Precious Friendships (Shizune Bad End, Sisterhood plot) [Ch77 @ 16 May 2024]

[hdkv]

Ahaaaaa!

I see what you did here. Clever!

[Mirage_GSM]

“Gozen-yen o-azukari-shimasu. O-tsuri-wa 460-yen desu. (I receive 5000-yen, the change is 460 yen.)”

I’ve gotten so used to the honorifics that, even when spoken reflexively, I’m not putting “kara” (from) after the “5000-yen” any more.

"Kara" does indeed mean "from", but why would you put it after the "5000 yen"? She receives the money from the customer, so if anything it would be "okyaku-sama kara..." but I'm not sure that phrase is in use...

Also, are there Pokemon fans who don't know what a trading card game is? In Japan?

[ShizuneFan2019]

Chapter 77: Wind Air Track Ground

After changing into my sports outfit, I stuff my belongings into the locker and begin my exercise routine with the stretching, which is almost exactly what I’ve been doing every day. The only exception is, today I’m covering new ground. I’m hitting a different sports field.

Looking at the actual track, it doesn’t look any different from Yamaku’s; I mean, it’s still brown oval shape. I guess all the track fields in the world should look the same – they are all standardized. But the view beyond the track is different – just green fields with nothing notable in sight, the running experience might not be the same.

It doesn’t matter. Track is always fun, whatever the view is. The track of Midori University, here I come!

Today I’m going to start a new adventure, right here on this track. Practically speaking, I’m not doing anything different from what I’ve been doing for the past few months, but my clients won’t be Yamaku students.

I’m a little worried about my new clients. Well, “worried” shouldn’t exist in my personal dictionary, so I should change it to “slightly concerned”. Most of the Yamaku students are disabled – with the notable exception of a certain pink blob – but I’ll be facing normal students today. In order to hide my running blades from them, I’m now wearing trousers, socks, and shoes. It was the order from the training center. The extra cover hinders my running experience by quite a bit, but I got used to the new outfit already.

The Nurse warned me about a possible discrimination the other day, and this is the exact reason he insisted me to participate in this program. Like Hisao and my fellow Yamaku graduates, I need to go outside and learn how to deal with my disability in front of others. I can’t stay in Yamaku forever. Well, I guess I could, if I was willing to stay in the same position in Yamaku for the rest of my life, assuming that they have a job opening for me. But I don’t mind exploring the rest of the world while I’m still young.

While I probably won’t see a friend in this school, I’ll be joined by Hisao and his President girlfriend in Kasshoku in the afternoon. It’s always nice to have someone in my social circle around. This is another reason I accepted Nurse’s offer.

I was delighted to see the two of them two days ago in the former President’s birthday party, on the first day I arrived at Kasshoku. Witnessing how devastated Hisao was in the hospital after his girlfriend’s car accident, I’m happy to see the two of them conquering their physical and emotional problems and become a star couple of the university. And I’m glad to be a friend of them.

Speaking of friends, maybe I can get myself a few friends in these two schools during the training program. Even though I’m an adorable sports star who gets along with pretty much anyone, I’ve had very few close friends throughout my life. (And I know the reason why.) My ex-boyfriend and Rin were, other than Mom and Nurse, closest to becoming my confidantes. Yet I still put them at arm’s length. My ex-boyfriend parted ways with me because I stonewalled him from my family matters. As for Rin, even though we’ve been pretty close since the day we met in school, our lack of contact since she moved to Tokyo indicates that we can live without each other just fine. And then Hisao, the track captain, Miki, and my other schoolmates, they are merely friends, or even affiliates, at best.

Maybe in another parallel universe, Hisao would become my second boyfriend and a close friend. But I’m dealing with this universe, with this Hisao.

Who knows, perhaps I can finally find myself a friend, or even a boyfriend, here in Midori. Or in Kasshoku.

Enough thinking. We’ll see who’s going to befriend the adorable Emi Ibarazaki.

Done with the stretching. Onto the track we go! Let’s clear my mind with a fantastic morning run!

air . . . wind . . . ground . . . track . . . . . . . . .
. . . will . . . not . . . hold . . . back . . . . . .

Focus on the rhythm! The form! The track!

. . . . . . hear . . . smell . . . feel . . . see . . .
. . . . . . . . . set . . . these . . . thoughts . . . free

Left, right, left, right! Way to go!

wind . . . air . . . track . . . ground . . . . . . . . .
. . . one . . . more . . . time . . . round . . . . . .

