Chapter Text
Your days in primary school have come to pass, and a lot has happened within those few years.
It was only a couple weeks since you left China, that Shampoo finally responded, and since then, even if you’re in separate countries, you’ve remained just as close. Or at least, you’d like to think so.
As while you’re rather fluent in speaking Chinese, reading and writing it is a whole other level to what you’re used to; and so, you often look through these letters with Dr Tofu whenever they arrive, similar to what you‘d do with your parents letters, albeit a lot more enjoyable.
Mousse is yet to send you anything, but Shampoo’s reassured you that he prefers talking face to face rather than writing, and so while you know of her dislike towards him, you want to put faith in her that what she says is correct. Unfortunately, you haven’t been able to touch up with either of them in person yet, so you’d be unable to confirm anyways.
A shame, but it is what it is. You’d much rather look at the positives in life rather than the negatives.
Speaking of education, a lot of your classmates from your primary school are going to transfer alongside you to Furinkan High School, so it won’t be as unfamiliar as you once thought it would be. A part of you is rather excited too, as it’s the place where the plot of Ranma 1/2 takes off, with lots of the iconic scenes you remember to be acted out right on the very ground there.
As its building is sectioned into two separate areas for juniors and seniors, you’ll officially be here until you graduate for university.
Nowadays, your classmates from primary school have settled down a lot more, and aren’t as prone to screaming childishly in the changing room, so you’re hoping that they’ll decide to quit it completely by the time they move to Furinkan. Even if Akane seems relatively unbothered by it now, you want to start off on a fresh slate together.
And as a celebration towards the new school year ahead of you both, Akane and yourself decided to head down to one of the nicer public baths in your town.
You pay the receptionist, and follow along your friend to the changing rooms with your necessities in hand. “I think we’ve only ever come here once before.” You offhandedly comment. “You know, when the plumbing system was under construction, and so we all had to use the bathhouses instead. That was a chaotic time.”
Akane head turns towards you with a gasp, the memory clicking in her head. “And the one we’d normally frequent was full so we had to go here? I remember the look on dad’s face when he saw the price.”
“Yeah that one!” You giggle. “He tried to bargain for so long, there was that whole line behind us.”
Akane nods along laughing, as you both enter the changing rooms, and the whiplash that comes with the humidity within. ”I almost forgot how nice this bathhouse is. I’m glad that we’ve come here together, I’ve really missed doing fun things like this with you.” She smiles.
“Agreed.” You grin apologetically. “Sorry I’ve been so busy recently, Dr Tofu’s been relying on me more since I’ve gotten older. It’s a compliment, but means that I’ve been missing out on these things.” You say, putting your bucket to the side, and beginning to take off your outer layers of clothing. “With the start of secondary school, he should nudge off a bit.” An idea suddenly pops into your mind. “Hey, you know, we should join a few clubs together! You’ve been thinking of doing volleyball, right? I could come join you. That way we can hang out even more.”
Akane briefly pauses her actions, turning to you, beaming. ”Really? That’d be so fun!”
You bob your head up and down in agreement. “Yeah!”
Once you finish completely unchanging, you head to the lockers on the other side of the room, and stuff all of your clothing and larger towel within it, before heading off towards the bathing station, with your bucket filled with your soaps and conditioner, and a smaller towel for your hair. Akane trails behind you, as you both make your way to the washing basins and stools.
There’s light chatter in the background, but the bathhouse isn’t as crowded as you previously assumed it to be.
You put your various items to the side before filling up your bucket with water, and dousing it over yourself. “Ah, that’s colder than I expected it to be.” You shiver slightly, while Akane, who’s taken up the seat beside you, chuckles.
”You’re eager to head into the baths.”
“I want to get the most out of this experience, too expensive not to.” You explain, already moving to refill your container. “By the way, do you want me to do your back for you? You always struggle with that bit.” Another splash of water resounds around you.
As you rub the liquid out from your eyes, Akane turns a deep shade of red. “We haven’t done that since we were children…”
”Sure we haven’t, but it’s a special occasion!” You throw her a thumbs up, once you’re able to see clearly again. “When you’re done with your hair, and the conditioner sets in, we can do each other’s backs, how about that?”
Akane swallows, considering it, and after a beat, nods her head. “If you insist?”
