Chapter 240

Chapter 240
Name
Japanese	シンデレラの恩返し
Romanized	Shinderera no ongaeshi
English	The Fairy Tale Ending
Information
Chapter	240
Volume	21 (Viz Media) 23 (Tankōbon/Shinsoban)
Chronology
Previous:	← Chapter 239
Next:	Chapter 241 →

The Fairy Tale Ending (シンデレラの恩返し, Shinderera no ongaeshi^?) is the 240th chapter of the Ranma ½ manga and final chapter of the Heron Island Arc.

Summary

Ranma awakens to see Yohyo furiously striking away at a large boulder. Yohyo explains that he is from a wealthy family of hot spring owners and that once while he was excavating a new spring a girl stepped on his head and ate his lunch. Ranma then remembers Yohyo. Yohyo insists that Ranma and he have a karaoke contest to pass the time, but Ranma wants to take a hot shower. Yohyo explains that there is no hot water on the island, and Ranma soon notices that there is no electricity either.

Plot Overview

Yohyo tries to break the boulder with a Pickaxe, waking Ranma in the process.

Yohyo continues to hold his Pickaxe above the unconscious Ranma and quickly brings it hurtling down, but instead of hitting Ranma, Yohyo begins to vigorously attempt to break a large boulder, but to little success. As several chips from the boulder break away they hit Ranma in the face and wake her up. Ranma quickly gets up and demands to know what's going on when she sees Yohyo has hit himself with his now broken Pickaxe. While Yohyo lies conscious with the Pickaxe wedged in his forehead, Ranma remembers about Yohyo mistaking her for his "Stomperella".

Some time passes and Yohyo is taken to a bed so he can recover. As Yohyo lies down, his butler asks if there's anything he can do, but Yohyo reassures him that apart from a splitting headache he's fine. Yohyo's butler continues by noting how fairy-tale like this whole ordeal has been, with him finally meeting the girl he's searched so long for, only to suffer like this.

Ranma, however, still doesn't remember ever meeting Yohyo before and express that she believes he's got the wrong person. This prompts Yohyo to tell Ranma that they met while he was on his search for a hot spring of his own, a tradition which every generation of his family must go through. He goes on to explain that he had sat down to eat his lunch when a girl stood on his head and ate all the food before running off. Yohyo adds that as he looked up, all Yohyo saw was a girl with a pigtail. Hearing this Ranma finally remembers that it was her after all.

Yohyo then declares that they'll celebrate his beloved's return and begins to sing some karaoke. Before being dragged into sing, Ranma asks if she can freshen up with some hot water, but Yohyo informs her that there is no hot water on the island. As Yohyo begins singing, Ranma wonders how a hot spring resort have no hot water. She then notices that Yohyo has the latest karaoke technology, but every room is lit by candles instead of light bulbs. Eventually Yohyo notices that Ranma has disappeared, causing him and his butler to decide to find her, before she discovers their secret.

Ranma begins her search for some hot water.

Meanwhile, Ranma desperately searches for some hot water before Yohyo gets too "frisky". But no matter where Ranma looks she can't find any water at all, let alone hot water. Ranma continues by noting that despite having a karaoke machine, the butler accompanies everything with his Accordion, causing Ranma to deduce that there's no electricity either.

At that moment Ranma comes across a room with an "no entry" sign hung on the door. Ranma proceeds to enter the room and notices it's rather decrepit interior. Suddenly, Yohyo and his butler note their disappointment of Ranma finding this room, as it is Yohyo's real bedroom.

As the trio sit down, Yohyo explains that his family have been borrowing money heavily and are now bankrupt. When Ranma raises questions over the Ball Yohyo held earlier, he responds by saying it was all just a front. Yohyo continues by revealing that the water and electricity were cut off a while ago and by tomorrow the island will belong to someone else.

Yohyo protects Ranma from the collapsing ceiling.

No sooner does Yohyo finish his explanation that the roof of his room collapses right above the trio. When Ranma opens her eyes she finds herself being shielded by Yohyo who put himself between Ranma and the roof debris. Yohyo and his butler begin talking amongst themselves and mention a seal blocking the hot spring. Ranma tries to get more information, but Yohyo continues avoiding the question.

Eventually Yohyo takes Ranma to the bath where the hot spring is being blocked by a large boulder. After learning that if the spring was opened Yohyo could start making money again, Ranma agrees to break the boulder, but insists Yohyo and his butler wait outside and don't dare peep at her.

Ranma leaves Yohyo and the two never see each other again...

Yohyo and his butler do as instructed and wait outside while Ranma begins charging her Battle Aura. Unfortunately, Yohyo can't stop himself and peeks inside the bath to see what's going on. Just as Yohyo looks behind the bath curtain, Ranma breaks the boulder and hot spring water gushes forth. Yohyo looks for his love and sees her silhouette amongst the steam of the water, but the male Ranma emerges. Ranma reveals he was planning to sneak away quietly after fixing the spring. As Yohyo stares in silence, Ranma tells Yohyo that he was the girl from earlier and the one who stepped on his head. Ranma continues by telling Yohyo that no he's seen who he really is, he can understand why he has to leave and the two never see each other again.

Some time later, Ranma returns to Genma who asks Ranma where he's been for the last few days, to which Ranma simply replies that he had to return a favors.

Characters in Order of Appearance

• Yohyo Tsuruyasennen
• Ranma Saotome
• Yohyo's butler
• Genma Saotome

Quotes

To be added

Trivia

• Yohyo's story is a combination of Cinderella and a Japanese folkstory called "The Crane Wife".
  • The story involves a poor man who saves an injured crane and soon a beautiful woman arrives on his doorstep and marries him. She promises to weave beautiful clothes for them to sell, but the man must promise never to watch her work. One day he peeks through the curtain to see how his wife is making such wonderful garments without buying any fabric and discovers that she is actually the crane who uses her own feathers to sew for the garments. The spell is broken and she flies away, never to return again.
    • This matches up with Ranma's request for Yohyo not to peek at him when he breaks the boulder and unleashes the hot water, but Yohyo's curiosity gets the better of him.