Narrator
For the last two chapters of Accepting Diversity Precure, Reiko was invited to perform at an external event, only to end up getting scouted at the end of it. Reiko was in a dilemma, wondering whether to make the switch to performing arts as an idol or staying true to her earnest desire to the visual arts. After watching her Precure friends fight, she decided to turn down the performing opportunity to stay close to her Precure friends. Well done, Reiko!
Story
"Can-do, how did Rei unlock her True Clarity form and got herself into some fancy dress?" Masaru asked during recess.
"That's because of the reality of the True Clarity form," Can-do explained. "True Clarity forms is in a way, coming of age. Only those that are willing to work on their weaknesses are permitted to hold onto this form! And you are dressed up based on the event triggered by your desire to change! For example, Reiko's performance triggered her desire to stay true to herself, so she was dressed as an idol then. Not to worry, all of you will have an event that will invoke your desire to change soon."
"Everyone?!" The rest of the cures chorused. All of a sudden, Masaru's surname* was screamed through the school courtyard.
"Hase," a random student council member screamed. "Izanagi-sensei would like to see you."
"Coming!" Masaru screamed as he left for the teacher's office.
(Cut to the teacher's room)
"Community service at the orphanage?!" Masaru screamed. "And I'm the only one going?"
"I mean, all first years that applied to Tayoseishi Private via the flagship diversity outreach programme have to do something like this," Izanagi-sensei replied. "Why? You thought you wouldn't get a few exposure sessions before we officially induct you into the student council next month?"
"I wanted something more conventional for community service. You know, hanging out with the elderly or cleaning up the beach."
"We randomised all the five places for all five of you. And so happens that you got orphanage." Izanagi-sensei's face lit up. "But isn't it nice? Getting to help the little kids who don't have parents to call their own? Act like a big sibling I doubt they had?"
"Well I guess it is..." Izanagi-sensei then shared with him all the details about the buddy he was attached to.
Lunch break
"Orphanage as your first Student Council Headstart Programme?" Reiko and Yuu chorused.
"Yes," Masaru explained. "There are two parts of the programme: Community Service and Student Council Exposure. Student Council Exposure is one week just before leadership week to get a head start experience of what life in the student council is like. Then community service is three weeks before that. We get randomly attached to a random place for community service. I somehow ended up in the orphanage. Great..."
"Are you saying that because you aren't sensitive by nature?" Reiko asked out of the blue with concern.
"Yea. I'm scared of what happened the last time with Rina to happen at the orphanage which could kick myself out of the student council."
Reiko's and Masaru's eyes zoomed back to the past.
Flashback
"Onii-chan, can you play with me? Please?" Rina asked innocently.
"Why should I?" Masaru replied in impatience. "I have lots of homework due tomorrow!"
"But a few minutes wouldn't hurt, right? You can do your homework at school..." Triggered by her innocence, Masaru mercilessly took his Japanese exercise book and flung it on Rina's head.
Rina burst into tears, leaving Masaru paralysed to the ground and unable to register the full impact of what he did in what he merely thought was "a fit of anger."
Present day
"So you think you'll hurt someone again?"
"Yea. My sister is perfectly normal; but I'm under a boy with abnormal familial circumstances. I'm afraid I'll say something wrong!"
"Then you should try to connect with him. I realise when you make friends, you just want to make friends to keep your popularity up, not for the connection."
Masaru thought for a moment. What was human connection? He could ask Reiko who is the caretaker of two disabled siblings, but he knew he couldn't. He was going through community service alone; hence he had to find the answer himself.
That weekend
Sunshine Orphanage
"Welcome to Sunshine Orphanage," the head of the orphanage greeted. "You must be Hase Masaru."
"Yes, that is correct," Masaru greeted as he bowed down. "I look forward to working with Tom for the next few weeks."
"Tom? You were attached for the Tayoseishi Student Council Headstart Programme?"
"Yes. Under Tayoseishi Private Academy."
"How sweet. I'll go in to get Tom." The orphanage head went in to get his buddy and they had a self introduction. However, Tom was as introverted as ever, not wanting to open up to his assigned buddy. Masaru remembered trying to engage him in different ways, like encouraging him to connect with other children in the orphanage.