Keep up with the breathing! Don’t drop my form!

. . . . . . time . . . space . . . form . . . flight . . .
. . . . . . . . . all . . . shall . . . be . . . light

Ten full laps and a final dash, I’ve officially completed my first morning run of Midori University. I’m going to follow the same procedure for a whole month before going back to Yamaku.

I already miss Mom! Damn! It’s only been two days since I came here, and I’m already homesick! The long distance from home probably has something to do with it. I should go back for a visit in two weeks.

Water bottle, bathroom, shower, tidy up my hair, change my clothes, breakfast, and then I’ll meet my clients.

During the train ride from Yamaku, I went through the instructions delivered by my exchange program supervisor through the Nurse, as well as the tentative list of clients of my program from both universities. For Kasshoku, I’m glad that Hisao, Shizune, and Naomi Inoue applied. And for Midori, I know none of the names except Noboyuki, a Yamaku graduate who’s on a wheelchair. Hopefully I can make a few friends in this exchange program without running into any discrimination issues.

---

Making sure I’m good with my ponytail, I leave the bathroom and walk towards the booth I’m supposed to be in. My exchange program supervisor, Mr. Nagazaki, is already sitting in the booth waiting for me.

“Miss Ibarazaki, are you ready for your job?”

I energetically jump up and down with my running blades, covered by shoes, to show my supervisor that I’m in top form.

“Yes, sir. I’m ready!”

“Good. You should be fine. But this is a real job, so don’t let me and the Nurse disappoint. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Look, she’s probably one of your clients. Go.”

I turn around, and in front of my eyes I see a tall (well, taller than me) long-haired girl who looks a bit like Hanako Ikezawa, without the scars. More importantly though, she looks familiar. Have I seen her before?

She approaches our booth and starts her enquiry before we can greet her.

“Good morning. Is this the health training program?”

My first client! Let’s greet her with enthusiasm, as I always do.

“You’re right! Welcome!”

I retrieve the name list from the table of the booth to start my first day of work by identifying my first client.

“Your name?”

Instead of telling me her name directly, she unexpectedly peeks into my name list and points to the row that says “Iwai Nanako”.

“Here.”

“Okay, so Iwai N-”

“No. Just call me Iwanako.”

This is… awkward. Again, where did I see this girl?

“Uh… Okay. Welcome!”

Just then, I hear the rolling sound of a wheelchair approaching; I’ve been on it for a while, so I’m familiar with its sound. This must be my ex-schoolmate. Even though I have no interest in him, I should still greet him energetically, as he is my client after all. And my supervisor is behind me.

“Good morning!”

The boy in wheelchair looks a little surprised to see another former Yamaku student in Midori University school grounds.

“Good mo-, hey, aren’t you Ibarazaki?”

“Yup, it’s me! I’ll be your physical trainer for the month!”

Noboyuki, two years younger than me, just graduated from Yamaku a few months ago. I didn’t know him until the first day I had to stay on my wheelchair in Yamaku school ground; I remember coming across with him in front of the administration building, both in wheelchair, and we briefly shared our experience riding on that stupid metal car.

“Holy crap! I can’t believe seeing you again here!”

“Yeah, what a coincidence!”

Nurse orchestrated this exchange program for me after I passed my CPR combined test four months ago. He wants me to obtain more experience in physical training, especially for the non-disabled. At first I argued that I could have stayed in Yamaku treating the disabled forever, but he asked me to think twice, claiming that my talent deserves a bigger market. After sleeping on it for a night and talking to Mom, I said okay to Nurse’s plan. I must thank him for facilitating me by finding two schools with Yamaku graduates. The program is simple: I work in the schools for a month, Midori in the morning and Kasshoku in the afternoon, and in return each university will send a student trainer to Yamaku for practical training.

For the training, I will be the so-called course tutor of the school’s mandatory health course, which every student must obtain a pass in order to graduate. There are multiple ways to pass the course, and the requirement is simple: Perform 80 hours of exercise through any means, as long as the hours are registered into the system. So you may elect to play 2 hours of table tennis for 40 days, or 1 hour of basketball for 80 days. Taking my physical training course counts as one hour per attendance, and if you attend for a whole month, you will get 20 hours, which is one-fourth of the total requirement, plus a small gift. Mr. Nagasaki told me that this scheme was designed and first implemented in another university, and it grew really popular so other universities follow the practice.

