Sakuranbo Syndrome - Cupid no Itazura II Volume 3

Yeeeeeeehaaaaaah!! Third volume for the awesome series Sakuranbo Syndrome.
Scanlated version available from Gantz Waiting Room.
Enjoy. I know I have.
--------------------------
003
The arrows that Cupid, of Roman legend fame would shoot around at a whim had an uncanny power that let him have men and women's hearts at his beck and call. Any human being whose heart he pierced with a golden arrow would awaken to love, and there was no passion that wouldn't be squelched after a shot from his arrows of lead. Nowadays, should Cupid ever get in a mischievous mood..............

004
The story so far.
Agawa Munenori is a company employee. Amami Rena looks like she could be in middle school, but upon approaching him she claims that "she's actually 19, and that she needs him to kiss her if she is to stop her body from growing increasingly younger and smaller." At first Agawa doesn't believe her in the least. But after a row that brings their past hurts back to the surface, kissing comes to them naturally. Rena then promptly leaves, and perhaps because he's just confronted his past heartbreak, Agawa confesses his love to his senpai Asou Sayako shortly afterwards. She is reluctant at first, only giving in because of his insistence. But once it is done she can't get enough of him. They even contemplate cohabitation when Rena shows up, even younger than before.
Sakuranbo SYNDROME [Cupid's Prank II] {3}.

Chapter 19 - Might as well... ......5
Chatper 20 - What are you doing?.....25 Chapter 21 - Yield? .....45
Chapter 22 - I am relieved. ......65 Chapter 23 - Looks like fun. ......85
Chapter 24 - I hate children. ......107 Chapter 25 - I misjudged you. ......127
Chapter 26 - I might be able to talk to her. ......147 Chapter 27 - What the Devil... ......167
Chapter 28 - I can't take it anymore. ......187

005
Might as well.

006
Rena: You mean you'd kiss me every day.......?/Really...?//Are you serious about this?
Mune: Serious or not/if you don't get your kiss, bad things will happen, right?//I can't turn my back and just walk away/Not now that I've seen what happened to you.

007
Rena: But Agawa-san/you have a girlfriend, now.
Mune: I... Uh.../......
Rena: And she's pretty, too.
Mune: .......

008
Sakai: ..........Uh.
Mune: !
Rena: .......
Sakai: Ah.../Aaaaah//I-I'm sorry. I'll be on my way, now./Go-Gosh. I need to hurry if I want to catch the last train.
Rena: Ruu-kun.
Sakai: Maan, I feel like I landed in front of a couple, right in the middle of something. Like, I don't even know what to do with myself.//That said//Agawa-san/You look like a nice enough guy, just like Rena said. I feel better now.

009
Rena: Ruu-kun...
Sakai: You need anything, just gimme a call./I'll come ASAP. By taxi, if I have to.//Alright, then. Thanks for the meal.
Mune: ........//.......//.........

010
Mune: During this couple of months since I last saw you... | I've been wondering if you were alright.........//But/damn/That disease that turns you back into a child was for real......../I can hardly believe it..........//......../Come over here. Have a seat.
Rena: Uh-huh......

011
Rena: .....
Mune: When I kiss you/how long does it keep the symptoms at bay?
Rena: According to the doctor/your ACS enzyme is amazingly effective. Well beyond her expectations.........
Doc: Your CS enzyme was on the brink of causing yet another aging reversal, and the ACS enzyme you took from Agawa managed to reset the process entirely./By my reckoning, the CS enzyme should remain completely inactive for a little more than 24 hours after the ACS intake.
Rena: 24 hours........

012
Doc: Yes. | Which is to say you've spent an entire day free of the CS enzyme's influence./In other words//for this day, and this one day alone/you were able to age like a normal person.//One kiss from Agawa-san/allowed you to get one day closer to adulthood. Just one day.
Rena: Basically, Agawa-san

013
Rena: One day, one kiss./In time, it will add up./And I'll be able to grow back into adulthood.

014
Mune: One day, one kiss.......
Rena: Can you do this, Agawa-san?
Mune: .......//Whe-whether I can or can't, that's not the question.......//?/Rena?

015
Rena: Give it another thought./Consider this decision carefully.........
Mune: Rena?
Rena: You may agree to kiss me now, in the spur of the moment...//But someday/somewhere/you might change your mind, or God knows what else//You might get sick of it./I.../I......

016-017
Rena: I don't want to hear that. Ever./I'd rather you abandoned me now.........!

018
Mune: (It reminds me of that snowy day, when I was in elementary school./I lived in an apartment, so keeping a pet wasn't a option./My mom got angry.//The poor thing was trembling./I couldn't help but feel sorry for it./Surely abandoning it again/made me every bit as guilty as whoever left it behind to begin with.//I shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place.//Tasting such despair once should have been enough./And now here I was, putting it through the same thing yet again./That little pup must have despised me.........)

019
Mune: (Think this over carefully........./there's more at stake here than a mere stray puppy.//That illness is hurting her deeply//While I may represent some sort of hope for her./She can hardly cling to it/knowing that I'm just a stranger. How can she rely on me at all?//If I make inconsiderate promises without any resolve to back it up/I'm bound to disappoint her sometime in the future./This is probably...... too much for her to take.//If I'm gonna let her down/then just like she said/I might as well do it now)

020
Mune: (Hey/I'm already involved into this anyway...)//Rena?
Rena: ........
Mune: I'm ready./Ready to help you out. For as long as it takes.

021
Rena: Bu-but what about your girlfriend...
Mune: I'll talk to her, of course.//Though she's gonna have a hard time believing me right away, I suppose.........//But.../Oh, well/It's not like this is real kissing between lovers.
Rena: Sure.
Mune: She's not just pretty/She's a smart girl, too. She'll understand, I'm sure.

022
Rena: If... if you're really serious about this/I'm glad......//I'm really glad.

023
*ding dong*
Mune: !//Who could it be, this late at night...?
Rena: Ah//Must be Ruu-kun. | I'm betting she came back out of concern.
Mune: Uh... Yeah, I guess you're right...//Alright, alright, I'm coming.//!!

024
Mune: (A... Asou-san?!)[/end

025
Mune: (Asou-san?!)
Asou: ?
Chapter 20 - What are you doing?

026
Mune: (Wh... why?!/What happened to "Bye bye, see you on Monday at the office?" That was a few moments ago.//So what is she doing in front of my door?!)
Asou: ?
Mune: (Right out of the blue)
Rena: ?

027
Mune: (The-the shoes......./Rena's shoes!!)
Asou: ?

028
Mune: !
Rena: ........
Mune: Ah...//(I'll talk to her, of course...//I'm ready. Ready to help you out. For as long as it takes........)

029
Mune: (I assume that was supposed to mean......./something along the lines of "I can handle this"?

030
Asou: ......//?/?
Mune: ..........//Um... Well?
Asou: .........../I thought I'd cum by...*wriggle wriggle*

031
Mune: Don't tell me... | you went through all the trouble just in order to pull that one off?*nosedive*
Asou: Uh? You don't find it funny?
Mune: ....../Oh, yeah, it's funny alright...
Asou: You mad?
Mune: No... I'm not......
Asou: Actually you're hiding another girl, eh?*todom*
Mune: Hah ha... Shall I introduce you?/(Rena!/Rena!!//So those hand signs of yours actually meant "Don't worry, I'm gonna hide myself."?/Are you hiding?!)

032
Mune: (Assuming she is/If she really is hidden//She must be in the closet./And here I was, thinking that sort of thing only happened in bad soap operas!![tn: The Japanese uses an expression best translated as "trite though this situation may be..."]//If she's really holed up in there./How do I keep Asou-san from noticing her eventually?//Nevermind that/Was there any point in concealing her at all to begin with?//It's not like there was anything inappropriate between Rena and I./But with her hidden, how am I going to explain this?!//Ah, right.../If only I hadn't put her shoes away without thinking in the first place...!!//Wai/Wait a minute.........)

