Parfait Tic!Parfait Tic! Step 33 Margaret 20/01 Translated by Rita B. Page 1- Fuuko, with a tear-stained face, stands up holding her bag tightly. She's thinking, ::I wanted to run away just then.:: Ichi is sitting near the wall, watching her. Page 2- They both start heading towards home, and Fuuko is walking beside him. But as Ichi moves forward, she stops. He looks back at her. Page 3- Fuuko looks worried as Ichi turns back to her. Fuuko thinks, ::Each heavy footstep I take...:: Her feet pause in front of Ichi, ::Their slow speed must make him mad....:: Ichi turns away from her as she wonders, ::Ichi has such long legs....:: Page 4- Someone shouts, surprising Fuuko, "Yo, yo! Sista!" A drunk man bikes past them, "Goin' out on a date with the boyfriend?" Ichi runs his hands through his hair, "Stupid old man." Ichi glances down at Fuuko, who's shaking as she watches the old man's filthy appearance. Page 5- Fuuko's eyes widen as Ichi turns around suddenly, grabs her arm and starts walking forward. Page 6- Fuuko shuts her eyes tightly, ::Ichi....:: At home, she opens a jewelry case and takes out the barrette that Ichi gave her. Page 7- In a flashback, Ichi says, as he hands her the hairpin, "This is to make you happy." Fuuko brings the pin to her lips, and cringes. She slowly puts it back in the box. < BAM > Fuuko shuts the jewelry box on her hand as the manga artist pops in, yelling, "Fuu-chan!!!" Page 8- Fuuko raises her swollen hand and curses, "#%*&" Manga artist, "What are you doing?" Fuuko replies, "That's because you didn't knock!" Fuuko holds her wounded hand, "Hmph! Next time think before you attempt something like that." Manga artist looks nonplussed, "Well then..." The manga artist turns to walk away, "Well, if you're going to have such a bad attitude, I'm not going to show these to you." Fuuko grabs her shirt, "Ah...yes, yes, please pardon me." The manga artist reveals several photographs featuring Daiya at the zoo. Fuuko looks aghast, "NO WAY!!!!" Page 9- Fuuko shakes as she grabs the pictures, "These..." The manga artist, yelping like a school girl, "What do you think? Aren't you surprised?" Fuuko yells, "Those pictures where thrown-away!" The manga artist replies, mischievously, "Oh ho ho.... On the night before garbage day, I saw these there." Fuuko continues spasming out, "What the? My older sister threw those out!" Beginning of flashback... Fuuko's mother saying, "Excuse, are you collecting the garbage?" (Rita--> does Fuuko call her mother "older sister" in affection? don't get this, explain someone?) The manga artist says, "Yes." And then she discovers the photographs of Daiya. End of flashback. Fuuko flips out while looking at the photos, "I CAN"T BELIEVE THIS!! How could this happen?" Fuuko asks nervously, "Ay! Did my Mom get a chance to see these? I seriously hope not." The manga artist turns around, blushing, "That is....I'm ALSO a fan of those two boys!" Fuuko freaks out, "Hey, hey! What are you insinuating!" The manga artist suddenly puts on a detective pose, "Well I do write shoujo manga about the troubles of love." Fuuko looks totally defeated. Page 10- The mangaka goes flying out of Fuuko's closed door while Fuuko yells, "It's time for you to leave!" The mangaka is left crying in the background. Fuuko, as she surveys the pictures, thinks, ::Hey, hey, I should really return these.:: She looks at the dustbin, and resolutely stands up, ::For the time being I'll keep these in here.:: She shoves the photographs into a desk drawer, but one of the pictures drops into her school bag. At school, the teacher says, "Before this, we're going to announce the scores from the supplementary exam." Page 11- The kids jump up thinking that they had done well, but the teacher says, "You guys will have to study more." The students start sitting back down, looking glum. Teacher, "So don't be so energetic. You're not going to have a winter vacation this year." Daiya waves a peace sign to Fuuko, "Yo!" Fuuko looks surprised, ::Ah...:: She smiles timidly, and gives him back the peace sign, "Yo." Someone says, "Hey....Ichi." Page 12- Fuuko's thinking, ::Even now, Daiya's smiling face is in my thoughts.:: (Rita-->this is the best translation i could do for that like cuz I can't find the exact meaning for "ima" sorry ^^;;) Daiya is talking to someone in the hallway while Fuuko is looking ahead with wide eyes at Ichi, who has his back facing towards her. She wonders, ::Why was my heart pounding at that time?:: Fuuko