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Kaitou Saint Tail - June '97 Comic Fans Chapter 15
"The Magic of Snow Drop"
Asuka Jr. grabbed St. Tail's hand, and she turned around, "Huh..."
"Haneoka...!" he stared at her.
'Asuka Jr.!' St. Tail thought, looking at him.
"So Kaitou Saint Tail..." Asuka Jr. said, "Is you..." his hand trembled, "So you... you were tricking me...!!"
'No...!!' she thought as Asuka walked away from her, 'No! I'm not fooling you! I just never...'
'I never have the courage to tell you...!'
"Ji... ji..." Ruby squeaked, "Ji...!"
Meimi opened her eyes, still in bed, with Ruby looking down on her.
She sat up, "It was... a dream..."
"I still can't say it, Ruby..." Meimi said, patting Ruby.
She put on her school uniform and tied the bow, 'That sentence, "I'm Kaitou Saint Tail," I can't ever say it...'
'No matter what, I can't be caught...!'
At the Asuka house
"I'm leaving!" Asuka Jr. called out. He sees a letter and picks it up, addressed to Asuka Daiki. "It's for me...?"
At St. Paulia Academy...
"Morning..." someone said.
"Morning!" someone else answered.
Asuka Jr. looked all around him, the girls' hair were surrounded by little stars. "Am I being too sensitive... don't you think all the girls have fixed their hair in pretty styles?"
"Yes..." the freckled friend of Asuka's said. He held up a magazine,
"Look at this! The cosmetics company wants to have an anniversary for a new shampoo product, they're looking for girls to model! Because
Manato is in charge of taking pictures of them, then mailing it to be chosen, it's a rare chance..."
"So that's why..." Asuka trailed off.
Sawatari brushed his hair back, holding his camera, "I'll make a future idol with my own hands! Mm... you just wait." he turned to Meimi and Seira with little hearts surrounding him, "Haneoka-san! Turn over here!"
Two of the guys stared at him, "What this guy's doing, what's different from normal?"
"Ah..." A girl said, "So he's taking photos of Meimi again." Side note: Huh!
Ryoko smiled, "But, that's how it is! Meimi's hair is already so pretty!"
Asuka Jr. looked over at Meimi, "Huh! Kaitou St. Tail's hair is the real pretty-haired one!" he opened the envelope (from his house).
"There's nothing different with you, either," Ryoko and the girl with a sweatdrop on their head.
"Ah...!" Asuka exclaimed, reading the message.
"Wah! Whenever the news comes out, Kaitou Saint Tail will immediately send a challenge note!!" Ryoko exclaimed.
The other girl asked, "What's she stealing this time?"
Meimi and Seira looked over at them, 'Huh...!!'
Meimi went over to Asuka Jr. and took the note from him, clamping a hand on his head to stop him from getting the note, "Let... let me see!!"
"Ah!" he yelled, "What are you doing?"
"Tomorrow night, I will go and steal 'Palfan Maboro Special'. St. Tail"
(Note: Aack, that name is screwed. First, it's "Palfan" in *English* in the manga I have, so I don't know if was the actual word "Perfume" or "Palfan", second, "Maboro" is definitely wrong, I translated it by looking at the kanji characters my friend (Sei-chan, forgive me ^^;) taught me that *look* like it but I know it's wrong so I'll try to refer to it as "the perfume" after this. Gomen nasai... ^^;)
"Palfan..." Asuka Jr. said, "Does that mean perfume..."
His friend answered, "Um... it's like that?"
Meimi read the note, 'What's this? I don't remember sending a challenge note like this...!'
'Who can it be...!!'
At St. Paulia Church...
Seira walked up to a girl with long hair with a hairband, "This... what are you praying so intensely about? Your face looks very worried."
The girl turned around, "Not long ago, my father died in a car accident..."
"That's... I'm very sorry..." Seira said.
"My father was a perfume maker," the girl said, "He said before that a new perfume [of his] would be put on the market, so he was very excited..." Seira looked at the girl, 'Perfume...!!' Could it be...'
The girl continued, "But the last part before finishing, he died in that accident. In the journal my father keeps to record the perfume ingredients, only the last ingredient wasn't written down. Right now there's no way to find if it's right since father's dead..."
"Um... isn't there another way to find it?" Seira asked.
"The last page of the journal," the girl said, "It just says... 'The snow's earring' like some kind of code. I think it should be pointing to a winter flower!"
"So you wanted to know the answer... you came to the church to pray?" Seira clasped her hands together.
"No... father's perfume, it will be finished no matter what." The girl said, "What's disturbing me isn't this. What I came here to ask the Lord's help for is... it's about my brother."
Seira asked, "Your brother...?"