033
Mune: (What about the 3 coffee cups on the table? The ones for Rena, her friend and I..../They're still out there!!)
*giddy giddy*
Mune: (No./On the contrary, it's proof that whoever was there a few moments ago, I wasn't alone with them!/From there, all I have to do is casually explain everything about Rena and her illness!//Honestly, you can't look at her and imagine she and I are lovers or anything. She looks like a little girl!!/There's hardly any room for such suspicions!!//Rena!/Please!!//Just walk out of here, casually/and go take a seat!!)

034
Mune: (Aaaaaaaaaaah!!)
Asou: Why, I was expecting a veritable carnage, right there. | I'm disappointed.♥
Mune: (Rena noticed the cups alright/She hid them away along with herself...//Cornered.../Good job putting me in way over my head, I suppose...//That said/Now she has no choice but to stay hidden all the way!!)

035
Asou: I need to suspend this somewhere. I'll be borrowing your closet.
Mune: (Whu...whuuuuuuuuuuu?!)
Asou: This way I can go straight to work from here.

036
Asou: It's gotten fairly empty in there./I was expecting clothing everywhere...
Mune: .....//There's a simple explanation to that. I've spent so much time at your place, after all.
Asou: Hee hee......//This is gonna make your moving that much easier./Don't you agree?
Mune: ........./(Rena...... That can only mean one thing........)
Asou: ♪
Mune: .........

037
Rena: Pfwah/hwaa......//HMPH | pshh...//........
Mune: Wha-what are you looking for?
Asou: Mh?/DVD.//You know, the smutty one. I came here in a hurry especially so we could watch it together before you returned it.

038
Asou: I'm curious to see what your tastes are in the matter.
Mune: I-I've already returned it...
Asou: That was fast! | I thought you'd watch it at least once before doing that.
Mune: Even if I did/I'm not the kind of guy who's gonna watch that sort of thing in front of a girl........
Asou: ......../You're really mad at me for barging in, aren't you?
Mune: ......../Not angry at all, but I'm surprised, that's for sure.
Asou: Mph!
Mune: Uh?

039
Asou: You know, sleeping alone in a broken bed/is the sort of thing that's guaranteed get a woman's spirits lower than you could ever imagine.
Mune: .......You start talking like a guy, all of a sudden./What's the deal?
Asou: Hwachah!
Mune: Whoa!
Asou: Let's pick up where we left off yesterday./What say you?

040
Mune: Bu... but my bed is as cheap as yours used to be.*flick*
Asou: You mean I might break it like I did mine?
Mune: Well......
Asou: We'll get a new bed in a few days. A solid one.//So how about wrecking yours too?♥/*smooch♥* *giggle*
Mune: Hahaha......./(If I get cornered into this, Rena's never getting out of here...)//.........//Um. Say, how about a shower?
Asou: Ah. Uh, yeah.//Am I that sweaty?*sniff sniff*
Mune: No you're not./I need a shower! I'm the one who walked around all day.

041
Mune: Be my guest.
Asou: Thank you.
*fshhaaaaaa*

042
Mune: Rena!//Hurry up!
Rena: Uuuugh. I'm freezing.
Mune: Quiet!//Tomorrow's not an option, so see you on Monday.
Rena: ......../Uh. Ahem...//Bathroom.../I need to go.......

043
Mune: Hold it until you get out of here.
Rena: No.../I-I can't anymore.../It was cold outside, so...//Uuuh...
Mune: Watch it with the noise...//Hu-hurry.
Rena: Yeah, well/don't stand so close to the door.//.........
Mune: ......//(She's washing her hair./She'll get out of the shower any time, now.)
Rena: Done...

044
Asou: Hey, Agawa-kun. About that shampoo of yours...
Mune: !!
Asou: Mh?//What are you doing here?[/end

045
*drip drip*
Chapter 21 - Yield?

046
Asou: ?/Something wrong?
Rena: ........
Asou: ........
Mune: Ah/Aaaaaaah!//I thought I'd take advantage of your time in the shower/to go buy something at the convini...
Rena: .......
Asou: Convini?
Mune: Ye-yeah. Gotta get some equipment...

047
Asou: Pardon?
Mune: ......./Well, yeah...//See/you did say it was your dangerous day of the month, right?
Rena: ........
Asou: Uh-huh.....
Mune: (You the girl, over here!! Who cares what I'm saying, don't you just stand there. Get a move on!!)
Asou: Mh?

048
Mune: (Gotta get Rena outta here/before I'm cornered into having sex.........
Asou: What about those you bought the last time you came to my place?
Mune: Un?/Ah | No-now that you mention it!
Asou: Let me guess/You used them with somebody else, didn't you?
Mune: No-no, I didn't.../Of course not!!/It's just that I...
Asou: "Of course not". What the hell was that?
Mune: A-am I supposed to understand something?/So. What is it about my shampoo.......?

049
Asou: Ah, yeah./I thought if I used a man's shampoo when I go to work this Monday, I might get a repeat of what happened to you the last time.♥
Kago: Did you change your shampoo?/You've been using VIDAL SALOON, haven't you?
Mune: Uh... Uuuuuh...
Kago: Come on, don't tell me you're living with a girl.
Asou: Which is why I wanted to ask you to go buy me some.
Mune: !//Ah. Alright, then. | I'll go get it right away, so get back in the shower, go ahead./(Thi-this is my chance to bail Rena out.........)
Asou: Never mind./It can wait till tomorrow. I'll come with you then.

050
Asou: Here.
Mune: Eh?

051
Asou: Wipe me dry.

052
Asou: .........

053
Asou: Ah, Agawa-kun/How much more awkward can you get?
Mune: Eh?
Asou: You haven't changed one bit./Not since the first time I met you. Not even when we started dating.
Mune: If-if you say so.
Asou: You must be fairly successful with them older girls, right?
Mune: We/Well, you know........

054
Asou: To be honest | people like you are hard to figure out./How am I supposed to know if you've been unfaithful, you see?
Mune: ............!
*scaredy scared*
Mune: ........
Asou: See what I mean?/You always look scared out of your mind, as if you were hiding something...

055
Mune: I love only one woman right now, Asou-san./And that's you.
Asou: .........../Just when I'm done thinking you're a wimp, you give me that intent look straight out of nowhere........

056
Mune: Wai/Wai | Asou-san...//I-I need a shower too...
Asou: For a guy, you sure can be prissy.
Mune: Eeeeh. | Haha.../(I mean, | What about Rena...?)

057
Mune: (Rena's not on the veranda.//Which means this time around.../This time around/she's really hiding inside the closet!!

058
Mune: Ow...
Asou: Tonight, your frightened sheep look will do just great.♥
Mune: (Ahem... Hem... There's an innocent young girl inside that closet......./Ke-keep the kinky talk to a bare minimum, please...)
Asou: That's the look, right there.♥*lick*
Mune: !

059
Asou: I enjoy feeling like a beast, ravaging a poor little lamb.♥
Mune: ..........
Asou: Rawrrr/RAWRRR♥
Mune: ........./(It's over. There's no stopping her now that she got started!)
Asou: Rawrrr | rawrr.♥
Rena: Roaring?
Asou: RAWR♥

060
Asou: Rawr♥
Asou: ........./Meowrr.♥
Mune: Uh.../(Gi... Gimme a break.//There's a young girl in that closet/She's gonna hear us at it...//Yet here I am, stuck playing the distressed maiden!/This is sicko material right there!//I'm no caveman.../How am I supposed to have sex in those conditions?
Asou: I've been thinking........

