All rights are reserved to Clamp, Asuka Comics DX, and to whomever else it belongs to. I'm just trying to promote Gohou Drug.
As a warning, I'm only in Level 2 of Japanese Language. I'm doing this partly to improve my Japanese, partly for fun, and partly because I want to help those who know even less than Japanese than I do. Meaning, there are mistakes, and there are some passages I didn't even try to translate. [If a line is marked with '***', it means I had difficulty with it.]
If you know I have something wrong, or understood something I didn't, instead of being snotty, tell me (pixbell@hotmail.com) so that I can learn. I appreciate all constructive critiscm.
Go ahead and share the translation with your friends. Be warned that this is a rough draft.
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pg. 76
[Color picture of Kazahaya lying on the ground suggestively, looking up at the viewer, in hand (and foot!) cuffs and a half-opened shirt.]
77
[With a burst of... something, Kazahaya finds himself in a kitchen, reading a newspaper. He looks around, a bit confused.]
Kazahaya: (...Oh.)
pg. 78
[A woman with long dark-hair is cooking. The reader can't see her face.]
Dark-Haired Woman: Breakfast will be served soon, so please put the newspaper away.
Kazahaya: Oh, okay.
[She pours miso soup for the two of them.]
Dark-Haired Woman [giggling slightly]: You love newspapers, don't you.
Kazahaya: It's not that I love them...
pg. 79
*** Kazahaya: I just find them easier to understand than televised news.
Dark-Haired Woman: Itadakimasu.
Kazahaya: I-itadakimasu.
*** Dark-Haired Woman: You like hijiki, right?
Kazahaya: Not really.
Dark-Haired Woman: I'm going to be working late tonight, so could you make dinner?
Kazahaya [surprised]: What? Me?
Dark-haired Woman [giggling again]: Even if you don't come pick me up, I'll still come back. I'm not a child, after all.
pg. 80
Kazahaya: Huh? But I don't...
Dark-haired Woman [thinking]: Those scrawlings...
Dark-haired Woman [smiling]: It's probably just some prankster.
[Kazahaya is stunned. We see the Dark-haired Woman's full face for the first time. She has a fond smile on her face.]
Dark-haired Woman: You worry too much.
pg. 81
[Looking into her eyes, Kazahaya realizes that the image that reflecting is not him, but a slightly younger irate Rikuou.]
pg. 82
[Kazahaya wakes up with a start.]
[Staring at Kazahaya from five centimeters is an irritated Rikuou.]
Kazahaya [jumping away]: AAAAAAAH!
Kazahaya: Don't go barging into people's rooms!
pg. 83
Rikuou: That's what I should be saying.
Rikuou: That's my bed.
Kazahaya [clutching pillow, looking around ]: What?!
Kazahaya: (He's right. This is his bedroom.)
Kazahaya: (Last night I was working on the inventory of Green Drugstore until dawn. When I got home, I was too tired to change my clothes, and just thudded into bed.)
[Rikuou leans over Kazahaya-- who's still clutching a pillow and sitting in bed-- with a suggestive smirk. Kazahaya blushes indignantly.]
Rikuou: So there's people who'll slip into the bed of someone half-asleep.
pg. 84
Rikuou [grinning]: You're a dangerous guy.
Kazahaya: You've got it wrong! And you weren't there at the drugstore when we were busy with the inventory!
[Rikuou shoves Kazahaya to one side of the bed, gets in, and starts sleeping.]
Kazahaya: Hey!
[Kazayaha crawls cautiously over Rikuou and gets out of bed.]
Rikuou: Stop screeching like a girl. I need to sleep, too.
Kazahaya: Ahhh!
pg. 85
Kazahaya: Did you say screeching?!
Rikuou: Kakei-san is waiting for you. Go the to store.
[Kazahaya shakes with anger, and throws the pillow at Rikuou.]
Kazahaya: You bastard!
pg. 86
[Another gratuitous scene of Kazahaya changing clothes.]
Kazahaya: ("I need to sleep too," he says! What was he doing, if he wasn't sleeping?!)
*** Kazahaya: (If he was with a woman, I'll be pissed!) [side-note]
Kazahaya: (Speaking of women...)
Kazahaya: (I wonder if that was a dream. Or if I saw a sliver of memory because I was in his bed.)
Kazahaya: (If so, I wonder who that women was.)
pg. 87
Kazahaya: (She was pretty. Is she a girlfriend? Or maybe a family member?)
[Kazahaya runs out of the apartment.]
*** Kazayaha: I don't have time for this! I want my salary!
[As Kazahaya is putting on his apron-uniform, he comes across Sagai.]
