IMADOKI! original story by: Watase Yuu English translation by: Tetris no Miko from Shocomi magazine, issue #16… =page 1= Saionji: …You’re letting another person in?! Aoi: Hiiii, I’m Kyougoku! Tanpopo: He was very enthusiastic about joining in on our cause, so… Saionji: You let him innn? Tanpopo: [blurred copy; can’t make it out…] =page 2= Saionji: I may be jumping to conclusions, but he doesn’t exactly look like the type of boy who loves hana ("flowers") Aoi: But I know so much about hana! ("noses") There’s a hook-nose, snub-nose, oh, and Saionji-san, why is it that men who have big noses are said to also have big… Saionji: HOW WOULD I KNOW!! Cut out the dry humor! *cough*, Just what are your intentions, joining us so suddenly? Aoi: I don’t see any problem! You guys just looked like you were having fun, so I wanted to join, toooooo! Saionji: But we are in no need of more gardeners! Aoi: Okay, then why don’t you leave? Saionji: Good idea, I mean, NO WAY!! =page 3= Tanpopo: Hey, why don’t we go ahead and make ourselves into an official "Council of Gardeners"? Saionji/Aoi: …Council? Kouki: Why not? we changed all the fake plants into real ones, so there’s more work to do now. Tanpopo: Kugyou-kun, I LOVE you! Kouki: Who says YOU’re gonna be in it!! Wanna try bringing it up with the student council? Tanpopo: Okay! It’s worth a try! =page 4= Aoi: Myyyy, you two sure are hot today, as usual! Why don’t’cha show me some of what I saw yesterdayyyy! Saionji: !! *sparkle* AND JUST WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? Aoi: AHH! I just lost my memory!! Mommy, who am I?! flashback-Kouki: I’ll be here for you… Tanpopo/Kouki: …… =page 5= Kouki: [while blushing ^_^] *whisper* …don’t come to the wrong conclusions; that wasn’t what you thought it was. Tanpopo: Y…yeah. Kouki: Hey, you can stop killing him, Saionji. Saionji: [who is whacking Aoi’s head against a wall] I wonder if THIS will help you remember! *bang, bang, bang, bang* [Kouki walks away] Saionji: Kugyou-san!? Wait for meeeeee! Tanpopo: are you okay?! Kire-chan!! =page 6= [Aoi points a gun at Tanpopo] Aoi: call me "Kireta"! *click!* Tanpopo: Hey, but last time I called you "Kireta", you didn’t like it!! And don’t bring toy guns to school! Aoi: You owe me one for saving your ass when the school computers were hacked into! Tanpopo: You’re the one who hacked into them in the first place! Aoi: But I was just shocked that I saw a Kugyou protecting someone other than himself!! The Kugyous are notorious for being cold-hearted. Tanpopo: …..are all Kugyous like that? Aoi: Gotta beeeee. That’s how they made it up to Tokyo. =page 7= Tanpopo: [back at home] Cold hearted, huhhhh. I don’t think that’s true. Kugyou-kun is….but who’m I to talk? I don’t know much about him. I wonder if he even has any brothers or sisters? I wanna know… =page 8= [at school, the next day] Ogata: …..you want to apply to start a "Garden Committee"? Kouki: Yes. Tanpopo: Nyo, nyo, so this is our student body president, huhhh. Ogata: *flicker* Hey, you must be "Yamazaki Tanpopo"….your behavior at the opening ceremony and your garden tactics have made you quite famous here… Tanpopo: Ohhhh, don’t mention it! Kouki: *whisper* He’s teasing you, you dork. =page 9= ?: But it sure surprises me that you, Kugyou-KUN, who has such POWER to influence the school rules, has chosen to start such a silly committee… [with his use of "kun", this boy is talking down to Kouki.] Tanpopo: That’s because he’s covering for m… *smack!* [Kouki puts a hand on Tanpopo’s mouth] Kouki: Could you please stop talking about me in that way? Ogata: Sorry, sorry. After we look into some things, we’ll let you know. ?: Aaaaaah, there’s sure no getting around a Kugyou. Kouki: *perk…*…well…I’ll leave it in your hands. Ogata: Oh yeah, Kugyou-KUN! =page 10= Ogata: Did you find your brother yet? Tanpopo: …What? =page 11= Tanpopo: "brother"? Ogata: Oh, sorry, I guess I said something touchy…. It must be terrible for you, but good luck! Kouki: ….excuse me. [Kouki looks very dark as he and Tanpopo walk down the hall] Tanpopo: What? What? …Kugyou-kun! =page 12= Tanpopo: Kugyou-kun, wait! What was this…about your brother? I’ll listen to your story if you want… Kouki: Why should you care! this is none of your business *ZUKIN…* [the sound of Tanpopo’s heart hurting] =page 13= [Kouki walks away] Tanpopo: [back at home] he may be right, but… Hey, Poplar, am I really that bad at comforting him? Poplar: Kon? Tanpopo: He did say we were friends, but he still hasn’t told me anything about himself… =page 14= Tanpopo: I’m acting weird…whenever I think about Kugyou-kun, my heart beats faster or it hurts…but what hurt me the most was seeing Kugyou-kun’s face so sad… brother, huh?