The Big Switch

by dave-d

Kaname visits a medical center with secret facilities, to help research the origin of the Whispers. No good deed goes unpunished. Who will be the hero this time? The answer is not as simple as it might seem.

11. Chapter 11

Sousuke should be okay, now.

As any school age child can tell you, there is never anything to worry about in P.E. class….

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Sousuke walked into the meeting room, just as the large hand on the clock signaled the start of the new period.

He scanned the room, and saw only his fellow students. There were no suspicious people or concerning constructs. All of the chairs and tables were pushed to the side walls, though. He tensed up. Was someone trying to build a fortification? Was there some kind of invading force on the way?

"If we are trying to form a barricade, it makes no sense to block the walls, unless the enemy had explosives or a large battering ram," Sousuke said out loud, "The tables and chairs should be stacked up, blocking the windows. Additionally, I had easy access, as the doorway was not impeded in any fashion."

"Kaname… is that bump on your head still bothering you?" Kyouko took a picture of said bump.

"If we did barricade the door, we could have a free period," Maya remarked. "I always worry when they don't tell us what they plan for us ahead of time."

"Like Sousuke," Shiori said. "But he never tells us what he has planned for us!"

"And no barricade could keep that guy out!" Mizuki made a face. "He'd blow a hole in the wall just to get in… and then find out it was the wrong room."

"Right!" Mayuko added. "Like the girl's shower. Or the Vice Principal's office."

For the next couple of minutes, everyone one chipped into the conversation, telling their favorite or most memorable 'Sousuke Stories.' That had the young soldier seeing things in a rather personal and poignant light. Things they would never say around him, they were more than happy to say around Kaname Chidori.

"We don't even know who the teacher is," Shinji said. "I hope it's not Mr. Kumakawa again." Gen Kumakawa was an assistant athletics director with a fondness for performing arts.

"Shit!" Ono-D swore. "The last time we had him, that leaping lizard tried to teach us ballet!" He trembled. "In leotards!" That had most everyone groaning. "I could see the bulge caused by his lizard. That's not something another guy can un-see, you know…."

"I heard it was Mr. Kumakawa," one girl said. "His name was up on the bulletin board. There was something scribbled about DVDs being ordered for this class."

"Mr. Kumakawa could not make it," a voice called out, as the speaker made his way into the room. "He was distracted by an artful pirouette on his portable television, and fell from his balcony. I have the hospital room number, for anyone who wants to send flowers." It was Mr. Mizohoshi, the Art teacher. "I have been asked to chaperon this session."

"I hope we're not painting a subject again!" One boy still had scars he received from the time Sousuke had been chosen as the subject,

"Even I didn't like all that military stuff," Shinji said. To him, military stuff was 'A' number one, unless he was the one in the cross hairs. "That was like our own private Hamburger Hill."

"Yes!" Ono-D said. "It's just like the way that maniac uses a gun or explosives to get the last burger or bread."

"No," Shinji said. "Worse than that. The Battle of Hamburger Hill was a battle of the Vietnam War that was fought by U.S. Army and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam forces against the People's Army of Vietnam during Operation Apache Snow. Although the heavily fortified hill was of little strategic value, U.S. command ordered its capture by a frontal assault, only to abandon it soon thereafter."

"-" The class was silent for a moment. The classroom cricket, hiding somewhere in the wall, could clearly be heard. That explanation had been Sagara-esque.

"That sure does sound like our field trip to the park." A girl said. "Art class. Theme of nature and people. A confused Sousuke, thinking he must stalk his classmates in the forest. We tried to pick another model, but teacher won't accept it." She looked over at Mr. Mizohoshi who seemed nonplussed. "The entire forest was booby-trapped and everyone was taken out." She swallowed hard. She had been sprung onto a tree covered with a sticky substance. "We fought for the sake of our honor and dignity… but mostly for our grades. Everyone barged into teacher's house, where he and the rest of the staff were having tea."

" Sousuke tried to hold teacher's mother hostage," Shiori said.

"But Kaname here saved the day, as usual," Maya remarked. "She's like a Sousuke-Whisperer."

"I think she's more like Sousuke Kryptonite," Daidai remarked.

"No," Ono-D said. "She's more like an oni!" He was still a bit miffed from that day. As a 'final' wish, he had asked Kaname to date him. She refused. "She threw a teacup in his face hard enough so that the rest of us could capture him and get our paintings done."

"Such a wonderful day," Mr. Mizohoshi said. "My ma maaa-aa-a has long since recovered from her… what do they call it… PTDD…."

"PTSD," Shinji corrected helpfully.

"Indeed," Mr. Mizohoshi continued. "The psychologist's bill was worth it. Those paintings were fantastic." The class drawings all depicted Sousuke hung upside down from a tree. "I placed them on the internet. They were a sensation. Art classes around the world have been doing the same thing. The trend might even surpass selfies soon."

"I don't see any painting supplies," Kyouko said with a hopeful voice.

"Let me explain," Mr. Mizohoshi said, flipping his hair and striking a dramatic pose. He began speaking very quickly, almost too quickly to follow: "Performing arts is a form of art where artists use their voices, and bodies to convey a message or artistic expression." He waved his arm demonstrably every time he spoke the word 'art'. "It is different from visual arts, in which an artist use paint, canvas and various materials to create art objects. The visual Arts give a way to express feeling, emotion, opinion, or taste through visual means, for instance, photography, painting, sculpting and drawing." That had people frowning. Someone suggested recording his voice, so they could play it back slower. "Performing Arts have ways to express an opinion, emotion, feeling, or taste, through means of performance, like, theatre, public speech, music, and more, including dance." There was an emphasis on that last word, but no elucidation. "There are other forms of art too; Culinary Art expresses personality, and culture, as well as, atmosphere through the creation of taste and composition of food on the plate. Poetry and writing fall in a category of art called written art. Visual arts are primarily created for aesthetic purposes, and judged for its beauty and meaningfulness. Visual Arts include painting, sculpture, watercolor, graphics, drawing and architecture. Also falling in the Visual Arts category is; music, poetry, film, photography, conceptual art and printmaking. People in this field are termed, artists." He made that word sound like 'arteests'.

"Here we go again," Tomomi said. It wasn't the first time that Mr. Mizohoshi had gone off the deep end. He had done that at the park, discussing art. That was the reason for Sousuke's confusion that day.

"It's okay," Ono-D said. "If we let him ramble on long enough, there won't be time for… whatever."

"Performing arts are basically arts or skills that require a performance in front of a public audience,' Mr. Mizohosi plowed forward, unaware of any student conversation. "Examples are acting, singing…. and dancing…. Other forms of the Performing Arts include opera, theatre, magic or illusion performances, mime, spoken word, recitation and public speaking. People in this field are termed, performers. In some ways, all forms of art will have certain aspects that can be found in all of them. The force behind art forms might be the same, but, it is the way in which it is relayed, that is different. Performing artists use their body or voice to convey the artistic expression needed to be shown. Visual Arts can be defined as something that is created through doing something with your hands."

"Erotic arts are something where something is done with hands on bodies," one boy said, trying to be clever. "Want me to mime it?"

"Kaname?" Kyouko looked unhappy at the suggestive statement. The way she said that name made it sound as if she were asking for a certain kind of response.

"I-" Sousuke's mind didn't need more than a millisecond to picture the response. But, he had neglected to secure Kaname's halisen. Instead, he picked up a chair and threw it at the cocky comedian. He scored a bullseye.

"See!" Ono-D pointed at 'Kaname'. "An oni, I tell you."

"In both art niches, you can convey cultural messages," Mr. Mizohoshi said. "Visual art can depict historic places on canvas or through photography, whereas, performing arts can display cultural stories through dance and also through constructing scenes of long ago on a stage. Song and Dance are usually main ingredients in cultural tradition. And-"

"Thank you, Mr. Mizohoshi." That was the Principal. She had had misgivings about the Vice Principal's choice to replace Mr. Kumakawa. "That was a stirring explanation. We will remember it always. You are dismissed."

"But-" Mr. Mizohoshi deflated. He had only just begun. That was just the groundwork. With a sigh, he left the room. He would find someone to finish his introduction to. Maybe one of the visiting cameramen.

"I'm afraid that with Mr. Kumakawa's absence, this will only be an explanation and a heads up," the Principal said. "Let me start of with a brief explanation of my own. Social dance is a category of dances that have a social function and context. Those type of dances are generally intended for participation rather than performance and can be led and followed with relative ease. They are often danced merely to socialize and for entertainment, though they may have ceremonial, competitive and erotic functions."

Hearing that second-to-last word, Sousuke picked up another chair. It was unnecessary. The boys were in the back corner of the room, cowering. Kaname Chidori was indeed an idol no one would dare approach.

"Thank you, Miss Chidori. You can place the chair here." The Principal pointed at a place on the floor. When the chair was there, she sat down on it. "Many social dances of European origin are partner dances … I should mention Ballroom dance… but this is quite rare elsewhere, where there may instead be circle dances or line dances, perhaps reserved for those of a certain age, gender or social position."

"Like the square dancing we do," Shiori mentioned.

"Yes," the Principal agreed. "Like our Oklahoma Mixers. That's a relatively simple style of dance, that does not require expensive or fancy dress and attire." She looked over at Kaname's body. "Which brings me to the point of all this. Having spent time in America, Miss Chidori suggested that Jindai Municipal High School hold a dance. Atsunobu Hatashimizu and the School Board agreed. She suggested a prom… with free style dancing… but that request was denied."

"I've seen those in American movies," Maya said. "They look like fun. At least… in the movies…." The characters in the films all seemed to be excited or to have fun. Or, there were some kind of comedic escapades. But, in Japan, the overall set-up of that kind of social gathering would cause issues. She immediately questioned her own remark. "That-"

"There is no prom culture in Japan," the Principal said. "For American youth, their upcoming graduation might be a big step to becoming adults. For Japanese youth, they have to worry about studying at a university to get a good job. No time for celebrations. Even so, some Japanese high schools have balls and socials for third year students. That's rare, since in this land, the concept of two people holding themselves close in public is beyond embarrassing."

"Ball," Sousuke said. He had serious concerns. Kaname had been the one to make the suggestion. She had never said anything about it to him. What might the Principal ask him to do, if anything? "Be the Ball… don't drop the Ball… be the Ball… don't drop the Ball…."

"One reason we do not hold proms in this country-" the Principal continued. "-Is that boys and girls in Japan rarely socialize together in high school… it can be difficult to organize a social event if there are hordes of kids who are too shy to ask someone out on a date or have trouble getting a partner. And… outside of the school setting… it's prohibited by the Japanese law to dance in any commercial place in Japan. Clubs often post signs that read 'We don't allow to dance in this establishment'. Free style dancing is considered lecherous or sleazy by restrictive authorities."

"My brother complains about that," Mari said. "Japan is one of five countries that don't allow public dancing. The others are Kuwait, Iran, Sweden, and Germany on Easter."

"There are six," Sousuke noted, unaware of the first five, Japan included. "The same holds true in Afghanistan."

"I here that the rule is going to change here," Shiori said. "Thanks to a campaign championed by the singer Ryuchi Sakamoto." She thought a moment. "My father says it's because of the Olympics. The government wants visitors to have the most fun possible… so they will spend the most money possible…."

"Don't forget the five feet rule!" Maya added.

"What?" Ono-D quipped. He looked down at his feet. "People can't dance because a couple would have five left feet?"

"Kaname?" Kyouko looked helpful. That intrusive joke was less than funny.

Sousuke just shrugged. There were no chairs within easy reach.

