[Takao pedaling the bike; brakes squeal; Takao stops in front of Midorima’s house]
Takao: Shin-chan~!
Midorima: Don’t come near me.
T: What’s the matter with you? We’ve got a practice game this afternoon, right? Get in.
M: I know that. But don’t come any closer.
T: Heh.
M: Why are you grinning like that?
T: I watched Oha Asa.
M: Then I shouldn’t have to say anything.
T: Sounds like Cancers have the worst compatibility with Scorpios today.
M: You look like you’re enjoying this.
T: ‘Cause I’m a Scorpio~!
M: I’m perfectly aware of that.
T: What’re you so worried about?
M: Don’t come near me!
T: Don’t be like that!
M: Do you want to lose the game?
T: You know, remember that time Oha Asa said Scorpios would have the worst luck in recent history? We completely crushed the other team that day! So I don’t believe a word of it!
M: Well, good for you.
T: Listen, Shin-chan, you put too much stock in horoscopes!
M: Hmph.
T: You’ll see for yourself if you spend the whole day with me. Horoscopes are nothing but superstition.
M: Don’t come any closer! Don’t come within a one-meter radius of me!
T: How’d you come up with that?
M: Back at Teikou, there was a time when I had the worst compatibility with Geminis. Kise is a Gemini. So I played an entire game without getting close to him, and we won. So there’s a precedent.
T: [sighs] Seriously?
M: You don’t understand. Come here.
T: Huh?
M: Shut up and come here.
T: Eh? Uh, like this? [takes a step]
M: Closer!
T: [grumbling] This is gross, man! [takes another step]
[sound of a truck horn; truck splashes them as it passes by]
T: [sputtering]
M: Do you get it now?
T: And now I’m covered in mud. It’s been a while.
M: That’s the truth of the matter. So don’t come within a one-meter radius of me!
T: All I’ve gotta do is stay away from you, right? Guess you proved your point, though.
M: There’s one more thing: a lucky item. Back then, having a piggy bank with me saved the day.
T: What’s today’s lucky item for Cancers?
M: It’s…a mascot with cute, round eyes!
T: “Cute, round eyes”?
M: [sighs] That description is too vague. I brought this for starters, but… [pulls out the item]
T: Uhh…er, what is it?
M: It’s Mogora, a monster from Gultraman! (1) Out of the hundreds of items at my house, this one has the cutest, roundest eyes. But it didn’t keep that truck from splashing us, so I don’t think it’s the right item.
T: Hm…cute, round eyes, huh? We’ve got something like that at my house.
M: Really?!
T: Yeah. Wanna have a look?
M: Take me there!
[Takao gets on the bike; Midorima sits in the rear car]
T: Hm? Are you sure it’s okay for you to be this close to me?
M: It’s fine as long as I stay at least one meter away from you.
T: Yeah? Alright, let’s go.
M: Go on.
T: Aren’t you going to fall out if you sit that far back?
M: I’m fine. Get a move on.
[Takao starts pedaling; Midorima falls out of the car; Takao brakes the bike]
T: Uh…Shin-chan? You okay?
M: ?! Does it look like I’m okay? [picks himself up] At any rate, until we find that lucky item, my life is in danger! Hurry!
M: Kuroko no Basuke: Special CD. Featuring Midorima Shintarou na no da yo.
[Takao opens and closes the gate at the front of his house]
T: Sorry to keep you waiting. Here it is! [tosses the “lucky item” to Midorima]
M: What is it…?
T: It’s a hugging doll. (2) Apparently they used to be really popular.
M: Oh…? It looks old-fashioned.
T: It’s a keepsake from my grandma. My mom loves that thing.
M: Are you sure it’s alright for me to borrow something so precious…?
T: Yeah, so long as you take good care of it. I’ll make a special exception for you.
M: Hm… It does have cute, round eyes.
T: You put it on your arm. Around here.
M: Like this?
T: Yeah.
M: Is it on right?
T: Yep, it’s perfect.
M: Whoa… It definitely feels like there’s some kind of power emanating from it. Hm. Takao, come here.
T: You sure?
M: Come on!
T: Here I go! [steps forward]
[sound of a clap of thunder and a sudden downpour]
M & T: ?!
M: It must be the wrong item.
T: Sorry…! Guess I screwed up.
M: Don’t worry about it. I knew it wouldn’t be that easy.
T: What’re you gonna do?
M: Let’s try my usual shop. If we go there…we’re bound to find something!
[inside the store]
T: Wow… This place is huge!
M: I come here when I’m having trouble finding the right item. This is where I acquired Kerosuke the frog and the elephant from Gotou Pharmaceuticals. (3)
T: Shin-chan, why don’t you try worrying about something else for a change?
M: —as I was saying, we’re here to look for something with cute, round eyes.
T: Yeah, I know. [sighs] Hm? Oh, what about this?
M: Hmph. Are you blind?
T: Eh? But it’s cute and round, see?
M: Do you even know what that is?
T: It’s Ketty-chan, right? (4)
M: Do you think I would have overlooked a popular character like Ketty-chan? Look!
T: It’s actually a phone strap…!
