart. He is making good grades in college. But… he will have to come home and work because there is no more money… because of me."
"You mean… there is not enough money for both of you to go to school, but the law requires you to go, so he will have to quit?" Maya asked to confirm her own suspicions. Turning to the powerful matriarch she implored, "Obāsama, is there something we could do?"
"It's not…" the matriarch never got a chance to finish her refusal before the other girls in the group bowed low in an appeal to the old woman. Being a person raised on classic Japanese customs and values, Obāsama had a strong desire to respond favorably to such a humble appeal. But this was no longer the classic era and there were laws that constrained how much she could do for someone else's child. Especially when they were so young.
"Obāsama… I have an idea." Noto said softly, but not so quietly that several of the girls didn't hear. Their eyes looked to him in hope.
"You can think of a way to employ this girl… without breaking any laws?" Obāsama asked.
"I believe so. It would require the agreement of her parents, but it is possible." Noto rubbed his chin and wondered which of his professors might be the best to approach for a little advice.
"She is not yet fifteen, you know." Obāsama warned her grandson by reminding him of Japan's legal age limit for child labor.
"That applies to full time employment. I believe she only needs to be thirteen for something like baby-sitting or light child care… as long as she is still attending school." Noto pondered aloud.
"Oh really?" Obāsama smiled at her grandson's cleverness for finding a solution for someone's troubles. At the same time, he would be getting his wife some immediate help with taking care of the children. She glanced over at Maya and saw that her granddaughter-in-law had come to the same conclusion.
"What? What does this mean?" the confused girl asked.
"This is very important." Noto regarded the girl seriously, "Have you ever done a babysitting job before?"
"Yes!" the young teen squeaked. To her, Noto suddenly seemed every bit as scary and menacing as the frightening looking manager that had watched her audition.
"Prepared their food? Fed them? Changed their diapers?" Noto asked.
"Yes! All of those things." the girl replied nervously, "I've done all those things for my younger cousins since I was nine."
"Noto?" Obāsama inquired.
"She sounds good to me." Noto pulled out his smartphone and started texting someone who could help with the legalities. While composing the message he asked his wife, "What do you think, Maya-chan?"
"I think she will be wonderful!" Maya said enthusiastically.
"What does all of this mean?" The girl was having a hard time keeping up with the sudden conversation change.
"The position is contingent on a number of things." Noto said casually as he continued texting, "This will be a live-in position at our residence in Tokushima near the university. You will be responsible for assisting with the care of our twin sons. You will also be required to attend a local school and show satisfactory performance. Your compensation will be low as you will be receiving room and board, and you will only be performing part-time work… until you are fifteen. Do these stipulations sound agreeable to you?"
"I… Yes! I mean, yes." the girl stammered, "Does… does this mean I got the job?" The girl pleaded hopefully.
"It means that there is an offer. We will still need to speak with your parents…" Noto carefully explained, then paused while he read a response on his phone. His brow furrowed only a little and he added, "And, it appears that we will need to get a permit from the Labor Standards Administration office."
"Are they likely to grant that?" Obāsama asked.
"It is an unusual request, but I believe they will allow it under the circumstances." Noto replied.
"Thank you! Thank you very much Hisamitsu-sama!" the young girl bowed low to emphasize her gratitude.
"Ahem," the bus driver politely got their attention, "I hate to interrupt your conversation, but the weather is deteriorating and, in the interest of these young girl's safety, I'd like to get down off this mountain before it gets too rough."
"Commendable." Obāsama replied to the driver. Then she gave her parting words to the company of girls, "Very well then. I will see one of you in the next few weeks and the rest of you next March. I do look forward to that performance. I wish all of you the best of luck."
Ryuuji and Ami were enjoying some tea in their room. They had decided not to see off the hopeful young girls for a number of reasons. Their decision not to choose anyone at the present was part of it, but they were also aware of Noto and his grandmother's plan to offer them employment at the Hisamitsu estate.