"That's true," the Principal said. "In some Japanese high schools, even in normal school activities, boys and girls are not allowed to come within five feet of each other. That would make social dancing difficult. And it's only recently that dances with partners have come out of the closet in Japan. For years, the average person was fearful of the influence that foreign dances had, thinking they were nothing more than furtive groping in darkened halls. Now, they are becoming viewed as a healthy sport."

"Because of 'Shall We Dance'," one girl said. "The first Japanese movie version. And, because of 'Strictly Ballroom'. Those hit films attracted throngs of new fans."

"That's correct," the Principal said. "Up until this very day, the government has regulated social dancing under the 'Act to Control Businesses Affecting Public Morals,' a set of laws present since the Meiji Period in the nineteenth century. But, partly due to those films, ballroom dancing is no longer an elitist import from Europe. It has gone casual, with people today holding parties with canned juice and peanuts, 'throwing their bodies around like an octopus,' as Hitoshi Nakagawa of Dance View magazine once wrote."

"But-" One boy spoke up. "Couples… you know… touch…." His family was very traditional.

"What? Worried about cooties?" Another boy knew American slang like the back of his hand. He was a big fan of foreign culture.

"I know what you're leading up to," the Principal said. "Ballroom dance might seem an uneasy cultural fit here in a society that is used to formal bows rather instead of touchy hugs. Dancers have such expressive faces, while most Westerners view we Japanese as having what they would call poker faces. But, let me tell you an interesting fact. Japan has more ballroom dancers than other country. Ballroom dancing magazines estimate that fourteen million Japanese enjoy the pastime through classes at dance schools, university social dancing courses, clubs, and competitions. They also spend a fortune on tuxedos, chiffon-trimmed gowns, and videos that give tips on dancing the waltz, fox trot, tango, cha-cha, rumba and pasa double. They say they dance to get exercise, to meet people, and to have fun. One of the most common dance numbers is the 1960s pop hit 'Sukiyaki'. Mr. Kumakawa provided a recording of that song." She held up a well-worn CD.

"But-" This time it was a girl who seemed uncomfortable. "My mother told my father not to watch those movies. She said that her great-great grandfather had visited London in the 1880s, and he said that the dancing seemed pointless, and that the music sounded savage. She also said that a ballroom boom occurred in this country after World War Two, when hundreds of dance halls were built for occupying American soldiers. But the dancing was considered a seamy excuse for men to approach to women. And, until recently, most dance schools were located in shady neighborhoods near Turkish baths and pachinko parlors."

"But," Tomomi said. "The most privileged people are doing it now. I used to see executives practicing golf swings while they were waiting for the train. Now, they practice social dance moves on the public platforms."

"I know!" Mizuki said with a look of annoyance. "There's one guy that keeps saying 'It makes me feel so alive!'"

"Things are changing," the Principal said. "And… at Jindai High… we are trying to look to the future, not adhere to the past. You know we are one of the few schools in Japan where there is even a single shower, right? And we have two rooms with four showers apiece. We eat in a cafeteria, not our homeroom. We have more than one classroom for each Class. There are few restrictions about jewelry and fingernail polish." She saw someone raise her hand after pointing at Kaname's hair. "I know… hair dying… that was not out choice, and we are working to overturn that ordinance. We in this country have learned that having lots of things supported by a strong economy does not make our lives… or our art… particularly rich. That is why more people are now being drawn to dance… it is the simplest form of art… one which you create with your body and nothing else."

"Please don't say art so loudly," one boy pleaded. He looked at the door, as if he expected Mr. Mizohoshi to sashay back in.

"So, what you are saying…." Kyuoko spoke up. "We are going to learn social… ballroom… dancing? For a school dance?"

"Yes," the Principal said. "But not today, I'm afraid." She gave a number of applauding boys a scornful glance. "With Mr. Kumakawa absent, there is no one in the school who can teach us how to do the waltz… the one social style deemed acceptable at a formal school get-together."

"I know how to waltz," Sousuke said without thinking, immediately regretting being a blabbermouth.

"And so do I," a voice said from the doorway.

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Large amounts of wording are taken from 'What is the Difference between Visual Arts and Performing Arts? How can each be used in Cultural Events?' from and by Manuel Miller.

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PHOTO CREW

"You know," the Norwegian operative said. "It's sure funny how they do things here in Japan."

"How so?" Mr. Magnesium asked. He was switching out a freshly charged battery for one that had grown weak in his camera.

"Spraying their hair black," the woman replied, nodding towards a long line that went into a room that was not a photo set-up. "I mean… really… what's wrong with colored hair!" She was a natural blonde.

"Guh!" Mr. Magnesium smacked his forehead hard enough to leave a red mark. "I'm such an imbecile!" He wasn't. He was exceptionally accomplished for a man of his young age. He was no Leonard Testarossa, but how many men are?

"Huh?" a large mustached man asked. "Why's that?"

"I couldn't see the forest for the trees," Mr. Magnesium said. "Or the tress for the forest. Whichever one it is. Damn!" He was seething now.

"I still don't-" The man with the handlebar mustache started.

"That girl!" Mr. Magnesium said. "The one I had that funny feeling about. Her face. It was her face."

"Yes!" A gaunt man with a buzz cut said, his speaking showing that he had front teeth missing. "I know what you mean. He face looked like-"

"The one on the picture we were given," the Norwegian woman said. She snapped her fingers. "The one for our target. For-"

"Kaname Chidori," Mr. Magnesium finished. "Yes. It could be her. We could remove the dye… or examine her roots… but that would be more intrusive than we have been tasked with. That does not matter. I have a simpler way. As a Whispered, I have the ability to tell other Whispered if I can bring about resonance. All I need is to find some way to get the girl to drop her shields, so to speak. Then, if I'm close enough, I can find out one way or the other for certain."

"What's the next step, then?" Mustache asked.

"It's obvious," Mr. Magnesium said, feeling a renewed sense of the hunt. "Everyone will search for the girl, inside the building and out. First, to be safe and to be complete, we will continue to search for a blue-haired girl. Second, we will question the girls we photographed earlier about their personal data under the appropriate pretense, and see if we can draw any responses that suggest one of them might be Kaname Chidori. If we get sufficient clues, we can grab her and question her off site. If it's not the Chidori girl, we can use her for our pleasure and dispose of her in the usual fashion. Third… quickest and easiest, I hope… we find that one girl… we get her upset and off balance emotionally… and I check to see if she is Whispered."

"If she is," the gaunt man said. ""And she is not Kaname Chidori… it's still another fine catch, correct?"

"Indeed," Mr. Magnesium said. "If you are fishing for tuna and you catch a sea bass, it still makes for a good meal. Amalgam wants every Whispered it can find. But, we need to find a good way to get that girl upset, and to let me get close to her."

"I believe that I can be of some help there," another camera-carrying mercenary type offered. His name was Juan de Cervantes, an ex-member of Unidad de Operaciones Especiales, the elite special operations force of the Spanish Navy and Marines. "I am very good with the ladies." He had the look of a lothario or a young Don Juan. "And… I love police shows. I believe that this might be a good opportunity for some type of bad cop good cop scenario."

"That girl's class… II-4…. Is in a room down the hall," a heavy-set mercenary with thick-rimmed glasses said. "I listened in. It sounded like they were getting ready to dance, or something."

"Perfetco!" Juan said, gleefully. "Dance! My love. My passion. Dancing is a skill every man should have. It's almost like a cheat code." He licked his lips. "Do you see what I mean? Music and dance plays… and has always played… a fascinating role in social interaction in nearly every culture. Throughout history, the importance of music has been noted by many an erudite thinker such as Aristotle, Confucius, Einstein, Nietzsche, Plato, Sartre. But arguably seduction has been it's most important and interesting use."

"So," Mr. Magnesium said. "You will try to seduce the truth from her?" He sounded doubtful.

"If I can," Juan said. "Do you know what separates just a good male dancer from one who women love and just can't seem to get enough of? They both need to be good at leading, and to know how to move their body to the music; the difference, however, is that a good dancer will try to show off his own moves while the one who's being asked out to dance again and again will use leading to make his partner look amazing. Can there be a more perfect analogy for seduction?"

"Amen," the Norwegian woman said.

"You extend your hand firmly to show what will happen next and even though she's free to choose whether to follow your directions or not. If you do things properly, she will do so more often than not." Juan posed for effect. A few girls in the hallway came close to swooning. "At no point do you try to force her into a particular position though. You don't have to. For men, leading is seducing."

"Sounds kind of girly to me," a small scarred man with a giant Adam's Apple opined. "Dancing? That's for pansies. Real men learn all they need to know about seduction from movies! 'You need kissing badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed, and often. And by someone who knows how'. 'When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible'. 'You're good-looking. You got a beautiful body, beautiful legs, beautiful face, all these guys in love with you. Only you've got a look in your eye like you haven't been fucked in a year'. Stuff like that."

"Yeh! Movies!," a large mercenary in reflective shades said, hair bundles looking like drooping asparagus fronds. "I learned all that I know from movies. 'An Erotic Werewolf in London'. 'Play-Mate of the Apes'. 'Lord of the G-Strings: The Fellowship of the String'. 'Bikini Girls on the Dinosaur Planet'. Those old chestnuts."

"Gentlemen… don't quit your day jobs." Juan just shook his head. "Where was I? Listen up. This one is for free. Leading goes beyond dance. It can take obvious forms, such as introducing topics to the conversation; inviting the woman on dates; suggesting that the two of you move to another venue; offering to take her back to your place; and escalating to sex." He tossed is pony-tailed long black hair. A student who overheard him fell to his knees, feeling unworthy. The nearest girls clutched their chests, not knowing why.

"Don't put the girl into a coma, though." Mr. Magnesium said, secretly taking mental notes. "She needs to be conscious for me to have any hope at resonating. And don't forget that she is a teenage girl," Mr. Magnesium stated with authority. "And, your goal is to get her off balance through any means necessary, not to seduce her as a future conquest. If you play things too close to the bone, Mr. Silver may take an unfortunate interest in your bones."

"Of course," Juan said. "Of course. I have enough women lined up for years to come." The way he said though, sounded as if he never turned down the chance to help someone butt in line. "This will be good practice. And a chance to test what I have been taught. A group of evolutionary biologists looked at the science of bump and grind, and say they have figured out exactly which dance movements catch a woman's eye. For men, hips don't lie, and arms don't matter. Researchers have identified types of body movements that correlate with the best perception of a man by a woman. Larger and more variable movements of the head, neck, and torso. Speed of leg movements, particularly bending and twisting the right knee. Those are what catches a woman's eye.

"I agree," a stout man with a faux hawk said. "It is indeed important to know what women look for in a dancing partner, since dancing ability… particularly that of men… may serve as a signal of mate quality. But dance moves are only part of the equation. Facial attractiveness… body shape… and even perceived socioeconomic status play a role in how people judge the dancing ability of their peers. This country is no exception. In experienced women, and in those shy of adulthood."

"Naturally," Juan said. "That has been the name of the game since the beginning of time. And… speaking of the game…." He nodded to his superior. "If subtle seduction fails, I will use blatant and clumsy attempts to push her over the edge. I will make myself seem like a bad man, one only interested in plucking the flower of an innocent girl. That will allow you to rush to her defense, as a man interested only in a young girl's honor, chastity, and happiness."

"Yes," Mr. Magnesium said. Smiling. "After raising her shields so high, the girl will drop her defenses lower than she might otherwise. I can count on you, can I not?"

"Por supuesto," Juan said suavely.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. No matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong with it.

How could the unexpected visitor to the Dance discussion know that Kaname Chidori was actually Sousuke Sagara? And how might that newcomer know how rabid Sousuke felt about protecting Kaname's body and reputation?

