Rin (HAROLD Sakuishi) 4

*For ryColaa Scanlations

p1:
Rin
[inset text]: I want to be something.

p2:
Rin: You’re Fushimi Kinosuke-kun, right?
Fushimi: Ah, yes.

p3:
Rin: You’re 16, right? A freshman?

Fushimi: ….. / I was born early, so I’m a sophomore.

p4:
Rin: You’re the same age as me, then. / Nice to meet you. I’m Ishidou.
Fushimi: N—Nice to meet you.

Rin: I don’t read that much manga, so I’m not an expert or anything,

Rin: But the two stories in that yellow book I thought were good were yours and Taki-kun’s.

p5:
Fushimi: Th—Thank you.

Rin: All I could feel from the other manga was the scent of ink and paper…

Rin: But from yours and his, / it felt like the characters had a soul.

?????

p6:
Fushimi: Do you want me to bring you some water?
Rin: Mm-mm. I’m fine now.

Rin: I’m sorry to say something so strange on our first meeting.
SFX: Smile

Fushimi: Ah, no… Thank you for reading my work.

p7:
Rin: No, I didn’t read it. / I just felt it.

????

p8:
Nishiguchi: Fushimi-kun, let me introduce you to Taki-kun.
Fushimi: Huh?

Nishiguchi: I worked at Nishigaitsu Hanako-sensei’s place as her assistant. / Taki-kun came there twice over summer break for help.

Fushimi: Really?!!

Nishiguchi: I was kind of surprised he got so good, so fast. / C’mon, let’s go.
Fushimi (aside): Nichigaitsu Hanako… / She wrote With Charles, You, and Henry…

p9:
Nishiguchi: Taki-kun!

Nishiguchi: Your award-winning work “Blood and Mud” was super interesting. / Nishigaitsu-sensei loved it, too. / She really seemed to like you.

Taki: That feels like something I wrote long ago. / Now it looks horrible to me.

Fushimi: That looks horrible to him?!
Taki: My next work will be leagues better.

p10:
Nishiguchi: Allow me to introduce you. This is Fushimi-kun, who won the Showed award. / He’s a high school sophomore, same as you.
Fushimi: N—Nice to meet you. I’m Fushimi. / <aside: I’m sure he doesn’t know who I am… >

Taki: Ah, you’re the one wrote Idiot.

Fushimi: Huh? You knew that?

p11:
Taki: Out of all the award winners, yours was the most original. / To be honest, none of the others works really interested me much.

Nishiguchi: Hey, hey,hey! Stop looking down on us! / And you completely ignored my work!
Taki: Ah. Sorry about that, Nishiguchi-san.

Editor: Looks like the party’s in full swing, but we’re going to come to a close soon…

Nishiguchi: Fushimi-kun, you’re going to the after-party, right? / We can talk all night about the theory behind manga!
Fushimi: O... OK.

p12:
Nishiguchi: Nishigaitsu-sensei said she was going to stop by, / but I wonder if her meeting’s gone late.
Fushimi: Hmm…. I don’t really have much of a theory of manga…

Damn, it’s raining cats and dogs.

p13:
SFX: Glance

p14:
Fushimi: !!

p15:
Editor: Hey, Fushimi-kun, you all right?! / You drunk, or something?! / I actually am drunk, though.
Fushimi: I’m—I’m sorry. / I haven’t even had one drink.

Nishigaitsu: Hey, is that you, Rin-chan?

Nishigaitsu: It’s me, Nishigaitsu! / What brings you out here?

p16:
Nishigaitsu: What’s it been, Rin-chan, six months? I’m so happy to see you again!

Ah! That’s Nishigaitsu Hanako, the author of With Charles, You, and Henry!!
Fushimi: Wait—who’s the stud with her?

Nishigaitsu: The situation was a bit heavy, so I don’t want to get into the details, but…

Nishigaitsu: I was worried about my little brother, who had gone missing after accruing some debt, / and I wound up meeting Rin-chan through a friend of a friend.
SFX: Spark (it’s a lighter)

p17:
Rin: Your brother will come home during spring of next year.

