Kurenai 33

Chapter 33

01

Text: Volume 5 is on sale now.
Box: There are some companies...
Box: that you naturally end up hearing about whether you want to or not while living a normal life.

Box: In the normal world, they could be electronics makers, game companies,
Box: cosmetics companies, or food companies.

Box: And in the underground world...
Box: it's always the "Akuu Company".
Lucy: Kurenai-saaan.
Text: Who is he waiting for...!?

02

Lucy: Ah, nice to meet you.
Title: Chapter 33 Tempter
Credits:
Original Work: Katayama Kentarou
(Shueisha: Super Dash Bunko)
Manga: Yamamoto Yamato
Script: Koyasu Hideaki
Continuity Organization: Furuya Daisuke

Text: A smile isn't necessarily a sign of friendship...
Lucy: I'm Lucy May of the Akuu Company.
Bottom text: A oneshot is being published in SQ. 19! See P. 239 for details! Now taking advance orders for Volume 6 which comes with an OAV DVD! See P. 632!!

03

Lucy: Sorry for calling you out on your day off.
Lucy: You probably had a date planned or something, right?
SFX: Chatter chatter
Lucy: I'm the assistant director of the personnel department...
Lucy: Oh, here's my business card.

Box: The Akuu Company.
Box: A syndicate of talented people that included "Iron Arm" and "Red Cap".

Box: Why are they contacting me...?
Lucy: I'm sorry about how sudden this is...
Lucy: but could I ask you a favor?

Shinkurou: What?

Lucy: Could I borrow some money?
Lucy: I forgot my wallet.

04

Text: The next day

SFX: Press press

Shinkurou: Hey, Ginko...
Ginko: What?

Shinkurou: Do you...
Shinkurou: have much money in savings?

Ginko: How much do you need?
SFX: Type type

Shinkurou: Eh?
Ginko: I won't charge you any interest, so just tell me.
Ginko: How much do you need and how long until you'll be able to pay me back?
SFX: Turn around

05

Shinkurou: No, I'm not saying I need to borrow anything.
Shinkurou: Hey, stop looking at me like I'm your prodigal son!!
Shinkurou: And I've never borrowed money from you before!
Ginko: In first grade...

Ginko: there were 7 times that I lent you 100 yen so you could buy ice cream on the way back from the pool.

Ginko: In 2nd grade, there were 5 times I lent you ten yen so you could draw lots at a small candy shop.
Ginko: Once, on a field trip, you were crying after losing your snack money so I lent you 300 yen.
Ginko: And...
Shinkurou: I'll make sure to pay you back for all that...

Shinkurou: Why does she always remember things from way back then so well?
Text: And it's always things I'd rather she forgot.
Ginko: If it isn't that, what is it?

Ginko: Why would you ask that?

Shinkurou: Um, well...
Shinkurou: Have you thought about your future?

06

Ginko: Hah?

Shinkurou: I don't mean anything by it.
Shinkurou: It's just a simple question.

Ginko: My future...
Ginko: Hmm...

Ginko: Well, I can easily imagine what YOUR future will be like.
Shinkurou: Oh, and what's that?

Ginko: A proletariat. A loser at life. The lowest of the low in society.

07

Ginko: But, well, when that happens, you can always work at my restaurant.

Box: Working with Ginko at the ramen shop, huh?
Box: That might not be too bad...
Lucy: Oh, sorry about that.
Lucy: But I'm starving.

Lucy: I didn't have any breakfast today.
Lucy: I'll make sure to pay you back.
Lucy: Oh, do want half of this oolong tea?
Shinkurou: Uh...no thanks.

Shinkurou: Could we hurry up and get to the subject at hand?
Shinkurou: What exactly do you want from me?

Lucy: Okay then...
SFX: Place

Lucy: There is one simple reason why I've called you out here.

08

Lucy: I want you,
Lucy: Kurenai-san.

Lucy: Would you...
Lucy: come to the Akuu Company?

Shinkurou: ...You're scouting me?

Lucy: My company would like you to sign a contract with us.

