Short Program 27

Short Program, Volume 3, Chapter 27 (pp. 37~60)


<37>
Where the Wind Blows


<38>
[banner]Happy New Year

=Here and there,

=With that New Year's feeling still in the air,

FLAP FLAP

=Apparently, the new year has already begun.
[bubble]COUGH


<39>
GARUCK
[bubble]COUGH

=Is this oil stove finally done for?
=It's served out its natural life span.

[x2]KNOCK
=Come in.

=Good morning.

=Yo.

=Here,//I got the things you asked for.
=Thanks.


<40>
=Michiko, gimme a ride if you're heading home.
=Sure.

=Alright, Shohei. I'll be back in the evening.
[x2]CLANK
=Righto.

=Hey,//Look where that kite is hanging.

=I knew something was wrong with the TV.

=That guy is my classmate from high school.
=Brr.

=The girl is his childhood friend and classmate from preschool to middle school.//They're currently attending the same college in Tokyo,
BATHUMP

=This is their winter visit back home.
VRR—


<41>
=She shows up pretty much every single day when he's staying over at my place.
=Go watch the store for a minute, Shohei.
=Righto.

=Shinn-chan slept over at your place again?
=Yeah.

=It's the new year. He should be with his parents for once.
=I told him that, too...

=Welcome.
[sign right]TAHARA
[sign left]FRUITS

WHIRR—


<42>
=Hey ya,//I got you a little present.

=It still looks new.
=It is.//My mom bought it for my room over the holidays.

=It's alright.//No one's ever gonna use it if it sits there anyways.

=Your old man's gonna yell at you again.
=Don't worry.//I got the fight over with before I came here.

=They should be having a fun time trashing me behind my back right about now.

WHIRR—


<43>
=When did the new mother move into Shinn's house?

=Umm—//I think it's going to be 3 years this spring.

RRR..

=Doesn't seem like he really dislikes her.
=He's just being shy.

=And also,//He can strengthen the relationship and lessen the age gap between the novice couple by becoming the common source of worry among the two of them.
=—I've got a hunch that's what he's trying to pull off.


<44>
=That sort of understanding doesn't come about very easily.

=I've known him a long time.

=Before this turns into trash-talk...//I'm not asleep, just so you know.

VRR—

=You couldn't move because you stepped on the glob of super glue that happened to be on the sidewalk?


<45>
=That was your excuse for being late?

=What. Why are you looking at me so suspiciously?//Demon-face believed me, didn't he?
=Yeah.//You even had those knife marks on the sole of your shoe.

=You introduced me to a lot of strange excuses back when we were in high school.

=Well, I always came ready with 10 or 20 of 'em depending on the situation and the teacher I was up against.

=Hey,//We're outta cigarettes.

=Want me to go buy some?
=No, I'll go.//They moved the vending machine to a different spot.

=Get some beer too.
=Righto.


<46>
=HUFF.
[x2]CLONK

WHIRR—

[x2]WOOF

[x3]CLONK


<47>
=Hey hey! Who's that cute girl over there!?
=Dunno...

Michiko—!


<48>
GLUB..

GACHUK

=Man, that was slow.//How far did you go?

=We were in huge trouble just now.//I plugged in the water boiler and the whole room went dark.
=Couldn't find any flashlights, couldn't find the circuit panel... We were all over the place, and—

=You did better during high school.
=Huh?


<49>
=Alright,//Day after tomorrow, around six o'clock.

=You get the cake ready.
=Got it.
[bubble]CLANK//CLANK

=Cake?

=You wanna eat cake?
=Idiot.//It's your birthday, isn't it?

=—Oh yeah,//That's right.

=I go back before your birthday each year, so I figured—
=Just for a change.

=It's great having a friend, isn't it.
=Why,//Thank you.


<50>
=Alright, guess I'll be going to sleep.

=Oh my,//What a nice-looking girl.

=I'm turning the light off.


<51>
[x2]=BEEP

=BBT
[bubble]Oops

TRRRR...


<52>
=Shinn,//It's for you.

=Ah.
=Ahh—!

=Ah?//Train station?

=Now?//Really?
=Alright, I'll be there.

=Man, what a bother.
GACHUK
=Who was that girl just now?

=I told her I was going back to Tokyo tomorrow, but she says she can't wait.
=It's tough being such a lady-killer.


<53>
=I'm gonna go pick her up.
=Let her sleep over tonight, okay?
=Wha!?

=H-Hey!//You're gonna bring her here!?
BATHUMP

=But it's almost—//Hey!
=Shinn!

WHIRR—

=Cancelled?

=Huh?


<54>
=Oh, yeah!//It's cancelled!
=No birthday party tonight!

=Oh,//But...
=Gimme an excuse, Shinn! Quick!

=What about Shinn-chan?

=Parents' house!

=Anyways, there's your reason.
=What kind of a reason is that?

VRR—


<55>
=Shohei,//There was a cake and a present left in front of the door.

=Hello there—
=Huh? Where's Michiko?

=You son of a...
=Welcome.

=Is she the person I met in Shibuya?
=Yep,//The one we ran into during our date.

=Shinn-chan's childhood friend who likes Shohei-san, right?


<56>
=Pretend you didn't hear that, Shohei.
=Hear what?

=She was supposed to tell you herself on the day of your birthday.

=Oh,//I didn't realize that.
=Yeah, thanks for spoiling it, stupid!//I had to work so hard this past year...
=Wait...

=Staying in this dirty little room all the time so it'd be easier for her to show up...
=What the...

=It's a rarity these days.//A girl who needs so much help just to—

=So that means...
=Oh,//No wonder it's so cold, the stove isn't even on.
=Hey,//Hold up!


<57>
BLICK

=Maaa—n.//See? I told you.
=You can't turn on all the electric appliances in this room at the same time during the evening.

=Oh, I got it.//I know where the circuit panel is.
FLAP FLAP

=Look, Shohei.
WHIRR..

=I already told Michiko you're definitely gonna say yes.

=A lot of guys have confessed to her,//But this is the first time she's ever confessed to someone.

=Got that, Shohei!?


<58>
=If you make Michiko cry, I'm gonna—

=Hey,//Is it okay if I turn on the TV?

=We turned off the pot and the kotatsu so it should be alright.//—But this house doesn't get good reception.
[note]Kotatsu; A low table covered with a blanket and a built-in heat source. Pictured in frame two of this page.


<59>
Crystal Clear

=It's not that bad.
=Oh.

=Huh?//Isn't this a rerun of the New Year's show?
=Yeah, it is.

=I've seen this,//Already.
=Well I haven't seen it.

SCREECH


<60>
=A new year,

=—Has begun.

=Warmest thoughts and best wishes for a wonderful holiday.
[TV]Happy New Year
=This thing is...//Boring.
=Shaddup!

Where the Wind Blows (END)