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pg. 79

Picture: Hina and Asou, both holding teddy bears. Asou looks vaguely alarmed.

pg. 80

A "liking" that lets me touch.
A "liking" that treats me with care.

I "like" being given things that I "like."

pg. 81

It's a sunny day. Dressed in a skirt, sweater, and windbreaker, Hina is sweeping up fallen leaves in her yard.

Hina: *singing* (Today is a relaxing Sunday--) (I don't have school so it's a little bit boring--) (But I still have a lot of stuff to do, so even Sundays are hard work--) (Gotta keep at it--) (Cleaning up is fun, though, huh--?)

Something crunches the leaves behind her. She turns to see a small black cat staring up at her.

Hina: (Ah!) NYANKO!!

pg. 82

Hina: WAIT RIGHT THERE! I'LL GET SOME MILK!

She races into the house as Nyanko sweatdrops. A moment later she returns, milk bottle and saucer in hand.

Hina: MILK FOR YOU--! Huh?

The cat has vanished. Hina looks around.

Hina: (Huh? Huh?) He's gone. *disappointed* I guess he left without staying to visit...

Again she hears the leaf crunch.

Hina: (Nyanko?!) HERE! HAVE SOME MILK!!

pg. 83

She thrusts out the bottle toward Nyanko... who is now perched in Asou-sensei's arms. They both stare back at her from Asou's yard. Hina is momentarily dumbfounded.

Hina: IT'S NYANKO WITH A SENSEI ATTACHED!! (Wow, amazing!)

Asou: (So I'm a bonus prize?) *sweatdrop*

Nyanko is soon polishing off a saucerful.

pg. 84

Hina: Sensei, you have the day off too?

Asou: You do, don't you?

Hina: But some teachers go to school even on Sundays.

Asou: I'm...

He breaks off, as if reconsidering.

Hina: (You're?) (You're what? You're what? You're what?)

Asou ruffles her hair.

Hina: (Waa!)

Asou. Anyway, you were in the middle of cleaning, weren't you?

pg. 85

Hina: I was sweeping up the fallen leaves!

Asou: There really aren't enough of them to need sweeping, are there?

Hina: Well, no. But when I realized it, I thought I might as well make things look nice. 'Cuz I'm all by myself.

Asou gazes at her with some concern. Heedless, she starts frolicking again.

Hina: (Since I like to clean and since the leaves are such pretty colors--)

pg. 86

Hina: Hey! Shall I sweep up your yard, too? The house has been vacant, so there are a lot of fallen leaves! (Since nobody has been there to clean them up.)

She folds her hands together in supplication.

Hina: *sparkle sparkle* I've been wanting to clean it up for so long!

Asou: ...Fine with me.

Hina: *sprouting ears* WOOHOO!

The two yards are separated by a wrought-iron fence. Hina starts to race for the front gate, only to pause when he speaks.

Asou: Where are you going?

pg. 87

Hina: Um, over there.

Asou: You can cross right here, can't you?

She shuffles toward him, confused.

Hina: (But the fence is...)

He reaches over the bars, puts his hands on her waist, and lifts her easily over the top of the fence.

Hina: WAAAAH!?

pg. 88

He sets her down lightly. Hina gapes.

Hina: AMAZING! (That's amazing--you picked me up, just like that!)

Asou: Well, you don't weigh much.

Hina: I don't?

Asou: ...Are you eating properly?

Hina: Of course! I love rice! (Although I like bread and udon and pasta too.) And I've gotten really good at cooking since I came here!

pg. 89

Once again, concern creeps into Asou's face.

Hina: So! Time to sweep! (Let's clean up the leaves! The bugs will be surprised, won't they?)

She sets to work industriously. Asou momentarily vanishes, then reappears with a trash bag in hand.

Hina: Huh? (A garbage bag?)

Asou: What did you plan on doing with the swept-up leaves?

Hina: (Oh, I see.) Put them in the trash bag, right?

Asou: Here, then.

pg. 90

He hands her the bag and takes the broom.

Hina: (?)

Asou: You get down and hold the bag open.

She obeys, a bit dazed. Soon Nyanko reappears and sniffs at the opening of the bag.

Hina: (You wanna go in, Nyanko?)

He hops in and rustles among the leaves.

Hina: (Look, Sensei, the cat went in too!)

Asou continues to sweep, unconcerned.

