Editor's comments and actions are denoted by [brackets]. Sound effects are written {like this}. (Parenthesis) indicate side notes in the dialogue bubble or the mangaka's note. And finally, italics are thoughts.

[Note: For those who speak no French whatsoever, "petit" means "little".]

A little boy in a super cute sailor suit is handed a fluffy teddy bear.

Voice: Now, Petit Noel, my precious little boy. You've been a good boy when I was gone, weren't you. Look, here's a present for you. Papa's so busy, so he can't look after you. Take this, pretend you're with Papa, and be a good boy, okay?

A man shouts down a shadowed alley.

Man: He's not here! Keep looking, he's just a kid!

Noel: Papa...!

Woman: Damn, he's a quick little brat, isn't he!

{sound f/x da: running footsteps}

Noel: PA...PA...!

In Noir's study, he faces off with an unknown guest

Noir: And?

{sound f/x puha: puffing smoke}

Noir: Are you saying that there's something connecting me with the Duchess' stolen jewels?

Man: No... At this moment, there's nothing. [cough cough]

Noir: Well I'm quite busy. I can't talk with you forever. Leave!

Man: [smile] I said "at this moment", didn't I. Rei Balzac Courland. Someday, I'll expose you.

Noir: Oh----~ How interesting! What in the world do I have to expose, Monsieur Soloman?

Soloman: It'll create quite a sensation. That you're the Masked Noir.

Noir: !?

Down on the streets of gay Paris, Florian and Laila are out for a day of shopping.

Florian: [sweatdrop] (What is this?)

Laila: It's always so rough buying books for Noir... COUGH Rei! You really saved me, Florian~!

Florian: Speaking of which, this is really a lot of reading material. Does he really have time to read all of this?

{sound f/x pasu: heaving the books}

Laila: He's kinda a read-a-holic.

Florian: For some reason, lately there's really been a growing number of foreigners from all over, huh.

Laila: Well, Paris is the city of flowers. So people from all over the world gather here. It's the center of culture. It kinda feels like waves of civilization are gradually surging upon it.

Florian: Even Noir sometimes seems a little behind on the times. Maybe he's just trying to resist the light of electricity that illuminates every last bit of darkness.

Laila: --Why? That's not it... it's not what Laila thinks. The more a light shines, the deeper the shadows get. It makes the existance of "noir" more conspicuous than before. Like it frightens the light! But Noir is the emperor of darkness.

Florian: Laila, you really like Noir, don't you.

Laila: Yup, I like him. I re--~ally love him.

Florian: But, Noir just thinks of you as one of his buddies, doesn't he.

Laila: [sighing] Laila, maybe she just doesn't have that kind of womanly charm.

Florian: That's not...

Voice: WAIT----~ SOMEBODY, CATCH THAT KID~!

Noel, teddy bear in hand, comes barreling through the crowd.

{sound f/x don: crash}

Florian: Ah~

{sound f/x dosa: heavy thudding and dropping}

Florian bends down to pick the books off of the small child.

Florian: Hold~... Kid, are you okay?

{sound f/x kyuu: squishing and squeezing}

Noel: [gasp] Ma...ma!

Florian: huh?

{sound f/x gabo: Noel hanging onto Florian}

Noel: Mama! Mama~!

Laila: (Oh my)

Man #1: Dammit~ Where'd he go!

Man #2: Doesn't look like he's over here.

In a dark alley, Laila, Florian, and Noel hide from the searching men.

Laila: It looks like they're gone.

Florian: Hey kid, what...

Noel: You're not... Mama.

{sound f/x jiwa: giant watery eyes}

{sound f/x kunya: flopping dead unconscious}

Laila: H-hold on, oh no! What happened!?

Back in his study, Noir confronts Mssr. Soloman.

Noir: So, why haven't you notified the Paris police?

Solomon: This Noir guy, he's a really smart fellow. He doesn't leave any kind of evidence at all.

Noir: In other words, everything you've said up to know has been completely groundless?

The front door opens as Laila and Florian enter.

Laila: Where's Noir?

