A Grown-Up's Toy Part 1

Hello, President Rumi. Good afternoon.

Oh, Kokona. Welcome.

Don't just call me Kokona. Call me Instructor Kokona!

I'm also a full-fledged instructor just like you, okay? Seriously... Please don't treat me like a child!

Haha, sorry. I'm still not used to calling you that.

So, what brings "Instructor Kokona" to the office today?

Are you hungry? Would you like me to cook you some fried rice?

No, I'm not here to eat. I'm here to pick up some ingredients.

Ingredients?

Yes. Shun asked me to get ingredients for the Plum Blossom children's meals.

Did you not receive the notice?

Ah, how could I forget? I must have been so busy with work.

Wait here just a moment. I'll be right back.

Let's see. I brought cabbage, bamboo shoots, carrots, onions...as well as some dried Chinese noodles and soy milk.

Oh, and take some of the flat peaches near the entrance. They're sweet, so they should make for a healthy dessert.

Th-This is a lot, though. Are you sure it's okay?

I thought I was only picking up some leftover ingredients...

It's more than fine. Those children are the future of Shanhaijing after all. They need to eat healthy and grow up strong!

Oh, but maybe it is a little too heavy for you to carry on your own.

N-No, I can handle it. This is nothing for an instructor like me.

Splendid, then.

Oh, I almost forgot. Take this as well.

What's in the bag? More food?

No, it's a special item that Instructor Shun specifically requested from the Black Tortoise Promenade.

It's...

...a secret.

Huh? Seriously?!

That's right. In fact, Shun swore me to secrecy over it.

Even if you are Shun's younger sister, maintaining the confidentiality of our customers is a matter of trust with Promenade. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you.

Ugh. Now I'm even more curious.

It's something hard, and it makes a rattling sound when you shake it. Is it a toy?

Well, you're not entirely wrong. I guess if we want to get technical, it could be called a grown-up's toy.

A grown-up's...toy?

Yep. Inside is something that is absolutely not for children, not even ones your age.

So you'd better not think of secretly checking what's inside on your way back.

Oh, come on! You and Shun aren't that much older!

I'm also a full-fledged instructor, so for me to be the only one who doesn't know is totally unfair!

Some things are better left unknown, Kokona.

For example, the officers of Genryumon, Shanhaijing's Student Council, will deal with all the witnesses when a secret is revealed for the sake of maintaining the school's confidentiality. Isn't that right?

That's why Shanhaijing students run away if someone tries to reveal to them a secret about Genryumon, so that they don't hear something they shouldn't.

Genryumon?! Is what's inside related to them?!

Hmm. I can neither confirm nor deny...but let's just assume that it is.

So, Kokona, having said that, I think it would be best if you simply delivered the item. Don't you?

U-Understood!

I promise I won't look at what's inside and deliver it straight to Shun!

Very good, then. I'll leave it in your capable hands.

H-Haha. That was a little mean, but it looks like she bought it.

The more I think about it, the more curious I am. It's supposed to be a grown-up's toy, right?

But President Rumi said I could get in serious trouble if I look. I should just put it out of my mind and deliver it to Shun.

Oh, Sensei. Hello.

This is a bunch of foodstuff from the Black Tortoise Promenade and...

This is a bunch of foodstuff from the Black Tortoise Promenade and...

...a, uh, grown-up toy for Shun.

Oh, no! President Rumi said I'm not supposed to tell anyone about that!

This is bad. Those terrifying people from Genryumon could appear and take us away at any moment...

Wait. You're an adult, Sensei, so maybe it's all right for you to know about things like grown-up toys.

I'm not sure either. All I know is that it's supposedly something Shun ordered from the Black Tortoise Promenade.

Judging by the outside of the bag, it's some kind of long, hard device...

President Rumi said that something seriously bad could happen if I were to peek at it, so I have to keep it a secret.

What do you think it could be?

Hmm. I guess it could be.

I guess a gun that's too powerful and complex would need to be kept out of the hands of children.

Maybe it's a terrifying new weapon developed with forbidden technology...

No way. If it were something that normal, there wouldn't be any need to hide it, right?

Besides, everyone knows Shun's hair is naturally perfectly straight.

It's gotta be some kind of new terrifying weapon that's too dangerous for children, or maybe it's some kind of bomb...

Hold on. What time is it? I can't believe how late it already is.

I'm going to miss afternoon snacks if I keep dawdling like this. I should hurry.

Sensei, you have to keep Shun's grown-up toy a secret! Promise me!

Hey, I'm back!

Goodness, that's a lot of ingredients. Thank you for picking them up.

Yeah, President Rumi gave me a lot more than I was expecting.

Cabbages, bamboo shoots, carrots... She even let us have flat peaches for dessert.

She also asked me to deliver that thing you ordered separately.

H-Huh?!

Oh, Rumi. I told her that I would go pick it up later!

Ahem... You didn't see what was inside, did you, Kokona?

No. President Rumi said not to look at it and that it's not meant for children.

That's good to hear.

Great job, Kokona. I'll bring out the snacks soon, so please gather the students.

Kokona, Kokona. What did you get from the Black Tortoise Promenade?

Don't just call me Kokona. Call me Instructor Kokona!

I was just picking up food for everyone. Your snacks will be ready soon, so just be patient, okay?

What about that bag you gave to Shun? I heard something rattling inside. Is it also food?

No, that's not for eating. It's a toy for grown-ups.

A grown-up toy? I wanna see too! What kind of toy is it?!

No! I told you that it's for grown-ups and grown-ups ONLY. Something really bad will happen if kids see it.

Why? Is it a scary toy?

Y-Yeah... It's super scary! It's all spiky and bumpy! It's really ugly-looking too, so kids cry the second they see it.

(Scary...)

Oh, and this is a secret, okay? You can never tell anyone you know about it.

Yeah, okay.

Good. Aren't you a good listener?

I'm going to go help Shun with the snacks, so sit tight just a little longer.

Did you see those bags Kokona and Shun had a little while ago? What was inside?

Yeah, Kokona brought food, and Shun's bag had a grown-up toy inside.

A grown-up toy? What's that?

It's something that Shun secretly bought from the Black Tortoise Promenade. It's an ugly toy with spiky thorns...

Scary...

What's going on? Are you telling a scary story?

Yeah. This is a secret, but Shun...