Like to thank Orlean for commenting on this chapter and all
the previous ones as well. Also Zachary Seaholm,
Richard Beaubien, and Lerche for their comments on previous
chapters.
***
Project Kawaii: Scramble War!
(an original magical girl fic)
By Ammadeau
Roy.Fokker@UNSpacy.org
http://www.thekeep.org/~amm/
Episode 5: When Two is Too Much
***
*I no longer fear hell, for I have met Emi Ishiyama,* Shuji
thought as he struggled to make himself ready for the unveiling
ceremony. It was for the power suit he had spent the week to
build, largely by going without sleep or nourishment. He had once
been IHI's top scientist, but was now reduced to the slave of a
pushy little girl.
Had they used his original specifications, the power suit
could have been completed in a day or so, but unfortunately it
hadn't been 'cute' enough for the Ishiyamas' precious little
daughter. So he had spent day after day struggling to work around
her ridiculous demands, only to hear those dreaded words, 'still not
cute enough.'
Finally, it was over. The power suit was completed, though
the exterior had been completely transformed and the little of
Shuji's original designs that remained were safely hidden from
view. It was also a lot less powerful, but it would function, and he
supposed that as long as it looked cute while it did, that would be
enough to keep his job.
But to paint it pink? God did he need a drink.
"Since we still have a bit more time before class is over for
the day, let's try something a little more advanced," Shoko
Matsuno told her class with a slight smile before turning to write
out a complex geometric problem on the board. It was worth all of
her effort and study to gain a classroom full of students seeking the
challenges she had to offer them. It had taken a lot of hard work to
be accepted for a teaching position at such an exclusive academy,
but there was no greater reward than a classroom full of students
all wanting to learn.
Junko ignored the teacher, but was instead thinking how
thankful she was that most game companies considered durability
an important factor in their arcade models. After all, even if the
shipper was smart enough to realize 'this end up' wasn't just a
suggestion, there was still a large amount of jostling involved it
getting those towering shrines to fast reflexes from the factory all
the way to arcades around the world.
"Now can anyone solve this problem?" Shoko asked as she
set the chalk down, still hot from the friction of her rapid-fire
drawing skills. To her, the ideal teacher was skilled in all things,
even writing on the board quickly and efficiently. "Don't be afraid
to try even if you're not sure. I can help you through it."
Junko was thankful for while the arcade she had only just
discovered had been shook and smashed in the confrontation
between the giant robot and her own alter ego, none of the arcade
games had been seriously damaged in the resulting chaos, even
when her poorly aimed mega-blast had sheared away most of the
roof. Luckily, the owner had been wise enough to cover the games
with a heavy tarpaulin to prevent water damage from a sudden
shower.
"I'll do it, sensei!" Emi declared to the room as she stood on
her desk and posed dramatically, one arm outstretched as it pointed
an accusing finger at the blackboard. She was dressed in typical
swashbuckler garb complete with long flowing cape, that is if Eyrl
Flynn's favorite color had been pink. "No problem is too difficult
for the mighty Emi-chan!"
Usagi-kun stared at Junko with the one eye not covered by
his eyepatch, but it still wasn't enough to grab the plain girl's
attention. His expression seemed to convey the frustration of not
being able to shout or even move his puny arms around.
The games had not survived completely unscathed, but the
newer systems were still maintained by the companies that made
them. For the older ones, the owner was on his own, and had to
weigh the expense of calling in a repairing him. A week of a little
girl alternately begging and threatening him, however, convinced
him that at least one game should be fixed.
"Well, I guess if no one else wants to try...," Shoko said
hesitantly, glancing around the room to see the majority of the
class still giving Emi their full attention. The little blonde girl was
usually so wonderfully enthusiastic about her school work, but her
current attitude, and especially her outfit, was a bit too much for
Shoko to take.
Today was the day that the repair man would return with
the shiny new part that would breathe life back into Junko's
favorite game. She planned to collect crystals and steam roll cute
animals into the mud until they kicked her out of the place.
With a cute little nod of her head, Emi leapt from her desk
to do a handstand on the one two desks down, then a somersault,
flipping several times in the air to land daintily on one foot on the
teacher's desk, her cape settling in slow motion. With a confident
grin, she turned back to the class in the v for victory pose while the
room filled with their cheers.
A stuffed rabbit was decidedly unimpressed, probably
because he had been forced to watch her practice all day.
Junko's 'best friend' didn't factor into those plans, or rather
they did as something to be avoided. She just knew that even if
Emi was willing to go to an arcade, she'd be ranting and raving on
how everything wasn't nearly cute enough and ruin the whole
experience for Junko. Not to mention that Emi was acting even
stranger than usual today. Junko doubted she'd be able to make it
to level two with that kawaii monkey on her back.
Shoko couldn't help noticing that Emi's work at the
blackboard was a little more... dramatic than usual. Normally,
she'd work on the problem at her own pace while humming cutely
to herself. Today, she wielded the chalk like a saber as she slashed
out her answer in the effort of defeating a monstrous foe.
There had to be some way of ditching little miss perfect
today, but Junko was running low on excuses. Most seemed to
backfire anyway. Like saying she had to get home early because it
was her turn to cook dinner. While both she and Kozo liked the
twelve course meal that had suddenly appeared in their kitchen,
even the best food was hard to swallow after a week of leftovers.
Emi seemed to possess limitless resources. Junko was glad she
had been able to protect her wardrobe under the continual threat of
a cute shopping spree. At least so far.
"I am the pirate queen!" Emi sang at the top of her voice.
"There is no enemy that can stand against me! With my rusty
sword and my trusty crew, I'll run all those villains through and
though! Because I am the pirate queen!"
As the enemy was finally vanquished by one last stroke of
her mighty chalk, the classroom roared out its approval. Even
Usagi-kun managed to fall on his face; his form of polite applause.
All except for one, Emi noticed, causing her to frown slightly, but
only for a moment before her usual grin returned to her face.
All Junko needed was to buy herself a little time, just so her
own personal kawaii advisor wouldn't be waiting to ensnare her as
soon as the bell ring. She didn't think Emi was all bad; the more
she got to know her, it was surprising how much more tolerable
she became, but this day was too important to put up with cute
interference. Junko would even skip school to get away...
Shoko was feeling a bit lost at the moment. Her strict
teacher training was telling her that any disruption to the learning
process was like a fire, and had to be quelled immediately before
the damage spread and grow completely out of her control. On the
other hand, the very first rule she had been told upon receiving her
current post was the will of Emi Ishiyama comes before any other
rule.
As Shoko understood it, the little blonde girl's
grandparents, besides being important political figures, were also
the two most prominent members of the board of directors for the
school. So the teacher milled around in confusion, until she saw a
student raise her hand and seized the opportunity like a life
preserver. "Yes, what is it Junko-san?"
"I need to go to the bathroom, sensei," Junko replied in the
most level tone she could manage, though she was grinning on the
inside. It was a perfectly ordinary request, one that would buy her
the time she needed to escape.
"But class is nearly over..." Shoko told her in confusion
after glancing up at the clock. She hadn't known the new student
for very long obviously, but Junko had seemed to be a very
practical young lady. It was unlike her to make such a odd request.
"I really need to go, sensei," Junko said urgently, frowning
and squirming in her seat for effect. It was more than a little
embarrassing to do with the whole class watching, but no price was
too high to revel in arcade splendor without Emi the albatross
around her neck.
"You may go then, Junko-san," Shoko told her after a
moment's hesitation. She didn't want the girl to suffer horrible
embarrassment for having a little accident in the classroom. "You
might as well take your things with you, but don't forget your
homework assignment!"
Shoko had to raise her voice on the last part because Junko
had already leapt out of her seat and was half-way out the door.
She quickly shouted back, "I won't, sensei! Thanks!"
"I'll go with her!" Emi shouted in glee as she made to
follow, only to find that her white cape had become caught under
the teacher's desk somehow. It was especially odd since the little
girl had practiced with it all day yesterday to make sure nothing
like this happened.
"No, Emi-san, you have to explain your answer to the rest
of the class," Shoko told the girl gently as she directed her back to
the blackboard. Her cape had mysteriously freed itself. "School
will be over soon, and then you can spend as much time with your
friend as you want to."
With one last glance towards the open doorway, Emi
nodded, turned to the class with a smile and cheerfully began to
explain her answer.
"Need... coffee," Nayoko muttered, struggling to remain
conscious while she blindly felt around her desk for anything
resembling a mug. "Must... finish... work."
"Here you are, sempai!" said a cheerful female voice at her
elbow, handing her a steaming cup of java.
"Thanks," Nayoko said quickly before gulping down half
of its contents, then wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her lab coat.
That was some good coffee, it reminded her of... "Who the heck
are you anyway? And why are you dressed like that?"