”Nice! It’ll be like old times sake, you know?” You chirp, and begin to do your own washing routine, your friend just a few beats behind.
Several minutes later, Akane sheepishly passes you her body soap and turns her back to you, blushing profusely. “Since you asked and all…”
”You don’t need to be so bashful.” You giggle. “I’m so used to your brash personality, it’s strange seeing you be so shy.” You nudge her shoulder playfully. “Especially over something like this.” Akane opens her mouth to protest, but you beat her to it. “Not that it’s a bad thing, I think it’s pretty cute.”
Almost immediately, she covers her face, in what you assume to be embarrassment. “…You really think that?”
“Yup! You’re the cutest girl I know.” You beam.
It’s not untrue either, no one can truly beat the female protagonist in looks after all. Sometimes you have the irresistible urge to smother her with affection. Like the cuteness aggression you’d get from a small animal.
Meanwhile you fawn over her in your head, Akane sits staring down at the tiles that cover the floor with her heart leaping out of her chest.
Cute? You really think she’s cute? The feeling is reminiscent of what she’d experience when Dr Tofu would help heal her injuries—though that’s dwindled down a lot more over time.
And there’s a passing thought that entertains the idea that she might have a crush on you, but as soon as it comes, she quickly dashes it away.
Clearly it’s just because you’re so close. A girl can’t like like another girl after all.
Otherwise she’d really live up to all of those names her classmates call her. And she’s not a pervert, she’s a normal girl who likes guys. Like Dr Tofu, even if he’s a lot older than her, and sometimes leaves a bad taste in her mouth, she still likes him all the same.
Since he’s gentle, kind, compassionate, everything that the other immature boys in her class aren’t like. Everything you’relike, and that’s why she’s getting confused. Obviously that’s the reason behind why her heart’s beating so fast. You were her first kiss after all, it’s because of these things that she’s getting mixed up.
Yup. That’s why.
Actually, maybe it’s embarrassment, you haven’t done this since you were both children so—
You gently massage the soap into her skin, and she can’t help letting out a shaky breath, as her heart rate spikes up another tenfold. Never mind, not embarrassment then, just her getting things mixed up.
You’re similar to Dr Tofu, and she likes Dr Tofu, so of course she’s going to feel this way! It only makes sense.
”Okay, I’m done! Could you do mine now?” You tap her stiff frame a couple times, only to not get a response. “Hello? Akane, you there?”
Suddenly she yelps, as if only just coming to her senses. “Your back now, I can do that.” She quickly turns around on her seat, while you look slightly comedically at her antics, before passing exchanging with her your own body soap, and turning away. Akane pauses for a second, almost letting the bar fall from her hands, only to catch it with a slight fumble. “I got it—I got it!” She squeals. “…Sorry, I’ll get on with it now.” Akane sheepishly mumbles.
You lightly laugh. ”It’s no worries!”
“Ah~ that was fun!” You stretch your arms to the air, bucket clinking against your limbs with the motion. “I feel so refreshed after that.”
Akane nods along. “Same here. We basically had the whole bathhouse to ourselves.”
“Totally the best!” You agree with a bright grin.
Your friend has a pep in her step as you traverse the familiar streets back to your homes. ”After we drop off our stuff, do you want to go out to town together?” Akane asks.
”Ah, I’d totally love to…! If I didn’t promise to help out Dr Tofu this afternoon.” You cry. “There’s meant to be some important packages coming in today, and I’ll be helping him out in sorting them.”
”That doesn’t seem like it’ll take too long.” She blinks.
You cross your arms together, dramatically pouting. ”I wish that was the case, this is one of the larger bulks of the year, it’ll take a couple hours at least, since he has this super particular way of putting things together.”
”I could help?” Akane offers, and you immediately turn to her with glistening eyes.
”Really? Ugh, Akane you’re really the best!” You beam, and immediately throw yourself around her, hugging tightly. “What would I ever do without you?”
She yelps. “You almost whacked my head with your bucket!”
”Eep! Sorry!” You apologise, withdrawing from her and reverting back to your normal step. “Maybe I could teach you about a few herbs while we’re at it. I know you’re not particularly interested in—“
”I’d love too!” Akane blurts out, before she can process her words. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind. I might not be that interested in them, but it’ll be fun either way.” She rambles, fiddling with her skirt. Really, what has gotten into herself? She’s gotten so flustered around you lately. It’s embarrassing.
