Angelic Layer Fan Fiction ❯ Angelic Layer: Cast Meet ❯ The Thought Process ( Chapter 2 )

>o>Cast Meet<o<

Chapter 2

The Thought Process

The child tugged lightly at the skirt of her mother. Hinako did. "Look, kaasan, it's Ou-san!" Hinako pointed at a man leaning on a car, waving.

Hinako's mother looked at the man. "You're right, Hina-chan."

"Let's go to him, okaasan!" The sandy-haired girl pulled on her mother's hand as they approached the person.

"Ou-san!"

"Hello, Hinako-chan," greeted the man calmly within hearing distance. He was still leaning on the car, arms crossed. He gazed from Hinako to the girl's mother. "Tamayo-san, I just read the results today. Your budding daughter performed well in the qualifying tournament for this year."

The parent of the young deus smiled. "Is that so, Oujirou-kun? Hear that, Ms. Élan?"

Hinako nodded. "Hai, kaasan. That true, Ou-san?" Hinako, full of innocence in her lavender eyes, stared at Mihara Ouirou.

Oujirou stepped forth towards the child. His movement was very smooth with grace even as he placed his hand on the girl's head, affectionately ruffling her sandy-hair. "Would I lie to Hinako-chan? Of course it's true. In fact, you're the top in your division."

Hinako jumped happily upon hearing the news. "Kaasan, kaasan, I'm on top!"

"I'm proud of you my dear. Now why don't you go over there and buy something?" Tamayo handed the child a few coins from her purse.

The child accepted the money. She hopped merrily towards the snack bar. All of a sudden, the jovial mood in the air was slowly being sapped away. The serious and composed facade that Oujirou always had was up again. He never showed his feelings, neither did he let anyone reach out into his scrupulous mind. He had been like that to one such person. But that person was somehow able to crack open his outer shell. Dark-haired and sapphire-eyed, he was. He had a genial air about him. These qualities made him known to the girls. He was their "prince", the name he adapted in the layer. Oujirou, in turn, had his own one and only princess.

"Ne, prince of the layer, has hime-chan made contact yet?" Tamayo asked.

"That's getting old already. I'm not a deus anymore, remember?" Oujirou said.

"I know. So, are the two of you having any communication at all?" This time, Tamayo stared squarely at the ex-deus. Oujirou, even with his poker face, wasn't able to meet her eyes. He knew where the conversation would lead to. Everytime she was being talked about, he lost his composition. Everytime her name was mentioned, he would stiffen up, not knowing how to react and what to say. And the words following her name were the worst he couldn't handle.

"Have Misaki and Saya met already?" Tamayo pursued.

A deafening silence ensued.

Tamayo slapped her forehead and shook her head in disbelief. "I guess not."

More silence.

"I see that there's no point in doing this because you always enter a mute state whenever I ask about these things," the woman said. "Well, I'll be checking on Hina-chan. Will she see you next week?"

Oujirou had gone back to his poker face after the subject was given up like usual. "Of course. You two take care."

Tamayo sighed. "See, that's the problem with you. You're absolutely deadpan again," she remarked. Tamayo walked to the same direction her daughter headed to.

The prince of the layer smiled a poker smile as soon as Tamayo was gone. "I have to or else this relationship will fall even more apart," he told himself. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a copper head coming to him. Saya. He waved a hand at her. It's funny how I keep seeing her in Saya.

"I wasn't expecting you to be interested in the new dome," Oujirou said.

"I'm a cat who gets the best out of curiosity," Saya replied.

It was a secret language for them to speak that way. Their exchange was usually plain and short. The two always knew the next action without communicating it.

Oujirou clambered into the car and so did Saya. Then, as soon as they were settled, Ouirou turned the key and started up the engine.

This time, it was understood that they needed quiet time between father and daughter. No noise, including the radio, was heard as Oujirou drove the car.