The short woman might have been considered mousy with
her short brown hair and nondescript features, if not for the black
leather slave outfit she was wearing that seemed to reveal more
than it concealed, and was topped off with a shiny choke collar.
The girl blushed a bit and explained hesitantly, "I'm the
android you built to help you with your latest project, sempai.
Among other things..."
Nayoko scratched her head as she sat up and wandered
around her small office, taking occasional sips of the life-giving
coffee. Her eyes found the waste bin where all of her cigarettes
seemed to have ended up once again. She quickly ripped open a
pack and stuck one in her mouth as she thought. The android
immediately presented her index finger to her, glowing like a car
lighter. Nayoko lit her cig on it and took a few thoughtful puffs.
Now that she thought about it, she did recall the notion of
building one from all the extra parts she'd been sent, in an attempt
to recreate the android that had attacked her for some odd reason
before. Vague memories of plans and schematics being draw up,
but none of actual construction. Nayoko just shrugged; it wouldn't
be the first time she had forgotten something. Most of her life was
a blur as it was.
"Is there something inappropriate about the way I am
dressed, sempai?" the android asked as she looked herself over.
She thought it was perfect for her since it had no loose parts to get
snagged on something, minimal material to allow freedom of
movement and easy access... "I could remove this if it offends
you."
"Nah, just throw a lab coat over that and you'll be fine,"
Nayoko told her, thinking it was just her luck to build a kinky
robot, but she didn't have the time to reprogram it now even if she
wanted to. "What did I name you anyway?"
"Droid Omni-Efficient Rei is here to serve your every want
and need, sempai!" the android declared enthusiastically as she
slipped on a lab coat.
"Why would I pick a name like that... Ah, I guess it doesn't
matter. Now that I have coffee and smokes, it's time to get to
work, Doe-Rei."
"Hai, sempai!"
Junko smiled in anticipatory bliss as she slipped on her
shoes. Her quick thinking had paid off, providing her the critical
minutes needed to escape the school before Emi even realized she
was gone. She could already hear the arcade beeping out her
name.
Slamming her locker shut, the plain girl suddenly found
herself face to face with a face, whose cold intimidating glare was
somewhat less effective staring at her nose. It was the obsessive
little ninja boy who was constantly filming Emi's every word and
deed.
Junko had never bothered to remember the name of this
particular lackey, probably because he reminded her of the worse
traits of her uncle; voyeurism and a Emi fixation. She suddenly
realized that the boy and the girl he was so obsessed with were
exactly the same height, but wasn't sure what relevancy this
information had in her current situation, if any at all.
"You're in my way," Junko told him evenly as she balled
her right hand into a fist. She was in too much of a rush to deal
with Emi or her hired goons right now. If the little ninja boy tried
to get tough, she would have a few unpleasant surprises for him.
"Move it, shrimp."
Yoji flinched at being called a 'shrimp,' but still stood his
ground. This was for Emi-san; her had to do it, even if it meant
putting up with the irritating tomboy. He could not erase Emi-
san's single moment of sadness from his mind, as she had looked to
see that Junko was the only one not cheering for her. He knew that
Emi-san was much better off without the selfish girl, but it wasn't
his place to tell his mistress what to do.
"I don't like you," Yoji told her flatly, deciding that
speaking his mind was the best way in dealing with her type. "I
think Emi-san would have been much better off if she had never
met you, but for some reason she chose you as her best friend so I
will tolerate your presence for now."
Junko bit her lip a bit in anger. Why the heck would she
need his permission to be Emi's friend, even if she had some sort
of choice in the matter? She knew that the pint-sized ninja was
acting well above and beyond his duty. Atsuko hadn't given her
this kind of attitude. "Listen here you--"
"However," Yoji cut her off with a slight smile. "What I
will not tolerate is your continual mistreatment of Emi-san. Not
that a... bully like yourself would understand, but Emi-san is a
delicate flower slowly blooming under the nurturing love of those
around her, only for you to come around and stomp on her!"
"You mean like this?" Junko asked with a toothy smile as
she gathered up the power she could call upon untransformed into
her right foot and brought it down hard on his left. Not at full
power to risk breaking bones, but enough to make sure it really
hurt.
Yoji grinned as his finely honed instincts guessed the ugly
girl's actions even before she raised up her foot. With all of his
ninja training to build up endurance, he knew he had nothing to
fear from her. When she saw she was powerless, maybe then she'd
listen to reason. "Ouch!!"
Junko grinned smugly with arms crossed across her chest
as she watched the annoying ninja boy do a little one-footed dance
around the room. Then realizing that the bell was just about to
ring, she dashed for the door, only to be blocked by one now very
pissed off ninja boy.
"I should have realized a tomboy like you would have steel
shoes," Yoji nearly growled at her. "However, I would gladly
suffer any pain to keep Emi-san from harm, so you better started
treating her with the admiration she deserves or else."
"Or else what, shorty?" Junko asked pointedly, tapping his
breastbone with one outstretched finger, with a little charge added
to make sure he got the point. Being a junior ninja didn't give him
the right to push people around.
Yoji was more than a little mad the way this average school
girl had been able to get to him, a ninja trained from birth to follow
in the footsteps of his ancestors. He was sure that her ancestors
had never been anyone important. "Or else..."
"Or else I'll spread this over the whole school," Atsuko
continued for her brother as she suddenly appeared by his side.
She was still dressed in her academy uniform as she held up a
photograph in one hand. She had used the old bathroom excuse to
duck out of class early and then had come across this charming
scene. "One copy in every locker to make sure no one feels left
out."
"What's it a picture of, Atsuko?" Junko asked politely. The
ninja girl was a potential ally and she didn't want to risk alienating
her. Besides, she was curious.
"Oh, just a moment of my brother in intense ninja training,
suggested by his darling Emi-san herself," Atsuko replied with a
grin.
Yoji went chalk white as the realization sunk in. "Give me
that, sis!!" he shouted as he dove for the picture, his hands a blur.
Atsuko was much too quick for him, her arms moving
faster than the untrained eye could follow as she kept the photo out
of his reach; holding it enticingly near, only to pull it away at the
last second.
Junko tried to keep up, but she was starting to get dizzy.
Just as she was about to turn from the martial arts keep away
competition, something small seemed to appear out of the air
above her, to flutter down into her hands. A photograph.
"Oops, I seems that I have accidentally dropped it," Atsuko
told her brother with sarcasm so thick even he could get it. "How
odd it is for me, a highly-trained ninja, to be so clumsy. Oh, what
would our parents say?"
Junko rolled her eyes and began to flip the photo over, but
Yoji quickly reached out to snatch it from her hands. She was
ready for him, however, and gave him a taste of her charged
punch, knocking him into the wall. She completed flipping the
photo over and stared, to shocked to even make a sound.
"Doesn't he look just darling?" Atsuko asked sarcastically
as she peered over Junko's shoulder at the picture. It was of her
brother, standing with a red face, balled fists, and wearing a pink
frilly dress. Looking closely, Junko could just make out an older
woman holding up a blonde wig in the background.
Rei Aomizu was not a very good scientist. The only things
that had ever interested her were domestic matters like cooking,
cleaning, laundry, giving her significant other a full body massage
after a long day of work...
Unfortunately, her parents had both been hard working
people who wanted something better for their daughter and had
forced her to go to college and get a career. Rei had picked
science because those teachers didn't mind when she baked
something for the class. She managed to pass mainly because the
teachers graded her more on her cookies and muffins than her
equations. As a result, she graduated college with a degree in
engineering even though she couldn't draw a straight line.
Her parents pulled a few strings to get her hired as part of
the IHI research staff, and almost immediately received her first
assignment. All she could figure out from the pages and pages of
printout was there was a tiny problem with one of their car models
and she was supposed to fix it. She had absolutely no idea what to
do; she couldn't even drive.
Rei was worried about being fired and a disgrace to her
parents just because she had been hired for abilities she didn't
possess. And when Rei worried, she baked, cooked, cleaned, and
otherwise helped others. On the eve of her deadline, the whole
facility was spotless, people who never spoke to anyone now
greeted each other cheerfully in the halls, and productivity was at
its highest level ever. Rei, however, noticed none of this, her mind
always straying to the gigantic, at least to her, document that
dominated her desk. The assignment she hadn't even been able to
start.
"You got a light?" said a female scientist, walking at a
slouch as she entered Rei's office without knocking. Her short
blonde hair was all in disarray and her lab coat soot-stained, but
this was normal for her. This was Nayoko Yokozaki, the most
dedicated scientist Rei had ever met.
"Y-yes," Rei replied a bit nervously as she pulled out the
lighter she had been carrying for just such a reason, she didn't
smoke herself, and lit the real scientist's cigarette for her.
Nayoko took a few deep puffs and smiled slightly, which
was the most joy she ever let show. Rei had come to admire her
ability to remain so focused on her work to the exclusion of all
else. Even food or sleep couldn't distract such a dedicated scientist
from her work.
