The Cherry Project - Chapter 5 "Held by the wings of an angel..." Originally appeared in Nakayoshi, February 1991. Translated by Alex Glover. Version 1.01, 8.97. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I can't perform in the tournament!? Why not!?" "You don't have the entry qualifications," says Tsuzuki. "Qualifications!?" "There are six grades of badge tests," he says. "It takes many years to reach all six grades and obtain eligibility." "Many years..." Chieri says. "I see. So I can't perform..." "It's okay," says Hiroshi. "If you want to go that far, enter the competition, paired with Tsuzuki! For pairs, badge test qualification isn't necessary. Don't enter a club, do it with us!" "Paired with Tsuzuki!?" Chieri thinks. "No way... Me paired with Tsuzuki!? Really!? I want to do it!!" "Are you serious!?" says Canty. "Tsuzuki is a genius. He's a chosen human! This girl will do nothing but drag him down!" "What..." thinks Chieri. "I don't approve of this," Canty says. "This defective girl becoming Tsuzuki's partner." "Defective..." Chieri thinks. "Compared to Tsuzuki and the Princess, I'm flawed... But me... Paired with Tsuzuki... " "If I become better," she says, "will you approve?" "Well," says Canty. "In this match you're talking about, if you beat me, I will give you my approval." "A match with the Princess!!" says Chieri. "I'll do it! However many years it takes! I'll become better at skating by myself, and I'll get your approval!" "Your career is different than the Princess's," says Hiroshi. "This will force you to decide on single skating." "Don't make a decision now," says Tsuzuki. "Want to think it over for a little while?" The three boys leave. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "What a joke," says Hiroshi. "Single skating..." "Will you meet me at the office tomorrow?" says Tsuzuki. "There is something concerning me." Kouichi looks at him. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chieri leans against Yuni, holding a drink. "Cherry, are you all right? Are you drunk?" "She's tired," says Haruna. "You should go home. I'll take you." "I'll go too." The three of them leave the school. "I might have a match with the Princess," says Chieri. "This might be rash. I'm getting carried away after just skating a little at the festival..." "This will force you to decide." "What should I do..." They arrive at Chieri's house. "Oh, your teacher can come in too," says her dad. "Want some tea?" Chieri gasps. "Hey!" she calls. "Haruda, no! Don't go into my room!" Haruna opens the door and sees the poster of young Tsuzuki on her wall. Haruna grins. "Now I get it," she says. "The president and Tsuzuki-kun... You were a fan of his." They sit down and drink tea. "But still," says Yuni. "After the festival, pair skating... It's almost like he came here to skate with Cherry." "But I don't have any career..." says Chieri. "Hiroshi told me that a match with the Princess is impossible." Haruna remembers Canty talking with Kouichi. "You may have differences in career," she says. "But if you enter a skating club, and work hard, you'll be all right. The pair skating of you and Tsuzuki-kun at the festival was wonderful." Chieri looks at the poster. "It was like a dream," she thinks. "Skating with Tsuzuki-kun... Now it looks like I'll be entering a skating club. But for just one moment... I was Tsuzuki's partner. I want to stick with this, get better and better, and then get the Princess' approval and pair skate with Tsuzuki! With Tsuzuki..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The sun shines on the towering Tsuzuki Group building. They look at the directory sign posted: Tsuzuki Group Research Institute (Stock) Tsuzuki Construction (Stock) Tsuzuki Chemical Tsuzuki Space Development Tsuzuki Foods Tsuzuki Electric "Whenever I see it, this building is spectacular. The Tsuzuki Group... From real estate, food, medical supplies... To space development and enterprises... Someday it will all be yours." Hiroshi and Tsuzuki board the elevator. It stops at floor 12, and they enter the computer room. There Kouichi sits at a large computer bank, with many monitors displaying Chieri skating, overlaid with displays of Tsuzuki skating. "It's as Tsuzuki said," says Kouichi. "When the images are compared, the height of the jumps, the timing of the landings, are precisely the same. The poses, the perfect steps, are just like copies of Tsuzuki's. It seems her spins are modeled on those of the Princess. From the beginning to the end of her program, her speed is fixed, with no power." "She's becoming a machine, merely copying the skating," says Tsuzuki. "What's that?" says Hiroshi. "Cherry's skating has no variation in feeling," says Kouichi. "She's only skating according to prior techniques. Just like a machine. It's no wonder. She's just begun figure skating. She's admired the skating of Tsuzuki and the Princess, and is using them as a model. She just had the ability to copy fine skating, and has lost all self-expression." "I want to skate like Tsuzuki..." said Chieri. "Like the Princess..." "Damn," says Tsuzuki. "Has she mistaken the way to do it?" "If things go like this," says Kouichi, "will Cherry fail?" "She's becoming unable to express herself," Tsuzuki says. "If she knows that, she might not be able to skate again..." Kouichi and Hiroshi look at him. "A figure skating program is a drama," he says. "Every task requires an ability to perform and a rich power of expression. If you just do jumps, everybody is the same. Out of those, it's the ones that can express emotion and individuality. That's what makes the difference." "Give it to her, Tsuzuki!" says Hiroshi. "Your expression! A copy is enough. If you're paired, you can go with that!" "So she'll spend her life as a copy." "Isn't there a way!?" "It requires time." "So does a match with the Princess," Hiroshi says. "There's no way she can beat a champion who has honed her technique and power