Kiss is Not Enough 16

*Only for use by Shoujo Crusade

tl by JinHea

p42-----
16th Kiss
Because I won't let you go

p43-----
Text in box: Hello! Kudou Ryoko here.
- All done---
- Lets go, Ryoko.
Text in box: Spring is here, Sei and Ayumu are 2nd years now
Linked box: while Kaji and I have become 3rd years
Text above head: Yay-- I'm a 2nd year now
Text below arm: Yes! Both school and work are taken into account [not sure what this means – maybe it means both are balanced?]

Ryoko: Wow-- It's been so long since I saw Sei in uniform
Smaller text: so cool
SFX: step step
Sei: That goes for you too. Plus you had that photo shoot.
Ryoko: I'd rather not talk about that

Author's note: Cigarettes and teeth.
I quit smoking. Cigarettes are getting pricier, yet I was smoking more and more. Just when it seemed like there was no way out of this cycle, a certain reason (to be mentioned later) made me decide to quit, and now I’m not smoking anymore (smile). Smoking so much isn’t a good idea per se, nor it’s not good for the body, and it makes the teeth turn yellow. The feeling of clean teeth becoming dirty again wasn’t very nice, so I resolved to quit – now my teeth is white and shiny!
Smoking is really bad for you (hypocrite!)

p44-----
- As 3rd years, we can’t afford to take it easy anymore…
SFX: kyaa wow wow

SFX: push
Ryoko: Look at that crowd waiting for you guys,
Linked bubble: you’re too popular for your own good~~~
Text between bubbles: Members of idol group Sea that’s rapidly gaining popularity
Ryoko: Leave everything here to me, you need to hide!!
- Um… okay.
Text to left of panel: Super popular idol Ryuuhei Kaji

SFX: stomp stomp stomp
- They’re here!
- The letters you want to give Sea and Kaji,
Linked bubble: I… I’ll pass them along for you!

- Ryoko!
- Wha?

p46-----
- Sign this for me!
- Shake my hand!
- Let me touch her!
Ryoko: Heeeelp!
SFX: rustle
Sei: Ryoko!?

Sei: Hey! Ryoko, you alright!?
SFX: tattered
Ryoko: Se…Sei
Text above Ayumu: Ryo-chan!
- Oi! Wait for me!

Bold text: Wow!
- Oh my god! It’s Sea and Kaji!
- Whoa!
Text below bubble: I knew it.
Text above Ayumu’s head: Ryo-chan, are you okay?

SFX: Wow! Oh my god!
- Whaaa!
Big text: Chaos

p46-----
SFX: Wow wow
Text on paper: No entry!!
SFX: Chatter chatter

- So… So you mean…
Linked bubble: they’re all worked up because…
Text beside bubble: feverish

- Not one but four super popular idols showing up at once,
Linked bubble: it’s no wonder they’re making such a fuss
Text beside chin: you’re really dense
Text across top of panel: Ryoko’s best friend Megumi-chan
Text above Kaji: That’s true!
Text above Ayumu: Here Ryo-chan.
Ryoko: But…
SFX: uwaaa

- By the way, here. [small text] It’s for you.
SFX: pile
- Huh?

Kaji: Oooh-- fan letters— [small text] Good going, Ryoko-chan
Text beside bubble: Wow—
Text above Ayumu’s head: As expected of Ryo-chan
SFX on Sei’s head: gaan
Text beside Megumi: Now you’ve got them
SFX: rustle

p47-----
Asterisk: love letters
Letter with hearts: I love you so much! Please go out with me. 1st year class B
Topmost letter: Haven’t seen Ryoko-chan for so long! The day hasn’t yet begun / noticed you. Ryoko-chan’s absence bothers me so much / can’t think. I want to make you mine / I don’t need anything if I have Ryoko-chan / Ryoko-chan is a very important existence for me / You are so important to me / In the classroom today after class / I’m serious / wait

SFX: bdmp bdmp
Ryoko: There’re… so many…
Text below bubble: The contents are so passionate

- It’s nothing to look pleased about
SFX: frustration

SFX: hmph
Sei: We get lots of fan mail too
Linked bubble: It’s no big deal
Text beside Sei: We get them wa—y more often, too
Text above Ryoko: Hahaha, are you surprised
SFX: Eh

- Is… is that true!? Ayumu-chan!
- Yup—
Text below bubble: I get a lot of snacks—

p48-----
- I see…
Text on hair: Sei really is popular

Sign: Children with colds / Gargle

Kaji: Okay— The bell’s rung, the fans are gone,
Linked bubble: Sei and Ayumu have to go back to the idol division!
SFX: shove
Sei: Hey! Ojisan, that’s so low!
Text above Ayumu: Don’t wanna—
Kaji: It can’t be helped, I’m her classmate in the normal division after all~~~

Sei: Ryoko… I’ll see you in the courtyard at lunch then!
SFX: push push
Text below bubble: Scumbag! That hurts—

Ryoko: Ah, okay, see you later.