The car zipped by trees, stores, and people walking the streets. It only slowed down when traffic accumulated. Seconds and minutes passed. Oujirou just looked straight ahead, seemingly contemplating on whoever knew what. While Saya, obviously without much of a choice, turned to sightseeing.

"Angelique," Saya murmured. She was staring at a shop's sign to her left, at Oujirou's side.

Oujirou stared too. He mentally read the skillful calligraphy scrawled on a signboard hanging from a horizontal pole protruding in front of shop. Catchy was the word for it.

The door of the shop opened. A woman with hair color similar to Saya came out. She was holding one end of a poster in her right hand and a roll of masking tape with the other.

Oujirou's eyes widened upon seeing the woman. He gripped the wheel tightly. This, Saya noticed.

Saya assumed the woman owned the store. She watched her put up the poster on the thick see-through glass, taping down four corners of it. Saya tilted her head to see what was on the poster. As if the shop owner read her mind, the copper-haired woman stepped aside. And as if she also knew she was being watched, she snapped her attention to the two people studying her. That was the twelve year old and her father. With crystal-clear cerulean eyes, the woman glanced briefly at them before returning into the shop.

The vehicles started moving forward. Traffic was back on the run. Soon, the Angelique was left far behind them.

"That lady looked like me," Saya said to her father.

Oujirou conformed with the slightest jerk of his head. A vague and stiff yes. Saya could have sworn his father looked a tad uneasy. "How was school?" Oujirou asked when Saya dropped the subject, not saying anything anymore.

"The same. Inori-sensei's still not as pious as her name tells. She's a heretic, I say."

Oujirou laughed, amused. "Young lady, you must watch that tongue of yours. Better tone down your language or you might make enemies of people."

Saya frowned disapprovingly. "It is true, you know."

A few moments of silence.

"Dad," said Saya, "who was that woman you were talking to earlier, just before I approached you?"

"Do you mean Tamayo-san? She's a friend. She came with her daughter, Hinako. Hinako led the demonstration of the layer's features. Her child is a prodigal deus."

"Is this Hinako the one with the angel named Mimosa?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

There wasn't an answer to Oujirou's question, not until they arrived home. Saya got out of the car, saying, "I think, if by any chance I was interested in the layer and had an angel, mine would defeat it."

Saya was sure and firm of her statement, Oujirou felt.

*****

"I'm leaving, " Oujirou told Saya as he was going out of the door just after he and Saya finished eating dinner.

Saya, who was cleaning up, poked her head from the kitchen. "Where're you going, dad?" Saya asked, surprised. She was holding a towel and a plate.

"AL International Tournament Opening Ceremony tonight," the father of the girl answered. "Need to be there in the observation booth."

Saya nodded.

Oujirou was about to turn the doorknob but paused midway. He turned around.

"Saya-chan," he started. "I'm sorry for being busy these days..."

Saya nodded again. "...you're telling me that we're gonna spend the weekend all to ourselves, I know," she finished for him.

Oujirou seemed hesitant at first. Then, a smile gradually made its way to his face. Saya smiled too. They shared something others would not understand.

"Well, got to go now."

"Be looking forward to Saturday!"

Oujirou was gone, meaning Saya was now alone; she set to do the rest of her tasks.

Later, Saya had nothing else to do that night. She had cleaned up already and was done with her homework. The girl felt like watching TV for awhile. Flipping it on with the remote, she flopped down on the couch in front of the TV. To her dismay, there wasn't anything eye-catching on TV right now. She channel-surfed and found about ten channels broadcasting a live coverage of this year's Angelic Layer International Tournament.

Saya stopped at one channel and turned the volume up.

"...yes siree. This year's turning out into a big one. We've got lots of deuses coming from all parts of the globe," roared the announcer.

Saya was familiar with him. He was the same announcer she always saw commentating on the Angelic Layer tournaments. The one with the visor and bowtie. Not to mention, bad taste in clothing as he was wearing a purple coat all the time.