“Hey there, good morning!”

It looks like Iwanako has got herself a companion in this course. Wearing a black beret and a pair of white trainers, this cute girl with brown hair and green eyes is about the same height as me.

“Good morning, Kai!”

“Your name please?”

“Good morning! Kai Fushiharu here!”

A short namelist means I can find the entries easily. With Fushiharu ticked off, we only need to wait for seven more trainees.

“How was the test?”

“It was fine! Dropped a couple of questions but should get at least 70.”

“Great! Now you can relax yourself with some running!”

“Exactly. That was the plan.”

This Fushiharu girl reminds me of Misha, the loyal sidekick of the former Yamaku dictator. Both are bubbly and loud. If there’s a world in which they meet, everybody around has to wear an earphone.

“Oh yeah, about tomorrow. Let’s meet at 4:15, school gate. Okay?”

“Sure! I’m so excited about it!”

For the arrangement, I will be on duty for two morning sessions in Midori, from 10am to noon. There will be afternoon sessions conducted by other trainers. After lunch I will then travel to Kasshoku for two afternoon sessions from 4 to 6pm, before returning to Kanagawa prefecture (where Midori is in) to spend the night in a hotel. Basically, my work in this exchange program is similar to what I’ve been doing in Yamaku, except that this is a formal program, and I’m always supervised in person. An interesting difference is, after attending my running tutorial session, trainees are not limited to running in the track for the remainder of the hour. If they wish to do something else in the track field, such as soccer, long jump, or even vault box jumping, it’s okay as long as my supervisor agrees. So, I won’t be surprised if, for example, Iwanako decides not to run with me. But hey, who doesn’t want to try out the track with this cute little ponytail Fastest Thing on No Legs?

While waiting for the other trainees, I should start working with the three in front of me. Accordingly, after allowing them to register themselves into the system with their student ID cards, I provide them with the documents for the course, and then, using the equipment in the nearby room, I measure their heights and weights with the help of my supervisor (had to help Noboyuki out of the wheelchair for a bit). I’m glad to see that both girls are as fit as me.

Eventually, all trainees have arrived. I repeat the above procedures for everyone, then calculate and analyze their BMI values, giving them a short talk on ideal BMI values along the way. After that, even though I hate to do so, I’m obliged to deliver a short speech on the food pyramid due to job requirement. Luckily, none of the students fall asleep during the lecture. Which means I’m attractive enough!

“So, any questions about BMI values and food pyramid?”

As expected, nobody in the class wants to prolong the theoretical session. Unfortunately for us, there will be short theoretical sessions every other day. The next lecture, on Friday, will be about shoulder pain management. But that will be a very practical lesson, so the trainees may be more interested.

“In your folders, there is a table for recording your health diet and exercise. You need to fill in the table every day and let me take a look the next time you see me. Follow the instructions at the back of the page on how to fill in the healthy diet part. As for exercise, for each day you come, I will tick this column off for you; for the days you don’t see me, you will need to fill in what exercise you have done, and for how many minutes. You will obtain a special gift from the school if you follow through this scheme and complete the table by the end of the course. Any questions?”

No hands, and no interruption from my supervisor, which means I’ve been doing my job well! Good work, Ibarazaki.

With all those formalities behind me, let’s move on to the fun part: Stretching, followed by track!

“Next, I’ll lead you guys to do the stretching, then we’ll hit the track for a little running tutorial, followed by a couple of laps. Afterwards, it’s not necessary for you to continue running on the track with me, but you’ll have to tell me, obtain my supervisor’s consent, and borrow the necessary equipment in the amenities center over there.”

Without further ado, I begin my favorite job by leading my ten students to the side of the track where there is more space for stretching. After checking and making sure everybody is wearing a suitable outfit and a pair of running shoes, I start the exercise by turning my head. Noboyuki won’t be able to complete the stretching, so he’ll only be able to do a part of it. Specifically the upper body part.

---

Even though I’m half-expecting this, I’m still very delighted that the three of them stay behind at the finishing line until I’m done with my final lap.

“Hey, enjoyed your final dash?”

It’s already five minutes past six o’clock, so the other trainees have already signed out and left the field. Before my dash, I already finished the administration part of my job with my supervisor, who waved me goodbye when he left the booth a few minutes ago.