starts blushing while secretly watching Ichi. Daiya walks up, "Hey? Ichi!" "What? Are you going to the pool today also?" Ichi answers, while looking away, "We can do without the pool for now." Daiya, "Huh?" Page 13- Daiya, being his bumbling self, "So. What are you guys going to do instead?" Ichi promptly kicks him and says, to the equivalent of, "By Buddha, you're always butting into other people's business!" Ichi turns away again and says to Fuuko, "Let's go home." Fuuko blushes, ::He's going to take me home?:: Fuuko, "Well, see ya..." Daiya, "Yeah, bye!" Fuuko, ::Yesterday and today also....:: Page 14- Fuuko runs to catch up with Ichi, thinking, ::I've been worried.:: Fuuko attempts talking to him, "Um....I'm fine now, you know." "You can stop looking after me like this, really." Ichi looks at her SD, deadpan, "Yeah, that's a lame excuse." Fuuko, blushing and screaming, "You're a butthead!" Ichi asks, "Hey, you want to come to the library with me?" Fuuko, ::What does he mean by going together?!?!?!?:: Page 15- Fuuko looks worried, ::It seems so far from school.:: Ichi's looking for books while Fuuko patiently waits near the circulation desk. Fuuko, cringing, ::THAT"S ENOUGH!!!:: Page 16- Fuuko's still thinking, ::I can't even move from this place.:: Fuuko looks at a woman accompanied by her young son. The boy says, "Mom, this way!" They then proceed quietly to a room. Ichi walks in and finds Fuuko reading books with other pre-school children. Ichi, "What an all time low." Fuuko, sweatdrops, "Ah!" Name of Room- "The Children's Corner." Later Fuuko and Ichi are walking home. Fuuko holds a child's manga book in her hands, "I should return this." Ichi, "Do you think it's worth anything?" Fuuko, grumpy, "It's okay." She continues, "When we have some free time at our part-time job, I'll read this to everyone." Page 17- Ichi just laughs, "Can't wait." Fuuko stares at him, and blushes. Grabbing the handle of her bag, "What, what are you saying, you idiot." Ichi, "Well...it's nothing." Fuuko accidentally drops the book, "Ah!" She watches as the manga book falls into the dirt, "Ahhh the book!" Page 18- Ichi takes Fuuko's bag, "Here I'll carry that." Fuuko, "Ah, thank you." Fuuko, "Waahh!!! Will I have to pay for this, too?" Ichi's eyes widen as he sees a picture of Daiya in Fuuko's bag. (Rita--> remember it had fallen in earlier when she was putting them away) Fuuko, now dusting the manga book, "I can't just give up on this one." Fuuko, "Ah, are you okay? This sure is dirty, ne?" She's surpise by Ichi's lack of reponse, and the return of her bag, "Eh?" She then sees Daiya's photograph in her bag. Page 19- Fuuko, ::NO WAY!!! How could this happen?!?!?:: She tries to explain, "Hey it's not what you think. It's because once before...." But Ichi has already turned away from her. "It's because..." "It's because she came to give it to me. I really didn't want it!" Page 20- Fuuko continues, "I really tried hard to be friends with Daiya." Flashback of her running away after Daiya's rejection. "I tried to forget by just concentrating on my studies." ::At that time....I was trying so hard not to fall apart.:: Fuuko screams, "So just stop acting like that!!!!'" She then pauses. Her eyes go blank with the realization of what she said. Page 21- She brings her hand to her mouth, ::Just now....:: ::What did I say?:: ::The same thing is happening again.:: Flashback of Daiya saying that he doesn't feel the same way about her. Flashback of Fuuko screaming, "I don't want all this pain to happen again!" ::At that time, I....:: ::What was I feeling?:: Ichi intercedes her thoughts, "Bad." Page 22- Ichi's looking away from Fuuko. Her eyes widen, ::What the...:: ::What's my fault this time?:: Fuuko, with a red face, bows down her head, her hands twiddling with the strap of her bag, "Well, that is... I just sort of had a lingering affection for him." "That picture was taken before Daiya rejected me." Ichi shouts, "I KNOW THAT!" Page 23- Fuuko, still red-faced, looks at Ichi, who's now kneeling down. Ichi continues, "But, you still had it with you." "Even though you've worn the clothes of your former love, I've caught you." Fuuko's taken by surprise. She looks at him with tears in her eyes. Page 24-25- Slowly Ichi uncurls his fingers and raises them. He looks serious and calm as his eyes seaches her face. He lightly grabs Fuuko's arm, as she blushes down at him, "I've finally caught you." ~to be continued in Step 34~ [Edited by Shirl]