"Hello," Juan said amiably, after making his initial claim. "My name is Juan. I am one of the professional cameramen. But… as coincidence would have it… I am also a fan of dance. I am very adept at social dancing." He eyed the Principal, judging her level of suspicion. It was natural for a protective and professional woman to mistrust the motives of a young and forward man, especially one as spectacularly handsome as he. "In any other situation, I would serve very well as a respectful and clinical dance partner… but here… in this group… I could also serve as a source of knowledge." By denying his intent to dance, he might seem less of a concern.

"What do you think?" The Principal looked vigilant, willing to give the benefit of doubt, but doubly ready to pounce on the slightest suspicion or misstep. "It would do best to take a partner from our class, if we were going to train people one at a time. An experienced partner would help teach things quicker, especially seeing that only half of the period is available to introduce ballroom dancing. You students still have to do the day's running."

"I have no problem with it," Sousuke replied. He was adept at handling the boy's role, thanks to Commander Mardukas's strict teachings. He shuddered, thinking of those memories. But, he was not averse to letting a better teacher assume that role.

"I will be a gentle lead," Juan said, misinterpreting that shudder. He fought a smile, thinking the girl to be such an innocent thing.

"He's so handsoooo-ooo-oo-ome…" A handful of girls breathed.

"She's so lucky," other girls agreed.

"He's nothing special," envious guys claimed.

'I wish I were younger,' the Principal thought.

"He's cool," Shinji cooed. He wasn't gay. He had noticed a tattoo the man had, and correctly identified the special forces group it belonged to.

"That will be-"Sousuke was about to say 'fine'; however, something changed his trajectory. When the young visitor raised an arm to toss his ponytail over one shoulder, he exposed that tattoo once again: A grinning skull wearing a beret and set against an open parachute was pierced by a long knife, sitting atop a diagonally crossed sniper rifle and skies suspending frogmen flippers. This time the body marking bothered him. He was no longer in a daze, and that was just one tattoo too many amongst the camera crew.

Sometimes, in the tide of battle like the tide of seduction, it is best to let the fighting come to one. But, more often, it is best to grab the bull by the horns. Or, the bullfighter by the balls. "That will be unnecessary. For reasons I care not to explain, I am better trained in the lead role," Souuske claimed. That was true. But also, anything he could do to put the unfamiliar man off of his best game might prove useful. There is mental dancing, too. He walked over to Kyouko and whispered into her ear. He explained that it might just be paranoia, but it might be best not to use her real name, but to call her 'Ayame' instead, remembering something he had heard over Bonta-Kun's auditory sensors. He instructed the other girl to spread the message throughout the entire class, without drawing undue attention or causing signs of panic.

"I do not wish to argue with such a lovely young lady," Juan said, wondering what the whispering was about. "But… if we are here to teach, are we not also here to learn?" He liked that line. He had no doubt that his comforting smile would swing the matter. "Even after a short time, I will make certain that you will be much better at following."

"I see," Sousuke said, plotting his fuselage. "You are the type of man who has trouble taking a woman's part, even in show." He was not oblivious to the obvious irony. "You might fight my lead out of pride. An inexperienced dancer would prove more effective as my partner."

"No no no," Juan said quickly. "I am merely here to help." He fought a surge of anger. Anger was trouble in battle, and useless in seduction. "Let us begin." He and Sousuke took up the proper dancing position at the middle of the floor as the Principal started the music. The voice of Japanese crooner Kyu Sakamoto rang out. The English translation is:

Look up while I walk
So the tears won't fall
Remembering those spring days
But tonight I'm all alone
I look up while I walk
Counting the stars with teary eyes
Remembering those summer days
But tonight I'm all alone
Happiness lies beyond the clouds
Happiness lies above the sky
I look up while I walk
So the tears won't fall
I cry while I walk
For I am alone tonight
Remembering those autumn days
But tonight I'm all alone
Sadness hides in the shadow of the stars
Sadness hides in the shadow of the moon
I look up while I walk
So the tears won't fall
My heart is filled with sorrow
For tonight I am alone
For tonight I am alone

"I will share with my valued classmates the dance knowledge I have," Sousuke said. "In return, I hope that you will give your best, so that our dancing endeavor will turn out to be a success for each and every one of us."

"It would be a success if we forgot the whole thing," one boy said.

"Why?" A girl asked. "Scared? Don't want to touch a girl? Aren't you one of the big talkers in class?"

That kind of banter exploded, with the guys against dancing, and the girls cautiously optimistic.

"The waltz follows a slower tempo and uses 'the box step'," Sousuke said. "That is a series of movements that form the shape of a box. To dance the waltz, you will start by learning either the lead or the follow steps so you have the basic movements down. Boys, watch what I do. Follow what I do standing in your own space. This is a simple mis-" He bit off the word 'mission'. "This is a simple assignment." That word had him thinking. "Madame Principal… might I suggest… if you have today's efforts graded…."

"An excellent idea, Miss Chidori." The Principal took a small booklet out of her pocket, and with a grand flourish clicked a pen, getting it ready for use. "The future dance will be a social event. But, today's efforts are part of class."

The grumbling amongst the students continued, for different reasons this time. However, postures were no longer lackadaisical, and eyes were all on the dancers.

"As I was saying, learn your roles separately," Sousuke said, quoting things that he had read in Kaname's copy of 'Dance' magazine. "Then you can pair them with a partner later. I will state this, for those who see no use in this endeavor. Ballroom dancing is a way to stay fit. It can improve joint health, increase muscle mass, and build self-confidence. The benefits of ballroom dancing extend beyond physical health. Social dancing leads to a continued engagement with life, contributing to dancers' longevity. Dancing also alleviates social isolation and helps to relieve the aches and pains associated with daily life. Any physical activity that involves coordinating brain and body can strengthen neurons and improve cognitive health." That had Sousuke feeling a knot in his stomach, for obvious reasons.

"That doesn't sound so bad," one boy said.

"Ayame is such a good instructor," a girl noted. "She sounds a bit different today; I want to see what she can teach me."

"For those of you who have been injured in sports, dancing can also help back and neck problems and will improve your posture." Sousuke was trying to remember some of the points that Commander Mardukas had whacked into his heads, like a croquet pole pounded in with a mallet. He mixed in things that he had read in the magazine. "Dancing can help form relationships… and can improve relationships that already exist. We co-operate, grow, and learn together… get frustrated together… share the glory together… and bond with our fellow dancers and teachers. Just like the better part of our schooling here." He paused, thinking back to homeroom. "But… there… is… no… entrance exam…."

"Hell yeh!" A number of boys and girls shouted at once. They had bonded more. They were feeling more positive.

"She's not just some silly girl," Juan said to himself. He would dial things up from where he first intended. And, since Kaname Chidori had been described as a leader, he felt as if his actions would prove successful. The sooner the success, the sooner he could leave this school and return to his ladies.

"And… remember this…" Sousuke released his hold on Juan and stood like a drill instructor, arms behind his back, and legs straight. "This is not just something to do and be done with. This is not something you keep to yourself, to you and your partner alone. The satisfaction that a couple gets when onlookers admire their skill and beauty is beyond description. And… hear me now! Dancing done well and from the heart can make people smile… lift depression… bring a sense of self-worth… and establish real and lasting self-confidence. Who here at this school could use some of that?!"

"I can!" "Me too!" "We all could!" "The whole damn school!" "Every damn school!"

"Amazing," the Principal said. "Such a wonderful girl." Ideas began to crystalize in her mind. She planned to make Kaname Chidori an ambassador of sorts. An ambassador of dance. As a forward-looking administrator, she hoped to improve the conditions at as many schools as she could. She would share this amazing resource.

"Are you all ready?" Sousuke stuck his chest out, blinking rapidly when he experienced that motion in Kaname's body.

"We are ready," most of the class called back.

"I… said…" Sousuke started. "Are… you… ready!"

"WE ARE READY!" That was one hundred percent participation.

"Ayame's so cool!" Kyouko said to anyone listening. To herself she said, "Too bad Sousuke isn't here to see this."

"She's not bad," a boy said, beginning to see the class rep in a different light. He wasn't the only boy feeing that way.

"Wow!" Maya said. "If Ayame was a boy, I could totally fall for her."

"If you are all ready then…." Sousuke held his arms out, signaling Juan to take his place. "Then, shall we dance?" He snapped a finger and pointed at the music player. Shinji almost tripped over his own feet rushing to re-queue the song.

"Magnifico," Juan found himself whispering. For a moment, he had indeed felt like the one being led, even before the dance began. This was no ordinary girl alright. He felt as if he were in the presence of a man. A man who had led men, and had been led by other men. Out loud he said "Si!"

"Take your partner in your arms in a classic dance stance with your right hand on her waist and your left hand in her right hand," Sousuke said as he did just that. "Her left hand should be on your right shoulder. This will feel pretty natural in time. As you dance the waltz, she will follow you doing the mirror image of what you are doing."

Juan would need to say the things he chose to say at a volume that the girl could hear, but no one else could. He started with the obvious question. "So, my young dance partner, may I ask your name?"

"Ayame," Sousuke said with no embellishment. If the man had been paying attention, he would have heard that name already.

"I see," Juan replied. The girl had said that with no hesitation. There was no change in posture or facial expression. "Such a lovely name. For such a lovely girl." There, simple enough.

"Boys!" Sousuke would follow tradition. Teach as he had been taught. That's how he remembered things the best. "Treat young ladies as human because that is what they are. They breathe and they have feelings. Your words and actions can cause lasting damage. Think before you speak and act."

The boys all looked at one another. Normally, they would be annoyed, make some wiseass comment, or immediately ignore anything else said. But, some actually nodded their heads. Pleasantly surprised, many of the girls gave 'Kaname' a thumbs up.

"Listen to the music for a couple of moments and get the 1-2-3 beat in your mind," Sousuke instructed. "Then, on a first beat, step forward one step with your left foot. Your partner will be stepping back one step with her right foot. Got it so far?"

"Yes!" "You bet!" "That's easy!" "We can do that!" "Good grades!" The boy who said the last was cuffed by the others.

"I wasn't…" Juan was taken aback. His comments had been tame, yet the forceful girl had unloaded on him in unexpected fashion. He would deal with it. He had to keep on edge himself. "Black hair looks so beautiful on oriental girls. But, I myself like other colors, too. Blue for example. Do you know anyone with blue hair?" Again, he saw no change in the girl, who did not miss a beat.

"Yes," Sousuke said, choosing to answer in a way he might imagine Ayame doing. But, he had to change things up a bit, to make things fit. "My twin sister."

"Sis-" Juan was the one who almost missed his step. "You have a sister. How marvelous. If she is as beautiful as you, I would certainly like to meet her." Kaname Chidori's file mentioned a sister named Ayame. But, no age was given.

"No slut-shaming. Girls have the right to wear whatever they like without fear of being sexually assaulted," Sousuke ordered. "What they are wearing or the fact that they enjoy sex is not an invitation for you to make unwanted sexual advances or speak about or to a girl in slut-shaming terms."

"Enjoy sex?" One boy swallowed hard. Then, his eyes opened wide. "Does that mean she enjoys sex?"

"Of course not!" Shiori said. The other girls shouted the boy down for having a dirty mind.

Other boys eyed 'Kaname' differently. She seemed so mature, so different that the other chattering girls. Sexually active or not, she exuded a confidence that left them stunned. She had just provided the lot of them with something to talk about. Her.

"On the next beat, step forward and to the right with your right foot," Sousuke continued. "Your right foot should make a bit of an upside-down 'L' shape to get there. Again, your partner should move her left foot back and to the left so, at the end of the step, you are still facing each other."