061
Asou: You're a genuine masochist, Agawa-kun.
Rena: ......./(Major schist?)//.........
Mune: Hah/Hah//Uuh...
Asou: It's like that little play has made you more receptive than usual...

062-063
Asou: What's the matter? | Are you gonna yield/without a fight AT ALL?
Mune: (I'm in trouble......./I'm in trouble big time.........//Rena!!)
Rena: ..........

064
*GUUURRRRRRGGGGGLLLLLLLEEEEEE*[tn: Stomach noises]
Rena: !!
Mune: !![/end

065
*GURRRRGLE* *GURGLLLLLE*
Chapter 22 - I am relieved.

066
Rena: ..........//...........
Mune: (That was........ Rena's stomach.//There's no mistaking that noise for anything else........./Asou-san must have heard it too........ has she?)
Asou: ........./What was that no........./.........Uh?
Mune: ..........

067
Asou: Eeeeeek. Was that me?/It wasn't Agawa-kun but me?/Aaaaaah?//Uuuuuuh?/Uuuuuh?//Oh, my/I guess I'm done digesting those sushi..........
Mune: (Asou-san......../I'm sorry.....!!)//.........
Asou: Aaaaah?!

068
Asou: Hey-hey there/What's gotten into you?//I thought we'd agreed I'd be the leading one today......//Ah... Hah...
Mune: Animals are most dangerous when they're cornered, I suppose./(I mean, today again? Man.)
Asou: Haaaah/Haaaah/Mmmph...
Sakai: You need anything, just gimme a call./I'll come ASAP. By taxi, if I have to.
Phone: To: Ruu-kun/Subject: Help!/Text: I have a [problem]
Rena: ..........
Asou: AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

069
Mune: (Too loud...!)
Asou: Ah... | ...Humph

070
Asou: Mh/Mh//Mh/Mh
Rena: .........
Asou: Anh | ...Haaah!/Mh...//Mh/Mh
*fidget fidgety*
Asou: Mmmph | .............Mh
Rena: ...........

071
*bwah*
Asou: Aaah/Aaah.........//Tha...... | That's enough...//I want you/I want you inside me//Mh///Mmmmh........//Wai...
Mune: .......
Asou: Wait a minute...!

072
Asou: Remember./We're supposed to use some equipment today, aren't we?/You know.
Mune: ............/I/I'll just have to come outside.
Asou: Eh? | Haah....//......./B-but...//Today/is really really a bad day for this...
Mune: ........ | I wanna feel you up close and personal, Asou-san...
Asou: ............

073
Asou: No means no./You don't wanna become a daddy, do you?
Mune: .........*buzzzzzz*
Asou: That's right./Let's just cool down a little.♥//Now go put your helmet on. Go.
Rena: ..........
Mune: Where did I put those things?

074
Mune: In/Inside the closet........
Rena: ........!!//...........!

076
Mune: ...........
Narrator: At this point. As she looked upon me./I have no idea what she was thinking.//But as for my resolve to "help her out all the way"/I'd just had a sudden realization of just how big a mess I'd gotten myself into./And I was starting to feel the full brunt of it.

077
Rena: ..........//?!/Agawa-san.........
Asou: I'm sorry./Once it gets safe again.../A'right?

078
Asou: Aaaah!/Agawa-kun/Agawa-kun!!

080
Mune: This... is my mail address.//I'll spend the whole day with my girlfriend.../But this way I can contact you. Let you know when it's okay for us to meet an all that.//Sorry.//I had no intention to put you through this...
Rena: I-I'll be fine!/That was really nothing.

081
Mune: ..........//Well. Yeah. You're a solid 19, despite your looks.
Rena: Indeed I am.
Mune: .........//Hey. | How 'bout we do it right here, right now?
Rena: ........./We-well, um. No need, really.
Mune: Yeah, I guess so. | Sure...//As long as you're okay... | Fine.
Rena: ......That said, | I am relieved.

082-083
Rena: Now at least/I'm sure I'll never end up falling in love with you.

084
Rena: See you tomorrow. For the best, I hope.
Mune: (Rena......./I may be a sad excuse for a "Prince"........//but when I say I'm gonna help you/I really mean it........)[/end

085
Chapter 23 - Looks like fun.

086
Mune: ............

087
Mune: Say/How about dining together?
Asou: You mean tonight again?//Are you sure? You're on the Double M team today, remember?. | Do you think you'll still be kicking come nightfall?
Mune: Ah. Thanks./Well... It's not so much about sex actually........//Thing is/I could use your opinion on something...
Asou: ....../Hey. Why so serious?[tn: Obligatory Batman reference. :hahaha:]//Mh, alright I gotcha.

088
Asou: I'll be on my way, now.//Ah. Be sure to wipe off the lipstick before you get to work.
Mune: ........//(Keeping this a secret from Asou-san is decidedly wrong.)
Phone: To: Rena/Subject: We're having
Mune: It's Asou-san after all. If I explain the situation properly, she should understand.

089
Phone: To: Rena/Subject: We're having dinner tonight. The three of us. This way, my girlfriend, you and I can talk things over. Send you another message when I get out of work.
*beep*
Rena: ............

090
Rena: Aaaah!/God noooo!!
Narrator: Lèvres Cosmetics holds a conference every month. We call it Double M, or Monthly Meeting.

091
Narrator: Every businessman is assigned a certain number of Beauty Advisors (BA), dispatched between several different shops under his supervision. He also doubles as their manager.//During double Ms, the BA are assembled at the company proper/To publicly award a particularly successful team, for example./Or to train them in the use of our newest makeups/We may also convene the team supervisors to fill them in on our business objectives for the latest articles.
Asou: This is how the promotional campaign will play out. | It's been slated to last all the way through winter, up to and including spring.

092
Asou: Now on to next spring's new color.
Gal: Have you seen this?/She's in the latest "La Vita".

093
Gal: Last month, she also had her own interview in "Jane".
Kago: ........
Gal: Hot girls don't get a moment's rest do they?
Girl: You seem pretty absorbed by the pictures, aren't you? More than usual, I'd say.
Kago: Yeah, well/Bossy workaholics aren't exactly a turn-on, you know?//I bet she's single./She's got to be.[tn: Shut up and mind your own business, you dumb bitch.]

094
Gals: Ya think?/Eh, what about the rumors of her being with someone in the top brass?/Uh? That was for real?
Kago: .......
Gal: Cheating, you mean.
Kago: Whatever you say, but as far as men go we've never seen anything that even remotely looked the part/which is proof enough that she's got no love life whatsoever.//26 years old and still single/she's gonna die an unmarried old bat at this rate.
Gals: Woow!Woo-hoo!
Kago: ........
Gal: ?

095
Gals: ...........//Hey... Kago-chan | You're really dead set on sinking your claws into Agawa-chan, aren't you?//But he's already got a girlfriend. You said it yourse...
Kago: Don't be silly.//What good is a man who can't even get himself a girl?♥[tn: That explains a lot.]

096
Asou: I'll be expecting redoubled efforts from every one of you./Over. Thank you for your attention.
Voice: That was Asou Sayako-san, from the Publicity Department. | Thank you very much.//Time for a break, after which*vvvrrrrrrr*
Phone: From: Asou/Subject: See you after work. Same place as usual.

097
Dude: This double M session is now over./Thank you, everyone. It's been a pleasure.
Gals: Let's go over someplace. Have some fun./It's been a whole month.
Mune: ......//(Right./Now I need to contact Rena immediately...//Saturday night I promised I'd kiss her every day./This is the third day since then.)

