.
”May, just in case you had not prepared a birthday gift for your friend; I took the liberty, of handling this for you!” Pinkie, or Diane points out.
”Thank you, Pinkie!” I respond.
”You are quite welcome, May..” Diane responds; ”and I believe, she is in your locker!” she concludes.
”I will make sure to check..” I respond; ”and I am sure she will be delighted!” I conclude.
”Trust Pinkie Pie, to lighten the day; preparing for parties and gifts!” I ponder.
While I guess, I had forgotten it; but trust Pinkie Pie to know when your friend’s birthday is. I usually call her Neko, partially due to her being into Anime; but also because she is always wearing these cute cat ears and even have whiskers for some odd and untold reason.
I had unloaded my books, just before lunch; so I don’t need to carry all these heavy books, to the mess hall. Now I am walking back to my locker.
”Clip, clop; clip, clop..” is heard, as I continue to walk from the mess hall and over to the locker.
As I reach my locker, I stop; before I am opening the door, in order to see what is inside.
Aside from my books, there is the one item she had promised me; lying on top and before everything else.
I scan my schedule for the day, picking up the books I need; before I am stacking these in my backpack.
”Clip, clop; clip, clop..” is heard, as a girl is walking in my direction.
”Hello, May!” she exclaims.
”Hello, Neko!” I respond; I recognize her face, as she is approaching me.
I reach in, into my locker; extracting the gift, Pinkie had prepared.
”Congratulations, on your birthday!” I exclaim; extending my right hand towards her, as I am offering her the gift.
”Thank you, May!” she responds, in surprise, as she is accepting the gift.
”Poni!” she giggles, as she is noticing the pink ponies covering the paper wrapping the gift box.
After a moment, she is opening the package, extracting the highly decorated box contained within; ”Hitomi!” she reads.
”Hope you like her!” I offer.
”I did not know, you could even get one of these..” she now puts forth, taken aback by the contents.
”Neither did I..” I ponder, mumbling.
”And I had never seen one, quite this detailed or with this much accessories!” she now exclaims, as she is opening the box to examine the gift closer.
”However, this one is much heavier than I had been expecting; even if she is a full foot tall, and have this much accessories!” she then mumbles, as she is realizing what she is holding in her hands.
”Aisatsu, soshite kon'nichiwa shin'ainaru Neko-san!” Hitomi exclaims; ”Greetings, and hello dear Miss Neko”
”Kon'nichiwa, Hitomi!” Neko responds.
”Wait, what?” Neko mumbles; ”She even speaks perfect, formal Japanese!” she realizes.
”Do I even dare accepting this as a gift?” Neko ponders, trying to make sense out of the situation and the gift she had just been given; thinking better of it, accepting it in the hopes of not insulting.
Neko picks up a kimono, slipping it onto Hitomi; ”There, much better!” she offers.
”Yes; thank you, Neko!” Hitomi responds, now switching to standard English.
”You are quite welcome, Hitomi!” Neko responds, without picking up on how the Doll had switched to English.
Just as she had failed to notice, how Hitomi’s lips move perfectly synced to her speech.
Hitomi snickers, in traditional Ponish. Just smiling. Though her smile is widening a bit, enjoying the attention after she had been released from the prison-like state in the package. Even if she had known and understood why. It had been temporary, but it is not fun to be cooped up and stored away in a gift box.
”Is this, is this; supposed to be the lip-stick, as an accessory or set of accessories?” Neko ponders; picking up the red one, inserting it into Hitomi’s mouth between her lips.
”Thank you, Neko!” Hitomi responds, grinning back at Neko.
”You are quite welcome, Hitomi!” Neko offers generously.
”Uhm, how do I say this?” I ponder; ”Your lips turned a metallic bloody red, just after you inserted Hitomi’s lip-stick accessory!” I then observe, matter-of-factly.
”Wait, what?” Neko inquires, somewhat incredulously.
”I guess you just have to see for yourself?” I offer; ”the Girls’ room is not all that far off!” I then point out.
”I probably do, yes!” she responds; as she is walking over towards the Girls’ room, where a mirror is available.
”Wait, this does feel a bit odd!” she ponder, as the effect of the make-up is setting in over the course of Pi minutes.
While she had slipped the package of the gift into her back-pack; she is still holding Hitomi, almost as if she had been holding a baby. But alas, trust Pinkie to give you these strange situations?
I had followed her, to the Girls’ room; following her in, into the room.
