From: deloura@noaapmel.gov (Robert DeLoura)
Subject: TRANSLATION:  Ranma 1/2, Love-predicting Sakura-mochi, Part 2/3
Keywords:  Volume 21, Chapter 5
Organization: NOAA/PMEL, Sand Point Way, Seattle, WA
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 07:05:19 GMT

Here's chapter 2.  Comments welcome, as always.  (And thanks again to Hitoshi.)

Ranma 1/2, Volume 21, Chapter 5
English translation by Robert DeLoura (deloura@noaapmel.gov)
Assistance on the tough lines by Hitoshi Doi  [thanks, Hitoshi]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Akane's feelings"


(Page 70)
Akane is sitting in her room, at her desk.  She's staring forlornly at the
box of sakura-mochi.

Akane:		(thinking)  I made these horrible things....
Akane:		(thinking)  If someone eats one of these sakura-mochi...
Akane:		(thinking)  Then if that man is destined for me...
		(thinking)  Cherry-blossom petal marks appear....
Akane:		(thinking)  If that's true, then my partner isn't destined to
		be Ranma....


(Page 71)
Akane is still thinking through the implications.

Akane:		(thinking)  Ryouga-kun...?

Ryouga is perched outside on the birdhouse, enjoying the weather.

Ryouga:		Ahhhh, what a refreshing breeze!

Suddenly, Ranma jumps on Ryouga's head and crouches there, thinking.

Ryouga:		Hey....
Ranma:		Quiet, I'm thinking about something.

Ryouga decides to give him something else to think about.

Ryouga:		Dammit, can't you think without standing on people's heads?

Ranma and Ryouga beat each other up, while Akane watches from around a
nearby corner.


(Page 72)
Ranma points off in a random direction.

Ranma:		Aah!  Akane!

Ryouga falls for it, of course.

Ryouga:		Eh!?

Ranma jumps back on Ryouga's head again.

Ranma:		Gotcha.

Ranma starts to think about his problem again, while crouching on Ryouga.

Ranma:		It's no use....
Ryouga:		Ahem.

Akane shows up, carrying the box of sakura-mochi.

Akane:		Ranma....

Ranma turns around and looks at her, nervously.

Ranma:		Akane....

Akane edges up on Ranma with her box of sakura-mochi, and Ranma edges away
just as quickly.


(Page 73)
Akane glares at Ranma.

Akane:		You're not going to eat a sakura-mochi...?

Ranma waves her off.

Ranma:		There's no point, is there?  You already know the results.
Akane:		Ranma... really?

She probably thinks that he expects to "test positive", which wasn't quite
what he actually meant.  Ranma turns his head away and replies.

Ranma:		No matter what I might say, Ryouga is a better man than I.
Akane:		That's true.

Ranma wasn't expecting her to agree with him, apparently.  He twitches his
head back to look at her, and she elaborates.

Akane:		Unlike you, Ranma, he's kind, pure, and gentle.

Ranma does his best to ignore it, but it's certainly getting to him.  Ryouga,
on the other hand, is eavesdropping, and enjoying every word.


(Page 74)
Ranma:		I understand how you feel, Akane.

Ranma pulls Ryouga over closer to the two of them.

Ranma:		When I really look at it, the two of you make a good couple.

Ryouga's quite excited about the way this conversation is going.

Ryouga:		...What're you talking about?
Ranma:		Just what it sounded like.

Ryouga can barely contain himself now, because he's so excited.  He grabs
Ranma by his shirt, and babbles to him, embarrassed.

Ryouga:		Whaddya mean?!  Did Akane-san say she loves me?  Did she?
		Did she?
Ranma:		...She hasn't actually said THAT yet.

Ryouga playfully punches Ranma into the air.

Ryouga:		Oh, you're just teasing me!

Later that night, Akane sits at her desk, thinking.  Some dogs are barking
outside.

Akane:		(thinking)  Ranma, you idiot.  You don't care what happens
		to me at all.  [ending up with Ryouga]


(Page 75)
Akane:		What's with you, you coward!

Akane grabs a sakura-mochi out of the box.

Akane:		What's so tough about eating a sakura-mochi?

Akane starts munching on the sakura-mochi in her hand, and answers her own
question.

Akane:		Ugh.

Akane falls to the floor, and starts beating her hand against her forehead,
to distract herself from the taste.

Akane:		Awful.

After she recovers, she happens to glance in a mirror.

Akane:		Huh?

There's a big black X on her face.

Akane:		EH??


(Page 76)
Of course, she realizes that this makes perfect sense.

Akane:		(thinking)  Oh no!
		(thinking)  Since I can't be destined for myself...
		(thinking)  Of course an X mark is going to appear!!
Akane:		Waaaaah, I'm an idiot, Idiot, IDIOT!

Ranma's listening in from the just outside her window.  He's dressed up like
a thief, just like Happosai does.  He hears her run out of her room.

