Vol. 14 Youth Bet on the Hachimaki Stone!! Originally appeared in Run-Run, September 1996. Written by Takeuchi Naoko. Translated by Alex Glover. Version 1.01, 2.98. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Do you know of the Hachimaki stone?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's here. A poster hangs on the wall at school: The 35th Shiba Park Half Marathon Competition The autumn of art. The autumn of reading. The autumn of appetite. I'm Aino Minako, and I've been waiting for this. The autumn of sports! "All right!" Minako says. "Class can wait for the marathon competition!" "My senpai says he'll get in the top 20," says a boy. "Wow, a marathon..." says a girl. "Maybe I'll ditch school for it." And when the subject turns to sports, there's one cute boy by the window who stares far away. I call him the school's unknown idol. He's a quarter Russian named Otonaru Maiku. "That's strange," says a boy. "Otonaru is here today. How many days has it been since he's come." "Anyway, I bet he's not entering the marathon," says another boy. "Since elementary school, he hasn't done any physical activities at all." "Is Otonaru-kun's body that weak?" says a girl. "He's so pale..." "Doesn't he act sick to get out of exercise?" says one boy. "You know what his nickname was in elementary?" says the other. "Since he's thinner and weaker than a bean sprout... Toothpick!" He shoves Otonaru from behind. "Hey, Toothpick!" "Cut it out!" says Minako. "What do you want, Aino," the boy says. "Yes!" Minako thinks. "A day when Otonaru-kun comes to school is very precious! I won't waste this valuable chance. And this, at last, the season I've been waiting for! The autumn of love! I'm going to get close to Otonaru-kun!" "Hey, Otonaru-kun!" she says. "Our class has decided to practice together for the marathon competition. Why don't you practice a little bit too, and enter the marathon!" He stares at her silently. He turns and walks away. "You're an intrusive girl, Aino." Minako grimaces. "That Otonaru-kun has a bad personality!" says a girl. "It's no use," says a boy. "He doesn't have the will to do anything. Leave him alone." "But this was finally my chance to get to know him!" thinks Minako. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Minako enters the classroom the next morning. "Oh! Otonaru-kun's here today too! Lucky! He's not as delicate as those boys say he is. But he doesn't seem to get along with anyone in class." Minako changes into her gym suit in the locker room, then runs out into the hallway. She crashes into Otonaru, and they both fall down. "Sorry! I'm so clumsy... Otonaru-kun! S- S- Sorry!" She sees a book lying next to him: Road to the Olympics Surmounting the Challenge of Escaping your Heart He quickly grabs the book away. "Otonaru-kun," says Minako. "Do you like the Olympics? Hey, just reading books is boring! You should get out and do it! Why don't you show up to practice with us for the marathon? Even if it's just to take a look. How about it? Okay?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Hey, it's Otonaru-kun!" He and Minako join the others on the field. "Aino brought him to practice? Wow!" "All right, one quick lap around the school!" The students start running. "Hey," says one of the boys, looking back at Otonaru. "Looks like we're losing him." Otonaru gasps for breath as the boys speed ahead of him. "Hey now!" says one of the girls also lagging behind. "Boys, your pace is too strenuous!" "Oh, is it?" says Minako, keeping up with the boys. "I can't follow!" the girl says. "I can't take it!" "Speaking of which," says another girl, "where's Otonaru-kun?" "He's not here!" They look back and see him collapsed on the ground. "Otonaru-kun!?" calls Minako. "Ah, he overexerted himself," says a boy. "He's had a weak heart from birth." "What!?" thinks Minako. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Don't worry about it," says Artemis. "It's not your fault, Mina." "I know..." "He'll come to school again tomorrow." "Yeah..." says Minako. "But he might not listen to me anymore. He might hate me." "Mina..