It took her a great deal time, but still her search through the school records came up blank. Considering that the Uzuki Tsukino she dismissed earlier was probably the local version of Usagi Tsukino after all she decided to search based on their parents. Now she was getting results Dr. Kaori Mizuno was listed as having a single daughter, one Emi Mizuno. Satisfied with her first search, now Setsuna set out to lookup the daughter of Dietman Kohaku Hino, almost immediately she came up with Ruki Hino.
Still after the incident with Uzuki's mother she decided to lookup both of the individual to avoid having to crawl away with her tail between her legs, as opposed to wrapped around one of her legs to keep it hidden in public (although personally she’d rather have it wrapped around Ranma-sama *purrr*). A quick inspection through Emi's school records yielded some surprising results, while she it was true that this version of Ami still had the same IQ of 300 and made fairly high grades; she was not the best in her class, and also had a history of tardiness and detention for late arrivals leading to low citizenship scores. “Odd, it's almost like someone had taken Ami, and had given her Usagi's personality and bad habits.”
Ruki’s information was even more surprising; she had a history with the police department for entering clubs while underage, and other acts of delinquency. Coupled onto all of this was a history of below average grades and attendance at T&A Academy, and it had almost looked like someone had replaced the most spiritual of the senshi with a spoiled rich brat.
Fearful of what she might find Setsuna started looking of any sign of the last survivor of the Kino family, and unlike the other two she came up entirely empty this time. “Well either she was adopted by another family or... I don’t even want to think of the other possibility,” the cat-woman guardian of time said to herself as she stared at the screen in front of her.
“I better meet with Dr. Mizuno first, she should be the easiest to approach, ‘plus I don’t know if Ruki is staying with her grandfather or not.’
*****
It was an average day in Minato-ku, and Dr. Kaori Mizuno was sitting on the porch of the home that she shared with her daughter enjoying and enjoying the spring. ‘Ah, this is great it feels like forever since I’ve been off, so lets see if I can find where I left off,’ *Ding-dong* Kaori’s attempt to rediscover her place in her novel, that she lost three days earlier when she knocked out the bookmark accidentally while trying to silence her alarm clock, was interrupted by her door bell.
As she opened the door Kaori caught sight of a woman dressed in smart business attire with an odd tan and greenish hair partially hidden by a gypsy scarf, “Dr. Mizuno, my name is Setsuna Meiou and I am here concerning your daughter’s schooling.”
Kaori sighed long used to this song and dance from private tutors sent by her daughter’s school to try and boost the grades of their resident under-achieving genius, or from Cram Schools that wanted her daughter to enroll to boost their advertising prestige. “Listen Ms. Meiou as I have told people like you several times in the past, just because my daughter happens to be a genius does not mean that I am willing to ruin her childhood by forcing her to change who she is to fit someone else’s idea of the perfect student.”
“I understand perfectly Dr. Mizuno, in fact that is part of why I am here, might I please come in.” Said the disguised neko-senshi of Pluto, as Dr. Mizuno let her inside allowing her to sit down. “You see as much as a girl of Emi’s intelligence should benefit from her current academic situation, I am afraid that the social consequences of such schooling are in conflict with her natural disposition.”
“I am not sure I follow you, just what are you suggesting?” Kaori inquired of the intruder in her home.
“Before I continue, might I ask does Emi have many friends at her School that she likes to spend time with outside of classes?”
“No, not really most of my daughter’s friends are the people she knew from grammar and middle school, why do you ask?”
“I will be frank with you Dr. Mizuno, from what I have seen of your daughter she is a very bright and out going young girl who just happens to be one of the brightest children in the country; however it is sad to say that schools geared towards academics and advanced children force tend to focus on academic competition between students rather than friendship and cooperation. In fact it appears that her environment might be having a detrimental effect on Emi rather than helping her studies.”
“So what are you saying?” Kaori looked at this Ms. Meiou with a piercing gaze that the woman just seemed to brush off.
