Ghost Sweeper Mikami Operation: Heaven .. in Shonen Sunday #17 1992 Report 36: "I'm the star this week!" Original story & art Copyright (C) 1992 Takashi Shina/Shougakukan 1992 This translation Copyright (C) 1992 Goddess Studio English translation by Hiroshi Haga (hh0u+@andrew.cmu.edu) Proofreading by Iain Sinclair (axolotl@socs.uts.edu.au) CHARACTERS: Reiko Mikami Ghost Sweeper president, super first-class exorcist. However, she's stingy and very money-oriented. Tadao Yokoshima A boy with full of worldly desires, succumbed to Mikami's charms, working as her assistant for extremely low pay. Okinu おキヌ A ghost from 300 years ago. Assistant #2. ============================================================================== (Okinu is singing to herself, floating down the street with some shopping. She sees an depressed-looking old man sitting on the road.) ------------------- p.154 Okinu: Excuse me, is something wrong? Old man: What, you're a ghost, too? Well, to tell the truth, I'm lost. How embarassing. Okinu: Ohh. I see! You're working as the guardian spirit of your granddaughter. Old man: Yes, but this girl is a child with a very unruly disposition. Nowadays, she's doing bad things all the time, she went really wrong somewhere. To teach her a lesson, I decided not to guard her for a while. So I went to visit my relatives' tombs... but I'm fairly sure that she still hasn't sorted herself out. [="reflected on herself"] Okinu: You must have your hands full, then... The block across from here is Block 3. Old man: Oh, I can find my way from here now. Thank you very much. ------------------- p.155 Okinu: I have to be on my way now, then... Old man: Ah, wait one moment! (Inside the flats, there is an tough-looking girl lying on her bed listening to heavy metal music.) Babe: Damn it! Running over a stone, and trashing my bike! Everything screws up these days. Fucking awful days!! Okinu: Well, you don't have to pay me back, really. Old man: Oh, come on, I owe you! ------------------- p.156 Babe: !? Okinu: W-what are you going to do? Old man: Well, at this juncture, I think it'd be better to admonish her directly, see. (The old man yanks her spirit out of her physical body) Babe: Uh! Waaaaah!! What the f..!? Hyeeeh!! Old man: Please feel free to use her body while I talk with her. Okinu: What..? I can't, that's not right. ------------------- p.157 Old man: Don't worry! It shan't be be in use for a while. If you can enjoy using the body in the meantime, that helps me anyway. Okinu: But, still... Old man: Here, don't hesitate! (Okinu is pushed into the girl's body) Okinu: Wah! Babe: Aaaah, give my body back! Okinu: Uh.. uwaah! Old man: Ho, ho ho, is this the first time you possessed someone? After all that time, you must be feeling those five senses pretty intensely. However, be careful when you meet someone you know. If your true identity is revealed, you'll be thrown out of the body. ------------------- p.158 Okinu: Why's that? Old man: Well... I don't really know why myself. But that's how it goes. And now, we're going to have a little talk about your life style! Come here! Babe: Wait a sec! Come back! No!! (Okinu is walking down a suburban street) Okinu: I wonder if it's really alright. After 300 years, it feels so strange to be walking with on my feet. But I feel so great!! I didn't realize it when I was alive, but it feels so wonderful just to have a body. ------------------- p.159 Okinu: Wow! (As Okinu looks at some flowers, two girls look on. One is chewing gum, the other is wearing an anti-flu mask [typically worn by tough girls], and they both have the same school uniform as the girl Okinu possessed.) Masked Girl: Hey, isn't that the chief? Long-Haired Girl: Sure is. M. Girl: Hi! ["Chiwarse"= degraded "Konnichiwa"] LH Girl: Hi! Whatcha doing, chief? Okinu: Hmh? Ah! Oh, you're my friends? How are you? Girls: Ah, well, we're fine. M. Girl: Eh? Okinu: What a lovely fragrance! (Okinu sniffs some flowers. The girls are looking extremely confused.) ------------------- p.160 M. Girl: Ch.. Chief!? Okinu: Eh? Girls: What have you been doing!? Ethyl alcohol?! Drugs!? Y-you yourself told us not to do those, ages ago!! "You can act bad, but look after your health"!! W-we might be not good enough for you!! But if Chief is in some kind of distress, please tell us! We really respect you!! M. Girl: Please...!! Okinu: Er... well... (What should I say...!) M. Girl: What's wrong, chief...? ------------------- p.161 (Yokoshima slouches past) Yokoshima: (Damn. Okinu, where did you go.) (It's been three hours since you went shopping!) Okinu: Mr. Yokoshima! LH Girl: Eh!? Okinu: What's wrong with me. My heart's beating so fast...? What could it be? I didn't feel this way when I didn't have the body...? Girls: Ch-chief... you......with that guy!? Oh, my god!! ------------------- p.162 (The two girls go completely off the deep end) Girls: Love with a normal boy!! That is... sweet fruit forbidden to bad girls... !! (The girls talk amongst themselves) Hey, you! You know what we have to do!? Yes!! We want, we want the chief to be happy!! (The masked girl pulls out a chain, while the other embraces "Chief") LH Girl: Leave it to us! Okinu: Eh? M. Girl: Don't worry! You don't need to say anything. We understand. Okinu: Excuse me...? Girls: Let's go! (They run down the street after Yokoshima) Okinu: Oh, well. ------------------- p.163 Okinu: Hm? M.. Mr. Yokoshima!! (Okinu puts down the puppy she was playing with. Yokoshima's battered body flops down in front of her.) Okinu: What's the matter!? Yokoshima: Waaaah!! ------------------- p.164 Girls: That's not in your lines!! Yokoshima: Yeeeeek!! I'm sorry!! Okinu: What, what's that? Who was that!? Yokoshima: N-no, nothing. I'm sorry!! I'm really OK, sorry!! (Blood spurts from Yokoshima's head. The two girls watch him from behind a wall.) Okinu: You're badly hurt. Yokoshima: I'll date with you! I'll date with you, So please don't beat me anymore! Okinu: Date with me? (Yokoshima reads his "lines") Yokoshima: Le.. let's see... "I've been in love with you for so long! I'm serious!" "Please be my girlfriend!" (W-why in hell is this happening to me...!) (H-how unlucky can I get!!) ------------------- p.165 Okinu: M-Mr. Yokoshima!? Yokoshima: .....! (Wow, she looks nice!) How lucky can I get!! A real windfall!! Is this what they call "the fatal encounter"!? Yokoshima: What!? (Haven't I seen her somewhere...?) ------------------- p.166 Yokoshima: Okinu-chan!? Are you Okinu-chan...!? Okinu: Er..!! ( Okinu leaves the body) ------------------- p.167 Babe: Where am I!? Where's that rambling old fart...!! Yokoshima: W-what? (He is still holding her hands) Babe: Hm? Just what are you doing, dork!! Old man: Safely returned, I see. Was it fun? Okinu: Yes! Very! ------------------- p.168 Okinu: ...I see. Mr. Yokoshima, he recognized me instantly... heehee... Old man: It didn't go at all well, on my part. That obstinate girl...!! I've decided not to guard her anymore. I'm sick of her!! She'll learn her lesson some day. (The babe is kicking the hell out of Yokoshima.) Yokoshima: I'm sorry, terribly sorry!! I don't know what's happening, but I'm really sorry!! Arghh, how come these terrible things happen only to me! Girls: Ch-chief....what a strange way to express love. Narration: Mikami, at that moment. (Mikami is dozing on a couch) =============================================================================== -end-