Ranma missed Home Room and the first class of the day. As everyone was curious about the new guy, this meant Akane had to suffer the questions of her classmates during that time.
During the transition to second period, Ranma arrived to class in the company of the vice principal. Studiously ignoring questions himself, he sat about writing his name on the chalkboard and preparing his introduction. "Alright, I'm Ranma Saotome. I'll answer a few questions after I explain something, so just hold on a bit."
Picking up a cup of water, he started his explanation. "Alright, so martial arts training journey, yadda yadda, went to China, stuff happened, got to Jusenkyou. Fall into a spring there, and ya change into whatever fell in that spring."
Dumping a cup of water over himself, Ranma shrank slightly as his hair turned a vibrant red. Most boys however just noticed the way her extra perky chest seemed intent on bouncing free of her shirt. "Spring of drown girl, so I turn into a girl when splashed with cold water. Hot water changes me back to a guy again."
So saying, she picked up a coffee cup filled with steaming water and dumped it over her head. "And just ta head off any stupid questions, yeah I'm a guy, I like girls and that don't change all the sudden when I get tits."
Accepting a towel from the vice principal, Ranma began drying himself off to merely damp before mopping up the small puddle on the floor. "Okay, got that over, so questions?"
Getting over a dozen including ones from students peeking in through the windows, Ranma decided to wrap this up before he turned into a floor show. "Uhm, 'kay. Yeah, I'm basically available. No I'm not a girl, I'm not going here as a girl, and I'm not demonstrating again...and no, they're not that kinda fake, though I don't know what part of 'magical girl spring' yer not getting here. Of course I don't wear a bra."
Sighing, Ranma decided that was enough as most of the questions were in the gutter about his female form. Taking his seat, the vice principal began his own part of the explanation. "Mr. Saotome will be attending school with some exceptions. For one he will not attend boy's PE so as to avoid any hanky panky in the showers. By the same token, I don't want to see any splashing with water. Considering the nature of his curse, anyone splashing Ranma will be treated as if they splashed a girl to see an inappropriately wet t-shirt."
"Please behave yourselves and enjoy the rest of the day students.", said the VP before leaving the room and allowing the teacher to take over.
"Alright class, excitement is over, let's settle down and begin class."
Most of the school day after that went with less fanfare than Akane had expected.
Ranma was fairly average in class, with the exception that everyone was still whispering about him and passing notes. Even his lack of interest in class was average, though as he wasn't gossiping, he was paying more attention to the lesson than most.
When it came time for gym though, she did finally get a surprise from Ranma as he was cluelessly following her. "Hey, stop following me. I'm going to gym class, girl's gym class."
Her unwanted Master didn't look the least bit perturbed by her admonishment. "Yeah, I know, I have all the same classes as you."
His slave looked back at him with undisguised incredulity and outrage. "You got put in a girl's gym class? Isn't it bad enough you peep on me in the bath?"
Noting that a few students were staring in passing, Ranma shrugged careless of the consequences if Akane wanted to be loud. "Ain't nothing like that. I got an excuse so I don't have to change uniforms or go in the locker room or anything like that. I'm training you, remember? ...or do you need a reminder of who's the Master here?"
Confused for a moment, Akane blushed and quieted down at that reminder, even though she didn't understand quite what he meant just yet.
The gym teacher on the other hand was a more direct woman, getting precisely to the point. "Young man, is there something I can help you with?"
Shrugging, he gave her an off-hand reply of, "Yeah, ya gotta Ranma Saotome on your roster today right?"
Mentally shifting gears, the gym teacher took on a more friendly tone. "Ah, is something wrong with her?"
For his part however, Ranma was getting frustrated that after all of the time he'd spent explaining it at the office, they'd apparently failed to inform the coach. "I ain't a girl. Dunno how many times I gotta go over that."
Mentally shifting gears and having to derail her previous thoughts, the female gym teacher once again shifted into no-nonsense suspicion. "Are you trying to tell me I'm supposed to have a boy in a girl's gym class?"
Trying to regain his patience, Ranma took a moment to calm himself down before speaking. "Yeah, they shoulda sent ya a note. I mean it isn't that bigga deal, I was the assistant coach to the girl's teams last year before I transferred to an all boy's school. The teams did pretty good too. I'm really just here ta train Akane, but I'll just sit class out if ya want."
Raising an eyebrow, the gym teacher turned towards the girl beside him. "Is this true Miss Tendou?"
Squirming slightly at being put on the spot by a teacher, Akane hesitated slightly before answering. "Well, I don't know about the the last school, but Master is here to teach me martial arts."
That only seemed to raise more questions with the female gym teacher. "Teach you martial arts? You're the strongest girl in school."