098
Rena: One day, one kiss//In time, it will add up. And I'll be able to grow back into adulthood.//I'll turn into an even smaller child./Before long, I'll be a baby again......//and probably/I'll just disappear completely.
Mune: Gotta kiss her today, it's vital./Either way
Rena: Now at least I'm sure I'll never end up falling in love with you.
Mune: Things might go horribly wrong for her..........//I need to sort things out with Asou-san before that happens......../........../She'll understand./........Well... I suppose.)

099
Kago: Agawa-san!
Mune: Ye-yes?
Kago: The girls and I just decided to go eat out somewhere | Why don't you join us?
Mune: Huh?/Um//A... Ahem/I appreciate the invitation. But........
Dudes: Don't go loner-mode on us, pal./He's right! We only see them girls once a month. You should be jumping on an occasion like this.//We need to take care of their emotional well-being, man. It's part of our job./Come on, let's go!

100
Dudes: And we all know who's gonna end up paying the bills. Us./Don't try to weasel your way out, you sneaky bastard!//And first of all, you don't expect us to so socialize with so many girls without you around now, do you?/Please, man I beg you! I know a nice place to be when you wanna end a fun night on a good note!
Mune: ......../(More of them.....)/Yah... Alright. Just for a spell.../(Gotta let Asou-san and Rena know about this.........//As it turns out, dinner might not be an option...//however/I still need to make sure we get to talk this out before the day is over.)//DUH.

101
Gals: Asou-san♥/On her way back home.♥//You've been great today./I think we've learned a lot.
Asou: It's been a pleasure./Going to eat out someplace, everyone?
Gal: Yes. | Agawa-san and his friends are treating.
Gals: They are?/Oh Gooood.♥
Mune: (Sorry. I-I'm really sorry about this. | Hey! Why the apology? None of this is my fault.//I'll try my hardest to lose them along the way, so go wait for me. Same place as usual!!)
Gal: Agawa-san, you look nervous.
Dude: Hey./Why don't you join us?
Mune: (Stu-stupid!/Who asked for your opinion?!)

102
Mune: (If she comes with us/it's gonna get that much harder for the two of us to bail out!!//As for the conversation with Rena/forget about it!!)//C-come on, dude that's mean... Asou-san must be exhausted.........
Asou: .........True./I'm a bit busy today.
Kago: Of course./You must have an appointment with your boyfriend, or something. Don't let us stop you.[tn: It's official. I hate that girl.]
Gal: More like,./You're afraid Asou-san might get to Agawa-chan before you do!
Mune: Whuuu?!

103
Kago: Come on, don't tease me like that...//She's just joking, Agawa-san! Alright?!!
Mune: Yeah. Sure.
Kago: Good thing you're not taking it seriously./If you did, I think I'd be too embarrassed to face you ever again, let alone talk...
Mune: Ha.../Haha.......

104
Mune: (Yet another face of hers that I've never seen........//Wha-what's it mean exactly?)
Dude: But if ya really wanna join yer welcome a'righ'?//Show 'em little girls what a grown woman looks like.♥
Gals: Hey./Watch it, some of us here are older than you, pal.
Mune: (I said quit talking this nonsense!!)

105
Kago: Join us, Asou-san!//I'm sitting next to Agawa-chan, though. I call dibs on that one.
Dude: The pimp strikes again.♥
Asou: Looks like fun./Really.//Opportunities like this one don't come up every day./I'll join in for a bit, if you'll have me.
Mune: (Wuuuuuuuuuuut?!//How did I end up in this mess?!
*vvvvrrrrrrr*
Mune: Rena........?

106
Phone: From: Rena/Subject: I'm not far away from the company, so I'll head straight there.
Mune: (You've got to be kidding me!!//God/even Rena's coming here?!//My stomach.../My poor stomach........)[/end

107
Mune: (I-if even Rena shows up in those conditions.../I have no idea how I'm gonna handle this.../I mean, I can hardly handle it now......./My stomach~~~//That doesn't leave me/with many an option!!
Chapter 24 - I hate children.
Phone: Agawa Munenori./Text: We're off to an Italian restaurant not far from the company. It's called the Bellissima. Wait for me outside.

108-109
Chapter 24 - I hate children.[tn: Empty double-page FTW!! Yaaaay!!]

110
Mune: I'll have this. And this.//(Asou-san and I aren't in the same weight class hierarchy-wise, so sitting next to her wasn't an option in that sort of gathering......../Still, it's a tough call nonetheless..........//A-alright. Can't have anyone find out/that Asou-san and I are dating........//I can pull this off!!/It's not like they have any reason to find out anyway!!)

111
Kago: Agawa-san, how did you meet your girlfriend?
Mune: Eh?/Eeeh?
Gals: Yeaaah. I wanna know too!//Uh/Agawa-san, you must be living with her, right? | Right?
Mune: What are you talking about...?/We aren't quite there yet...
Gals: Yet./So you do have a girlfriend, then? Thought so./Vidal Saloon gave it away.♥
Dude: So ya do have sum'one./Thought it was weird for a guy like you to be dateless.♥
Mune: Wo-won't you just get off my back........?/(Cripes. I don't like the way this is going.........)

112
Kago: Who confessed first?
Mune: Uh?//That's some question./(Bitch please. Go-gotta change the subject, and fast.......)/What does it matter anyway...?
Gal: Cheapskate.♥
Mune: (Woops. Asou-san is starting to get mad........)
Asou: ....
Gal: Let's hear it!
Asou: Such a fuss for nothing.
Mune: (Duhhhhhhh!)
Asou: I wanna know too./Please, share your love life with us Agawa-san.♥
Gal: Hey, you hear that? That was an order from Asou-sama
Mune: ........//(Is she gonna take the humiliation game all the way here?)

113
Dude: Spit it out.♥/Agawaaaa♥
Mune: .........//When I asked her out I was on bended knee.../with the tip of her toes inside my mouth.
Asou: Pft
Gal: Aaaaah. That's so much like you!*Hahaha/Kyahaha*
Gals: That's submissive play, right there.♥
Mune: ........
Gal: But you've gained in authority, of late./You used to be such a wimp before.
Mune: Is that.../so?*haha*
Kago: Sure.♥ | When you got mad at Gotou-san and I the other day/it got me all whizzed up♥ for a second.

114
Mune: (Whizzed up...//What the hell is that?)/Uh?/Really?*fawn*
*Hah*
Mune: (Ye-yet another poker face from Asou-san...*Ahaha. Someone's really happy*
Dude: .../...
Kago: Agawa-saaaaaaaaan!
Mune: Ye-yes?
Kago: Have you ever considered marriage?
Mune: Marriage?

115
Mune: (That'd be... with Asou-san./Well...//Living together//is a decision we took in common/But.......//What does Asou-san think about that?/Being 26, and all...//Can't be too different from when fellow students are lovers, or even cohabit./But I doubt it's quite the same thing either...)//!!*vvvvrrrrrrrr*
Mune: (A message...)*vrrrr*
Mune: (Probably from Rena...//I guess she's arrived. She must be in front of the restaurant.)

116
Mune: (I need to get out somehow and give her the key to my apartment./Gotta time this right.//I tell her to wait for me there/then, Asou-san and I join her at my place...//and the three of us can talk over the situation............)/...........//(Let's say I do end up marrying someone./Will Rena always be around, sticking to me like glue? Forever?

117
Dude: We're still what, 23, 24 maybe?/That's like waaaay to early to get married.
Mune Ah/Uh-uuumm/You're-you're right... I guess.
Kago: I disagree.//I'm only 20, but I want my wedding, and I want it now.♥//What do you think?
Gal: Eh?/Uuuuuuh?!