SFX: slam

p49-----
Kaji: How cute, he’s jealous
Linked bubble: over the love letters
Word beside bubble: phew
Words on shoulder: Well well
Ryoko: Huh!?
Linked bubble: You mean… Sei is!?

- Ryoko, you’ve probably thought about him going out with those people right?

- Come on, no way,
Linked bubble: they’re fans for goodness sake—
Text above Ryoko: Never crossed my mind!

Kaji: I think there were rumours about him fooling around with his fans?
Text beside Kaji: Ah— Maybe I said too much—
- The number of girls he’s been with defies the imagination, he’s really a player.
Linked bubble: I wonder how many others there are that we don’t know about?

p50-----
- There’s…
Text beside Ryoko: Sei and his fans—?

- There’s no way!
SFX: rattle
- Please don’t speculate about weird things!!

SFX: step step

Megumi: Kaji,
Linked bubble: you’re trying to come between them, aren’t you?
Text beside Kaji: heehee

- You got me— [small text] Hahaha
Text beside bubble: Showbiz people are scary—
Megumi: That’s right, I saw through you at once.
SFX: step step step

p51-----
- Sei and his fans?
- No way that’d happen!
- Because he’s dating me!

- He said I’m the only one!
Sei: Because I already know
Linked bubble: that Ryoko is the one I love most.

- But what about before—?
SFX: badump

- Maybe he was like that before,
- moreover he’s been hanging around Kaji for a long time,

- plus he’s so admired by everyone in the idol division that they call him Prince.
- Prince—
- Wow—

p52-----
- What if he really did go out
- with one of those girls…

- Sei… and another girl…?

SFX: twinge

- All those things he did with me, he’s done them with someone else?
SFX: clench

- I hate the very thought of it!
- I hate it!

p53-----
SFX: squeeze
- All right—

- It’s because I don't know the truth that I’m like this,
- I should investigate this thoroughly before jumping to any conclusions!
SFX: determined

- I’ll get to the bottom of this!!

Text in box: Testimony 1
Linked box: classmates
- Eh— What Sei used to be like?

Text beside cloth: Disguise?
- A real player, yeah, totally.
SFX: kyaa kyaa
- If you gave him a present he’d hug you,
Linked bubble: and if he liked you, he’d even kiss you!

- But— lately Prince has become standoffish—
- True— I heard he refuses everyone’s pre-

Linked bubble: -sents…
Text beside bubble: Huh? She disappeared.
Text in flash: Gone

p54-----
Text in box: Testimony 2
Linked box: staff
Text on sleeve: still in disguise
- Sei is quite popular in the acting field too,
Linked bubble: lots of girls are after him, so he must have dating experience right?

- He’s never gone steady with anyone though,
- but— he seems to have a girlfriend now, they only started dating recently.
Text in box on sleeve: makeup artist
Text in box above head: wardrobe designer

- Eh… wha? She’s not here.
Text in flash: Gone

SFX: gloom
- What happened with Ryoko? She looks down today.
- Hmm—?

p55-----
- Despite knowing he used to be
- a player,
- the gulf between us is getting wider
SFX: troubled

Sei: Ryoko— Did something happen?
Linked bubble: You don’t look good.
Star: Sei!
SFX: badump
- Oh!

- There’s no way something that’s already happened can be changed,
- I can’t let this get to me.

Ryoko: It…
Linked bubble: It’s nothing!

Sei: It doesn’t seem like nothing…

Ryoko: Honestly, it’s nothing! [small text] hahaha
Text below bubble: involuntarily backing away
SFX: stare stare

p56-----
- I’ll cheer you up.
- Huh?

SFX: Chu!

SFX: start

p57-----
- Don’t kiss me!!
SFX: bam

p58-----
Sei: Wha… what’re you doing!?

- Ah…
- I…
SFX: oh

- When I think that this pair of hands
- have done the same thing to other girls,

- my heart hurts!

p59-----
- Ry…

SFX: dash
- Ryoko!?

Sei: What happened? That girl!
Linked bubble: Did I do something wrong…
Ayumu: She resents you now…

p60-----
Sei: I don’t remember doing anything she should resent me for!?
Ayumu: Oh— Is that so—
SFX: bokeee

Ayumu: I heard Ryo-chan was asking around
Linked bubble: about you today.