Shinkurou: Um...I defeated one of your soldiers-for-hire, right?
Shinkurou: Do you really scout people who do that?
Lucy: Of course. We will scout any talented person who could be of use to us.
Lucy: We don't let our feelings get in the way of that.

09

Shinkurou: I've heard a lot of rumors...
Shinkurou: about the Akuu Company.

Lucy: "They're an evil secret society that will assist in any crime so long as they're paid"...
Lucy: Things like that?

Shinkurou: W-well...
Lucy: It's true we help people commit crimes.

Lucy: But we also help resolve crimes.

Lucy: Some people may look down on us...
Lucy: but we do save people, too.
Lucy: We do not distinguish between good and evil.
Lucy: We will dispatch the best people to match our clients' wishes.
Lucy: That's what we do.

10

Shinkurou: Thank you for offering...

Shinkurou: but I refuse.

Shinkurou: If I can, I would like to make decisions about my work for myself.
Shinkurou: I'm just don't like having others interfere with my life.

Lucy: Heh.

Lucy: How childish.
Lucy: I'm surprised.

11

Shinkurou: ...Childish?
Lucy: Yes, your thinking is childish.
Lucy: Completely childish.

Lucy: Kurenai-san.
SFX: Pull out
Lucy: How much have you thought about your future?

Lucy: You're currently 16 years old and in your first year of high school.
Lucy: There are a lot of dispute mediators like you.
Lucy: The competition is fierce.

Lucy: Hmm...
Lucy: This may be a bit rude...

Lucy: but your current earnings don't let you save much, do they?
Lucy: You barely manage to have enough for living expenses and school expenses, right?

12

Shinkurou: Th-...!!
Shinkurou: That's true.
Shinkurou: But I believe the only way to deal with this kind of thing is to simply work hard.
Shinkurou: So...

Lucy: Just work hard?
Lucy: That's your plan?

Lucy: If you keep working as a normal dispute mediator...
Lucy: when is your future going to improve?

Lucy: Kurenai-san,
Lucy: to be blunt...

13

Yuuno: Is something bothering you?

Shinkurou: Eh?
Yuuno: Does your right arm still hurt?
Yuuno: I can give you some medicine for that.

Shinkurou: No, my arm's...
Shinkurou: fine.
Yuuno: Then is there something else?

Shinkurou: Yes.
Shinkurou: I was just thinking that I was
Shinkurou: still fairly inexperienced.

14

Yuuno: That's right.

Yuuno: You are still inexperienced.

Yuuno: There were still plenty of things you needed to learn here.
Yuuno: And yet you left to go live on your own.
Yuuno: Do you know how painful that was for me?

Yuuno: Ahh...
Yuuno: Now I'm remembering how painful it was.
SFX: Lay head down...

Yuuno: I might even cry...

15

Yuuno: ...Tell me you love me.
Shinkurou: Eh?

Yuuno: Just say...
Yuuno: that you love me.

Shinkurou: I love you, Yuuno-san.
SFX: Twitch

SFX: Clench

Yuuno: Anyway!
Yuuno: Whenever you're troubled you can always rely on us, the Houzuki family.
Yuuno: You shouldn't be embarrassed about needing help from others.

Lucy: ...Kurenai-san.

16-17

Lucy: It seems...
Lucy: you have a bad habit of trying to deal with everything on your own.

Lucy: Do you hate being used by others?
Lucy: Are you uneasy about belonging to an organization?

Lucy: I understand that.
Lucy: Everyone feels that way.

Lucy: But overcoming those things greatly helps you grow.

Lucy: I'll give you a great example.

Lucy: Juuzawa Benika.

Lucy: She's known as one of the world's top class dispute mediators.

Lucy: Right now, she's working on her own.
Lucy: but she once belonged to an organization known as the Imperial Guards of the Kuhouin family.

18

Lucy: And that was when she was about your age.

Lucy: She polished her skills there,
Lucy: made personal connections, and saved up some capital.

Lucy: Her current success is due to what she did back then.

Lucy: Kurenai-san,
Lucy: you are raw ore.

Lucy: If you are polished, you will shine wonderfully.

