"Next is number 3," says the announcer. "Asuka Chieri-san." She steps up to the rink. "Here I go!" The crowd cheers. A boy watches with a smile, carrying a large stuffed teddy bear. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cherry Project - Part 2 Chapter 10 "Only one angel..." Originally appeared in Nakayoshi, July 1991. Written by Takeuchi Naoko. Translated by Alex Glover. Version 1.0, 3.98. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tokyo Block Junior Championship Figure Skating Tournament. "She's gone onto the rink." "That girl's next?" "Asuka Chieri? I've never seen her before." "That suit is cute!" She jumps up and spins. "What!?" "With no approach run... All of a sudden... A triple axel!?" "There's such a skater!?" She lands smoothly. "Cherry!" calls Yuni. "That's the spirit!" First day, original program: A 2 minute, 40 second skate with 8 predetermined elements, including a double axel jump, a number of kinds of spins, and a double jump combination. "Wow, Cherry!" says Yuni. "I can't believe this is her first performance! Hey, if she wins this, does that mean she gets to go to the world championship!?" "She'll have to perform at the all-Japan tournament first," says Kouichi. "If she wins at this block level tournament, she can perform in the east Japan tournament. If she wins there, then comes the all-Japan one. This championship is just a primary for a primary." "Since the regulations were repealed so that experience and age don't matter," says Hiroshi, "even Cherry could have a good chance of winning." The boy carrying the stuffed bear watches her skate. "Oh!" says Yuni. "She skipped in the step sequence! Maybe she's tense because it's her first tournament." People in the crowd start talking. "Hmm..." "Well, she's cute, but..." "Maybe that's all." "It feels like she's just skating." "There are lots of girls of this quality." "So this is Asuka Chieri? I've seen this kind of skating before somewhere..." Canty stands in the back of the arena, watching. "She's losing Tsuzuki's habits," she thinks. "That really is the Coach Mori who taught Tsuzuki. This girl gets better every time I see her. And she has the nerve to match girls who have been performing in tournaments for years. The scary thing is, when she went out onto the rink, she nailed a whole circle at once. But she won't be able to keep that up if she wants to have a personality." The boy sighs as he stares at Chieri. "All right," thinks Mori. "The last combination jump!" Chieri leaps into the air and spins. "She's so high!" "One... Two... Three..." "She's spinning too much!" "Four times!" Chieri crashes on the ice. "Oh no!" thinks Chieri. "I have to get up! After this is the finish!" She slips and slides on the ice, finally waving and skating off. "I'm in trouble!" she thinks. "Coach is going to be mad!" She leaves the ice. "Well..." says Mori. "That was good for a first performance. Be careful with your jumps tomorrow." "Cherry!" says Yuni. "You're in the top level of skaters now! So, are you excited?" "Oh, my heart's pounding!" "But..." she thinks. "Since I did my ritual, and I brought my lucky charm..." She holds a picture of her and Tsuzuki from the festival. "What's that? A picture?" "It's nothing!" says Chieri. "Your last jump was disappointing," says Kouichi. "Practice more," says Hiroshi. "Kouichi! Hiroshi!! Wow! You came to see me!?" She poses for them in her skating suit. "Hey, isn't this cute!? Yuni made it herself. Hiroshi! I used the music from the school festival. Did you hear it?" "Yes, I did." "Oh, they posted the marks!" They look at the electronic scoreboard. "There are lots of them!" "For figure skating marks," says Kouichi, "nine judges each give scores out of a total of six." The board displays: 5.0, 5.0, 5.0, 4.9, [two are covered], 4.8, 4.9, 5.0. "What?" says Yuni. "Not one 6.0!" "Come on now," says Kouichi, "even the world's top skaters don't get many 6.0's." Another set appears: 4.1, 4.9, 4.9, 4.8, 4.9, 4.9, 4.9, 4.9, 4.8. "The first were marks on the elements," says Kouichi. "The second to appear were marks for presentation. Yep. Not surprising for a first performance, that the scores would only be these. They could be all