Although it seemed a bit rude, it would give the girl's an opportunity to honestly consider the Hisamitsu offer. And… it would give Ami and Ryuuji some much needed relaxation. They were both used to waking up early, so sleeping in was not possible. However, neither of them were in a rush to do anything specific. Ami made some mild tea while Ryuuji folded back the partition wall so they could leisurely enjoy the view.
The rain was falling again, but the garden was just as lovely in the damp drizzle. Ryuuji put his hand on top of Ami's while they watched the soft rains fall in the subdued colors of the flowers. The scent of the herbal plants was stronger in the humid air, and seemed to complement the flavor of the tea they were having. The pitter-patter of the rain on the room was barely audible and did nothing to drown out the regular 'thunk' sound of the garden's bamboo water feature.
Ryuuji was about to reach for his tea when he noticed that there were ripples in both of the tea cups. He didn't hear or feel anything, but what he saw was a characteristic sign of a mild earthquake… or something similar.
"What?" Ami noticed her husband's reaction and looked down at the tea cups. Not noticing the ripples on the surface of the tea, she wondered if there was something wrong with what she had brewed or if one of the cups was chipped.
"Nothing. I thought I saw…" Ryuuji was interrupted when his phone started playing the 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame' ring.
"Minori-chan?" Ami asked in some surprise, "I thought she was going out riding with Taiga this morning?"
"Me too. I'm sure it's nothing." Ryuuji picked up the phone to answer it anyway.
At the far end of the pasture, the weather had already made it's change. Bands of heavy rain were making a loud staccato on the metal roof of the small shelter. Tucked into that small shelter were two girls and two horses.
"I told you it would rain again." Minori sounded worried.
"It's just rain. What's bugging you?" Taiga asked her nervous friend.
"Lightning." Minori grumbled. When she saw her friend's blank look, she explained, "Soggy ground, metal roof, storm… You know? This is a recipe for getting hit by lightning."
"Oh," Taiga looked over minori's head for a moment then assured her friend, "Don't worry about it. There's no lightning right now."
"How can you be sure?" Minori prodded.
"Your horse." Taiga gestured at the mare that Minori had been riding, "She always acts a little nervous when there is any thunder. She's not nervous, so no thunder. No thunder, no lightning!"
"Hmm…" Minori wasn't quite sure that there couldn't be lightning without thunder, but she did feel a bit of ease from Taiga's assurance. Then her ears perked up and her nervousness returned when she heard a low rumbling sound getting louder.
"Don't worry, that's just a big truck or something. Probably the bus leaving." Taiga said without looking up.
"Huh?" Minori didn't see any vehicles nearby.
"You can't see it from here, but the road back to civilization is cut into the side of the mountain past the end of the pasture. You can see it if you lean out from the fence over there."
"Oh." Minori relaxed when she realized that the sound was exactly that of a big diesel engine - just as Taiga had said. However, there was something that bothered her, "But then… why are the horses acting weird?"
"Horses?" Taiga looked up then. Her curiosity was doubly piqued when her pink haired friend referred to both horses. Sure, Minori's mare reacted to thunder but Midnight Star was an old soldier that barely reacted to the wind and rain of a tropical storm. A little thunder shouldn't even get his interest. And yet… both horses seemed nervous and were looking back toward the slope of the mountain that started just on the other side of the fence behind the shelter.
Midnight Star stamped his hoof and turned to stare at his person. He felt a wrongness in the very ground they were standing on and wanted to get away from this place.
"Get on your horse." Taiga said as she leaped to her feet and pulled Midnight Star out from underneath the low metal roof of the shelter.
"But it's still raining." Minori pointed out.
"Then we'll get wet. Have you never played baseball in the rain?" Taiga chided her jock friend.
"What's going on?" Minori asked, but followed Taiga's lead and was quickly climbing up on her horse.
"I don't know, but the horses are nervous here so we're going to let them run to wherever they feel safe." Taiga said as she prompted Midnight Star to run as he liked.
The other horse followed Midnight Star in a hard dash, but they didn't run for long. Halfway across the pasture, both horses came to a stop and turned to face back toward the mountain. They both seemed to be looking at something that the girl's couldn't see.