When that failed, Masaru decided to take him to the playroom, hoping there was something in there he was interested in. Masaru played some children's music in the room, wanting to see if Tom like music but he ended up grabbing Masaru's blazer and almost his head on the slide. All Masaru remembered after that was that engaging Tom was a huge challenge, and he wondered what he was doing wrong.
At long last, Masaru decided to get some help. He then called Reiko to see if she could let him stay for a few hours and help with babysitting.
Hanadera residence
"Come to my place to see me babysit?" Reiko asked in shock. "Are you crazy, Masa-kun?"
"Hold up," Masaru warned over the phone. "I'm not a scammer. I am actually Masaru. I have a red InfiniMo. More convinced?"
"Get to the point. My siblings are in the room and so is my mum. They'll know what we are in no time."
"Oh right. I want to see you babysit because my buddy just can't seem to open up to me. I want to see you babysit because I want to see how your siblings open up to you."
"If that's what you want, sure. See you."
"See you." From there, Reiko hung up and announced to her family about Masaru's visit.
That night
"So what is she doing?" Reiko asked while her older brother was watching Hi-5 on his tablet.
"P-P..." Her brother replied.
"She's playing, right? That must be the bird game!"
"Bird game?" Masaru asked.
"Oh, that's just his autism. He's preverbal and has lost his language skills a few years back if you remember. We have to speak to him clearly, slowly and simply," Reiko explained.
Masaru nodded as he could finally understand what Reiko was doing. He then walked outside to see Shizuku struggling with the recorder. Her hands were visibly shaking and she was struggling to make coherent sounds.
He sat next to her and asked, "Are you hands ok?"
"They're fine, Masaru!" Shizuku replied. "It's just cerebral palsy..."
"Let's take a breather then. Follow me." Masaru then demonstrated to her some finger exercises, and Shizuku caught it. Once complete, Shizuku showed Masaru her recorder playing, and Masaru did everything he could to help her. The mentoring helped Shizuku played to finish the song smoothly.
Reiko then came out of her brother's room. "Did I just hear her finally do the whole song?" Reiko asked in excitement.
"She did!" Masaru replied, to which Reiko hugged her sister. "Why?"
"Shizuku has never been able to finish the recorder to the end due to her finger weakness." All of a sudden, something snapped inside Masaru. He had been so privileged he ended up insensitive, but came to realise connecting with others was all about putting himself in others shoes. He decided to think of ways to connect with Tom that night.
Narrator
I swear this is better than before! Masaru's finally learning to put himself in others' shoes and understand how the less privileged see the world.
But someone's not pleased to see this. I think we all know who.
Story
Hitoshu-oni watched the footage before her very own eyes. She sighed and mumbled under her breath, "Why change for the better when you can regress for the worst! Hahaha! Masa-kun, I want to see you undergo that change!"
(Cut to neighbourhood of Sunshine Orphanage)
Masaru stared at the sole strawberry sweet in his hand. His only one. He overheard Tom liked strawberry sweets, so he stole one from the fridge, hoping this could lure him into opening up. All of a sudden, the sweet was snatched by a certain someone.
"Why progress when you can regress?" Hitoshu-oni mocked in Masaru's face. "I think your differences suck! Go, Sabetsuta!"
"Sabetsuta!" The Strawberry Sweet Sabetsuta echoed.
At that moment, Masaru felt cornered as ever. His powers only let him transform with Reiko. However, since Reiko wasn't available with him, he couldn't transform.
In despair, he took the InfiniJewel he needed to transform and tried to break it up when all her friends rushed to his side. "You all, what are you doing here?" He asked in confusion.
"We were going to different stores to run various errands," Madoka explained. "And when we saw a big sweet, we couldn't help but to rush to it."
"After all, we only transform as a team, right?" Yuu added.
Transformation
Locking the InfiniJewels into the InfiniMo, Masaru removed his glasses while Reiko took off her headband. Yuu sprung out from her wheelchair and slowly saw herself stand in the presence of gravity in the first time. She then looked up to the sky and the InfiniMo and InfiniJewel came to her hands. Tapping their shoulders next to one another, they chorused, "Precure, accept my difference!"
