An Isosceles Love Triangle

Nitohen sankaku kankei (二等辺三角関係) is the 368th chapter of the manga and the second chapter of the Cursed Mirror Arc.

Synopsis
Mirror Ranma becomes infatuated with Ranma when she discovers he is actually a guy.

Plot Overview
Soun wakes up to a bright sunny morning. His stretches are interrupted when he sees Mirror Ranma wearing nothing but an apron while holding an omurice and a bottle of snake wine. Shocked Nabiki correctly identifies her outfit as the nude apron. Ranma comes in and hits her on the head for behaving so oddly in the morning. Soun, now in tears, asks him why he is like this, which he argues that she's not him. But Nabiki insists that since his mirror duplicate came from him, she thinks and acts like him. Even Kasumi is concerned about Ranma's behavior.

Mirror Ranma hears all this and is saddened that Ranma thinks so little of her and runs away. Ranma goes after her, worried that someone might see her wearing nothing but an apron. After passing by a few people in the chase they don't notice themselves jumping on Akane's head on her daily morning jog. Akane hides behind a telephone pole and Mirror Ranma stops to tell Ranma that there must be someone else in his life for him to not fall for someone as pretty as her. She then accuses Ranma of loving "that fat girl". Ranma says that nobody could like an angry tomboy like her and is then hit on the head by Akane who heard the whole thing.

Ranma decides to take his mirror counterpart to school with him to keep an eye on her. However, the instant he turns away she attacks Akane with a mallet, which she blocked. In school, his classmates are astonished to see female Ranma that doesn't transform with hot water. The girls wonder if she really does love Ranma, to which Ranma replies that it is indeed the case, as he is the best guy in the world. His delusions are quickly shattered when Mirror Ranma willingly goes with other boys for some ramen. She asks if he's jealous to which Ranma replies that he cannot love his copy no matter how beautiful she may be. Watching this display, the students comment that he has an ego the size of Tokyo.

Ryoga walks down a road feeling gloomy, still shocked that he had been kissed by Ranma without being aware of his mirror copy. He looks up to see Mirror Ranma chasing after guys, and while he turns his head in anger the real Ranma transforms into a girl thanks to the Old Washer Woman. By the time Ranma gets up, Mirror Ranma has disappeared again. She then nervously senses a furious Ryoga behind her.

Akane arrives home to see Mirror Ranma looking sad. She tells Akane that she is jealous that Ranma likes her. Akane blushes and denies this, but the copy tells her that she wishes she was fat as well so Ranma is more attracted to her.

Ranma comes back, covered in bruises and barely walking with an aid of a stick. He pours hot water on himself while cursing Ryoga. When he gets to the hallway he sees Mirror Ranma sprinting in his direction. Akane then tosses a cabinet along with a phone and a kettle, knocking them both into the koi pond with Mirror Ranma unconscious. Akane then holds a large stone above her head as her finishing attack while Ranma tries to defend herself with the lid of the kettle. Before Akane can toss the stone she is interrupted by an old man wearing a suit.

Ranma comes out of the pond dragging the mirror copy and recognizes him from the Mirror Mansion. The old man in turn recognizes her and gives her a special compact mirror. He tells them that if you open the top and look inside, you will get sucked in. As he says this, Genma opens the top and looks inside, and the compact swallows him whole. To release whomever was trapped, he tells Ranma to simply tap on the compact while held facing down. He then advises them to keep Mirror Ranma inside the compact until the mirror's seal is ready and leaves.

Before Ranma transforms back, she gets a small mallet and hits the copy to wake her up. As she opens her eyes Ranma holds the compact in front of her, and the compact sucks her in. Ranma then turns the compact to say good bye, looking at the mirror in the process. Panda Genma and Akane tries to warn her of her mistake, but Ranma gets sucked in as well leaving the compact on the ground. Inside the compact, Ranma realizes what she has done when she is suddenly stomped on the head by the copy. Somewhere along the way, Mirror Ranma got ahold of the hot water kettle and a pillow. She then uses the water to turn Ranma back and embraces him, since they are now alone without any distraction.

Meanwhile, Akane and Genma quietly stare at the compact. Akane carefully picks up the compact and keeps it face down. She then lightly taps it to release the two Ranmas. When they come out, Ranma is on top of his copy, still embracing each other. Akane thinks that Ranma actually likes his copy and they start arguing. While they argue, the copy steals the compact and hides on the roof, with the intention of using the compact to keep her and Ranma together forever.

Cast in Order of Appearance

 * Soun Tendo
 * Mirror Ranma
 * Kasumi Tendo
 * Nabiki Tendo
 * Ranma Saotome (male)
 * Akane Tendo
 * Hiroshi and Daisuke
 * Yuka and Sayuri
 * Ryoga Hibiki (human)
 * Old Washer Woman
 * Ranma Saotome (female)
 * Genma Saotome (panda)

Quotes
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Trivia
To be added