Cologne had seen many strange things in her life, not just since coming to Nerima, but in her decades back in China. So, her response to Ranma furtively asking for her to leave the Nekohanten and talk with him in an alley, where he'd promptly revealed a blond-haired tan-skinned girl in scanty clothes and claimed she was a genie, was quite nonchalant. Whether her reaction was reassuring or disturbing was a matter of personal opinion.
"So, son-in-law, allow me to clarify this? You found this genie in the street, and decided that it would be in your best interest to have me help you with the solitary wish she's willing to grant you, on the condition that I don't try to make you wish yourself into marriage with my Shampoo?" Cologne asked airily.
"Yeah, that's about the size of it." Ranma said, rubbing the back of his head in a somewhat embarrassed fashion.
Cologne took the opportunity to take a good long look at Mihoshi. Now, it's true that Cologne had learned one shouldn't judge a book by their cover, but on the other hand she did have decades of experience with girls... and with that knowledge, Mihoshi's face was practically screaming "Ditz" to her.
"A wise choice, son-in-law. Very well, you have my word that I will not try to use your wish to make you marry my Shampoo. That is my great-granddaughter; her name is really Xian Pu, but the Japanese pronounciation makes her sound like hair cleanser." Cologne added this last part as an aside to Mihoshi, her tone that of someone patiently dealing with a rather slow child.
Of course, having given her word as she had, that still didn't prohibit her from trying to make her son-in-law see sense through more subtle means. Hmm... perhaps she should try and persuade him to wish he understood Shampoo better? The pretense she would spin was that Ranma could figure out how to persuade the Chinese Amazon to call off her engagement- the reality was aimed towards the opposite result indeed. After all, while Ranma was somewhat petty, childish, deceitful, insecure and unfamiliar with social niceties, he was a good and noble person deep down. If he could empathise with Shampoo, Cologne was sure that he would come to return her feelings.
Then again, perhaps Ranma's desire to solve his fiancee problems wasn't the best method to use. More palatable might be his desire to be cured of his Jusenkyo curse... if she persuaded him to wish himself to China, taking particular care to make sure that Shampoo was sent along as a guide, then that would work nicely. After all, Ranma wouldn't think to ask for a "return ticket", so to speak, and just to be certain she could point out the obvious ways in which such a wish could backfire, leaving him right back where he started from. And if Ranma wasn't wished back, then it would take him weeks to return to Japan- and Cologne knew that Shampoo would make ample use of so much uninterrupted time.
Now that she thought about it, an even more subtle approach suggested itself. If Ranma and his father had come to the village first instead of going to Joketsuzoku, why, that would have solved so many problems! No "Girl-Type Ranma" to dishonor Shampoo and force her into lethal pursuit (which Cologne was sure had been the first thing to turn Ranma away from her great-granddaughter), no Akane Tendo getting her chance at Ranma's heart first, no Soun Tendo to make bribing Genma a futile effort to try and secure Ranma...
The only problem was how to persuade Ranma to go with it. Pointing out that having prior information of Jusenkyo should ensure that his father wouldn't be stupid enough to go would help some, and adding that would mean "P-chan" would cease to exist would help further. Would he be willing to admit that the Amazons had taught him techniques that had helped him, though? After all, he relied upon the speed training of the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken, and if it weren't for the Hiryu Shoten Ha, why, he'd never have been cured of Happosai's strength-sapping moxibustion. Maybe adding that having met him before, and as a guy, would mean Shampoo wouldn't be delivering any Kiss of Death would also help...
What to do? What to do?
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(Posted Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:05)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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