[Free talk: Chapter 238 is mostly comments since most of you had already read that. As for chapter 239, it was supposed to be just comments, too since the Englishscanlations should be out soon..but it ends up into a summary in the latter part ^^; I’ll be working on KnInNN 29 next then, OnH 83.]
Comments for chapter 238: Kanae is doing well with the practice. That made Hiou happy and Kyouko would naturally fangirl over her. =P Kyouko is stuck with the basics reminds me of the first Karate Kid movie. What seems to be boring exercises will actually help later on for the final moves ^^ Since Kyouko can really twirl that baton really well, it would be cool to see if she uses weapons in the near future.
Nevertheless, for a complete beginner, Kyouko did well in parrying against Kotetsu on her first try. I’m surprised that the issue about Hiou getting back on Kyouko is still tackled. I really thought that was already resolved earlier on. I guess this is more on closure regarding that. Well, it seems that Hiou is having a bit of self-confidence issues that he still couldn’t invite Kanae out.
With all the 100 points that Kyouko is getting as Love Me member, I’m sure she will be graduating soon. ^^ Even if Kyouko didn’t realize it, others know how she can bring out the best from the others especially those who have pride in their acting and in this profession. Perhaps, Kyouko can even be some sort of acting coach later on who can inspire others ^^
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And because of a bump from a kid, Kyouko meets someone who recognizes her.. Because of the hairstyle, I kept on thinking of the other person as the guy who tormented Ren. It turns out that Nora, a reader here, was correct in her guess. Wow ^^
So, in chapter 239, Kyouko recognizes that person through the her three bodyguards. It’s Erika, Kanae’s rival. The bodyguards are naturally pissed off that Kyouko didn’t recognize them and even spite her that they recognize her even if she wasn’t wearing that uniform =P They even scolded her for being slow-witted and rude. Hehe, going for a guilt trip, aren’t they?
Kyouko is flustered for how can she recognize Erika who was so arrogant and conceited before to this short haired gloomy person. They are totally not the same. Not only the outside appearance but also the life force is totally like someone else’s. Then, Kyouko notices that Erika is on a wheelchair. She wonders if Erika had a serious injury that caused her to lose her spirit [valor].
Before she can react some more, the bodyguards are already screaming over Kyouko having no make-up, her outfit being the one/matching pair similar to the ones she wore during the commercial audition before including this bag which she carries every day since then. Kyouko only wore sunscreen and lotion after the swordsmanship practice.
Kyouko and the other three look at Erika who totally had no reaction. Kyouko is of course worried even if she can imagine what the former Erika would say about it being tragic to have no money and she has to use something until it is worn out. Kyouko overhears the bodyguards lamenting over hoping that something would change after not seeing a Love Me member for such a long time so there should be some kind of reaction. Long haired tells the others not to give up and there should still be an opportunity wherein there will be a change..
The bodyguards are surprised when Erika calls out to Kyouko as Love Me member. So, I guess that is the minimum amount of reaction they had hoped for. Erika seems to be struggling to talk as her bodyguards are cheering her on. In the end, she just tells Kyouko that there is something she wants to tell her, and that is, not to tell anyone especially THAT PERSON that she became like that.
Kyouko asks if it is Kanae. Erika throws away the ball. While Kyouko picks it up, Erika asks her to keep the promise. Before Kyouko can ask anything else, long haired is already pushing the wheelchair away. Kyouko wonders why she would say ‘not tell’ for if Erika didn’t get Mizue [the ball], she wouldn’t have noticed her. So, being smart as she is, Kyouko wonders if there is something else Erika wanted to say yet impossible to talk about it with her.
Her thoughts are interrupted by the two remaining bodyguards who comment that someone as noble and arrogant as Erika are few [in this world] that it is impossible for her to ask something to this girl who is poor and lowly, having no beautiful awareness commoner. Irked Kyouko tells them that it really infuriates her the way they talk maliciously just like in the past. Then, she stops and thinks, ‘ask something’.