The girl clasped her hands together, "Ever since father passed away, brother seems like he's changed to someone else. He's always thinking of ways to sell the perfume for the highest price, not caring about finishing the perfume, his whole head's filled with unimaginable things...!!"
"...!!" Seira thought.
At the "Maboro" Residence...
"This is the greenhouse used to mix the perfume," a man (The girl asking for help's brother) held up a bottle, "This is the Palfan 'Maboro' Special, Asuka Jr. Because it hasn't been mass produced yet, there's only this bottle... since she this is her target, Kaitou St. Tail has very good taste! Please get more people to protect this! Asuka Jr.!"
Asuka Jr. stared at him (with a rather dumb expression,) "Uh...more... people?"
The man looked at the perfume, "This perfume is to be sold in 3 days to a famous manufacteur. If it was stolen before that, then it would be terrible. This perfume will definitely be... a very popular product..."
Side note: Hee hee... 'Thanks to... Kaitou St. Tail!'
At St. Paulia Church...
"A Kaitou Saint Tail brand perfume!?" Meimi exclaimed.
"That fake challenge note... seems like Maboro-san's brother mailed it to Asuka Jr." Seira said, "Looks like her brother wants to advertise that it's 'The perfume Kaitou Saint Tail wants'. And to sell an unfinished product at an expensive price."
Meimi clenched her fists with a sweatdrop on her head, "What a dirty way to... are they really brother and sister!?"
Seira looked at Meimi, "The sister says she doesn't want to put the perfume her father left for them unfinished on the market. And, he's using a lie to advertise..."
"We should think of..." Meimi said, "A way to help her!"
Seira clasped her hands together, "Yes..."
"I know. Then I'll do as that letter..." Meimi said, "I'll go do what it says in the letter...!"
At St. Paulia Academy
"Then... now it's lunch hour." A sister said.
The boys looked out the window, "Ah... the sun is getting hotter and hotter."
"What's happening?" the sister asked them.
"The snowball fight's still not over." the boys said, "Sister..." they pointed outside with begging looks on their faces.
The sister stared at them, "Ah, you guys are always like this..." Side note: You're all high school students already... "Hmph! I'll let you go this time! If you play within the school grounds, then go ahead!"
"Wow! That's wonderful!!" Meimi exclaimed to her friends.
The sister stood behind the balcony and said down to the students, "You have to make sure you're back on time!!"
"Yes!!" they shouted.
A boy looked over at Sawatari, "Manato, at this time you bring your camera out..."
"Huh! Only inexperienced people wouldn't know only in such a beautiful background can match beautiful things." Sawatari said snobbily. He turned around, "Hey! Haneoka-san!"
The boys stared at him, "So then it's like this again...!"
Kyoko looked at Meimi, who was running away, "Meimi! Where are you going?"
Meimi turned back, "I have to escape over there!"
'I don't think...' Asuka Jr. thought, sitting on some bench or something with snow, 'There's anything different from the usual Haneoka..." Side note: Like an idiot... (meaning Sawatari, not Meimi!)
He watches her, and slapped himself on both sides of his face, 'I'm acting a bit strange! Ever since I saw that...' a picture of the reflection of Meimi in "Princess Rosa's Mirror" (from Chapter 13) when St. Tail looks into it. Meimi suddenly pops up in front of him, smiling.
"Wha... what!!" he said nervously. (More like shocked since she just appeared in front of him)
"I... have something I want to ask you." Meimi said, sitting down beside him, "Do you know what the code 'the Snow's Earring' is?"
Side note: Can I sit down here?
Asuka Jr. stared at her, "What's that..."
'I think if it's Asuka Jr., he might know...' she thought to herself,
"Then, do you what kind of winter flowers there are?" Meimi asked.
"I don't know too much about flowers." he said, "Most flowers don't open until it's spring... there's only one kind I've heard of, that's when I was four or five years old, when my mother told me..."
"Ah! I want to hear it!!" she exclaimed.
He looked off to one side, "It's about when the creation of the world."
(Note: Literally 'create sky and land')
Meimi looked confused, "Creation... world..." with question marks surrounding her.
"Ha... that means... it's a very old legend!" Asuka laughed with a sweatdrop on his head. He looked over at her, "You know everything in nature has it's own color? Like... the sky is blue, clouds are grey, that kind of thing..."
"Mm..." Meimi said.
"Then, snow went to where God was," he continued, "Snow complained that 'It wasn't fair it didn't have it's own colour'. Finally God told the snow, 'Please go ask the flowers to give you color!', but no flowers were willing to give a color to the cold, chilling snow."
Meimi mumbled, "That's... that's so sad..." Side note: Serious!