Waving her phone in the air, Yuu released it before curling up into a ball, gaining her green dress. She admired her feet as if taking in the fact she can walk again, before clasping her hands and closing her eyes. Masaru and Reiko then went back to each other and bumped each other's heads for their new hairstyle. The trio's InfiniMos went to the side of their outfit, their weapons were summoned and landed on their hands and the trio jumped down to pose.
Madoka swiped the brush across the makeup pad. She did her eyeshadow before opening her eyes and screamed, "Precure, make my difference!"
Throwing the makeup brush into the air, Madoka then threw her glasses away. In the process, she picked up some eyeshadow and placed it on her lips, before swiping the lipstick away. This formed her gloves.
Looking up, Madoka swiped her fingers across her shoulders, forming her crop top. She sent the magical power to her legs, forming her new skirt and heels. To top it off, Madoka curled herself into a ball and gained pigtails. Her makeup mirror was kept at the side before she joined her juniors in a pose.
"Embracing everyone for their true selves, I'm Cure Embrace!"
"Respecting others for their strengths, I'm Cure Respect!"
"Uniting love and peace once more, I'm Cure Harmony!"
"I'll accept you no matter what! I'm Cure Accepting!"
"Three plus one is more than four! That's what differences do! Go, Accepting Diversity Precure!"
Story
"Go, Sabetsuta!" Hitoshu-oni ordered.
"Sabetsuta!" The Sabetsuta as it stomped to the cures.
Attack
Placing her InfiniJewel into her InfiniMo, Reiko released it and put her hands on her chest. She said, "Precure, accept my difference!" and that was all it took to get her next upgrade.
"Embrace Tambourine!" She screamed and the Embrace Tambourine came to her. She hit her tambourine twice, once on each side before making a pirouette. She then jumped up and glided to the villains with her tambourine. "I'm going to embrace you and me together! Precure, Embrace Tambourine Attack!" She then hugged the Sabetsuta, but the Sabetsuta broke from its grip.
Story
"It failed?" Madoka asked in shock as Reiko changed back into her usual outfit.
She then gritted her teeth and sprung forward, doing a series of handgrips and kicked the Sabetsuta. However, she failed and she was blown away with brute force.
"If Mado-Chan and Rei's attacks won't work, I have to do my part!" Yuu screamed. She also ran to the Sabetsuta whilst summoning her magical rod. Jumping up, she then whacked the Sabetsuta multiple times but Sabetsuta just grabbed her with its hands and fling her away.
At that moment, he came to realise all of his teammates had their own disabilities and yet still did their best to connect with others. Him? He was perfectly fine, albeit being the only male of his team. Yet, he chose to focus on the advantages of being normal, rather than making an attempt to reach out to the disadvantaged.
"Haha, what are you standing there for?" Hitoshu-oni asked in contempt. "To be whacked also?"
"I'm not asking to be whacked," Masaru admitted solemnly, placing a hand on his chest. "I'm just absorbing my friends' efforts. Despite all their difficulties, they still try to connect with others, and look at me. I'm going to cut ties with the current me!" His body emitted an instant glow and blinded the city.
Can-do suddenly appeared in front of Masaru and issued him his True Clarity Jewel. Placing it in his hand, he was told to do it like he always did. Masaru agreed.
Attack
Placing his InfiniJewel into her InfiniMo, Masaru released it and put his hands on his chest. He said, "Precure, accept my difference!" and that was all it took to get his next upgrade.
"Respect Sword!" He screamed as he summoned his sword from behind. He then pointed the sword at the villains, screaming, "To you whom has no respect shall I banish! Precure, Respect Sword Attack!" He then jumped up and slashed the Sabetsuta.
Story
The Marker Jewel fell from the sky. Masaru kept it in his honour, promising himself to pass it to Reiko once his job was done. He then left for the orphanage, ready to face his new life.
-
After passing the strawberry sweet to Tom, Masaru decided to play some soft classical music in the background. He took Tom to the playroom, and finally, Tom was warming up to him, rushing to the slide immediately. He attempted a puzzle with Masaru's assistance and shared more about his past and desire for new parents. Masaru and Tom had a fruitful day together, and Masaru secured his desire to become more sensitive even more tightly.
(2444 words)
*- it is a Japanese practice to address one by surname unless you are friends with that person