The girl could indeed be Ayame, Juan accepted. But, she could well be Kaname Chidori with dyed hair, pretending to be her sister. He would ask another leading question. After that, he would switch gears drastically. If honey didn't do the trick, maybe vinegar would. He had tried suave and sexy. Crass and creepy might serve better, it seemed. He would get the young woman to crack. "I will kill myself if I have said something to upset you, my flower." Watching the girl's eyes he said. "Have you ever tried to kill yourself?" The records said that the Chidori girl had attempted suicide while in America.

"No," Sousuke said. "But, my sister has. I do not think I should be talking about her, behind her back."

"I bet I know what people are saying behind your back... 'Nice ass!'" Juan was grateful for the perfect lead in. He followed quickly with: "You must be Jelly, 'cause jam don't shake like that."

"When a girl says 'NO' to anything she means 'NO!'" Sousuke snapped out. That comment from Juan had caught him off guard, and he hated being caught off guard. "She does not mean 'maybe' or 'I'm not sure'. Girls can say 'NO' at any time during anything. This means you STOP immediately." That had not been directed at the Spaniard. But, his name was now on Sousuke's list.

"That's our class rep," Mayuko remarked. "You tell them!"

"Hey!" Ono-D replied. "We may talk big, but we'd never do anything like that!" He didn't find it odd responding like that, discarding the usual 'boy's rule' kind of snarky talk.

"Whatever that might be," Shinji said, clueless. But, he felt like offering his support to 'Kaname' just the same.

"Shift your weight to your right foot without moving your left," Sousuke said. "It's just a gentle leaning movement," "Now, on the third beat, slide your left foot over to your right and you will be standing with your feet together. Again, your partner should be mirroring your steps. Now you will look like you did right at the beginning."

"No doubt you must want me dragged off and thrown into jail," Juan began. "Speaking of which… have you ever been kidnapped?"

"Negative," Sousuke said. "The entire class has been; but, I had not transferred to my sister's school yet. I am new here. My thing's haven't even been delivered from home."

Another fantastic lead in. "Do you work for UPS? I could have sworn I saw you checking out my package," Juan said with an abrupt pelvic thrust. "My real name is Haywood. Haywood Jablome." The girl's grip tightened ever so slightly. He had struck gold, had he not? This would not prove difficult, after all.

"Girls are equal to you in brain power. In fact, many will exceed you." Sousuke noticed his dance partner's eyes grow narrow briefly after he said that. Why? Did he take his words personally? Hmmm. Did he sense a killing intent? "This may be news to you, but they can also be physically stronger than you. They can also be better at sports." He also wondered at the man's transformation. He was no match for Mao; but, his behaviour was beyond coarse. There must be a purpose behind his actions.

Not all of the boys were enamored with the new Chidori. The boys from the sports teams took offense at the girl's suggestion, and were still smarting from their experiences in English class. Kaname Chidori was now added to their list.

"Girl power!" That was Kyouko calling out, even though she was the least athletic girl in class.

"That's right!" Shiori slapped hands with Maya. "Kaname sure showed Sousuke that, alright. She bounced a base right off of his head!" She cringed. But, that name need not apply to anyone in the room.

"But… that homerun ball…." Tomomi said. She shook her head. Her memory must be messed up. But it still seemed like that ball had bounced off of something, to land square on the field that way. No time to think about that now. She had to pay attention.

"Now, on the fourth beat of six, step back one step with your right foot," Sousuke said. "You partner should be stepping forward with her left."

Juan decided to try one final leading question. "As a world traveler, I bet you have been many places. Jet planes. Trains. Cruise ships. Tell me. Have you ever been aboard a submarine?"

"No," Sousuke answered for Ayame.

"No?" Juan readied his next verbal assault. "I can take care of that. You see, I too am long, hard, and filled with semen." He chuckled, hoping the girl would understand his substitution of 'semen' for 'seamen'. What next? Of course! "Your face reminds me of a wrench… every time I think of it, my nuts tighten up." How about one more: "I lost my virginity. Can I have yours?"

"Many girls love to have fun and party," Sousuke told his classmates. "This does not mean you can come onto them when they are drunk or high. In fact, this is a good time to look out for them as you would any human in a similar situation." He knew how he wanted to treat Juan in this situation; but, he would remain committed to the dance instruction. It was his assigned task. He was a specialist!

Most in the class mumbled assent that time. None of them were into drinking or drugs. And, none of them had ever hung around drunk or high members of either gender.

"Very true," the Principal agreed. Again, she found herself impressed with the Chidori girl. She had always been an able class representative, and according to Atsunobu served well on the Student Council. But today, she managed teaching dance at the same time she provided terse and pithy social advice. If only she could get though to the absent Sousuke Sagara!

"On the fifth beat of the music, step back and to the left with your left foot-" Sousuke began. "-Then shift your weight to your left foot." He did exactly what he said, cringing slightly. He had barked out that order like he was an instructor at boot camp.

"Are you a drill sergeant?" Juan asked, thinking back to his own training days. "Because you have my privates standing at attention. Speaking of that, I would tell you a joke about my penis, but it's too long!" Again, the pelvic motion. "What's the difference between a Ferrari and an erection? I don't have a Ferrari."

"Girls are not here on this earth for your pleasure," Sousuke said with a bit of heat. "They are not sexual objects. It may be news to you, but they do not like cat-calling, gossiping with others about their bodies or appearance, or being stared at while going about their daily routines."

Trying their best to imitate the moves of the two dancers, the class members all called out in agreement. None of them noticed a shadow at the doorway. The person there was not visible. The Principal was too focused on the dance demonstration to have any concerns.

Juan was the exception. He noticed the shadow, and knew exactly who must be standing in waiting. He turned the dance orientation slightly, so the girl he danced with would see nothing outside of the meeting room. He was too late.

"On the sixth and final beat of this dance step, slide your right foot forward until your two feet are together," Sousuke said. "Again, you and your partner should be back together, feet together, facing one another just like right before you started."

"Do you wash your panties with Windex? Because I can really see myself in them." Juan tried not to chuckle. This was fun. Almost as fun as using his usual seductive pick-up lines on receptive women. "Want to play Pearl Harbor? I'll lay on the ground and you blow the hell out of me!" After the cultural reference, he would be the one to drop the bomb! "My dick just died. Would you mind if I buried it in your ass?"

"Pornography is not real," Sousuke said. "It is not what a loving respectful relationship looks like. What you may have seen are two or more actors. Even though the woman appears to enjoy sex that objectifies and degrades her, in real-life this most likely is not the case. A loving relationship is where two people enjoy time together and both enjoy sex that is mutually respectful."

A number of boys blushed. Some had porno mags hidden under their futons or stashed away in other secret locations. Girls who enjoyed salty manga shuffled their feet and looked away from 'Kaname.'

Students who wrote fan fiction about rape and other unnatural romantic trysts looked as if their souls had been stripped bare.

"Now, you start again just like the second step with stepping one step forward with your left foot, only turn both you and your partner about 1/4 turn to the left," Sousuke said. "Then repeat the pattern again." He felt himself blushing, thinking back to the time Kurz had plastered his cabin walls aboard DaDanaan with the choicest centerfolds, including some that he had photo-shopped with the faces of Kaname, Tessa, and Mao.

'Blushing, are we?' Juan thought. Time to steer this ship towards port! "My blushing beauty, first, I'd like to kiss you passionately on the lips… then, I'll move up to your belly button. That shirt's very becoming on you. If I were on you, I'd be coming too. Hey, you know, it's not going to suck itself." Hey, he wasn't above stereotypes, so he would put the engines on full by saying: "I'm not Asian… but I'll still eat your cat."

"Cat?" Sousuke said to himself, not getting the sexual reference. In a stern voice he said "Do not take pictures of girls without their permission. Do not post such pictures on the internet. I repeat, DO NOT do this despicable and illegal act." He then continued with his directions. "If it feels like you just made a box with your feet, you've got it. Whem you have time, practice over and over again with the music until you are comfortable with this basic waltz step,"

'Time for one more thrust of the epee, Juan thought, knowing that the verbal fencing match was coming to an end. "Do you work at Subway my pet? Because you just gave me a foot-long. Miss, if you've lost your virginity, can I have the box it came in? I want to melt in your mouth, not in your hand." Pressure, disengage-hit, feint to an opening, disengage-hit! "You remind me of my little toe... because I'm going to bang you on every piece of furniture in my home." With that, it was time for the coup de grace. He slapped the girl hard on the rump.

Big mistake.

Sousuke did not like being touched on his ass by a man. He especially did not want some cretin slapping Kaname's ass. And, a man doing that… and having a tattoo of that type… brought about an instinctual response.

WHAPPPP-PPP-PP-P! Sousuke slapped Juan hard across the face, stunning him.

WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP! Juan's face in his hands, Sousuke drove Muay Thai knee shots to his adversary's chin time and time again.

ZOOP! The edge of his hand like a knife blade, Sousuke backhanded a chop to the reeling man's larynx.

"Up we go!" Sousuke used a move that Kaname had used against him. Kaname's signature suplex. SLAM! He drove the man's head into the floor, almost snapping his neck.

"Now…." Sousuke raised his foot, ready to supply the requisite groin stomping.

"Miss Chidori!" The Principal called out. "I think he's unconscious." She was conflicted. After seeing that way the man slapped her student on the buttock, she wouldn't mind seeing as much retribution as possible.

"-" The class was silent at first, before bursting out with cheers and calls of encouragement. Normally the boys in the group would be shocked, calling Kaname Chidori a monster or an idol gone crazy. Today, however, she had become an object of their admiration. That last move was the cherry on top, so to speak. As a bonus, they had been the benefactors of yet another pantie shot. But, that didn't seem as exciting in real life as it did in fan service animes.

"My goodness!" A new voiced cried out as the din settled. "Let me help you up!" The man had moved quickly to enter the room, and then 'help' pull 'Kaname' to her feet. Mr. Magnesium made certain to keep contact with the girl, wanting to confirm or refute her status as one of his fellow Whispered. "I apologize. That man will never work for our photo service again!"

"You can save you fake efforts at sincerity," Sousuke spat out. The straw had broken the camels back. Photographers with military tattoos. Leading questions by a 'convenient' dance partner. A quick rescue, also so very coincidental. Perhaps these men were after Kaname. No. It might be more than that. They could be here to attack the school as a whole.

"Fake?" Mr. Magnesium was not one to gather wool. He immediately changed his approach. If he couldn't play Bad Cop-Good Cop, then Bad Cop-Worse Cop would still serve him well. The more upset the already enraged girl might feel, the better his chance at resonance would be. "Who are you to say anything about being fake." He eyed the girl's chest. "How much did the boob job cost you. You have breasts like Bombay mangoes. You must be one of those Enjo-kōsai girls." That is the Japanese language term for the practice of older men giving money and luxury gifts to attractive young or adolescent women for their companionship, or for sexual favors. The female participants range from school girls to housewives.

"They're real!" Sousuke retorted, much the same way that Kaname had when Masatami Hyuuga had touched her breast and asked if they were real. He refrained from unleashing a Megaton Punch in retaliation as Kaname had. "But you are not. Dancing around the truth that way! You missed the runway." He had stumbled upon a touch-point incidentally.

"Dancing?" Mr. Magnesium seemed to swell in size, his initial intentions forgotten. "Runway?" He didn't realize that Sousuke had meant an aircraft runway, not the type used at fashion shows. "Not real." He struck a stance that would have been perfect for the 'Zoolander' movie. "You may have been clever enough to notice that I am a male model… but you were foolish to question my talent!" There was no resonance. This girl could not be Whispered. But, he was off mission now.

