Hatsukoi Limited 11

1
Hatsukoi Limited
Chapter 11: Before the Snow Begins to Fall
[insert text: Now it's all clear! It's a chibi character relationship diagram!!]
[side text: This diagram shows the many loves that are being born... but there's something missing...]
[TN: CHIBI DIAGRAM LOVE! <3]

2
Sogabe: It's coming up to Christmastime, you know, Kusuda...
Kusuda: Ahh... yeah, I guess so... / But still, you know... // To me, it's just basically a day to eat cake or whatever. / It's only little kids and popular people who get all worked up about it, y'know?
Sogabe: What's with that despondent attitude?! Open your eyes, Kusuda, you have to make your own opportunities in life!!
[sFX: smack]
Kusuda: Guahh!!
Sogabe: Kusuda... About this year's Christmas Eve... / I've been thinking... I want to spend it with Chikura-san.

3
Kusuda: Hmm, yeah... // I mean, everybody has their dreams to dream, y'know... / If you pray to Santa or whatever, maybe the girl you like will appear in your dreams on the 24th...
Sogabe: Who said anything about seeing her in their dreams?! I'm talking about reality!! / And I want you to help me think about how I can end up spending that night with her!!
Kusuda: Oh, come on, as it stands, even if we asked her, she'd just turn us down...
[sFX: bonk]
Sogabe: According to my own suspicions... / Chikura-san most likely spends her Christmas every year with her family, or perhaps friends. // Now, if it's family, that might be rather difficult, but if it turns out to be a gathering of friends, don't you think it could be feasible for us to work our way in there somehow?!
Kusuda: !!
[sFX: perk]
Sogabe: The real question is how to utilise her friends to effect the desired result...
Kusuda: Sogabe... that's it! You've got it!!
[sFX: glo~mp]
Sogabe: Aghhh!
Kusuda: If this goes well... our dreams might actually come true...!!

4
Kei: Huh?! // A Christmas party, together with us?!
Kusuda: That's right! / Don't'cha think it would be cool to all get together, eat tasty food and party and stuff?
[sFX: twitch twitch]
Sogabe: (Ku... Kusuda-kun, Kusuda-kun!! / Do you really think it's prudent to rush in head-first with such suicidal tactics?!)
Kei: You have some nerve, coming out with such impudent nonsense. / And with a face like that... a face like that... a face like that...!!
Kusuda: Shaddup! It's not like it's you I'm after anyway!!
Kei: And what do you mean by that?! // Come on, everybody!! He's obviously planning some ridiculous scheme...
Sogabe: ............!!
Kusuda: Oh, yeah, just so you know, there was one other guy who wanted to join in...

5
Kusuda: It's our lovely class rep, Zaitsu-kun~!♡
Mamoru: Nnngh... Kusuda-kun! / You are going to get rid of that thing as long as I do this, aren't you?!
Flashback!Kusuda: Zaitsu~! I've got a little somethin' to ask of you~!
[sFX: flip]
Mamoru: Agh! / You... b - but these pictures are... // [aside]When did you...?![/aside]
[sFX: whip]
Kei: Ayumi?!
Kusuda: [aside]uh-huh![/aside]
Ayumi: I - I'll do it! / Come on, everyone, we should totally do this!!

6
Kei: Honestly, I can't believe you sometimes...
Rika: Ah, I think I'll pass on this...
Koyoi: Me too~!
Kei: Yes, yes, I'm sure Koyoi wants to spend Christmas with her brother...
Koyoi: [aside]awwww![/aside] / I wanted to say it myself~~~!
Kei: So, what's up with you, Dobashi? You have plans for the 24th already?
Rika: Well... not yet, but... / I get the feeling something's going to come up...
[sFX: scratch scratch]
Kei: What's with that? It's not like you have a boyfriend or anything...
Rika: ......
Sogabe: (And you?! What are you going to do, Chikura-swa~~~n?!)
[TN: O_O SANJI]
Nao: Oh, I don't really have anything planned... // If Kei-chan and Ayumi-chan are going to go, then I'll come along too!

7
Sogabe: (All... // ALL RIGHT!! // Christmas with Chikura-san!!)
Ayumi: (Christmas with Zaitsu-kun!♡) // Ahh, we have three guys and three girls! I know!! Why don't we all do a present exchange?
Sogabe: Good idea! The guys can give the girls presents, and the girls can give them to the guys, yeah?
Ayumi: That sounds great!
Sogabe: And then at the end, we can all go down to the station where they have that great Christmas tree! You know, at midnight, they turn all the lights off for a moment and then turn them back on!
Ayumi: Yeah, I know! They say that if you watch it as a couple, then true love will be born!!
[sFX: chatter chatter chatter chatter etc.]

8
[sFX: dance dance dance dance etc]
Ayumi: Yay~! Yay~!♡
Sogabe: This is going to be a great Christmas!
Mamoru: ...Since when did those two get on so well?
[sFX: glance]
Kei: (His face is weird as usual... // I still say he's gotta be plotting something, though... // But yeah, I guess this Christmas... // I'm going to be spending it with Kusuda...)