right. Good luck with the free skate tomorrow, Cherry." "That reminds me," says Yuni, "has the Princess gone yet? The program only has the skaters' pictures. Their order isn't listed." "Pictures!?" says Chieri. "Yeah. Their pictures and personal histories are lined up. You too, Cherry, see?" "Hey! That's terrible!" "Haven't you seen the program?" says Hiroshi. "Well, if I look, I'll get nervous!" says Chieri. "I was thinking I'd just skate and go home without knowing anything." "I see..." says Kouichi. "That may be the better way." "Hey..." says Yuni. "Princess isn't her real name?" She reads the description in the program. "'Canty Akiyama.'" "That means..." thinks Chieri. "Akiyama..." says Yuni. "If I remember correctly, Kouichi, isn't your name Akiyama?" "What's this," says Hiroshi. "Didn't you tell them?" Chieri and Yuni freeze. "Damn..." says Kouichi. "I didn't want to say it... That's right. The Princess is my little sister." "Your little sister!?" "No way!" thinks Chieri. "Then, then, the Princess is... younger than me!?" "I don't believe this," says Yuni. "Then it must be her blond hair that makes her look adult. Oh, I can't believe you kept that from us! So that's why you knew so much about figure skating, Kouichi." "Well, yeah..." says Kouichi. "But I'm really not suited for skating. I prefer thinking about it in my head. That's why I've always supported Tsuzuki!" Hiroshi elbows him. "Oops..." "Stupid..." "Tsuzuki..." thinks Chieri. "Whenever the subject of Tsuzuki comes up, those two turn silent. Really, today, Tsuzuki along with Hiroshi and Kouichi... I thought all three of them might come. Even after Kouichi and Hiroshi changed schools, they still showed up at the rink from time to time. But after that time... From Tsuzuki... I haven't heard anything at all..." "We will meet again soon." "By that I thought he meant he'd come see me today..." Another skater crashes on the ice. "Oh, another one," says Haruna. "Everyone's falling down unexpectedly." "Yeah," says Mori. "If this keeps up, Asuka-san could get to around tenth place, and easily make it to east Japan. The goal is winning at all-Japan." "Where's Tsuzuki...?" thinks Chieri. "I feel that he's somewhere in this stadium..." She sees him in the crowd. "Tsuzuki!?" She looks again. "He's gone... Was it someone else!? I guess... He should be here..." She feels a push from behind. "Hello!" says a voice in English. She turns and comes face to face with a large stuffed bear. "Miss Cherry?" A boy looks around from behind the bear. "You're a Leo, right, Cherry-chan?" he says. "I'm an Aries. Leo and Aries are compatible, you know." He holds out the bear. "This is for you. This guy's called Cherry too. I'm your number one fan, Cherry-chan. This guy's your number two fan. That suit is cute!" "A fan of mine!?" She takes the bear. "Oh, come on... Ehehe... Thank--" A crowd of girls gather around the boy, shrieking. "Kikuchi-kuuun!" "Are you giving that stuffed bear to that girl!? No fair!" The photographers and reporters gather around the entrance as Canty walks in. "Where's her coach today?" "I heard her program content changed..." "The Princess!!" thinks Chieri. "Oh? Hey!" says one of the photographers. "It's Kikuchi Wataru!" "All right! Take a picture!" They approach the boy. "Kikuchi-kun!!" "You took the time to come watch the Tokyo Block?" "Cheering for the Princess?" The boy puts his arms around both girls. "Nope! I'm cheering for the Princess and Asuka Chieri-chan. I have to check out Chieri-chan's free skate tomorrow! And of course, the Princess's too." "I see," says the reporter. "The boys' world junior champion has his hopes on you, Chieri-chan!" "Boys' world junior champion!?" thinks Chieri. "Oh, I get it... Tsuzuki retired, and now this boy is..." Canty pushes past them and walks up to the rink. "Number 19," says the announcer. "Canty Akiyama-san. From the Takanawa Wing skating club..." "It's the Princess's turn!" thinks Chieri. "Huh?" says Wataru. "The Princess's coach didn't come today. Let's watch together." "Who, me!?" says Chieri. "Oh, I don't want to watch! I'll get nervous!" He pulls on her arm. "Here, come closer." They watch Canty skate. "Oh..." thinks