118
Gal: I-I'm not so sure//I don't think it has anything to do with age.
Mune: !//(To the best of my knowledge, whenever several age-conscious females are gathered//and the conversation drags on for too long on that specific subject, it never ends well!/IT'S SCIENTIFIC!!
Kago: That so?/But you'd think children would be proud to have their young mommy show up on Parents' Day and the like![tn: Basically, Parents' Day is a day when the parents can come and observe their children at school.]//What kid would want its mom to be an old lady well past her prime, after all?!![tn: Biiiiiiiitch!!]

119
Mune: (Kago-chan.../Bloody hell, she's clearly taking a jab at Asou-san!!//I mean, it was probably her intention all along to start something with Asou-san/using me as a pretext!!//I don't think she's on to our relationship, though. It's probably something else.......//..........
Asou: Indeed, Kago-chan. You're probably right.//My parents were pretty old, you see./So I know what those kids would feel like.

120-121
Asou: That's why I don't intend to have any children at all.
Kago: ........./You can't be serious.//I mean, it's a waste, isn't it?/If a great woman such as yourself doesn't leave any offspring, Japan is doomed.
Asou: I mean it./Really./I hate children and I always have.

122
*glub*
Gal: .......
Asou: By the way.........*ahem*
Asou: How does it work out with your girl? If you know what I mean.
Mune: Uh/Duuuh?!

123
Asou: I'm betting you're way greater than your face lets on.♥*kyahaha*
Gal: Oh my, you sound like some dirty old man, Asou-san.
Mune: Ha... Haha...
Asou: Which side of the S&M are you on?/*I say M. He's got to be.♥*
Mune: That's harassment right there. I could sue for that. | Excuse me, gotta pick this up...
Aaaah. He's getting away*Hahaha*
Kago: ........
Mune: Poor thing. | Picking a fight with Asou-san was nothing short of suicidal.......//Uuugh. My stomach hurts...

124
Mune: Rena...
Rena: ......*bashful...*
Mune: (Uh....... She's looking at me like I'm some sort of freak.........//Oh, well... Can't really blame her...)/Mh.
Rena: Keys?
Mune: Go to my place and wait for me there. | My girlfriend and I are heading there instead.

125
Mune: We can discuss how things are gonna work out then.//........//You're free not to like me.//But I'm not the one who needs to stick around you for the rest of my life, now, am I?[tn: Huh? That came out of nowhere.]
*GGUUURRRRRRGGGLLLE GUURLE GRRRRUUUGGGLLE*

126
Mune: Take this, go have a bite and wait for me.
Rena: !//Do-don't go the extra mile for me, you don't have to!!
Mune: I insist. I'm the one who invited you to dinner in the first place. | Sorry about that.
Rena: Don't. I'm already causing you enough trouble as it is.
Dude: Agawa?//What are you doing?/Hm?[/end

127
Dude: .........../Whoaaa./Wow. Hahaha.[tn: Holy shit!!]
Rena: I... I'm afraid.../we have a misunderstanding on our hands./Don't you think?
Chapter 25 - I misjudged you.

128
Mune: Don't worry./Go to my place and wait for me there.
Dude: Listen up, folks!!//I went out to answer a phone call about work, and you won't believe what I saw!!
Gal: What is it?
Dude: Agawa-san in front of the restaurant./Handing some cash to an elementary schoolgirl!

129
Gals: ...And?
Dude: Uh?
Gals: What's so funny about it?/What happened to the punchline?
Dude: He was giving money to a little girl./He's like a pedo, or something./Aren't you curious about whatever it is he told her to buy?
Gals: Uuuuh?/What, that's it?/So what's the deal?
Mune: Look at you, trying to be funny and failing.
Dude: Ah...
Mune: Wouldn't someone with normal sensibilities take up the few seconds you had to think it over? Work out that the girl dropped her money? | And that I merely picked it up for her? ........Mh?
Dude: Uuuuh? It didn't really look all that innocent to me...
Mune: You're right. Truth is, I bribe little girls into unspeakable.../I mean hey, I'm not like you, pal. Lolicon is not my thing.
Gal: Uuuuuh. Aaaaagh.//Miyabe-san, are you a lolicon?
Dude: Wuuut?
Gal: Don't try to deny it, I know. | There have been rumors in the BA about whether you were pedo or gay.
Dude: WHUUUUT?!
Dude: It's pretty much transparent, man. You, sir, are a lolicon.♥
Dude: Wai-wai wait a minute./My hunting ground doesn't extend past high school at the youngest!!

130
Gal: Aaah. That just screams lolicon./Creepy!*phew*
Mune: (There. The Rena thing has more or less been dealt with./Now to wrap things up here ASAP, so Asou-san and I can go to my place...
Kago: Agawa-ssan, you're not a lolicon, are you?
Mune: Uh?
Kago: You like them older, then.
Mune: (...She just got snubbed by Asou-san. Talk about a fast recovery.........)//What's that mean?/(Oh well, not like there's any ill will between them, after all...)
Kago: We've been discussing whether you liked your women older, or conversely much younger.
Mune: That's the sort of thing you girls talk about?
Kago: I've been wondering./Couldn't help but notice that you never looked at me at all.♥

131
Mune: You're wrong./I don't look like it, but I'm struggling just to keep my wits about me when you're around. | You're just that cute.
*Aaaaah/Aaaaaaah*
Gals: Cute. He said she's cute./That was bold.
Asou: ........
Mune: Excuse me. Bathroom./(What? Asou-san... She's angry?//Su-sure, handing the key to Rena took a huge load off my back/and I may have cracked a few jokes out of relief.//But would Asou-san really get mad over such a small thing?/She's not angry. | That's just my imagination.)

132
Mune: (Asou-san..........)//......../I didn't expect you... to be waiting for me here...
Asou: You wanted to talk?/Let's hear it.

133
Mune: Eh?
Asou: This morning, you told me you had something to say, did you not?
Mune: Ah... well./(Can't talk right now. Would be a hassle to introduce Rena and her illness in those conditions........)/It can wait until we get back home...//Why don't we go to my place again, by the...
Asou: If you can't talk now, let's leave it at that for today.//I'm a bit tipsy at the moment, I'm afraid.
Mune: A-aren't you mad at me?
Asou: Did you do something I should feel angry about?
Mune: .......//............

134
Mune: .........
Asou: ........//I misjudged you.//There's another girl. And the tricks you're using to hide her are just cheap.
Mune: Another girl...
Asou: You've been acting strangely for a few days, now. I had a feeling a girl was involved...
Mune: You.../You don't understand........//I was just joking with Kago-chan. I mean, that was just some playful banter, nothing else.
Asou: I'm not talking about her.
Mune: Uh?
Asou: The girl you just met outside, that's who I mean.

135
Asou: The runaway girl. The one who prompted you into dating me./That's the one.

137
People: Great party, that was./See you tomorrow at work. Don't be late.
Mune: Phew...//(Asou-san went home right after that.......//Her learning about Rena couldn't have turned out any worse..........
Asou: You said something about meeting some runaway girl, the other night. What happened...?
Narrator: I'd forgotten about this already, but she didn't.
Asou: Obviously/something happened with that girl that translated into a lack of sleep | and from there, you just felt like socializing.
Narrator: She'd had her misgivings about Rena since the beginning...

138
Mune: True enough, meeting Rena did push me to act//She gave me the courage I needed to confess to Asou-san........//But Asou-san doesn't understand that./It's not like I fell in love with her to replace Rena or anything. And yet........
Asou: I won't go anywhere near your place tonight.//Of course I won't shut you out if you do come to mine.//But no sleeping together this time. | I'll take the sofa./And you can have the bed.

