Post by Hoang Thanh Quyen Nguyen

Part 2: “Hey! Why do you keep going into my bathroom without telling me?” Nabiki shouted. Ranma, now half male and half female, stood unclothed. Hibiki stared straight at Fed yet still shouted loudly: “If you don’t leave, I’ll call Shampoo in here—she’ll cling all over you!” Ranma, the embodiment of Fed from the Edogawa train, splashed Nabiki, the manifestation of Matt in Australia, with a bucket of cold water: “Turn into a pig then!” Nabiki transformed into a little pig—Lưu Cẩn—the mischievous and humorous childhood friend of QQ. “Hey, you stop right there. In Rumiko’s stories, there are no men—only women, mascots and non-genders. Aren’t you ashamed standing there like that?” Hibiki held a Kasa umbrella made of oiled paper and a bamboo frame, the ribs woven into concentric circles symbolizing unending sorrowful love. The outfit resembled someone serving in a bar on a narrow Japanese street, with a Moitto cord tied in the hair, representing the indomitable spirit of samurai and martial arts. Rain continued to fall softly onto the streets. Wooden houses with sloping roofs stood quietly, waiting for Akane to recover. “Only I love Akane with the purest heart. Only the black pig mascot has the pure heart to be held in her arms every night. Akane… my dear…” Hibiki brushed away tears that mixed with the falling rain. “Eat noodles, eat noodles…” Shampoo Quyên Quyên rode in on a Republic-era bicycle, tossing a dart straight toward the sleeping Akane. “What’s everyone planning to do all night without eating?” She opened her lunch container. Inside was a salmon salad soaked in milk and seasoned with lemon salt, topped with boiled corn and soy sauce. The second compartment held rich duck noodle soup, served with pickled greens dipped in chili, alongside dry noodles mixed with crispy pork fat. “Come on, eat. Ranma, are you coming down or do I have to go up there to drag you down?” Ranma remained curled up in the attic, quietly sobbing. Nabiki pulled open the wardrobe and crawled into it to lie down.