<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Stupid rumours!â€ Kazumi exclaimed, as she fiddled with the belt. Noriko shook her head and started adjusting it for her.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“What?â€ Akiko didn’t follow.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Well, people say women don’t wear underwear under a kimono. I’m wearing more underwear than I normally wear overwear.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Kazumi, that doesn’t make sense.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“I’m already up to four layers!â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Oh, I see.â€ Akiko couldn’t help smiling.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“I did say I wasn’t naturally cylindrical,â€ Noriko reminded her. “There, that’s right now. Were you paying attention?â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Yes, thank you.â€ Kazumi was looking down at her belt as she said it, but her hands were fumbling round the back for the strip of cloth attached to the collar. “And we pull this down to make the opening, right?â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Yes. Not <em>that</em> hard!â€ Noriko quickly grabbed Kazumi’s collar. “Look.â€ She turned around, showing them the way her collar stood away from her neck. “You want to do it about this much. You’ll probably have to fix it again after you put the kimono on, but get it right to start with.â€ Akiko tugged at her own strip, peering over her shoulder at the mirror. Noriko came over to check her, and Kazumi started trying to walk.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“It’s tight!â€ she exclaimed. “How am I supposed to walk in this?â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Small steps. It’s ladylike,â€ Noriko replied, somewhat absently, as she tugged on bits of Akiko’s underwear. The top layer of the underwear, the nagajuban, was almost a kimono in itself. Actually, Akiko couldn’t see a big difference between it and the hakui that was part of the miko vestments, except that the material was a bit lighter, and it was wrapped rather tighter.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Hmph.â€ Kazumi wasn’t impressed. She twisted to inspect herself in the mirror. “How, exactly, do I go to the toilet in this?â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Basically the same way as in a dress,â€ Noriko said.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“And I can see my panty line.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Kazumi,â€ Akiko said, “stop moaning.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Well I can,â€ Kazumi repeated. “I’m sure it shouldn’t look like that.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“You’re wearing the wrong sort of knickers,â€ Noriko said. “T-backs, shorts type.â€ She paused, and sighed. “Or none. But I think you knew that.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Aha!â€ Kazumi was grinning. “Well, let’s see how it looks.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“No,â€ Noriko said. “You’ll get it all messed up, and we’ve only just got it right.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“So how am I supposed to go to the toilet?â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“You learn how to fix it. Or don’t wear knickers in the first place. OK, Akiko, you’re right now. Have a look.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">Kazumi was posing for the mirror now, trying out her geisha look.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Are we actually going to put kimono on today?â€ she asked.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">Akiko was trying to walk in the nagajuban, and it was a bit harder than she’d expected. The material was tight all the way down to her ankles, and she could only take very small steps.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“I don’t think we have time,â€ Noriko said. “Next time, when you are a bit more familiar with the underwear.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“OK. Well, I’m going to go and try walking,â€ Kazumi said.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Oh no you don’t!â€ Noriko replied, catching her arm. “You’re in your underwear. Do you normally walk around in your underwear? Don’t answer that. You aren’t walking around in this underwear.â€ Kazumi was pouting, but Akiko was grinning as she looked at herself in the mirror.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">It looked right, somehow.</p>