Nami's Note: This translation is for any body that wants to read manga. Don't redistribute this translation for your site, commercial use, or anything I consider inappropriate. If you like this story, you could be supporting the author by buying this manga^-^ "Tennen Bitter Chocolate" is copyrighted to Ashihara Hinako and Shogakukan. Signs: (THINKING) [ACTION] ***** = change in time or place Tennen Bitter Chocolate Chapter 1 Love is sweet and bitter Everyone says the same thing. "I don't like you" Guys don't have the eyes to see! Chinatsu: Oh---- God! Mrs. Endou: What's up with the shouting from the morning, Chinatsu? Chinatsu: I'm firing up! Koyuki: I can understand why she wants to scream. I heard she got dumped again. Mrs. Endou: Again? Chinatsu: Shut up!! I'm in grade 10 now. This time I will, I will...... Koyuki: Bye. [Drags Chinatsu behind her] Ah, Iku!! Iku: Morning. Koyuki: Take care of my sister. Iku: Alright. Chinatsu: I will, I will!! I will find a great guy!! ***** At school Chinatsu: But, there aren't much great guys out there..... Friend: You're asking too much. [They are both looking into the binoculars] Friend: It was Katou kun and Fukuyama kun in elementary, and Kimura kun in Junior high. Their levels were all high! Why don't you start finding love that suits you? Chinatsu: Shut up. Friend: Oh my. I found a guy you probably would like! Chinatsu: What? Where!? Friend: He's so cool!! Chinatsu: Eww, him!? Friend: No! A little to the right!! Short hair, a little long, small face, and long legs!! Ah! He's looking this way!! Girls in the class: Gyaa!! He's cool!! Girl 1: Who's that!! Girl 2: I know!! Kasai san in Gr.11!! He's so famous! In the tennis club!! The one who made it to the inter-high last year!! With the first sight of him, that guy called Kasai Yoshiyuki, came into my heart. ***** At home Koyuki: What!? You'll join the tennis club!? Why tennis? There's a guy behind this, isn't there? You always choose a guy by their face!! There's a much better guy near by, you know. Chinatsu: Huh? Iku: Hey, where's your mom? Chinatsu: Iku! My mom went to the Yamamoto's. Iku: Then that's ok. I just came to deliver our product. I'll leave the price here. Chinatsu: Thanks. Koyuki: Listen to this Iku! My sister has another crush. Chinatsu: You shut up, alright!! Iku: I see. Koyuki: And she'll be in the tennis club just because of him! Chinatsu: Koyuki! Iku: Hey, are you gonna be alright there? I heard a weird rumour from my senpai. (He's in the baseball club) Chinatsu: Huh? Iku: It's a deadly area there. ***** At the club [There's a whole bunch of hard training to do for the Gr.10s in the tennis club.] Gr.10s: Gr.10s all the way! Tachikawa(senpai): Louder!! Gr.10s: Fight!! Girl 1: Run twenty around the court!? And there's push-ups, sit-ups, stretches and squats after that!? Could this possibly be a joke!? Girl 2: Shh!! If they hear, they'll kill us!! Girl 3: I heard, though not even summer, few people are sent to the hospital with dehydration every year. It must be true!! Girl 4: I heard they make you drink a bucket full of mud if you collapse!! [A ball hits a girl's head] Tachikawa: If you don't like it, then quit it. We only need ten Gr.10s to pick up balls! We don't want a beginner with a dependency on another! Girl: But I thought tennis was more like a gorgeous sport!! Tachikawa: That's just a fantasy. Girl: I quit! Tachikawa: That's one gone. Now, how should I thin out the rest. ***** In the changing room Girl 1: I can't take this! Girl 2: They should stop bulling the Juniors! Girl 3: Don't you think our school's tennis club is weak beacause we're doing worthless stuff? Girl 4: And we can only use this room after the Seniors leave. I just wanted to play tennis for fun!! Tachikawa: Gr. 10s! Girls: I'm sorry!! Tachikawa: ? Whoever arranged the court today, you didn't clean it good enough. Chinatsu: I'm sorry, it was me! Tachikawa: Do it over, right now! ***** Chinatsu: (Why am I in the tennis club again?) [Kasai is practicing on the court.] Kasai: Sorry. You arranging the court? Chinatsu: No problem! Please continue! Kasai: That's ok, I was about to finish anyways. Chinatsu: You're very devoted. Although our school is weak, you're so