Blushing slightly, Akane looked down at the ground, mostly from being reminded of just what her position was with Ranma. "Well, yeah."
Pausing for a moment, the gym teacher seemed to drop it for the time being at least. "Alright then Saotome, just sit tight here."
Turning to the milling gossiping girls that made up her class the gym teacher started her class. "Alright girls, enough gawking, let's go get changed for class."
A few minutes later, the girls and their gym teacher exited the locker-room to find Ranma waiting outside.
During that time, the teacher had been filled in on the situation by her students.
Unfortunately, a lot of that information was just gossip and supposition.
As such, Ranma was a bit surprised to have a cooler of cold water dumped over his head. Raking her thick bangs from her face, Ranma was treated to the sight of seeing a rather smug looking female gym teacher. "Heh, so it is true, you really do turn into a girl with water."
For her part, Ranma simply sighed and began adjusting her soaked clothing to be a little more comfortable. To her surprise however, the coach seemed to have a bit more to say, taking on a self righteous tone as if she'd just been proven right. "So, you thought you could sneak into the girl's showers and spy on the girls huh?"
Annoyed by the incredible leap in logic, at least Ranma now knew a likely place where Akane had learned her attitude from. "One, I got an excuse so I can avoid the locker-room and never even go in. Two, you're the one that turned me into a girl here, I didn't show up in girl form so I could sneak in. Third, I gotta bigger rack, so why would I want ta?"
After a moment of relative silence, Ranma realized she was not only facing a pissy gym teacher, but an entire class full of upset girls. "Alright, I see how it is. I'm gonna go home ta take a bath, see ya later Akane."
After seeing Ranma walk away a few steps before leaping like a grasshopper on a sugar rush off the school grounds, the assembled girls stared at Akane.
Akane leveled a flat stare right back at them. "What? I made peace with that fact his rack is better already. Jeeze, get over it."
That was the point when the acting principal made it to the class to check on their newest student and seemingly quite happy. "Ah, Awateru-sensei, isn't it marvelous to have a star trainer like Saotome-san attending school?"
Staring at the acting principal flatly, the gym teacher was still non-plussed about the little incident with Ranma trying to sneak into her class. "Don't tell me you believed that story? He's just a perverted boy that wanted to peep on the girls like all the rest."
Hearing that dimmed the official's enthusiasm a bit. "I had hoped to get out here quicker but everyone was so curious about our new student. We've already confirmed that he was the assistant coach at Miyaba Junior High for the girl's teams, particularly the gymnastics, swim and track teams that made it into nationals that year."
Looking around, the school administrator attempted to find the young man in question. "Where is our young athletic star? I'm sure he could give better details on the events if you want."
Snorting in a huff, Akane decided to put their teacher on the spot without really getting her directly into trouble. "Someone dumped water over him and accused him of being a pervert and stuff. He left for home right before you got here."
At that point it didn't make the teacher feel any better when her boss got upset, despite the fact that she hadn't been implicated.
Looking outraged, the VP spotted the wet patch on the ground. "Someone was bullying him here already? I suppose it was best he went home instead of having a confrontation considering what happened at his last school."
Curious to know more about her master, Akane was eager to know more. "He was bullied? Do you know what happened?"
Nodding somberly, the vice-principal explained, "It seems during his last semester his father transferred him to a boy's school near his previous one. Apparently he objected that training the girls was interfering with his martial arts training. Unfortunately he was immediately disliked by the boys for all the time he'd spent with the local girls, despite it simply being training. When I called for details they said a young man by the name of Ryouga Hibiki in particular tried to start fights at any opportunity, and one of their fights destroyed a school building. It also seemed the other boys antagonized him with names like 'playboy' and 'the two-horned demon'. That is why he explained his situation and curses to me this morning so that we could work together to avoid such troubles."
Looking thoughtful for a moment, the official turned towards the girl that was Ranma's reason for attending their school. "Ah, Miss Tendou, don't mention the bullying thing to him, he only talked to me about wanting to prevent fights at school. It was his old school that mentioned the bullying. Considering he now has that Jusenkyou curse I imagine it could be worse here if allowed to get out of hand."
Blinking in realization, Akane looking at the puddle meaningfully. "Okay, I guess, and don't worry, we'll deal with that nasty bully for you. I can't have someone being mean to my Master, right?"
Turning a meaningful look at her teacher she asked, "Isn't that right Awateru-sensei?"
The idea that she might get fired over this incident finally penetrating, the coach hastened to agree. "Right! Of course!"
Happy that the situation was resolved for now, the vice-principle turned to leave. "Well, that's good to hear. See about getting Saotome interested in after-school training in return for having this period for training Akane."
See other episodes by Valor Phoenix
(Posted Fri, 11 Aug 2006 19:08)
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