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "666-999 Roppongi 7-chome... This is it." They stand before a karaoke hall in the bright city at night. "Wow!" says Minako. "This is the biggest karaoke place in Roppongi! So this is where Otonaru-kun lives?" - "Aino!?" says Otonaru as he sits up in bed. Minako holds out a rose. "Otonaru-kun, I'm sorry!" she says. "I didn't know you were sick. I did a horrible thing! I'm really sorry. I hope you get well soon." She hears music blaring, and a voice singing downstairs. "That's loud!" she says. "How can you sleep with such noise coming from the karaoke place downstairs?" "It's fine," says Otonaru. "I love hearing everybody singing out loud. It makes me feel alive. I really have to be in a hospital, but I stay home because I want to hear this. Aino, you made such an effort to meddle in my life. I'm sorry, but I can't enter the marathon. My next heart operation is the day of the marathon." "I- I see..." Minako sees a stone on the floor next to the book on the Olympics. She picks it up. "What kind of stone is this? It's weird. There's a white line in it." "A Hachimaki stone," says Otonaru. "It's an old Russian legend. If you have a Hachimaki stone, you can take first place in any sporting event. That stone's for you, Aino." "What?" "But even if you didn't have that charm, you'd surpass the boys and easily come in first." "A charm from Otonaru-kun!?" thinks Minako. "All right!" she says. "This year, for Otonaru Maiku, Minako-sama will bring back first place! And then next year, we will compete to see who will ultimately come in first!" "There's no way I can beat you," says Otonaru. "Until now, I haven't once participated in a school event. I only rested, I had a dark personality, and I had no friends. You're the first one I've ever talked to like this, Aino." "Yes, all right!" thinks Minako. "Go! Go! Mi-na! Push forward for love!" "I got it!" says Otonaru. "Since you came all the way to my place, sing one song!" He pulls a curtain away, revealing a set of monitors and a microphone. Minako takes the microphone and sings. Otonaru claps. "Okay, now I'll do one," he says. He sings a song on the karaoke machine. "That kid has a mike inside him," says Otonaru's mom. "The doctor said he might recover from his illness, too, depending on his own feelings." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Artemis!" says Minako. "Let's go to the karaoke box again today!" They go to Otonaru's place, and Minako starts singing. "What's with you?" says Artemis. "Suddenly you're coming here all the time." "It's to further step up my relationship with Otonaru-kun," says Minako. "I'll sing a hundred songs! All right, next I call on the familiar idol!" She starts to sing another song. "Ah... Skipping the marathon practice and coming here every day... How touching. Feel the throbbing of my heart, Artemis! Otonaru-kun... Could this be my first love?" "Your 2981st," says Artemis. "But I guess Mina is the kind of person who won't let go of the mike once she gets a hold of it." "Is it a polyp?" says the voice from the magic pen. "Wonder if he's all right." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crows fly in the morning sky of Roppongi. A mist appears on the ground, taking the shape of a woman. "Ah, this passion, brimming with power even in the morning!" she says. "Among the energy of humans, this enthusiasm fills these abnormal concerts. This energy is surely the same thing! This sound! This tension! This spirit! This is the stage I have searched for! I will have the energy of humans gathered here!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "My body's feeling good now," says Otonaru, stretching. "Maybe because every time Aino brings me notes from class, we train together with karaoke. If I'm this well, maybe I can put off the operation for a little bit and be able to enter the marathon!" He goes downstairs. "Well, to raise my spirits, I'll sing in the shop." He grabs an ornate microphone. "All right! A song for the lively one! Huh? When did we get this mike?" As he starts to sing, the microphone begins draining his energy. He falls to the floor. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "What!?" says Minako. "Otonaru-kun collapsed!? He's in the hospital!?" "He lost his strength all of a sudden!" says Otonaru's mom. "Now I don't even know if he'll be able to go through his operation... He's in bad shape!" "Oh no...!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hikaru looks out the classroom window, and sees Minako crawling around the yard. "What are you doing, Mina?" she says. "Looking for something?" "A Hachimaki stone!" "What?" "I'm looking for a Hachimaki stone!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Minako holds out three stones. "Here, Otonaru-kun!" Otonaru looks up from his bed in the hospital. "Aino...!" "I found three at school," she says. "A charm for your operation to succeed." "It's all right," says Otonaru. "I know. I was born with this problem, and there's no way my heart will completely recover. I've given up. Humans all die someday anyway. The only difference is whether it's early or late." "You're not even trying!" says Minako. "Why say such a thing? Being a human takes effort and guts. 