”Thank you, May!” she exclaims, as I am closing the door behind myself as she is in the room.
”You are quite welcome, Neko!” I point out.
It isn’t; as if I could have abandoned her here, now? Even if I am not responsible for the reaction she is experiencing; even if I had been forwarding the gift, Pinkie had prepared. What kind of a friend would I be, if I had just left her now?
”My lips, are red; the same as the lips of Hitomi!” she now acknowledges, as she is looking at her own reflection in the mirror.
She is lifting her right hand up to her face, extending her index finger; placing the tip of her finger squarely, in the middle of her lower lip.
”Smooth and elastic, almost like rubber?” she now exclaims, in stark realization.
”That would explain the glossy surface?” I inquire.
If only the red had been a membrane-thick layer, like traditional lip-stick; but this effect is true and through, all the way. This is responsible; both for the red hue and the elastic quality, aside from mirroring Hitomi’s delighted and delightful smile in the process.
With the effect of this accessory; it is not just the lips affected, but the eye-lashes and the eye-lids as well. The oriental flair is quite becoming, on her; for all I could say.
Naturally the skin of Neko’s face is the same smooth as Hitomi’s. It is not the effect of a face mask, but looks as if it had been her own make-up. Just a more natural and artistic look and feel to it, even if she could by no means wash it off of her face now.
”If you want to change your make-up, just swap my make-up accessory or remove it entirely!” Hitomi explains, generously with a wide grin on her face, as she snickers.
”Oh, thank you, Hitomi!” Neko responds, giggling.
”You are quite welcome, Neko!” Hitomi responds.
”However, I think it is time you pick up your books, for class!” Hitomi points out, matter-of-fact.
”Oh, but of course; thank you, Hitomi!” Neko responds.
”You are quite welcome, Neko!” Hitomi responds.
With that, Neko opens the door and we walk back to the lockers; before Neko can pick up her books, for class.
”I am afraid, I can not take you with me to class!” Neko is apologizing to Hitomi.
”Think nothing of it!” Hitomi points out.
With that; Neko is slipping both the box and Hitomi back into her locker, before she is following me towards the next class.
”Clip, clop; clip, clop; clip, clop..” our combined twin steps are heard, as we walk from the lockers towards the class.
”So cute!” Neko ponders; recalling the expression on her face, as she was confirming what the accessory’s effect upon her is.
”Had I known, what you are looking like now; I should have been fixing you this doll, ages ago..” I mumble.
”Thank you, May!” Neko whispers, in my ear; ”You know, this is growing on me!” she then giggles, almost like an afterthought.
”I did not know, we had a transfer student from Japan!” we overhear a girl whispering to a friend, as we continue to our upcoming class.
”Neither did I!” Neko whispers in my ear, as reaction of what we had just overheard.
”If I did not know better; I would have thought she is referring to you, Neko..” I mumble; ”Even if I know you have never been to Japan before!” I conclude, in an amused tone.
”If we can trust Hitomi’s speech, I guess she could be my teacher?” Neko teases, giggling.
”Probably your best Japanese teacher, this side of the Japanese border..” I observe, hoping not to reveal how I managed to get this doll into my possession.
”You think?” Neko inquires; ”She sounds so reserved; not at all, like the girls in most Anime I have seen!” she continues.
We take the stairs up to the next floor, without even missing a beat; not as if taking the stairs, had been a challenge in the first place. Just putting one foot, before the other; listening to the Clip, Clop; on the way up.
”Clip, clop; clip, clop..”is heard, from all sides; as the other students walk, towards their respective classes.
The door to the classroom is open. I step right in, with Neko in tow. Just that I am aware, of how other girls and boys are following with their eyes; staring at Neko, as if she had been someone else.
The English teacher steps into the room, closing the door behind herself; before she is walking up to her desk, scanning the room. At first, she easily recognize everyone. A moment later, she stops; making a double-take, as her eyes lands on Neko.
”You should probably just run with it, Neko!” I whisper in her ear, with a hint of a giggle.
”Yes..” she responds, giggling at the idea.
”Greetings, Class!” the teacher is pronouncing, opening the class; just as the bell is tolling, marking the time to open class.
”Aisatsu, misutīchā!” Neko exclaims; ”Greetings, Miss Teacher”
There is an eerie silence, followed by what Neko just had said.
A moment later, there is a giggle spreading out in the room of the class.
<--- --- --->