Ranma Half Moon chapter 47, Too Many Dates for Ranma, part 2
Author's note: This episode happens around the same time as "Sailor Moon episode 28, Illustrations of love. Are Usagi and Mamoru Getting Closer?".
Author's note: "Bishounen" means pretty boy.
Mamoru sips coffee. The strange girl (the popular artist Yumemi Yumeno) has dragged both him and the blond brat to her home to model. This is a depressing atmosphere. But, at least the coffee is first rate.
...
"Do you know me?" Ranma-ko points to her nose and stares at the tall, short-haired blond girl on the other side of the fence.
"Well, not really. But, I was your waiter once, and I thought we had a real connection."
"Don't you mean waitress?"
"No, waiter. Don't you remember coming into the B:Lily Rose?"
It takes a second or two for Ranma-ko to make the connection. The waiter who freaked me out with his handsomeness is a girl?
"Do they mind your dressing up as a guy at the tea shop?"
The blond girl laughs. "You mean you walked in there without a clue?"
"Without a clue to what?"
"All of the waiters are cross-dressing girls. It's so that the girl anime fans can enjoy 'bishounens' in a non-threatening atmosphere."
Ranma-ko blushes. "Wow, I guess I made a fool of myself."
"I don't think you did. I think what happened was we made an instant connection. The fact that you found me again proves it. My name is Tenou Haruka."
"Saotome Ranma. What do you mean by instant connection?"
"It means that we should be together."
"Aren't the bishounens supposed to be non-threatening?"
"I'm not working right now. Wait in the parking lot for me. My track events are over. Do you see that red sports car?"
Ranma-ko sees the flashy car. It is even more impressive than the one driven by Nephrite. "Yeah, sweet ride."
"Give me fifteen minutes, I'll be right out."
Ranma-ko checks out the sports car. This looks all tricked out and customized.
Before Ranma-ko could finish admiring the car, Haruka comes out. "Sorry for taking so long. Get in, let's go some place private."
"This is your car?"
Haruka nods.
"You can drive and you're in Junior High School?"
"Hey, don't broadcast that. Let's keep that a secret. But, I am training to be a racer."
This is crazy. I'm going for a ride in a souped-up sports car with a kid who thinks that she's a race car driver?
"Shall we go?"
"Sure!" Not even knowing why, Ranma-ko gets into the car.
...
Mamoru listens to Yumemi lament that she has no friends because she would rather make art that makes other people happy. Mamoru rolls his eyes. "A person should make themselves happy first."
How can he say that? An angered Usagi grabs one of Yumemi's illustrations as proof that Yumemi's personal choices were good ones.
Mamoru gasps. The girl in the picture is giving the man in the picture a locket. This scene painfully makes me recall my dreams of the princess.
...
Ranma-ko looks at the sky darkening over the ocean. Haruka has driven her to a hill with an ocean view.
"I love coming here. In the evening the winds are strong, almost as strong as riding with the top down in my car."
Ranma-ko nods.
"Sometimes I wish I could become the wind, become free of gravity and fly."
"I can understand that."
"Really? I thought that you would. I really think that we are connected somehow."
Ranma-ko sighs. "I thought I was connected to someone, but she wound up running away. We were a good team, and we fought many battles, but she wasn't able to win the fight inside."
"That's it! I knew it was important to be with you. I need someone in my life exactly like that. Someone to fight life's battles with."
"You don't have someone like that? I would think that you were pretty popular."
"Most of the girls I go out with are just attracted to me for my looks, not for my passion for life."
"Well, I'm sure that person will find you soon enough."
"Tell me, Ranma, did she leave you for another?"
Oops, Haruka must think I am talking about a previous lover. "Well, it was a lot more complicated than that. She wound up letting more people down than just me."
"Ranma, do you think there is a higher calling out there, higher than just being the best you can be?"
"Wow, you're pretty philosophical. Maybe there is. I was brought up in harsh circumstances as a martial artist so I didn't get a lot of chances to think about stuff like that." Yeah, and talking about fighting monsters is not something I'm going to talk about with someone I'm meeting for the first time.
"Oh, no, look at the time. I have to work tonight."
"Can you drop me off at the Cherry Tree Park? I have to meet a friend."
"Sure."
On the way to the park Ranma-ko and Haruka chat about martial arts. Ranma-ko feels relaxed around Haruka. Maybe my hanging out with Haruka is easy for her in the same way that Mamoru finds it easy to hang out with me, because Haruka acts like one of the boys?
...
Artemis walks to the park. He still has thirty minutes left before his scheduled meeting with Ranma, but he wants to scout the wooded area so he can come up with some new drills.
"Art-e-mis?"
Artemis stops dead in his tracks. It's the voice of that beautiful, mysterious female cat coming from a dark alley. He quickly rushes over.
"Come quick, me in trouble." The cat races down the alley and then points towards a basement entrance. The mysterious white cat leads Artemis down the steps into the basement. As soon as Artemis reaches the basement, a tub falls over him, trapping him in a dark cage.
Oh no, for all the times I have teased Minako and Ranma about guarding their hearts, am I the one trapped by a careless passion?
To Be Continued!
Author's note: The B:Lily Rose (where Ranma went for tea at the end of episode 40) is a real life place in Ikebukuro on the infamous Otome Row (Maiden's Row), a shopping area for female otaku and YAOI doujinshi fans. In the real life B:Lily Rose, the waiters are young ladies who cross dress as bishounen. Did you Google it back then?