White Album 2 manga
Volume 2, chapter 4
Page 93
93.1
Haruki: You want to put me in charge of an article…?
93.2
Mari: Yep!
Mari: In that article you helped with in the last issue…
93.3
Mari: This girl drew a pretty major response.
Page 94
94.1
Mari: She’s going to get an article in our bimonthly music magazine.
Chapter title: SESSION10
Haruki’s Girlfriend
Narration: Can I really make myself talk to people about her, when I’m the only one who knows what she’s actually like…?
Page 95
95.1
FX: Riiing
95.2
Haruki: Mph…
FX: Riiing
95.3
Haruki: Hello, this is Kitahara…
Satou: I need your help, pleeease…
95.4
Haruki: …Huh?
Page 96
96.1
Satou: Oh, I’m so glad you’re here!
Narration: This is Satou, a “legitimate employee” of this restaurant.
He’s a veteran who’s two years older than I am, and a candidate for management, but he speaks weirdly humbly.
96.2
Narration: Until six months ago, I worked here at the Goodies in Minamisuetsugu.
And now, they’ve sent me a sudden SOS.
96.3
Satou: The manager hurt her hip, and we’ve finally got a newbie starting today…
Haruki: I get it. You want me to help with their training?
Satou: Thank you so, so much. I think she’ll be here soon…
Koharu: Good morning!
96.5
Koharu: …
96.6
Haruki: …Ack.
Page 97
97.2
Koharu: …
FX: Grumble
Haruki: So, once their order has been decided, press this button…
and, lastly, press the “send” button.
97.3
Haruki: …Are you listening?
Koharu: …
97.4
Haruki: Okay, let’s practice.
One mixed fried western-style set, a caesar salad, honey toast, and two drinks from the drink bar.
FX: Bip bip bip bip
Koharu: …
97.5
FX: Shove
Haruki: …Nicely done.
97.6
FX: Hrmph
Page 98
98.1
Narration: This may be the quickest learner this restaurant has ever hired.
FX: Mph
Narration: She takes her training seriously, works hard, and understands perfectly—she’s the ideal student.
98.2
Narration: That sulkiness is making things extremely difficult, though…
98.3
Haruki: Okay, next…
Koharu: No need.
Haruki: Huh?
98.4
Koharu: I’m ready to go out into the dining area. There’s no point in training me any more than this.
98.5
Koharu: They called you in today to train me, right? Then your work is done.
98.6
Haruki: But…
If you don’t act a little more friendly, your customer service really won’t…
Koharu: You were able to handle customer service, right, senpai?
Haruki: Y-yeah.
Page 99
99.1
Koharu: Then there shouldn’t be a problem.
Haruki: …!
99.2
FX: Hmph
99.3
Haruki: Nakagawa-san!
Nakagawa: Be right there!
99.4
Haruki: She wants to go out in the dining area… For half an hour.
Koharu: Hang on!
Nakagawa: Are you sure? Everyone’s going to end up getting involved…
99.5
Haruki: Yeah, sorry.
I’ll follow up once her training is done.
Koharu: What do you mean, only half an hour?!
Nakagawa: If you say so…
99.6
Koharu: Augh!
Don’t belittle me! I can handle that much!
Page 100
100.1
Koharu: Let me repeat your order.
Customer: This is the third time…
100.2
Satou: Gack!
FX: Thump
Koharu: Sorry!
100.3
Student: There still isn’t an open table yet?!
Koharu: Yes, please excuse us…
100.5
Nakagawa: Take this to table 3, please!
Waiter: Got it!
Satou: I’m heading to table 1!
Page 101
101.1
Haruki: You see? Look, please…
Just let me train you a little more.
101.2
Haruki: It’s all right. You’re a smart one, so you should be able to make it work within a day.
101.3
Haruki: Are you only doing weekend shifts?
Koharu: Until winter vacation starts. After that, I’ll be here every day.
Haruki: I see.
101.4
Haruki: Well, that’s it for today.
101.5
Haruki: Good work.
Page 102
102.1
FX: Duck
Koharu: …
102.2
Koharu: …Thank you…
102.3
Satou: Kitahara-kun! That was overkill!