"Talent?" Sousuke laughed, on the attack. He was not usually one for verbal sparring; but, he would take a cue from Kaname. That, and make use of material he had read in Kaname's copy of 'Elle' magazine. "Model? Hmmm-mm-mpf!" Good, he got Kaname's sound just right. "You look soft. It's a hard life being a male model. It's not easy to avoid the unimaginably awful fate of being just another pretty face. Today's most influential male models aren't so much seen and not heard, they're seen, heard and then some. Rather than simply wearing the latest fashion trends, they are setting them and even designing them, making canny sidesteps into business ventures and turning their god-given cheekbones into social media clout and real world capital. They are men with plenty of brains to match their brawn."

"You-" Mr. Magnesium's eyes flashed with fury.

"Most male models are the end product of smoke and mirrors: they look good when stage-managed within an inch of their life, but have little affinity for the professional world they inhabit," Sousuke said. "That's not the case with Portugal-raised model Armando Cabral who can back up being generally elegant and expensive-looking with being the designer of an eponymous shoe brand that is every bit as tasteful in appearance as the man a world where being a name and a face is enough to get cash-registers ringing furiously, the fact that Cabral's fancy footwear shows a genuine understanding of design is music to our ears, and feet." Sousuke readied his barb. "You sir, are no Armando Cabral."

"You-" Mr. Magnesium seethed, fury morphing into hatred.

"Once upon a time young men rocked up to modelling agencies with a few amateur snaps and an overzealous mother," Sousuke said, remembering what he read to the word. "But if Cameron Dallas is anything to go by, things have changed. YouTube was the launch pad for that American online personality, whose modelling career is a side-gig for his full-time occupation of documenting his waking life to a frankly staggering audience. He has twenty million Instagram followers. And, when Dallas isn't making millions by goofing around, he's modelling for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana. You sir, cannot hold a candle to Cameron Dallas."

"You-" Mr. Magnesium was being pushed to his emotional limit. This was his one and only weakness, and that insipid girl had happened upon it. No soldier had ever made him skip the slightest beat! He unconsciously began taking modelling stances and making modelling moves.

"David Gandy is about the only person on the planet who could make Michelangelo's namesake statue look a bit rough around the edges in comparison," Sousuke said, seeing out of the corner of his eye that Juan was showing signs of life. Good. He didn't like taking lives when it wasn't necessary. "And it's thanks to a mixture of weight room dedication, a generous dose of genetic gold dust and genuine fashion credentials. A pro at mixing high-fashion campaigns with accessible high-street product lines, his work combines D&G and M&S. When he's not making eyeballs pop out of their sockets in his underwear, Gandy's busy directing his own short films, investing in small brands and throwing his megawattage behind charitable causes. Oh, and showing men that traditional British tailoring has plenty of life in it yet, of course. And I should add that rags to riches stories don't come more digital than the tale of Pietro Boselli, a humble maths teacher who went viral thanks to a student who stealthily put his image online. Boselli will be forever indebted to that sneaky student, as modelling contracts, ad campaigns and online followers have snowballed ever since. Though Boselli's been MIA from the staff room for quite some time, teaching is still a talent. After all, who else will step up to the challenge of showing the world's male population how to be hench without dressing like a Love Island reject? I ask you classmates… do you think this intruder can compete with the likes of David Gandy or Pietro Boselli?"

The class all answered emphatically in the negative.

"You… you… you-" Mr. Magnesium was red in the face. He let go of 'Kaname' and clenched both fists. He performed a quick series of moves.

"Are you trying to do The Walk?" Sousuke asked. Recognizing something else he had read in a magazine. "When it comes to classic modeling poses for beginners, getting your walk right is one thing you absolutely must nail. Every good heist movie features a badass slow-motion walk—and that's the energy you want to channel for this high-fashion model pose. When you do your walk, you can either stare at the camera straight-on or look away, like you were caught unaware. A common facial expression is narrowed eyes, looking past the camera."

"Really, Really, Really, Ridiculously Good Looking," Maya said, referencing 'Zoolander.' "I wonder if he's an Ambi-turner."

"He can't help that he was born with this perfect bone structure, that his hair looks better done up with gel and mousse than hidden under a stupid hat with a light on it," Ono-D added. He was a 'Zoolander' fan, too. "All he ever wanted to do was make his father proud of him."

"Now what are you butchering?" Sousuke would give it his all, as usual. "The Outdoor Pose?" He gave the foreigner a withering look. "Shouldn't you be trying to position yourself so the light catches on your best facial features. Keeping those contour lines visible makes up for the shadow on the rest of the face. You should also have an arm out to catch any extra light and add definition to the muscles. I suggest that you lie on the ground, facing up, and make sure your chin is extended to capture all the light."

Mr. Magnesium was growling.

"With what?! Your male modeling?!" That was Shinji, surprising the hell out of his classmates, and making an enemy out of the growling man. "Prancing around in your underwear with your wiener hanging out for everyone to see?! You're dead to me boy. You're more dead to me than your dead mother. I just thank the Lord she didn't live to see her son as a mermaid."

"Merman. Mer-mannn-nn-n!" Another boy added, coughing effeminately in exaggerated fashion.

"Wait! No!" Sousuke continued. "Could that be? Is that the best you can with the Action Pose?" He watched the other man fight to keep his composure. He kept automatically assuming poses, despite obvious efforts to suppress his natural urges. "Even I know that you should fully extend your limbs or bend them near a ninety-degree angle to create a powerful pose. Softer, looser bends will give the pose a more approachable feeling. Don't be afraid to defy gravity. The most common form of this is a jump pose or an elevated arm or leg. Even something as simple as adding a leg up behind you while leaning on a wall adds visual interest. You can manage at least that much, can't you?"

"Well I guess it all started the first time I went through the second grade," Mayuko said with another quote. "I caught my reflection in a spoon while I was eating my cereal, and I remember thinking 'wow, you're ridiculously good looking, maybe you could do that for a career'."

"One look… onnn-nn-ne look… I don't think so…." Ono-D posed and made a face like the one Ben Stiller did.

"There it is!" Shinji said.

"MAGNUM!" A large number of the class said that simultaneously.

"Holy Moley," the Principal said. She wondered if she was more embarrassed speaking up like that, or admitting that she was a 'Zoolander' fan.

Mr. Magnesium felt as if every molecule in his body was shouting in outrage. "I would not say such things if I were you." The way he said that had Sousuke thinking of Humperdink in 'The Princess Bride.'

"Not only are you a terrible model," Sousuke said, deciding he would parse together a couple of Princess Buttercup's lines from the movie. "You are a coward with a heart full of fear. And when I say you're a coward, it is only because you are the slimiest weakling ever to crawl the Earth."

"I… would… not… say… those… things… if I was yoooo-ooo-oo-o-uuuu-uuu-uu-u." Mr. Magnesium had started hyperventilating. People rarely spoke to him this way. An uncle with connections to both Amalgam and the fashion world had gained him opportunities that most young men could not dream of. Anyone foolish enough to cross him often lost employment or more.

"What's next?" Sousuke asked. "The Laid Back pose? The Gazing Pose? How about the Hidden Face Pose? No… I bet it will be the Dramatic Pose or the Sexy Pose? Or maybe this one-" He did some ridiculous movements. "Beat that Freestyle Pose, mister!"

Mr. Magnesium looked like he was in pain, as if he were Wesley strapped to the Machine in the Pit of Despair, and Humperdink had just set the machine to the maximum setting of 50. He looked straight at 'Kaname' when he said "You will pay," in a strangled voice. "You will pay." He said that looking at the Principal. "You will all pay." He swept his gaze across the other students. "Let's go… idiot…" He grabbed a slowly rising Juan by the collar and pulled him from the room.

The irate and thoroughly embarrassed man said nothing to his wounded companion. His thoughts were for him and him alone. He saw red, literally. And red made him think of blood. He couldn't care what Mr. Silver might want. He didn't give a flying fuck about finding a blue-haired girl. When he had arrived at the school that morning, he had no intention of causing anyone harm. Now, about to assemble his crew and leave said building, he intended to do his worst. He would take over the pilot's chair in the Venom A.S. that had been drawing Mithril's attention elsewhere in the city. He would use that powerful machine to reduce the fucking building to rubble, with all of those fucking students inside it.

Back in the classroom, Sousuke was unaware that he had enacted another self-fulfilling prophecy, just as he had done on that fateful day in Art class. When Mr. Mizohoshi's incomprehensible rambling convinced him that his classmates wanted to capture him and possibly harm him, he did things that indeed made them want to capture him and harm him.

The Principal wrapped up that day's dance session, still breathless from the scene she had witnessed. Before sending the students to change for outdoor activities, she happened upon an idea she wanted to pursue. There would be a Queen of their 'Prom,' and everyone unanimously voted for Kaname. The Principal would let the class rep choose the King.

The boys stepped over themselves trying to win 'Kaname's' favor. Some had been won over by 'her' speech at the assembly. Others had just recently become converts. Each offered himself, except for Shinji. Some even asked to be 'her' date for the dance. A number asked 'her' out on a date before the big night. Sousuke, trying to think as Kaname would, turned everyone down. He wanted to delay selecting of the King, too. He doubted Kaname knew how to waltz, yet. He should not usurp her choice of a dance partner.

"Please," one boy said, in mock desperation. "Please notice me. Please choose me. Please date me." He hung his head and said. "If you don't, I'll kill myself."

Sousuke felt a jolt of electricity flow through him, hearing that. He had lost comrades, mercenaries who had faced the horrors of war and felt it necessary to take their own lives. And, he had a mistaken view of the suicide issue associated with Japanese high schools. Indeed, as the President had told them all earlier, worry about examinations is a continuing reality for most Japanese high school students and their families. But, dramatic media coverage notwithstanding, it was not true that large numbers of disappointed youth are driven to take their own lives because of their failure to pass the entrance examination to elite universities. And, while high school suicides did take place… more commonly related to maladjustment to school . . . lack of motivation… dislike of school…and trouble with homework… the death rate had been dropping dramatically, and had recently been surpassed by the rate seen in American schools.

"I accept," Sousuke said. There was a life in his hands.

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Words were taken from 'The 20 Most Influential Male Models On Earth' by Luke Sampson and 'The 10 Model Poses Every Male Model Needs To Know' by the team at Format. Dirty come-on lines were taken from sites found on Google.

If you haven't seen the 'Magnum' scene in Zoolander, it's available on YouTube.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION REDUX

Sousuke was running, feeling odd again, seeing how Kaname's body jiggled as he sped onward.

The other students were rushing forward themselves, girls staying with girls, and guys staying with guys. That was the social norm, or course. And, it was because their requirements differed

In this school, as in many others, students were expected to be able to run long distance. Twelve kilometers for girls. Fifteen for boys. It wasn't just for personal health, or any type of Japanese aesthetic. It was in part a way to find strong candidates for ekiden.

Ekiden are long-distance relay races. Originating in Japan, the competitions pit teams of runners against each other, with individual racers completing different section, or 'stations,' of the course in order. Instead of a baton, competitors at the end of each leg pass a sash called a tasuki that identifies the current racer to the teammate who is running the next section of the race. Various amateur and professional events are held in Japan throughout the year, the most popular of which are broadcast on national television. For high schools, a great amount of honor was at stake.

There is no standard distance or number of sections for ekiden, although competitions generally have between five and ten legs ranging from five to twenty kilometers in length. Team size varies according to how many legs there are, and runners are selected for each leg according to its gradient, length, or terrain. The narrow tasuki links runners of a team together between stages, and in spirit across the entire race. Frequently emblazoned with the team name, the sash must be passed by hand, since throwing it results in disqualification. Ekiden are typically associated with road running, but there are also numerous cross-country events.