….but it’s not like I can as the student body president about it. *gasp* =page 15= Tanpopo: The dandelion…!! It’s become a puff-ball now! all right! This’s the dandelion Kugyou-kun ripped out of the ground to look mean. I wonder if that was just to keep up his reputation as a Kugyou? =page 16= Tanpopo: Why don’t I bring this to school tomorrow and talk to him about it!! maybe it’ll cheer him up a bit!! [at school…] *ding dong, ding dong* Tanpopo: Huh…Is Kugyou-kun absent today? Aoi: Looks that way… Tanpopo: Why?! Aoi: Beats meeee. =page 17= Saionji: That’s strange. He didn’t look ill yesterday. [Tanpopo stares at the dandelion in disappointment] Tanpopo: *whisper* Hey, Kireta-kun, would you happen to have the data of everyone in this class? Aoi: Yup! [Tanpopo looks at him with starry eyes] Aoi: Okay, okay! You want Kugyou’s address, right! =page 18= [Tanpopo’s riding her bike to Kouki’s] Tanpopo: He just worries me…I don’t think he’s the kind of guy who would skip class just because of what the president said….wow, this road’s been going on FOREVER…. I wonder where it stops? Lemme see, it was the 15th house after 2 blocks… [she stops] =page 19= Tanpopo: …Don’t tell me…this is it? Aoi: Tanpopo, I can see your undies! Tanpopo: *crash!* Aoi: Just kidding! Tanpopo: Ki…Kireta-kun?! Aoi: Con-gratulations! You made it safely! Saionji: [appears behind Tanpopo with a very scary expression] how dare you leave me out of this!! =page 20= [at Kugyou’s house] *ding dong, ding dong* ?: Yes, who is it? Saionji: I am Saionji Tsukiko. Tanpopo: Nyo…where’s the house?? Saionji: Kouki-san was absent today, so we came here to see him… ?: …! One moment, please. [the doors slide open] =page 21= ???: Hello! Aoi: This place’s so huge it makes me wanna puke. wonder how many square feet it is?? Saionji: I might live in this house in the future *heart* Tanpopo: Is one of these ladies his mother?? =page 22= Saionji: so…where is Kouki-san? lady: well…he left by car for school this morning… Saionji/Aoi/Tanpopo: WHAT? Aoi: he’s only 16! Don’t tell me he can drive!! [*driver’s age in Japan is 18 ^_^] Tanpopo/Saionji: that’s not what she meant! Saionji: you don’t think he might have run away from home, do you?! ??: Certainly not! he is not that kind of boy…his driver is with him…..he must have had a sudden errand! =page 23= ?: But you really surprised, me. this is the first time Kouki’s friends from school came over to visit. He is sure to be back soon… Aoi: So that means he ditched school….even HE would do something like that?…Well, he’s only human, I guess even HE feels like running away sometimes… flashback: did you find your brother yet? Tanpopo: Excuse me! ?: Yes? =page 24= Tanpopo: WHAT HAPPENED TO KOUKI’S BROTHER?! *clunk, whap, crash* [the servants fall over in shock] ?: Wh, wh, why are you aski….MMMFF! [servant lady clasps a hand over his mouth] ?: Wh, what are you talking about?! servants *shake, shake!* Aoi: …You guys look hella suspicious… Tanpopo: Please excuse me, I know it was out of my place to say something like that, but… =page 25= Tanpopo: I care about him…I care about Kouki-kun.. Saionji: ….. [out somewhere…] driver: Master!! We must get back now! I know I’m already in trouble for letting you skip school… =page 26= driver: If we get any news, you’ll be the first one to know! let’s just give it a rest for today… Kouki: …Yeah, you’re right….I guess I just mistook someone else for him again….I know HE’s not coming back anyway… =page 27= [back at the house….] servant: Well…the truth is… servant: KOUKI-SAN?! *click* =page 28= [Erika, a girl, comes into the room, looking nervous.] servant: …Erika-san! I’m sorry, I thought you were Kouki-san… Tanpopo/Saionji: In her pajamas??…Who are you? =page 29= Erika: …Kouki-san?! You mean, he hasn’t returned yet?! servant: I’m sure he will be back soon! Now, just return to your room… if your fever rises again, we’ll be in trouble. Erika: But…He always used to tell me where he was going! Tanpopo: "He"? [because Erika used "he" instead of "Kouki-san" or "Kugyou-san", it implies that she and Kouki are very close ^_^] Erika: I wonder…if it was…because of me… servant: No, that can’t be true, Erika-san! =page 30= [we notice that Erika has a ring shining on her ring finger] Tanpopo/Aoi/Saionji: A RING?! Aoi: …On her left hand! Saionji: On her…ring finger…?! Tanpopo: Who IS she…?! Next… [1]