PQ Angels - Chapter 4 As appeared in Nakayoshi, December 1997. Written by Takeuchi Naoko. Translated by Alex Glover. Version 1.0, 3.98. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peanut clutches her pillow to her chest as she stares out the window at the falling rain. "You really like rain, don't you, Piiko," says Kyuuri. "Yep," says Peanut. "When you hear the sound of rain, don't you feel alive on Earth?" "It's so cold, it might snow soon," says Kyuuri. "Snow??" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The girls in class stick insect tattoos on their hands and arms. "Hey, hey, Piiko-chan, Kyuuko-chan," says one girl. "What are you doing for Christmas?" "Christmas?" says Peanut. "The birth of Christ," says Kyuuri. "A day where you can drink and sing and eat." Peanut's eyes light up. "We always have a party together on Christmas Eve," says the girl. "Do you do something with your family?" says Kuria. "It's just the two of us at home," says Kyuuri. "Really? Wow..." "Then we'll have a party at our house!" says Peanut. "Kyuuko-chan's cooking is delicious!" "No way!" says Kuria. "All right! I've wanted to go see your house." "Me too, me too," says one of the boys. "You're not doing anything Christmas Eve either, are you, Cecile?" says Sunia. "Come along!" "Okay, I'm in charge of the drinks!" says a boy. "You're coming too, right, Hagemashi?" says another boy. "Come with us, Hagemashi!" says Peanut. "Christmas Eve?" says Ouji. "I'm not sure... I might be able to." "Are you doing something else?" "My mom's coming back from America," he says. "She'll be here from today until Christmas." He looks at his hand. "What's this?" "A cockroach tattoo sticker!" says Peanut. "Isn't it cute?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Umeko looks up at the large house. "Wow..." she says. "I wonder when neighbors moved in. I'll have to introduce myself to them later." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "This is serious!" says Kyuuri, as the two girls walk home. "I have to clean, tidy up, decide on a menu, buy everything..." "I can't wait for the 24th!" says Peanut. "Taking care of you is hard enough, Piiko, but now I have to get ready for this party too..." "Ishiyaki potatoes!" Peanut says. She runs to a cart selling the potatoes. "If I'm this involved in daily life," says Kyuuri, "I won't be able to carry out our duty." She sighs. "I've become just like a human now..." "Want an ishiyaki potato?" says Peanut, as she takes a bite from one. Her posterior emits a loud noise. Kyuuri holds her nose. "Piiko... What was that?" "A fart!" says Peanut. "I heard that you get them when you eat potatoes." "That's horrible, Piiko! For such a small accomplishment... So vulgar! We're junior high school girls." A scent wafts through the air. "Such a strong, fruity, delicious smell!" The door to the Hagemashi house opens, and Umeko steps out. "Oh," she says. "Are you two our neighbors? I was thinking of paying a visit to introduce myself. When will your parents be home?" "It's just the two of us," says Kyuuri. "Oh, is that so?" says Umeko. "If it's all right, how about some tea? I just made some. I have cake also." "Okay!" Ouji approaches the house. "Oh, Ouji-chan! Welcome home!" "Oh!" says Peanut. "Hagemashi! You're back!" "What are you two doing here..." he says. "The three of us are in the same class," says Peanut. "Really?" says Umeko. "What a coincidence! If that's the case, let's all have some tea together." A cat sleeps in front of the doorstep. "Oh!" says Peanut. "The sleeping kitty!? Wow! It looks just like him!" "A sleeping kitty?" says Ouji. "In our country," says Peanut, "there's a kitty that looks just like this who does nothing but nap. So this is your kitty? What's his name?" "Sleepy," says Ouji. "Sleepy?" says Peanut. She pats the cat's head. "Nice to meet you!" They go inside. Peanut and Kyuuri sit down across from Ouji and Ouga, as Umeko pours their tea. "So, your father is the Fuiren ambassador?" "Yes," says Kyuuri. "In the affairs of his work, our parents both spend a lot of time in our home country." "Likewise," says Umeko, "my husband and I spend a lot of time living in America. If you need something, you can go to our sons for anything." "We will," says Kyuuri. "So, where does your husband work?" "A pesticides company." The girls drop their cups. "That's right," says Umeko. "We've got a new product. Take some powerful boric acid dumplings for your home." She holds out two boxes of Hagemashi cockroach boric acid dumplings. Peanut and Kyuuri back away from them. "Oh!" says Umeko. "You must not like roaches." "Yeah, right..." Kyuuri