Sket Dance 7

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[insert text: Romance in the rain...]
Roman: Aaahh... I really wish I'd bothered to check the weather forecast... // I'm just a real screw-up, I guess. // Eheheh. // (I'm Saotome Roman, 17 years old. // Hm? You want to know why I'm randomly introducing myself? / Wondering who the heck I'm talking to anyway? // How silly! You shouldn't worry about little things like that. / I feel like something good's gonna happen today! [asidetext]though it's evening already...[/asidetext]) // Huh?

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Guy: What's this...? You've got yourself pretty messed up, huh? // Hahah... / Hey, stop that. Come on! // I see. // You're... // ...all alone, too, huh?

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Sket Dance
Chapter 7: The Prince Of The Hill
[insert text: Her heart begins to pound...]
[box: Note: This manga is in fact Sket Dance.]
[TN: lol @ note.]
Roman: I've found him... // My "prince"...

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Bossun: Here. // You can have your crazy towel back.
Himeko: Is that the way you talk when you're borrowin' people's stuff?!! / It stopped ya gettin' all wet, didn't it?!
Bossun: I got soaked from my hat down to my undershirt. What's the use in a single towel like that? // And anyway, who puts brown letters on a purple background?!
Himeko: This was a special gift from PeroCan! Brown on purple means baked-eggplant flavour.
[TN: I've been translating "PeroCan" just as "lollipop" in the previous chapters (the Japanese for lollipop is "peropero candy") but since it's clearly being used as a brand-name abbreviation, I'm going to start leaving it untranslated.]
Bossun: Huh? / Every flavour has its own colours?! / They sure put a lot of effort into this junk, those PeroCan guys...!!
Himeko: Hey!! This looks kinda... dirty! / It's gotta be your fault!!
Bossun: Well, yeah, I went and dropped it in the mud. / But don't worry, I washed it. Don't underestimate the power of Faming!
Himeko: Faming?! // That's a fabric softener!! What kind of idiot are you?!!
Bossun: Huh?! It should make the towel feel good, right?!
Himeko: THat just makes it soft!! / Try using something that actually cleans it!!!

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Bossun: Eh? // Aaaaaghhhh?!!
Roman: Owwie......
Bossun: Oww... // Agh?!! // Ah, I'm really sorry... are you okay?
Roman: Oh - oh, no, I'm fine...
Bubbles: Ahh! // Oh, no!
Roman: I'm sorry!
Bossun: That's kinda old...!!

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Bossun: Sooo... what's your name?
Roman: I'm Saotome Roman!!
Bossun: Ahh... / Don't say it like that...
Himeko: Hey, that's amazin'!! How d'ya even pull off a face like that?!!
Roman: I can do it like this too... // I'm 17 years old!
Himeko: What's with this girl?!! / She's so... free-spirited!!!
[TN: Not sure on that description... "yaritai houdai"? @_@]
Bossun: Anyway, what are you even here for?! / Don't you have a request or something?!
Roman: Yes... The truth is, I'd like you to find somebody for me. // I think he's a student at this school, but I'm not really sure...
Bossun: Oh, well in that case, Switch should be able to get the data you need, easy. / What's his name?

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Roman: The Prince Of The Hill...
Bossun: Ehh... The Pr... / What?!
[TN: Obviously it doesn't work in English, but in Japanese it sounds like she could actually be saying a name. For a second, at least.]
Roman: Don't you know him? The Prince Of The Hill.
Bossun: Like hell I do! What kind of kingdom is that?!
Himeko: I'm gettin' kinda a bad feeling about this girl...
Switch: The Prince Of The Hill is a character from the classic shoujo manga "Garandu☆Garandu".
Bossun: From a manga! I knew it!!
Himeko: The hell kinda title's that?!! You sure that's a shoujo manga?!
Roman: I'm very sorry... The truth is, I don't even know his name or even what school year he's in... // So I just think of him by the name of a character he looks like.
Switch: Incidentally, this girl is a member of the manga club. She's an aspiring manga-ka who has even made submissions to magazines.
Roman: My favourite genre is retro shoujo manga.
Bossun: I see... / You know, we only ever seem to run into freaks, geeks and old-fashioned people in this manga...
Himeko: There's no point even saying it...