You clearly don’t notice her dilemma, as you happily take her hand in yours and start into a jog once you’re in sight of Dr Tofu’s clinic. “You can leave your things in the entrance, I’ll ask about whether things have arrived yet, if they haven’t then we can hang out a bit longer!” You grin, leaving her in the foyer to find the doctor.
“Dr Tofu!” You call out, popping your head in all of the available rooms. “Hellooo~? Ah, there you are!” You enter his office with a large wave.
”[Name], you’ve come back from the bathhouse?” He slowly gets up from his crouching position, towering over several large boxes, and greets you with a tender smile.
”Yup! Here to help you with all of those.” You point to the pile. “Also, Akane’s come to join. I hope that’s okay?”
He nods. “Of course it is, though I expect that you’ll keep an eye on her, so she won’t mistakenly put things in the wrong place. She really is a sweet girl, just rather clumsy sometimes.” He chuckles.
You vigorously shake your head up and down. ”Of course! She’ll probably be with me most of the time anyways.”
”That’s good to hear. You can call her in, and we can start with separating the herbs into general categories.” Just as you’re about to leave the room in search of her, he calls out for you again. “[Name], I almost forgot, but in the mist of all this packaging, you got another letter from Shampoo I believe?”
You come to a halt at his words, and spin around excitedly. “Really!? Where is it?”
”I should’ve placed it in the foyer.”
You hurriedly nod, before leaving in search of where you last left Akane. “Hey, Akane! He said you can help! Also, have you see a—“ You blink as she comes into view, holding a familiar envelope—the kind that Shampoo always sends, in her hands. “You already found it, nice. Could you pass it to me?”
Akane slowly nods, looking up at you with a curious expression as she holds it out. “What’s it for?”
”Shampoo sent it.” You lightheartedly answer, your hand tugging at the envelope that has suddenly stiffened in her hold. “Uh, Akane, could you let go?”
A beat passes, before you’re able to take it out of her hands. “I thought we were hanging out, why do you always have to bring Shampoo into things.” She mumbles bitterly.
“Huh, what was that?” You blink, looking back up from the envelope.
”It doesn’t matter.” She responds with a tight lipped smile.
You raise an eyebrow at her behaviour, but shrug it off. “Alright, well I’m going to go put this away, and then let’s get sorting!” You give her a brief wave, before darting away to put it away on the top of one of the drawers in a spare room. You’ll go through it with Dr Tofu once you’re done with unpacking everything, for now you’re going to leave it in a safe place in the side so that it doesn't get taken by any grabby hands.
You’ve had multiple occasions where children have come in with their parents or carer and have taken your things you’ve carelessly placed on the side previously, you’re not letting that mistake play out again.
”Alright I’m back!” You grin. “Are you ready to do some unpacking?”
”Sounds good.” Akane nods, following you into the office.
For over an hour, Akane’s been by your side as you carefully unwrap and prepare the various herbs and tonics for future usage, acting as an assistant for the smaller tasks.
You’re both sitting on the ground next to one another, surrounded by a multitude of different boxes, and packages. Being the only ones left to sort out the mess, meanwhile the doctor is busy with an acupuncture appointment in another room. You’re still slightly salty over the fact that he left only fifteen minutes after you started.
“Ah, this is a good one.” You nudge her. “They’re called Reishi, a type of mushroom that’s super beneficial for heart and liver health. Also meant to have anti-aging properties too, super cool right?”
Akane hums in agreement, pausing her act of grinding up some herbs together. “It looks pretty fresh.”
“Yeah, but they need to be dried before use, so we’ll have to do that ourselves, as it hasn’t had time to naturally do that on the way here. Could you put on one of the racks in the spare room I showed you with the others previously?”
She nods, and gets up from her space on the floor, before carefully taking the mushrooms wrapped in brown paper into her hands. “How much space should I put between them?”
”As long as they’re not touching is fine.” You reply, already busying yourself with another package.
