Suddenly, in CLAMP Campus...
[pictures of Takeshi, Kentarou, and Erii -- a triptych of one scene, to be precise]
of course, we Gakuen Tokkei Duklyon are there, but...
[close-up of smiling Akira]
such a person as "Kaijin 20-Mensou" was passing by without fail, too.
- Gakuen Tokkei Duklyon: Campus Special Guards Duklyon (Dyu-ka-li-on).
-
- Kaijin 20-Mensou (Nijuu Mensou): The mysterious person, 20 Masks.
-
In the Assembly Room (there appear to be some sort of bleachers set up at one end of it, on which students are sitting), people are sitting around a long table. Takeshi and Kentarou are sitting two places from one end of the table on the right-hand side. The officers of the Elementary School Division have grabbed the other end. ^_^
"No, this year's Cultural Festival is different," Kentarou says, resting his chin on the heel of his hand. "The Elementary Division and Senior High Division are doing the dramatic production together."
"Our school can't hold classes properly at all," Takeshi complains, "and events (i.e., school events) keep taking up meetings."
"Takepon, you said those words last time too," Kentarou says innocently.
"You're being snarky. I'm busy with my part-time job; associating with you all the time like this in my spare time... "
-(Yes, what about it, Takepon? Why *do* you? ^_^ )-
"When our share of the Cultural Festival was decided in the lot drawing," Kentarou tells him with a blank look (there's a cute little drawing of Kenpii ringing a bell and Takepon staring aghast at the winning lot), "wasn't the one who drew 'Splendid Dramatic Production Executive Committeeman' you, Takepon?"
-Ah, so that's what this is a meeting of.-
"SH-SH-SH-SHUT UP!"
Nokoru gets to his feet (it's a distance shot, so you can't really tell that it's him yet, but we all know it is, so...) and begins "Members of the Elementary / Senior High Joint Dramatic Production Executive Commitee, I am much obliged to you for coming to this meeting."
Focus on Nokoru. There are roses in the background. What appears to be the entire female membership of the committee collectively drools and/or shrieks.
-They've got good taste. ^_^ -
"I am the one responsible for the present Joint Dramatic Production, Elementary Division Student Council Kaichou, Imonoyama Nokoru."
-Note: "Kaichou" is literally "Council Leader," something like that. -
"What?" Takeshi gasps as more rapturous shrieks burst out.
"They must be fans of Shotoubu Kaichou," Kentarou shrugs, hands firmly pressed over his ears.
-Shotoubu = Elementary Division.-
"Our partner's an *elementary school student*?" Takeshi points at Nokoru in amazement.
"He's called 'Shotoubu Kaichou,' and he's the youngest brother in the most famous holder of wealth in the world, the 'Imonoyama Financial Group,' who founded our CLAMP Campus." Kentarou looks bored as he rattles off statistics. "In addition, he gets calls from NASA in America, and he's rumored to have an electric brain. Even if he does have shrieking fans, there's nothing funny about it."
"This is the middle of a meeting," Takeshi mutters.
Kentarou claps his hands onto Takeshi's shoulders. "It's because you're the son of a household in financial straits. The rich understand feelings of dislike, but... well, for the sake of the drama contest, hold fast... "
"DON'T BRING UP 'POVERTY'!"
-Note: Literally, Takeshi said "Because of the poverty, it was bad."-
Kentarou is waving his hands fervently, trying to get across 'Break! Break!'
Takeshi grabs Kentarou in a half-nelson (I think) and the two start wrestling at the table.
Nokoru looks at them curiously. "Shuukaidou Takeshi-san and Higashikunimaru Kentarou-san, both of Senior High Class 1-Z, what is it?"
"Just a little tale of poverty... " Kentarou begins as Takeshi frarks and interlaces his hands before Kentarou's mouth. "N- no, it's nothing..."
Nokoru smiles sweetly, snapping his fan together. "Then (that is, with that having been taken care of), the title of the current dramatic production... "
Suoh pulls a string.
A giant kusudama bursts, sending doves, ribbons, and confetti everywhere, and a scroll drops from the middle.