“Sure did!”

The four of us take a cooldown lap together with our hands resting behind our heads (well, my companions have already cooled down, so it’s essentially just me). The blonde journalist is the first to break the silence.

“So, you’re now a physical trainer in training, huh? Is it tough work? Do you have to pass a lot of tests? Are you planning to work in a gym, or are you staying in schools?”

No wonder she’s called the verbal machine gun. But I don’t mind. My stray-haired friend, though, looks mildly annoyed.

“Hey Naomi, didn’t I remind you not to raise so many questions at the same time?”

Naomi sticks out a tongue to indicate she isn’t intentional.

“Oops. Sorry, that’s my habit kicking off!”

“It’s alright! I love my job! I guess you really need to love sports to enjoy working as a physical trainer! But yes, I do need to pass several exams in order to get my license, like the CPR combined test I passed a few months ago.”

“CPR, huh? Oh, wait!”

The epileptic throws me a mischievous wink that I usually make when I tease my friends.

“Soooo… Did you guys have to practice mouth-to-mouth breathing? On each other? And did your teachers do it?”

Her amusing comment manages to throw me off guard, despite me being a girl who isn’t shy talking about obscene stuff and profanity. Even her two schoolmates fail to suppress a chuckle. I can imagine such an inane suggestion surely would have completely surprised her classmate Hanako, causing her eyes to grow wide in disturbed shock as she struggles to figure out a respond.

“Nah, we have practice dummies for them. Anyway, I’m still open about my future workplace choice. For now I’m leaning towards staying in schools, but I won’t be surprised if I become a private physical trainer in a gym a few years from now.”

[…]

Contrary to Naomi’s playful questions, the trademark frown from the Kasshoku Student Council Vice-President means she is all business. She hasn’t changed a bit; since the first time she scolded me for running in Yamaku hallways, this mean authoritarian has been strict and serious to everybody around her.

“Working in a school and in a gym are two completely different concepts.”

She might be bossing everybody around, but I know she means well. Luckily I don’t need to face her every day, unlike her boyfriend who’s currently translating her words for me. Even though I’m glad to see them as a couple, how anyone could happily endure her dictatorship is beyond my imagination.

“What do you mean?”

[…]

“You don’t know? Working in a school gives you a steady salary with normal office hours; you can be physical trainer or, if you can become a registered teacher, you can become a physical education teacher. Working in a gym can potentially net you a better income, but you probably need to work the evening hours and the weekends. So, it largely depends on what kind of lifestyle you want to live.”

I don’t want to admit it, but the former President’s words of wisdom are a helpful piece of advice in my career choice. I’ll think about it later tonight. Maybe. I mean, I don’t think about future too much. I think more about tomorrow’s run.

“I didn’t know about that! Thanks for your advice.”

“Man! I envy you so much! Whichever of the two choices you make, you’re definitely going to attract a whole lot of guys!”

While I do want to make a few friends, or even a boyfriend, here if possible, I certainly never thought about my job in this perspective. Indeed, working in a school will allow me ample opportunities to get in contact with male teachers; while a gym trainer will inevitably cause a lot of physical contact with clients from the opposing gender, including some handsome and muscular guys that I’m sure every girl would like to date at some point in her life.

On second thought, a gym trainer probably has to deal with sexual harassment issues. I’m now leaning closer towards working in a school.

“I never thought about that either! I guess I’m a lucky one!”

“Well, I doubt either of you will have trouble finding a boyfriend. But if you want one, I can introduce my classmates to you, Naomi. You know, the gender ratio in my Faculty is like 9 to 1, and most of my friends are dying for a girl right now.”

In the Yamaku Festival last year, Hisao confided to me that his social circle was dominated by females. Being in the Science Faculty must have balanced out his friends circle gender problem.

“Nah, I don’t feel like ready to start a relationship just yet. Perhaps in a few years.”

The only boy in the group seems to suddenly remember something, and he hurries to exchange a few signs with his girlfriend while we’re finishing our cooldown lap. The sun is setting, the orange rays shine beautifully on the brown track field while caressing Naomi’s blonde hair like a mother touching her daughter. The Vice-President walking in front of me is wearing a pair of shorts for her run, which I can’t wear as doing so would expose my running blades to other trainees. Owning a pair of envious breasts and amazing curvature, Shizune is one hot lady in the evening sunshine! But, of course, I’m not bad either!

