We're over at Matsuri's, this time. She has a bunch of books. What we can see:
- Swan Lake
- Little Red Riding Hood
- Kachikachi Yama
- Bluebird
- Shitakiri Suzume
- Doll Princess
- Red Shoes (presumably the Hans Christian Andersen book mentioned on that page, not a book based on the horror film the article is actually about)
- Snow White
- Thumbelina
- The 3 Little Pigs
- The Tortoise And The Hare (if you'll recall, Matsuri had a dream based on this)
- Hanasaka Jusan (link points to Hanasaka Jiisan because there's nothing at Hanasaka Jusan)
- Urashima Turon (another one in which the name it gives is different from what I can find)
- Tzuru no Ungaeshi
- Issan Sonshi
- Puss In Boots
- Peter Pan
- Kaguya-Hime
- The Little Matchbook Girl
- Omusubi Kororin
- A Game Of Thrones
And that's just one of the shelves, and we don't know if that's the whole shelf or not. Chika is amazed at how many she has. She's been getting them since she was little, and they piled up. Miu holds one. Matsuri offers to let them read any they want. Chika says she's familiar with most of them. (Well then, pick something you're not familiar with.
The book in Miu's hand, if you haven't guessed, is Cinderella. In Miu's imagination, Matsuri has the title role. She grows up from a darling baby to "a most beautiful young lady." (Well, she is really cute.) In the picture, birds land on her. Unfortunately, her mother dies, and her father remarries a cruel woman, giving her two nasty stepsisters, portrayed by Chika and Ana. (In other words, nasty in personality, not appearance.) They bully her horribly, especially on Thursdays and Fridays.
The prince of the land announces a ball where he'll choose his future bride. The stepsisters, eager to be the one, stuff themselves into expensive dresses, pack on makeup, and strut off, leaving Cinderella to scrub floors. While she was on the floor, she broke down and wept.
However, her Fairy Godmother (Miu) appeared and told her twice not to cry, then told her to get a pumpkin and a rat, and she'll be sent to the ball. She does so, and teh Fairy Godmother turns into a horse-drawn coach (and if some equine artists used it as a subject...), while the hard-caught rat remained a rat. Cinderella asked what the rat was for, only to be told it was just a hilarious joke. She turned Cinderella's rags into "a stunning ballroom gown and awesome looking glass kickers." Cinderella gushes thanks, but the Fairy Godmother says that if she battles demons while wearing them, she doubts she be able to defeat them.
At the castle, the Fairy Godmother informs her that her coach and dress will vanish at midnight, and that she must therefore leave before the clock strikes twelve. She takes care to add "Tiger" to the end of each sentence she uses. Once in the hall, the prince's (Nobue) gaze falls upon her. He tells her she's the most angelic vision to grace his eyes, and wonders if she dares ask her to dance. Meanwhile, the Fairy Godmother stands on tiptoe, since her feet can't be seen behind her dress. They dance the time away in the ballroom, as onlookers (except her stepsisters) applaud and give blessings. Her Godmother was only partially in the frame. However, the clock strikes quarter 'til 12, reminding her to split before the changed things vanish. She makes her apologies and hurries out, dropping a glass shoe "like a dummy", which her Godmother trips on and falls down the stairs.
The prince finds he can't stop thinking of her, especially once he sees the shoe. He feels Cinderella is the fair maiden he's been searching for, and sends his palace servants to find the lady who can wear the shoe, though he stammers toward the end. They go, but can't find anyone whose foot fits. They get to Cinderella's house, and while the stepsisters' feet don't fit, either (and the Godmother fell down the stairs of that house, too), the shoe fits Cinderella's foot "like a glove. Or a shoe. A magic shoe." This convinces them that she's the one... but it turns out that the Godmother already married him. The end.
Chika asks if Miu is sure. Miu asks why Matsuri should be the only one who ends up happy, especially since she did all the work. Matsuri is wondering what in the world. Chika is confused because she chose who was who in her mind, and yet... through the whole story, she tried to make Matsuri happy, but she kept finding herself in miserable situations. Chika points out that she made those parts up. Miu asks if she'd rather have the original, in which the moral is, according to her, "If you're a girl, your looks are the most important thing." Given that, she wants a thousand yen for the beauty salon. Chika sometimes thinks Miu's whole life is make-believe.
Strawberry-Sport
Matsuri plays ping-pong. She misses the ball.
Miu is a cheerleader, leaping into the air. "Go! Do something! Whatever!"
Next time: episode 29!
