Chibi-Usa's Picture Diary Story of the Hammer Price Shrine Originally appeared in Nakayoshi, August 1996. Translated by Alex Glover. Version 1.0, 3.97. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Chibi-Usa-chaaaan!" "Oh, Hotaru-chan, I'm coming!" Chibi-Usa rushes outside to meet Hotaru. I'm Tsukino Usagi. Everyone calls me Chibi-Usa. I'm a sixth grader in class 1 at Juuban District Elementary. I'm on the gardening committee! But I'm 902 years old. Today's Sunday, and we're going shopping now. "Oh," says Usagi, holding Mamoru's arm, "we're going shopping too, to buy things for Mamo-chan to take with him to Harvard." "I'm meeting some kids from my class here," says Chibi-Usa. "But..." She looks around. A jeep pulls up, and two girls get out. "Oh! They're here!" "Chibi-Usa-chaaaan!" says one, holding up an ice cream cone. "Naruru and Ruruna are here!" says the other. They both hug Chibi-Usa. "Sorry we're laaate!" "I bet you're majorly pissed-off, huh!?" "We went haaging a little on the way here!" "Haaging!?" says Hotaru. "That means eating Haagen Dazs ice cream," says Chibi-Usa. "They're in the same class as me. This is Osaka Naruru-chan..." "I'm Naruru!" says one. "...and Kobe Ruruna-chan." "I'm Ruruna!" says the other. "We're like her best buds!" "Anyway, after we went haaging, we went and bought a ton of label clothes!" "Don't we just look grotesque in these!?" "Their hobby is fashion shows," says Chibi-Usa. "Only the best labels." Hotaru scowls. "Hmph." "Naruru-chan, Ruruna-chan, this is Hotaru-chan from class 3." "I'm Chibi-Usa-chan's best friend!" says Hotaru. "Hmph," say the two girls. Hotaru pulls Chibi-Usa away from them. They pull Chibi-Usa back from Hotaru. "Well, we'll be going," says Usagi. "We don't want to get involved in this schoolgirl tension..." She and Mamoru leave. "So?" says Chibi-Usa. "Where are we going today?" "Duh!" say the girls. "The pawnshop, as always!" "Pawn shop??" They reach a small store with an eagle crest on the roof. "The Hammer Price Shrine," says Hotaru, reading the sign. "What kind of store is a pawnshop?" says Chibi-Usa. "An everything shop!" says Naruru. "They buy and sell all kinds of things!" says Ruruna. "Especially brand-names and rare stuff!" "Let's go!" The two girls walk inside. "Hmm..." says Chibi-Usa. "So a pawnshop is an everything shop...?" Two men are accosting a short, tubby guy. "Come on, come on!" "Next time we come, you better have it all!" They kick him to the ground as they leave. "A- Are you okay!?" says Chibi-Usa. He gets up. "It's okay, it's okay," he says. "I'm all right." He walks into the store. "Was that person the store person?" says Chibi-Usa. "Is he all right?" She and Hotaru go inside. Glass chandeliers hand from the ceiling, and all kinds of expensive goods line the shelves. "Wow," says Chibi-Usa. "This pawnshop place really sells all sorts of things." The two girls are drooling over everything. "They have the Channel life preserver I've been looking for!" "They have the Guccicci cutting board! It's really rare!" "Wow! They're selling Channel tissues!" "The Guccicci wooden clogs! They're really really rare!" "Channel? Like on TV?" says Hotaru. "Guccicci??" "Channel," says Ruruna. "It's a majorly popular brand started in Paris in 1909 by Gabrielle Natade, 'Coco.'" "Guccicci," says Naruru, "was started in Florence in 1906 by Guchiko Gucci. It's a majorly popular brand. It began in Italy making high-grade saddles." "We're the sixth grade channelers!" "And guccichers!" "Channelers!?" says Hotaru. "No way, like the Black Moon attack!? Guccichers!?" "Big fans of the Channel brand are called channelers," says Chibi-Usa. "Big fans of the Guccicci brand are called guccichers." "Aren't we just SUCH hot chicks!?" the two girls say. "Hmph," says Hotaru. "That word is so out of date." Chibi-Usa notices a dark crowd in the corner of the score. "That crowd is so shadowy!" says Hotaru. "A spirit!" says Chibi-Usa. "No way, an enemy!?" They see a tall mannequin wearing a lacy skirt, mask, and a large V on her chest. "Wow!" says Chibi-Usa. "A life-size Sailor V doll!" "Doll..." says Hotaru. "It's called a mannequin." "It's so rare!" says Chibi-Usa. "It looks just like Mina-P! But she is wearing weird clothes..." Hotaru sees some small figurines on a counter. "Wow! They have a Chibi-Moon doll too! They have lots of dolls!" Chibi-Usa hears two screams. "Look! Look!" cries Naruru. "They're selling an Eternal Sailor Moon dress!" "This is straight from the original!" says Ruruna. "The new version of Mercury's dress!" "You know, Hotaru-chan," says Chibi-Usa. "Naruru-chan and Ruruna-chan aren't just into brand labels, they also like fashion of anime