Haven’t made a friend today. It’s fine; today’s just the first day.

“Hey Emi, do you want to have dinner with us? I’ll have JUSC practice at 7:30, so I’ll have to start dinner pretty quick.”

I don’t see why not, and I’m hungry anyway.

“Sure!”

Accordingly, we quickly finish our cooldown lap (well, we don’t exactly finish, as we go straight to the changing room instead of walking to the finish line) and get ourselves cleaned up. Then, as we head towards supposedly one of the university’s cafeterias, I hear the buzzing sound of a phone. Looks like someone’s calling Hisao.

“Hello.”

Lunch in Midori University was okay, but not spectacular. I hope I can get a better meal in Kasshoku.

“Yes. Good evening.”

It will be the first time I eat in a Kasshoku restaurant, because I joined Shizune’s birthday party on Monday, and yesterday I had dinner near my hotel.

“Something important?”

I’m curious what Hisao and Shizune were discussing during our cooldown lap. Doesn’t look like they were flirting with each other. Probably none of my business.

“Uh… Okay. Yeah, Shizune’s here with me. Where are you two right now?”

Looks like Hisao’s engaging in a serious conversation, possibly related to his girlfriend. Without her translator, Shizune goes silent, and neither Naomi nor I feel like starting a talk that may obstruct the phone call.

“We’re coming out of the sports track. Do you think you can go to News Café? It’s closer to my Faculty. I have JUSC practice at 7:30 there.”

“News Café, huh.”

“Emi, that’s the one in our faculty. A couple of minutes’ walk from here. Food is okay, but not as good as the one in English Faculty.”

In the Faculty of Journalism, huh. Makes sense that the restaurant’s name is News. Oh well, I guess I can only get a better dinner tomorrow.

“I see! Thanks!”

“Okay, then. Oh, sorry, by the way, Emi’s actually here with us. And I promised to treat her dinner. Do you think she can tag along? And Naomi’s here too.”

In fact, he never promised to treat me! He’s such a nice guy! But who’s there on the other side of the phone?

“Okay? Alright then. See you in a minute.”

Switching off his phone, Hisao turns around to declare whatever he decided with the other party during the phone call.

“Hey girls, just now it was Lilly calling. She and Akira want to tell us a big news. Are you all okay with it? And yeah, Shizune, she wants you to be there too.”

The Satous, huh. I saw them in the birthday party too.

“Really? What is it about? Is little Satou getting married? Or is big Satou coming back for good?”

Come to think of it, Akira told us during the party that she came all the way from Scotland where she’s currently working. She shouldn’t be coming back just to attend a birthday party, should she?

“If I have to guess, it’s much more likely that Akira is getting married, and they’re probably going to invite us to join their wedding ceremony, and maybe help making some preparations. But still, this alone doesn’t sound like big news to me. There must be something else along with that. And I’m as clueless as you, Naomi.”

“How about BOTH of them are getting married then?”

“Nah, Lilly only starting dating Tatsuya for three months. They’re still students. I don’t think there’s an urgency to marry in such a hurry.”

I never knew Lilly’s now dating! Oh man, I’m so slow in the news department!

“Family business, man. Upper class stuff. We’ll never know about their world.”

Hisao shrugs and gives his journalist friend a smirk.

“We’ll see. But I’m willing to bet it’s something else.”

“But what would it be? Ah, maybe just as I suggested, big Satou’s moving back to Japan with her husband!”

“Could be. Which would be great, as Hanako would have more company. By the way, Emi, are you okay with the arrangement? Lilly and Akira, her elder sister. You met them on Monday.”

“Yup! Alright! I get to see Lilly and her sister again! This will be fun!”

And so Hisao’s going to have dinner with five girls, which means his gender problem continues. If he was alone with me, I would’ve teased him already. But since his girlfriend is here, I’m not in a position to do that.

The short walk towards News Café continues with speculations about the big news, but without figuring out another real possibility. As we enter the relatively small restaurant that has, amusingly, all kinds of journalism related decorations like cameras and newspapers around the walls and the tables, Hisao immediately spots the sisters sitting at the big round table at the corner. The “boy” sitting next to the tall blonde waves to us. Wearing a black suit and a tie, Akira looks just like a businessman. How in the world is she the elder sister of Lilly Satou?