“It might be best to focus on Emi’s social development first and supplement her academics with a juku or a private tutor,” Setsuna calmly stated with her usual elegance, “Emi’s grades appear to be doing well enough on her own, but some of her recent psychological evaluations show an increasing sense of isolation. If this trend continues it might begin to affect Emi academically, or worse emotionally and psychologically because of this I feel that it might be best to transfer Emi to a public high school and among people that she might feel more comfortable around.”
“And just where would you suggest?”
“Given that we would be trying to put her in a more open environment it would probably be best to put her back in touch with an old friend or two. Can you give me the names of a few of her old friends so I can have something to work with?”
Setsuna took a few minutes taking down the names that Kaori gave her, and noticed a one that popped out at her... Tendo Nabiki. After the doctor finished Setsuna stood up and told her, “Very well, let me go through this and see if I can find anything before I get back in touch with you.”
“Alright, but remember Ms Meiou I might still turn your offer down.”
“I understand perfectly Dr. Mizuno, after all in the end this remains entirely up to your family; however I will contact you if anything else comes up.”
*****
A little later that day Setsuna was meeting with another individual concerning Ruki Hino; however unlike with Emi this was not a meeting with one of the girl’s parents, but rather with an aide de camp who had been placed in charge of the councilman’s daughter.
“Ms. Meiou as you surely understand I am a very busy man,” the political aide said in a terse self-important manner that spoke of self-importance, “So please let us dispose of unnecessary frivolities, and get to the point, just what are you here for?”
“Very well Mr. Matsuda I will,” Setsuna steadied herself and buried the temptation to blast this obnoxious jerk, “This concerns young mistress Ruki, quite frankly the child’s lack of restraint and discipline have become a problem. Her grades are moving from bad to atrocious, she has been skipping classes, her lack of respect to the teachers is beginning to encourage bad behavior in other students, and her nocturnal activities are beginning to come to the attention of the police. Her school’s reputation is already endangered by her actions and she is well on her way to becoming a bastion of immorality.”
“Ms. Meiou, you will remember your place,” Mr. Matsuda stood up and began to further stare down his nose at the impudent woman the sat before him, after all this was Japan, and such people should well known their place. Plus by her by the look of her this woman was not even pure Japanese, how dare a woman talk to him in such a manner let alone someone whose parent sullied themself with a gaijin. “Mistress Ruki Hino is the daughter of a very ancient and well respected family, and her father is a very influential man, you of all people should understand what such accusations would mean for your career.”
“Very little compared to what Ruki’s continued behavior could mean for councilman Hino.” Setsuna retorted, after all she may have changed some in becoming a catwoman; however she would rather slow-roast on a spit and serve herself to Queen Beryl than shirk her duty to the Silver Imperium, wether it was guarding the Gates of Time, or looking out for the well being of the sleeping senshi.
“Just what are you insinuating?” Mr. Matsuna almost growled as his eyes seemed to narrow.
“As you have said Councilman Hino is a very influential man; however he is not without his political opponents, and quite a few of them would not hesitate to use his daughter’s lack of restraint to either sully his reputation or as leverage to hold against him.”
“You make a valid point Ms. Meiou,” Mr. Matsuda deflated, “Just what would you suggest.”
“I hate to say this Mr. Matsuda but despite the prestige of the private school that Mistress Ruki attends, the teachers are too afraid to discipline the daughter of a prominent politician. The fact of the matter is they fear what she could have you (or another of her father’s aides) do to their careers. So we need a school whose teachers are not afraid of her influence, and where the only status she would have is what she must earn herself.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
“I would recommend sending her to a Catholic girl’s school,” Setsuna said with a smile, “The Catholic nuns have been dealing with the wealthy and noble families of Europe for centuries, they have a great deal of expertise in dealing with problem children such as Mistress Ruki.”
“Really,” Mr. Matsuda smiled as he began to think of the only headache in his career being taken care of, “Tell me more.”
“Very well have you ever heard of St. Herbereke, it seems they have a rather exceptional history of channeling extreme personalities into constructive and prestigious activities.”
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(Posted Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:22)
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