Taiga looked back at the shelter. She wondered if the horses had been spooked by a bear that might have wandered close to where they had been. But a bear wouldn't make the low rumbling sound she began to notice. It wasn't thunder or the sound of an engine… Taiga was trying to place the sound when Minori cried out.
"The trees! They're falling down!" Minori pointed at the south side of the hill.
It seemed to happen quickly, and yet in slow motion at the same time. An entire swath of trees were either falling over or sliding down the mountain toward the valley below.
"Landslide!" Taiga gasped. She had never seen one in person before and was stunned at the destructive power of it.
"Are we safe here?" Minori asked.
"Yeah, it's all on the south side where the slope is steeper. The pasture should be a safe place. The only thing over there is… the road." Taiga's eyes opened wide when she realized what that meant.
"Didn't the bus…" Minori too realized what this could mean. Her words were cut off when both of them suddenly heard the frantic sounds of a vehicle horn in the distance.
"Do you have your phone on you?" Taiga asked Minori while picking up the reins and preparing to ride.
"Yes." Minori reached inside her coat to pull it out.
"Call someone at the house. Let them know what happened. I'll go see what's going on." Taiga barely finished her sentence before she and Midnight Star rocketed off toward the far end of the pasture.
Ryuuji was still in his Yukata when he burst into the living room.
"Takasu-san?" Shinako queried the panicked looking young man.
"Did the bus already leave? Ryuuji demanded.
"I'm afraid so. Did they forget something?" Shinako asked.
"No. Taiga and Minori are out riding horses on the far side of the pasture. They saw a landslide on the south side of the mountain. Now they hear a horn blaring from there." Ryuuji explained.
"How long ago?" Obāsama asked while raising a shaking hand to her mouth.
"Just now." Ryuuji raised the phone that he was still clutching in his hand. Then he asked, "How long ago did they leave?"
"About ten minutes… it could be them." Shinako concluded.
"Noto?" Obāsama turned to her grandson.
"Major, may I ask you for your help?" Noto reacted quickly.
"Yes, you can count on us." the tall blond foreigner then turned to Haruta and said, "Let's grab some shovels, rope, and a couple of horses."
"Horses?" Haruta asked. He could see the use of shovels and rope, but… "Wouldn't a car be faster?"
"If it's a landslide, we may not be able to get close in a car." The Major explained while he headed toward the stables with Haruta.
"Anyone else that can drive, we need to get down there to help. If the bus is incapacitated, we'll need to bring everyone back here." Noto told the rest of the people in the living room. The estate was soon a flurry of activity.
Taiga was glad that she had been out exploring the mountain paths with Midnight Star as much as she did. She had quickly picked out the right trails to get her down the mountain to the road. Once she was on the level road surface, she was able to let the big horse open up his gate into a nice gallop.
At first, she didn't see anything wrong, but that all changed when she went around the bend in the road. A tree was laid out across the road like a low fence. It's journey down the mountain hadn't gone smoothly and it's branches were all broken off or lying twisted on the ground.
For a moment, Taiga thought about coming to an abrupt stop, but the tree trunk wasn't so large that her old horse couldn't jump it. Patting his neck affectionately she told him, "Let's fly just this once!"
Even if he didn't understand the words, the old horse could feel the change in the posture of his person. Her butt was slightly out of the saddle and she was leaning forward. He knew what this position meant. His rider was ready for a jump, and so was he.
It wasn't such a high jump that there would ever be any fanfare about it. But the feeling was glorious to both rider and horse - to have moved as one through the jump. Taiga was also thrilled that they had come down smoothly and there did not seem to be any trouble for her old horse.
Looking down the road, there were a few more trees that they could navigate around without jumping. There were also a few large rocks. And then… there was no more road. Or rather, the road was buried under a ridge of rust colored dirt, boulders, and trees.
"Whoa." Taiga reined in their speed. She had shown Midnight Star that she had confidence in him to perform a jump, but this was something different. Standing up in the saddle, she tried to take in all the destruction and figure out their best course. The occasional blaring of the vehicle's horn told her that the bus was on the other side of this debris. But how to cross it?