“Yo, how’re ya doin’, Hisao?”

“Great! Didn’t expect to see you in Kasshoku again, Akira!”

“And you too, Shizune! I saw your brother yesterday and brought him to the nearby arcade center.”

[…]

“Shizune says good to see you again and thank you for taking care of her brother.”

The “boy Satou” turns to me and bows as if she’s meeting a client for her company, followed by a handshake offer, which I happily accept.

“Good evening, Miss Ibarazaki. I believe we have met on Monday.”

I’m not that comfortable with these business kind of stuff, but I’ll try to be as polite as possible because she’s a senior after all. Nurse did remind me the other day to mind my manners when I’m out of my comfortable home of Yamaku.

“Good evening, Miss Satou.”

Normally I would have asked the other party to address me by first name, but since Satou is a senior, I’m not in a position to do the invite.

“And yo! Inoue! Great to see you too!”

“Hey there Satou! And you too, Satou.”

“Let’s sit down and talk, shall we?”

Accordingly, we take our respective seats: I sit next to Lilly, Shizune next to me, then Hisao and Naomi. Most of the tables around are squares; I think Akira picked a round table for us specifically to show that we’re treated as equals.

“Sorry, but I suggest we order our food first. I’m kind of in a hurry.”

“Alright. Let’s pass the menu, then. Lils and I have already decided. Here they have a combo set meal for two. Appatizers, main dishes, desserts, and drinks. Quite a bargained price of 1200 yen. Lils and I will share one.”

“That’s new. Hey, Shizune, maybe we can share one as well.”

Looks like I can choose from either sharing a set meal with Naomi or ordering my own food. I’m not sure if Naomi is comfortable with it though.

“Hey Emi, how ‘bout we share a set meal then?”

Well, that’s convenient.

“Sure. Let’s pick our choices.”

To accommodate Hisao’s schedule, Akira calls the waiter over and orders for the Satous. Next in line is Hisao, and after he finishes ordering, I choose salmon as the main dish and cupcake as the dessert. Given my dinner partners’ previous comments, I don’t have high hopes for the food, but with such a crazy low price I can’t complain.

“So, Ibarazaki, I heard about you from Lils. You are a sports star, aren’t you?”

Yup, I’m the Fastest Thing on No Legs! But nope I can’t say that. And “Lils” must be how she addresses her younger sister. I expected Akira to immediately drop whatever bombshell news she has to offer, but she probably wants to make some small talks with us first to soften up the atmosphere.

“I was in the track team before I graduated from Yamaku, and now I am studying to become a physical trainer.”

“Yeah, and the reason she’s here in Kasshoku is because she’s now under an exchange program. She’s currently conducting a health training course for the university, and all three of us are her trainees. This afternoon was the first day of the training.”

When we briefly met on Monday, I didn’t tell Akira about staying in this area for a month; I joined the party as Shizune’s former schoolmate, not as a physical trainer. I don’t find it necessary to mention my exchange program to her, but Hisao just spoiled it for me anyway.

Unfortunately Lilly didn’t sign up for the course. With her glaring disability, I can see why.

“Ah, that explains why you’re around in this area. Trainees, huh. I hope you aren’t disappointing your trainer, Hisao. Did he do well today, Miss Ibarazaki?”

She’s still addressing me by surname. I can feel her respect towards me though.

“Yes, he’s been doing well! And I assume he’ll be coming tomorrow too, right, Hisao?”

“Yeah, but I’ll do it at four o’clock instead. I’ve an appointment afterwards. Shizune and Naomi will be with you at five.”

[…]

[“Oh yeah, I didn’t tell you about the appointment. It came last night. Sorry. You have a class at four, right? I’ll run with you on Friday instead.”]

“So, are you enjoying your exchange program so far?”

“Yup! The trainees are awesome!”

“Attagirl! Lils, I think you should consider joining the program.”

“Hmm… I admit that having Ibarazaki as the trainer does make the training program highly intriguing. But I’ll have to talk to Hanako about it.”

I’m slightly amused that even Lilly is addressing me by surname, despite us being former schoolmates. But have we ever formally introduced ourselves in school?

“Hanako?”