The twelve year old continued to listen to him. "We have here one rookie from Hong Kong. According to her, this is her first time competing in the AL's major leagues. The girl's standing beside me right now. Ms. Tai Fengtian, what have you got to say about what you have seen so far?" At this, the camera zoomed in on a girl around 12 whose black hair was braided.

Ms. Fengtian spoke hyperactively, literally jumping. "It's all so exciting. The deuses and their angels look so amazing, especially the élan and her angel, Mimosa."

"How would you feel if you had the chance to fight Ms. Kobayashi Hinako?"

The interviewee smiled radiantly. "I would be honored, of course. It has been my dream to compete against one of the prodigal schools!"

"For those of you who don't know who the prodigal schools are, they are the deuses who can control the new generation of angels built with the highly-complicated SM12-4X chip. These deuses are really something to have been able to handle the angels from Project SS," explained the man with the visor.

The announcer turned his head and the camera was trained on a petite child making her way through the crowd. "Speaking of the élan. Here she is! Hina-chan! We absolutely want your word!" The child was jostled forcefully in front of the camera.

Saya stared at the so-called Hinako Kobayashi. She was an utterly small girl with pale-yellow tresses and lavender pools in her eyes. The child had on a dress that matched the color of her eyes. Placed on her left shoulder was her angel, Mimosa. The doll looked almost exactly like its deus except that its hair was flaming red with a tinge of brown and so were the eyes.

"Hina-chan, we've just been talking about you. Are you expecting any challenge from the prodigal schools this year?" the visor-wearing announcer asked with much enthusiasm.

"Er, I can't tell this early. But there's someone out there who's bound to give me a tough time. That person might just be waiting somewhere," Hinako said.

"Great choice of words, Hina-chan!" piped the ever-energetic commentator. A scornful 'hmph' was heard from the background. Saya was sure it was the chinese deus, Tai Fengtian. The camera spun around and Saya had a view of the girl. She wasn't as hyper anymore, probably because she had been forgotten by the commentator already. The scowl she wore on her face showed it.

"Palooza!!" shouted the announcer off-camera a little too loud. It caused Saya to turn down the volume a few notches. "It's our very own creator of Angelic Layer! The man himself, Mihara Ichirou!!"

Saya's famous uncle appeared in view.

"Just as I expected," Saya said to herself. She chuckled silently when she saw that Mihara Ichirou, the father of Angelic Layer, no doubt with unkempt hair, was in his dirty-white lab coat smeared with chemicals dried in time. He pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Dr. Mihara, anything humongous happening this time?" The announcer held the microphone in front of Ichirou.

"Ah, my dear commentator. I'm glad you asked. As a matter of fact, we do! This year marks the 7th year since the success of the SM12-4X chip. Although it is not yet widely distributed, people have gaped at the wonders of the SM12-4X chip. We are planning on a special event involving all the prodigal schools! Keep in touch with me, Mr. Announcer, if you want to hear more."

The announcer, at the mention of this, gave Ichirou a definite thumbs-up. "You betcha! Boy is Dr. Mihara the genius! He's da bomb!"

Ichirou turned crimson at the praise. He was evidently pleased and started to scratch the back of his head. "Aw, not really. I was... " he was mumbling entirely.

The camera focused solely on the announcer now. "Folks, the air is full of excitement. Everyone's going wild! It's pandemonium out here. (The scene swept over the stands, showing thousands of faces.) Competition is tight and intense this time around. (A close-up of Hinako standing at the top of the stands, making a 'v' at the camera, was seen.) Who will win? This, we will see! Stay tuned, everyone!"

The words

-ANGELIC ANGLE NEWS NETWORK LIVE COVERAGE-

flashed across the scene for a few seconds before it turned to commercial breaks.

Saya couldn't get it. Why were people so crazy about Angelic Layer? There was nothing great about becoming puppeteers controlling dolls to fight with other dolls.

