Parfait Tic!Parfait Tic! Step 32 Margaret 19/01 Translated by Rita B. Page 1- Ichi's words still hang in the air, "Because you were wearing his clothes." Fuuko stares at Ichi's back, her face flushed, "What...." She tries to explain, "That was..." Page 2- Fuuko braces herself, "Bu-but you don't understand what happened." Ichi, unfeelingly asks, "Then what happened? How come you never gave a reason?" A voice yells, "Fuuko-chan!" The restaurant manager pops in, "Are you ready yet?" Fuuko flustered, "Ah, yeah, I'll be right there!" Fuuko removes her apron from the hanger. Meanwhile Ichi has already shouldered his bag, and Fuuko looks back at him. Ichi turns his head to give Fuuko a pained expression, "Later." Fuuko looks back at him equally upset. Page 3- Fuuko storms past Ichi before he can leave, "I'm tired of this crap." Fuuko leaves a stunned Ichi behind, ::All of this because I wore Daiya's clothes?:: ::So....:: ::So WHAT?!?:: A bunch of ladles fly in the air. The restaurant manager says tersely, "Fuu-ko-chaaan!" Fuuko, "Sorry! My hand slipped!" Fuuko adjusts her apron, "I'm too highstrung." Page 4- Fuuko brings her hand to her mouth, and looks worried. Fuuko looks in her closet at home. She thinks, ::Ah, it's dried.:: She takes out Daiya's T-shirt, thinking, ::I must return this quickly.:: Unaware to Fuuko, the manga artist from next door, peeks in through the door. She pops in, scarying Fuuko who hides the clothing, "Hey, that's what it's already about, eh?" Fuuko exclaims, "AH!!!" "Please remember to knock!" Manga artist asks, "Are you playing hide and seek with it?" Fuuko, beyond surprised, "Hide-hide-hide- and SEEK?!?!?" Fuuko still wondering, "HUH?" ::....:: Page 5- Fuuko hastily pushes the mangaka out, "It's nothing! That's from my older sister's work!" (Rita-->didn't know she had an older sister o_O) The manga artist has been pushed back into her apartment. She looks back at the closed door, raises her fingers to her cheek, and says, "Ohhhh!" Fuuko walks up the stairs with Daiya's clothes in hand, ::It's about time.:: (Rita-->okay, the next line is really weird so I dunno if I translated it right) Fuuko thinks, ::Lying about 'my' older sister wasn't the right thing to do, but I couldn't let my secrets boil over.:: Fuuko remember lying against Daiya in the tub, ::That was a terrible thing to have happened.:: Page 6- Fuuko thinks, ::Something like that could only happen to an everday idiot.:: Fuuko reaches to ring the bell of the Shinpo's residence. She pauses, ::What if Ichi's inside?:: "....." Fuuko sweatdrops furiously in front of the doorbell. Fuuko pushes the doorbell, and flies back down the stairs. Page 7- Ichi opens the door, "Yes?" He finds no one in the hallway, and looks down to see a bag containing Daiya's clothes , "....." He picks up the clothes gingerly. As Fuuko falls to the floor in her apartment, panting, she looks to the side worrying, ::What did I just do?:: Daiya, who's in chef's gear, asks Ichi, "Who was it?" Page 8- Ichi walks past Daiya, slamming the bag in his hand, "Here. Who do you think it was?" Daiya looks at the bag, and then back at Ichi, "Ah....Hey!" Daiya looks at Ichi, who's looking away. Fuuko thinks quietly, ::It's from me.:: The next day, she's wondering, ::What does he know anyway?:: (Rita-->I think Fuuko means Ichi here, but the sentence is so vague she could be referring herself also) Fuuko steps out, "I'm leaving!" Page 9- Fuuko walks out of her apartment to find Ichi with arms crossed, and Daiya squatting. Both of the Shinpo cousins waiting for her. Fuuko is both worried and surprised, "Aiya..." Later in the tennis courts, Daiya tries to lighten the mood, "Look, look! This is a new tennis T-shirt!" Fuuko, "Wow! How nice." Daiya, "I'm also glad I brought a woman's bathing suit." (Rita-->no idea ?_?) Page 10- Daiya continues, "It's great, huh? Fuuko's going to be at the pool this afternoon." Fuuko replies, "I don't even know if I like swimming that much." Daiya asks, "Ah ha ha. Is that so? Have you kept a record of your progress?" (Rita-->lap time...I'm guessing) Fuuko is wordless, "....." Daiya taps his tennis racket on his foot, "Jeez, that guy..." "If he gives you a hard time, you should just leave." Page 11- Fuuko looks at Daiya as someone announces, "Alright, everybody in their positions?" Daiya tries to relate, "Well you know, that guy's really shy. So you probably want to see what he's hiding behind that shyness." Fuuko's eyes, widen, "What the?" She yells, "THAT'S NOT IT AT ALL!!!" Daiya looks back at her surprised. And then Fuuko gasps as she realizes that she has interrupted the whole tennis game. The