So we start with two people yelling insults back and forth. It's Ana and Miu. The Ito sisters are kind of a captive audience to it. Nobue wonders what's up with the insult war. Somehow height comes into it, and Ana makes the first move, artificially increasing her height by standing on her toes.
Episode 15: Ana vs Miu
(This is the image that I told you was on the "next volume" page. Ana and Miu are sitting side by side with their legs bent upward. Ana is holding a teddy bear in her lap, and Miu is holding a stuffed toy raccoon on her head. I promise I'm not going to describe their outfits, but I just have to mention these... I don't know what they're called, but they're like pant legs for your lower legs only, and they have like belts around them. I don't know what to think of them.)
Miu counters by doing the same. Then they break out the books to stand on. Nobue(?) asks what they're doing, and then, once the book stacks are really precarious, asks again. There's a scream, and Nobue asks if they were always this bad. Chika doesn't think they were like this. We see them both, faces to the floor, books scattered.
But let's turn the clock back 7 hours...
Miu greets the other three preteens on the way to school, and is greeted by Matsuri, who greets Chika, who greets Ana, who greets back. Ana sighs, prompting Miu to ask "Coppola" what's wrong. (She is swatted by Chika for the surname thing.) Matsuri explains that Ana is frustrated at not being able to talk at school. Miu asks whu she doesn't just talk. A reasonable question. It's like, she could ease her frustration so much by dropping the "I won't speak Japanese" thing and just speak it with everybody, y'know? But no. She just wants to talk in English at school. Miu(?) asks if they're still the only ones who know. Chika(?) is pretty sure nobody else does. Matsuri points out another problem: as feared, she's practically forgotten the language. (Ana makes a cross-shaped Visible Silence.) The one bright spot is that nobody knows her surname. (Did she or her mother tell the teachers not to use it?) Ana figures it'd be a disaster. At this, Miu lets out a "Woo-hoo-hoo!" No idea what that is in Japanese. Matsuri(?) starts to ask what that was, but Miu explains it as a cold draft. Chika(?) asks if she says "Woo-hoo-hoo" when she catches a cold draft.
During morning break, a student tells Matsuri that she's been meaning to ask her something because she seems pretty close to Ana, based on their walking to school together daily. Matsuri nervously says that Ana lives sorta near her. The girl wants to know how they communicate. I'll tell you how: SHE SPEAKS FLUENT JAPANESE. What, she didn't hear me? Oh well. Matsuri explains it as "body language", and that she speaks slowly so Matsuri can pick it up. Ana thinks that sounds very convincing. She notices an envelope sealed with a heart shape. No, I'm not going to sing it again. Read my My Sims Agents liveblog if you want to read it again. Matsuri gives a quiet "Whoa!", and Ana silences visibly.
Later, Matsuri is gushing over the "millions and millions" of love letters Ana has gotten, even though she's so new, but Ana points out that it's only the third (Which is interesting considering she's a girl with blue eyes. Get it? If not, never mind.); that, however, is embarrassing in a thrilling way (thrilling in an embarrassing way?). Matsuri remarks that it's because she's so beautiful, which increases both feelings. However, she recalls that she got even more at her old school. (And here we have a shot of a commode, empty and unoccupied.) Matsuri is eager to read it, but Ana wants first look. One of them remarks that she wishes they didn't have to hide in a restroom stall to talk. The other agrees that it's not ideal.
2nd period: Japanese. Matsuri is finishing up reading a passage (I know some adults who would struggle with reading the passage as translated for TOKYOPOP; I don't know how impressive the original passage would be for a native Japanese 11-year-old.) The teacher tells her that was good, and to stop there. He tells Ana to try to read what she can. She pretends to struggle, managing an "I" before being told that's good. Next is a boy named Sasazuka. We know this because not only does the teacher call on him and he responds, but because there's a text box telling us so. The teacher tells him to pick up where Ana left off. He asks if he couldn't just start over, and is sent to the corner.
3rd period: Music. Matsuri apparently sings well enough to be told "Great. Nice job." by the teacher. Ana is told to sing any part she can. She hums it all except for "daaark". Sasazuka is told to pick up there. He asks how. Next panel, he's not there.
4th period: Math. Ana writes... something in an equation and is told it's correct. At her desk, Ana is glad that there's one class that doesn't cause problems. Sasazuka is told to stand in the corner for some unspecified reason.