“Got it.” Akane says, making her way down the hall into the spare room that’s now turned into a makeshift drying chamber for various kinds of herbs and mushrooms. As she places the package of mushrooms on the empty surface over some drawers, she notices the envelope from before. And with the reminder of who it’s from, bitterness begins to bubble up in her chest.
You haven’t seen that Shampoo girl in years, why are you so insistent on keeping in contact with her, when all you can do with her is write? It’s pointless.
With a frown, Akane begrudgingly sets up a tray, and begins to place the Reishi spread out in an organised fashion on it. The task is methodical, and doesn’t take much time at all, and as she does it, thoughts of hiding or ripping up the envelope cross her mind. It’s tempting, and becomes even more so the longer she’s in the room.
Dr Tofu is busy with a patient, and you’re occupied with the boxes in the other room.
If any times the right time to strike, it would be now. But then again, what if you get mad at her for it? As much as it pains her to admit, you care for Shampoo, and even with how compassionate you are, she’s sure you’d be upset with her if you knew.
Akane glances over to the glass of water left on a nearby counter.
If she framed it as an accident, could anyone really blame her?
After finishing with putting the Reishi out to dry, with a determined expression, Akane wipes the residue off on her dress, and takes the filled glass, placing it just next to the envelope. She then grabs the letter, and promptly dunks it into the water, many times, only when it looks ruined enough, she lays it back where it was, now dripping with liquid.
Then, with the essence of a cat, she lightly knocks the glass over, to spill right over the top of the letter and drawers.
It drops with a clink, and Akane has to withhold the satisfaction from showing on her face, as you come rushing over. “I’m so sorry [Name], I accidentally knocked the glass over!” She furrows her eyebrows together, attempting to look apologetic.
And fortunately for her, you don’t question it at all.
“It didn’t break did it? Are you alright?” Your eyes skid over the scene before realising what the glass happened to fall on. “The letter!” You cry out, looking over it with horror. It looks absolutely soaked, you’re unsure if it’ll even be salvageable. “Could you pick up the glass for me? I’m going to get some stuff to dry it!” You call out, immediately darting to the kitchen to grab a few towels.
By the time you come back, Akane’s cleared up the things surrounding the mess, to prevent them from getting wet alongside the rest. You pass her one of the towels in your hand, and start to lightly pat down on the letter, soaking up the moisture from the drawers and paper.
“I’m really sorry I didn’t mean to.” She mumbles, eyes downcast.
“It’s fine, it was a mistake, and we learn from those.” You attempt to give her a smile, but it comes out as forced. “I’ll just have to write explaining what happened if this letter is too ruined. All we can do is focus on the future, so could you help with the spillage on the floor?”
She jolts, before hurriedly nodding. “I’ll do that right now!”
In the end, the paper of the letter was completed ruined, and you could barely make out the words on it due to all of the smudging. Shampoo revived an in depth apology a couple weeks later.
The anticipation that built up over the summer break finally releases with the start of secondary school.
You ended up joining the volleyball club alongside Akane, and in contrast to your primary school experience, she’s become rather popular with your classmates due to her looks, though, the ones who knew her from from your last school have still stayed rather distant. The female protagonist hasn’t been particularly enthusiastic about the change, but with enough encouragement from you, she’s begrudgingly agreed to hang out with a few other students alongside you during lunches and breaks.
Nowadays, you’ve gotten into a steady routine of waking up early for a morning run, before getting changed into your uniform, and meeting with Akane and Nabiki at the gates of the clinic.
Walking together with the two of them is enjoyable to say the least, Nabiki always has another money making scheme up her sleeves, often attempting to coax you into one of her traps.
As embarrassing as it is, you’ve had to catch yourself from agreeing to her whims on numerous occasions.
During school hours, you finish your work quick and efficiently, and aren’t dragged into helping others as much as you were back in primary, which is a nice break. You’ve even reached your title of top of your class once again, even if it’s a bit like cheating due to your past life’s experiences.
Choosing to ignore that part for the sake of your ego.
Recently Yuka, one of the newer friends you’ve made in this school, has been raving about the nearby ice skating rink during lunches. While neither Akane or yourself have had any experience with the sport, the other girls in the group have had some kind of experience with it, be it good or bad.
And somehow, the whole talk surrounding it, has escalated into a trip to the rink with your friend group over the weekend.