9
[sFX: rustle]
Kei: "I think that if they really like you, they'll love a handmade present even if it's terrible!" / Metropolitan High School N, Akio-kun......... // Ugh, this is no use!! / This is Kusuda we're talking about, even if I did something like that, he'd just make me look like an idiot again somehow!!
[sFX: fwump]

10
Kei: I wonder what kind of present would make Kusuda happy... / I can't really think of much except porn and manga... // ............ // Why am I assuming that I'll be giving something to Kusuda, anyway?
[sFX: blu~~~~sh]
Kei: If it's a present exchange, I might end up having to give it to one of the other two instead! // But there is a one-in-three chance I'll end up with Kusuda after all. / I need to pick out something that'll make him so happy he cries, something that'll make him prostrate himself before me in thanks!
[sFX: roll]
Imaginary!Kusuda: Thanks so much! I can't believe you got me such a great present, Enomoto!
[sFX: haha~!]
Imaginary!Kusuda: Even though I've always been so rude to you and stuff... I'm so sorry!
Kei: Yeah, right...
[sFX: heheheh...]

11
Imaginary!Kusuda: ...To tell the truth... The reason I've been so nasty to you all this time... // I... I guess it's just my way of concealing the fact that I really like you.
[sFX: thump thump thump]
Kei: Wh - whoa...?! [aside]ahhhh...![/aside] // No, no, there's no way something like that could happen...
[Label: Enomoto's Delusion Theatre]
Imaginary!Kei: There's no way you could actually have feelings for me... I'm always so cold towards you... / Be - besides, it's not like we'd make a good couple in the slightest!!
[sFX: slam]
Kusuda: But you're so interested in me, you're imagining this crazy scene, right?! // [aside]take this / seriously![/aside]
Kei: N - No! / A man is only as good as his looks! Looks are everything!! Stop looking at me with those filthy eyes of yours, I... I...!

12
[sFX: sta~~~re]
Yuu: ......Kei-cha~n...
[TN: yuu love <3]
Yuu: What're you agonising about all naked like that...?
Kei: Ah... [aside]crap...[/aside] // (...... // I won't accept it......!)

13
Kei: (Hell, only recently I got a proposal from a man who makes 1,300,000,000 yen a year! // So why am I even thinking about a guy like... a guy like...! // It's not even just his looks, he's a little piece of scum on ths inside, too! Why on Earth is my heart pounding for him...?!! // He really is terrible... / [aside]ughhh...[/aside])
[sFX: aahhhhhh! aahhhhhh! aahhhhhh!]
Nao: Hey, hey, Kei-chan! / Have you bought your Christmas present yet? If you haven't bought it yet, shall we go and do it together?
Kei: Ahh... no, I'll deal with that on my own. / After all, if we don't know what's inside them, it'll be more exciting when the time comes, don't you think?
Nao: What're you gonna buy? Have you decided yet?
Kei: Nope, not in the slightest! / Maybe I'll go for something I wanted to get myself... [aside]ahahahah...[/aside]
[TN: Hm, not sure on that one... not familiar with the term "ukeneratta", and I can't seem to find much in the way of examples to work from elsewhere, so I'm just trying to interpret literally...]

14
Kei: Man, I just can't choose! Now I come to think about it, this is the first time I've ever tried to pick out a present for a guy... / though I've received tons...
[sFX: toss]
Kei: I don't know that guys would really like stuffed toys... / Probably be better off with something they could actually use in day-to-day life...
[sFX: hahahahahah...]

15
Kei: How about a scarf...? Well, I guess that's safe enough. // Ahh... this colour looks like it'd suit plain old Kusuda... [aside]heheh...[/aside] // I've never seen him wearing a scarf before, either... // Maybe this way he'll end up wearing it for me... // (......KUSUDA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~?!!)
Kusuda: Ahh!
[sFX: glance]
Kei: ...... // What? Are you here looking for a present as well?

16
Kusuda: Shaddup, what, is there something wrong with that?! ...Hey, whaddaya call that?! / What kind of guy d'you think would wear a flashy thing like that?!
Kei: I - I think it's fine!! [aside]I mean, it is a men's scarf...[/aside] // Have you ever tried wearing orange in your life? If you haven't, then stop being so fussy!! // And you're looking at gloves, huh...?
Kusuda: ......
[sFX: fwip]
Kei: Hu~h, who'd've thought...? Since it's you, I'd've thought you'd be picking out some kind of skimpy underwear of something!
Kusuda: Huh, you're more pervy than me.
Kei: Hey, I was just imagining what would be going through your -
Kusuda: Like I'd go around buying somethin' like that. What if I had to give 'em to Chikura or Arihara?
Kei: ...!

17
Kusuda: Huh, you think just like a pervy old man, y'know, Enomoto!
Kei: (Why... // Why does he think of Chikura and Ayumi as girl, but when it comes to me... // Just... // ...me...!!) // Oh, come on... // Look at you with those ridiculous gloves... you really think any girl would want to be given those?

18
Kei: You know, if you gave those silly pink things to me, I'd throw them away as soon as I could! // And aren't those things on sale, as well?! Buying things that're on sale as a present... I can't believe you! // (Hey... / What am I saying? I can't go on like...) // Honestly, Kusuda, you just don't understand girls at -
[sFX: fling]
[sFX: scuffle scuffle scuffle]

19
Kei: (Kusuda... // Kusuda...! // What should I do...? // I went and hurt his feelings...!!)
[insert text: They just can't be honest with one another...]
[bottom text: How will their feelings develop...? Next issue, "I want to say it, but I can't..."]