Lunch Break. Sasazuka has his head down. A girl who looks a lot like the girl who asked Matsuri how she communicates with Ana but whose sleeves have black stripes (whew!) says that some book Matsuri was talking about (I guess) sounds interesting, and asks to borrow it. Matsuri agrees to bring it tomorrow, and continues describing it ("It's got this cute girl who's an alien... then there's this guy...") Ana wants to be able to chit-chat, but everybody's doing so in Japanese, which she doesn't want to speak. Then she gets an idea! Is it "let on that you're actually fluent"? She whispers to Matsuri to meet her in the bathroom.
In a stall, we find that the plan is for Ana to whisper in Matsuri's ear, and for Matsuri to repeat it, pretending to have translated it. A serious flaw is brought up: if they do that, people will think Matsuri understands English. The solution, of course, is for Matsuri to learn English in earnest. Ana begs her to do so, but Matsuri is still unsure...
5th Period, 6th grade, Class 2 P.E.. Chika thinks Miu is up to something, and is afraid Miu will ambush her in front of her class. Miu tries to allay her fears by asking how she could get into her class, since they're in different grades. Chika harbors doubts, but accepts it for now. She chuckles, however, which arouses suspicions again, but explains it as remembering something funny. Matsuoka is called to bat. Chika has 'a bad feeling about this.'
5th grade, Class 2, Calligraphy. It's 1:35, and the seconds tick by. Some kanji has been posted on the board for students to copy. No, I couldn't tell you what the kanji says. Matsuri has the three small strokes and the longer horizontal stroke of the top kanji drawn, and she's starting to draw the little quadrilateral, but then... she sneezes while she has brush to paper, making a long stroke that shouldn't be there. (No idea if it makes a valid kanji or not.) Ana chuckles a bit. Then the students' heads turn as the crack of a bat is heard. The ball breaks a window! But not just any window... a window in the classroom where Ana and Matsuri are! It strikes Sasazuka in the head! A girl starts to tell the teacher that Sasazuka has b...(een hit, maybe?) But the teacher interrupts and sends Sasazuka where? If you said, "the nurse's office," you haven't been paying enough attention. The girl is at least as confused as you are, and the teacher has the students return to their seats "where it's safe," while he figures out what's happening. Well I don't know, teach, how safe do you think returning them to their seats is? Has anybody by the window been hit by, let's say, for instance, broken glass?!? Not to mention that Sasazuka was sitting three rows away from the window, and still got hit. Unless, of course, he means, "return to your seats, insofar as it's safe to do so." The experience shocked Ana. Matsuri notes that the batter must have really whacked it to get it up there. (To the 3rd story, for those playing at home.)
The door opens, and in walks... Miu. Not the most pleasant of surprises for Matsuri and Ana. Miu asks the teacher about the ball. The teacher simply asks if they were playing next to the classrooms, and hands the ball back, advising them to play out in the field. Miu wonders to herself if this is really someone in charge, but agrees to it. The two girls (and probably most of the rest of the class) wonders if that's all he's going to do.
But then Miu notices Ana, and says, "Oh, hey! I know her! Hiya, Coppola! This must be 5th grade, class two?" Ana and Matsuri are horrified. Miu realizes, or feigns realizing, her mistake, in front of a class that is now trying to pronounce this foreign name. I guess the teacher asks about this name, and Miu makes things "worse" by identifying the person to whom she was referring. Meanwhile, Chika runs through the hallway, trying to convince herself that there's no possible way that the ball went into Ana's classroom. She throws open the door of the classroom where Miu is... and finds her trying to convince a confused teacher who probably doesn't care that much that "Coppola" is just a nickname, and a class full of kids who can now say it perfectly. Quoth Chika:
".........You did it."
At the Ito home, Nobue is kinda mediating this whole mess, and stating that it was 100% Miu's fault. Now we see that she's restraining Ana, who's holding a recorder
in a threatening manner. Nobue doesn't think Miu did it on purpose, just based on what she heard. Ana is starting to almost cry in frustration. Nobue knows that Miu can behave strangely. Miu says that she knows the difference between good and evil. Nobue has her tell what happened. Miu states that she did it on purpose. Now whether Ana broke Nobue's grip in a surge of angry energy, or whether Nobue simply let her go at that point, figuring Miu deserved whatever Ana would dish out is unclear to me; if there's an equivalent scene in the anime, maybe that would help. Anyway, Ana conks Miu, knocking her face-down to the floor.
Nobue asks Matsuri what she's been up to, and she says she's studying English.
HALLO WORK
First, Matsuri as a "priestess", with a traditional broom.
Next, Miu as an idol. No, not stone, wood, or metal, but like a pop idol or something. She has a table at which she signs photo collections. A fan is telling her she's the best, and to keep it up; she thanks him and returns it.
Next time: Episode 16!