Chieri. "She's so pretty and elegant... I thought so when I first saw her, too. Like a fluttering butterfly." "Do you know why she's called 'Princess' by everybody?" says Wataru. "When she turned thirteen... She was high class and womanly, and her power of expression was amazing. Starting next year, she'll be able to perform in seniors as well. Maybe then she'll be 'Queen.'" Chieri looks at him. "Say..." he says. "I asked the Princess, but... Are you really going to challenge her to a match?" He looks out on the ice. "There's no way you can beat her. You're not suited for singles, Cherry-chan. Since you have no personality." He looks at her. "So, because of that... Will you pair skate with me?" Chieri grimaces. She slaps him across the cheek. "No way! Never!" She storms away from him. Canty's scores are displayed, mostly 5.9's. "Wow! The Princess's marks are high!" "Hey, where's Cherry?" says Yuni. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chieri runs to her room. "What was that!? That rude jerk! Saying that I can't win, that I'm not suited for singles, that I don't have personality... Why doesn't he mind his own business! He's horrible!" She throws the stuffed bear down and hits it. "And then, and then, after saying all that, he asks me to pair skate with him!! The only one I'll pair skate with is Tsuzuki!" She lies on her bed with the bear. "I'm such a fool... I always think about Tsuzuki..." She puts on her headphones. "The free skate music Tsuzuki chose..." "It's Beethoven's fifth piano concerto," says Mori. "'Emperor.'" "It sounds hard," says Chieri, "but I'll try it!" "'Emperor'..." she thinks. "I've been able to come this far since meeting Tsuzuki. Since Tsuzuki told me not to quit, I decided to keep at it. Pair skating with Tsuzuki has turned into a mere dream, but... Singles..." "You're not suited for singles, Cherry-chan," said Wataru. "Didn't you say you were going to challenge the Princess," said Tsuzuki. "That's right," she thinks. "My objective is the Princess. I won't give up. I'm going to keep trying, Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki... I miss you..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Second day, girls' free skate. Chieri sits on a bench in the locker room. "Oh, I have the worst luck today!" she thinks. "I can't believe the place I drew in the lottery is right after the Princess! I have a bad feeling..." Two girls enter the room. "Oh, it's that girl." "She got pretty good marks for her original program yesterday." "She had the guts to do that, even in her first performance, but still... Challenging the Princess!" "Huh? What!?" thinks Chieri. "Challenging... Do they mean the match!? What? How does everybody know!?" "Are you really going to challenge her to a match?" said Wataru. "Oh, that jerk!" She runs out of the locker room. "That's right! He's nothing but a jerk! A rude jerk who spreads rumors!" The girls in the hallway look at her. "Look, it's that girl..." Wataru runs toward her. "Cherry-chan!" he says. He bows. "Sorry about yesterday. I said too much. I've thought about it..." He rubs his cheek. "But Cherry-chan, your hand is quick!" "Oh," says Chieri. "I- I'm sorry." "Wh- What..." she thinks. "He lured me into apologizing too!" He smiles. "I'm Kikuchi Wataru. I'm from Kobe. Nice to meet you. After talking with the Princess, I've really been looking forward to meeting you. But, I was serious... About your match with the Princess." "What!?" "It's sad, but... You have no chance at all. I wanted to watch you skate at all-Japan, but I guess that's impossible." "Why..." thinks Chieri. "Why is this person saying such things?" The crowd turns to the entrance, where two people walk onto the floor. "It's the Princess!" "She's with her new coach today!" "Hey! It's Tsuzuki Masanori!!" "Take a picture!" "The rumors of previous world junior champion Tsuzuki Masanori becoming her coach were true!" Chieri's eyes widen. "Tsuzuki!?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original manga copyright © 1991 Takeuchi Naoko. English translation copyright © 1998 Alex Glover. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Manga of Takeuchi Naoko | The Cherry Project | Volume 2