139
Mune: (That pretty much ended the conversation.//How could I follow her home/after what she'd said to me?//Guess it's a bit too early for cohabitation...//My room. I can't see any lights at all!/Rena?!//Don't tell me she hasn't made it here yet?!*ding dong*
*silence*

140
Mune: I don't have my keys. How am I supposed to spend the night in those conditions? | Come on!
Rena: ......../Agawa-san...?
Mune: ........//If you were there why didn't you open any sooner?! I thought I was locked outside.
Rena: Sorry.
Mune: You didn't even switch on the lights.......
Rena: Because of what happened yesterday.

141
Rena: If the lights were on while you weren't there, it would spell big trouble./So I took my precautions.
Mune: (She spent all this time in the dark, just waiting for me.......)//You must have been bored silly.
Rena: It's fine./I just curled up on this sofa, and I took a little nap.

142
Mune: ......./You're not a dog, you know.//I wouldn't have minded you using the bed.
Rena: .........
Mune: (That was a pretty sick thing to say considering what happened on that bed yesterday./Small wonder she didn't want to use it......)/Okay, never mind.
Rena: Er... um...//Where's your girlfriend...?

143
Mune: She's not coming today./Come over here, come on.
Rena: Eh?
Mune: ....... | Aren't we kissing?/You know./(I barely avoided saying she was "longing" for that kiss.)//......../(I had a row with my lover because of Rena, sure. But going berserk on her because of it is a bit too much./Yet here I am, tormenting a girl who desperately needs my help out of spite...)
Rena: .........
Mune: (How much of a child does that make me?
Rena: .......

144
Rena: Did something... happen between you and your girlfriend? By my fault?//........
Mune: No-not exactly...
Rena: ......../When you opened that closet yesterday//when I saw your face...//it occurred to me./just how much of a burden I must be to you.//But since I have no choice but to depend on you/In exchange, you can tell me everything. | If I can help you, I will!!

145
Mune: Shut the hell up!/Just get your ass over here, move it!!
Rena: ........
Mune: .........

146
Rena: ........./Go ahead, please.
Mune: (Damn it.../Asou-san said something about me being a huge masochist//but as I was practically forcing that second kiss upon her/I realized I must have seemed pretty sadistic as far as Rena was concerned.[/end

147
Chapter 26 - I might be able to talk to her...
Mune: Ow!//Re-Rena, | you're hurting me!!//!!

148
Chapter 26 - I might be able to talk to her...
Mune: ..........!!

149
Mune: (Today, this is the 4th time we've kissed.//Ever since the second kiss, /It's become a daily routine. I get back home from work and Rena and I kiss there.)//Ungh...//I've got a cramp in the neck.../(I'm not sure what we're doing really qualifies as kissing...)
Rena: I'm sorry......//But/the good thing is/Now I'm one day closer to adulthood.

150-151
Rena: Thank you...
Mune: .........
Rena: See you tomorrow.
Mune: If every day is gonna be that intense, doing it any time, anywhere is decidedly not an option...
Rena: Uh?
Mune: .........//Don't be so afraid./Here.
Rena: ...........

152
Rena: !!
Mune: This room is probably the safest place for us to go at it./Should we get back at different moments like it happened the last time, you can use it to get in.//I'll contact you daily, to let you know when I get back.
Rena: ........//Tha.../Thank you very much.
Mune: (This is the third day/since I took it upon myself to kiss her daily........)

153
Mune: (Three days/since Asoou-san got mad at me.//Well no. We're way closer to the 4th day, more like.........//I haven't been at her place even once since then.//On the contrary......)
Dude: Shimatani-buchou!
Mune: (We haven't even exchanged a single word.)

154
Mune: (On the first day I didn't contact her at all, thinking I should let things cool down a bit.//But on the second day, as my third courtesy message got ignored/I started to freak out a bit......)
Phone: No new messages.
Mune: And since most of my spare clothing is still at her place | it's made changing clothes that much more complicated for me.
Dude: Yes./Yes.//I understand.//Hey, Agawa.
Mune: Yes?
Dude: Take this to the Publicity Department........
Mune: (What? Take a customer complaint form all the way to another department...?/Damn you, Umedzu. Always dumping the crappy job on someone else.//But I might be able to talk to Asou-san, if only for a minute...)
Gal: Customer complaint?

155
Mune: Since it has to do with the captions for our latest article's promotional campaign, we weren't so sure the Sales Department should be the ones handling it.......
Gal: Ah. I see. | Iwai-chaaan.
Iwai: That customer again?/This is getting outrageous.
Mune: .......
Gal: Alright, we'll take care of it. | Thanks.
Mune: Su-sure thing./Good luck.

156
Asou: ........//What, Aya? Your old man gives you that one too?//Every time he calls, I'm sure this is going to come up. | Under the pretense of sharing news about the family.//For example, my uncle is already in his sixties but his son is still preparing his University exam, with all the problems that entails.//Having children late only spells trouble, basically.

157
Aya: In other words, mommy Sayako/is pestering her daughter about getting married and giving her grandchildren.♥
Asou: You think?
Aya: Well, that's what I gathered from our conversation. | Can't say I know for a fact what your mother really has in mind.//Sounds good, though don't you think? | Get a husband fast, have children and get right back to work.//Your company is perfectly capable of making such female-friendly arrangements as giving you maternity leave and scheduling the payment of your wages in an accommodating way.
Asou: And while I'm resting, the rest of those who abandoned the idea of being normal men and women get to go God knows how far ahead of me.//My work is my love!/Romance | marriage | Children. Next to my job, those are nothing.*alright alright*
Aya: I'm just happy you invited me. It's been months since the last time that happened.*The same, please♥*
Aya: But shouldn't you save that sort of talk for your boyfriend? | You know. The young boy...♥

158
Asou: Who else would understand me if not another female who, just like me, lives for her job?
Aya: Mmmh. Oh well. I guess you're right./Reminds me of the last time you had a falling out with a guy. Kinda depressing, that was.........//How's the current one?/You living together yet?
Asou: ........We intended to.
Aya: Intended?
Asou: We had a little row 4 days ago./He's not coming back.//...........*hufff*
Aya: .........//BWAAHAH HAH HAH!!

159
Aya: He cheated!!*HAHAHAHAHA*
Aya: The boy's going out with you and he cheats! He must have a death wish!!
Asou: What's so funny?
Aya: Naaah. Sorry about that. | Must say, though...//Coming from you, getting into a fight over an infidelity is kinda cute.//To get that riled up/you must have had it bad for him.♥
Asou: Absolutely not! | It's not about cheating!/There wasn't even a fight to begin with!

160
Aya: You're the one who mentioned a fight./I didn't.
Asou: ........./I don't mind the cheating.//He gets the hots for another girl, so what?/I-I'm just mad at him for being so incompetent at hiding it.
Aya: Is that what you told him when you kicked him out?
Asou: I didn't kick him out...
Aya: You've agreed to live together, right?/If you keep throwing him out every time there's a problem, how is he supposed to shelter himself from the rain?!
Asou: I told him he could come home. He's the one who chose not to.
Aya: ........//(Good thing he didn't, in such conditions. He'd be fairly creepy otherwise.)/.Mmmh.//Oh well./I've got something to say too, by the way. It's got nothing to do with the subject at hand, though.
Asou: Sure. Go ahead. | Make it funny, if possible.
Aya: I'm fun incarnate........

161
Aya: We promised each other we would live for work/well, sorry/but I'm having a child.//I'm getting married/and I'm gonna quit my job.//Your company is rather kind to women. Mine, not so much.