19

Lucy: Belonging to an organization expands a person's influence...
Lucy: and expands their knowledge.
Lucy: It would be quite beneficial for you!

Lucy: I don't mind at all if you use us...
Lucy: in order to give yourself that step up you need.

Lucy: Please let us help you...
Lucy: achieve your goal more quickly!

Shinkurou: Give me...
Shinkurou: some time to think about it.

20

Sign: Room 5

Shinkurou: Instead of working on your own...

Tamaki: Hm?

Shinkurou: learning amidst of collection of professionals can be better, can't it?

Shinkurou: Oh, I'm not saying I'm going to be joining an organization or anything.
Shinkurou: I was just thinking about the fact that I had that option.

21

SFX: Munch munch

Tamaki: Yeah, I guess that could work.
Yamie: Indeed.
Shinkurou: They're taking this lightly!!
Shinkurou: They're really treating this like someone else's problem!

Tamaki: Well, they say doing something is better than doing nothing! I'm sure it'll work out!
Tamaki: I don't really get it, though...
Text: Gah ha ha
Shinkurou: Th-that's true...

Yamie: Boy.
Yamie: You shouldn't consult others about the truly important things.

Shinkurou: Eh?
Yamie: People give more serious consideration...
Yamie: to what they realize themselves than to what others point out to them.

Yamie: You should...
Yamie: find one for yourself.

22

Yamie: Just find one "answer"...
Yamie: for yourself.

Yamie: If you do that, you'll be able to overcome most anything.

Box: An answer...
Box: huh?

Shinkurou: An email...

23

On phone: Murasaki

Shinkurou: Murasaki...!
SFX: Press

Box: "Shinkurou, how are you doing?"

Box: "This is my first email."
Box: "It's kind of complicated, but it's fun..."

Shinkurou: She...
Shinkurou: can do things like this now...

Box: Even little Murasaki is working so hard...
Box: She's carrying out her duties as a Kuhouin...
Box: And she isn't complaining.
Box: Murasaki is really working hard.

24

Box: How do I, a 16 year old...
Box: compare to a 7 year old like her?

Box: I'm getting so afraid over something as simple as joining an organization.
Box: I'm pathetic.

Box: If I can't even make a decision like this, how am I supposed to deal with the underground world from here on out?

Box: Kuhouin Murasaki is continuing on.
Card: Lucy May

Box: Kurenai Shinkurou needs to as well.

25

Lucy: ...I see.
SFX: Step
Lucy: Then I'll see you at noon on Sunday.

SFX: Beep
Lucy: We've got a bite from him,
Lucy: Hoshigami-san.

Zena: Hey...

Zena: I wonder what Juuzawa Benika's face...
Zena: will look like when she hears...
Zena: that we've taken him.

26

Lucy: Before that...
Lucy: we need to have Kurenai-san take the "Entry Test".

Zena: That's right. The test.
SFX: Creak

Zena: That'll be fun, too.

27

Box: A few days later

Box: The crowded shopping district on a day off...
Box: has a fairly unique feel to it.

Box: The groups of boys hanging out in front of the convenience stores...the couples walking hand-in-hand while smiling and jokingly quarreling...
Box: It's an optimistic atmosphere that makes you feel like you've been put into a stupor.

Box: It's an atmosphere I just can't get used to as I am now.
Sign: Steakhouse

SFX: Open...

28

Lucy: We've been waiting for you, Kurenai-san.
Lucy: Please, come in.

Shinkurou: ...Make no mistake.
Shinkurou: I'm just here to hear what your proposing in more detail.

Kirihiko: Is this him?
Kirihiko: This is the new rookie you're hiring?

29

Shinkurou: Eh?

Shinkurou: Waaah!!
SFX: Wham
SFX: Smash
Lucy: Wait...
Lucy: Kirishima-san!!
Lucy: Don't crush him.

30

Kirihiko: You're...!

31

SFX: Jump back

Kirihiko: What's going on, Lucy!!!

Kirihiko: Why is he here!!?

Shinkurou: K-

Shinkurou: Kirihiko-chan...?
Text: Shinkurou has finally discovered Kirihiko's true identity!?
Bottom: To be continued in the October issue