Hina [narration]: It's been a really, really long time since I cleaned together with anybody else.

pg. 91

Hina [narration]: I love this kind of thing.

She lifts the bag of leaves.

Hina: It's full--!

Asou turns and heads toward the fence.

Hina: Sensei, where are you going?

Asou: Time for your yard, isn't it?

Hina: HUH? You'll help me do it!?

Asou: We'll do it together.

He climbs over the fence and reaches for Hina.

Asou: Come on, hurry up.

Hina: OKAY!!

pg. 92

The time passes. After they've finished, Asou leans the broom against the side of the house. Hina is petting Nyanko.

Hina: (We cleaned up a lot of leaves!)

Nyanko: *purr purr*

Asou reaches down to pat her on the head.

Asou: Good job.

He turns back towards his own yard.

Hina: SENSEI!

He stops.

Hina: *mustering her courage* DO YOU LIKE PANCAKES!?

pg. 93

Asou: (Well...) I don't hate them.

Hina: Have you eaten lunch yet!?

Asou: No. (Not breakfast, either.)

Nyanko's fur stands straight up.

Hina: So-- so-- YOU WANNA HAVE PANCAKES TOGETHER?

She gazes at him with woeful eyes. He looks somewhat dubious.

Asou: *half to himself* It's probably not a good idea for a teacher who has no real business there to go to a student's house and eat with her, is it?

Hina: (?) How come?

pg. 94

Asou: ...You're just as reported, aren't you?

Hina: Reported?

Asou: They're probably good.

Hina: Huh?

Asou: Your pancakes.

Hina: YES!

Her heart pounds as he considers.

Asou: ...I'll eat.

Hina: ALL RIGHT!

pg. 95

In the kitchen, a pancake sizzles on the griddle. At the table, Asou sits facing Waka and Tono, his arms folded as he eyes the two teddy bears. Hina appears with a cup of tea, wearing her Piffle Princess apron.

Hina: Here you go! (Black tea, no sugar and no milk.)

Asou: *pointing* What's with these bears?

Hina: They're Waka and Tono! (That one is Waka, this one is Tono.) They always eat with me! (Oh, and they see me off when I go to school, and wait for me when I come back.)

pg. 96

Beeps from the direction of the stove send her rushing back into the kitchen.

Hina: (Hang on! I'll be right there!)

Asou folds his arms and waits.

Hina [singing to herself]: (I wanna try pancakes made with tora batter-- I desperately do--) (Turning around and around is nice--)

{Trans. note: Hina's songs are always weird, but I have no idea what this is about... clues, anyone? ^_^;}

Nyanko rubs up against Asou's ankle, purring loudly. He lifts the cat into his lap, where it continues to purr as he pets it absently, gazing around the house at the bare, empty rooms.

pg. 97

Asou: ...She really is all alone, isn't she.

Nyanko looks up at him in surprise.

Hina: ALL DONE! Sorry to keep you waiting!

She sets a plate of hot pancakes in front of Asou.

Hina: I think they should be good, but...

He lifts his knife.

Asou: ...Let's see.

pg. 98

Hina: *heart beating loudly* Please go ahead!

He takes a bite. Hina is practically vibrating with nervousness.

Hina: How is it!?

Asou: ...Not bad.

Hina: REALLY!?

Asou: (What would you do if I were lying?)

Hina: Thank goodness! (I'll have some too.)

She cuts hers up and eats them with syrup.

Hina: (Yep, they're cooked nice all the way though!)

pg. 99

She looks on happily as Asou eats.

Hina [thinking]: We're eating together. It seems like it's been forever since I ate with anybody but Emi-chan and Touko-chan in this house. Eating alone is still good, but somehow everything tastes better when you're eating with someone else. To eat together with someone...

Hina: I love it.

Asou: Huh? (The pancakes?)

Nyanko bats at his upheld fork with one paw.

Hina: Ah, never mind! (I do love pancakes, but I was thinking of something else.) There's more, so eat lots!

pg. 100

The next day at school, Hina walks into the classroom smiling.

Hina: GOOD MORNING!!

Emi: Hey, Hina.

Touko: Morning.

She bounces toward them, ears flapping and tail wagging.

Emi: Well, you're light on your feet, aren't you? (You look like a bunny rabbit.)