"I always need a cigarette after working on one of those
pricy compensation-mobiles for super rich old guys who can't..."
Nayoko paused as she noticed the stack of reports and began to
curiously examine them. "Say, what you got there?"
"My... first assignment," Rei told her hesitantly as the
woman sat cross-legged on her desk and began to flip though the
large stack of printouts, seemingly at random. Rei couldn't help
wondering how Nayoko could get away with wearing a one piece
bathing suit to work. She had to be truly valuable to the company.
"Why do they even bother us with stupid stuff that any idiot
can...," Nayoko began to rant, only to trail off as she stopped at one
page or printout, looking it more closely than the others. "I found
the problem already."
"You have?" Rei asked in shock as she stood and studied
the printout that her fellow scientist was gesturing to. It was
complete gibberish to her, however. She wasn't even sure what
half the words meant and she could only guess a the symbols.
When Nayoko suddenly threw her arm around Rei, drawing
her closer, the younger woman was surprised as her heart beat
grew very loud, making the woman's explanation sound distant,
even though she was so very close that Rei could smell the odor of
sweat and smoke that clung to her. Like a salary man home from a
long day at the office, ready for his wife to tend to him...
"... so that's all they need to do. Hey, still with me?"
Nayoko asked, snapping Rei out of her daze.
Rei shook her head, trying to dispel the inexplicable
sensations that were currently clouding her mind. She couldn't
help wondering if someone had set the lab next door on fire again
because she was feeling very warm at the moment. She hoped she
wasn't sweating, it would be so embarrassing for a real scientist to
see her like this...
Rei's thoughts stopped one more when she felt the other
woman's cheek pressing softly against her forehead. She had never
been so close to another person outside of her parents before,
avoiding casual contact out of fear of being exposed as the fraud
she knew herself to be.
"I think you've got a slight fever," Nayoko told her as she
finally pulled away, though her arm had never left Rei's shoulders.
"You should probably get some rest or something."
"I can't!" Rei told the other woman, ashamed to feel the hot
tears now falling from her eyes, but unable to stop them. "My
assignment is due tomorrow and I haven't even started it because I
don't understand a single word of it... I tried so hard to be a
scientist like my parents wanted even though I know I'm not smart
enough... now I'll be fired and I don't know what I'll do!"
"I'll do it if you give me that lighter," Nayoko suddenly
offered, startling Rei out of her despair.
Rei blinked at the other woman, many times until she
realized it wasn't helping her understand the situation any better.
"You'll do all this work for me in exchange for a simple lighter?"
The scientist shrugged. "Yeah, I lost mine... I forget when.
I mean, I could go all the way to the store to buy a new one, but
that'd mean dealing with the subway, and the crowds, and if I have
the right change... it's enough of a hassle just to get a pack of
smokes. Besides, this is a easy enough problem. Probably take me
just as long."
"Thank you!!" Rei yelled out, overcome with joy as she
embraced the older woman, tears of happiness now in her eyes.
While she knew it was technically dishonest, it would mean that
she wouldn't have to disappoint anyone and was sure she could
think of a way out of her current predicament before her next
assignment was due.
Rei quickly released the woman, blushing in total
embarrassment when she realized what she had done. Also, for a
moment there, she thought she had felt the scientist's hands on her
rear end, but she had probably just imagined it.
"No prob," the other woman said as she accepted the
lighter, dropping it on top of the stack of reports before lifting
them up with both arms. "Just come to my office in the morning
and I'll have the report ready for you."
"Hai, sempai!"
"... and that's my answer to sensei's big problem. Bye!"
Emi finally finished the moment the bell had rung and was out of
the door before her classmates could blink. She had dragged out
her explanation a bit so she didn't have to waste the critical 'getting
out of her seat' time once class was over for the day.
In her haste, however, the cute girl had left something
behind for perhaps the first time in his life. Even though the
expression was immobile as always, nevertheless Usagi-kun gave
the impression of a smug grin. Which lasted for all about five
seconds before he was snatched up by unseen hands.
Junko had been gone for a little while on her bathroom
break, and as her best friend Emi felt it was her duty to feel a bit
concerned. After all, the 'soon to be cute no matter what it took'
girl didn't have a family of ninja to protect her if she tripped,
banged her head, or a hundred other accidental scenarios Emi had
imagined.
In her quest to save her best friend from whatever danger
had befallen her, Emi stopped suddenly as the sound of loud
laughter filled her ears, coming from the direction of the locker
room. She smiled. It was nice to hear someone having fun. She
took a step to resume her mission of mercy, only to stop again
when she realized that the laughter was Junko's voice.
"What's so funny, Ju-chan?" Emi asked her best friend with
a smile, seeing her doubled over with mirth-filled tears in her eyes.
It looked like she had been laughing for a while now so it must
have been a really good joke.
Emi frowned suddenly as she considered the remote
possibility that it was her new outfit that her friend was laughing
at. While it was a pretty big change, she had felt it was needed to
get into the proper mindset for becoming a magical girl that day.
She had idly considered one of the many cute outfits from the
magical girl anime she had seen, but instead decided to go with
something that was a bit more... unique. And went well with a
cape.
"Emi, you've got to see this... huh?" Junko said, only to
realized the photo, and the two ninja, seemed to have vanished
during her sudden mad laughter attack. She had wanted to see
Emi's reaction to find out that her pet ninja boy's obsession didn't
end at voyeurism, but decided she had had enough amusement for
one day anyway. "Oh, it was nothing. Just a... joke I heard on TV,
but it doesn't make sense out of context."
"Oh," Emi said thoughtfully. It hadn't been her outfit after
all. She had been a bit worried for a moment that her best friend
didn't approve of her current wardrobe, but should have known that
Junko was much too supportive for that. Besides, how could
anything so cute ever be considered silly?
"Say, what's with the outfit anyway?" Junko asked before
she could stop herself. It was something she had been wondering
all day, but as a rule avoided anything that might make the cute girl
remember her promise about 'fixing' Junko's wardrobe. She
couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer, however.
"I'll show you!" Emi declared with a huge grin as she
grabbed her best friend's hand and dragged her in the direction of
her limo, already waiting to whisk them both away to the special
ceremony that would transform the ordinary girl Emi Ishiyama into
a magical heroine of justice.
"No, really I can't, I have plans...," Junko protested weakly,
seeing that Emi was lost in her own little world again and all of her
words went unheard. There would be no way out of this without
serious application of force, and Junko didn't feel up to that when
the whole thing was her fault in the first place. She should have
known better than to show any interest in anything Emi did.
Emi's loving parents were careful to make sure everything
was just perfect for the ceremony that would usher their daughter
into the world of magical girls. They weren't exactly sure why
Emi wanted this, but they knew that their special child would be
the very best magical girl their ever was. With their genes and
having raised their daughter with the very best that money could
buy, could there be any doubt?
Besides, they both still felt the need to make it up to Emi
for their small slip up, unintentionally causing their sensitive
daughter to think they didn't love her more than anything else in
the world. The old ninja's little trick had merely delayed their
plans. They both knew that he took of dim view of their notions of
parenting, thinking that they were spoiling their precious offspring.
Well, neither of them ever had to endure much hardship, but they
had turned out just fine. It should be good enough for Emi.
"Are we really doing the right thing?" Michiko asked
distractedly as she stared up at the three story tall wall scroll of
'Magical Mecha Princess Ami-chan,' their daughter's new alter-
ego. It was one of the many shots taken during the power suit
testing yesterday, which had gone flawlessly, at least after Emi had
gotten the hang of flying.
"We should have rented the orchestra again instead of the
brass band?" Ryuji asked, a bit confused as to what his wife was
talking about. It was the only decision he could think of that they
hadn't talked out and carefully thought out before making recently.
"No, not that. You know how much our daughter likes the
sound of trumpets," Michiko replied with a smile and a small
shake of her head. Sometimes even she couldn't tell when her
husband was being serious or not. "It's just this whole magical girl
thing. We coded all the circuits we sent to that... woman for Emi
avoidance, and even if that mad scientist found a way around that,
the power suit should easily deflect the damage. Still, I can't help
worry that something will go wrong. Something we haven't
planned on."
"You're right," Ryuji agreed after a few moments of
thought. There was a slight possibility that there was something
they had overlooked, even if it was only a one in a million chance,
they wouldn't risk their one and only daughter on it. "We can pull
some other project to satisfy the press, and Emi-chan... I'm sure
we'll find a way to make it up to her somehow. Perhaps her own
Caribbean island."
"I beg you to reconsider," Ichiro said, having suddenly
appeared kneeling at their feet.
"Why would we listen to you again after the way your last
suggestion turned out," Michiko said with a frown. She couldn't
forget how that rude, obnoxious tomboy had been clinging to Emi,
and had the nerve to speak back to a successful businesswoman
like herself.
