Toradora! Vol. 2
Page 21
For some reason, he was in bit of a good mood. He was still the compass-faced boy, but today of all days, things were going very smoothly for him. After touching the Palmtop Tiger, he may really have gotten luck on his side.
It might have been because of that thought, but he didn’t resent the Palmtop Tiger for putting him through this. Though, of course, he was scared of her. He definitely didn’t want to come across her a second time.
“Well, a beauty is still a beauty, after all’s said and done.”
He’d seen the Palmtop Tiger up close. Even though she was terrifying, she was still a beautiful girl of the highest caliber. He felt he could kind of understand why all his upperclassmen called her by that name. She’s scary—you don’t want to get involved with her, you don’t want to make her angry, but you can’t just be afraid and ignore her.
Since we can’t ignore her, let’s all look at the pretty girl from a distance and equal footing—from this safety zone. Anyone who went out of the safety zone and approached her would be attacked. In his misfortune, Kouta had unwittingly taken one step too far. And the result of that was his punishment as the compass-faced boy.
So then, now that he understood everything, what was Kouta to do?
He decided to stay in the safety zone.
He decided that no matter how unlucky he might be, no matter what kind of situation he might find himself in, he would stay at a distance from the Palmtop Tiger. He’d stay where he couldn’t make her any angrier and just continue to secretly watch her. The cozy safety zone doesn’t seem so bad. With those complex thoughts in mind, he would finally start his high school life.
Humming to match his mood, Kouta went to the hallway restroom and threw the window open wide, full of resolve. His enthusiasm was his undoing.
“Oh no!”
He’d dropped the tube he’d gotten from Sumire outside. Flustered, he leaned forward, looked down, and froze. Of course it would end up like this. Regardless of whether he had taken refuge in the safety zone, his bad luck could easily overcome such a small roadblock.
“Ow, owow, owowow…”
She was under the open window.
With a look like a demon, she clutched her head. With the small tube in hand, the girl slowly looking up at him was…
The Palmtop Tiger.
END
Afterword
I’ve become smooth and fat—it is I, the letter Y. My favorite phrase is: “Then let’s settle this with sumo!” What I want is a sumo wrestling ring. It’d be a fine pretense to hone my deadly technique. What do you think of my stable balance…? I’ve got your attention now, right? …The fastest one always wins, you hear me? (This is a message to anyone out there with ties to a sumo stable.)
Well then, to all those of you who took Toradora 2 in hand, I thank you sincerely! I’d say this second volume has a more brutal feel to it, but did you enjoy it? Please do join me again for the next volume, I kindly beg of you! If it gives you pleasure even for a short while, I will even sell what’s most important to me as a woman (the youth of my skin) to the romcom devil! I’d even throw in this in the bargain! (Yup, there goes my estrogen…)
And now, as I think some of you may already know, my series Our Dear Tamura-kun has become a manga with Monthly Dengeki Comic Gao! I’m looking forward to seeing what Tamura and the gang will look like in their first outing as manga characters. I’ll leave the fate of the Tamura-kun and Toradora! manga in your hands.
Well then. As always, I’ve got tarako spaghetti mania. Its extraordinary deliciousness never fails to give me the shakes… it’s so tasty, it’s obscene. And in addition to that, what really packed the pounds onto me this winter was the jewel of the meat bun world, the climax of flavor—the pork bun. Well…actually, um, it wasn’t really pork buns so much as pork ramen (as in both the ramen and pork buns). I’d have two bowls in a single day, or sometimes even three. It got to the point where it’d be strange if I hadn’t gotten fat.
Nonetheless, I didn’t just do nothing about it. I gave in and tried that thing. That “diet” thing that people talk so much about. Specifically, it was a low-carb diet. I had a menu prepared for a full week, but after a single day of it, all I could think about was rice. The inside of my mind was all about rice. That white and chewy yummy rice that I’m one hundred percent all about. I got a phone call from Mr. Manager about work, but I couldn’t think! I couldn’t manage any good replies. I was so hungry I cried a little. I called my parents’ house to talk to my mom…because I wanted to hear her voice…
So then, well, uh, I stopped. Mr. Manager also said, “This affects your work, so please stop,” so I won’t ever do a low-carb diet again. I don’t want to cry those bitter tears ever again! And then I retested my romance for my favorite combo of ingredients—boiled water and raw rice… ah, what was that?! Romance, combo… Romcom?
…After thinking up something like that, maybe I should shave my head in apology…
So then, thank you for staying with me up to here, all of you readers! Once again, I really, truly am thankful. I love you so much that I’d even introduce you to my parents. If you had even a little fun, I’m incredibly happy. And Yasu-sensei and Manager-sama—thank you for taking care of me. Like prayers to the holy trinity, I send you my very best regards. And also, this time around, thank you for finding time in your busy schedule to comment on my belt, Nasu Kinoko-sensei. If it’s Nasu-sensei, I don’t mind being seen in the full regalia passed down through the generations of the Takemiya household (replete with hair bun)…
—Takemiya Yuyuko