”…Wow, the building is massive.” Akane gapes, tugging at your hand in awe, as you bob your head along.
Asami, one of your friends who’s joined you today, with short mousy brown hair, grins. “Well, yeah, it’s meant to sport a massive skating rink alongside a cafe, of course it’s going to be big. Loads of professionals come here all the time.”
”Even professionals come here?” Akane blinks.
“I wouldn’t trust everything Asami says, I haven’t seen any famous people here.” Yuka retorts. “And I’ve been here a lot.”
You turn to her curiously. “You have?”
Yuka smirks confidently. ”You know it. So if any of you guys are slipping on the ice, you know who to call.” She winks.
You awkwardly chuckle. ”I probably won’t be going on the ice myself, I’ve read way too many horror stories about mistakes on those rinks.” You say. “I’ll support you all from the cafe though.” Truth be told, you’re more worried about the ice skating duo from the anime. You don’t want to be caught on the rink if the male counterpart of the team happens to arrive.
Besides, you weren’t completely lying about the first part. The idea of wearing sharp blades on ice of all things, feels like a complete safety hazard, and you’d rather not end up hurt.
”That’s boring though, can’t you join us, even for a bit?” Sayuri whines. “I don’t want to be one of the only ones with barely any experience. Last time I went was when I was five!”
You attempt to console her. “You’ll be with Akane—“
”I’ll stay at the cafe with you.” The female protagonist immediately cuts in, surprising both you and the other girls.
“I thought you were excited about trying out ice skating?” Yuka questions.
”Well, I was excited about doing it with [Name].” She mumbles.
You nudge her shoulder, albeit in a panic. “You don’t need to do everything with me, I was really excited to see you on the rink, you know?” Under your cheery facade, you’re beginning to stress. Akane definitely needs to learn ice skating if she’s going to be prepared for future events, and this is her first step towards it.
If she would actually take it.
Fortunately, your words do wonders, and she immediately switches her stance on it. “I will, as long as you cheer me on the hardest.”
You blankly stare at her. “Of course I’m going to cheer you on the most?”
Asumi dramatically gasps. “Wow, no compassion for the rest of us?”
”I’ll cheer you all on, just a little less.” You laugh, while she whacks you playfully. “No need to get violent!”
The skating rink really lives up to its hype, and you watch as all four of your friends struggle to put on their skates—with the exception of Yuka. You’ve set up a small table for yourself on the sidelines, with a warm drink to complement it, as the surrounding air is relatively cold in order to maintain the ice.
After a brief period of confusion and wobbling, all of them are set off on the ice. Though, Sayuri and Akane fell face first almost instantaneously.
It takes a while for them to settle into a more confident rhythm, and you’re there to cheer them on, with your sweet beverage as your only source of warmth with the bitter air conditioning. It’s thirty minutes later of brief few second conversations as your friends pass on in the rink, and a finished drink left, when you get up from your seat to go to the restroom.
As you pass the crowd, a tall figure catches your eye. A vaguely familiar figure.
Hah. You have the worst luck.
Mikado Sanzenin and his figure skating partner, Azusa Shirotori.
Well, his partner isn’t your line of sight as of now, but you can only assume that she’s in the parameter around here somewhere. From where you’re standing, you can briefly make out that he’s looming over some girl, with his back turned to you. “How about the honour of being my 325th kiss, Miss?” He whispers into the poor girl’s ear.
You have to stop yourself from cringing at his overly sultry voice.
Seriously, is he going to perv on all of the girls here? You fear for your friend’s safety, and as of now, you’re worried about the girl who’s caged between his arms.
You don’t want to be caught up in a challenge with him and his partner if you outwardly stop his actions, or be turned into his next victim either. So, the only way to deal with this situation, is to anomalously whack him where it’ll hurt.
And no, not there.
A quick jab to certain areas of the spine will do just fine. Silently, you sneak up behind, before giving out several swift but hard jabs to his back, and like a flip has been switched, he immediately freezes up, letting out a shaky gasp of pain.
That will stop him from doing his assaulting actions for the next few hours.
Feeling rather smug, you turn on your heel, and rush off to the restroom, hearing the faint sound of Mikado screaming out in pain in the background.
Unknown to you at the time, but that moment would snowball into many more instances of your anomalous persecution towards him.