Man: Ah, welcome home, Sis. (shh) Right now he has a visitor. His name is...

Solomon: At this moment.

{sound f/x kui: Solomon pushing up glasses}

Solomon: But there's no such thing as an absolutely perfect human. Well then, I've been here an awfully long time. Say hello to that dark skinned girl for me.

Noir: (The exit's this way.)

Solomon: I'll drop by every now and then.

Noir: Do you really need money that bad? My interest is pretty high. I won't say anything bad, so I'll recommend another place for you.

{sound f/x hyoi: snatching Noir's cigar}

Solomon: A corrupt loan shark----huh. You hide it pretty well.

{sound f/x poto: dropping the cigar}

Solomon: I'll give you a piece of advice. It's generally my principle not to create debt for others.

{sound f/x neji: twisting his foot on the cigar}

Solomon: Cigars are absolutely no good for you. Until I can catch you, I don't want you to be in bad health.

{sound f/x pon: patting Noir's shoulder}

Noir: [twitching] (Don't touch me like you're a friend.) Shadowing me terribly, not getting any sound evidence, what can a HACK DETECTIVE do!?

Solomon: If I'm a hack, then you're a brat.

Noir: !?

Solomon: You thought I didn't know, Rei. You're still just a teenager, aren't you. Well, if you want to grow up, that'll come with age~!

Noir: GET OUTTA HERE NOW, YA MIDDLE-AGED DETECTIVE~!

{sound f/x hyoi: quick movement}

Laila, Florian, and Noel watch as Solomon leaves, quickly ducking the objects that Noir hurls at his head.

Solomon: ----!? It's strange to see someone bringing a kid here.

Laila: [sigh] It's you again!

Florian: I heard him say "teenager", but how old is Noir?

Laila: 18.

{sound f/x GA~N: giant shock}

Florian: You mean he's two years younger than me~~~~ (No wa~~~y)

Laila: He came again, didn't he. He sure is persistant. Noir, nothing happened, did it?

Noir: It did!

Florian: Who is that man...?

Laila: He's a private investigator. Private investigator Solomon Sugar. As for what he's doing, he's chasing after Rei. (He's a stalker I tell you!) Thanks to Noir, he was fired from the Paris police department, so he's got a grudge. (He's an awful guy!)

Noir: By the way, I noticed before but, Florian, what in the world are you holding?

{sound f/x jirori: hard glare}

Florian: He's a child. Can't you tell by looking?

Noir: I know that!

{sound f/x don: Noir hitting his desk}

Noir: I'm asking why he's here!

Florian: Well... it looks like he's being chased. He won't say a word no matter what we ask. We can't just toss him out, can we? (Paris is dangerous.)

Laila: (Right-- Right-- All that we know is that Florian looks like his Mama.)

([pointing to Noir] Super bad mood.)

Noir: O-h. Since when is this place a day care?

Laila: Sorry, Noir. ---But...

Noir: When you pick up this sort of trouble, don't do something so useless! Now hurry up and throw him out somewhere!

Florian: Don't yell! You'll frighten him!!

{sound f/x GUUU: GROWL}

Florian: (ala~~)

Noel's stomache lets out a giant roar. Later, two of Noir's men watch as Noel stuffs himself.

Man #1: (Amazing-- He's eating Laila's cooking.)

Man #2: (But he might die.)

{sound f/x ga~: scarfing noises}

Laila: Was it yummy? Do you want seconds?

{sound f/x kokun: swallow}

{sound f/x gon: Noel's head hitting the table}

Laila: KYAAA HOW CUTE~!

{sound f/x gyuu: squeeeezing Noel}

{sound f/x boto: falling}

Laila: Ah, sorry.

Laila reaches down to pick up Noel's fallen teddy bear. She's suddenly shoved out of the way by Noel's flying body.

Laila: kya~

Noel: DON'T TOUCH BETTY DEUX~~!!

{sound f/x pachikuri: Laila's blank shock}

Noel: I WON'T LET ANYONE TOUCH IT~! CAUSE THIS IS MY TREASURE~~!!

Noir: What're you doing?