"Because I am sworn to fulfill Emi-chan's every wish and
desire, and also because I have only broken my word once, and
still live with the consequences of my actions," Ichiro said
solemnly, then shook his head slightly to avoid dwelling on the
past. "Emi-chan wishes to be a magical girl more than anything
else she has ever desired before, and I swear to you that I and my
daughter's family will still be able to protect her from harm, even if
it means our lives."
"He does make a very convincing case, dear. They have
always come though in the past, no matter the difficulty," Ryuji
said, then added as an afterthought, "Even if he is wearing
lipstick."
"More ninja training... art of disguise...," Ichiro muttered as
he quickly wiped the lipstick off, knowing that somewhere in the
shadows his daughter was grinning like a cheshire cat.
"I guess we can wait and see how her first triumphant battle
goes," Michiko said finally. "If worst comes to worst, we can
always push the self-destruct button."
"Err... You did explain to her that we wanted the new robot
to be finish by today, at least an hour before dinner time?" Ryuji
asked his wife, realizing the one thing in all their preparations that
had been discussed early on, but he couldn't remember being
resolved.
"I thought you were going to do it," Michiko replied
nervously. She didn't want to have to deal with that insane woman
again if she didn't have to, so had hinted to her husband that he
should be the one to take care of it. It seemed that for once he
hadn't understood what she had meant.
Ryuji had thought his wife might have been hinting for him
to take care of it when the matter had come up, but he didn't like
the idea of talking to the woman who had suddenly pounced on
him before, smelling of stale sweat and cigarettes. So he just
assumed he was only imagining it and was confident his wife
would take care of it.
"I'm sure we have nothing to worry about," Ryuji said
nervously. "She did say before that it took roughly a week to
finish building one of her robots and we both know an unbalanced
type like hers couldn't resist attacking the city again."
Michiko nodded to both messages. Her husband didn't
want to chat with the wacko either, and considering how she had
reacted around him last, it was probably for the best. "Perhaps
Ichiro her can..."
The co-president trailed off when she realized the old ninja
master had already disappeared. "... I'm confident that everything
will work out regardless of that one minor problem."
"Yes, indeed," Ryuji quickly agreed, fighting the urge to
sigh in relief, then quickly changed the topic. "Emi-chan is
running a bit late, so what are we going to do about the press? I'm
sure they're getting restless about now."
Michiko nodded, accepting the change of subject with
barely-concealed relief. "We have to be ready to greet our
precious daughter the moment she arrives so we certainly couldn't
do anything, and there's no one here right now that could satisfy
them for long..."
When Shuji saw the faces of the presidents of IHI as he
rushed in, he knew that he had come in at exactly the wrong time.
Ever since the meeting with the presidents of IHI last week,
Rei couldn't stop wondered how her sempai was doing. Nayoko
was a brilliant scientist and a heroine for all the hard working
women everywhere trying to make a difference in a male-
dominated world, but was cruelly fired only recently due to one
little eccentricity. The presidents couldn't understand that her very
uniqueness was what made her so valuable.
Rei knew better than anyone that Nayoko's uniqueness
came at a cost. The woman was simply horrible at taking care of
herself and it was a miracle she had survived as long as she had
without Rei to look out for her. The two had developed a very
close and mutually beneficial partnership, or at least Rei liked to
think so. Nayoko handled all the assignments for the both of them
while Rei took care of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and even
tucking her sempai into bed at night.
Nayoko also could become a bit... strange at times, but Rei
simply would play along, no matter what that might entail, though
sometimes the games were more than a bit embarrassing. It was a
small price to pay to be the assistant to such a brilliant woman.
Rei only wanted to check on Nayoko to make sure she was
all right after being fired from her true calling. It took a few days,
however, for Rei to build up enough courage to place a call at her
sempai's private residence, but by that time the residence was
abandoned, and looked as if it had been so for a long time with the
large sign proclaiming 'condemned' out in front. Someone had
probably just entered the wrong address in her sempai's records,
but Rei had had no luck finding Nayoko's true whereabouts.
Then only earlier today she had happened to overhear two
truck drivers complaining about a very odd job. One of them had
to deliver a truck full of top of the line equipment and parts to
some old abandoned factory in the middle of the woods. The
delivery had to be made at midnight and he was told to just drop
the stuff off inside even though no one seemed to be around.
*It has to be sempai!* Rei thought eagerly. Clever
business people like the presidents of IHI would have never
actually fired a genius like Nayoko. They must have given her
some ultra important secret project and had just pretended to sack
her so no one would be suspicious.
All during her shift, Rei debated the pros and cons of
seeking out her sempai. She was even more worried now. If
Nayoko was working on a special project, she needed more
looking after than ever before. But then Rei feared that her non-
scientific presence would be a nuisance and only interfere with her
sempai's work.
Now Rei stood before the door of the old factory, picnic
basket slung under one arm. She had decided that if she showed
up for a short tea break to see how her sempai was doing, there
couldn't be any harm in that. She had even made some of
Nayoko's favorite foods in case she had been so focused on her
work that she neglected to eat again. Then Rei could casually ask
if Nayoko needed an assistant for her new project.
Steeling herself, Rei reached out and knocked twice on the
rusted steel door before her. While she waited for a response, she
did her best to calm the butterflies in her stomach and ease the
dizziness spinning in her head. As the silence continued, however,
her anxiety only grew.
Rei nearly jumped in surprise when the door finally
creaked open on hinges that could use a good oiling. The figure
that stood in the doorway was very familiar to her, but it wasn't her
sempai as she had hoped.
Doe-Rei caught the young woman as she fainted and
brought her inside. The android idly wondered why the woman
looked a bit familiar.
Shuji idly considered doing something that would get him
fired. If that insane woman Nayoko could pull something off,
surely someone of his genius could devise a method for banishing
himself from IHI forever. Maybe if he made a pass at the female
president. If he had given the matter any thought before he
supposed that she was an attractive woman...
Because no matter what they did to him as a result, it
couldn't be worse than what Shuji was being forced to endure at
the moment. Getting showered and changed into a brand new lab
coat wasn't good enough for the presidents for their little
ceremony. They had to get some of their trained monkeys to stuff
him into a business suit, give him a haircut that he didn't like at all,
and even touches of makeup. Then they had thrown him to the
wolves of the information age: the associated press.
The problem was that Emi was running a bit late and of
course they couldn't start their precious ceremony without the star
so the press were starting to get a little restless. He was supposed
to keep them occupied, but had been forbidden to talk at all about
the power suit since the presidents wanted their daughter to have
that honor. He also had a feeling that if he deliberately messed
something up for Emi, they'd do much worse than just sack him.
"Hello everyone, I'm Shuji Higashimizu, IHI's top scientist
and head of the project which produced the marvel you will soon
witness. Unfortunately, we're running a bit behind and I've been
sent to field any questions you may have, though I won't be able to
talk about the specifics of the project."
The press milled around in confusion for a moment or two.
If it were one of the presidents of IHI, then there were a hundred
and one questions they had that had little or nothing to do with
their business, but what possible interest could their readers have
in this nobody?
"Why can't you talk about the specifics?" one reporter
asked the question they had all been wondering.
"Because it's a... surprise," Shuji managed to say without
screaming though the power of his will.
The press nodded. They couldn't argue with that. "This...
invention, if I may call it that, will it revolutionize the way in
which we live? Will it be a boon to mankind?"
"In a way..." Shuji said, then seeing their unsatisfied looks,
added, "I think I can safely say that there isn^�t a single person
living in this city that won't be effected by it, in one way or
another."
"Is it connected to the giant robot which destroyed part of
the city only a week and a half ago?" another reporter asked.
"The project wasn't started on those terms, but if I may be
presumptuous to assume the intent of the presidents of IHI, then I
would say yes. Though I would never produce something so
ridiculous as a giant robot."
"How about we try to guess what it is, and you just tell us if
we guess right or not?" one of the older, more experienced
reporters posed.
"I don't see how that would be a problem," Shuji replied
after a few moments of thought. There was no way in the world
they'd be able to guess correctly; he never would in their position
and he was a genius. Still, it was the best way he could think of to
eat up some time.
"Is it a automobile?"
"No."
"New food processor?"
"No."
"Everlasting candy?"
"No."
"A duck?"
"No!"
Junko watched the city go by through the tinted windows of
Emi's stretch limousine, wondering if she was about to have
another confrontation with the girl's demon parents. Her 'best
friend' was busily changing out of her ridiculous swashbuckler
costume into a somewhat less silly pink jumpsuit. It would have
been passable if she hadn't reattached the white cape.
"Where are we going, and what are we going to do when
we get there?" Junko asked a bit impatiently. This was already
cutting into her arcade time.
"To the Ishiyama Heavy Industries R&D facility, and it's a
surprise," Emi gave her best friend a straight answer for once as
she wiggled to slip on long gloves and tall matching boots. She
knew she was running late so had to hurry, but she simply couldn't
have had her magical girl ceremony without her best friend in
attendance.