162
Asou: ........./You...//You're kidding, right...?
Aya: Yep./I'm kidding.
Asou: Uh?
Aya: Ahahahahah!!
Asou: .........
Aya: Your face. You should see your face. | That was priceless, Sayako. Just priceless.
Asou: Yo-you got me again...!
Aya: Surprised?!/Did you feel abandoned maybe?! | Look at me!!//The extra layers of armor you desperately cling to are peeling off.//It was so adorable to see you look like a little girl. Pretty exciting, that was.

163
Asou: You sadist!
Aya: Well, here's a top-grade, challenging trick you can try with your boy.
Asou: Huh?
Aya: Why don't you take that armor off yourself?/Open up to him a little?//He must have been quite something, for you to leave your best pal since college all alone for an entire weekend./I doubt that's the sort of thing a cast-iron woman like yourself has done very often in her life.
Asou: .......

164
Mune: .......
Rena: Food has been tasting great, lately.//My appetite has reverted to normal proportions, too. Must be the effect of CS enzyme.
Mune: (That's the same outfit as a couple of days ago........//Her appearance bars her from finding a job, so she only has the allowance her parents send her for college to work with/So logically, she's down to juggling with a limited wardrobe........)
Rena: Three meals a day.//Being able to enjoy the taste of what I'm eating/is nothing if not pure bliss...♥//Don't you agree?

165
Rena: Look at my chest/It's gotten a little bigger, hasn't it?//What do you think?
Mune: ........//How would I know? | Come on, it's getting late.
Rena: Ah. Right.
Phone: We need to talk... Can you spare a moment?
Asou: .......

166
Phone: Asou*vrrrrrr*
*vrrrr* *vrrrrr*
*vrrrr*
*sbam*
Mune&Rena: Mh/Mmh...
Rena: Mh... Mh...[/end

167
Mune: (Today's the fifth day I kiss Rena.)
Chapter 27 - What the Devil...
Rena: Thank you very much./See you tomorrow.//Good night.

168
Chapter 28 - What the Devil...

169
Mune: Shoot.//A message from Asou-san./I didn't notice...//Talk?
Phone: From: Asou/We need to talk... Can you spare a moment?
Mune: She wants to talk...?//I can't possibly call now. Not this late at night./Asou-san must be sleeping already.

170
Phone: To: Asou/Subject: Ahem.../I didn't notice your message right away. I can come over if you like. Right now if need be.
Narrator: 6 : 50 AM Asou's bedroom.
Asou: Mh... Mnh...//........//Ah.../Message........//.......
Phone: Agawa[tn: x 5]

171
Phone: I didn't notice your message right away. I can come over if you like. Right now if need be.//What is it you wanted to talk about?//Are you already sleeping?//Message me when you get this. Any time, I don't mind.
Asou: .......
Phone: Whatever you wanted to talk about, it's not a good thing, is it?
Asou: Wha-what the! He's drawing all the wrong conclusions on his own, out of freaking nowhere!//Instead of prattling all night/why didn't you just come over here?!! Stupid!!//..........//Aaah, damn it!

172
Asou: If only you did. I would have accepted your apology........
Narrator: 8 : 10 AM Commuter train.
Phone: No new messages.
Asou: (Still no news from her./Guess that talk, whatever it was, can't have been a constructive one...//If I'd casually waltzed in last night/it might have only made her angrier, adding fuel to the fire in the process. And from there, it would be over. For good.......

173
Narrator: 8 : 50 AM Lèvres Cosmetics.
Mune: Ah
Asou: ..........

174
Dude: Ah. Good morning, Asou-san!
Asou: G-good morning.
Mune: ......
Dude: Congrats on last time! That was some pretty neat job. And well, the night was fun too!!
Asou: O-out on business, I suppose?
Dude: Woops!!//G-go ahead. The elevator's waiting!/Sorry, ladies.
Asou: .......
Mune: ........
Dude: We'll be on our way, now!
Asou: ......
Dude: Off we goooo.
Mune: .......

175
Narrator: 11 : 20 AM Lèvres company, meeting room.
Nose: Very well, I'll check out this color proof back at my company.[tn: A color proof is a test print done for colored documents.]
Asou: Next appointment on Wednesday, then. Same hour next week./See you then
Nose: Uh, Asou-san.//Speaking of next week. On the week after that, my company will be there at Chanel Aoyama's opening party./Why don't you come with me?//Chris Milton and Shiraki Hitomi will be there as guests, so an awful lot of people want in. A real hassle, as you can imagine./Allow me to extend you an invitation.
Asou: Oh my, that's gorgeous.♥

176
Asou: May I ask you to send one to someone else in my company, then?/Shimatani. I'd like to let him in on the offer.
Nose: Shimatani-buchou... | Did I hear that right...?*worthless old guy♥*
Nose: ......../(Thwarted again.......)
Gals: How about lunch at the Café Maret?/The queues there have been endless these days, haven't they?
Asou: .........//........
Narrator: 12 : 14 Lèvres Company.

177
Asou: (Having lunch outside... I guess.)//..........
Board (from left to right, top to bottom): Yamaoka. | Kobayashi →[something I can't read]/Agawa | Return to office 5 : 30/Kiuchi | Imado drugstore.
Dude: Uh? | Everyone from Sales is out?*Ha
Asou: Apparently, yes.
Dude: Ah. I see. | I hear you've been hanging out with the BA staff members after the double M!!//Livened things up, that did. God I wish I was there.
Asou: Sure. Next time around then.
Dude: Ah. Asou-san.//How about lunch?

178
Asou: Sorry./I already have an appointment elsewhere.
Dude: I-I suppose so. | My bad./Thank you very much.//..........
*tsk*
Narrator: 12 : 30 Publicity.
Asou: .........
Phone: No new messages.
Asou: ............

179
Asou: .........Duh.
Narrator: 3 : 40 PM Nanbu Department Store. Cosmetics floor.
Mune: (No message at all...//Falls to me to take the first step, I suppose...)
Phone: To: Asou
Mune: (But what kind of message do I send an angry Asou-san...)
Gal: Agawa-san, excuse me...
Mune: Yes?
Gal: Kago-chan and Gotou-san are in the waiting room again...
Mune: Wuuuut?!

180
Narrator: 5 : 20 PM Publicity
Asou: ........
Narrator: 5 : 22 Same place.
Asou: ........
Narrator: 5: 24
Asou: ........
Narrator: 5 : 27
Gal: Ahem. Uh...
Asou: Huh?
Gal: Eeeerrm. I need the marketing data... Should I mail a request to the Sales Department?
Asou: You've done it before, haven't you?/You don't need to ask me every single time!
Gal: Ye-yes ma'am.
Asou: Well, no./Wait a minute!//Such requests are best made in person./I'll go once I am done here.
Narrator: 5 : 30 PM

181
Board: Agawa | Return to office 6 : 30
Dude: Uh. Asou-san! | What is your business here?
Asou: ........//I need this data ASAP. Would you be so kind as to compile it and mail it to the Publicity department?!
Dude: Ye-yes ma'am!!

182
Narrator: 5 : 50 Publicity
Gals: Asou-san is crankier than usual./Most of the time, it's not quite that bad.
Asou: (Why the Devil do I have to be so upset?!//Agawa is the one who confessed his love to me/The advantage should be mine!!//I'm the one with a power of life and death over our relationship!!)
Gal: Pleasure working with you!
Asou: (Damn it/I just can't settle down//It's my first physical relationship with a man in a long time./That's why.

183
Asou: ...........//!//(Hey, the lights are completely out in Sales or what?!)

184
Asou: Agawa-kun's suitcase.../He's still around.//.......
*drrrrr/drrrr*
*drrrrrr/drrrrrr* *clank*
Rena: Yes?
Mune: Rena? | .......It's me.
*gwoooooooosh rumblecrack*
Mune: Wind? You're outside?
Rena: Uh, yes. I am. | Sorry.