Sagai: Hey, you're late, kid.
Kazahaya: What do you mean by, 'kid'?
pg. 88
*** Sagai: Trying to suck up to sca~~ry mister to get your salary.
Sagai: But you might not regret just that. Kazahaya: What are you implying?
[Sagai grabs Kazahaya by the hair, pulling his head so that their faces are only a few centimeters apart.]
*** Sagai: Kakei-san loves to punish.
Kazahaya [confused]: Huh?
pg. 89
Kakei-san: Don't.
[Sagai lets go of Kazahaya with a smirk. Kakei doesn't look too upset, either.]
Kakei [smiling cheerfully]: You see...
[Sagai slings his arm around Kazahaya's shoulders, laughing.]
****Sagai: When he says "You see," it means he might do it now.
Kazahaya: Huh?
Sagai: Lucky you, boy!
Kazahaya: What?
Kakei: That's enough of your old man's jokes.
Kakei: I have to talk to you. Will you come to my office?
pg. 90
Kazahaya: Is it about work? The additional one?
Kakei: Yes.
Kazahaya: But what about the store?
Kakei: Someone else will be working as the clerk, so don't worry.
pg. 91
[That 'someone' turns out to be Sagai. He sits at the counter, sleeping.]
[Over in Kakei's office...]
Kakei: This time, there's something I want you to catch.
Kazahaya [warily]: 'Something'?
Kakei: Are you being cautious?
Kazahaya: Yeah, because this job always involves strange requests.
[Kakei chuckles.]
Kakei: Fireflies.
pg. 92
Kazahaya: What?
Kakei: I want you to catch fireflies.
Kazahaya: Fireflies, as in the bug that lights up in the dark?
Kakei: That's right.
Kazahaya: ...It's winter right now.
Kakei: So it is! It's hard getting out of bed, when it gets colder every day.
Kazahaya: I thought fireflies came out at the beginning of summer.
Kakei: You're so knowledgeable!
pg. 93
Kazahaya: I don't think there's any fireflies in the winter.
Kakei: Yeah, there aren't any normal fireflies out.
Kakei: But the fireflies I want you to catch are invisible to eyes.
Kazahaya: Invisible... to eyes?
pg. 94
Kazahaya: How am I supposed to catch something like that?! It's impossible!
Kakei: So you won't do it?
Kazahaya: ...I'll do it.
**** Kakei: Can't you exchange height with your stomach?
Kazahaya [sighing]: I need the money.
pg. 95
Kazahaya: (I get the feeling that Kazahaya knows the reason why ran away from home. I wonder what his special skill is?)
[Kakei holds forth a plastic bottle of water.]
Kakei: Okay then, so when night falls, take this and go search.
pg. 96
Kazahaya: What? Night? As in tonight?
Kakei: Yes, I want you to catch them before tomorrow.
Kakei: WHAT?!
Kakei: Tonight is the best time to do it; there's a full moon.
pg. 97
Kazahaya: The full moon has something to do with this?
Kakei: Oh, yes. It's essential.
Kakei: I emailed your cell phone the location of the fireflies.
*** Kazahaya: The I part of the Kashira park?
*** Kakei: Starting from Keioui on the Kashira line, it's about ten stops away.
Kazahaya: Um, for this job, will he....
Rikuou: Do you mean Rikuou?
[Kazahaya nods.]
pg. 98
Kakei: He won't be coming until tonight.
Kazahaya: Then I can go alone?
Kakei: That's fine.
[Kazahaya is highly pleased.]
Kazahaya: (Not only I won't have to deal with that depressing guy, but I'll reap the rewards all for myself!)
Kazahaya [grinning like mad]: In that case, I'll stay at the store until night.
Kakei: You're such a hard worker, Kudou-kun.
[Now that Kazahaya has left, Kakei is free to make all sorts of cryptic remarks.]
Kakei: But I don't think you'll be able to do it this time alone, either.
[It's now night, and Kazahaya is in the park. It's dark and empty. Kazahaya shivers.] Kazahaya: It's *freezing.*
Kazahaya: [How am I supposed to go hunting for fireflies in midwinter? One that are invisible to the eye, at that? I don't see how to do this...]
pg. 99
[Kazahaya looks at the bottle suspiciously.]
pg. 100
Kazahaya: The only clue I have is this bottle of water.
[He looks up.]
Kazahaya: The moon is huge!
pg. 101
Kazahaya: Is there anything besides the moon that's giving off this light? The shadows...
[Kazahaya looks at the ground, and sees that there are shadows of small round things all over him.]
Kazahaya: What is this?!