characters." The two girls put on the sailor suits. "When it comes to cute, rare clothing," they say, "we want to try on them all!" "Hmph," Hotaru scowls. "Otaku (oh-tah-koo), def. 1: Respectful term for another's home, family, husband, company. Opposite: uchi." [Implying, of course, def. 2 (slang): geek, nerd, enthusiast.] The short, tubby guy watches the two girls wearing the sailor suits. "Great," he thinks. "I'm so glad." I'm Hanmatsuura Makoto. I was born on October 27th, and my blood type is B. My hobby is embroidery. I'm the 18th generation owner of this pawnshop, the Hammer Price Shrine. "That those two have been coming here lately," he thinks. "How would this look at the next event?" says Naruru. "Oh, this new Mercury suit isn't on sale," says Ruruna. "I thought they'd definitely like these," the owner thinks. The girls take the two sailor suits to the owner. "We'd like these, please!" They both hold up charge cards. "With, of course, daddy's unlimited gold card!" "And a corporate card!" Hotaru scowls. "Bimbos." The owner hands the girls their purchase. "Thank you very much," he says. "I gave you a little extra." Chibi-Usa sees him. "The guy from before! He's the manager here." "Hey, hey, mister!" says Naruru. "That shirt and vest are so sweet!" Patches of Luna, Artemis, and Diana adorn his clothing. "Where do they sell those?" says Ruruna. "I gotta get some!" "Oh, I made these myself," the owner says. "Embroidery is my hobby. If you'd like, I'll make four of these by tomorrow. Want them?" "All right, we'll come get them after school tomorrow!" They leave the shop. They see a small building next door to it. "Wow!" says Hotaru. "That's an old storehouse!" "The storehouse is the life of the pawnshop," says the owner. "I keep the old pawned items in there. I'm planning to move them into the shop. There are some precious goods." "Putting precious goods into the shop!?" thinks Ruruna. "What are they!? What are they!?" thinks Naruru. The owner waves as the girls leave. "My dream," he thinks. "It's not much, but... It's to make the Hammer Price Shrine into a nice shop, ready to serve ordinary girls like those four." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next day. The two girls run up. "Sorrrry! Aren't we horrible?" "Ohhh," says Chibi-Usa. "Naruru-chan, Ruruna-chan, you're half an hour late!" "Sorrrry!" they say. "We went douting a bit!" "Douting?" says Hotaru. "That's getting coffee at Doutor's," says Chibi-Usa. They see the two men from the previous day hassling the owner of the pawnshop. "Huh...!?" says Naruru. "The manager!?" "How long are you going to do this!?" one guy says. "Come on! We're evicting you today." The other holds up a contract. "You signed right here, for the transfer of this land. You better hold up to it!" Two women are talking. "The previous owner of that pawnshop made lots of mistakes in his business," says one. "He was swindled by a rich, shady dealer," says the other, "and now it looks like he's in some harsh landraising deal." "Landraising?" says Chibi-Usa. She looks around at the tall office buildings surrounding the pawnshop. "Well, this is a first-rate place after all." "Hey, hey!" one of the men says. "How long can you resist the inevitable?" Several tow trucks start speeding at the pawnshop. "Naruru-chan! Ruruna-chan!" Chibi-Usa calls. "Look out!" They turn and freeze as they see the trucks plowing toward them. The pawnshop owner dives and pushes them out of the way. "Look out, eh!!" The trucks crash into the pawnshop, devastating it. The owner lies on the ground, knocked out. The two girls scream. "Mister! Hold on!" He moans. "Huh?" He sees his wrecked shop. "Oh no! My shop!! Eh!?" Another truck crashes into the storehouse next door. "Oh noooo!" he says. "This is worse than the Kanto Quake of '23! My storehouse, eh!?" A crack appears in the cement wall of the storehouse, and a mist seeps out. "A spirit!?" thinks Chibi-Usa. The mist takes the shape of a spirit, and delves into Hotaru's body. Hotaru's body transforms and she flies into the air. "Ho- Hotaru-chan!?" "I am the genius loci that inhabits this storehouse," she says. "I am the pretty ghost Otakura-sama!" [This is a pun, combining the words 'otaku' (geek) and 'kura' (storehouse).] "Those who disturb my holy sleep," she says, "will not be forgiven!!" Usagi screams. "Hotaru-chaaan!? What the-!? Another ghost has appeared!?" "Usagi!?" says Chibi-Usa. "Chibi-Usa!?" says Usagi. The two girls clasp hands. "Naruru!" "Ruruna!" "Is this the doing of those land developers!?" "Is this like a total evil creep!?" "It must be!" say Usagi and Chibi-Usa. "It's our turn!" say the two girls. "Transform, Chibi-Usa!" says