What if she doesn’t come back next week?
102.4
Haruki: Oh, she will. Don’t worry.
102.5
Narration: If she’s as much of a nuisance as I was three years ago, she won’t run off over something so trivial.
FX: Bow
102.6
FX: Sidle
Nakagawa: I’m not sure I trust a “don’t worry” from you, Kitahara-san.
You never go easy when you’re dealing with girls.
FX: Urk
Satou: Huh? What? What are you talking about?
FX: Sidle
102.7
Narration: All I have to do is keep quiet and wait.
Haruki: Okay! I’m heading out, too!
Satou: Wait, Kitahara-san! You have to tell me!
Page 103
103.1
Narration: Nothing about the school building had changed in three years.
103.2
Narration: The scenery was so familiar that, for just one moment, I felt like I could catch a glimpse of those days.
103.4
Haruki: All right…
Narration: It’s a little earlier than the time we planned, but I’ll get going.
103.5
Koharu: Oh!
Page 104
104.1
Koharu: Did you come here to see me?
Haruki: Why would you think that?
104.2
Koharu: You spoke harshly to me, took on a distant manner while you were training me, suddenly showed up at my workplace…
I thought maybe you were coming to apologize for that.
Haruki: From my side of things, I don’t think any of what you just mentioned was exactly out of the ordinary…
104.3
Koharu: Even though you have a girlfriend?
104.4
Haruki: What? That has nothing to do with this.
104.5
Koharu: Ha! I knew it! You do! You said you didn’t, but that was a lie!
FX: Mph
104.6
Haruki: All I said was, “That has nothing to do with this.”
I didn’t affirm anything.
FX: Grr
Page 105
105.1
Koharu: Mihoko came back to school once, but lately, she’s stopped again.
Koharu: …Because she found out you were deceiving her the whole time.
Haruki: Stop making it sound worse than it is.
Haruki: I grant that I was cold with her, but I haven’t lied once.
105.2
Koharu: So, your girlfriend…
Haruki: I don’t have a girlfriend.
105.3
Haruki: I don’t date girls in the first place.
Haruki: …I’m not qualified.
105.4
Koharu: Qualified…? I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean!
105.5
Koharu: All I’m hearing is a lousy excuse…
for keeping Mihoko at a distance…
Page 106
106.1
Haruki: We’re done here. I’m going now.
Koharu: Wait!
I’m not finished talking…
106.2
Haruki: I have to be in the staff room at four o’clock exactly.
Koharu: Four o’clock…
106.3
Koharu: It’s already past four! Isn’t it common practice to be there five minutes before the appointed time?
Haruki: Yes.
So, I’m going.
106.4
Takahiro: …Huh?
FX: Seethe
106.5
Takahiro: …Hey, Sugiura.
Koharu: What?!
Just so you know, I am in a very, very bad mood right now!
106.6
Takahiro: Just now…
That was Kitahara-san, right?
Koharu: Oh, right, that was his last name…
See?! I don’t care enough to remember!
Page 107
107.1
FX: Turn
Koharu: What? Do you know him?
Takahiro: Yeah.
He’s my big sister’s boyfriend.
107.2
Koharu: …?
Takahiro: ?
107.3
Koharu: …Pardon me for asking, but is your sister’s last name “Izumi”?
Takahiro: No, we don’t have anything that complicated going on in our family…
107.4
Koharu: …
!!!
FX: Boom
Koharu: Two-timing?!
107.5
Koharu: Damn him!
107.6
FX: Achoo
Suwa: Well, well!
So, you’re working for a publisher!
Page 108
108.1
Suwa: Never imagined I’d be interviewed by you.
108.2
Haruki: Well, right now, it’s just part-time. I’m graduating next year…
Suwa: Gotcha! Wow, though, this takes me back.
Narration: My old coach, who always used to annoy me so much…
108.3
Suwa: First you enter with top scores, then you hold the top spot for three years… That graduation address and your sparkling grades are still…
Narration: managed, somewhat bewilderingly, to forget everything about me that wasn’t perfect.
108.4
Haruki: I wasn’t even in the top ten at the end of my final term.