"Gambaro!" Shiori called out. 'Try your hardest!' As many of her countrymen, her national ethic had her staying with the pace until she was forced to drop back.

"Gambaro!" That shout echoed across the school grounds, as the students circled the open grounds, trying to focus on their running, not the telethon theatrics taking place in the central area. Mugging for the camera, many of the mascots struggled to run in a large circle, falling down in comical fashion… or puffing loudly, truly winded… for the sake of the global TV audience.

"Gambaro!" Sousuke called out. He was no stranger to running. He had done so in bootcamp, carrying heavy loads, including fellow soldiers during long distance rescue drills. He had also run long distances as a youth, with gunfire everywhere, bombs bursting above his head, even with hounds on his heels at times. None of that caused even a fraction of the discomfort he felt now.

There was a more perilous and frightful activity taking place as they ran: Girl Talk. Somewhat shaken, he did not realize that students and mascots were not the only ones running.

"So many crazy things have happened today," Maya said. "And it's only the third class!"

"I know," Shiori said. "Kaname's speech. Kaname's hair! Kaname's teaching! Kaname's smack-downs!"

"Kaname Kaname Kaname Ka-na-me," Mizuki said, angry about all of the attention that Pretty Perfect Kaname Chidori got. "There were also electrical shocks… shocking bowel movements… moving heroics…" With that she viewed Tsubaki's quick and utter failure through rose-colored glasses. "…Heroic vomitting… and enough movement to make me sick." Not a fan of exercise in general, she utterly despised dance and cross country. "That was even crazier than her."

"But you know what the craziest thing was?" Tomomi asked gleefully.

"Yes," Shiori replied. "Kaname Chidori accepted a date."

"In front of everyone!" Rumiko added.

"Oh Sousuke," Kyouko said, audible only to Sousuke. "I wonder how he will feel about that."

Sousuke did indeed feel conflicted. Conflicted, confused, and culpable. He had acted on Kaname's behalf, in a matter that should have been left entirely to Kaname. Also, he felt twinges again of something that could only be envy or jealousy. Why? What did he want? If there was something that he truly wished for, why hadn't he… a battle-tested and war-hardened soldier… have the sense to know what it was, and have the courage to ask for it? Again, it was not his assignment. It was not his duty to know so or to do so. Why was anything different today, compared to yesterday, or all of the days he had served in the ranks of Mithril?

"It's not just because it was Kaname," one girl added. "Although… being her… it was pretty shocking…." She kept a steady grueling pace with the others. "Romance is so rare in this school."

"It's so rare in the whole country," another girl concurred and corrected. "Almost half of the population of single people under thirty don't want a romantic partner. They all think that relationships are bothersome. Does anyone wonder why the birthrate has dropped so precipitously?" She couldn't look down on her fellow countrymen. She was very much on the fence herself.

"People with low incomes are even less interested," a third girl remarked. "And… one third of women say they would only marry someone who makes more than five million yen a year."

"It's not just money that matters," Shiori said. "If the government wants more babies, maybe it should do something about work hours. Most people in that age group work to midnight. There's no time to unwind and recharge. How can they expect people to meet anyone outside of work, much less anyone they might see as potential partners?"

"Don't forget gender inequality," Maya said. "That always puts a stress on relationships. When women have their first child, they don't return to work. All of the weight in a relationship falls on a man's shoulders. And as the sole breadwinner, men are forced to spend long hours after work with others in their business. We women do not like inequality in a relationship!"

"But the boys aren't much help!" Shiori said, waving her arm in the direction of the lumbering herd of the other gender. "They don't want to have anything to do with a woman who demands equal sharing of housework."

"That's why more Japanese women are marrying Western men," another girl reported. "Women are changing their view, but men have yet to change."

"Relationships are too complicated," Mari claimed. "And technology doesn't really help things. Not only do people get surrounded by it all day at work, it's too easy to use it to talk. Face-to-face contact is getting rarer and rarer. I don't think that things are so bad in other countries. Right, Kaname?"

"Uhhh-hh-h…." Sousuke had always considered human nature complicated and somewhat confusing. Perhaps the most confounding thing of all was romance. He had trouble enough with simple comradery and companionship. Romance was far above his pay grade. Now, a confusing subject began seeming even more daunting. "Right."

"You can say that again," Mizuki said sourly. Her luck with men was legendary. One of the few girls to actually try, she kept getting burned for her efforts. "There's so much trouble because of uchi-soto." That is a concept that outlines Japanese behavior in public. Public displays of affection are taboo. While Western ideas of honesty are seen as attractive to the Japanese on one hand, they are seen as problematic on the other. Japanese people are oblique about expressing their feelings. That leads to everyone trying hard to read each other's feelings. So, men in that country are very subtle and indirect when they approach women, if they approach women at all. The women hate to be kept guessing!

"And our parents… they expect us to keep the old ways going…." Daidai complained. "Before dating, there has to be gokon. Really? Group blind dates. Seriously?" Obviously, not a fan. "Groups of kids mingle and take stock of everyone. After a number of gokon, a handful of people pair off for coffee, movies, and other cliché activities, almost always in public."

"Feeling each other out, instead of feeling each other up." Shiori looked at Kaname's back as she ran. "Right, Kaname."

"Guh!" Sousuke stumbled ever so lightly. "I… well… that is beyond my experience." He had indeed fantasized at times; but, other than movies and television shows, he had nothing to base his fantasies on. The other soldiers were all so much older or more experienced than him. He had no peers to speak with about the simplest of missions. No. Scratch that. The simplest of social encounters.

"Maybe you will, soon enough," Maya said, getting catcalls from the other girls. "But, I suspect you will have to suffer through kokuhaku, first." That is the next step after gokon for those who are into one another. Kokuhaku is the confession of love often seen in anime. In Western culture, confessions come after couples have started dating. In Japan, they come before dating even begins. Guys are expected to say 'I love you,' although some will embrace a more cautious approach and say 'I like you.'

"Hey! She's Kaname Chidori!" One girl said. "She's class rep and VP. Who's to say she won't be the one to say things first? Right girl?!"

"That-" Sousuke was feeling more uptight by the moment. Not just about his acceptance of a date for Kaname. But, because he found himself wondering what he should do some day. Should he approach some girl? What would he do if some girl approached him? Other than blowing up a love letter. And, what if he erased the words 'some girl' and placed 'Kaname Chidori' in their stead. He windmilled his arms to keep his balance. He had missed a step, maybe two. "I don't know…."

"At least things pick up after kokuhaku," Maya said. "Meeting the parents. Private dates. And-"

"Physical intimacy!" That was Kyouko. Almost a dozen girls missed steps after hearing her say that. "It… well… that happens in my video games."

"Kissing and hand-holding, at least." Shiori noted. "Even though this country has never associated virginity with chastity and purity. The average age when anyone has their first sexual experience is twenty years old. So, most teenagers don't have sex!"

"But they do know about it," one girl remarked. "Porn magazines are everywhere, targeting teens as well as adults. And I'm not talking gun porn… things that a nut-job like Sagara might get into."

"And this month's centerfold is an M6 Arm Slave," another girl said, having heard Sousuke and Shinji discuss military hardware ad nauseum. "It's provocative pose is sure to require a whole box of tissues, if you know what I mean."

"Right! What would happen if he picked up real porn?" a third girl began. She tried to imitate Sousuke. "What are these pictures? What are those fleshy appendages, water jugs for long marches? And, what happened to their fleshy bayonets, were they cut off to reduce combat weight?"

"But soft, what breaks through yonder window?" Mari took a shot at modifying a Romeo and Juliet balcony scene. "If it is the east, then it is a bullet from Juliet's gun. Arise, fair gun, and kill the envious goons, who are already sick and pale from mustard gas."

All the girls laughed. Sousuke, never one to care one whit for what an enemy might say, somehow felt very small and insignificant, as if he were viewing his own life under a microscope. Snap out of it soldier. What place did love and intimacy have in the life of a killing machine? How would anything like that increase his chance of victory, and bring him and his teammates home safe from battle? But a small voice whispered deep inside that mind of his: 'might it give him a better reason to return from battle?'

"Don't listen to what the docudramas say," one girl said. "Or what they say in all of those censored magazines. Plenty of girls have sex these days. And while everyone says that the longer a couple waits to be intimate, the better the relationship will be after marriage, remember what we just heard. Fewer people are concerned about marriage. Less girls want to be held captive by so many social restraints."

"Yes," one aggressive girl said. "Screw Sagara," she continued, getting razzed for her poor choice of words. "We are on a mission now. First, we need to get Kaname Chidori kissed!"

"Then, we need to get her groped," another girl added. "Big time."

"Finally," another overly enthusiastic runner put in. "We… need… to… get… her… laid!" It seemed as if a number of girls wanted to chatter on about what they heard about sex, or their own personal experiences; but, Kyouko surprised everyone again when she forcefully changed the subject, wanting to expound on something she had said earlier.

"This is why I found something different," the pig-tailed girl said. "It's an antidote to loneliness. And, I have had no problem keeping it private, until now." She took a deep breath and forced herself to continue. "Video games."

"Video games?" Maya asked, surprised. "You?"

"Hah! Video games!" Shiori laughed. "Sousuke is like a video game. Is that the type of guy that anyone wants? Put in a quarter, and he attacks an Art Class. Put in another quarter, and he blows up a locker. Put in two quarters, and you face the final boss, a cannister of the Full Monty virus!" The other girls piled on.

"Well… it's really not a video game," Kyouko admitted. "I guess you should really call it an app. I downloaded it to my phone. And it's not really that unique a thing to do. Millions of women in Japan swap real life intimacy for a fantasy. I felt lonely. Japanese boys are shy and not good at flattering women. But girls… you know… we want to hear 'I love you'. And… well… I wouldn't be anyone's choice, even if the boys here were braver."

"That's only because they don't know you," Sousuke said, with a rare surge of sympathy. The commentary today made him feel a bit like a fish out of water. "You are kind, while so many of the girls act silly and intrusive. You will make someone a good squadm-… a good partner some day."

"Thank you, Kana-chan," Kyouko replied, feeling better. "My virtual boyfriends give me something a clueless school boy can't. Like the one in 'Metro PD: Close To You.' I play a female detective who discovers a life-changing romance while fighting crime. When I am tired at the end of the day, before going to sleep, I am always so relieved to hear his sweet and gentle words." Some of the other girls snickered.

"Ummm… well… I…." Tomomi spoke up, sounding a lot more timid than usual. "I use a dating simulation app, too. I mean…almost half of the millennial single girls are virgins… virgins who still want intimacy, even if it's just simulated intimacy."

"I know how you can simulate intimacy," one big talker said, making a crude gesture with one hand. But, her smile quickly faded. She craved intimacy, too. No boy had come close to making her want to have a serious relationship.

"I like 'Angelique', Tomomi continued. "I know it's old school. But I love pretending to be a blonde teenage girl, who is a candidate to be the next "Queen of the Universe'. I get to go on a quest to find my perfect suitor."

"I'll play anything from Voltage," another girl admitted, seeing that she wasn't the only one there with the habit. "Right now, I'm playing "My Lover is The No.1 Host'."

"It doesn't matter what your type of male would be," Kyouko said. "You'll find a man that you'll really like in games. And… of course… that male is going to be perfect. The perfect boyfriend. Next I'm going to purchase "Samurai Love Ballad: Party'. It's from Voltage, too. It's in the war-torn Sengoku Era where I'll be a waitress protagonist who has to runaway to save her brother's life, and conveniently meets twelve potential samurai suitors along the way."

