Ranma 1/2 story from Shonen Sunday Week 9, 1990 (Ranma 1/2 Volume 12, Part 3) Original story is Copyright (C) 1990 Takahashi Rumiko/Shogakukan Translation is Copyright (C) 1990 AmaTran/Ragnarok Part 3 of 5 Bouken! Kouchou no musuko...no maki (The principal's son...episode) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the principal's office jungle, the group of students led by Akane are busy gathering coconuts. Akane places the coconuts one at a time on a couple of rocks... Akane: (chopping coconut in half by hand) Destroy!! (chopping another one) Next!! Akane calls out "Next!" as the pile of empty halved coconuts grow in size. Finally... Student: (holding coconut carefully) Alright, this is the final coconut. Akane: (realizing something) ...Then it must be... (holding coconut up) This is the coconut with the permission for exception from school regulations in it!! Somewhere on a tree branch above, a disguised female Ranma and the principal observe... Principal: That's a powerful girl. Ranma: (to himself) They're doing it by the slow-but-sure way. Akane draws breath in preparation for halving the final coconut as the students look on. Akane: Destroy!! There's a flash of light, followed by a huge explosion. Miniature flags, confetti, and two balloons, one male, one female, representing marubouzu and okappa haircuts, burst out of the coconut. Akane: (upset, holding the coconut halves) A, a fake... Students: (worried) Th-the way things are now... Male student: (angry) Guys will have marubouzu haircuts. Female student: (upset) Girls will have their hair trimmed to okappa haircuts!! Akane: (furious) You're so quick to give up! Let's go search for the principal! Students: (calming down) That's right!! The principal will probably know where that coconut is!! Let's go get him! Suddenly, swinging above the students... Principal: (laughing in English) Catch me if you can. Students: (looking up in amazement) The principal!! Ranma cuts the principal's vine, dropping him squarely among the students. A tear falls as the students seize and tie him up. Principal: (indignant, to Ranma) You betrayed me. Ranma: (grinning) Ho ho ho ho ho, I never said I was on your side. Principal: (whistling) About the coconut's location, I've forgotten it. Students: (unbelieving) Oh... (gathering some large flat rocks) Should we set you in stone? Principal: (smiling) *OH!* I just remembered. (looking at a cord) Please pull that cord. Ranma: (climbing up on cord and pulling it) This? A large cloth unfurls for all to see. It has a strange picture on it: A young man, dressed in traditional clothing, gritting his teeth while biting his lower lip, and a small tear falling out of his left eye. The young man's hair is cut marubouzu-style, adding to the frustrated look in his eyes. Student: (annoyed, to principal) Hey... What's with this kid with the evil look in his eyes? Principal: (wiping tears with a handkerchief while sniffling) He's my son from three years ago when I went missing. (turning away from the students) If you find him for me, I'll tell you where the coconut is. Students: (excited) Really!? (thinking about it) ...But... Where do we look...? Ranma: (to Akane) Hey, haven't we seen that face somewhere before? Akane: (thoughtful) Hm? If that's so... Ranma climbs up and begins to paint the picture's haircut in black. Students: (surprised) This... this is...!! As Ranma finishes painting hair on top of the picture, the boy is revealed to be... Students: Kunou Sempai, isn't it!? Elsewhere in the jungle, Kunou cuts his way through... Kunou: I, Kunou Tatewaki, will not have a marubouzu haircut again a second time!! (burning in anger) This is a disgusting scheme you're planning, evil principal! I'll find you and beat you up!! The male Ranma suddenly leaps up from behind Kunou and knocks him out cold with a large rock to his head. Ranma: (smiling) Here you are, Sempai. Ranma brings the dazed Kunou back and kicks him over to the principal. Ranma: There. The emotional father-and-son meet. Students: (smiling) Oh, that was quick. Principal: (surprised) *OH!* The principal looks Kunou over carefully. Principal: (disappointed) *NO!