"We would be honored to select a fine horse for King Ranma," the green-haired woman said. "What color would he prefer: Brown, black or white?"
"Well... Oh my..." Kasumi hesitated. "He didn't say which color... but I'd say, a black horse would be most fitting."
"Very well... a black horse it may be." Ambassador Meioh nodded and sat back into her chair.
Kasumi coughed. That really went well...
"Well... now let's talk about the cake." Nodoka and her employees were listening intently.
"King Ranma is wishing for a cake that would look nothing like a normal cake... he would look at the cake and for a short time, not even realize that he's looking at a cake."
"Ah, I understand," a young trainee nodded. "You mean, like a hippo or an elephant..."
"No, let's make that a horse," someone else shouted. "It would be more fitting for his name and all..."
"Nah, he already gets a horse... how about a bull?"
"Hey, he's a king, right?" a woman said. "So how about a lion?"
And then, everyone was shouting wildly: "Pig! Cat! Seal! Whale!"
"Now, now... settle down, everyone!" Nodoka needed a few moments to calm the excited people down.
"I thought about it," Ukyo said. "And I think we shouldn't make it look like an animal, but like something even more unpredictable, so he would even more surprised."
"Good idea," Kasumi nodded. "Any ideas?"
"A car?" someone suggested.
"No, a cake shaped like a training dojo," another man said. "He's a martial artist, after all."
And then, it began anew: "Steamboat! Skyscraper! Rocket!"
"Now, people..." Nodoka shouted. "One after another, please!"
"I just got an idea," Kasumi smiled. "How about making the cake look like a big chandelier? We'll hang it to the ceiling of the big ballroom in the castle, and then we darken the room, so that only the candles on the chandelier cake are burning. And then we all sing a nice birthday song, while the chandelier slowly descends..." She beamed.
"Um... an interesting idea," Ukyo nodded. "Nice. I really like it. But... somehow, it's not fitting for someone like Ranchan..."
Just then, Setsuna Meioh raised her hand. "If I may... we might have an idea. My assistant, Miss Ami Mizuno, just whispered something to me..."
A cute girl with blue hair and an nervous expression on her face stood up. Ukyo could see how nervous the girl had to be, everyone in the room was looking at her, and she looked down at the table with a blush. She must be really shy...
For a while, nobody said anything. Then, Ami said in a quiet voice: "I thought we could make a cake that looks like King Ranma himself."
Everyone was stunned after that suggestion. Then, Ukyo grinned.
"That... was the best idea I've heard this evening."
Most of the bakery's staff cheered and clapped their hands. "Splendid," Nodoka gushed. "My Ranma as a delicious cake... he surely will be impressed."
"Yes, and the cake has to be 60 inches tall," someone shouted.
"100 inches," Ukyo shouted.
"No, 120 inches," Kasumi said.
"Yes, 120 inches," Nodoka nodded. Ami blinked in confusion as everyone was trying to talk at the same time, to add his or her own suggestion for the cake. But it was clear that everyone thought it would be a great idea. Was it really that great? It seemed logical to her...
Finally, everything calmed down. Everyone agreed that the birthday cake had to look like Ranma, wearing his old Chinese clothes, and it would measure 120 inches. A delegation from Juuban would bring the black horse, but the cake surely would be the highlight of the festivities.
Everyone agreed that this birthday would be a big success. After everything had been discussed, the meeting was officially over, and one after another, everyone left the room.
But Kasumi still was in deep thoughts. Okay, she could now be sure that the horse and cake were no problem. But would Ranma really forget about the magician wish when everything else was fine? And what if Nabiki couldn't finish the Storm Machine in time?
Kasumi never questioned the technical abilities of her sister, but she might have some problems finishing her work in time. Perhaps someone else could help her?
And Kasumi had already a certain person in mind...
When Setsuna Meioh and her companions left the building, Kasumi managed to catch up with her at the door. "Your Excellency! Please, could you wait for a second? We have a slight problem within the castle, but I thought about it... perhaps Miss Mizuno would be able to help us. She would have to come back with us to the castle, though..."
"We would be happy to help out," the ambassador said with a smile. "Ami... would you be willing to help Miss Tendo some more?"
Ami stepped forward. "I... would be glad to come to the castle. How could I help you?"
"It's about a very special project," Kasumi explained. "And I think if you have some more brilliant ideas like today, everything will work out just fine. It's about an invention that is being built for the king's birthday."
"Well, I'll try to do my best," the blue-haired girl nodded. "Although I would have to look at the blueprints first... You know, I mostly get good ideas when I least suspect it."
And that settled it. Ami, Kasumi and Ukyo wished Nodoka and the ambassador a good night and began their long way back up the mountain trail.
While Ukyo was pushing the bike, Kasumi told Ami everything about the machine Nabiki was working on. After some time, they were back at the castle.
After Soun and Genma let them back into the inner ward, they went over into the backyard to return Nabiki's bike.
They placed it next to the shack, then Kasumi opened the door and found her sister asleep over a pile of paper, snoring softly.
"Poor Nabiki," she said. "She must have worked hardly on her project. She must have overstrained..." She closed the door.
"Well, certainly not by constructing this bike..." Ukyo grumbled and gave the vehicle a slight kick.
Kasumi invited Ami to sleep in the guestroom next to her own chamber. Shortly after, they wished each other a good night and went to bed.
See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Fri, 13 Oct 2006 10:45)
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