good. Everyone admires you. Kasai: I don't play tennis as my hobby. Don't relate me with the others. Chinatsu: Sorry, I haven't even held a racket before. Kasai: Here. [He lets Chinatsu hold his racket] Open your legs to the length of your shoulder, bend your knees, lower your waist, put your weight on your tiptoes, twist your upper half of your body, and this is where you hit. It'll be fun once you're able to hit the surface well. Bye. Chinatsu: Senpai! Um, I want a racket.... But I don't know which one I should choose...!! ***** At a sports shop Chinatsu: Waa...there's a lot. Ah! This racket is the same one as yours!! Kasai: It be too heavy for you. Blue, red or white, which one do you want? Chinatsu: White!! Kasai: Here, swing it. [Chinatsu swings it] Kasai: You're quick to learn. [Pats her on the head] [Chinatsu grabs his shirt] Kasai: What? Chinatsu: Um, do you have a girlfriend!? I've admired you since the first day of school. That's why I'm here! So..... Kasai: [Takes the racket away from her] You mean the racket was an excuse? Chinatsu: What? Kasai: Don't ever talk to me again, because it be annoying. Buy another racket. [Drops the racket] ***** At school Girl 1: What--- Such a thing happened!? That's harsh of Kasai senpai, didn't know he was like that. Girl 2: But I've heard of it before. He hates a play girl kind of type. Girl 1: But still. Anyways, never mind about it. You only admired him a little, right? But the problem is our seniors. Girl 2: When will they even let us hit a ball. I was pretty good in Junior high. If they let me hit, I'd beat them. Tachikawa: Sure, if you say so... Why don't you try!! [Tachikawa senpai serves and it hits a junior in the face] Girl 1: Who said the seniors were weak!! They're so good!! Girl 2: But I heard they haven't even won the prefecture qualifying round!! Tachikawa: Next! Endou Chinatsu!! Chinatsu: Huh? Tachikawa: Go get a racket!! I heard the talk. Don't join this club for a guy!! [Serves the ball] Chinatsu: [Falls down] Oww... Tachikawa: I'll tell you something. Kasai kun does have a girlfriend. A girl who has the same dream as him. No matter how much effort you make, you're no match for her. [Shows Chinatsu a picture of Kasai's girlfriend on a tennis magazine] Why don't you give it up? ***** On Chinatsu's way home [She notice Iku, who is still practicing to bat] Chinatsu: Iku, you're still practicing? Let's go home. Iku: Got 50 left to do! Chinatsu: You don't need that practice. You were the fourth batter in Junior high. Iku: The levels are different. The guys here are really good. I don't want to end up on the benches for 3 years. Chinatsu: Oh, I see. Iku: So what happened to you? Something happened didn't it? Chinatsu: Not really. No big deal, I just got dumped again. It started with Katou kun. Then Fukuyama kun, Kimura kun and this is the fourth one. I got used to it. But I wonder why the shock is bigger this time than the other times. Iku: You're hungry, aren't you? Chinatsu: Huh? Iku: People give in when They're hungry. Here, eat this. [gives her a bitter chocolate] Chinatsu: A chocolate won't win over my temper. Iku: It's really good. What should I say, don't you think it be better, if the hurdles are higher? It's no fun if you get something that easily. Chinatsu: [Eats the chocolate] Bitte... The taste of a bitter chocolate ***** At the club Tachikawa: You still haven't quit? [Kasai walks by, ignoring Chinatsu] Why do we even fall in love Tachikawa: Get in the court grade 10s!! Chinatsu: (Legs open to the length of shoulder, lower the waist...) Girl: Chinatsu, you've bought a racket. Can I see? Chinatsu: Sure. Girl: A white racket does seem like it's for a girl. Chinatsu: I'll work hard for tennis, cause I don't know any other way to be near him. It's no good falling in love. It's painful, there are times to give in, it hurts, but... Tachikawa: Here you go!! [serves] Chinatsu: (Stand ready, and hit.....!) Tachikawa: Where do you think you're aiming!! [The ball flys toward Kasai and just misses him and hits the fense.] Chinatsu: I won't give up! I will make you look my way. Kasai: Be my guest! [A bit ticked] Love is sweet and bitter. Because it be boring if it was just sweet, won't it?