"I like strong and selfish men," one girl said. She preferred the games that were aimed at the home market.

"I like physically and mentally macho men," another girl admitted. She preferred games catering to Western markets.

"And Kaname would like apps where she can steal other girl's men," Mizuki said, slandering the friend she still held a grudge against. Multiple grudges.

"I wonder if they have apps for military freaks," Shiori said. "I could see Shinji playing." She imitated his voice. 'Oh… RK 92… I am so sorry… but my heart now belongs to M6…." The other girls all laughed. "Or Sousuke." She did his voice, too. "I love you. I adore you. I have to have you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Uhhh. Pardon me, miss. Can you move. I was speaking to that rocket launcher over there." The laughter grew louder.

"Oh… Kaname…." The aggressive girl struck again. "In some of those apps… when you pay extra, you get an extra layer of romance. Simulated sex scenes."

Sousuke had never realized that girls his age could be so ruthless and such a formidable adversary. He wanted to speak up and defend Kaname's honor, even if most of the girls were just joking around. But, all he could think was so little he knew about Kaname, and what she felt, and what she might want. He felt like a puppet, not a real boy. When people pulled his strings, he fought. They had forgotten to give him a string for romance. He had worked hard since coming to school, trying to tie a 'Friendship' string on… one that wouldn't break, or leave him hanging.

"Romance gaming is not the only harmless substitute," Maya said, feeling a bit hypocritical after questioning Kyouko. "There's anime, too."

"Anime plots are so insane, though." One girl complained. "And so many are slanted towards guys. Warriors. Wizards. Guys transported to a world full of pretty needy women."

"And soldiers. Don't forget fighting men and women. Like in 'Golden Kamui.' Another girl said. "Anime is insane. Like Sagara. Boom! Bam! Whack!" Then she looked back at 'Kaname. "Smack… smack… smack… smack…." She pantomimed halisen strikes.

"Don't be ridiculous," Shiori said. "No one would be silly enough to make an anime that unbelievable."

"'Love Hina'," Rumiko said. "You know… flying turtles…."

"People would believe flying turtles… or talking cats… before they would believe a boy in high school like Sousuke Sagara!" Shiori sounded like she would never be convinced otherwise. Most of the running girls concurred.

Sousuke ran silently, still. Really… what was there for him to say? Kaname would probably be laughing with them. But, sometimes when she made fun of him, he caught a quick glimpse of something towards the end: a look of sympathy in her eyes. A silent apology. Girls were much more difficult to understand than hydraulics or belt-feed ammo.

"You guys just watch the wrong anime,' Maya opined. "In many ways, anime are quite different from real-life in Japan: by the characters clothing and hair styles…by their mindset… by their life-style… and also by their love stories. Like rooftop confessions. Students in this country aren't even allowed on rooftops."

"And love letters," Shiori said. "In school-life and shōjo anime, you find characters expressing their feelings through love-letters. One characteristic plot would even be all about the love letter getting lost… stolen… given to the wrong person… etc. But in real life, love-letters are perceived as cheesy, and it would be most common to receive a love text, if anything at all."

Ena ran slower hearing that. She had put her heart into a love letter, only to have it blown up. 'I'm sorry,' She might have expected. Not a cloud of gunpowder and a rain of falling paper fragments.

"Characters yell love confessions," one girl said. "Nobody yells here. And, emotions. Anime character are usually more expressive than real-life Japanese people. Some have temper… others are exaggeratedly shy… and most of them express a lot of feelings in various way: stuttering, becoming really mad, crying, yelling… you know. It is usually quite easy to read an anime character's mood, especially if he or she is in love with another character. Most of us keep our mind and heart secret. It's much harder to read a boy's feelings here. Apps and anime are so much better."

"I wish I was in an anime," Sousuke said to himself. "I would be able to express my feelings. I would be able to have feelings in the first place. If I saved a girl, she would thank me and teach me how to fit into society."

"And Kaname," the boisterous girl said. "Don't forget about sex. In anime, guys are either totally clueless about sex… or totally obsessed with it. Anyone for nosebleeds?"

"I think I would like clueless," Maya said, seconded by Mayuko and most of the other girls.

After hearing all that he did, Sousuke thanked the stars that he wasn't really a Japanese girl. At least, not permanently. Or, so he hoped.

As the garrulous girls continued with their gossip and gambaros, they were cheerfully unaware of a threat that was swiftly approaching, the same way that playful sea lions might be unaware of a cruising orca, or a school of darting fishes might be unaware of a speeding shark.

"HEY YOU GIRLS! EVERYBODY SLOW DOWN! EVERYBODY STOP. BY ORDER OF THE POLICE. IF YOU RUN, I WILL CHASE YOU. IF I CHASE YOU, I WILL CATCH YOU. IF I CATCH YOU-"

The shouting was followed by maniacal shrieking and laughter. It was as if one crazed person could outdo an entire family of hyenas. The police woman had been told by one barely-lucid yanki that Kaname had had her hair dyed black.

"BLUE HAIR GIRL, YOU CAN SAVE YOUR FRIENDS IF YOU GIVE YOURSELF UP. FRIENDS, IF SHE HAS ANY, YOU CAN SAVE YOURSELVES IF YOU GIVE HER UP. LAST CHANCE. I WON'T BE THIS GENEROUS AGAIN-"

More shrieking and laughter.

For most people, a lopsided battle against a numerous and relentless foe would slow them down after victory. It would make them take time to lick their wounds or count their blessings at being alive. Yoko Wakana was definitely not most people.

The police woman was wearing a Jindai running suit, her clothing underneath shredded, bloodied, and far past appropriate. Her torn and dirty hat still sat askance on her head. She ran with a large billy club, holding it like a baton. Behind here, head wrapped entirely in bandages except for eyeholes, Rebecca rode in a heavily scratched and bent wheel chair. Pushing the chair, busted chainsaw strapped to his back, Oonuki grunted with everything he had. He had been promised a new shiny chainsaw. Betty Lou was broken beyond repair, her chain jammed by either motorcycle metal or bancho bone. In all likelihood, it was both.

Hearing what they did, the girls did not stop. Quite the opposite. They took off on a dead sprint, as if the finish line was in site. It was. They were a quarter of a mile away from the school doors.

They were in luck. Even the most fearsome predator can be taken down by numbers. It was Waka and crew's turn to be tracked unaware. Two police minicars sped across the schoolyard. One passenger held a dart gun, with projectiles usually fired at rampaging rhinos. The passenger in the other car wore a shoulder belt of stun grenades, and carried a launcher that could throw a large and heavily-weighted kevlar net.

"You should have brought more cars!" Wakana called out in challenge when she caught wind of her fellow officers.. Two cars and live-capture weapons was child's play after dozens of motorcycle gang members using lethal force.

"WE DID!" That was the chief of police, using a megaphone, calling out from a safe distance. He was watching Wakana through binoculars.

A dozen more minicars roared onto the scene. More cute than clever, a number of mascots began pushing large prop cars carrying more mascots, joining the automotive conga line. The camera crew followed behind, cameras held on their shoulders.

"If you help," Wakana said back to the custodian. "I'll buy you a fucking chainsaw factory." She tossed him back a set of brass knuckles.

Finally, she could work up a little sweat.

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PREP TIME

"Yuck!" Mizuki said, pulling at her wet T-shirt.

"We worked up too much sweat," Shiori complained, squeezing sweat from her bloomers.

"Should we even be here?" Maya kept looking at the door.

"Why?" Mari asked. "Afraid some boys might try to sneak in? Afraid Sousuke might barge in again?" The last time that had happened, it had been in the girl's locker room, not the shower area. "Or that creepy Mardukas guy?"

"You know what she means!" Kyouko contemplated whether or not she could squeeze inside her tall locker and hide. "That woman. The police lady."

Sousuke found himself on the horns of a dilemma. One horn was a matter of sacrifice. Should he go outside and turn himself in, in case the overly obsessed officer used the school tractor to break down the door? The other horn was far more serious. He, a boy… at least a boy's brain… a boy's brain with nervous system hooked-up to two functional eyes…. was in a room of naked girls, undressed and waiting in line to use the showers.

"Can you believe we're almost the only school with showers," Shiori said, slowly parading in front of 'Kaname.' "I can't imagine going to class as sweaty as we were. Grossss-sss-ss-s!"

"Uhhh-" Sousuke walked with his eyes closed, heading for Kaname's locker. Feigning head injury again, he had gotten the combination from Kyouko. Too discombobulated to measure distance accurately, he banged his head hard.

"Are you alright, Kana-chan!" Kyouko rushed to help 'her.' She was completely nude, as Sousuke found when he opened Kaname's eyes. Nude and standing right next to him. Nude. With everything quite visible.

"She's probably distracted," Maya said, walking behind 'Kaname.' "Worried about her date." She chuckled, before launching into another trope more commonly seen in anime. "With these things, the boy won't stand a chance." She reached around her fiend's body and grabbed her breasts. "Damn. Have these gotten bigger, again?"

"Let me check! Let me check!" Mayuko joined in the fun, too. She and a handful of others girls were all rubbing up against Kaname's body, or pushing their breasts and hips against places that had Sousuke's mind going cross-eyed, so to speak. It was like a school of piranhas attacking a fresh carcass.

It was almost safer this way, Sousuke concluded. He could feel things, but he couldn't get a good view of things. No. wait. That was quite a good glance. That, too. Oh no! Another grope. Why did girls grope? He didn't go around grabbing balls and their trusty companion! Any other boy might think he were in heaven to be in his shoes. No his bare feet. Whatever! Just the same, Sousuke was male, and he was mesmerized once the girls got back in line. Big breasts. Little breasts. Round butts. Flat buts. Shaved… ummm… parts. Unshaved… well, you know… places.

The young operative had seen actual naked girls before, and pictures and movies of naked girls. But, today's opportunity was like the difference between seeing a lion in an encyclopedia or behind bars at the zoo, compared to running across a hungry male lion in the Serengeti... on foot… alone… and wearing a jacket made out of raw pork chops.

"Some day… when he is acting high and mighty again…" Sousuke whispered. "…I am going to tell Kurz about this." He swallowed hard, thinking of his friend's reply: 'Now… go tell Tessa….' He also said a quick prayer of thanks, even though he was not a religious man. How bad would it have been, if this whole episode had happened while the Captain was here? "I hope my brain cannot still communicate with my body."

That would not be a good thing. What would Kaname think if she suddenly had a stiffy?!

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THE LAVATORY

By strange coincidence, Kaname was in the Men's Room again. Standing at a urinal, she voided her bladder with ease, thinking that she was all alone.

"It's huge!" She said out loud, looking down. Even flaccid, the body's uniquely male appendage was sizeable.

Sitting silently in a toilet, his feet held up off the floor, Dr. Necessiter smirked. He placed a cell phone back into his lab coat pocket.

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PREP TIME

Standing in the shower, Sousuke quickly cleansed Kaname's body in a huge mass of bubbles, looking like he was Donald Pleasence's character in 'Fantastic Voyage' being attacked by the enormous White Blood Cell

He also scrubbed his hair, pleased to see a great pool of black dye form, slowly making its way down the drain. He had been warned not to get the hair wet after the dye application. He felt no need to follow that order.

It was a day for lurking, or so it seemed. A toilet brush quickly plunged into the shower like a large knife, as a girl tried to mimic the sounds made in 'Pscycho.' What the 'attacker' didn't know, was that the banana that Mardukas's imagined Bonta-kun used against an imaginary Tessa was a much better prop.