Nishigaitsu: Ohhhhh… I hadn’t even said anything yet, and then she said that? It gave me goosebumps.
Asides: Scary, scary, scary.

Rin: I’m sorry I didn’t know you were a famous manga artist back then, Nishigaitsu-sensei.

Fushimi: I wonder what they’re talking about…

p18:
Taki: So then, Ishidou-san, you have spiritual powers?

Nishigaitsu: Ahhhh! Taki-kun, you believe in that sort of thing?

Nishiguchi: Hmmm… To be honest, I have my doubts about that stuff…

Taki: I figure most of what circles around the world is all a hoax.

p19:
Taki: However…

Taki: That doesn’t mean I believe there aren’t any mysteries in the world, that there is nothing more to life than what I can see.

Taki: Readers don’t read manga seeking something commonplace. / Something can be the truth—no matter how unrealistic—if one believes.

p20:
Taki: Perhaps it is those who accept the existence of a world they cannot see / for whom the world truly shines in all its splendor.

Nishigaitsu: You talk pretty big for a high school student.
Taki: Well, I wouldn’t put it like that.

Stare~

p21:
Taki: Ishidou-san’s just really caught my interest.

Nishiguchi: It’s because Rin-chan’s so cute, right?
Nishigaitsu: My goodness!
Fushimi: And what ever happened to talking about the theory of manga, Nishiguchi-san?!

p22:
Sign: Hotel Bilbao

p23:
Rin: But the two stories in that yellow book I thought were good were yours and Taki-kun’s.

Fushimi: You say that, but while he got the grand prize (1,000,000 Yen), / I only Showed (100,000 Yen)…

Fushimi: I have to work harder… / Work harder, and make a great manga…

p24:
Mutou: My bad, Fushimi-kun! / Three copies of your storyboard have already arrived.

Fushimi: W—well, that’s good.

Mutou: Damn, I’m out of it… I was drinking till 10 in the morning, y’see… / I smell like alcohol, don’t I?
Fushimi: It’s—It’s fine, really. / He really stinks.

p25:
Mutou: So then, let’s start reading through this.

Mutou: “Savate’s Triangle Kick”, huh? / Pretty cool.
Paper: Savate’s Triangle Kick / Fushimi Kinosuke

SFX: Thump Thump Thump

Fushimi: I’m—I’m so nervous…

p26:
Fushimi: Even though it’s not a finished manuscript…

Fushimi: And even though the person reading it has a hangover…
(left side): I thought it was a lot better than Idiot,but…

p27:
Right: Zzzzzz.
Fushimi: !!

Bottole: Ukon the Magician

Mutou: Ahh, sorry about that. I sort of fell off partway through.
SFX: Gulp Gulp
Mutou: Because I was reading so intently, you see.
Fushimi: O…kay…

Mutou: This manga really feels a lot like you, / but this will place you in Showed again.

p28:
Mutou: So Fushimi-kun, what do you plan on doing once you graduate?

Fushimi: Well, I haven’t really spoken with anyone else, / but I haven’t thought about anything but becoming a manga artist.

Mutou: …. / What about college, or finding a job?
Fushimi: …Then I wouldn’t be able to focus on drawing manga.

p29:
Fushimi: My family’s not that well-off… / That’s why I want to fully utilize my skills and become a professional as soon as possible.

Mutou: …. / You’re perfectly straightforward and have a passionate heart, but your manga…

Mutou: Has a Savate expert who’s a freeloader, is being two-timed by a snack girl, and sets fire to a French restaurant?

Fushimi: Y—yeah… Sorry.

p30:
SFX: Vnnnn! Vnnnn!

Mutou: Nishiguchi-kun! Good job yesterday!

Fushimi: Huh? Nishiguchi-san has Mutou-san’s cell number? / He only told me the number of the editing department!

Mutou: I have a meeting with Nishiguchi-kun after this. / He’s planning on getting serialized, so he’s really giving it his all.