185
Voice: Hey, come here for a second!
Rena: Uh | Yes.
Mune: A guy's voice...? | Who is it?
Rena: Ah. Excuse me.
Mune: .......... | I'll leave work in a minute. See you at my place./Oh, and if you get there first, just let yourself in.//Yes. Use the key double I gave you. | ...Mh-hm.//Right. Later, then.//........//.........../(That was a guy's voice... wasn't it?)//..........

186
Mune: Ah...........[/end

187
Chapter 28 - I can't take it anymore.[tn: Shit is gonna hit the fan. :hahaha:]

188
Mune: Wait!!//It's a misunderstanding!//That phone call wasn't what you think it is!!//Come on!!
Asou: .....
Mune: Look at me. I need to talk to you!

189
Asou: A "misunderstanding"./How do you know what I'm thinking right now? Are you a mind reader?
Mune: What the.../That's childish...
Asou: Let go./Someone is coming.//Wai?!

190
Mune: ........
Asou: ...........
Mune: You've read my messages, haven't you?
Asou: .......
Mune: I've been meaning to talk to you since Monday.
Asou: ...........//I haven't.

191
Mune: You messaged me yesterday about it.
Asou: I've changed my mind.
Mune: ......../Wh... Why?//It's because of that phone call, isn't it?
Asou: .........
Mune: Sure, she's indeed the girl who prompted me into dating you
Asou: There you have it//That runaway girl you spent the night with a couple months ago. You've taken her in, right?/Even handed her a double of your keys.

192
Mune: That's what I've been trying to tell you since Monday. | I mean, there's not anything between us you should worry about...!!
Asou: !//Worry about what?/Last time I checked, we weren't married.//Whatever you do, whoever you do it with, I'm not gonna stop you.
Mune: Why won't you listen to me, th......
Asou: However!//You just had to make it that obvious. Easily unnerved on dates. | Incompetent liar.//That's a letdown!
Mune: ..........//Incompetent, whatever./It's a bloody mistake, I'm telling you!![tn: It's kinda hard to convey, but he's dropped the formal speech for a second. Which is kinda rude, and illustrates his short burst of anger.]

193
Mune: ........./Ah
Asou: ............//Pfeh......//That's the problem, when you're dating a guy./Sometimes, it gets annoying//Depressing.//We made a promise, at the beginning........ | Remember?

194
Asou: Our affair only lasts.../as long as I see fit.//No more chasing each other.//We forget whatever there was in the meantime//as if it never happened.//........
Mune: ..........

195
Asou: Our relationship i{s over.}[tn: The text is partly obscured, but clearly readable.]
Mune: NO
Asou: Le-Let me finish this properly!
Mune No I won't!
Asou: Don't disappoint me further. | Don't make me regret this.

196
Mune: .........//If...//If you end it here/I...//I will remember this day for years. For decades./And I'll regret it the entire time........//I don't want that./I can't/I can't take it anymore.

197
Mune: Do you really hate me?//Can you forget these two months?/Can you toss everything out of the window so easily?//Without even giving me a chance to explain myself?
Asou: .........
Mune: I still have feelings for you, Asou-san./I love you.

198
Asou: .........//That's/enough!!//You speak like a little child./Just stop it!!//From day one/That's what I've always... | hated about you.//........No more./I don't wanna feel this way anymore. It's unsightly.......

199
Mune: Uh?
Asou: If you keep throwing around the word "love" so easily./I'm bound to start wondering what you really mean by it. | It's unsettling.//But/since I really want to believe you/it makes it even worse.[tn: Typical woman. Even when there's nothing wrong, she'll find something. :hahaha:]

200
Mune: What's so unsightly about it...?
Asou: .....//That's what I hate about love./That's why I didn't want to date a man to begin with.//Tell me it's unwomanly, I don't care/but I've always liked things where potential gains and losses could be accurately estimated.//Work. | School./If I can't tell if it's black or white, I don't deal with it.//Pretty. | Cute, or whatever/I hate to let other people judge me on their emotions./Because......//Because when there is someone whose approval you seek | there's always a risk that they won't give it to you./And I just can't take it. I can't.

201
Asou: (Merely remembering that you're younger)/What if a girl shows up and you find her prettier than me?/I won't know what to do with myself if that happens./At the mere thought of it I just....../(Is enough for jealousy to mercilessly tear at my heart.)[tn: Easier to understand when you remember that in the Japanese mind, a woman past 25 and still unmarried is considered damaged goods, and there's got to be something wrong with her. Think of the expression "Christmas cake." No one wants it past December 25th.]

202
Asou: I've been chewing you out.../putting you on the grill...//But | it's just pathetic...
Mune: ........
Asou: ........//I don't want the man I love to see that ugly side of me./If he does, I won't know where to hide.........

203
Mune: During these two months........ I've seen many different facets of your personality.//And that was just another one.//I want more./I wanna know more about you.//......../........*sob sob*
Mune: Gotta admit, though/the facet of yours that has left the strongest impression so far

204
Mune: is the one I saw when I was at your place./You started pounding me with a pillow, in the middle of the night.
Asou: .........//Haaaaa
Mune: Stark naked. Looming over me, with murder in your eyes
Asou: That one/was your fault.*sniff*
Asou: You used the toilets and forgot to put down the lid./And since I was still half-asleep.*Eeeeee*
Mune: Either way/that was the scariest face you'd ever made.
Asou: It happened twice again, even after that./I merely kept quiet about it.//.........

205
Mune: This is the first time/you refer to me as "the man you love".//The first time/you say you love me.
Asou: .........//Now that you mention it.... | I suppose I have./(This is probably the first time)
Mune: What do you mean, "I suppose"...?
Asou: (The first time since I was born/that I ever loved a man and let him know about it.//I've been unable to so far, for some reason. Why?)

206
Mune: I love you too./Asou-san.
Asou: Yeah. | I love you./(When all it takes to say it/is that insignificant little word.)/I have fallen in love with you./Agawa-kun.[tn: Aaaaawwww. :lovely:]
Sakuranbo SYNDROME [Cupid's Prank II] {3}. The end.[/end
===========================
207
THE OTHER SIDE OF CUPID
Making of Cupid II
An insider's view of the series' production, delivered by the author. And a bit of a mixed bag.
Please come along.

208
[Tiger Smiley.] Chapter 23
Asou-san's "Raaawr♥" was reminiscent of that of a fierce tiger, it seems.

[Rena's Book.] Chapter 23
She's reading the original "Alice's adventures in wonderland." That's the concentration of a college student, no doubt. It says she studies Japanese literature on her student card, though.

[Major Sadist Vibe.] Chapter 25
Or that's what he thinks. In the next chapter, she's the one flattening him (lol). As far as S&M go, I reckon that barring any strong innate tendencies one way or another, everyone is a bit of both.

[Animals are most dangerous when they're cornered] Chapter 22
His back to the wall, Agawa-kun takes the fight right back at the enemy! What a resourceful man!! ...The author doesn't really know what his average performance is, so he didn't draw about that (lol).

209
[USU Fit] Chapter 22
Official purveyors for the Cupid series.

[Bigger Breasts] Chapter 26
As the actress who stars in the Nijidama flipped through my work, she pointed out my "taste for large breasts". Cue my being flailing around, explaining that "Well, when I was a teen I liked them smaller...!!" .......Eeerm, truth is, I like them either way (lol).

[Dismantled Bed] Chapter 27
This is the bed Asou-san broke in Volume 2.

[Where Rena Was] Chapter 27
This volume mostly revolved around the conversation between Asou-san and Agawa-kun, but it seems Rena has been moving around quite a lot herself. More about that in the 4th volume!!