Golden Times/Full summary

Alice and Shino discuss how excited they are for the brand new school year as they meet with the others. While everything is the same, things just feel so much nicer today because of it. However, when they meet with Aya and Yoko they see Aya isn't in that great of a mood. She is concerned because there's a chance they will be split up. Alice claims that nothing could split them up, until to learn that she and Yoko are in class C, while Shino, Karen, and Aya are in class A.

In class A, Shino and Karen are happy to be in class together but since Aya has been seperated from Yoko, she's gone into shock. In the other class, Alice is the same way being away from Shino. Yoko claims it can't be helped and upon seeing Alice she asks her if she would like to go and rest in the nurses office, but she lays on a desk instead.

The others join them to find Alice slumped onto the desk, and as soon as she sees Shino she clings onto her. Aya struggles upon seeing Yoko though, because she wishes to approach her also, but she refuses to do it. Shino attempts to lighten the situation for Alice and Aya by saying they are only seperated by classrooms, but this doesn't cheer them up. Yoko also claims it isn't a big deal before asking Aya why she's even upset anyway since she has Shino and Karen with her. Aya instead asks Yoko if she's sad being without her, but when Yoko claims she has Alice with her and she's fine, Aya runs off and Yoko assumes that Aya is upset because she isn't in class with Alice.

The girls all go into a meeting room, where the teachers and principal speak to the students. Alice is very depressed since she can't stand with Shino, and after the meeting she is joined by Sakura, who mentions that she will be her homeroom teacher again. Somehow this doesn't make Alice feel any better.

In Classroom A, the girls begin to discuss hair after Shino attempts to touch Karen's and Aya stops her. After it's noted that all three of them have straight hair, Aya then can't help but wonder if that has anything to do with why they're in the same class before sending a rude text to Yoko. 

Yoko asks Alice if she wishes to go and hang out with the others but Alice insists that she is fine there. They are happy to be together, and while Yoko assumes that Alice is doing fine now, she spots the little doll that Alice previously used to compare to Shino, causing her to worry again.

As the school day ends the girls discuss how long the day felt, along with how different everything feels since it was only Karen who was in a seperate class. They wait for Shino to finish writing in the class journal, and when she's ready to take it to the faculty room, Alice volunteers to go with her.

While walking down the hallway, Shino mentions being jealous that Alice gets to be with Sakura. Alice finds herself feeling gloomy and notes that Shino isn't even sad or lonely in comparison to herself, though Shino claims this is only because they are seperated by a class. Compared to how it used to be, this is practically nothing and she has no worries. This seems to cheer Alice right up.

The following day, Alice thinks about how things are now and realizes that all she has to do is learn to go with the flow in this new classroom. Compared to the other day, this doesn't feel hard anymore.

Later on, Karen is at home when her parents tell her she's going to be late. She's busy reading a manga, but it inspires her and she leaves home wearing an eyepatch and carrying a backscratcher. At first the girls thing how she's behaving to be cool, but Aya scolds her for it after a passing girl begins laughing.

They head to school, where Aya calls the situation a middle school fantasy and they comment on how far Karen is taking this new idea after seeing her leg bandaged. To her annoyance, she reveals that her leg is bandaged because she tripped the other day.

In class, Karen explains what inspired her to dress up the way she did. When asked why she's wearing an eyepatch though she claims she didn't get to that part yet, she's just really into it and is only half-through the first volume. Alice continues the subject though by mentioning that she understands how it feels to become inspired by a story. Lately she's been reading some difficult classics in hopes of learning new things while doing so, by looking them up. Shino also rubs her shoulders from time to time, due to how stiff she would get. It's then Shino decides she can help Alice by reading out loud. But when she tries, it's too difficult for her to understand and she wonders if it's a cursed book, along with Karen.

To help them feel better, Aya suggests that Alice and Shino make up a story that the two of them can read together. Shino likes the idea but she has no idea how to even write or start to make up a story. Yoko claims that it is easy and with some imagination she tells them the story about an old woman who went to wash her clothing at a river. But the other girls recognize the story as Momotaro and tell her to try harder.

Karen suggests that she tries to fantasize about the people she knows, but this only ends with Aya starting to picture Yoko as a prince and then going on to call Yoko names after she comments on it. Shino makes an attempt and uses Alice as a robot she has made. She claims there is a switch on her back, and due to how serious she looked the other girls couldn't help but try to take a peak. This upsets Alice and they try again, causing Shino to think up an idea about two blonde haired Princesses, one being Alice and other is herself.

The two girls were good friends since childhood and one day, the blue dressed princess was brushing the others hair. The other suggests they go out for a walk and they dance and sing about the things they treasure. But before they can get very far they are interupted by pirate Karen, who demands they hand over their treasure. When the girls refuse, Karen has her crewmates take Shino away. Alice is very upset and she stops the story to embrace Shino, but Yoko scolds her for stopping so rudely. Karen wishes to know what happened and Aya critisizes the story for having a bad ending so far.

The story continues with Shino on sea with Karen. She asks her why she captured her, and Karen sings about how much she usually collects treature and traveling, but lately she doesn't find it very fun. Shino suggests that she keeps traveling and Karen decides she will as long as Shino stays with her. Shino agrees but asks to write a letter to a dear friend first.

Once again the story is interupted, with a sad Alice and the other girls feeling excited. Shino asks Yoko and Aya what they want to be in the story and Yoko is quick to call Aya a mermaid, and they all think Yoko should be the prince.

Shino continues her story then, saying that the ship fell over during a horrible storm. She was saved by a beautiful mermaid, who happens to spot a ship nearby and recognizes the handsome figure aboard it. As Shino mentions that she likes this girl a lot, Aya claims otherwise. It's then Yoko approaches to speak to Aya. She claims that she, like Aya, hasn't been able to stop thinking about her since the day she saved her. But before they can get further, Karen shows up again and demands Shino back. Yoko then tells Sakura to get the cannons ready for battle and the two girls begin to fight.

After a long, tough battle, Shino attempts to make Karen stop but Aya tells her they can't. It's then a huge figure appears out of the sea, it's Isami, who is th witch of the dephs in the water. She promises to grant their wish but only if they will give her something she treasures. It's then Shino realizes what she must do and she asks to borrow something sharp from Aya. Then, she cuts off some of her hair while asking the witch to quit their fight. The princess lost her beautiful golden hair, and the world has lived in peach since then.

After Shino finishes the story, the girls are shocked to learn that the rest of the students, in class and in the hallway are all quite choked up by the story they made. Sakura pushes past them to announce that the morning announcements will begin and everyone sits down to listen. As they do, Alice asks Shino if the Princesses were seperated forever after that happened, and Shino tells her they weren't, because they could see each other at any time and always remain friends, just like them.

It's then the past is shown to the viewer. As Alice watched the plane Shino was in take off, she began to look up Japanese schools she could attend for practice and learning. Then she went and sent a letter to Shino, to tell her of her arrival years later, the very same letter the two of them are shown observing in Shino's bedroom at the time being, then they are called to head to school and run out of the room.