Midnight Star came to a stop at the edge of the pile of debris. It smelled funny and he pawed at it. His hoof came down on the soil firmly. If it had been too loose, he wouldn't have been able to climb it, but as it was… it would just be a little difficult.
Taiga could feel the big horse stamping at the debris and snorting. Her attention was on the hillside above her though. Even if part of the hillside had already come crashing down, it was still possible that there might be more to fall. A small boulder would send both of them flying and a larger landslide would bury them under tons of rubble. Her attention came back to the immediate pile of debris when she heard Midnight Star snort impatiently.
"All right. As long as you think it's safe, let's go. But… slowly." Taiga patted the big horse's neck. She clung to the reins as they ascended the wreckage. Avoiding large rocks and shattered trees, they eventually made their way to the top. Unfortunately, the view was not promising.
The pile of debris that they had climbed ran back down to the road, then there were twenty or so meters of visible road before another debris field buried the road again. That ridge was bigger than the one they had just climbed, and the trees looked like a bunch of crumpled match sticks. To her astonishment, the landslide hadn't buried the bus. However, it had destroyed the guard rail and almost pushed the bus off the road. At the moment, the back half of the bus was hanging over the cliff edge and the front was tilted up in the air.
"Let's go!" Taiga pushed Midnight Star to get to the bus as quickly as possible. The route down the debris pile was every bit as chaotic as the route up had been, so the going was slow until they made it back down to the road. We made it to the road. Now, if we can only get to the bus in time...
.
Monday morning, May 30th - The Hisamitsu Estate
The following morning, Taiga awoke suddenly from a sad dream to find herself buried under a warm blanket and her head resting on particularly soft and warm pillows. When did I go to bed? I was just… She tried to recall what she had been doing but that only brought on a mild headache and made her vision blurry. Taiga tried to get up, but there were arms wrapped around her that pulled her back down.
"Huh? Arms? What?" Taiga opened her eyes and tried to make sense of her surroundings. She was on her side and buried under blankets just as she thought. However, the futon she was laying on was a bit lumpy and there was something odd about the pillows under her head. Raising her hands, she grasped at the soft warm pillows and tried to move them.
"Ahn! Oh Taiga-chan, you're so rough." Yasuko's sleepy voice whimpered from behind her.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop sexually harassing my mother." Ryuuji's voice warned from somewhere nearby.
"What!" Taiga immediately regretted the outburst as a flash of pain enveloped her head. Of course, the pain could have also been caused by the sudden blush when she realized what kind of pillows she was resting her head on. But more importantly than knowing what they were, was knowing whose they were. She was pretty sure she recognized the big pillowy boobs and the sleepy sing-song voice, which made her eyes open wide with surprise. Closing her eyes, she prayed that this was the person she thought it was. Hesitantly, she asked, "Ya… Ya-chan?"
"I've got you, Taiga-chan. You're safe now." Yasuko said softly.
"Hah!" Taiga made a slight gasp when her prayer was answered. She relaxed into the protective embrace, but kept her fingers on the gentle hands. I dunno why Yasuko is being so kind, but I'll take it. Nothing could be better than Ya-chan accepting me again! Minorin must be thrilled that I was able to patch things up with her to this extent. Even Ami should acknowledge this achievement! But when she looked around the room, she could only see sadness on the faces of her friends. "Huh?"
She was about to ask what was going on when she noticed that her right arm was bandaged. When she saw the unfamiliar bandage, she realized that she had also felt something odd on her head. Touching it gently, she realized that her head was also bandaged.
"Hey," she examined, curious about her arm and her head, "what's going on?"
"You hit your head pretty hard. How much do you remember about yesterday?" Minori asked.
"Yesterday? You mean the talent show?" Taiga asked.
"That was two days ago." Ami revealed.
"Huh? Then… what happened yesterday?" Taiga asked.
"Do you remember riding horses with Minori-chan?" Ami asked.
"Amin… no." Minori said crossly to the bluenette.
"She's not a child. She deserves to know." Ami replied to the pink haired jock.