It was Satomi Yamazaki, a girl who held larger grudges against Kaname than Mizuki did. And like the other girl's geievances, the grudges were all in her mind. Today had pushed her a bit over the edge. Dancing. And Kaname being named Queen. It was wrong. A conspiracy. Her own mother did ballroom dancing. Satomi could have taught the class. Satomi should be the Queen. Kaname Chidori should be the poor serving girl, only allowed to watch the ball! If not that, then she should be the shower victim. Of course she wouldn't hurt her nemesis. But, being attacked with a brush freshly dipped in an unflushed mess ought to put the blue-haired girl in her place.

Putting something in its place was an appropriate lead in. Sousuke's natural reflexes took over. Before the angry girl knew what hit her, her wrist was grabbed, she was flung through the air like a sack of dirty laundry, before she landed hard on the floor, belly down and ass up. Without thinking, Sousuke sheathed the brush like he was sheathing a bayonet. The sheath was Satomi's anus.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOO-oooooooooooo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o"

The girl's wail of anguish went unnoticed. Moments before the brush slid home handle down, Shiori pointed at the wall. "I heard something. A buzzing noise."

Naked, Sousuke sprang into action, brush forgotten. Shiori was pointing at a modern looking soap dish held up by two large silver cylinders. As he began looking down one tube, he saw the reflection of light off of glass. Knocking one cylinder off with a fierce downward strike, he exposes a digital camera lens.

"EEEEE-EEEE-EEE-EE-EK!"

A collective scream rang throughout the small room, as the girls all ran for towels, bunching up together like sardines fighting to avoid the can.

"It's boys," Mizuki said, towel held in front of her. "It's got to be boys."

"Maybe it's men," Shiori said, pumping up everyone's adrenalin. "There are so many strangers around today!"

"Whoever it is," Maya said. "We have to stop them! Whatever it takes!"

Whatever it takes!... Whatever it takes!... Whatever it takes!... Whatever it takes!

It was like a metronome, keeping pace. No. It was more like a countdown. The words bounced back and forth inside of Sousuke's brain, like a game of 'Pong' played with neurons and synapses. Sousuke was a sucker for exact words. When Kaname said 'No holds barred' when Sousuke was set to fight the karate club, she didn't realize that the soldier would interpret those words in his customary fashion, thinking it an order to use 'any means necessary'.

"Whatever it takes," Sousuke mouthed. Like the Terminator in the first movie, possible options were displayed in his mind. Destroy the technology. Destroy the technology and punish those responsible. Destroy the technology and eradicate the perpetrators. Destroy anything and everything that threatened the girls and anything and everything that stood in his way. Of note, there were no safety settings. With only time to swing a large towel around his naked body and a smaller one around his wet hair… and to grab an iconic item from Kaname's locker… Sousuke called out "I'll be back" as he shot out the door.

Bare feet beating a staccato beat on the linoleum floor, Sousuke made a beeline for the storage room that abutted the shower area. He didn't bother opening the door. Instead, he knocked it down with a soaring kick, catching one remaining perpetrator, and seeing the other door close, but not before he heard a lot of running feet and the tail end of victorious laughter.

"Please don't-" It wasn't clear whether Shinji was begging for his own life, or the life of the digital camera set-up that Sousuke grabbed and broke into pieces before using fragments of the wreckage to fill-in a peephole in another secret vantage point.

Dropping the pieces like sand from his hand, 'Kaname' glared at Shinji. 'Kaname' said "Who? Why? Talk!"

Staring at Kaname Chidori sporting a death mask had Shinji falling to his knees. He felt like a prisoner about to be placed on an Aztec altar. In a stammering voice, the frightened boy told a familiar tale. Photo equipment had been stolen and was being held ransom in exchange for this service. The ones who took his belongings were members of the soccer and baseball teams. He gave 'Kaname' the names.

"Think on your sins," Sousuke said before rushing towards the other door, which led to a small room housing a water system, which in turn had access to an area outside of the school. "There will come a reckoning." He would leave any punishment of Shinji up to the victims of this vile act. He could not bring himself to call down fire upon his friend. He was no longer thinking such homilies as 'be the ball' or 'don't drop the ball.' His unconscious motivations were more like 'crush the balls' and 'tear off the balls.'

At first, the happy-go-lucky athletes, glowing with the joy of their coup, hurried along only to escape witnesses or to avoid the inquisitive gaze of any adults. Once outside, they jogged slowly, if only for the purpose of letting their leg muscles gradually equilibrate. When someone happened to turn around and look in the direction from whence they came, he saw a totally unexpected sight: a girl clad only in two towels was speeding in their direction.

"Maybe she feels left out," one boy said. "We should stop and give her a good look, too."

"You can," another boy said. "Not me!" Instead of slowing down, he started running as hard as his screaming legs let him. He was not alone. Normally, those arrogant and self-centered louts would feel little fear when confronted by any of their classmates… especially girls. But, there was one exception. No one ever wanted to face the flaming fury of Kaname Chidori when she was on the warpath. No one in the entire school had any idea how Sousuke Sagara could still be alive to this very day.

To onlookers on the sidewalk… in the parking lot… or driving by in cars, vans, and busses… things seemed to move in slow motion. A line of boys dressed in school uniforms ran frantically, knocking one another aside, and occasionally throwing one of their members to the ground as a sacrifice of sorts. Charging after them came a girl wearing barely anything at all, carrying a large collapsed paper fan. To the stunned crowd, it seemed as if the screaming boys were little more than tall weeds or wispy underbrush. The girl seemed a lot like a well-seasoned landscaper, manning his trusty powerscythe.

Tessenjutsu is the martial art of the tessen… the Japanese war fan. It is based on the use of a solid iron fan or the folding iron fan, which usually had eight or ten wood or iron ribs. Practitioners of the art of could acquire a high level of skill. Some became so skilled, in fact, that they were able to defend themselves against an attacker wielding a sword, and even kill an opponent with a single blow. Like so many other Japanese arts of combat during the sixteenth century, tessenjutsu reached a high level of sophistication. Sasaki Kojirō, a warrior of the time, was able to defeat several enemies with an iron fan. Apart from using it in duels against enemies armed with swords and spears, the skilled wielder could also use it to fence and fend off knives and poisoned darts thrown at him. Like a sword, the tessen could be dual-wielded to parry with one hand and attack with the other. If any remaining experts in Japan witnessed Sousuke's actions with the halisen that day, they would lavish 'him' with praise.

Bodies flew, landing in heaps. Some landed in garbage cans. One was stuck on a school light, one story up. Once bounced in front of a taxi, causing it to screech to a halt. "Taxi!" Souuske shouted, thinking back to the day when he whad been the one thrown in front of a cab. One boy bounced off of a large woman, who proceeded to pepper him with her purse, before plastering him with pepper spray

Sousuke's actions were too quick to be seen by the human eyes. But, they did not escape the rapid snapshots of cell phone cameras. Countless smart phone flashes were going off in quick succession, reminding the battling soldier of gun-flashes surrounding an assault team that was encircled by enemy forces, as if he needed another mental bayonet prodding the rampant reptile brain.

"Who is that girl?" People asked one another.

"I don't know," one man said. "But I do know one thing. She'll be a social media darling!"

Fan strikes continued until every boy was down and out. Standing on top of a small pile of victims, Sousuke grew angry when one boy's eyes went wide, looking up. Realizing he wasn't wearing any panties, he knocked the Peeping Tom unconscious. That boy had been an innocent, the victim of circumstances. The next participant was nothing of the kind.

"Weeee-eee-ee-e-ohhhh-hhh-hh-h!" A deep male voice said. "Such a sight for sore eyes." He let out a long wolf whistle, his appearance setting off a new salvo of phone flashes. "I'll give you one thousand yen if you drop the towels. I'll give you a thousand more after that, if you kiss my kintama." That word literally meant golden eggs, and was a Japanese word for testicles.

The politically incorrect speaker leaned against an open school door, smoke coming out through openings in his huge and unsightly costume. The occupant was actually smoking cigarettes or cigars inside of his official mascot outfit.

It was Mr. Balls.

The Brazilian mascot had not rejoined the others after the Gloomy Bear and Bonta-kun melee. As far as he was concerned, as long as he was on school grounds, and as long as he wore the suit, he deserved getting his pay.

"You… will… not… demean… girls…." Sousuke shouted, fan a blur once more. "You will do nothing to Kaname Chidori!" He charged. Again and again he struck, but the fan just bounced off of the thick rubber costume. His jiggling breasts threatening to pop out from the towel with every strike, he then attempted a powerful flying kick, only to be sent skyward in the rebound.

"Somebody had a little too much fucking caffeine this morning," Mr. Balls said. Seemingly invulnerable on the outside, he still suffered from the sounds echoing inside his rubbery sanctuary, and the cigarette had been knocked from his lips. Had he read the tag on the costume, he would know that its innards were very much flammable. "Or is on drugs!" He stepped back into school, just as the suit lining burst into flames. Soon, a great deal more smoke began pouring out of every orifice.

Sousuke followed the man inside, thinking his cries of help were shouts of battle. Seeing a glass-fronted door in the wall, he opened it. There were two choices. The first he considered was a fireman's axe. He vetoed that idea, fearing that the axe would bounce back upon him. He grabbed the second choice, which would prove good fortune to the screaming mascot. He shoved the nozzle of a fire hose into a small opening in the back of Mr. Balls and turned the water on full.

Mr. Balls began expanding rapidly. The suit changed from its hairy testicular shape into a great ovoid figure. It grew larger and larger yet. Onlooking students students in the hallway gasped in awe, as the greatly expanded costume was touching the walls, floor, and ceiling. Too few had the good sense to run. Not one witness… Sousuke included… thought about rescuing the trapped man from drowning. But, all good spectacles must come from the end. Flashes from phones illuminated the scene, as strangers from the street poured into school, feeling compelled to watch the events, trespassing be damned.

If anyone who had watched 'Big Trouble in Little China' had been standing there, they would feel a strong sense of déjà vu, remembering the fate of Thunder. That member of The Three Storms had grown so upset at the death of Lo Pan, that he had expanded to great size and exploded.

BW-AAAA-AAA-AA-A-MMMM-MMM-MM-M

The Mr. Balls costume exploded after being stretched too thin. Great tidal waves of water rushed down the hallways in every direction, bowling over students and the occasional teacher, spilling into classrooms with open doors and seeping into closets and hall cabinets. A soggy cigarette rode one of the waves like a skilled surfer at Praia do Norte.

Powering down, Sousuke sloshed through the water, heading back to the Shower Room.

"Hurry, Kana-chan." It was Kyouko, who had dressed back into her school clothing. "You don't want to be late to Japanese History class. Remember, there's a pop quiz today!"

Sousuke felts Kaname's bowel clench. He had actually forgotten that fact, as wound up as he had been. He had little time. There were things he needed to retrieve. Running through the water almost like he was a hydrofoil, he parted the sloshing liquid as he sped to his first destination. Fully clothed, he headed back in the other direction, parting the waters again.

He passed by the mascot operator in a blur, not noticing the fountain of water coming out of his mouth as a number of students pressed hard on his chest and abdomen.

"There!" Sousuke opened and closed the door to the Mathematics class, his second destination. After grabbing something, he headed further down the hall, feet raising large splashes as they pistoned through the water. Sliding to a near stop to make a right angle turn, he kicked up a large wave of water, drenching the Vice Principal. Next to the stricken man, Atsunobu Hiayashimizu held his opened umbrella, smile as sedate as usual.

"Done," Sousuke said breathlessly, after picking up something in the third destination, his main school locker. "I hope my plan works!" His plan was a longshot.

But, he had faced bad odds many times before.

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It is great, the way that Sousuke has managed to keep things low key as Kaname Chidori.