Junko blinked to realize that with the latest addition, Emi's
current clothes looked like a cuter version of Hime Star-chan's
outfit, with the absence of armor and the addition of a cape. The
plain girl didn't know what it meant, but whatever it was, she didn't
like it. "Can you at least tell me what's with the get-up?"
"It's all because of what you said, Ju-chan!" Emi told her
with a wide grin, hugging her best friend as she felt overcome with
emotion. "Thank you ever so much!"
"Err, you're welcome," Junko replied as she pried herself
from the other girl's grip once again. She didn't want to ask, she
really didn't want to, but she couldn't ignore the cold feeling in the
pit of her stomach that had suddenly manifested. "Umm, exactly
what did I say, Emi?"
Emi stood up in her limo, sticking her head through the
sunroof, and declared loud enough so that Junko could still hear
her, "You said that in order to catch the public interest again, I had
to become a extremely powerful and cool magical girl like Hime
Star-chan!"
Junko was sure that little miss princess had been spending
far too much time in her own fantasy world because the plain girl
knew that she wouldn't have said anything that stupid a million
years.
Despite being richer and better connected than the pope,
Emi was still a normal girl. She had already tried stopping a giant
robot before and that had nearly gotten her smashed flat. Her
family of trained ninja could probably get her out of any danger
she managed to get herself into, but it was sure to ruin any fun for
Hime Star-chan.
Besides, she felt she owned Atsuko for sharing her little
photo collection and didn't want to give the ninja girl any extra
work, especially known how the older girl felt about her pint-sized
mistress.
"Emi," Junko said to the other girl seriously after tugging
her back inside the limo. "I don't know how to put this but...
there's more to being a magical girl than putting on a silly outfit
and making annoying speeches. To be blunt... they have magic
and you don't. So why don't you find another way of being
popular and leave the crime fighting to the professionals, okay?"
"Don't worry, Ju-chan," Emi told her best friend with a
smile as the limo slowed and stopped. "I've got that all covered."
Junko felt anything but reassured.
*Where did that android go?* Nayoko thought in mild
irritation as she wandered aimlessly around the factory, in search
of the human-like robot which apparently she had built. She had
been deep in completing the finishing touches on her new giant
robot and was therefore in desperate need of a lit cigarette. *What
was her name again? Doe-Rei, that's it. Odd name. Why does it
sound familiar?*
The scientist found the android-girl lying on her bed,
seemingly unconscious. She could be recharging. Nayoko seemed
to remember something in her designs about solar power, but she
didn't need to go into sleep mode for that. At least she had
changed out of that silly bondage gear into something a little more
normal, even if it did make her breasts look smaller. Should have
kept her lab coat on though.
Rei gradually returned to consciousness due to a gentle but
persistent tapping on her cheek. She slowly opened her eyes,
almost fearing what she might behold, only to smile to find
Nayoko staring back at her.
"Sempai! It's so good to see you again!" Rei declared in
joy as she embraced the older woman. "I don't know what
happened, maybe it was the sun or something I ate that made me
pass out, but I had the absolute worst nightmare. I knocked on
your door, but instead of you answering, it was some twisted evil
parody of myself wearing the most embarrassing outfit..."
"Huh?" Nayoko managed to say as the android babbled on
and on, not making very much sense. Maybe she had crossed a
wire or it was a programming bug that was only kicking in now.
"Let go of sempai!" Doe-Rei shouted from the door, still
dressed in her black slave outfit with a white lab coat over it. She
raced over and easily ripped Nayoko from the thieving arms of the
fainting girl.
Doe-Rei had only taken pity on her because she looked
somewhat cute and had planned to tie her to the bed as soon as she
could find some rope, but she had to spurn the android's good
intentions by trying to snatch away her mistress.
"She's my sempai, you... copycat!" Rei declared angrily as
she stood and grabbed hold of Nayoko, trying to free her from the
obviously insane and perverted woman who just happened to look
somewhat like her.
"My sempai! Mine!" Doe-Rei insisted.
"She was mine first!" Rei countered.
"Let go of me, the both of you," Nayoko told them with
uncharacteristic anger in her voice. There was a lot in life she was
indifferent to, but being used as a rope in a tug of war wasn't one
of them. "Sit down and let me figure this all out. There's
something very odd going on here."
"Hai, sempai!" both girls shouted in agreement as they
released their holds on Nayoko, only to turn and glare at each
other.
Nayoko looked at the one that she was assuming to be the
android because she was wearing a lab coat, then over to the new
girl who may or may not be an android, but seemed to know her.
Then back to the android, then the new girl, then the android again.
After going back and forth about a dozen times, Nayoko had
realized that aside from a few minor details, the two girls could
pass for identical twins.
"Rei from the IHI R&D lab, right?" Nayoko asked the new
girl as the memory hit her like a speeding bus. "I guess I used you
as a basis for my android design."
Nayoko had been thinking early in the design phase over
what the android should look like, and never having been all that
artistic, had snagged the first face that popped into her head. Well,
second face, actually. She wasn't sure how Michiko would like to
see a copy of herself walking around and Nayoko couldn't risk
having her funding cut again.
"Yes, that's me. Good old dependable Rei is here to help
you once again, so you can get rid of this impostor," Rei said with
a smile, which changed to a frown as her eyes fell on her double.
At first, she felt insulted to find a copy of herself, which she
couldn't help noticing had a much more curvy body with a larger
bust to boot. But then she realized how much her sempai must
have missed her to go through all the trouble of trying to recreate
her.
"You're the interloper, dumpy. Go take a hike," Doe-Rei
snapped back at her almost-twin. Obviously, her sempai had built
her because the original had been substandard and not nearly as
useful. Doe-Rei was made to be the perfect assistant to her
mistress and didn't need the older human model getting in the way.
"Ladies, please," Nayoko told them both in irritation as the
cat fight started up once again. Normally, she wouldn't have cared
so much, but her latest and best creation was so close to being
finished. "You two can stay here and resolve your differences.
I've got work to do."
"Sempai!" both Reis suddenly shouted in alarm.
"What?" Nayoko turned around quickly, failing to notice
the empty sake bottle on the floor before she tripped over it,
sending her falling to the floor in a heap.
"... watch out for the empty liquor bottle," the both added
lamely, before turning to look at each other with identical glares.
Both moved to speak, but were halted as the sound of mad
laughter began to fill their ears.
"I wonder whatever could be keeping Emi-chan. She's
usually very prompt for these sorts of things," Michiko pondered
out loud as she waited with her husband at the back entrance to the
R&D facility. The preparations for their daughter's little magical
girl coming out party had been in place for a while now and they
both knew well that Shuji wouldn't be able to hold the press
forever.
"She must be working on her fashionably late skills," Ryuji
said with a grin as he wrapped his arms around his wife and held
her close. He had always considered punctuality as something that
other people needed to worry about. "Just like her mother."
"Baka," Michiko said affectionately as she sunk into his
embrace. They both knew that she was the one who always made
sure everything was on time, while he never worried about
deadlines, whether they were his own or someone else's. He
always fretted over budgets, which she could care less about. They
both agreed, however, that neither time nor money were an object
when it came to their daughter.
Only a few moments later, a familiar black limo eased its
way up the curb, the driver easily controlling the awkward vehicle.
Emi daintily exited when the door seemed to have opened all by
itself, grinning to see her parents there waiting for her. "Hello
mommy and daddy! Sorry I'm late!"
"That's okay, darling!" Michiko shouted back to her as both
parents ran to embrace their precious daughter, only to stop short
when another person stepped out of the limo, the last person in the
world either of them wanted to see again. "And what is this... girl
doing here, sweetheart?"
*Not these two idiots again,* Junko thought with a frown
as she looked up into the disapproving expressions of Emi's
parents. She couldn't believe they were allowed to have children.
Her uncle Kozo was more reliable than the both of them put
together and he was hardly the paragon of responsibility.
Junko could have gotten angry at being treated like an
unwanted disease, but she wasn't a child anymore and knew
against these two it would have little effect. She didn't want to
increase her stress, not when she already had Emi to put up with.
So instead she bowed and said to them politely, "Pleased to meet
you again, Mr. and Mrs. Ishiyama."
The parents simultaneously took a step back in shock. The
demon girl was actually being polite to them. It had to be some
sort of trick. A looked passed between them. They would play her
politeness game for now, but remain prepared for anything.
"Because she's my best friend in the whole wide world!"
Emi declared as she threw her arms around the surprised Junko,
who was too busy enjoying the reactions of the girl's parents at the
moment. While uncomfortable with her friend's easy affection, it
was worth it to see the reaction this had on her parent's faces.
"How much do you think it would cost to persuade Kozo
Kitaue to accept a position in our European office and take his brat
of a niece with him?" Michiko whispered to her husband while
keeping a smile plastered to her face. She didn't want to give the
smug girl the benefit of knowing just how much she was getting to
her.