says nervously. "Those boric acid dumplings..." "Want more!?" says Umeko. She holds out more boxes of them. "Well, be sure to give them to all your relatives too!" The two girls hold each other as they recoil from the boxes. "Kyuuko-chan!" says Peanut. "You've got tears in your eyes." "I hate boric acid dumplings!" says Kyuuri. "You're acting just like a real cockroach!" says Peanut. "What about you!" says Kyuuri. "You're trembling!" "If it's fine with you two," says Umeko, "you can have dinner here too. I've cooked too much food." "What!? Can we!? All right!" They start eating. "It's so greasy, and sweet, and yummy!" says Peanut. "Really!" says Kyuuri. "The flavor's strong. It's delicious!" "Oh, it makes me feel good to see you eat so much," says Umeko. "For humans, eating a lot is the most important thing! It's humanly! My kids don't eat very much... Taste good?" "Of course!" say the two boys. "Speak clearly, Ouga," says Ouji. "You'll hurt your stomach." "Shut up and eat," says Ouga. "Don't eat yourself sick," says Ouji. "This is the duty of those born into the Hagemashi household," says Ouga. "It's been a long time since dad remarried," says Ouji. "You don't have to worry like that. If you worry too much, you'll go bald." "Be quiet," says Ouga. "This is the destiny of the Hagemashi family." "Baldness?" says Ouji. "Baldness?" thinks Peanut, looking over at him. "Well, I like greasy, sweet food," thinks Ouji. "And she went to the trouble of making it for us..." Peanut notices a small light on Ouji's head. "Is baldness this white light spot where you don't have hair?" she says. "Yep," says Ouga. "It's called a bald ring remover." "A ring remover? Wow..." "Let's keep this a secret from Umeko-mama," Ouga says. "He's really worried about losing his hair." "Gotcha," says Peanut. "I get it! So that's why I saw his head shining like that. Since you're going bald, you're Hagemashi??" ['Hage' means 'bald' in Japanese.] "Get it? Hage-mashi!" "Poor guy," think Ouga and Kyuuri. The two girls wash dishes in the kitchen with Umeko. "Those two ate up dinner like cockroaches," says Ouga. "Where is the country of Fuiren?" "Dunno..." says Ouji. "Fuiren... It means cockroach." "What??" says Ouji. "Are you serious?" "I read it in one of dad's books. But still... Those two are so cute, I don't care if they're cockroaches." "Oh, Ouji-chan," says Umeko. "You ate a lot." "Hey, Hagemashi," says Peanut. "You must have really liked it. If you like it, you should say you do, nice and loud." Ouji looks at her as she talks. "Glossy, oily..." he thinks. "Like a cockroach... I- It can't be... Humans are subtle and complicated." "Oh, you're all having a party on Christmas Eve?" says Umeko. "Well, I'll have Ouji bring some cake." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The students stand before the large house. "So this is their house... I'm surprised, it's pure Japanese style." They open the front gate. "Yoohoo!" They ring the doorbell. "Maybe they're not home..." "Go inside! Go inside!" They open the door. "Uh..." Inside they see a large, three-eyed creature floating through a swirling mist. The creature peers out at them. Peanut and Kyuuri scream from the sidewalk. They run to the house and slam the door shut. "Sorry, we're having some remodeling done," says Kyuuri. She opens the door again. "Please, come in." They see an ordinary room inside. "Huh??" They go in. "There was some creature here," says Sunia. "It was flying," says Kuria. "An alien! It was an alien!" says Cecile. "You're imagining things," say the two girls. "This is a normal house, so come on in." They all sit down in the living room. "I'll start preparing," says Kyuuri. "Oh, I brought some cake," says Ouji. Peanut grabs it. "Wow! Did Umeko-mama make it??" "She takes some to the neighborhood church bazaar every year," says Ouji, "so this is left over from that." "Wow..." Kyuuri goes into the kitchen. "Now then... I have to move all the food..." She slides open a side door, to a void where a spirit is floating. "Rennyuu!" she calls. ['Rennyuu' means 'condensed milk.'] "I can't do this all myself," she says. "Would you give me a hand?" "That'll be 50 X *^(-19/33) million dollars," says the spirit. "All right. I'll pay it into your account." The spirit assumes human form, and follows Kyuuri into the kitchen. "Thanks," says Kyuuri. "Okay, you take this." They go into the living room, each carrying trays of food. "Rennyuu!" says Peanut. "You came?" "Yeah, it's a job," she says. "There's dessert, too!" says Kyuuri. "She's pretty!" says one of the girls. "Is she a relative?" "She's a friend from Fuiren." "Fuiren?" "Our