Laila: Sorry. ----I'm sorry! I won't touch it again. (Don't be so upset!)

Noir suddenly stares at Noel's teddy bear in shock.

Noir: ----!?

Florian: Noir, it's getting dark. Can the kid at least stay tonight?

Noir: ---- [sigh] Can't be helped.

Laila: Wow, thank goodness!

Noir: [glare] I'm gonna sleep with Neechan. ["Neechan" means "older sister", but is often used by young people to refer to slightly older girls and women.]

{sound f/x da~: Noel's stomping footsteps}

Laila: Ah.

{sound f/x gyu: Noel grabbing onto Noel's arm}

Florian: I guess that's what he meant.

Laila: [glare] Ah, really.

In his bedroom, Florian puts Noel to sleep.

{sound f/x patan: click of window being shut}

Florian: Hey, could you at least tell me your name? It's hard to talk to you like this.

Noel: ---- Petit Noel.

Florian: Petit?

Noel: Papa calls me that. Mama used to say that a lot... But now---- I won't let anybody but Papa call me that. ----But for Florian it's okay!

Florian: I'm honored, Petit Noel. I'm sure your parents must really love you.

Noel: Mama died last year and... Papa--- he doesn't like me too much. He's always busy at work---- he says. I'm always in the way, he tells me, "Why don't you go over there?" No matter---- how far I reach out, no one feels me. I don't have anybody at home. I'm always alone---- Even if I cry, nobody comes for me---

Florian envelopes Noel in a hug.

Noel: But then, Papa bought me Betty Deux.

Papa: Take this, pretend you're with Papa, and be a good boy, okay?

Noel: It's my treasure.

Florian: ----So that's why he was so desparate earlier----

Noel: Florian kinda looks like my dead Mama. Mama had purple eyes, too.

{sound f/x su: soft sleeping}

Noel clutches Florian's sleeve in his sleep. Later, Florian sees Noir in his study.

Florian: You called, Noir?

Noir: Yeah. The kid?

Florian: He just fell asleep.

Noir: [sigh] Don't get too attached, Florian. It'll be trouble.

Florian: Huh?

Noir: Come over here and take a peek at this.

Florian looks through a jeweler's magnifying glass at a gem Noir's holding.

Florian: Wow- how beautiful! It's just like a star!

Noir: It's a star sapphire. Inclusions of rutile form a six lined star. While that's rare enough, this one has a twin star!

[Wow, the things you learn while researching Higuri You works. Rutile is a mineral found in gems that causes effects such as cat's eyes and stars. To learn more about rutile, head to http://mineral.galleries.com/minerals/oxides/rutile/rutile.htm. To see a star sapphire, check out http://www.multicolour.com/gemstones/star_sapphire.html. Fascinating~!]

Noir: They were inlaid in Betty Deux's two eyes. And then that kid is running away and being chased by something. Wouldn't it be strange if it wasn't anything?

Florian: When did you---- You'd even go so far as to steal from a little kid!?

Noir: I just researched it a bit. ----It's my hobby. I'll put them back later.

{sound f/x za: rustling in the trees}

Two men crouch in the tree next to Noir's window.

Voice: Only is there is a "later."

The two watchers suddenly burst in with guns drawn. Elsewhere, Noel wakes up alone and sleepily wanders the halls.

Noel: (I gotta pee...) Where's Florian?

Man: We've been searching for quite a while. You two have nothing to do with this. Hand over Noel Tassel nice and quiet.

Noel: (Light...) ? Florian?

{sound f/x kii: creak of door}

Florian: NOEL, DON'T COME IN!

One of the men turns his gun on Noel.

Noel: !!

Part 1b | Part 2a | Part 2b

Manga belongs to Higuri You, Eyes Comics, and Shuueisha, taken from the Gorgeous Carat -Kurayami no Bitoku- manga, ISBN4-8342-6122-0. Not like the story makes sense if you haven't read the manga anyway. Romanized and translated into English very badly by Mina-P, with desperately needed help, as always, by Mako-chan. Any comments or corrections can be mailed to Mina-P at Minako@senshigakuen.com.

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