"I don't think Kitaue can speak German," Ryuji whispered
back, clenching his hands into fists to resist the urge to tear his
precious daughter away from the contagious tomboy.
"He'll learn," Michiko whispered back sharply, before
turning back to face Emi and saying in a carefully cheerful tone.
"It's so sweet of you to take pity on such a friendless girl, Emi-
chan. Of course she's welcome to join us for your little party. We
are running a bit late though, so do you suppose we could get
started?"
"Right! I better get ready!" Emi enthused and ran into the
building, leaving Junko alone with the cute girl's parents.
For a while they simply stared at each other, as if sizing up
the opposition, divining out points of weakness. Then Junko
spoke, her voice pleasant, but with an edge of sarcasm like a razor
blade coated in milk chocolate.
"Thank you for allowing your daughter to take pity in a
friendless girl like myself, madam. I will do my best to be like the
sister she will never have, since you are obviously well past your
child bearing years."
Michiko flinched as if physically struck, but idly
straightened out her already perfectly straight clothes as she
smiled. "You are such a kind girl. Have you considered a career
as a mid-wife? At leas then you'll be able know what it's like to
hold a baby in your arms. I hear they actually prefer girls with
looks such as yours."
Ryuji fearfully took a step back as the two females seemed
to glow, their eyes locked in a contest that he only partially
understood, and so felt a bit left out. He decided to keep his
silence, however, and avoid having these mysterious energies
directed at him.
Junko gritted her teeth, but hid it behind a smile. She
wouldn't give this woman a centimeter of satisfaction. "You are
the kind one, obasan, for using up the precious moments of your
declining years to advise me on my future. I am still so very
young though that I simply can't see so far ahead as my future
career, while you are surely already preparing for your retirement."
Michiko had never believed that punishment and parenting
belonged together, but at the moment she was sorely tempted to
take this brat over her knee and spank her bottom red. Then she
remembered Nayoko's little suggestion about and suddenly felt ill.
She would concede this fight for now; she no longer felt up to it.
"Oh, we better see how Emi-chan is doing," Michiko
announced suddenly as she broke off her staring contest with the
plain little girl. "Please follow close behind us, Junk-san. This is
our R&D facility with a lot of dangerous experiments are
conducted. We wouldn't want you to wander off and something
bad to happen to our daughter's best friend."
Junko grinned like the cat who had just got the canary. Her
victory was nearly worth missing the resurrection of her favorite
video game. But she wasn't willing to let the woman off that
easily, not after her final remark. She held out her hand to her and
said in a small, afraid voice, "It sounds like a very scary place.
Will you hold my hand, obasan?"
Michiko was shaking with the urge to snarl and slap the
hand away, but very tentatively she took hold of it, and with a
sickly smile permanently bolted to her face, lead the little girl
inside. Wisely saying nothing, Ryuji followed close behind.
Kozo cursed his luck for the nth time that week as he
slowly marched up the stairs of the city's main government
building. The elevators being out of order was only the latest in a
long string of small misfortunes that had plagued him the entire
week.
His job title was 'Head of Troubleshooting and Problem
Management,' which basically meant he went in and sat at his desk
for eight hours just in case some division had a problem they
couldn't handle themselves. Which never happened because the
co-presidents had worked hard to make sure all the divisions were
self-sufficient. So he was basically the executive in charge of a
division that only existed on paper, which is why he avoided the
presidents like the plague. He was sure that one day they'd realize
his uselessness and sack him so thought it best not to call attention
to himself.
Last week his phone had actually wrung. Kozo had stared
at it for some moments in surprise, before deciding that it had to be
a wrong number and very tentatively answered it.
He was wrong. It seems that all the executives of the
construction / demolition division had been caught in the collapse
of a condemned building and would be out of work for at least
several weeks. The presidents had sent a memo to the division
stating that Kozo was now acting head in their absence, and
division was surprised to find that this was the first he had heard of
it.
There was a simple reason for that. Kozo had been careful
to make sure the presidents, or anyone else if he could help it,
didn't actually know where his office was. He also had a long list
of excuses ready when those memos did manage to reach his office
somehow.
Kozo really tried to worm his way out of the first actual
work he'd be doing since he had been hired years ago, but it
seemed impossible. The construction crew all knew their jobs so
they didn't need anyone who knew one thing about construction,
which Kozo didn't. He had only a vague idea what any of the
divisions of IHI did. They just needed someone to deal with the
other executives, and the biggest problem of them all, the mayor.
Kozo's first duty of his new job was to sit and get yelled at
for fifteen minutes by the mayor over the phone, and looking back
over the week, that seemed to be one of the nicer moments. It was
certainly much better than sitting and getting yelled at face to face.
Now he was going to face the mayor one last time to report
that the reconstruction of the city was finally complete, not on
schedule, but at least under budget. Even though he had worked
overtime to save the city money and the construction crew's long
hours had finally paid off, he knew he wouldn't be thanked about
it. He had quickly learned that the mayor was the sort of person
who could win the lottery and complain about paying taxes on it.
At least he had a cute secretary, who may or may not be his
mistress, at least if the rumors that circulated around the building
were to be believed. He idly wondered if she'd consider working
under him at IHI. Now that he was doing actual work, Kozo
thought he deserved an assistant of some kind.
"Why the long face, Kozo-kun?" Sakuya Maekami asked
him with a small pout as she looked up from the papers she was
shuffling on her small desk. He never looked happy to enter the
mayor's office, but today he shuffled forward like a zombie.
Kozo collapsed into a chair and gasped for breath before
replying. "Elevator is out. Had to walk... four, five, six flights of
stairs carrying this heavy briefcase."
"Poor Kozo-kun," Sakuya said as she walked over to him,
her long strides visibly straining the fabric of her tight skirt. "I
wonder what could have happened? The elevator was working
fine when I took my lunch break."
"Just my luck, I guess," Kozo replied, trying very hard not
to stare at the women, which was especially difficult when she had
so much worth staring at. The fiery red hair that flowed down a
flawless face, to a body that any woman would envy, especially
since Sakuya seemed to have no qualms about showing it off with
a plunging neckline and clothes with a very snug fit. Not that he
was complaining.
"I'm sure you're already a bundle of stress from the
momentous task of rebuilding the city. If there was only
something I could do that would in some small way help you find
some relief..." Sakuya trailed off, causally putting her hands on his
shoulders, her body so close now that he field of view was
dominated by her significant cleavage.
Kozo tried to come up with a suggestion, but neither his
mouth or his brain seemed to be working properly at the moment.
"I know!" Sakuya said suddenly as she raced back over to
her desk and picked up her telephone receiver. "I'll call
maintenance to do a rush repair job so you won't have to worry
about going down all those steps when you leave. Won't that be a
relief?"
"Yes," Kozo agreed after a few moments, surprised that no
matter when he seemed to have hit rock bottom, his luck still
managed to sink even deeper.
"Oh, and you can go in and see the mayor now," Sakuya
added while still on the phone. "He's been waiting for you for a
while now. I'm sure when you explain about the elevator though,
he'll understand why you're late."
*Only if I was 36D like you,* Kozo thought glumly as he
hauled himself out of his chair, shuffled across the room, and with
only slight hesitation, opened the door to the mayor's office and
went inside.
The honorable mayor of the city, Gen-ji Yokozaki, was
sitting behind his desk, red-faced, chomping on a cigar, and
swearing into a phone. Which he was doing every time Kozo
entered his office. He didn't know if it was his bad luck yet again,
or the man was always doing this. Kozo wondered what sort of
blood pressure medicine the man took. He had a feeling he was
going to need some very soon.
"Finally!" Gen-ji shouted as he looked up to see that Kozo
had arrived, punctuating his outburst by roughly slamming the
phone down on its receiver. "I've been on the phone for fifteen
minutes trying to find out where you had gone to, but no one
seemed to have a clue where your office was. Idiots!"
"The elevator was out," Kozo offered by way of explaining
his tardiness. He took a seat before the mayor and steeled himself,
refusing to be intimidated this time. "I had to walk up the six
flights to your office, which is why I'm a bit late."
"The main elevators have been shut down for annual
maintenance," the mayor informed him gruffly as he put out the
stub of his cigar. "We're supposed to use the service elevator
today. Didn't anyone tell you that?"
"No, no one did," Kozo replied shortly, trying not to get
angry. He wondered if Sakuya had deliberately forgotten to
mention it in order to play a trick on him, but dismissed the
thought as quickly as it came. Anyone that could put up with the
'pitbull' here had to be a saint.
"Your fault for not figuring it out yourself," Gen-ji told him
with a small huff. He had disliked this Kozo person from the first
time his eyes had fallen on the boy. He was too young, too
carefree, his face completely unmarked by wrinkles. In Gen-ji's
opinion, a man who hasn't seen the hardships he has can't be
trusted. "Still, you're not here to air your personal problems.