Uncle Ichirou, you're like a child for inventing something as pointless as Angelic Layer, Saya thought. She wasn't really supportive of her father and uncle's involvement with the layer. But still, she did not object every time they let her tag along for the ride. True, she was knowledgeable about angels from the rudiments to the hard-to-understand. Yet how could that knowledge prove useful? Where was it applicable to life? That, didn't take a five-year old to figure out. Well, if that five-year old had the brains enough to see the reality, he/she would think that AL was just a waste of everything. Saya did not dare say this out loud. It would hurt her uncle, she knew. So she just kept quiet as usual.

Saya watched the advertisements shown on TV one after the other. She snorted at ridiculous commercials that said things like: "Tomikase Yuri fans everywhere! Now is the time to show full support to your idol! Join the TTFN Community - True Tomikase Fans Now!! For every membership, we'll give you a free t-shirt with Yuri prints and a Yuri notebook, PLUS, a pen that squeaks 'I Love Yuri' when you twist the cap off! So, what are you Yuri fans waiting for? Join now! Remember, TTFN!"

"Calling Minamoto Chihiro followers! The new line of Dominique holographic images is now available! We have the 'SNoWY Day' version, 'Teacher Dominique' version, 'Drinking Coke(TM) from a Coleman Dominique', and the newest hologram - 'Dominique's #Dance Grooves#'. Hurry, stocks are limited in available stores! For inquiries, call 244-44-70 or Chi-hi-ro!"

"Can't get enough of watching your favorite deus and his/her angel? Then, this is just the thing for you - ALCaps. Angelic Layer Captures guarantees you 100% that you'll be able to see any angel's single moves. Buy the latest collection of Yuri's angel's swift moves - Alexander at a Millisecond Glance: Speed Reduced 99%. The box set comes with the Silver Edition of Mimosa's Spunky Styles!"

The commercial break was over but the girl lost her interest in watching the live coverage. She switched to another channel. She chanced upon a series called "Cat's Paw".

Saya gradually lulled herself to sleep. All she could remember before going stretching out on the sofa was the image of a fuchsia-haired teen transforming into a cute fluffy pink cat.

The next day, Saya woke up with a start, realizing she was late for class. She hastily dressed up and made for Eriol Middle School at lightning speed, almost running over a man struggling with some AV equipment as the girl reached the school gates. Saya blurted out a sorry to him.

"Here, lemme help you mister." Saya dropped down to pick up lengths of wire.

"Ara ara. If it isn't my grandniece," Saya heard a voice say. The girl turned her head up to see the speaker.

"Hehhh!! Aunt Shouko?! What are you doing here?" Saya glimpsed the AV man. He had on a Tokyo Net t-shirt. "I should have known by this guy's shirt that you must be here."

Asami Shouko, 44 years of age and still a broadcaster, smiled. She flipped her straw-colored mass of hair. "Something tanoshii is about to happen. Your dad invited me."

"He's here also? How come I did not know?"

"Be-cause," Shouko poked at the side of Saya's face, "he said you were dozing off from the time he arrived home to the time he left in the morning."

"It figures..."

Right at that moment, the school bell tolled. It brought Saya back to what she was supposed to be doing. "Ack! I'm going to be late!! Gomen, Aunt Shouko. Got to go. I'll see you later!"

"Sure. Do well in class, okay?"

Saya rolled her eyes. "I'd do well to irritate my teacher," she stated, grinning.

Five minutes later, she was seen sulking outside her classroom. She had the same punishment as usual. Saya was told to go out with a sharp fingernail directed at the door. The girl was more the merrier to step out of the horrible teacher's class.

Better out here than suffocating in there. Saya thought, leaning on the wall. "Hmm, I wonder what's going to happen later on that Aunt Shouko considered fun."

to be continued

Any comments, reviews, feedback, criticisms? E-mail me, Kagaribi, at this e-mail: quisty@pacific.net.ph