Hina: Yeah! I had pancakes with Sensei at my house!

pg. 101

Emi immediately grabs and smothers her. Touko sweatdrops. They turn and listen to the other girls in the room, who continue to talk amongst themselves.

Emi: (Whew. I guess nobody heard.)

Hina: *sweatdrop* Mmi-hyan, mrat's mrong?

Emi: You're coming with us.

She and Touko drag Hina out of the classroom to their schoolyard hangout by the tree.

Emi: YOU BRAINLESS IDIOT!!

pg. 102

Hina: (What'd I do?)

Emi: DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO TELL ANYONE HE'S YOUR NEIGHBOR!? (Right here, on the day it snowed!)

Hina: (Uh huh. I heard you.)

Emi: WHY IS IT THAT YOU CAN STUDY ANYTHING, BUT YOU CAN'T REMEMBER THAT!?

Hina: I didn't forget. I just didn't think it needed to be kept secret.

Emi: *sending off sparks* And I suppose you think the same thing about a teenage girl eating pancakes under the same roof with her thirty-two-year-old teacher?

Hina: Uh huh.

Emi: *looking defeated* (Honestly, this is purity and innocence of the first degree.)

Touko: It was yesterday?

pg. 103

Hina: Yeah! We cleaned up our yards together, and then after that we had pancakes at my house!

Emi: *gritting her teeth* (Which is WHY I'm saying...)

Touko: Hina...

Hina: *radiating joy* Since it's been so long since I ate together with anybody at home, I was really happy!

Touko's eyes widen.

pg. 104

Touko: So that's it...

Hina: *nodding* Uh huh!

Touko: But still... it's really not a good idea for you to be alone just with him.

Hina: *blankly* Why not?

Touko: Because...!

Emi: *recovering* Anyway! In spite of all that, Asou-sensei's popular, right?

pg. 105

Hina: (In spite of?)

Emi: You don't want to make all the other students jealous, right?

Hina: I don't care.

Emi: Well, Sensei might care.

Hina: *suddenly worried* He might?

Emi: Suppose he has a girlfriend or something!

Hina: A girlfriend...

She stops short.

Hina [thinking]: Huh? Why am I so surprised...?

pg. 106

Touko watches as Hina looks confused.

Emi: Anyway, Hina, aren't you on classroom duty today?

Hina: Ack! That's right! (I have to get back!) See you guys later!

She hurries off.

Emi: Trying to teach common sense to somebody who's that naive is useless, I guess.

pg. 107

Touko: ... You see how Hina... gets attached to anybody, can start trusting in absolutely anybody. That's the reason...

Emi: The reason that incident happened, huh.

Touko folds her hands in worry.

Emi: It's all right. Nobody at this school knows about it except you and me. That's why Hina went to all the trouble of starting a new life in a new city.

pg. 108

Emi: Nobody knows what kind of a home she comes from. She's smart, but other than that she's just a cute, spacey, ordinary kid. Otherwise there'd have been no point in your going out of your way to transfer here with her.

She puts a consoling hand on Touko's shoulder.

pg. 109

Inside, Hina is racing down the hallway, her footsteps echoing.

Hina: (Aack! Aack! Gotta hurry, gotta hurry!)

She rounds a corner... and runs smack into someone in a white lab coat.

Hina: *wincing from the impact* AACK!

A hand quickly steadies her; she looks up to see Asou's look of mingled annoyance and concern. Instantly she is smiling again.

Hina: SENSEI! Thank you! You kept me from hitting my head! (By falling down.)

Asou: *rubbing his shirt* (You got me pretty good right here.)

pg. 110

Hina tilts her head to one side and looks at him with the ditziest expression of happiness I've ever seen.

Asou: What?

Hina: I was thinking how glad I am to see you!

Asou: (?) We came to school together just this morning, didn't we?

Hina: Yeah, but I'm still happy!

pg. 111

He pats her on the head.

Asou: You're supposed to be on duty, aren't you? Run along.

Hina: Oh. (That's right.)

She smiles to herself.

Hina [thinking]: He remembered that I was on duty today. Probably it's just because he's my homeroom teacher, but still, I'm glad he did.

She flutters her arms and skips off.

Hina: See you later, Sensei---!

He watches her go, standing silently.

pg. 112

Hina [thinking]: He patted my head again. He remembered about me. He does so many, so many things I like.

She races forward, exuberant.

Hina: Asou Shirou-sensei... I love him!

[To be continued.]

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