of expression for years. Having her meet the Princess was only supposed to give her the desire to do this. It's gone too far. Whatever the outcome, it's fatal." "It's my responsibility," says Tsuzuki. "We went too fast... and blew it." "We have no choice but to break this off," Hiroshi says. "Wait!" says Kouichi. "Have you forgotten that we haven't found any more information than that!? It's too early to make a decision! Cherry is one who makes the impossible possible! Let's do this: If Cherry still wants to stick with us, if she chooses pair skating, we'll think about it again then. But if she wants to take the detour of entering a club and challenging the Princess, we'll look for another girl!" "We don't have time," says Hiroshi. "One year left. When Tsuzuki enters high school, he'll have to quit skating. There is nothing but skating! Everything else is superfluous! Tsuzuki must live only to inherit this huge Tsuzuki Group. We'll complete pair skating and stand at the top immediately! Now is the only time Tsuzuki can realize his dream!" He turns for the door. "Hiroshi!" calls Kouichi. He grabs his arm. "Wait!" "Change in heart?" Hiroshi says. "When we've reached the top of pair skating, that's game over. The partner will no longer be needed. We are only hurrying toward that time. You said you couldn't choose a way. I'm spending my valuable eighth grade youth too. With these circumstances, I wash my hands of the matter." He leaves the room and gets on the elevator. "And... Whatever happens to Cherry is fine with me." Tsuzuki stares out the window overlooking the city. "Makes the impossible possible..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chieri lies in bed with her Nakayoshi Birthday magazine. "'An out-of-season hurricane blows strong at this time. Weather the trouble with white stones of pearl and white agate. Carry out your convictions.'" She grasps the pendant hanging from her neck. "Hmm..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The three boys are waiting for her as she enters the classroom. "Oh, morning," she says. "Have you decided to enter the skating club?" says Tsuzuki. "Yes, I'm going to enter!" The boys' eyes widen. "It may take time, but..." she says. "It may be too much, but... But I'm going to beat the Princess and get her approval! And so..." "Her fate is sealed up," Hiroshi says, in English. "What..." "Don't worry about pair skating," says Tsuzuki. "If you're challenging the Princess, try with all your might." "Oh, okay..." says Chieri. "What is it..." she thinks. "It feels like Tsuzuki and the others have become distant now... I see... We don't know how long it will take. I would be a weight dragging Tsuzuki down. And pairing with Tsuzuki would be too convenient... The project ended at the festival..." Tsuzuki holds his cell phone. "Hello? Is this the Takanawa Wing skating club?" "I chose this road myself," she thinks. "I don't understand well myself, but I don't want to lose to the Princess. I have to do this, even if I do it alone. I have to become better and better!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chieri enters the skating club. A woman with short black hair greets her. "How do you do. I will be your coach, Mori. Nice to meet you." Two girls look on from the side of the rink. "Oh, that girl..." says the dark-haired one. "I don't believe it! Coach Mori!? I asked her, but she wouldn't teach me anything!" "Your father is the Olympic athlete Asuka, right?" says Mori. "I envy you. Will Asuka-san be coming to the tournament as well? It's very soon. You don't have a grade, right? You should take a badge test immediately. I want you to take the six grades for entrance eligibility all at once!" "What," says Chieri. "But that takes years to do! It's impossible." "Let's go as far as we can," says Mori. "Figure skating tournaments are few." Canty watches as Chieri starts to skate. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chieri gets up early the next morning to practice skating with Mori. At school, she falls asleep in class. She jumps up as the bell rings and rushes for the door. "Cherry!" Yuni calls. "You haven't cleaned up!" "Sorry! I'll finish it some other time!" Yuni and Kouichi watch as she runs out of the room. "Ohh..." Yuni says. "What's with Cherry lately!? She's always late in the mornings, and she's out past ten every night!" Kouichi looks after Chieri. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chieri leaves the skating club and walks out into the night. She sees Kouichi leaning against a wall. "Kouichi!? What are you doing here!?" "Oh, nothing," he says. "It's close by." He looks at her. "It's been a while. Let's talk." He sees bandages covering her legs. "Cherry, you've got cuts all over. What happened?" "Yeah, well, I've fallen a bit. Normal for being in intensive training. I'm being pushed into the badge test." "That training..." thinks Kouichi. Chieri coughs. "I'll take you home," Kouichi says. "Let's go." "It really has been a while," says Chieri. "Even though we're in the same class. Hanging out with Tsuzuki and Hiroshi as always?" "Are you concerned about Tsuzuki? Hiroshi said so, but..." He puts his arm around her. "He was serious about pair skating." Chieri looks up at him, then looks down. "Really..." she says. "Hiroshi told that to me, that I might be doing something stupid... But I want to be able to skate like Tsuzuki and the Princess!" "You don't have to think that!" Kouichi says. "We'll look for another girl." "I can't do it..." Kouichi thinks. "Abandon her... It was me, before Tsuzuki..." He puts his arms around Chieri and hugs her close to him. "I was the one who found her." "What!?" Chieri thinks. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original manga copyright © 1991 Takeuchi Naoko. English translation copyright © 1997 Alex Glover. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Manga of Takeuchi Naoko | The Cherry Project | Volume 1