Get your own Free Home PageRuan is looking for Tasuke without success. She asks Shao where he is. Shao tells her he has gone to school. Ruan doesn't know what a school is and Shao isn't sure, either. In any case, Ruan wonders why Shao didn't go with him. She was told by him not to because of the mess she made the other day. Ruan thinks this is a great opportunity and leaves home without telling Shao where she is going.
OPTsurugaoka Junior High is in the middle of the preparation for the Culture Festival. Tasuke is trying to inspire his classmates; they were the second in sales volume last year only to a crepe stall of a senior class. This year, the takoyaki [octopus dumpling] stall of their class, 2-1, must be the No.1. They have been training for the occasion all the year in real shops. Rishu moves as if dancing to his ENZETSU, which impressed Koichirou, who thinks Rishu is a doll.
Koichirou announces today's duty; Tasuke, Koichirou and Takashi will look after the shop whereas all the others will prepare for the exhibition at the classroom. Takashi isn't happy to work at a place without a single girl but accepts it after facing open refusal from the girls. Tasuke checks with Takashi if he has got octopuses from Akashi [a port town near Kobe and famous for its octopuses]. He assures his relative there has sent tons of them. Apparently he has been eating more than enough octopus dishes at home.
Ruan is in the school, wearing the costume of a stone garden lantern. The school, where Shao can't come, is an ideal place for her and Tasuke. A woman teacher walks by in front of her, telling students without duty to gather for School Master's speech. Ruan approaches and jumps on to her to swallow her into the costume.
While Tasuke prepares the shop, the Master gives a speech to the students. He draws their attention to the safety of the Festival and encourage them to be No.1 in the stall competition. Ruan, in the woman teacher's clothes, pushes him off the platform and says the No.1 must be Tasuke's class. The Master, trying to climb back to the platform, says to her he is in the middle but Ruan replies, "Oh, don't peep in my skirts".
She throws a kiss to Tasuke. Koichirou recognises her; she is the lady he saw the other day. Ruan continues to tell the students that Tasuke is to be the king of this country and they should respect him accordingly. Some students (boys only ^_^;;) respond positively to this ridiculous call by Ruan. Takashi asks Tasuke if she is his acquaintance. Tasuke answer, "I wish I didn't acquaint." Ruan's speech goes on; "Ta-sama is the reason for the sun to rise and... annoying Shaorin is the reason for the sun to set." The name of Shao alerts Takashi but other boys, including Koichirou, now adore Ruan.
Rishu, seeing Tasuke in trouble, calls Shao at home, who has been cleaning the house. Shao refuses to go because she promised Tasuke not to but Rishu keeps urging her. Before she is able to persuade Shao, Rishu is caught by triumphant Ruan. Tasuke tells her never to get in his way because he is really determined about the competition this year.
2-1's stall is full of people, but not customers. They came to see Ruan, who is busy seducing Tasuke. As he stays uninfluenced, the mood of the boys becomes noticeably awkward. Takashi tells him he will go and see how the other stalls are doing but Koichirou knows better; he always skives off when things are not for his way. He wishes he could, too. But Ruan's charm [^_^;;] keeps Koichirou at the stall.
Tasuke tries to sell takoyaki to the boys around the stall with a complete failure. Ruan asks if he will be happy if these takoyaki are selling well. Tasuke's "sure" puts her into action. She tells the boys, if they buy the takoyaki now, she will feed them mouth-to-mouth. The tactics works a miracle. Their takoyaki are sold out in a blink to the last... Well, Koichirou has sneakingly kept the last one to himself.
Then Shao comes to the scene on Ken'en. She peeps at Tasuke's stall from the behind of another stall. But some sharp-eyed boys find her and begin to gather around the stall. A girl student who has been cooking alone also notices Shao and asks to take her place for a short while as she wants to go to bathroom. Shao, an excellent cook, accepts it.
Tasuke and Koichirou are busy selling their takoyaki. Ruan asks Tasuke if he is happy now. But to her surprise, the sales isn't enough for him. She tries to use her spell but Tasuke manages to stop her. Repentant Ruan [she is cute in this kind of situation *^_^*] takes a different approach. She goes out and tells boys "I want to eat Ta-sama's takoyaki, too. Would some one volunteer to buy me some?" This causes another avalanche of boys to Tasuke's stall. Tasuke sees it with a mixed feeling.
Shao, who has been watching Tasuke, now cooks okonomiyaki at 3-2's stall. Her wonderful cooking impresses not only the boys before her but the girl who has come back from the bathroom. Shao cheerfully replies, "I have about 2000 years' experience in cooking."
Koichirou is alarmed with the success of the stall opposite to theirs. Ruan also notices its popularity.
Eye CatcherTasuke continues to concentrate on his takoyaki cooking [I strongly suspect the scene is drawn by someone who doesn't know takoyaki cooking very well]. Ruan casts her spell to the uniform of the students before 3-2's stall. They are forced to walk away from the stall to 2-1's like a zombie. Tasuke suspects Ruan did it but, before he can condemn her, Ruan comes back to him, saying, "There's someone I hate at the okonomiyaki stall!"
As soon as she feels Tasuke's eye, Shao hides behind the stall but it was too late. Ruan strongly reminds her that she was told never to come to the school. Besides, she has been helping Tasuke's opponent. Shao casually apologises, which infuriates Ruan. Takashi, who must have been somewhere else, loses no time to approach Shao. Tasuke reminds the two spirits not to get in the way of his takoyaki cooking.
Now both Shao and Ruan are mascots of 2-1's stall but Shao attracts much more people, which immensely annoys Ruan. The rivalry between the spirits causes another between two boys, Koichirou and Takashi. The former adores Ruan while the latter is keen to support Shao. The rivalry escalates and nearly ends up in a fight when Tasuke's patience runs out. He shouts at the two boys, "Are you getting in my way!?" Angry Tasuke bangs the stall with his hands... well, not the stall but the red-hot takoyaki plate.
He is cooled down by a quick throw of a bucket of water followed by a number of water-filled buckets which are given life by Ruan.
Tasuke physically recovers from the accident but is still angry. Shao and Ruan show no sign of reconciliation. The fire under the plate has gotten weak and Tasuke asks for the replacement of the gas cylinder. Koichirou and Takashi fight over who will replace the cylinder because they have been asked to help Tasuke by Ruan and Shao, respectively. As they struggle against each other, the cylinder slips (^_^;;) from their hands and nearly falls on to the stall. Sensing the danger, Ruan gives life to the hot plate and Shao summons Shaki. Although their effort saves Tasuke from the cylinder, Shaki's gunfire destroys the stall. Ruan and Shao accuse of each other and Ruan dears a duel to Shao. Tasuke tells them, if they have to, to do it away from the stall. The two spirits walk away, followed by a number of students.
Tasuke, now alone, stubbornly keeps cooking takoyaki while Ruan and Shao confront each other, with many supporters behind them. Ruan gives life to various things to attack Shao but all of them are shot down by Shaki. Then Ruan activates the gymnasium and Shao replies by summoning Gun'nanmon. The battle between the two giants ends in Gun'nanmon's victory, but at the cost of Tasuke's stall.
Furious Tasuke tells Shao and Ruan never to come to the school again. But Koichirou and Takashi raise an objection to it. Other students seem to share the view. At the same time, they feel hungry after cheering Ruan or Shao. Tasuke's takoyaki are there to fill their stomach.
Next day, Ruan, a teacher now, announces a very sad news. Shao has been transferred to her the class. All the class welcome her, except Tasuke, who finds his last oasis is lost. But he finds consolation in the a certificate of commendation to commemorate the victory of his class.
ED
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