* He's not my son. Ranma: What? Akane: (looking at the large picture) He looks so similar... Principal: (sweating) My son Tatewaki... Ranma: (holding Kunou's head up) Tatewaki!? Student: (angry) Then that's his son. Principal: (arguing) *NO!* Tatewaki was fourteen. He was shorter. Student: (furious) Isn't that because he grew up? Over three years... The principal has a moment of realization, then draws out his barikan. Principal: Let's shave him and see. Kunou suddenly awakes, bokutou in hand... Principal: (grinning) *SHIT!* You've recovered. Kunou: (angry) I'll get you, evil principal!! Akane: Kunou Sempai, isn't this person Sempai's father? Kunou observes the grinning face before him in partial shock. Kunou: (looking carefully) Hm? My father who went missing three years ago... Kunou suddenly slashes at the principal, who barely dodges the sword. Kunou: (angry) ...Doesn't look like this! Principal: (ducking the slash) *OH!* A piece of paper floats by Kunou, who grabs it and looks at it. It's a picture of a man that looks like the principal, except that instead of a palm tree on his head this man only has a young tree shoot. He's wearing shades and is dressed in a kimono with a frilly collar, holding a fan and with a much lighter complexion than the heavily-tanned principal. Kunou: This is...!! A picture of my father!! (to the principal) You bastard, where did you... Principal: (laughing embarrasedly) It's a picture of me three years ago. Kunou: (upset) Stop lying!! Father wasn't as dark as you, you bastard!! Ranma: (incredulous) He was sunburned from being in Hawaii. Students: (studying the picture) It's the same guy... isn't it? Kunou charges the principal with his sword. Kunou: (angry) Questions and answers are useless! Divine retribution!! The principal wields his pair of barikan in his own defense, much to Kunou's (and everyone else's) surprise. Kunou's bokutou is totally shredded into a whisk. Students: (stunned) The... The bokuto... It's in pieces... Kunou thinks about the implications of this technique in a flashback of himself charging his father with his sword, and his father consequently shaving his head and shredding his sword by barikan as he passed by... Kunou: (to himself) Th... This barikan technique... Three years ago I, Kunou Tatewaki, had my hair taken away by it... (realizing something) Kunou-style sword-whisk destruction!! Principal: (shocked) *OH!* How do you know the name of this technique... The principal and Kunou stare at each other for a moment. Students: (pleased) Th... Then they were father and son... And now we'll have the coconut with the school regulation exception in it. The principal, in tears, takes his shades off... Principal: My son... Tatewaki... Kunou and the principal run towards each other, smiling, arms open wide, with tears running from their eyes... Principal: Tachi!! Kunou: #Daddy!!# Students: (incredulous) "Tachi"...? "Daddy", he said. Kunou suddenly draws another sword and brings it to bear on the principal, who barely gets his barikan out in time. Kunou: (smiling evilly) Hu hu hu, Daddy, a grudge from three years ago... I'll clear this up right here. Ranma kicks Kunou away as the principal watches. Principal: *OH!* Ranma: (annoyed, to principal) Hey, principal. Just like I promised, I found your son, so... The principal kneels down in resignation. Principal: (sad) I understand. It's my loss. Fact is, the location of the coconut is shown on a map... Students: (indignant) A map!? Where do you have that? Principal: It's on the back of Tachi's head. Akane: (incredulous) Kunou Sempai's...? The principal thinks back fondly to the night before he disappeared, three years ago, and what he did to his sleeping, shaven son... Principal: (laughing) Three years ago I drew it with special ink. Ranma: Oh, then that means... Ranma jumps up on top of the principal's head. Ranma: (angry) Three years ago you were already planning this foolishness. Students: Anyway, if we have a look at the back of Kunou Sempai's head, we'll have that coconut!! As students search the jungle for Kunou, he hangs unseen, dazed and upside- down in the grip of a snake... Students: (determined) Everyone will have to convince Kunou. (calling out) Sempai!! (frustrated) Where are you!!? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next: Minna kiki ippatsu!!...no maki --