What's the progress of the reconstruction?"
Kozo opened up his briefcase and began to shuffle through
its contents to give himself time to contain his rage at this fat, ugly,
self-important old man who treated everyone else like garbage. He
just wanted to finish his job and get the hell out of there.
"As you can see from these reports," Kozo explained in a
carefully neutral tone as he handed the mayor a small stack of
printouts, "the reconstruction has finally been finished. While it
did take longer than initially projected, the whole undertaking was
completed well under budget. Not to mention that the buildings
have been reinforced should this happen again."
Kozo frowned as he said the last bit. The presidents of IHI
had insisted on the reinforcement, at least by memo. When he had,
by memo, pointed out that would raise the cost beyond their initial
expectations, the presidents had quickly agreed to cover the extra
cost themselves. 'The reason?' he had written. 'Just in case,' had
come their reply.
Gen-ji laughed a bit before he started to choke and then had
to stop. "I think we both know the likelyhood of that happening
again. It's not a bet any sane man would take. Besides, I managed
to get the insurance companies to modify their contracts. So if by
some freak occurrence another robot does come rampaging
through the city, the cost of repairs should be covered."
Kozo began to relax. By some miracle, the mayor seemed
to be in a good mood. Perhaps his luck was finally starting to
change. Maybe it was even enough to risk asking Sakuya out to
dinner to discuss the possibility of her changing employers.
"You're right, sir. I think if either of us have anything to worry
about, it doesn't involve giant robots."
Gen-ji chuckled again, then with a small shrug, reached
into his precious supply of cigars and offered Kozo one. "I guess I
misjudged you, kid. You're all right. Here, have a cigar."
Kozo didn't smoke. He didn't even like to be in the same
room with someone who smoked, which had made the past week
even harder, but knowing a refusal would ruin the fragile pleasant
mood, he accepted it with a small nod of thanks.
"Yes, this whole week has shown me how easy I had it
before," Gen-ji said as he leaned back in his worn out chair and
stuck the new cigar in his mouth. "From now on, this job is going
to seem like a breeze."
"Oh, Gen-chan," Sakuya called out to the mayor as she
stuck her head, as well as her chest, into his office. "Turn on the
news. They've just reported that another giant robot is heading
directly for the city."
Kozo considered taking up smoking.
Gen-ji fell out of his chair.
The indoor testing area of the IHI R&D lab was a massive
rectangular room, four stories tall with walls of reinforced concrete
and a retractable ceiling made of armor plating. It had been made
to withstand even the most explosive of failures, especially after
the one that had taken out the old lab some dozen years ago.
Despite its age, the walls were already pitted and scorched, the
ceiling covered with small bumps and protrusions.
Normally a dreary sort of place, the entire room had been
given a makeover from floor to ceiling. The floor had been
arraigned with tiles that spelled out 'Magical Mecha Princess Ami-
chan,' but in much too massive letters for anyone not looking down
through the new temporary glass ceiling to make out. Even if
someone were able to ascend to this vantage point, most of the
letters were completely obscured by the large stage, rows and rows
of chairs for the press, and even a complimentary buffet, consisting
mainly of sweets and baked goods made with the new MMPA
logo: a heart with butterfly wings.
Junko noticed none of this as she entered the room.
Instead, her focus was immediately seized by a pink blur that was
zooming all over the massive chamber like a hyperactive
hummingbird. When it suddenly stopped and hovered before her,
Junko gasped in surprise. Whatever she had been expecting, it
sure wasn't this.
The overall coloration of the armor, and the suit the person
was wearing underneath, was dominated by pink, with touches of
white, and the occasion grey highlight. The chest piece was
shaped like a massive heart in the front, ending at a metallic
imitation of a short skirt. From the back sprouted four wing-like
protrusions that vaguely resembled small butterfly wings, which
moved back and forth slightly as the figure continued to hover in
place.
Hands and feet were covered by metallic elbow-length
gloves and knee-height boots, secured by thinner arm and thigh
pieces to the main body. The helmet was basically a half-sphere
with two tiny antenna-like protrusions and a pink visor to protect
the face of the pilot. While it did make her features a bit vague,
Junko had no trouble at all realizing who the pilot was.
"Emi!" Junko shouted.
"No!" the figured exclaimed in an amplified voice as it
posed while still floating in mid-air. "I am the Magical Mecha
Princess Ami-chan! You must have me confused with some other
incredibly cute but still normal girl."
"Emi," Junko repeated seriously. "There's no way anyone
with a half a brain isn't going to be able to figure out it's you in
there."
"How can you say that?" Michiko protested. "Her disguise
is perfect! Why if I hadn't seen her put on the suit before with my
own eyes, I would have never realized that my own daughter had
become such a paragon of magical girls!"
*Where's the magic in a hardsuit?* Junko thought in mild
irritation, though at the same time realizing this was somewhat
hypocritical. Akito seemed to work like magic, but being the
product of an alien race, could just be of a sufficiently advanced
technology that only seemed like magic.
*Magic is part of your race's expertise,* Akito suddenly
replied to her query, slipping into lecture mode. *I was
constructed during the brief transitional period from the dominance
of magic to technology. Sadly, much of the magical research was
lost in the great fire of...*
*Shut up!* Junko thought in anger as she gnashed her
teeth. As if she didn't have enough to deal with at the moment.
She suddenly noticed that Emi was giving her a very odd look and
snapped, "What? What is it?"
"You're so clever to have guessed it was me, Ju-chan!" Emi
suddenly exclaimed, the amplification bringing her usual shout to
near deafening levels. "The way you're holding the hand of my
mommy, it's just like you're my older, smarter sister!"
Junko and Michiko quickly glanced at each other, then
almost fearfully looked down to realize that they had both
somehow forgotten that they were still holding hands. They
released their grip on each other at ninja-like speeds before turning
away from each other in absolute disgust over what Emi had just
suggested. It was bad enough they needed to deal with each other,
but to be related... Both shuddered in revulsion.
"I need a snack," Junko said quickly, racing over to the
buffet table before anyone could stop her. She glanced over the
food, but still felt much to ill to eat. Her real mom had hadn't
exactly been the paragon of motherhood, but to compare her with
that... spoiled woman, it was bordering on insult.
"Why hello there," said a gentle woman with long forest
green hair that had been finishing setting up the buffet with a few
decorative touches. She was wearing an apron, but Junko had a
feeling that she was more than a simpler caterer. "You must be
Emi-chan's friend, Junko."
"Ahh, yeah, hi," Junko replied nervously, not liking the
intent stare this woman was giving her.
"Oh, you're a tomboy, aren't you?" the woman nearly
squealed in delight. "You remind me of little Ats-chan when she
was your age, always climbing trees or playing in the mud..."
"Mom!" Atsuko shouted as she suddenly appeared red-
faced by the woman's side. She was dressed in a dark grey ninja
outfit whose color seemed to blend seamlessly with the stone
walls. Junko was a bit surprised to see that she was also visibly
armed, with a sword in its sheath slipped under her belt.
"That reminds me. I nearly forgot to return something to
Emi-chan. Bye!" the woman said hurriedly, then vanished right
before Junko's eyes. Yet another ninja. Junko idly wondered if
everyone who worked for the Ishiyamas were masters of the
martial arts.
"That was my mother Tamiko," Atsuko explained with
obvious irritation, glancing at the spot where the woman had
recently stood. "She's as obsessed with cute like everyone else
around here."
"She seemed really nice," Junko said nervously, not
wanting to be the cause of a family feud. Besides, there had been
something a bit scary about the woman that the plain girl couldn't
quite explain. "She kind of reminds me of my own mom. I guess
all mothers are a bit like that, seeing their daughters as cute, no
matter what the reality of the situation is."
"Yeah, well, looks like they're about to start. I better get
ready," Atsuko replied uncomfortably before vanishing.
*Must be a sensitive subject. Hope I didn't offend her,*
Junko thought with a touch of anxiety. The teenage ninja seemed
to be the only person on the city that could see her side of the Emi
situation. The normally independent girl had to admit it was a
comfort to know there was someone else in your corner.
"She'll be fine," Tamiko said, reappearing suddenly, now
holding a familiar stuffed rabbit in her arms. "My daughter grew
up to be such a serious young lady, just like her father. They both
need a bit of teasing occasionally so they don't get too stuffy.
Besides, sometimes it's fun to be a tease, isn't it?"
Junko found the woman's grin infectious and couldn't help
smiling herself. "I guess so, Tamiko-san."
"No need to be so formal with me, Junko. Just Tamiko will
do," the woman said, still smiling, as she pat the plain girl gently
on the head. "Emi was wondering if you'd hold Usagi-kun for
her."
"Sure," Junko replied, accepting the stuffed bunny with
open arms, even though she could feel Akito's mild apprehension.