7
Bossun: Hmmmm... // I see. / So you fell for some guy, but you don't know a single thing about him... / You're even clichéd about falling in love, huh?
Roman: P - please don't make fun of such things!! // Don't make fun of such things!!
Himeko: Why'd ya say it over again?!!!
Bossun: Yeah... she's cute, but kinda annoying, this one.
Roman: Don't you know all girls love clichés?!
Bossun: I'm not even sure whether she's got the right word there...
[TN: It's a joke that doesn't translate. She uses the word "moeru", which can either mean "love" (as in "moe") or "burn" depending on the kanji. You'd expect Roman's sentence to have the "love" kanji, as in "all girls love clichés", but I think Bossun's wondering whether the "burn" kanji - which is the one she actually used - isn't more appropriate after all. Or something. >.<]
Roman: But whenever I see a clichéd situation, I suddenly start looking at it as though it's a shoujo manga... / I call it my "Otome Filter".
[TN: "Otome" means "young girl" and is also part of her family name, "Saotome". Her name itself is a sort of pun as well - "Saotome" also means "young girl", and "Roman", if you put it in katakana, means "romance".]
Himeko: Okay, that's enough of that!! / I don't wanna hear any more!!!

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Bossun: A~nyway... I don't know that we can search for this Prince of yours if we don't have any leads... / Can't you remember any kind of identifying characteristics?
Roman: Well... // I'd say kind of... narrow... overall... // Kind of subtle and sharp, bordering on too sharp... / If I was going to compare it to something... yes, it would have to be a dip-pen A...
Bossun: Dip-pen A?!
Roman: But there's a kind of boldness there at the same time... That would have to be a G-pen...
Bossun: G-pen?!
Roman: His hands were large and muscular... the sort of hands that would be good at drawing bold emanating rays...
Bossun: Huh?! What? / And how can you tell something like that anyway?!
Roman: And his sensitivity makes me think of rainbow curves... / Yes... just like a cloud-shaped ruler -
Bossun: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whooooa!!!
Himeko: Wait up, wait up!!! I can't understand a word you're sayin'!!!
Bossun: What's all this about dip-pens and G-pens?! What're those?!! Stuff for drawing manga?!!

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Roman: Ah, I'm sorry. A G-pen is a kind of pen that draws thinner lines than a normal dip-pen. / Was it difficult to understand?
Bossun: No!! / I mean, it's difficult, but I think you're missing the point!!!
Himeko: Wow... this is a tough one... We need a proper straight man...
Bossun: I think we're going to have to work together here... We'll hit her both at once with a double-straight-man-attack! // Look, Roman-chan, the thing is, I didn't really get your examples... / What with your "Otome Filter" and everything, it sounds like all you're doing is showering compliments on him or something... // Could you give us something a bit more... concrete?
Roman: Hmm... Ah, I know! It's okay, I know just the thing!! // The truth is, I drew a picture of his face.
Himeko: Ahhh, that's more like it!! / You're in the manga club, so you'll be good at drawing, right?!
Bossun: ...............
Himeko: If we know his face, it'll be easy!!

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Switch: But if it's as seen through her "Otome Filter"... ...It'll probably be something like this, completely detached from reality, won't it?
Himeko: You can shut up! Idiot!! / She's an aspiring manga artist, she can at least draw properly!
Bossun: ............... // Nah, I think it'll be more kinda like... you know... / It'll turn out that she's actually a terrible artist or something.
Himeko: Nah, nah, nah, nah, no way!! / There's no way it'd turn out like that, that's old hat!! / It just doesn't work like that.
Roman: Umm... Instead of putting all this pressure on me... // You could just look...?
Bossun: O - okay.

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Bossun: Just like I predicted!!!
Himeko: That's just both of them put together!!!
Roman: I - I'm sorry... I know my style's old-fashioned...
Bossun: Uh... yeah. / You could call it old-fashioned [smalltext]...or you could call it crap...[/smalltext] / Ah, this is useless... // Anyway, aren't old-fashioned shoujo manga more... // Kinda more... like...
Himeko: Hm? / Oh, yeah, come to think of it, you're good at drawing, aren't you...
Bossun: Kind of like this?
Himeko: Whoooooa!!!! // That's brilliant!!! You're incredible!!! How can you draw like that?!!!
Bossun: Hm? / Isn't this just kinda normal?
Himeko: The hell it is!!! What ARE you?!!!

