The Umbrella of Love

Densetsu no aiaigasa (伝説の相合ガサ) is the 328th chapter of the manga it is also the first and only chapter of the The Umbrella of Love Arc.

On a rainy day, the students fight over the "Umbrella of Love", an artifact which engenders affection between two people who stand under it.

At the School
One day in Furinkan High School Akane learns about the myth of Umbrella of Love, an umbrella that makes two people under it fall in love. After cleaning up she prepares to head out but find that it's raining heavily outside. She goes to get a loaner umbrella and find there is only one left. Akane opens it and finds hearts dangling from it. Just then Ranma appears and asks if she could share the umbrella with him, but is struck across the room by Kuno, who believes that this is the legendary Umbrella of Love and demands that Akane share the umbrella with him instead. As Ranma strikes back at Kuno's head, Nabiki remains skeptical that such an umbrella can even exist. Kuno wants to prove that it's the real deal by walking towards Akane, but Ranma kicks him out of the way.

The Lovely Effect
Still holding onto the umbrella, Kuno lands right next to Nabiki, and they instantly fall in love with each other. Kuno asks what he must do to make her heart his, and Nabiki responds that with just 10,000 yen, she would be his. He immediately gives her the money and Nabiki is delighted to be loved by Kuno.

Ranma can't take much more of this and folds the umbrella, allowing Kuno and Nabiki to regain their senses. Nabiki is appalled and questions her decision to let Kuno have such a good deal. Kuno, on the other hand, is delighted to have the artifact and jumps to Akane, but she swaps her place with a statue, letting Kuno fall in love with it instead.

Ranma takes the umbrella away from Kuno. Then Ukyo, unaware of the umbrella's power, asks if Ranma would share the umbrella with her. Before he can answer Akane kicks him out of the window and into the rain. Ranma comes back transformed and questions her, but Akane responds that her foot slipped.

Just then, Kuno takes back the umbrella and runs toward girl-Ranma, shouting about the magic of the Umbrella of Love. Ranma kicks him into the air and grabs the umbrella. Ukyo turns Ranma back into a boy, but just as she asks to share the umbrella again (now with the knowledge of the umbrella's power) a bench flies past them and takes the umbrella with it. The bench was tossed by Akane who remarks that this time her hand slipped.

The umbrella makes its way back to Kuno, who lands right next to male Ranma. All the students are stunned by this latest development and Ukyo smacks Ranma away from the umbrella before anything goes too far. He comes back to his senses and kicks Kuno into the air once again.

Get Rid of That Umbrella
Akane quickly grabs the umbrella and tries to break it, saying it's causing nothing but trouble. But before she can do so, Ukyo intervenes as does Kuno. Kuno gains control of the umbrella and descends toward Akane with it in hand, but is stopped by Ranma. Kuno attempts to attack with his, but Ranma counters and retakes the umbrella. Ranma lands on the ground holding onto the umbrella right next to Akane, and both of them become flushed and cannot say a word. They stare at the ground, ignoring anything else around them. The other students realize very quickly that the umbrella was destroyed when Ranma was fighting Kuno, and the spell should have been broken by the time Ranma landed next to Akane. When they are told of this, they both become embarrassed and express a look of shock.

Soon after, Kasumi comes to pick them up. She shares an umbrella with Nabiki and let Ranma and Akane share another. The couple remains silent the entire walk home and Nabiki nonchalantly sings.

Cast in Order of Appearance

 * Akane Tendo
 * Ranma Saotome (male)
 * Tatewaki Kuno
 * Nabiki Tendo
 * Hiroshi and Daisuke
 * Ukyo Kuonji
 * Ranma Saotome (female)
 * Kasumi Tendo

Trivia

 * Part of the title 'ai ai gasa (相合傘)' means to share an umbrella. However, it could also be read as "Love-Love Umbrella", as the word for love (愛) is also pronounced ai.
 * Sharing an umbrella as a couple in Japan is considered a romantic expression, and teens often draw an umbrella with their name and the name of their crush, the way one would in a heart. This chapter takes that expression literally via magical umbrella.