-Note: I can't explain what a kusudama (medicine ball) is, exactly. It opens. It drops stuff. Usually including a little scroll saying "Congratulations!" A good Japanese dictionary should have a picture.-
The scroll says: 'Gakuen Tokkei Duklyon VS Kaijin 20-Mensou.'
Akira is absolutely shocked. Nokoru sits there with a fan before his face. Suoh is still standing holding the cord, apparently innocent of any undercurrent.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEH?" Akira and Takeshi yelp in unison.
-It's a surprised noise. Something like "Say *what*?"-
"What's wrong? Akira?" Nokoru asks, concerned expression on his face.
"N-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-nothing, it's nothing," Akira finally manages, hands pressed to his mouth and blushing furiously.
Kentarou leaps to his feet. "What a wonderful title!"
Now it's Takeshi's turn to have *his* hands pressed to *his* mouth.
"The heroes which CLAMP Campus gave birth to, the Gakuen Tokkei Duklyon," Nokoru gets back to the subject at hand. "And the one talked about all over the world, who even stole our school's drop curtain, Kaijin 20-Mensou. The battle between these two famous personalities, indeed, I think to be a suitable show for the Elementary / Senior High Joint Dramatic Production."
Takeshi turns to Kentarou, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Hey! This is bad!"
Kentarou's puzzled. "What for? It sounds rather fun."
"*Because* Erii's always saying 'An ally of justice achieves their work unbeknownst to people!'" An image of Erii leaning on her hammer. "We're Allies of Justice!"
"Well, the important thing at this point is the casting." Nokoru gently taps his fan against his hand. (Akira has his head buried in his hands, looking miserable). "Here, too, things were equal when candidates were being selected."
Suoh pulls the string again.
A larger scroll drops down.
It says:
Akira jumps about a foot while Nokoru looks at him curiously.
Takeshi and Akira repeat their EEEEEEH-ing. This time Kentarou has thoughtfully put his fingers in his ears.
The scene changes to the Duklyon base. It's now evening.
"SAY WHAT?" Erii yelps. "Did you say 'Gakuen Tokkei Duklyon vs. Kaijin 20-Mensou' as the Elementary / Senior High Joint Dramatic Production?"
Behind her, on the viewscreen, Choukan smiles enigmatically, and the Kuromegane Kunoichi are snickering.
- Choukan = Director (same 'chou' as in 'Kaichou') -
- Kuromegane Kunoichi: I'm referring to them by this name for my benefit. It sounds vaguely cooler than 'sunglasses ladies.' ^_^ -
"What nonsense are you talking?" Erii demands.
"We had no cause to speak out!" Takeshi protests.
Kentarou looks blank. "What for? It sounds rather fun."
"Idiot!" Erii yells, dealing him an uppercut that sends him flying. She grabs him by the front of his uniform (his head is still flopped back and blood is trickling from his nose). "Didn't I teach you before? 'Gakuen Tokkei Duklyon Team Rule #41! Team members shall avoid conspicuous behavior with all their might!'"
Onscreen, Choukan leans back in his chair and holds a rising-sun fan before his face. "Well, I expect it won't be that bad. It sounds interesting."
Erii stops short from punching Kentarou again and does a three-sixty.
"It does sound interesting," she gushes, hands clasped before her and a radiant smile on her face. "I'll go see it, too!"
Takeshi is holding Kentarou as the other boy applies Kleenex to his nose. This comment makes him look up, however, and stammer out "E... Erii, just before your attitude was... "
"An illusion, I expect," she carols.
"If that's so," Kentarou mutters, holding his nose, "my jaw got broken in an illusion."
-Funny, I didn't know that a broken jaw would cause a nosebleed. Well,
you learn something new every day.-
"From now until the opening," Choukan tells them, "all you have
to do is act the *roles* of the Gakuen Tokkei Duklyon. There will be no
obstacles to your mission."
"I see!" Kentarou yells, holding a fist aloft. "Therefore, we will 'shake hands in the coming land of paradise and friendship' well!"
Takeshi looks nonplussed.