Mutou: You’ve got a lot of work ahead of you, planning on seeking serialization right out of the gate. / First off, let’s have you aim for the grand prize of the next Sawamura Prize.

p31:
Mutou: At any rate, if you can’t draw something better than the prize-winning works, you’ll never get any higher.

Fushimi: I’ve gotta go higher…

p32:
Fushimi: I guess that was all a waste… / <aside: Sigh >

SFX: Vnnnn! Vnnnn!

Fushimi: Ah, it’s Nishiguchi-san.
SFX: Vnnnn! Vnnnn!

Nishiguchi: Fushimi=kun, are you still in Tokyo?

p33:
Fushimi: Ah, yes. I was getting kind of hungry, so I thought I might grab something to eat, / but I got so nervous and I couldn’t bring myself to actually go inside any of the shops. / I’m in Ikebukuro right now.

Nishiguchi: That’s perfect! / Right now, I’m heading over to Nishigaitsu-sensei’s place to meet up with her and Taki-kun. We’re celebrating our success with a hot pot party. You should come, too.

Fushimi: Huh?

Nishiguchi: If you need a place to stay, you can always bunk at my place.

p34:
Fushimi: At your house, Nishiguchi-san?
Nishiguchi: There a problem with that?!! / Well, I guess it is kind of a dump…

Fushimi: I doubt you’ll have many other chances to meet with a master of shoujo manga like Nishigaitsu-sensei.

SFX: Ding-dong!

p35:
Fushimi: Wow…
Nishiguchi: Isn’t it amazing? An English-style manner house like this, in the best residential district in Tokyo. / And she’s also got an apartment in a high-rise.

Fushimi: Some—some manga about a freeloader Savate expert will never earn me enough to build a mansion like this…

Fushimi: I bought some autograph paper at a convenience store; do you think she’d sign it?
Nishiguchi: I’ll ask her for you.

Stud: Come on in.

Nishiguchi: Hello.
Fushimi: It’s a different stud than the one from last night.

p36:
Nishigaitsu: Nishi-chan, did you buy some ice for us?

Nishiguchi: Ah, yes. / Allow me to introduce you. This is Fushimi-kun. He was there yesterday, but he really doesn’t have much presence.

Nishigaitsu: My goodness, aren’t you cute!

Nishigaitsu: Welcome! I’m Nishigaitsu!
Nishiguchi: He’s the same age as Taki-kun.
Nishigaitsu: Taki-kun? If you’re looking for him, he’s already digging in to the kimchi hot pot.

p37:
Fushimi: Wh—why does she have such strong perfume?

Nishiguchi: So Fushimi-kun was saying that he’d like an autograph from you, Nishigaitsu-sensei.

Nishigaitsu: Okay! I’ll draw you something before I go and get drunk!

Picture: To my beloved Honda Asuna-chan, / With Charles, You, and Henry

p38:
Fushimi: Whoa! Awesome!! / I’m sure she’ll love it.
Nishigaitsu: So, is that your girlfriend?

Fushimi: No, not really…
Nishiguchi: Hey, you bastard! You’re only in high school; you better not get a girlfriend already!!

Fushimi: Thank you very much.

Fushimi: Then I’ll be heading home now.
Nishigaitsu (aside): What?

p39:
Fushimi: Meeting Nishiguchi-san and Taki-kun was really, really invigorating. / As was this mansion. / Now I know just how much I still lack.

Fushimi: So that’s why I want to head home and start working on my next manga!

p40:
Nishiguchi: Fushimi-kun, you’re not just saying that because you don’t want to stay at my place, right?
Fushimi: Well, to be blunt, that’s part of it.
Nishigaitsu: That’s the spirit!

Nishigaitsu: Work hard so you don’t lose to Nishi-chan!
Fushimi: Though I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to draw…

Fushimi: I will!
Nishigaitsu: And don’t lose to Taki-kun, either!

Nishiguchi: Ah!

p41:
Taki: Well I don’t plan on losing either.

Nishigaitsu: Well, Fushimi-kun? What do you say to that?