Kyouko turns around to see them all prostrating down on her. Of course, after everything they were saying earlier, Kyouko is totally freaking out about this. They tell her that they want to substitute Erika in saying her thoughts. They are asking Love Me’s Kyouko to please substitute for Erika in ‘taking revenge to wipe out a grudge’!!
Just like Kyouko, I suddenly remembered the request to Sawara before. So, could it be that the person who was desperate for the Momiji role had injured Erika. That means, if Kyouko wasn’t careful, she might end up like Erika. So, Kyouko shouts if the one who kept on asking for the same suspicious commissioned job at their office is..Erika.
Bangs says that he was the one. Kyouko is shocked for wasn’t it a young girl. Bangs says that he used a fake voice to imitate Erika. <- special skill. He explains that he thinks that they weren’t taken serious because it is becoming more half-hearted when talking on the phone. [<- they probably thought it was a prank caller] They tell her that was a fake accident which caused Erika to unable to walk on her two feet again, in short..
Kyouko interrupts and tells them to wait, they go somewhere else first for they’ll cause a disturbance among the patients upon seeing two guys prostrating down to a girl. Soon, they are talking at the courtyard. They tell her that in short, the injuries are only somewhat serious but to be able to only attain that kind of injuries [bump from fall and scratches/bruises] is considered a miracle after getting into that kind of accident.
Erika basically should be able to stand and walk but two days after she gained consciousness, for some reason, not only she couldn’t ‘stand’ but she couldn’t move her feet. The doctor said that it is probably a ‘psychological paralysis of the lower limbs’ caused by the accident. Kyouko says that is, she cannot stand after the accident struck her.
Bangs says that for outsiders, it is hard to imagine but it is definitely quite a frightening memory since Erika was dragged along by a car for several meters. According to the driver, Erika suddenly fell down on the road that he thought he can immediately evade her but unluckily, Erika’s belongings got caught by the car’s very low bumper so he didn’t notice that he was dragging Erika along.
According to the testimony of the car’s passenger, it seems that someone ran [/bumped] into Erika causing her to fly [into the road]. They believe that it is absolutely that girl who lost to Erika. In order to vent her anger, she had definitely committed this crime and this is absolutely unforgivable. The cast and crew of the drama thinks that it is impossible for Erika to recover early on thus, that girl naturally became the substitute for the role, ‘Momiji’.
Puzzled Kyouko asks wasn’t the second audition currently underway. They tell her yes, but Erika’s father lodged a protest that if the cast and crew don’t approve of another audition, the Koenji Corporation will stop sponsoring ‘A Lotus in the Mud’. This made Kyouko scowl and say that just like before, Erika would depend on her family’s financial resources.
The two bodyguards shout for her not to look down on Erika and for Erika’s honor, they explained that since Erika tasted bitter [defeat], she didn’t depend on her family again. Not only that, since then, she won’t let others know of her family background and rack her own brains to do things.
ON THAT DAY, in order to not to expose her identity as the audition approaches, she firmly refused them from accompanying her. So, that caused this irrational situation to happen..! This made Kyouko realize that Erika always fulfilled that promise with Kanae before.
The bodyguards lament that this wouldn’t have happened if they were at Erika’s side. They will definitely protect Erika and subdue the culprit to give her the punishment she deserves. [<- assuming the girl pushed Erika herself instead of getting someone else to do it]
With merely just one eyewitness’ ambiguous statement, it basically couldn’t form any evidence to investigate into that girl’s responsibility [for this]. Kyouko asks if Erika didn’t see the culprit’s face. After a pause, Bangs say that Erika won’t answer if she has seen the culprit or not. She would only just say ‘it already doesn’t matter’ and she basically doesn’t want to mention the incident again.
When the cast and crew decided to hold the second audition for ‘Momiji’, Erika had already totally lost interest in it. But today, there is a change. Flashback: While Bangs is pushing Erika’s wheelchair, Erika heard someone apologizing and saw Kyouko. After seeing a LOVE ME member, she spontaneous moved. Erika had pushed her wheelchair towards the ball and Kyouko. End flashback.