home country," says Peanut. "Wow, what kind of place is it?" "There's no delicious food like this at all," says Peanut, "but there are all kinds of animals, and they're all friends. It's like nowhere else." "I wonder where Fuiren is..." thinks Kuria. "I've never heard of it." "I wonder if it's like the Mushigorou Kingdom..." thinks Sunia. She hiccups as she sips her wine. "It must be a planet other than Earth!" thinks Cecile. "Hey, everybody," says Sunia. She hiccups. "Do you know? Anyone can kiss a girl standing beneath mistletoe on Christmas." She grabs Cecile and pulls her close, planting a kiss on her lips. "Oh no!" says Kuria. "Sorry! When this girl gets drunk, she turns into a kissing demon!" The boys blush. "Wow!" thinks Peanut. "This is the first time I've seen a live human kissing scene!" "Piiko," says the other girl. "When was your first kiss?" "I haven't had it yet," says Peanut. "Oh good!" says the girl. "Me neither." Kyuuri snickers, looking at Peanut. "Liar." "That mean Kyuuko-chan," thinks Peanut. "Like I'm some kind of slut. Sure, we borrow power from the lips of humans to transform, but it's not that kind of kiss. A real kiss is something between two humans. A kiss between two humans is special. Yes, that's a girl's dream." She looks over at Ouji. "To become human someday, and have a first kiss with the one I love..." She chuckles. "Keep this a secret from Kyuuko-chan!" Cecile looks around. She sneaks up to one of the sliding doors, and opens it slightly. "Aliens... Aliens..." From the other side, Kyuuri looks down at her gravely. Cecile jumps back. "Y- You startled me." Kyuuri smiles. "The bathroom is at the end of the hall. And don't worry, the remodeling is over. You won't see anything else." She walks away. "Oh, that was close," she thinks. "I forgot to connect the groove zone door-to-door and conceal it." "All right, everyone!" says one of the boys. "It's finally Christmas Eve! Let's go out, and have a night on the town! It's Christmas! We haven't made a big enough uproar yet! Let's see if we can't have a big event!" "Oh great..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- They go to the Koganemushi Church Christmas bazaar. "Oh, there's Umeko-mama!" says Peanut. "Umeko-mama, your cake was delicious!" "Oh, are you going somewhere?" says Umeko. "Be careful." "I thought I'd help you out," says Ouji. "Ouga-chan is helping us," says Umeko, "so we're all right." Peanut sees a tall man and a fat man talking to one of the nuns. "Please, a little longer," says the nun. "Sorry, we can't wait any more," says the fat man, holding a paper. "According to the contract, you must vacate by the end of the year." "Did you know?" says one of the girls. "This church and Koganemushi Park will be demolished at the end of the year, and a luxury apartment building is going to be put up." "What?" says Kuria. "It's because they opened the subway. This is originally leased land, and it was planned for demolishing, but they requested its use." "But what about the children of Koganemushi Park? They grew up here." "It seems the places are being taken over one by one." "That's so sad..." "Prepare to vacate immediately tomorrow," says the fat man. A twig of mistletoe hits him in the head. "Fat devil!" yells a kid. "How dare you bully the sister!" "Hey now!" says the nun, trying to keep the kids still. "Go to hell!" another kid yells. "You piece of crap!" Ouji grabs one of them. "Hey, cut it out," he says. "You're just making it worse for the sister." "Damn!" says the tall man. He throws a twig back at them, hitting Ouji on the head. "Hagemashi!" says Peanut. "Oh, mistletoe!" says Sunia. She grabs the fat man and kisses him. "W- What are you-!?" he says. "Oh, I'm sorry!" says Sunia. "What kind of parents raised you brats!" says the man. They all begin throwing cakes at the two men. "Wait, wait!" says Kyuuri. "Don't fight like-" A cake hits her in the face. "Human fights are so low..." she says. "Now you've brought in me and Piiko-chan!" The forms of two women in Santa suits materialize, carrying sacks over their shoulders. "Christmas!" says one. "Turkey!" says the other. "Roast chicken! Christmas pudding! Ginger marmalade!" "Pyrethrin!" "Perthrine!" "We sell the ornaments of Christmas Eve, 18-cm diameter cakes for 3500 yen!" "Sent by the Grand Pyrethrum Church, Saint Nicholas! For short, the Santa Sisters!" "We'll take advantage of this uproar to corner those two from Fuiren!" "This time we will take what Pyrethrum-sama desires!" "Spirit Escape Art!" Their Santa suits fall off them as they change into spirits, and they enter the bodies of the fat man and