Miki was on her knees working hard on wrapping wire around the base of a Banzi tree that sat among the others in her horticulture art project. She loved working in the green houses at the school because they reminded her of the ones on her family's estate on Kyushu and her friend Mr. Nakamura. 

Miki loved Mr, Nakamura her family gardener because of all the wonder stories the old man would tell her about his and her family. The old man was also a wealth of folk tales, myth and legends which Miki had been transcribing into journals because she used them to create Manga which she sold the printing rights to a small magazine company owned by one of her cousins.

It wasn't for the money that she drew and wrote her manga, no she did it for it's own sake. If Miki cared about money it was that her parent's disregard of the cost of things and how she might be infected by it.

Her birthday had been a prime example because they'd each gone so far overboard. Her father had asked her what she'd like as a birthday present an Miki had said a small sailboat and he'd bought her a 12 meter trimaran that was so easy to sail that it took the fun out of sailing. Her mom not to be outdone by her father had upped the ante buying her a Mercedes AMG, Miki would have been happier if they'd have bought her a little day sailor and a sewing machine.

Giggling she stands an hums an anime tune by Yoko Kano to herself as she goes to the equipment shed and puts away her tools and supplies. Then into her serene world crashes that dammed bell causing her to drop her keys. "Gods!" She hated school bells for their often rude intrusion on her world and also how they reminded her of the bells used to train animals into submissive roles. 

Well she was no one's trained rat, no if she were going to be any type of rat she'd be a stainless steel rat she thought with a smile remembering a used book she'd bought in a little shop on Okinowa. The book was english and she'd bought it to learn to read english then fell in love with it's humor and concept. 

With that happy thought Miki decided she would have lunch as she removed her long hair from it's protective silk bag and scarf.. Then tucking the silk into her purse Miki skipped playfully out the door moving towards her locker to pick up her Bento.