Sei: Eh…
- Sei— Time for the shoot!

p61-----
Ryoko: Everyone else’s gone home, yet Kaji’s still here,
Linked bubble: he’s such a good student—

Ryoko: …Suddenly showing up at their workplace…
- I must have caused everyone so much trouble…

SFX: clack
- But—

p62-----
Ryoko: — Kaji,
Linked bubble: I’m… a huge idiot.

- I know it’s all in the past,
Linked bubble: yet I can only think about him doing with other girls the same things he does with me.
- I’m pathetic…

p63-----
Ryoko: I hurt Sei so much.
- I know I can’t change anything, but…

Ryoko: Being his girlfriend is such a heavy burden.
- I never knew I could feel so torn up inside.
Ryoko: He probably… despises me now…

Sei: So that’s what this is all about!

p64-----
- This voice…!

- It can’t be!
Linked bubble: You’re supposed to be at the photo shoot…!

Text in star: Sei!
SFX: clatter

p65-----
- I want an apology later.

- What should I do? He heard everything…

Ryoko: You…
Linked bubble: despise me now… right?
- Sei is an idol, it’s only natural lots of girls are attracted to him.

- To be burdened by a jealous girlfriend who can’t let go of what’s over and done with,
- of course he’s disgusted.

p66-----
- Isn’t Ryoko the one who resents me?

Ryoko: That’s not true!
Sei: You heard what I was like before. I admit
Linked bubble: I used to fool around.

SFX: badump

p67-----
- But now, Ryoko the only one for me.

- Sei…
SFX: tmp tmp

- If it makes you feel better, you can condemn me for my past behaviour,
Linked bubble: I’ll accept any punishment you see fit.
- But,

p68-----
- the only one in my heart is you,
Linked bubble: you’re the only one who can make me jealous.

SFX: badump
- No matter how busy I am, how tired I feel,
Linked bubble: I’m always thinking of you and you alone, Ryoko.

p69-----
- I won’t be the guy I used to be.
- It might hurt you that I can’t be yours alone,
Linked bubble: since I’m an idol.

- But though that’s the way it is,
- the only one I want is you, Kudou Ryoko.

p70-----
- I’ll never let you go!

- He gave me a way out,
- but,

Ryoko: Y…
Linked bubble: Yeah!
Ryoko: I feel the same!
- even so,

p71-----
Ryoko: I really love Sei…!
- I don’t want to leave him!

- I’m sorry for pushing you away~~~

p72-----
- That’s okay,
- as punishment, I won’t let you go home tonight.

Text in box: Kaji’s strategy – Failed.
Text above head: I’m too late.

p73-----
Text in box: Kiss behind-the-scenes.

Text beside box: I know being serialised means having lots of behind-the-scenes pages, but I get so busy I forget every time. Re-reading my work, I realise the eyes I draw are very round (¯□¯||) The funniest character this time round is the Chairman! Let me spill the beans about her. I originally decided Chairman would be a transsexual (wry smile) but since there weren't enough pages, she turned out to be just a normal beautiful woman.

Text above dark haired guy in glasses: Tanabe (elder) is Sea’s manager, honest guy.
Tanabe elder: Our Chairman.
Text above light haired guy: Tanabe (younger) is Chairman’s aide, inscrutable intentions, malicious.
Tanabe younger: He’s a transsexual.
Text between the two guys: (Different side parts, different coloured hair) twins

Text beside Chairman’s hair: oozing pheromones
Text beside arm: big boobs (smile)
Text in box: Chairman

Text below box in oval: New character
Text below oval: The sharp Chairman. / He’s a transsexual. Appears to be an extremely gorgeous woman, but never speaks directly to Ryoko. A 50 year old with the heart of a young girl (smile). Uses male terminology when being mean. / I won’t forgive anyone who takes beauty for granted. I adore pretty boys. But I won’t make the first move, since I’m a woman. / As for going after the idols in my agency… that’s going too— far, I wouldn’t do that! It’s very unprofessional! Ah… but if Ryuuhei insists, I…!
Text beside arrow: Depends on aide Tanabe (younger) to pass on his words.

Text beside Kaji: “I won’t insist!” [Text below] No hesitation
Text beside crying Chairman: Waaaah— But I also like it when you’re cruel—
Tanabe: … The normally merciless Chairman can even cry because of him.

- Those he loves he adores to pieces, but those he hates he absolutely despises.
Text between Chairman and Ryoko: Don’t talk to me, ugly girl!
SFX: shriek
Text on head in circle: Ri

Text beside Tanabe younger’s hair: Malicious, stern, perpetually smiling. The complete opposite of his nice guy big brother.
Text above shoulder: Tanabe Jouji. Big brother is called Shuichi.