Usagi. "Silver Moon Crystal Power!" "Pink Moon Crystal Power!" "Make Up!!" They appear in sailor suits. "Now! Since we've come, the land developers, and the ghost--!!" "Hold it!" Usagi and Chibi-Usa turn. "Huh!?" Two figures stand behind them. "There is one oasis for the tranquility of boyish geeks and hot chicks like us! You want to develop over the Hammer Prince Shrine! We are like SO ticked!" "What!?" say the two men. "What're you doing!?" "We're the elementary dressup girls! Ruruna and Naruru!" The two girls appear in skimpy two-piece costumes. The males in the area get immediate nosebleeds. "We came all the way here, and now you two! Super White Kick!!" They jump at the two men, and kick them to the ground. A crowd cheers and takes the girls' pictures. "That white kick is pretty damping," says Chibi-Usa. Otakura yells. "This isn't some amusement place! Otakura will settle this! Into the storehouse!" A vortex of air sucks everyone in toward the storehouse. The pawnshop owner hangs onto a lamppost. "Waaaa! This is just like granny said when I was little!" "There is a guardian spirit in the old storehouse. If the storehouse is wrecked, there will be dire consequences!" "This is the curse of the guardian spirit!!" he says. He gasps. "Is that Sailor Moon and Chibi-Moon!? Eh!?" The two girls are sucked through the air. "After all this, we can't be forced into the storehouse!" "Naruru-chan and Ruruna-chan!" the owner thinks. "Things can't end like this, eh!! I'll do it!" A net catches the two girls and carries them safely to the ground. "That touch..." they say. "You're...!" They look up and see the pawnshop owner in a mask and cape. "My name is Tubby Kamen!" he says. "I'd like you to call me that." "Tubby Kamen-sama...!" He runs out into the moonlight. "Sailor Moon! Chibi-Moon! Now!" Usagi and Chibi-Usa look up at the masked figure. "I'd like you to put down the guardian spirit of the storehouse!" The two girls turn around. "What!? Sailor Moon!? Chibi-Moon!?" "All right!" says Usagi. "Now it's our turn. Chibi-Moon!" They hold out their scepters. "Starlight Honeymoon Double Therapy Kiss! Evil spirit possessing Hotaru-chan! Vanish!" The spirit abandons Hotaru's body and disappears. "H- Huh!?" says Hotaru. "What have I been...!?" Naruru and Ruruna look at the two sailor-suited figures in the moonlight. "No way! No way! The real Sailor Moon and Chibi-Moon!? We're so lucky!" The two girls look into each others' eyes. They turn toward the wrecked pawnshop. "Tubby Kamen-sama!?" They see the two developers lying unconscious on the ground. They pick up the contract transferring ownership of the store and tear it to pieces. "All right! Now our Hammer Prince Shrine is saved! We can chill!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chibi-Usa walks to the pawnshop with Hotaru, Usagi, and Naru. She gasps as she sees a new skyscraper with the Hammer Price Shrine emblem in the old pawnshop's place. "Wow! That Hammer Price Shrine has become such a pretty building!" "I carved the store's symbol, that wing emblem, myself," says the owner. "It's my own work. And of course, they fixed the storehouse up for me quite nicely." The two girls run up. "Sorrry! Are we late again!? We stopped off on the way for okeing!" "Okeing?" Hotaru asks. "They went to sing karaoke," says Chibi-Usa. "Hey, Naruru!" says Naru. "Don't you have cram school today!? Did you ditch and go to the karaoke box again!?" "H- Huh!?" says Naruru. "Sis!!" "What?" say Usagi and Chibi-Usa. "You're her little sister!?" Naruru and Ruruna grab Hotaru. "Hey, hey, Hotaru-chan!" says Ruruna. The other day in the commotion, we couldn't find Chibi-Usa-chan. You saw them too, right!? Sailor Moon and Chibi-Moon!" "It'll just be our secret," says Naruru. "Don't you think Chibi-Usa-chan looks like Chibi-Moon?" says Ruruna. "Yeah!" says Naruru. "But we'll keep that from Chibi-Usa-chan too." "Of course," says Hotaru with a grin. "And besides that..." the girls sigh longingly. "Tubby Kamen-sama... I wonder what kind of guy he is..." "Oh, Naruru-chan, Ruruna-chan," says the pawnshop owner. "I put my masterpieces into the shop from the storehouse. I'd like you to see it." They go inside. "A twelve-layer Channel!" "A Guccicci yukata!" "Right!" they say. "Hotaru-chan! It's a secret, but it looks like Sailor Moon shops at this pawnshop too! The wings on Eternal Sailor Moon's back are the same as the wing symbol of this shop!" The end. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original manga copyright © 1996 Takeuchi Naoko. English translation copyright © 1997 Alex Glover. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sailor Moon Translations