Asuka smiled, "But when the snow was about to give up, a kind of flower, volunteered 'If you don't mind my white color then I'll give it to you!' "
"Ah..." Meimi exclaimed. "And then? And then!?"
"After that, when it's winter, the snow always... protects that little flower." Asuka smiled, "And this is the whole story..."
"It should be this one... hey! What's that flower called!?" Meimi asked.
He stopped, with a sweatdrop on his head and happy eyes, "... I forgot... seemed to sound delicious..." he looked off.
Meimi got up and crossed her arms, "Really!! He always can't help at the most desperate situations!" Side note: And no romantic mood, either... she suddenly slipped on some snow, "Wah..."
"Watch out..." Asuka said, reaching out to grab her hand.
Meimi suddenly thinks of her dream when Asuka Jr. catches St. Tail, and ended up falling on the ground hugging him.
"You..." Asuka said, "What are you so mad about!? It's only about flowers..."
Meimi pulled away from him, "But, I really want to know! About how the flower could survive... beside (with) the snow..." she got up, 'I can't say it out... no matter what, I can't be caught...!!'
She started running away, "Thank... thank you! Nevermind...!!"
Asuka Jr. stood up, looking after her, "What was that... all about..."
At St. Paulia Church...
"Lord... please protect us that everything will go successfully..."
"One!" the hat flew up into the air, "Two... Three!!" Meimi turned into St. Tail.
Ruby looked at St. Tail, who was holding her in her hand, "Ji...?" she asks.
"I'm fine!" St. Tail smiled, "Ruby!" and Ruby squealed.
Seira looked at Meimi, "Meimi, the flower Asuka Jr. was talking about, should be called 'Snow Drop'."
"How would you know?" St. Tail asked.
Seira smiled, "Hoh! The winter flower that would sound so delicious...should be this one."
"Really..." St. Tail smiled, "Thank you! Seira...!"
"We pray that God will give us his divine protection..." they prayed.
At the "Maboro" Residence...
"The perfume 'Maboro'-san has is the rumoured perfume. Handle the security!" Asuka Jr. commanded.
The guards saluted, "Yes! Asuka Jr.!"
The girl's brother thought to himself, "Hee hee... just these security guards... and this perfume will have the effect of the name Kaitou Saint Tail. Even if the challenge note is fake, even if the kaitou doesn't show up...!!"
"Asuka Jr.!!" A security guard said, bringing a long-haired girl with a hairband in, "This girl..."
Asuka lookedat her, "You are...!?"
"Sister!!" the man pointed at her, "Didn't I tell you to go outside?"
"Brother! Please don't do this...!!" she shouted, as glass suddenly broke.
All the guards and Asuka Jr. looked up, "Kai..."
'It's Kaitou St. Tail...!' Asuka thought, looking up at the beam where she was standing. St. Tail looked down at them, "Good evening! Thank you for inviting me here tonight!"
"How can the kaitou actually come... I wrote that challenge note...!!" the man exclaimed.
Asuka Jr. turned, "What did you say!?"
The man covered his mouth, "Oh no..." he turned and started running, "Darn...!!"
"Brother! Wait!!" the girl shouted after him.
"Nothing can be hidden from God!" St. Tail lifted up an arm, "One...!Two..." the man suddenly started rising, and St. Tail snapped her fingers, "Three!!" and he found himself floating hear the roof of thegreenhouse.
"I'm taking the perfume!" St. Tail shouted, "Open your eyes!!" the perfume suddenly floated away from him and he saw little white shimmery things floating down.
The security guards cried, "Asu... Asuka Jr.! This is..."
"What's this... the greenhouse..." the man exclaimed, "It started snowing...!!"
Asuka Jr. looked up, 'Is this... another of her illusions she's so talented at...?'
The guy got back down onto the ground, "Please stop... I know I did wrong..." as his sister ran towards him, "Please, stop...!! Father's flowers will wither! Then we can't make perfume...!! Please..."
"Brother!" she said.
Asuka reached a hand out, "Snow...? This isn't snow, these are..."
'White flowers...'
St. Tail stood near the ceiling, white flowers floating down from a pile in her hands, 'I'm not tricking you, I just can't say it...'
'I can't use... words to describe...'
The girl looked at the flowers in her hand, "This... the fragrance of these flowers, could this be the last ingredient for the perfume...!!"
"That's wonderful! Brother! Father's perfume..." she said, "Let's start finishing it again...!!"
"Yes..." he looked at her. "Asuka Jr.! We're sorry to disturb you...that... it's a good thing that was stolen. Thanks to the kaitou, I realize the truth now...!"
Asuka Jr. looked away, "Is it... like that..."
'It's all thanks... to Kaitou Saint Tail...'