"Not… not yet. She isn't ready." Minori rebutted.
"Not ready for what?" Taiga insisted, then winced from a flash of pain that followed her demand.
"She's one of the strongest people I know. She can take it." Ami ignored Taiga's question and countered Minori.
"She's not… she's not as strong as you think." Minori's voice fell off because she knew what would happen next. Ami had outsmarted her. There was no way Taiga would accept her best friend defending her by saying she was weak.
"Minorin?" Taiga looked up at her best friend, but Minori couldn't meet her eyes and looked away. Ami wasn't acting her usual self either. Instead of the expected haughty attitude, she seemed saddened. A haunted expression was on her face as she returned Taiga's stare. Seeing Ami's uncharacteristic emotions, Taiga worried about what could have shaken the bluenette up so much.
"Taiga-chan, maybe you should rest a little more first." Yasuko said sweetly.
"No. I mean… thank you Ya-chan, but I really want to know what's going on." Taiga was noticeably less defensive when replying to Ryuuji's mother.
"Then… how much do you remember. Do you remember riding horses… or something like that?" Ami asked carefully.
"I remember riding horses with Minorin, but I thought that was this morning. So… what happened?"
"There was..." Ami started.
"Just a minute." Yasuko interrupted, "Taiga-chan, before Ami tells you the sad parts, I just want you to know that you did something truly wonderful."
"I did?" Taiga's eyes opened wide.
"You saved a bunch of school girls from getting hurt real bad… or even killed. Taiga-chan is a hero." Tears rolled down Yasuko's cheeks as she told the small girl still cuddled up in her lap.
"Hero?" Taiga was confused. She looked around for someone to fill in the blanks, but people only shook their heads in agreement. None of them offered any additional explanation… except Ami.
"There was a landslide. You got all the girls out of the tour bus before it fell off a cliff. Then you hit your head and got knocked out. Does that ring any bells?" Ami asked.
"Jeez Ami-chan," Haruta groaned, "you're pretty and all, but you really suck as a storyteller."
"I only wanted to jog her memory." Ami pouted defensively.
"Still…" Haruta shook his head.
"Then you tell her!" Ami retorted.
"I haven't heard it all yet either." Haruta shrugged.
"I'm no storyteller either, but I'll tell you what I know." Yasuko offered.
"Please." Taiga squeezed the warm hand she was holding onto.
"Okay… so… I'm gonna tell you the truth, but it's gonna make you really sad. So, you have to promise me you're not gonna hate me." Yasuko pleaded as she caressed the hair out of Taiga's face with her fingertips.
"I'll never hate you, Ya-chan." Taiga promised. She could tell that something was really eating her up though. "Just tell me. Don't worry about how to say it. I can take it."
"Um… well… if you say so. It's about that horse that you like so much." Yasuko fretted.
"Midnight Star? What? Did something happen to him?" Taiga felt concern for the first time since she woke up.
"He… he's a hero too!" Yasuko wanted to tell her more, but her voice choked up and she had to stop to wipe the tears from her eyes.
"He is?" Taiga was proud for a moment, but the anguish she saw in Yasuko's usually cheerful face gave her a sudden chill. She had been brave up to this moment, but that chill led to a feeling of cold dread. Suddenly, she was afraid to hear what had happened, and yet…
Yasuko's arm was still over her eyes and she was too choked up to reply, but she nodded her response through her sobs.
"He's okay… isn't he?" Taiga looked around at the others but they couldn't meet her eyes. Some had their face in their hands. Others could only stare at the floor. The dread she was feeling became a terrifying fear and she begged, "Ya-chan? Please! Please tell me he'll be okay!"
.
Glossary
Meji: Meji Affiliated School is a K-12 school that is affiliated with Meji University in Tokyo. In this story, this is the place where Yuri-sensei teaches, Suzume and Umeki are in the High School program, and Aiko-chan is in the grade school program.
Otaku: In Japanese culture, it is a term for people who are super-fanatical about a particular interest. It could be about an entertainment personality, anime, or food.
Todai: a nickname for Tokyo University