Haruki: Suwa-sensei, if we could get to the interview…
108.5
Suwa: Right, right! We’ve been talking all about last week’s Kaiou Graph in the staff room, you know.
FX: Smack smack
108.6
Suwa: Yep, everything happened exactly like I thought it would.
Haruki: Huh?
Page 109
109.1
Suwa: When she suddenly took home that big prize from that competition, right around the time she entered school…
I just knew she was gonna be a big shot in the future!
Haruki: …Ah.
Suwa: She was always playing the piano her mother donated in the second music room. It’s like she wanted to be just like her.
Haruki: …Right.
109.2
Suwa: By the way, you’ll talk about that performance at the school festival, right?
109.3
Haruki: O-oh. No, I dunno. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal…
Suwa: It was a huge deal!
I think the student council saved a DVD of it. I’ll ask them to pass it over.
109.4
Haruki: I don’t think that’ll be necessary.
Suwa: You sure?
Haruki: Actually, I’d like to borrow the key to the second music room. I want to talk about the piano.
Haruki: I need to get out of here…
Page 110
110.1
FX: Dash dash dash
FX: Huff huff
110.2
Koharu: Wh-where did that scumbag go…?
FX: Huff huff
110.3
Koharu: Why would a third woman show up now, of all times…? How is he going to take responsibility if Mihoko doesn’t graduate?!
FX: Huff
110.4
Koharu: I’m going to find out everything that’s going on here, and then he’s going to explain himself!
110.5
FX: Achoo
Page 111
111.1
Haruki: My nose is weirdly itchy today…
FX: Rub rub
111.3
FX: Sit
111.5
FX: Plonk
Page 112
112.5
FX: Hug
Page 113
113.1
Koharu: Found you!
FX: Slide
113.2
Koharu: You lied, yet again!
Koharu: Exactly how many people are you dating?!
113.3
FX: Heh
Haruki: Oh, it’s you…
113.4
Koharu: Huh? Um…
Haruki: Sorry. I shouldn’t be loitering around the school building like this when I’m not even connected to this place any more.
Koharu: Oh, um… Right.
FX: Scoot
Page 114
114.1
Koharu: …
114.2
Koharu: What are you doing in Music Room #2?
Haruki: I borrowed the key from Suwa-sensei. I’m just going to give it back to him, and then I’ll leave.
114.3
Koharu: …I’ll give it back, then.
Haruki: Ah…
114.4
Haruki: Thanks.
FX: Jingle
114.5
Haruki: Well, I’m heading out.
FX: Clunk
114.6
Haruki: It’s getting dark out. I’ll see you to the station, if you want.
Koharu: …
114.7
Koharu: I still have things to do.
It’s fine. I’m always here at this hour.
Narration: Maybe because it’s slightly warm today…
FX: Swish
Haruki: Oh…
Page 115
115.1
Haruki: By the way, I might be showing up at your workplace again.
Koharu: If it’s for work, I’ll just have to put up with it.
Narration: I feel like this conversation is going strangely smoothly, without any storms brewing.
115.2
Haruki: …I’ll just go, then.
Narration: I’m sure she’s feeling it too.
115.3
Koharu: Okay.
Narration: That must be why she looks just a little taken aback.
115.6
Koharu: He got away from me.
But… why…?
Page 116
116.1
Koharu: Why did he…
Koharu: look so happy, and so sad?
Why…
116.4
Haruki: This report is miles better than I imagined.
Chiaki: I know, right?
116.5
Haruki: I’m kind of stunned you managed to gather this much material.
Caption: Traditional clothing documents
Chiaki: Oh, yes, Kitahara-kun, I used to be quite illustrious.
Page 117
117.1
Chiaki: And, man, am I beat.
I need coffee, Haruki!
FX: Flump
Haruki: Yes, yes, I’ll make some. Quit getting so comfortable…
117.2
Haruki: By the way, when you came here last week, you saw that girl from the high school who was waiting for me at the gate, right?
Chiaki: Oh, you mean the girl who you swore it would only happen with once, but then it happened again, and she hasn’t quit coming after you ever since?