Bangs said that when they saw the Erika who would just accept everything after the accident, would move towards her without hesitation, they believed that actually it isn’t like that, even if before, they felt that Erika had already thoroughly ‘given up’ on everything. In the end, their Erika won’t easily give up on ‘Momiji’ because she wants to pour out these stirred up emotions so she talked with Kyouko.
Even if it is because of her strong ego haunting her but in the very end, she wasn’t able to say it out but he’s afraid that Erika wants to ask her to.. Kyouko asks if it is ‘replace me in taking back Momiji’. Bangs says that’s wrong, it should be ‘help me by using that unrivalled method of cursing that girl to death’ and why would they ask her to take back Momiji since that would be really shameless.
Kyouko shouts that she definitely cannot do that kind of thing and is Erika an idiot. She angrily thinks how she would even curse someone she had never met nor have some hatred towards to. Black asks what she is being modest about for didn’t she have some unseen baffling power that defeated their sudden attacks in order to protect Kanae. Kyouko scowls and goes !?
Bangs says, wrong, wait a minute, taking back ‘Momiji isn’t a bad way. If there are no other strong and formidable actress, in the end, ‘Momiji’ will fall into that girl’s hand. Anyway, it is possible that the second audition is merely just to temporarily appease Erika’s father so they are going through the formalities. The girl is actually recommended by the drama’s producer.
Kyouko says that kind of thing is okay but what was that about sudden attacks towards Kanae, when did that happen, and where did it happen. Kyouko is looking really creepy as she asks them to tell it all to her in detail. They refuse for this isn’t the time to be digging into that.
At 11:05pm in her bedroom, Kyouko practices twirling with a gym club. Then, it slipped. As she picks it up, she thinks that it isn’t the same as a baton for the more she twirls it around, the more it becomes hard to handle. It makes the hand very flat that it becomes a bit heavy but she definitely has to practice well before the audition.
She gloomily remembers the bodyguards getting excited that Kyouko had already registered for the second ‘Momiji’ audition and she is really quick-witted! They urge her to no matter what, get the Momiji role for Erika. Kyouko asked why would she do it for Erika, she did it because she wants to play Momiji. End flashback.
Kyouko thinks that in the end, if one is to ask her, she doesn’t like Erika because she did a lot of mean things to Kanae so perhaps, she hates her. But for her to fulfill the promise and depended only on her ‘strength’ to persevere on and finally get Momiji in order to be in the same world as Kanae to have a direct confrontation.
Kyouko recalled Erika asking her not to tell anyone especially Kanae. Kyouko wonders if that is really what Erika wanted to say. Kyouko thinks, “If you want to insist on me saying it, then I actually don’t like you, Koenji. *holds the club tightly and pulls out a blade from within* Even if I don’t like you, this development *looks serious* ..generally makes me feel a bit angry--..”
Comment: Is it just me or the viciousness of other actresses to get rid of ‘hindrances’ are becoming quite violent? ^^; I’m not sure how should I think of the intent of the person who pushed Erika. Was it to temporarily injure her, permanently injure her or kill her? Well, perhaps not kill her or else, the person would have decided to push Erika towards a truck.
Somehow, I’m wondering what that girl’s relationship with the producer is. Is there more than a professional relationship that the girl has to get a role no matter what? I do recall Kanae mentioned that girl wanted her role, too.
Amusingly, if Erika wasn’t injured, she would have starred with Kanae in that drama. Well, things are falling into place as Kyouko is getting ready to get that role. With what seems to be a closure with Hiou, this is most likely a closure for Erika and Kanae. I’m curious what would trigger Erika’s recovery later on ^^
Aside from how Kyouko will handle the role, I’m curious how she is going to ‘confront’ the culprit. As previous chapters show, the meaner the other party is, the meaner Kyouko would get back at them later on. Of course, this time, it isn’t exactly personal.
Hm..the way past characters are coming out again, it makes me think that Reino will make an appearance soon. Also, the hints of grudge, revenge, crime in this arc, are we going to know more about Ren’s past later on? Hehe, I’m getting ahead by myself again ^^; Scans by 红莲汉化组
Quote of the day:
Giving up on your goal because of one setback is like slashing your other three tires because you got one flat. ~ Author Unknown