“Yes, Hisao. Hanako and I had a discussion the other day on how to fulfill the 80 hours requirement. We have limited options due to our respective conditions. The conclusion was that we would go to the gym at around seven in the evening when everybody either has left school already or is having dinner. We would then ride on the gym bikes because there’s no risk of falling or colliding with anything. We tried a couple of times, and it worked pretty well. So, I’m not sure if Hanako would like to change what we’ve been doing.”

“Well, you can always do both.”

“That’s a good idea, Hisao. I’ll talk to Hanako, and maybe Tatsuya about it. I’ll tell them Ibarazaki is the trainer, and see how Hanako reacts to it.”

Of course I’m glad that my presence makes the training a better experience!

“Sure, and Hanako is welcomed too. But make sure you get the correct time. I’m here from four to six. The other sessions are conducted by other trainers.”

“Thank you for the reminder. Four to six. We’ll try to join if it’s feasible.”

“Attagirl. Isn’t it great to have a Yamaku reunion in the Kasshoku sports field?”

“It’d be awesome, Satou! Try to join! I’ll help you persuade Hanako when I meet her in class tomorrow.”

Looks like Lilly’s not getting away from this one.

“Alright. I promise I’ll try my best.”

The waiter arrives with the drinks, which takes some of the heat off the blonde.

“By the way, sorry to interrupt, but I don’t have much time left. What’s the news you two are telling us? I suppose it’s about some kind of marriage arrangement?”

The small Satou covers her mouth with her hand to suppress a giggle while giving her sister a playful wink.

“Oh my! Didn’t I tell you Hisao would be spot on with his predictions?”

“Man! You’re right! Yup, Yuichi and I are getting married.”

The only boy in the group immediately stands up to congratulate his girlfriend’s cousin by offering a handshake; throughout my years in Yamaku, I never learned that Satou was Hakamichi’s cousin, so I was shocked when I got the information from Hisao the other day.

“Congratulations! When will the ceremony be?”

Akira accepts the handshake, and we all follow Hisao’s etiquette to give our blessings to her upcoming marriage.

“It will be in two months. You’ll get the invitation later. And you too, Ibarazaki; you’re invited.”

Being not exactly close friends with any of the group, I’d choose running on the track over attending this wedding ceremony any day of the year. But it seems like I have no other choice now. Perhaps I should not have come to this dinner gathering. But looking from a different angle, it would be a perfect opportunity to make a few new friends in the ceremony.

“Sure. Congratulations, Miss Satou!”

“By the way, you can call me Akira. Both of you. I’m not much older than you guys anyway. And you can call her Lilly too, am I right, Lils?”

That’s more like it! I’m so glad she finally makes the offer as Lilly nods in enthusiasm. This makes things much less awkward.

“Yes, of course, Akira! And Emi here.”

“And Naomi here!”

“It is nice to know both of you, Emi and Naomi.”

After the handshake exchanges, everyone sits down, and, with the drinks already served, we naturally make perfect use of the glasses on the table.

“Well, Akira, wish you a delightful and longlasting marriage in Scotland!”

Unexpectedly, the elder Satou wags a finger instead of raising her drink.

“Nope!”

“What do you mean?”

“Hehe… This is the second piece of news I’m going to tell you guys. We’re actually…”

Hisao’s prediction of another bombshell coming is once again accurate as Naomi hurries to make her own prediction known to others.

“Are you going to move back to Japan and stay with Lilly and Hanako?”

Naomi cleverly avoids mentioning her other guess of Lilly getting married. The elder Satou is about to reveal the answer when her sister stops her with a pat on her right shoulder.

“Hisao, what do you think?”

“Me? I don’t know. She could be right. How about you, Shizune? What do you think?”

I haven’t heard anything from Shizune since we greeted the Satous in this café. Being deaf makes group discussions that much more difficult for her, although she doesn’t seem to mind too much. By the way, we’re not officially on first names yet; In Yamaku, she’s always translated by her sidekick Misha, who always uses first names. Today is the first time I’ve seen her using an interpreter other than Misha.

[…]

“She says maybe your family is moving back to Scotland. I doubt it though, dear. Ah, I just got an idea. Perhaps you’re also dragging Hideaki into your company? You said you met him yesterday.”

Lilly replies him with an amused smile and turns towards my general direction.

“Great guess, Hisao. How about you, Emi?”

I don’t know much about the Satous, so I’m pretty much blank. I’ll give my best shot though. Of course I’m smart enough not to fall into the Lilly marriage trap.

