Kokuhaku - Confessions By Ren NATSUYOSHI translated by Jen http://ttreasures.caithion.net --------------------------------- .P 123 Confessions .P 124 "The Secret" *trample trample* Sign: Seizo Senior High Kubota: //To a greater// : //or lesser degree// : //every human// : //has// : //secrets, but...// .P 125 *chatter chatter* Friend: Heeeey. *yo* : Kubota! *slam* : What? A notebook? Were you writing something? Kubota: No. I was just confirming that last play we did. Friend: Just what I'd expect from the guy elected to be captain next term! Kubota: *No, no.* : //That was close!// Friend: By the way, you got anything to eat? Kubo: You already ate after morning practice, didn't you? Friend: Quiet! Don't take my stomach lightly!! *clatter* Girl: Morikawa-chan! .P 126 : I brought back the "Deluxe Magarin" that you lent to me. *Sorry it took so long* *swish* *snatch* Morikawa: Anytime was fine! Friend: I : know your SECRET. *heart pounding* Kubo: WHA-! : WHAT?! *clatter* *munch munch* Friend: You- *grin* : Like Nodoka Morikawa, don;t you? Kubo: *Phew..* .P 127 : Sure. Friend: Wow, you admitted that quickly. Kubo: I've been thinking about confessing to her for half a year already. : //That isn't my secret.// : //The truth is// : //I am// : //A shoujo mangaka!// [Note] A mangaka creates manga. Shoujo manga are comics for girls. : //From the beginning my older sister had an ambition to be a mangaka,// Comic: Ren Natsuyoshi 30 pg short "Always on time! Air Post" Haruka Kubo 30 new pages "After School" : //I learned to draw by watching her. My manga won a prize. Three installments have been in "Deluxe Magarin" since it debuted.// : //I took the "Kubo" from Kubota, and changed the readiing the the "yuu" in Yuuta to "Haruka". [Note] The Chinese characters (kanji) used in Japanese can be read in more than one way. Yuuta took these different readings and wrote them in katakana, a syllabic writting system. : //It's an incredibly suitable pen name, but hardly going to expose me.// .P 128 : //By the way// *Shh...* : //What I write in my notebook aren't football formations, but the plot for the next installment.// : //Even Morikawa is reading my manga...// : //This could be a problem!// *scratch scratch* *grrrr~~* : //This MUST remain a secret!// : //I'm not the kind of person who should be drawing shoujo manga!// *ding gong ding dong* *bye-bye* Morikawa: Ah! Kubota-kun! You're going to club now? *slam* Kubo: ! Morikawa- .P 129 Morikawa: Cleaning duty just finished. *I'm tired.* Kubo: //Has...// : Oh. *slam* : Um... : //my chance arrived already?!// : //THIS time...// : Ah- : Um! Morikawa! Mori: Hm? Kubo: //I'll confess!// : I Sagawa: Nodoka! .P 130 Mori: Sagawa-kun. Sagawa: Thank goodness! I wondered if you had already gone home. : I bought that CD we were talking about earlier. Mori: Ah, wait! Kubota-kun was in the middle of saying something. Kubo: No. It wasn't anything important. : See ya'! *gulp* *stiff* : I have yo hurry to club! Hahaha. Ha. *step step* *tap* *glance* .P 131 Kubo: //Morikawa, you see...// Mori: *Is that true?* Sagawa: *Really, really.* Kubo: //...has one or two guy friends. Or two or three...// : THREE OR FOUR!! *slam* Player: Hoo! Kubo: Four or five... *slam* Mother: Welcome home. : Oh, Yuuta! You got an envelope from your editor. Kubo: Five or six... .P 132 *slam* : *sigh* : //When you see a scene like that...// : //...he is probably confessing...// : Hm? : //Fan-letters.// *riiip riiip* : //I don't really// : //feel like reading them today.// *gulp gulp* : //I'll get around to them tomorrow.// *shake* *BWUAH!* *COUGH COUGH COUGH* Envelope: Nodoka Morikawa Kubo: //IT CAN'T BE!// .P 133 "The Letter" Friend: Kubota~ : You have anything to eat? *shake shake shake* : Kubota-- *shove shove shove shove* : So it was unrequited love. Kubo: *Ack!* : It was NOT! Friend: Having difficulties? Kubo: Uh... *slump* .P 134 Mori: Here. : Kubota-kun. : The notebook you submitted. Kubo: Ah... : Morikawa... Mori: Hm? Kubo: Never mind. Thanks. *Grr~* Letter: Haruka Kubo Sensei, nice to meet you. I've loved your manga for a long time, but this is the first time that I've written a fan letter. .P 135 *jiii* *Concentrating Silence* Letter: "I've only read three installments of Kubo Sensei's manga, but..." Kubo: She's read them all. Letter: "After reading them, I've always been cheered up." Kubo: I'm the one who's cheered up! Letter: "Anyway, Rast in the new installment of 'After School' was so cool I got teary-eyed." Kubo: //...........Rast was inspired by Tantou-san...// *Manly* : *I've been beaten.* : *Let's see...* : "There is..." Letter: "There is a guy I like right now, and he is a friend. I try to confess (circumstances make it impossible). Now I'm afraid that any chance is broken." : "My courage is failing." : "I'm vacillating between confessing or not." .P 136 : "I'll be cheering you on!" : "Take care of your health, and please keep up the good work." Kubo: Ugh... Friend 2: Kubota doesn't seem well. Friend: He's having difficulties. *ding dong ding dong* Students: Goodbye. : Goodbye. Mori: Ah, : Kubota-kun, goodbye! Kubo: Bye. Mori: Sagawa-kun, wait! Sagawa: Sure. .P 137 Kubo: //Even if Morikawa thinks that the situation is hopeless,// : //it'll be fine.