Choukan taps the fan against his hand as he continues. "Besides, to serve as entertainment for the general populace is also the duty of an Ally of Justice. Well, what is, of course, acting that -- the Real Thing. I expect it'll be a wonderful scene.
"I'd also like to applaud the talent of the person who did the casting..."
As he spreads his rising-sun fan, the Kuromegane Kunoichi toss small fireworks into the air.
-You can stop patting yourself on the back now, Choukan. ^_^ -
Meanwhile, at the Ijyuin residence...
Akira is sitting eating dinner with his mothers. He looks troubled.
"Akira-san? What's on your mind?" asks Mama A (the one with her hair parted on the right).
"Does your stomach or something hurt?" Mama B (hair parted on the left) adds.
-Akira's mothers both speak in very formal language.-
"No, that's not it," Akira tells them.
"But you're not happy," Mama A points out.
"That's right," her sister agrees. "That's right."
"What is the problem?" both say in unison. "Please talk to us."
Akira sort of looks down. "The truth is... "
The reaction to their son's news is shrieks of rapture similar to those the Nokoru-droolers were engaging in.
"It's marvelous! It's marvelous!" the Ijyuin ladies chorus. "Akira-san will be appearing in a play!"
"We will be sure to go see it!" Mama B enthuses.
"Of course!" her sister agrees.
The two grasp each other's hands and engage in a skippydance.
"B... but they said I'm going to be 20-Mensou..."
"What sort of story is it?" Mama B asks, leaning over Akira's shoulder.
"'Gakuen Tokkei Duklyon VS 20-Mensou.'"
"These 'Gakuen Tokkei Deuklyon'-san, what sort of people are they?" Mama A inquires.
"It's not 'Deuklyon,' it's 'Duklyon,'" Akira corrects them. "'Deuklyon' is the name of a bakery in the on-campus shopping center."
"What sort of things do they do?" Mama B wonders.
"They're Allies of Justice who fight the Evil Secret Organization Imonoyama Shoutengai that appears and disappears on campus," Akira explains.
-Shoutengai = Shopping Center o.O -
"That's marvelous! It's marvelous! They must be so cool, just like on TV!"
"It seems so," their son agrees. A blush spreads across his face. "And more importantly than that, they rescued Utako-san..."
He is promptly bowled over (literally!) by his mothers' reaction.
"WE WANT THEM!"
-Note: According to Toyooka-sensei, 'hoshii n desu no' isn't very good Japanese. I think Ijyuin-fujin-san might be engaging in childish talk; could someone clarify that for me?-
Akira pulls himself back up by the table, muttering in pain. "Wh... what do you want?"
"The Gakuen Tokkei Duklyon-san. WE WANT THEM!"
"EEEEEH?"
"We want those Allies of Justice!"
Akira waves his arms desperately. "Th-that's impossible! Those two protect the peace of CLAMP Campus...."
"*WE* *WANT* THEM*!"
Akira sighs, defeated. "I... I understand."
Nokoru is sitting in a folding chair. In the background, two girls are hammering together a stage tree; in the forgeround, a very red-faced Takeshi reads from the script.
"'I won't let you go on with your hobby!'"
He then proceeds to stride across the set -- as someone in the foreground remarks sotto voce, "He's moving his arms and legs together.."
"Shuukaidou-san..." Nokoru manages, "be a little more natural..."
Meanwhile, Kentarou strikes the boy playing the part of his opponent with stunning force. The boy crashes to the ground.
Kentarou looks at his fist in puzzlement. "Huh?!"
Behind him, Nokoru (even more nonplussed) begs "Higashikunimaru-san, only pretend, please. Only *pretend*."
Takeshi has grabbed the poor student (and the first-aid box) and commands him to "hang in there! Your wound is slight!" as he shakes him. The student manages "Th.. that's enough already..."
A bit later, one of the high school girls (apparently directing) says, "Okay, next the jumping-into-the-tree-and-opening-the-window-with-a-key-scene!"
Akira casually jumps into the high tree, unlocks the padlock on the window with a skeleton key, and begins to push the window open as Nokoru and Suoh look on curiously.
