T.A series volume 3: The King of Rubies

Chapter 8 - Change in Plans

On a Sunday, just a day before the stakeout is about to take place, while the children of Tantei Association headed home to do their homework and stuff as the school took place on a Sunday for replacement thanks to 'someone setting the school on fire', Ran met up with Junko and Emiko as she returned the wrong-sized blouse that was lent to her while the three of them were walking home from school. Since Emiko was always free, Ran always made it an effort to had her join them, since she is always alone.

"I forgot to return this to you, after I returned home and had it wash nicely," Junko whispered while handing the paper bag containing the blouse, "Thanks for lending me, but it appears that I don't fit the clothes."

"That's not true, Fuyuko. You do look good in it." Ran protested.

"But my muscles I gain made it look manly, that's why Michio dislike it." Junko commented.

"What is there to be ashamed about our muscles we gain through martial arts, Junko? It proves that girls like us can fight. Michio can't see that, that's all." Ran argued.

And Emiko knew Ran meant it. Junko and Ran bonded closely these couple of days since they had a common hatred for that she-demon. Ran might not be a smooth talker, but she is honest to a fault. "But he wasn't completely wrong. The muscles I developed around my arm made it look...like a gorilla wearing a tu tu dress,"Junko shook her head. "It doesn't fit."

"Fuyuko, he didn't say you look like a gorilla." Ran frowned.

"Exactly, like I said when I designed Tantei Association clothes for Ranran and Shinichi. It ain't the clothes, it's the confidence on how they pull it off that count. Or else I wouldn't design this for them." Emiko reminded the secretary.

"He may not, but I known him for many years, Ran, Emiko. I know it in his eyes he still does."

Emiko waited while Junko finally headed home back to the run down apartment. When Ran returned, they are met with her troubled gaze."She is still troubled by his comments from last week?" Emiko asked.

"I mean there must be some truth to her words, or else she wouldn't be feeling this way."Ran snapped. "Why do boys have to be so insensitive!? A gorilla!? Does he think every single athlete girl are born with such hulk like arms to be considered ugly!? Are we nothing but dolls to them!?"

While Ran rambled on and on about boys, Emiko ponder a lot into Michio's comments.

The truth was Emiko knew Michio wasn't being completely insensitive. After overhearing the discussion between Ranran and the boys the other day, she learn about how the influence regarding Majima's mother's background in fashion had played a huge role into the comment he said about Junko.

From the university his mother used to attend as a student, Emiko did a private research online, it appears that their culture there, the lecturers there had a huge dislike for women with muscular arms as a based to design clothes and jewelry.

And the reason behind this was simple: majority of the teachers there are male dominated, and though they have a huge passion for fashion and had no discrimination that male students can't be in this line or work, let alone, mistreated the females there, they made their dislike towards women or girls of such arms known to everyone, including their students, by giving them poor marks if anyone add such feature in their assignments. In their minds, women with slender and gentle-like arms are anesthetically beautiful, since their bulging muscles made them look manly, resulting like what Michio could've said if he were given the chance: A gorilla in a dress to be exact.

Much to Emiko's surprise, it seems to be a 'norm' even in the fashion modelling industry worldwide for women as she dug further into it, where female models are encouraged to lose muscle mass to have everyone's attention on the clothes and pieces they wear, which is in Emiko's opinion: Unrealistic standards towards girls.