the tall man. "Huge Monster Art!!" The two men grow to giants, towering over the church building. "Balloons!?" says one of the boys. "Ad balloons?" says the other. "Aliens!?" says Cecile. "Kunoichi!" thinks Peanut. A fir tree topples, falling toward Peanut. "Look out!!" calls Ouji. He pushes her out of the way, and they fall to the ground together. "Oh! My hands!" he says. "They're slipping!" His body lands on top of hers, and their faces meet. His lips approach hers. A burst of smoke appears, and Peanut vanishes. He hears a scream. "Oh no!" says Cecile. "Hagemashi! On your mouth! It's a co- co- cockro-!!" "Huh?" says Kuria. "Where's Piiko-chan!? Piiko-chan's gone!" Cecile faints. "Oh no, Cecile!" says Sunia. Ouji grimaces. "Th- Th- That girl..." he thinks. "It can't be... Is she the cockroach!?" "We're in trouble!" says Kyuuri, as the giant men move toward them. "I'm going to go look for Piiko! Wait for me!" "Kyuuko-chan!?" An older couple watches among a gathering crowd. "Amazing," says the woman. "Must be a movie filming," says the man. A cockroach lands on his lips, and transforms into Peanut. "Piiko!" says Kyuuri. "Kyuuko-chan!" "The Kunoichi!" they say together. They press their hands together, their faces meeting. "Warning Color Mode!! Fuiren Aura Metamorphose!!" They speak into their bracelets. "Gigantic Mode!!" They become giants as well. Peanut points her bubble gun to the sky. "Darkness Powder!!" The air clouds around them. "What, fog?" says one of the kids. "I can't see!" says another. "Come on, let's go home." "Kyuuko-chan!" says Peanut. "Look! Look!" She points at the foreheads of the giant men, which each show a flower symbol. "That mark is Pyrethrum! They're using humans as broth! Their broth is dried bonito, crunchy sardines, and kelp!" She holds out her gun. "And incidentally, Christmas cake is Noel kindling!" She shoots logs at the men. "P!" says Kyuuri. "Putting in kindling will make it into a fire!" She uncorks a bottle of wine. "Holy blood of Christ-sama! Overcome the devils!" The wine catches fire and blasts at the men. The evil spirits abandon their bodies, burning away. The two men fall to the ground, restored to their original size. "Normal Mode!!" say the two girls, and they shrink back down. The men land on top of Kuria and Sunia. "Ohh..." "Is everyone all right!?" says Umeko. Kyuuri catches a flake in her hand. They look up as they float in the sky. "Snow," says Kyuuri. "This is snow?" says Peanut. "It's so light." "Oh!" says Umeko, seeing them. "Angels!" "What?" "Angels!?" says one of the kids, looking up. "It's true! Angels!" "Uh oh," says Kyuuri. "We've been spotted again." "They mean us?" says Peanut. "Q, what's an angel?" "Angels are popular characters of Christmas," says Kyuuri. "People with wings and halos who do good things. Let's escape while we have them fooled." "It's a miracle!" says the fat man. "It's said that God forgives everything!" says Umeko. "Right, Sister?" "It's a miracle!" says the nun. The two men drop to their knees. "This is the first time in our lives we've been so moved," they say. "We'll be believers in the church now!" "I pray for the divine help of God," says Umeko. "Thank you, angels!" say the kids. Peanut and Kyuuri fly through the air. "They call us angels," says Peanut. "Ehehe. I'm glad they admire us." "More importantly," says Kyuuri, "we have to get back there quickly." Peanut looks down and sees Ouji staring up at them. "Even from this far away, I can tell," she thinks. "The twinkling bald spot of Hagemashi. Kind of like an angel's halo. Thanks for protecting me earlier. My heart was pounding." Kyuuri looks down and sees Ouga. "Oh no!" she thinks. "I can see from here. The brother has a bald ring too!" "So," says Umeko, "shall we clean up and eat the turkey and cake?" Peanut sees the ring over her head as well. "Umeko-mama looks kind of like the queen," she says. "It feels like she's everybody's mother. I want to see the queen. I wonder if she's all right..." "I hope we find the queen soon," says Kyuuri. "Be optimistic," says Peanut. "We'll find her." - "Angels appeared while you were unconscious, Cecile!" says the girl. "They must be aliens!!" says Cecile. "But they kind of looked like those two..." says one of the boys. "Cockroach..." thinks Ouji. "Cockroach... Cockroach... Cockroach... Cockroach..." "Where did Piiko-chan and Kyuuko-chan go!" says Sunia. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original manga copyright © 1997 Takeuchi Naoko. English translation copyright © 1998 Alex Glover. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Manga of Takeuchi Naoko | PQ Angels