girls on the tennis team give her evil looks as Fuuko utters a very scared, "Ah!" Page 12- Akio comes up to them. "Could you guys keep your conversation to yourselves?" Daiya apologizes, "Sorry!" Akio whispers to Fuuko, "You know those juniors can ban you two from the tennis team." Fuuko's shocked, "HUH?" Daiya's puzzled, and the angry older tennis players look on in the background. Akio points to a her clipboard, "Oh yeah! Do you guys want to buy some string and grip tape?" Daiya answers, "Yeah, I want some." Akio tells him, "If you're planning to buy, please write your name here." Daiya turns to Fuuko, "How about you, Fuu-chan?" Fuuko agrees, "Okay, I'll get some too." Daiya asks, "Should I write your name down for you?" Fuuko surprised, "Ah, yeah." Page 13- Fuuko marvels, ::Wow! My name in Daiya's handwriting!:: Fuuko fans herself, ::Oh no! I'm getting all self-conscious.:: Daiya pauses, "....." Daiya shows Fuuko the clipboard, "Hey is this the right kanji for your name?" Fuuko looks at the way Daiya has spelled her first name with the kanji "ko" for child. She exclaims, "NO IT'S NOT!" Fuuko sobs as Daiya says, "Sorry!" Later Fuuko wades into a pool thinking, ::Ah....He couldn't even let me have a moment of happiness by writing my name correctly.:: ::I've often noticed how he writes his name.:: Page 14- Fuuko's silent as she remembers Daiya's words ::If that guy gives you trouble, just leave, okay?:: Fuuko steps into the edge of the pool, ::Why am I here anyway?:: Fuuko looks at Ichi sitting at the edge of the pool, ::He's probably going to be mean again.:: Ichi says sternly, "The goal for today is to swim 10 meters." Fuuko's still thinking, ::I don't understand him.:: Page 15- Fuuko looks ahead grimly, ::I never understand him.:: ::Ever since our fight, it's been awkward.:: ::I think it'll also be like that at the pool today.:: Ichi gives her a few tips on swimming. And as she watches him swim, she thinks, ::So what's going to cause your fight today? What?:: ::So can I trust him to be a good leader and a teacher?:: "Hah!!" Fuuko bursts onto the surface with Ichi across from her in the pool. He says, "Alright! That's 10 meters!" Page 16- Ichi slightly smiles at her, "You did it." Fuuko wonders, ::Or else....:: Fuuko's out of breath, "Hey...." "Ichi do you..." She's still gasping, "...my..." Fuuko thinks, ::My...:: Ichi, trying to understand, "Eh?" Fuuko claps her mouth shut. Page 17- Fuuko tries to think of some excuse. "Ah! Um...my...um..my name! Do you know how to write my name in kanji?" Ichi thrown off-guard by the nonsequitur, "Huh?" He then looks at her, and says confidently, "It's the kanji for 'kaze' followed by the kanji for 'yo.'" (Rita-->to write Fuuko) Fuuko blushes slightly as she looks at him, "Just as I expected, he's so smart." Page 18- Fuuko thinks, as she's changing in the girl's locker room, ::And he's the head of the class, too.:: She pulls on her shirt and starts to button it when she hears a noise. A man has slide the window of the girl's locker room open, and he's watching Fuuko dressing. Fuuko's eyes enlarge. Page 19- Fuuko screams at the top of her lungs, "KYAAAAHHHHH!!!!!" Ichi hears her and comes running, "Hey! What's wrong?!" Fuuko is running, bumps into him, but doesn't stop. Fuuko can only whisper as she clutches the collar of her shirt close to her, "At the window..." Page 20- Ichi looks as frightened as he says, "But who could be there at this hour...?!" Ichi goes running in the opposite direction, yelling at Fuuko's peeping Tom, "WAIT!" In the meantime, Fuuko cowers in the corner of the tennis court, as Ichi climbs onto a wall. Page 21- Ichi looks down the street from his perch but he doesn't find anyone. He runs down the street, searching frantically, but there's not a soul in sight. Ichi, who was also in the middle of dressing, has his shirt on, but unbuttoned in front, leaving a bare-chested Ichi, panting on the street in despair. Fuuko is still sobbing on the ground of the tennis court. Page 22- Ichi runs back, and sees Fuuko full of tears. As he looks at her, his face turns red, and his eyes burn, "SHIT!" Page 23- Ichi falls on his knees and clasps Fuuko tightly, "Don't cry!" Fuuko thinks, ::I...:: Her tears stop momentarily as Ichi hugs her, "Even though that asshole was trying to look at you, don't cry!" Fuuko's still thinking, ::I was trying to run away.:: Page 24- Ichi swears, "Damn it!" As he holds her close to him, Fuuko still with tears wonders, ::In this...:: ::In such a tight embrace, what is the meaning of his arms?:: Fuuko continues to sob as Ichi holds her firmly. ~to be continued in Step 33~ [Edited by Shirl]