"Why, you seem accustomed to it, Akira," Nokoru remarks.
Akira looks nervous.
"Costume fitting!" two other high school girls call.
The Duklyon members put theirs on.
"They look like the real thing," Kentarou remarks proudly. Takeshi is sort of watching him out of the corner of his eye.
Nokoru smiles.
As Suoh and another girl bring on a 20-Mensou costume, Akira turns to them and says "Oh, that's all right. I have some things that really look like them. Seeing as the Elementary Division Operating Expenses are already in various fixes..."
-Isn't it a little late to be worrying about expenses when the costume's already *made*? Well, maybe they rented that one.-
And so, on D-Day...
The posters on the wall, as the students file in, look like the opening page for the story. The title is at the top of each poster, and at the bottom it says 'Thursday Smudge.'
-If anyone knows what the 'smudge' is supposed to be, PLEASE tell me.-
The students are going into the CLAMP Gakuen Colosseo. Apparently the Imonoyama Families liked the Flavian Amphitheatre so much, they built themselves one.
On the giant stage in the middle, before the skene, Takeshi and Kentarou are sitting eating lunch. A song comes over the loudspeakers.
"Shall the peace of the earth be kept on by us two!?"
Kentarou leaps to his feet and strikes a heroic attitude. "Let's go!"
A little note next to him says 'Somehow good at acting.'
"R-right!" Takeshi responds, jerkily.
-Note: The word Takeshi uses is the traditional response to a 'get-out-there-and-do-it' call right before one actually goes out and does it.-
In the audience, Erii looks at Takeshi's goose-step, which the entire audience is laughing at. "Honestly, can't he manage slightly better acting?"
Next to her, Akira's mothers chorus "I wonder if Akira-san is yet to come?"
The set changes to the Duklyon base.
The Choukan on the screen (with an open fan saying 'Splendid') says, "How was Kentarou-kun's loving-wifely bentou, Takeshi-kun?"
-Halo propped up on horns. Right.-
"Wh-where did you see that? Choukan!" Takeshi stammers.
"I haven't received the honor of Takeshi entering my name in the family register yet!" Kentarou snaps.
-Weird. Usually a married couple is entered on the register of whoever's bringing the most assets to the marriage. Kenpii must value one slightly shopworn Ally of Justice *really* highly. ^_^ -
The audience laughs.
"Well, the case this time is," Choukan gets to the point, "that an advance notification arrived at this campus from Kaijin 20-Mensou. It says 'I will steal the Allies of Justice who protect the peace of CLAMP Campus, the Gakuen Tokkei Duklyon.'"
Takeshi leans to Kentarou and whispers "Huh? That's different from the story. The thing 20-Mensou steals is the drop curtain from Gamera Hall..."
"And besides," Kentarou hisses, "I'm sure Choukan wasn't scheduled to appear."
"Then who's that? He's just like Choukan."
The Choukan on-screen raises a hand. "CLAMP Campus Special Guard Squadron, commonly known as the Gakuen Tokkei Duklyon, you must hinder the criminal acts of Kaijin 20-Mensou.
"GAKUEN TOKKEI DUKLYON, MOVE OUT!"
"Y-Yes, sir!" the two manage, saluting as the image dies.
Members of the Imonoyama Shoutengai charge down the steps of the amphitheatre.
"The destined enemy of the Duklyon is my Imonoyama Shoutengai!" their leader proclaims, mounting the stage. "You call this 'Gakuen Tokkei Duklyon VS Kaijin 20-Mensou'?"
Takeshi and Kentarou look shocked.
"Duklyon, come out! Let me make the grudge held for years upon years clear to you!"
Smoke begins to billow from somewhere. The Imonoyama Shoutengai leader coughs as it covers the stage.
"What's that?" an audience member demands.
"Look! You can't see the stage for the smoke!" another points out.
"WAIT A MOMENT!" a cry rings out.
"WHO GOES THERE?" the Imonoyama Shoutengai leader snarls, turning towards the source of the noise. As the smoke clears, he can see the murky shapes of two figures. "Y-- you are...!"