// *ding dong ding dong* *scratch scratch* Letter: "Nodoka Morikawa-sama, Thank you very much for your letter." *scratch scratch* Kubo: //It's shameful.// : //I know it's not acceptable, but...// .P 138 : //I know, but...// Letter: "If you are uncertain about whether of not to confess, it may be better to give up..." Kubo: //I love her.// Kubo: 'Sup. Student: Yo. : //I'll mail it when I get home.// *yawn* Girl: Morikawa-chan, : Can I borrow the Deluxe Magarin for a little longer? My little sister wants to read it. Mori: Sure. I could bring you the Satsu Magarin too... .P 139 Girl: Morikawa-chan, I'd never have thought that you read manga. *hehe* Mori: Actually, I have a little dream of becoming a mangaka. : If I had the talent, : I'd love to draw like Haruka Kubo-san. *flap* *flap flap* .P 140 Mori: MORNING! MORNING! MORNING! : MORNING! Girl: Wh-what's up? id something happen? Mori: I sent Haruka Kubo-san a fan letter! I got a reply! : LOOK! *clatter* Girl: *Eeeeh-?! AMAZING! .P 141 Kubo: Morning.... Mori: And what's more, : I wrote and asked what I should do about confessing to someone I like. : She said, "Please do your best to gain courage!" : "I'm cheering you on!" : "It'll definitely work out!" .P 142 "The Confession" Package: Tuna, onion & mayo Kubo: ? ....What's this? Friend: Eat it. *crinkle* Kubo: What's this all the sudden? *This is unusual.* Friend: I've seen them together a lot. : Morikawa-san and Sagawa. : Are you alright with the way things are going? .P 143 Kubo: I can't do anything about it. Friend: Did you do something? Kubo: //I sent a letter.// : //On top of everything else, I urged her on.// : //If I supported her, I can't get in the way.// : //Isn't that what I should say if I'm supposed to be helping her? Editor: Kubo-san? *ha!* Kubo: I-I'm sorry. : I can't think of anything this time. Editor: Well, there's still some time until the deadline. So you can take your time to think about it. : Have you done anything to try to cheer up? Kubo: Hmmm... .P 144 : Yes, ma'am. Goodbye. *click* : //I'm in a "slump", I suppose.// *irritation* *scratch scratch* *drop* *scratch scratch scratch* .P 145 : //It's been a long time since I took a break!// *Yay! Yay!* *bark bark* Sign: Park : //Cheer up! Cheer up! Cheer up!// *Uwaaaaaah-!* : //Relax! Refresh! Rejuvinate! Woman: *Isn't it?* Kid: *Wa!* Man: *Sit!* *jealous envy* *jealous envy* : //Somehow these things just remind me of the manga...// : //Can't!// : //Relax! Refresh!// Girl 1: The heroinne, Miu-chan, is cute! Girl 2: Cute- Girl 1: "After School" means "Houkago." That's what mama said. .P 146 Girl 1: I wonder who writes it? Girl 2: Haruka Kubo. Kubo: //Not that comic book again.// : //I'm Haruka Kubo.// : //They'd sure be surprised if I said that.// Girls: *Yay! Yay!* Mother: Excuse me! *step* Girl: *Mama?* Mother: What do you want with my children? Kubo: Ah! No! You've got it wrong! I'm not a suspicious person, and... um... That is... : I'm the author of that manga! : //I said it!!// : If you want proof.... *sketch sketch* Girl 1: It's Miu-chan! Mother: Oh my! Girl 2: Me too! I want Miu-chan too! .P 147 Mother: I've been reading Deluxe Magarin since middle school! But to have men drawing too! And you're still a student, aren't you? Kubo: I'm a junior. [Note] I translated this into US terminology. He's 2 years from graduating. Mother: That's amazing! I wonder, could I have your autograph? Kubo: Oh no-- I couldn't give out autographs. : But just now you've really helped me out. : //Well...// : //Whatever it was...// *AHAH HA HA HA* : //Thank goodness!// Mori: Kubota-kun? : //Thank good-...// : //..ness?// : *Wha-?* Mori: I knew it! : Kubota-kun! .P 148 Kubo: Mori...kawa-san. *shaky* : Wh- What're you doing here? Mori: I was on my way to the library. And then you... Mother: A friend? Mori: ? Yes! Kubo: Um... Morikawa... Mother: How nice that must be, being friends with a mangaka! Mori: A mangaka? Kubo: Mori... Girls: HARUKA KUBO! .P 149 Mother: NO! You should say "Kubo Sensei"! I'm sorry. Really now! : Now say thank you. Girls: Thanks for drawing Miu-chan for us! Thanks! *ding dong* Kubo: //Since then// *ding dong* : //we haven't talked once.// *Ahaha!* : //She won't even make eye-contact.// : //I have to// : //confess eveything.// .P 150 : //Only to Morikawa.// Kubo: Hey... Friend: Hm? Kubo: Tell everyone I'm going to be late for practice today. : //It might be much too latte to do anything, though.// .P 151 : //I'm sorry!// : //I am Haruka Kubo... And when I received your letter, I should have told you... I regret... : I regret- : I regret it! : TRULY! I'M SO SOR-! Mori: I must seem like an idiot. .P 152 : A REAL IDIOT! : Asking for love advice from the one I like! Letter: "I've been vacillating between confessing or not." Mori: Even if I confessed, : It would be disappointing. I'm a normal person without any secrets. : Is such a commonplace : confession okay? : I've always liked you. Letter: "Please do your best to gain courage!" : "It'll Definitely work out!" The End