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Himeko: Hey, hey, come on, draw something else! / A cat! Try drawing a cat!
Bossun: A cat?! / Why d'you want me to draw a cat? We're looking for a prince...
Himeko: Oh, just draw the damn cat, you idiot!!
Roman: Let me draw one too!! This is a matter of pride!!
Himeko: Well said!! I'll draw one too! All right, Bossun?!!
Bossun: O... okay.... // So... what kind?
Himeko: What kind?! // I... uh... You mean you can draw different sorts? / Uh... how about that! Y'know, a Scottish Fold!
Bossun: A Scottish Fold? / Sounds kinda complicated...!!
Roman: Ummm... That's the kind with the folded ears, right?
Bossun: Eh, whatever...
[Text: Otome Filter Activated]
Roman: (He's blunt, and foul-mouthed, but... // Could he actually be a subtle and skilful person? // He almost looks like... // No! Don't be silly, Roman! // That's just the Otome Filter talking!

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Bossun: You mean something like this?
Himeko: WHOOOOOA!!!! // You're really somethin', you are!! / Have you been, like, hiding your true self?!
Bossun: Wha...! Hey, don't say things like that! I'm the main character, you know!
Himeko: Whoever heard of a main character whose special skill was drawing?!
Bossun: Shaddup!!! You're supposed to be the straight man here!! / The guest characters are the weird ones!! / I... / I'm...!!!
Roman: I... I drew one too...
Himeko: Another terrible one...!!! / What's with the stupidly floppy ears?!
Bossun: ............ / Dammit... I got pushed aside again... // Hey, yours is freakin' terrible too!! // What kind of "Scottish Fold" is that?!!
Himeko: I told you I can't draw already!!
Bossun: Switch...?! // Ah... ahhhh...... / It's pretty good...
Himeko: That's a half-assed job!!! And who asked you to join in?!!!

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Bossun: Aaaaaagh, dammit... What the hell are we doing?!! We're supposed to be looking for that "Prince"!!
Himeko: Yeah!! We really haven't got anywhere! / What the hell are we doing with these four cat-pictures?!!
Switch: Indeed! First we have to try and find a lead!!
Bossun: That's what we were DOING when we got completely off-topic!!! // But anyway... I don't see how we're going to find any leads at this rate.
Roman: I'm sorry............ // ............ // Well, then... // We'll just give u -
Bossun: And that's why... // we'll just have to go and check out the place where you saw this "Prince". / There could be some kind of clue!
Roman: !! // Yes...! // It was last night, around here that I caught sight of him.
Bossun: This road? Huh... I came through here too.
Roman: He picked up a dog somewhere around here.

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Bossun: Then maybe we should start by looking for the dog. / What kind of dog was it?
Roman: Hmmmm... // I couldn't see it very well in the rain, so I can't say what breed it was...
Bossun: Then... what colour?
Roman: Purple.
Bossun: Purple?!! // Huh? Huh? Is there such a thing as a purple dog?!
Roman: Yes. It was purple with brown spots.
Himeko: What kind of creature d'ya call that?!!!
Bossun: There's no way a dog like that could... // (Purple...... and brown...?!)
Flashback!Bossun: Aghhh... // I went and dropped the towel... even though it's Himeko's...

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Flashback!Bossun: Whoa... it's soaked... // I've gotta wash this thing or she'll kill me...
[Text: Otome Filter]
Filter!Bossun: You've got yourself pretty messed up, huh?
Flashback!Bossun: Waghh!!! // Bleeggh!!! // It's filthy!! / Gawd... it stinks like a dustcloth!!
[Text: Otome Filter]
Filter!Bossun: Hahah... // Hey, stop that. Come on!
Bossun: (It was me......?!!!)
Himeko: Well, I guess we should go look for that purple dog of yours...
Switch: I will investigate possible breeds.

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Himeko: Hm? What's wrong, Bossun? You look like an idiot...
Bossun: Well... // Umm... // Roman-chan... // About the guy you saw...
Roman: ?
Bossun: !!! // Look out!!! // Owww...!! // Hey... are you okay?!!

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[Text: Otome Filter]
Filter!Bossun: Are you all right?!
Bossun: Whoooooa!! That was scary...!! // Watch where you're going, you damn truck!!
Roman: It was you all along... // My prince...
Bossun: Huh? // Huh?! No... you - you're wrong!! Well, you're right, actually, but... you're wrong!!! I mean...
Roman: I always believed I would find you...!!
Himeko: Hey, hey, what's this! Why so quiet, Mr. Prince?!
Bossun: Like I said, you're wrong!! It was a towel!!! A towel, not a dog!!!
Switch: "A Towel, Not A Dog"? Is that the title of some new single?
Bossun: Like hell it is!! Ah, damn it all...!!!
[insert text: The power of love is truly magnificent!]
[bottom text: Another love story next issue?! In place of a client, Bossun goes on a date with a girl...?!]