Ranma:		(thinking)  Heh.  Fool.

Akane runs some hot water in the sink, and washes her face, crying a little.
(I'm not sure if she's upset about the mark on her face, or about wasting a
sakura-mochi.)  Meanwhile, Ranma silently makes off with one of the remaining
sakura-mochi, and sprints across the roof.


(Page 77)
Ranma gets back to his room, and takes off the mask.

Ranma:		These damned sakura-mochi....

Ranma pours himself some tea.

Ranma:		I'm going to,

Ranma gets a mirror.

Ranma:		SECRETLY,

Ranma sits down and prepares to eat the sakura-mochi.

Ranma:		Deal with them once and for all!

Genma walks in with a megaphone, surprising Ranma.  He shouts his question
for all to hear.

Genma:		RANMA, ISN'T THAT ONE OF THE SAKURA-MOCHI AKANE MADE?!
		ARE YOU GOING TO EAT IT?!
Ranma:		Keep your voice down, you stupid old man!

Ranma kicks Genma out of the room.


(Page 78)
Ranma ties a flashlight to the top of his head, and goes outside with his 
sakura-mochi, tea, and mirror.  He looks around for a place to hide, and
decides to go under the house.

Ranma:		(thinking)  Heh heh heh.
		(thinking)  All right, nobody can bother me here.

He sits up and prepares to eat the sakura-mochi.

Ranma:		(thinking)  Now I'll find out whether a cherry blossom or
		an X appears....


(Page 79)
It's the next morning.  The sun is shining, the birds are chirping...
and Ranma's still under the house with his sakura-mochi, trying to convince
himself to eat it.  He looks tired, and his hands are shaking.

Ranma:		(thinking)  Uhh... I can't eat this.

Akane is looking for him, and calls his name from just a few feet away.
She doesn't see him, though.

Akane:		Ranmaaaaaaaa!
Ranma:		(thinking)  Akane....

Ranma watches her, nervously, from behind the porch step.

Akane:		Hmph.  He must've run away again.
Ranma:		....
Akane:		Fine!  I'll just have to learn to love Ryouga.


(Page 80)
Ryouga's standing behind her, and boy, is he surprised.   So is she, for
that matter.  He's got a bouquet of flowers for her, too.

Akane:		Ryo...Ryouga-kun.
Ryouga:		Uh, uh, er....

Akane tries to figure out just how much he overheard.

Akane:		Um, did you...overhear that just now...?


(Page 81)
Ryouga, too embarrassed to answer, stuffs the flowers into her hands.

Ryouga:		Here.
Akane:		Uh...thanks....
Ryouga:		Um, well, see you later.

Ryouga runs out through the wall surrounding the Tendou home, leaving a
nice hole in the rock.  As he runs off, he thinks about what he just heard.

Akane:		(remembered)  I'll learn to love Ryouga.
Ryouga:		(thinking)  I heard it.  I'm sure I heard it.
Ryouga:		(thinking)  Akane-san said that she...no, she couldn't have
		said such a wonderful thing.
		(thinking)  It's a trap, Hibiki Ryouga.  Don't get your hopes
		up.

Ryouga hops and skips his way down the road.

Ryouga:		Aaaah... I can't stop myself from just skipping around....


(Page 82)
Ranma comes out from under the house, with cobwebs in his hair.  He stands
behind Akane and starts talking to her, surprising her.

Ranma:		Isn't that great, Akane?
		Your destined man being so nice to you.
Akane:		Ranma....

Akane puts on an act to try and make Ranma jealous.  It works.

Akane:		Yes, and I owe it all to you, for staying out of our way.
Ranma:		Oh?
Ranma:		Hmph.  Well, you've made a mistake.
		Changing to Ryouga just because of some stupid cherry-blossom
		marks.
Akane:		It's because you're so unwilling to eat a sakura-mochi.
Ranma:		Do you really believe in that sort of thing?

Akane looks at Ranma, and sees that he's holding one of her sakura-mochi.

Akane:		And just WHAT is THAT, in your hand?

Ranma looks at the sakura-mochi.  Oops.  He'd forgotten about that.


(Page 83)
Akane knows how to get his attention, though.

Akane:		Wimp.

Ranma stops for a moment.

Akane:		You're just afraid to see the results.

Ranma glares at Akane.  She glares back, defiantly.  He looks down at the
sakura-mochi in his hand as if seeing it for the first time.

Ranma:		...Are you sure you won't regret it, Akane...?

Akane gets a little excited at the possibility that Ranma might actually
be about to eat the sakura-mochi.

Ranma:		Whether cherry blossoms or an X appear...


(Page 84)
Ranma puts the sakura-mochi in his mouth and starts chewing on it.

Ranma:		Don't be angry about it later!

Akane looks on with shock as Ranma eats the sakura-mochi.

[Yes, that's the end of the chapter. :) ]
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