SFX: Thump Thump Thump

p42:
Fushimi: I swear, Taki-kun, / I will overtake you!

p43:
Nishiguchi: There wasn’t much else you could say there, huh? / I’m sorry if it sounded like I thought it was impossible. / <aside: Nishigaitsu-sensei stirred everything up. >
Fushimi: I’m—I’m glad things turned out fun.

Fushimi: I’m pretty sure I know how to get to the station from here. / You don’t have to walk me there.

Nishiguchi: No; I’m going there to pick up a girl.

Fushimi: Huh?
Nishiguchi: She was at the award ceremony yesterday. Her name was Ishidou Rin-chan…

p44:
Fushimi: Huh?!

Rin: Ah!

p45:
Nishiguchi: Hey!

Nishiguchi: I didn’t realize you had spoken with Fushimi-kun yesterday, Rin-chan.
Rin: Ah, yes, a little.

Fushimi: Are you feeling better.

Rin: Yes, I’m good.

p46:
Nishiguchi: That’s a lot of bags you’ve got there.
Akane: We went shoppin’ today. / We went to Harajuku, Shibuya, and Daikanyama.

Rin: Everyone there was so shiny. / I thought all the people walkin’ along were models, or somethin’.
Akane: I’m sorry, Rin-chan. / I was the one doin’ most of the shoppin’, but I dragged you along with me.

Fushimi: Harajuku, Shibuya, and Daikanyama… I don’t feel nearly confident enough to go to any of those places. / I feel like I’d have to spend three years training in Ikebukuro first.

Rin: I was pretty nervous, too.

p47:
Nishiguchi: Fushimi-kun, if you don’t hurry you’ll miss the bullet train!
Fushimi: Oh, right!

Rin: Huh? Fushimi-kun, you’re heading home?

Fushimi: Ah, yeah.

Nishiguchi: Rin-chan, we’ve gotta get going and start working on that hot pot. / Taki’s there, too.

p48:
Fushimi: See ya! / So she’s got her eye on Taki then.

Rin: Fushimi-kun?

p49:
Rin: I’m glad I was able to see you again.

p50-51:
Fushimi: I wonder why… / Why those words brought tears to my eyes.

p52:
Akane: I was kinda surprised.

Akane: I’ve never seen you talk to a boy like that before, Rin-chan.
Rin: Like what, exactly?

Akane: Like you wished you’d given him your email address.

Akane: You listenin’?
SFX: Stare

p53:
Nishigaitsu: Akane-chan! Rin-chan! Let’s take a picture together!

Rin: That man was there yesterday.

Nishigaitsu: Huh?

Nishigaitsu: Sa—Sawamura-sensei died suddenly a while back.

Rin: ……I know.

p54:
Nishigaitsu: Wait—that means…

Rin: His stomach hurt a lot and he was intensely nauseous until he finally died of a stomach illness, right?

Nishigaitsu: …. / Th—That’s certainly true.

Nishiguchi: So was that one of those “wandering ghosts” or “bound ghosts” I’ve heard so much about?

p55:
Nishigaitsu: Come to think of it, he died right before the selection for the Sawamura Prize two years ago…

Nishigaitsu: The last word he wrote in his diary… was “Taurus.”

Nishigaitsu: They say it meant he was interested in the selection for the Sawamura Prize right up until the very end.

p56:
…..

Rin: “Taurus”… wasn’t the name of the magazine.

Rin: It seems he meant something else.

p57:
Fushimi: I can still smell the scent of Nishigaitsu-sensei’s perfume…

Fushimi: Taki-kun was certainly intense… / Nishiguchi-san seemed nice…

p58:
“I’m glad I was able to see you again.”

SFX: Rumble Rumble

Phone: Nishiguchi-san / Good job! / The party’s really starting to heat up!!

p59:
<no text>

p60-61:
All right… / First, I’ve got to work hard and aim for the Sawamura Award’s Grand Prize!!

p62:
Asuna: Eeeeek! My god!!

Asuna: “To my beloved”? This is so awesome!! / Thank you so much, Fushimi-kun!!

To be continued in the May issue.