“I don’t know. Maybe you get hired into your company?”

The Satous share a smile and nod to each other before revealing the answer.

“None of your guesses are correct, although a few of you got it really close.”

“The truth is, my parents, my husband and I will move to America.”

“WHAT?????”

Both Hisao and his girlfriend reel in shock from that bombshell while Naomi and I don’t look as shocked. Probably because we’re not familiar with the Satou history.

“B-B-But why America? And your parents too?”

“Lils, I guess we never told any of them about the America stuff, haven’t we?”

“I guess not.”

“I’ll put the other two into the loop first. Emi and Naomi, you know our family business, Satou Medical Technology, or SMT?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard about it. Barely though.”

“SMT is a company that specializes in producing medical products, like ECGs and AEDs. We also have another branch in Scotland, where my parents worked in for many years. A couple of years ago, our company made an crucial strategical decision to expand our business to the United States. My dad was a cornerstone in the acquisition project. However, due to health issues, he was forced to retire from his job in Scotland and move back to Japan. Our company tried to send somebody to the States to manage the business there, but without the key man, things didn’t go that well. Moreover, rumors started among the Americans that the Satous had a family argument and purged my dad. So, after several months of discussions, a decision was made: I’ll represent the Satou family as the director of the US branch, with my parents and my future husband as consultants. That will resolve all the rumors and hopefully restore our public image.”

I feel like I don’t belong to this conversation, but at least it’s nice to hear about some news from my former schoolmate.

“What a shocker, Akira! Man! You’ll be managing a huge business! Perhaps you’ll even hit the headlines!”

“Probably not the headlines, but could be in a corner of a newspaper.”

“It’s double congratulations then, Akira. Are you nervous about all the changes?”

“To be honest, a bit. Luckily I’ll have three family members by my side, and my parents are obviously the real ones who make the big decisions. The fact that the Americans are more open to female leadership also helps.”

“I’m sure your parents are going to support you all the way. But then Lilly will…”

“Yeah, she’s gonna be without her parents for a while. Again.”

Lilly pats her sister on her shoulder to show that she’s fine with the arrangement.

“Akira, I told you I’ll be fine. I’m glad that we reached this conclusion. Father and Mother deserve a leadership role in the company, and you’re the proper future heir to continue the business. With Tatsuya and Hanako around, I can manage things on my own. Not to mention I also have all my friends here.”

“I guess there’s no point persuading you to come to America with us, huh.”

“I guess not, Akira. I’ve a boyfriend, a roommate, a cousin, and so many friends. I’m not giving them up just to selfishly accompany my family, especially with work cut out for you all.”

“Understandable. I’ll miss you, Lils.”

“Me too. Good luck to your new job.”

“And take care of Hanako for me, she’s yours.”

“I will. But when are you leaving?”

“In around four months, I suppose. They’re arranging everything for the four of us. We need a new home, our offices, and we also need to sort out the immigration stuff. It’ll take a while.”

“That’ll be after the summer holiday then. Well, maybe we can come visit you all during the winter break.”

“Yes, I will bring Hanako and Tatsuya with me as well.”

[…]

“Shizune says she’ll tag along and visit Misha on the way.”

“That’s a great idea. You can bring Misha to see us. Mother will certainly love to talk to her.”

The waiter returns with our food. Now that the news have been spread, we can finally enjoy our meals in peace.

So much around me has happened in the first five months of the year. Shizune’s car accident, Lilly finding a boyfriend, Hanako and Naomi into university, Hisao’s girlfriend, Shizune’s birthday party, and now Akira’s wedding. But for me, let’s eat my salmon and go back to my hotel, then I’ll begin the next day with a superb run!

Chapter 78: Fastest Thing on...?

[ShizuneFan2019]

"Kara" does indeed mean "from", but why would you put it after the "5000 yen"? She receives the money from the customer, so if anything it would be "okyaku-sama kara..." but I'm not sure that phrase is in use...

This refers to her mistake back in Chapter 55. And yup, that phrase doesn't make any sense. Please refer to that chapter.

Also, are there Pokemon fans who don't know what a trading card game is? In Japan?

She doesn't recall immediately the short form, then she doesn't know the rules because she has only played the handheld games. It's also extremely hard to play TCG with just one hand; (spoiler) the issue will be mentioned in a later chapter.