Haruki: That’s not even remotely what happened, but yeah, that’s probably the one.
117.3
Haruki: Did you…
tell her that you and I were dating?
Chiaki: Gack!
Chiaki: Don’t tell me you corrected her?
117.4
Chiaki: It was the perfect way to avoid any future trouble…
FX: Hmph
Chiaki: You’re no fun at all, Haruki!
Haruki: Here.
Haruki: No, I don’t want you lying.
Why would you tell her something that ridiculous?
Page 118
118.1
Chiaki: Wellll, Haruki…
Chiaki: You don’t want anything to do with women, right?
118.2
Haruki: …
118.3
Chiaki: You can’t let anything get serious, right?
Chiaki: It goes beyond a lack of interest to full-on rejection.
118.4
Chiaki: That’s why you have me with you.
Because most normal people would look at me and see a woman…
Narration: How long had she been seeing through everything?
Chiaki: but you don’t see me that way.
Page 119
119.1
Chiaki: So, I have to keep up with your expectations!
Narration: I started to feel… just a little scared of Izumi.
119.2
Chiaki: I can be like a breakwater for you, so you don’t have to deal with women directly.
119.3
Haruki: Izumi…
119.4
Chiaki: I’m not mad about you not treating me like a girl. It’s not a shock, either.
Chiaki: Actually, my relationship with you right now is in a category that I like a lot.
119.5
Chiaki: So, you can come running to me whenever you want.
Chiaki: In exchange, all I need from you is dinner, a bed, and help with my report.
Chiaki: Okay?
119.6
Haruki: Hey… If you understand the situation so well, then why…
Page 120
120.1
Chiaki: Hmm?
Haruki: Why are you actually dressed like a girl, today of all days?!
Close your legs! I can see everything!
120.2
Chiaki: Oh? Are you looking?
Haruki: No, I am not.
You’re messing with me, aren’t you.
Chiaki: You caught me!
120.3
Haruki: Whatever. I have work to do, so put the finishing touches on that report.
Chiaki: Okaaay!
120.4
FX: Snap
Page 121
121.1
Haruki: “After winning a national competition as a first-year, she became known country-wide as ‘A genius since the start of her academy days.’”
…Maybe?
FX: Chk chk
Haruki: Ugh, I’m itchy!
FX: Shudder
121.2
Haruki: If she reads this, she’ll probably tear her hair out…
121.3
Narration: A Touma that never existed—prodigy, honors student, and perfect young lady…
It’s like looking at a hero who has transformed and become something enormous.
121.4
Haruki: But, well, it’s getting late…
121.5
Haruki: Hey, Izumi, it’s almost time for the last train…
121.6
Haruki: Geh?!
121.7
Haruki: Her report is done…
Page 122
122.1
Haruki: Well, out of respect for that, I guess I’ll let her sleep here tonight…
Haruki: I’ll just sleep in the bathroom.
122.6
FX: Rrring
122.7
FX: Blink
122.8
FX: Rrring
122.9
Phone: Ogiso
Page 123
123.1
FX: Flip
123.2
Setsuna: Ah…
S-sorry. I know it’s late…
Setsuna: Were you asleep?
123.3
Chiaki: Hnn…
Um, who is this?
Setsuna: Huh…?
123.4
Setsuna: Uh…
Ah…
What?
Setsuna: This number…
Um…
Huh?
123.5
Chiaki: Oh, wrong number?
Try to get it right next time, yeah?
Setsuna: No!
123.6
Setsuna: I know for a fact…
that this one isn’t wrong.
Page 124
124.1
Chiaki: Then, who is this?
Chiaki: C’mon, don’t act so important.
124.2
Setsuna: …No, never mind.
I’m sorry to call so late.
Chiaki: What time is it?
Setsuna: Three o’clock in the morning.
124.3
Setsuna: Three o’clock…
Just like last week…
Chiaki: ?
124.4
Setsuna: I’m very sorry to wake you.
Excuse me.
Chiaki: Yeah, g’night.
FX: Bip
124.5
FX: Beeeep beeeep
Page 125
125.1
Chiaki: Now, when he comes to wake me up…
Page 126
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