M: I didn’t overlook it. But it didn’t nullify my bad fortune. Ketty-chan is not my lucky item!
T: Then what about this?
M: Hmph. Seems like you really are blind.
T: What’s wrong with Noraemon? (5)
M: Do you really think I would have overlooked a super-popular character like Noraemon? Look!
T: Wha—?! It’s actually a pair of socks…!
M: And I still feel this sense of impending doom. [sighs] Unfortunately, Noraemon isn’t my lucky item, either.
T: Ahh… This is getting ridiculous.
M: What?
T: Eh, ah, nothing!
M: [sighs] There’s got to be something. Something that even I couldn’t anticipate… Fate always manages to take advantage of your blind spots.
T: Eh? That’s the monster you had earlier.
M: Oh, Mogora? —what?! [runs to the display; Takao follows him]
T: What’s up?
M: Mmmmm….! This is…!
T: What is it?
M: This is…a Mogora made by Billmark! (6)
T: Eh? “Billmark”?
M: The one I have is a recent model produced by Pandai. (7) But this is a vintage one that was released during the original broadcast!
T: Ehh.
M: Look! Look at its eyes! They’re definitely cute and round!
T: Ahh.
M: Compare them to the eyes of my Mogora! This one’s eyes are clearly cuter and rounder!
T: Uh, yeah.
M: This must be it. These are the very definition of cute, round eyes!
T: Yeah, maybe.
M: I’m going to buy it.
T: Wait, seriously?!
M: There’s no mistake. This is it.
T: But— Ehh?! This thing costs 35,000 yen! (8)
M: That’s a cheap price to pay for a lucky item.
T: You’ve got that kind of cash on you?!
M: Just who do you think I am? I’ll go buy it.
T: Ehh— Whoa… He’s got no sense of restraint! I mean, I knew he wasn’t normal—in many senses of the phrase—but this is really out there!
M: Alright, we’re leaving.
T: Uh, okay.
[back outside]
M: Look! It stopped raining!
T: Whoa! The sun came out!
M: Thank goodness. Try coming closer.
T: Um, okay… [steps forward]
[another truck drives by and splashes them both]
M & T: ?! [sputtering]
M: It seems I spoke too soon.
T: Mnnn… Shin-chan, I can’t take much more of this…
M: You can’t give up!
T: How can you say that to me?!
M: I have another idea!
T: You just threw away 35,000 freakin’ yen!
M: There’s a game center where I’ve had a lot of luck in the past. That’s where we’ll go!
T: But we’re gonna be late—
M: I don’t care! We’re going!
[walking through the game center]
M: Even under the umbrella category of “lucky items”, each item has its own individual traits. For example, if you have two of the same plush dog, the one you bought at the sundry shop in front of the station and the one you bought at the department store have inherently different fortunes. In that sense, this game center is a “power spot” for me. The stuffed animals I’ve won from the crane games here are particularly effective.
T: I guess that makes sense.
M: Look.
[they walk up to one of the crane games]
T: Wow! What are they? Deer?
M: They’re goats. [keeps walking] But I don’t want one of those. I want that. [points]
T: Er, huh? Which one?
M: It’s buried under the goats. That one.
T: Ohh! That one. …wait, what is it? Some old guy?
M: It’s the old man who owns the goats. His name is Peter. (9)
T: How do you even know this stuff?
M: He’s especially popular with high school girls.
T: You’ve gotta be kidding me.
M: Those are the cutest, roundest eyes we’ve seen so far. I have to get that one, no matter what it takes. I need your help!
T: Huh? You want me to do it?! I’ve never even played a crane game before.
M: I’m going to do it. I just need you to give me directions. Your hawk eye must have some practical applications.
T: What kind of reasoning is that?
M: Don’t be modest.
T: I’m not!
M: It’ll be fine. I know you can do it!
T: Why are you trying to encourage me?!
M: Our f
Т: Я думаю, это имеет смысл.
М: Смотри.
[Они подходят к одной из игр с краном]
Т: Вау! Кто они такие? Олень?
М: Они козы. [продолжает ходить], но я не хочу ни одного из них. Я хочу чтобы. [точки]
Т: Э, а? Который из?
М: Он похоронен под козами. Этот.
Т: Ооо! Этот. … Подожди, что это? Какой -то старик?
М: Это старик, которому принадлежат козы. Его зовут Питер. (9)
Т: Как ты вообще знаешь это?
М: Он особенно популярен среди школьников.
Т: Ты должен шутить меня.
М: Это самые милые, самые круглые глаза, которые мы видели до сих пор. Я должен получить это, независимо от того, что нужно. Мне нужна ваша помощь!
Т: А? Вы хотите, чтобы я это сделал?! Я никогда не играл в игру с краном раньше.
М: Я собираюсь сделать это. Мне просто нужно, чтобы ты дал мне указания. Ваш ястрерный глаз должен иметь некоторые практические приложения.
Т: Что это за рассуждения?
М: Не будь скромным.
Т: Я не!
М: Все будет хорошо. Я знаю ты сможешь!
Т: Почему ты пытаешься меня поощрять?!
М: Наш f