The crowd sucks in a breath.
"GAKUEN TOKKEI DUKLYON!"
-Spiffy pose, IMHO.-
The crowd oohs and ahs.
"The Duklyon-san are amazing!" one of Akira's mothers says to the other, amid little shrieks of rapture.
Erii is looking through her program. "Dear me. The Imonoyama Shoutengai aren't supposed to be appearing in this at all.."
She leaps to her feet, program rolled into a tube. "Hey! If you lose in a *play*, I won't forgive you!"
Higher up in the audience, the elementary school students are enjoying the action.
"Cool! Even the Imonoyama Shoutengai are making a special appearance."
"Who's doing them? They look just like them."
Meanwhile, on stage...
"Let's go, Takeshi!"
"Right!"
High overhead, there is a noise. "What's that?" someone wonders.
"A... a plane with a gigantic dustpan...!!"
Hanging from the plane is not only a gigantic dustpan, but a giant swinging broom.
"Wh-- WHAT THE? THAT PLANE'S FLYING RIGHT TOWARDS US!"
The plane zooms low, heading straight for the stage.
The audience sucks in another breath.
"What the..." the leader of the Imonoyama Shountegai demands, ducking.
And right before his eyes, the broom sweeps the two Duklyon into the gigantic dustpan, and the plane angles steeply up.
"IT'S KAIJIN 20-MENSOU!"
Indeed, he is clearly visible in the cockpit of the plane.
There is dead silence.
The entire mass of Imonoyama Shoutengai stand around, completely at a loss.
Inuko the dog walks out next to the leader...
...and pulls a dangling rope that was not there a moment before with her paw.
Another kusudama bursts. From it a scroll drops between Inuko and the Imonoyama Shoutengai leader.
'END.'
And the audience goes wild. The play was a resounding success.
"R-- Retreat!" their leader commands the Imonoyama Shoutengai, who are eager to obey.
"Wha-- what's with THIS development?" Erii demands. "With the Allies of Justice stolen, what should we do?"
Akira's mother's are shrieking rapturously. 'The Duklyon-san were stolen for us! The Duklyon-san were stolen for us!"
The students file out of the CLAMP Campus Colosseo, chattering excitedly. "This event's play was really fun."
"The Duklyon, 20-Mensou, and the Imonoyama Shoutengai really looked a lot like them."
"But I wonder who the Duklyon really are...?" a girl says to her friend.
"Who *is* 20-Mensou?" can be heard from a group of guys.
"Who are the Imonoyama Shoutengai?" two elementary-schoolers ask each other.
And one girl, who I swear was the one in the back of the Nokoru-droolers, wonders, blushing, "That Choukan was really cool. Who on earth might he be?"
Choukan himself is petting Inuko (the words in the background, as nearly as I can make out, say 'The people with no prize,' but that doesn't make much sense), and laughs "It all came out just as I decreed. Ha-ha-ha-ha!"
Then he looks introspective for a moment.
-I don't buy it. Then again, I don't see whom he'd be fooling if he were...-
"But who on earth could 20-Mensou be?"
The words behind him say 'Choukan, you're a goofball.'
-I *still* think the casting was deliberate.-
On the other hand, as to what became of the Duklyon after that...
...they were safely mailed back home by the parcel post.
The nonplussed postman stands by, mumbling something which I take to be 'Sign here.' A large box has had the top opened, and the heads of the two Duklyon are visible within it.
Erii shrieks "Oooh, you're despicable! Despicable!" as she plays Whack-a-Mole on their (fortunately helmeted) heads.
On the box is written:
'Since we've had them do enough of their skills, I'm having them mailed
back. -- Kaijin 20-Mensou'
The tag panel has a picture of Takeshi crying on Kentarou's shoulder while Kentarou clenches a fist and looks soulfully at the sky.
The tag text reads:
Don't give up because of this sort of thing!
Living people are always making mistakes!
Riding past this trial and tribulation,
FIGHT! OUR GAKUEN TOKKEI DUKLYON!
END