'Giving up' are the words I hate the most!" She runs from the room. "Aino!!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I said a horrible thing," says Minako. "Otonaru-kun has been persevering all by himself for so long..." "Mina..." says Artemis. "But! I am not going to give up!" She stands before the class. "Everyone, please! Go to Otonaru-kun's karaoke place with me!" They all go to the karaoke box. "Wow, Otonaru-kun's house is a karaoke place?" "Hey, Mina, why will Otonaru-kun get well if we all sing?" "Maiku has spent a long time being hospitalized," said Otonaru's mom. "Since he hates hospitals, he'll be recuperating at home again starting tomorrow." "It makes me feel alive," said Otonaru. "If we all sing together," says Minako, "our spirit will pass to Otonaru-kun! Then he should regain his will to live! Now, everyone! There are lots of mikes! They're kind of strange, but go for it! Fill them with song!" She hands the ornate microphones to all the students. As they start to sing, the microphones begin draining their energy, and they collapse. "Uhh..." says Minako. "The world is moving... It's moving..." She jumps up. "Oh no! Everyone!? Wake up! What happened!?" She picks up one of the microphones. "This mike?" "Ehehe!" says the woman. "Today's a full house too. I've spread these through all the karaoke boxes in Roppongi. These dark mikes suck out all this energy. I'm so happy!" "It is your fault," sings a voice behind her. "Huh!?" "Shining with neon, the dance of love," says Minako into the microphone. "Recording with this mike, the song of life. Changing the beautiful petals of people singing the dreams of their youth, into flowers of evil! This rotten heresy! The blood of enka boils!" "Hold on, wait a sec!" says the woman. "Traveling singers are prohibited here!" "Moon Power Transform!" Minako appears in a sailor suit. "Once I was a lonely runner in a marathon race! Once I was a loving singer! But my true self is... Code name: Sailor V! The robed angel of the karaoke box! For love and justice, I am the sailor-suited beautiful soldier Sailor Venus. In the name of the Copyright Law of 1899, I will punish you!" "I am the karaoke soldier, Mike Makki!" says the woman. "So you showed. V, the famous rival of my spirit! How dare you confront me when I've only conquered one karaoke box! Now all of Roppongi's mikes are in my hands! I'll raise you to the stage of victimization! Ah, voices flowing! Great song, great dance!" As she sings, the sound waves attack Minako. "Mike Makki, I give up..." says Minako. "Don't give up, Venus!" says Artemis. "She's winning with her loud voice!" "Right! I can't lose!" says Minako. "I have to sing more for Otonaru-kun! I have to take first in the marathon like I promised! I have to show Otonaru-kun the wonders of living!" "Mina!" says Artemis. "That's great! I take my hat off to you this time! You made me cry! Here's a reward, Mina!" He flips through the air, producing a golden microphone. "Your new item, the Venus mike!" "Thank you, Artemis...! Thank you, my fans! Please, listen to my new song, which I sing from the heart!" She holds out the microphone. "Venus Ten Billion Volt Rock 'N' Rouge!!" The woman is destroyed. Tears come to Minako's eyes as she imagines her crowd applauding. "Thank you, everyone! I will return to a normal girl!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Minako holds up her Hachimaki stone as she breaks the tape at the finish line. "What!?" say the boys. "This year's winner is a seventh grader!? A girl!?" "Otonaru-kun!" says Minako. "This is proof of our love! I brought the goal tape I broke! It's thanks to the Hachimaki stone you gave me!" "Aino!!" says Otonaru, standing next to another girl. "Let me introduce you to my pen pal from Russia." "Huh??" "My operation was a big success, since she came rushing to see me. Now I'm full of hopes for life too. We're engaged to be married!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Minako lies on the floor. "I've lost my will to live..." "Until your 2982nd first love..." says Artemis. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original manga copyright © 1996 Takeuchi Naoko. English translation copyright © 1998 Alex Glover. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Manga of Takeuchi Naoko | Sailor V | Volume 3