"Enjoy the show. I've got to get back to work," Tamiko
said as she faded away for the second time.
*I guess she's only a little bit like my mom,* Junko thought
before finding herself a good vantage point to view the stage, as far
from the blast radius as she could manage. The plain girl couldn't
shake the feeling of impending disaster.
If a stuffed animal could think, Usagi-kun's expression
seemed to be wondering why all little girls felt the need to squeeze
him so tight. Or perhaps he was preparing himself for more pain to
come.
The press slowly filtered into the room, glancing about at
the things now covered and concealed, so that nothing gave away
the true and mysterious purpose of this press conference. The
guessing game of the scientist had been of no help, but each one
had made a special note of the guesses of their rival reporters to
include somewhere in their articles.
Shuji looked like a man who had run a marathon through a
blazing desert as he leaned on the podium for support and looked
out over the press now assembled in neat rows before him.
Somehow they more intimidating now than the crowd outside
when he couldn't really tell just how many of them there were.
Cue cards suddenly materialized before him. He speed
read through them before clearing his voice and said with the last
tatters of his confidence, "Welcome ladies and gentleman to the
Ishiyama Heavy Industries R&D facility. Please forgive our
unfortunate delay. It was necessary for the extra care and attention
required for this special event."
As Shuji cleared his throat again, the cue cards seemed to
change on their own. "Here now to explain this project are the co-
presidents of IHI, Michiko and Ryuji Ishiyama."
More polite applause followed as Michiko and Ryuji joined
the dazed scientist from opposite ends of the stage, who each
waved courteously to the crowd with microphones in hand.
Ryuji started, "Since the creation of IHI, we have worked
diligently in expanding our fledgling business to fulfill every want
and need of the people of Japan. We have striven to provide every
product and every service that our customers could need or desire.
Except for one."
Michiko nodded with a slight smile to her husband as he
stood beside her and slipped his free hand into hers. She
continued, "However, today we plan to rectify that oversight. For
on this very stage you will witness more than some product or
service we could provide you. You will witness the birth of a
legend."
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is our profound pleasure to
present to you the first corporate-sponsored magical girl..." Ryuji
trailed off, squeezing his wife's hand as she joined him in
announcing, "Magical Mecha Princess Ami-chan!"
The press murmured to each other in confusion as the lights
dimmed. Was this some sort of practical joke? The co-presidents
were know to sometimes take a light approach to business, but it
was an insult of the highest order to drag them all out there under
false pretenses, in order to watch some new teen idol perform stage
magic in order to promote their products. They were all serious
journalists; they didn't have time for such fluff.
"Hello everyone!" shouted a cute girl's voice from
somewhere above the stage as the lights flared back to life. The
lights faded back to normal levels, revealing a girl a shiny pink
armored suit suspended in mid-air. "Magical Mecha Princess
Ami-chan is here to save the city from rampaging robots, mutant
animals, and the occasion bad-tempered magical girl!"
Most of the press were less than impressed. The
murmuring that had died down began to gather in strength once
again. Silence returned, however, when the magical girl zipped
over their heads at speeds that not only couldn't be faked, but
ripped pens and notebooks right of their hands, and scattered hats
and toupees all over the room.
"What you're witnessing is a magical girl with the aid of the
latest technological achievements our company has to offer,"
Michiko explained to the stunned crowd whose eyes were locked
on Ami's aerial acrobatics. The magical girl twirled and spun
through the air with a natural grace, which she had achieved after
only a day of intense practice. She was still rough around the
edges, but the crowd was still too awed to notice.
All except one little girl who was doing her best to ignore
the bitterness welling up inside her. Junko had had one thing that
made her more special than Emi could ever be, but the little brat
had to take that away from her too. *Wait until there's a disaster.
Then they'll see whose the real magical girl in this city.*
"Powered flight is only one of the many marvels that this
power suit contains," Ryuji said. "Ami, why don't you give them a
little example of your other special powers?"
"Okay!" Ami agreed quickly, flying back to the center of
the room where she had first appeared. Posing dramatically with
her legs together and her arms outstretched, palms up, she
declared, "Blinding Love Flash!"
A pink light enveloped the room, as if filling it up with a
oddly pleasant luminescent fog. It took several minutes to fade,
but to the people dazed by its effects, it seemed to happen in an
instant. As the light vanished, the magical girl who created it
seemed to have disappeared with it. The press looked all around
for any sign or her while blinking away the pink spots still
lingering before their eyes.
"Burning Heart Comet Attack!" They heard the cry from
above, looking up just in time to see a large pink sphere-like object
hurtling right towards them. All but the most stalwart of
journalists screamed and fled for their lives. The others wished
that they hadn't drank so much coffee from the buffet table.
"Fooled you," Ami said with a giggle as she stopped with a
little effort, only a foot or so away from plowing into rows of
recently vacated seats. Still giggling, she flew away to land
daintily upon the podium, Michiko and Ryuji to either side, each
grinning like the proud parents they were.
"And that was only but a small sample of what our new
magical girl is capable of," Michiko announced as the press slowly
resumed their seats, most looking like rabbits who had only
narrowly escaped the hungry lion.
"Excuse me," one reporter interrupted very hesitantly,
raising his hand as if he expected Ami to race over and bite it off at
any moment.
"The question and answer session will follow after the
demonstration. Please be patient a little longer," Ryuji told the
man, wonder why he seemed almost afraid of his daughter.
The reporter swallowed nervously, but didn't lower his
hand just yet. "Yes, but I thought you'd like to know... I just heard
over the radio there's a giant robot heading straight for the city."
"She's even earlier than expected," Michiko whispered to
her husband. "Still, we're almost done with this press conference.
I don't see the harm in letting a little of the city get destroyed."
Ryuji nodded in agreement, but their daughter had other
ideas.
Magical Mecha Princess Ami posed once more, this time
with her feet planted firmly and her fist upraised to the heavens.
"Have no fear, good citizens! Your number one magical girl is
here to save you from the malicious schemes of that evil robot! Up
and away!"
Ami became a tower of pink energy as with a burst of
speed she flew up and through the glass ceiling, sending bits of
glass raining down all over the press, who once again were forced
to scramble to avoid injury.
Junko growled as she absented-mindedly squeezed the
stuffed bunny in her arms nearly to the breaking point. *That...
spoiled brat! How dare she? That's my robot to wreck!*
*Perhaps you should put down that stuffed animal before
you tear it in two, Junko,* Akito commented dryly. *Then duck
into one of the many side rooms here so you can transform. I
doubt a device made by humans could ever hope to emulate even
the smallest particle of my functionality, so your little friend is in
grave danger.*
*Right! Once I save Emi for the second time, maybe she'll
give up on this magical girl nonsense,* Junko thought, but she
couldn't just drop Usagi-kun on the floor and bolt. Tamiko had
trusted her with it, and Junko never liked breaking a promise.
"Obasan, catch!" Junko shouted as she raced over to
Michiko and tossed the bunny into her arms before running off in
search of a restroom.
"I am not an old lady!" Michiko shouted back in rage, but
the object of her disaffection was already long gone.
Lady Morgana had wisely included a comfortable place to
sit as one of the many features of her latest and greatest technical
marvel. The only problem was that not even a genius of her
caliber could have foreseen the need to accommodate more than
one person. So the interior of her giant robot was a bit cramped at
the moment, especially with Rei-Rei's nearly ceaseless bickering.
"Be silent!" Lady Morgana commanded as she struggled to
reach for the control panel, which one of the Rei's was sitting on.
After someone's tampering with her last creation's AI, she had
decided that this one had to be piloted manual to avoid such error.
"Hai, sempai!" Rei-Rei immediately shouted back.
Lady Morgana had recently awoken from her beauty rest,
not that she ever needed it, to find herself confronted by not one
android assistant, but two. After a few experiments, she
discovered that the new Rei was actually human.
A puzzle, but not a difficult one for someone of her
intellect. It was obvious that in an attempt to curry her favor, the
human Rei had designed plans for an android assistant based on
herself. But after seeing how well the android performed after
Lady Morgana had perfected the designs and completed the
machine, grew jealous of the simulacrum that bore her likeness.
Hence their proposal that their mistress chose which was to be her
assistant.
Lady Morgana, however, knew that her magnificence was
much more than one assistant could hope to handle, so had dubbed
them 'Rei-Rei' and said from now on they are work together in
order to help her wreak her vengeance upon the city and slowly
take over the world. If only they didn't squabble so much.
From the corner of the view screen not obscured by Rei's
posterior, she could see the city looming before her, as if waiting
for her arrival. "Ohohohoho! We shouldn't disappoint them then.
Right, girls?"
"Right, sempai!" Rei-Rei quickly agreed before returning to
their staring contest.
And the massive automaton ponderously made its way
towards the city, which knew exactly what was about to hit it.