Ranma Half Moon Chapter Ten - Say Jusenkyo! part 1

Author's note: This episode fits in during Sailor Moon episode 17, Usagi a model?

Author's note: Kawaii means cute, and baka means stupid.

Akane and Ranma-kun eat breakfast. As usual for them, they exchange not a word.

"Hey, it's the happy couple."

Akane turns up her nose. "Very funny, Nabiki."

Nabiki joins them at the low table. "Cheer up, you two. I have some great news."

Ranma-kun raises his eyebrow. This cannot be good.

"I entered both of you in a modeling contest!"

Akane's eyes narrow. "And, what sort of picture of me did you submit?"

Nabiki smiles. "Yesterday, before school, right after you plowed through all those guys who wanted to date you. You had a happy smile."

"And, me?"

"I followed you to the market and got a great shot of you flirting with a shop owner. It was very kawaii."

Ranma turns red.

Akane looks at Nabiki with anger. "And, why are you doing this for us?"

"The big cash prize in the contest, of course." Nabiki makes a 'V for victory' sign with her fingers.

Ranma-kun and Akane sigh at the inevitability of Nabiki's answer.

"There's no way I'm going to model as a girl. Shopping as a girl is tough enough."

Nabiki raises an eyebrow. "Oh, come on. It will be great."

"And, I'm going to do some detective work today."

Akane rolls her eyes. "I'll bet he's going to stalk Mamoru."

"Why call it stalking?"

Akane smiles. "Because you're jealous of Rei, who went for it and snagged Mamoru."

"But, he's a guy!"

"Ranma, while you're stalking Mamoru, please don't get into a fight in your female form. We have to keep you pretty."

"I'm not modeling, Nabiki. Besides, I going as a guy. Mamoru doesn't know me that way."

Nabiki rolls her eyes and then turns to Akane. "As for you, I think we should start practicing your modeling."

Ranma-kun rolls his eyes. "Why waste your time? Who ever heard of a tomboy as a model?"

Nabiki shakes her head. "A lot of them are. You might be at a disadvantage to Akane, Ranma. You might lose to her."

"You're not going to trick me into doing the contest."

...

Ranma-kun follows Mamoru to the Crown Arcade and plays the arcade game ' Sailor V versus the crawling things'. My martial arts observation powers should help me pick out some interesting details.

Mamoru is best buddies with Motoki, the manager of the arcade.

The blonde girl's name, who hangs out with Luna, is Usagi. Fortunately, Luna has never seen me as a boy.

Since Mamoru is teasing Usagi non-stop, Usagi must be the girl that Rei and Ami mentioned when I was at the shrine.

The blonde girl has also entered the modeling contest.

Mamoru thinks that the photographer must be third rate to only want to shoot young women, and that a woman's true beauty comes from her power inside.

Ranma-kun adjusts his sunglasses. I am so cool as a spy.

But, if Usagi is going to enter the contest, won't Mamoru want to show up at the contest to tease her? This would be something I would want to see close up.

Ranma-kun leaves the arcade and walks down the street.

Suddenly...

"Excuse me, are you Saotome Ranma?"

Ranma-kun turns around and sees Hino Rei! Wait a second. My male self is not supposed to know Rei. "Who wants to know?"

"Hino Rei. I did a job for your family. I recognized you from your picture in the family room."

Ranma-kun nods. "I am Ranma. I want to thank you for doing such a good job. The rest of the house was happy with your conclusions."

Rei smiles. "Your welcome."

"Well, I have an appointment, gotta run!" Ranma-kun runs off.

Rei (who saw Ranma-kun leave the Crown Arcade) looks serious. So, the Ranma cousins are after Usagi. This must be looked into further.

...

Akane walks back and forth with a stack of books on her head. Her martial arts training serves her well as she keeps the books from falling.

Nabiki smiles. "I think you got it, sis. You're a natural."

"I don't know, Nabiki. This feels like I'm getting ready to be the plaything of some guy."

Nabiki waves her hand in front of her face. "Just think of it as competing with all those other girls in poise and balance."

"It's not the same. I wouldn't be smiling in a competition."

"That might be true, but the money is better in this competition."

Akane rolls her eyes.

"Now walk the line again."

As Akane walks with the books on her head, Ranma-ko bursts into the room.

"Okay, let's get this practice started!"

Startled, Akane's books go flying off of her head.

"Hey, Nabiki, was she supposed to do that?"

"Ranma, you baka!"

Nabiki smiles. "Just in time Ranma, now we can do these drills competition style."

Akane turns up her nose. "So, what changed your mind? Is Mamoru going to be the photographer?"

"No, but that blonde girl that we followed is. I need to find out if there's something special about her or if Mamoru just likes to tease dorky girls."

Akane turns up her nose at Ranma-ko. "Seems suspicious to me."

Nabiki puts a stack of ten books on Ranma-ko's head, almost toppling her over. "Come on Ranma, if you have energy to talk, you have energy to practice."

Ranma-ko bears with the heavy books. "This is okay Nabiki, a woman's true beauty comes from her power inside."

Akane blinks. Where did she pick up that expression?

To be continued.

Closing theme - "Other Side of the Moon" (From a Weiß Kreuz video clip, see profile for a link to an excerpt.)

Your indifferent kisses are the other side of the moon.
Inside of darkness, I descend into love's trap.
My fingers get entangled in long hair,
And like it's binding me, my breath stops.