Novel Vol 9 Ch 2 Part 1 (The Fire Chicken Teriyaki)

Crop of Vol 9 cover by Laruha (story by Yūma Midori)

So sorry for the slow instalment, been very busy lately. Anyway, I was going to jump directly to Vol 10 Ch 5 after Vol 9 Ch 1, but Vol 9 Ch 2 contains very important info about Ōdanna-sama’s identity (which IMO is very interesting and concerning at the same time from the social justice perspective). Hence, below is my translation of Volume 9 Chapter 2 Part 1. Part 2 is “only” 20 novel-pages long (about 10 A4 pages), but I figure out, since the part I’ve translated contains a lot of important information, I’ll just post the first part now. Plus, I've kept you waiting for too long. I hope to upload Part Two in 2-3 weeks (got real-world deadlines in the meantime…). 

There are two more chapters in Vol 9 that I want to translate soon because they bridge us to Vol 10 Ch 5 (of course, in an ideal world, I won’t skip any chapters, but I have very little time…). Chapter 6 contains Aoi’s last bento for Ōdanna-sama, while Chapter 7 reveals how Aoi finds out his true name. After translating those chapters, I will translate Vol 10 Ch 5, and then go back to finishing Volumes 7 and 8. I hope that I can resume translating Volume 7 (Chapter 4) in this coming June.

To read my translation in other languages, check this tips. Please refrain from posting my translations elsewhere. If you need to quote it, please acknowledge my site for the quote, because translating from Japanese hardcopy texts to English is a really hard work...

I will delete this translation when there is an indication that the novel will be translated into English and I will replace it with the summary of the chapter.  Meanwhile, thank you for reading! 

Volume 9
The Ayakashi Inn Bento Boxes for You

Chapter 2

The Fire Chicken Teriyaki in a Lacquered Lunch Box^

P37-38

The morning after. I jumped at the sound of the clock tower bell that announced that it was already midday. 

“Aaarrgh!!! OMG OMG OMG! I overslept!

I tried to change my clothes in a hurry, but the kimono I had is nowhere to be seen. 

“Good morning, Aoi-sama.”

The fusuma opens and enters Miss Butterfly. 

“Good morning. Uhm… Miss Butterfly. I’d be very happy if I could use your kitchen…”

“You would like to arrange for your own meals, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes. Could it be that you’ve made it for me?”

“No. Ōgondōji-sama said that you prefer to make your own meals, hence I didn’t make one for you.”

“Ah, thank you very much. However, sorry if it becomes such a trouble.”

Although with her severity, Ōgondōji-sama doesn’t give off the vibe of someone who would entertain her guests, she actually understands my intentions. 

P38

On her part, as expected from Ōgondōji-sama’s retainer, Miss Butterfly also spoke with such a calm, collected, yet severe manner. 

“Aoi-sama, about your clothes. Your trademark Moonflower kimono just signals your presence, hence, it would be a good idea to dress differently for a while. I am going to wash it for now.”

“Ah, that’s why I can’t find my kimono. Thank you. However, I don’t bring any other kimono with me.”

“Please do not worry about it. The Director has prepared this kimono for you. Please enjoy it.”

What Miss Butterfly presents is a maroon haori worn by students I saw downtown yesterday. In addition, there is a kimono with a pattern called yagasuri^  (arrow feathers) for female students and a dark green-blue hakama. 

“Am I going to behave like a student then?”

“That is the easier way to go undercover here. By the way, Ōdanna-sama has also donned this haori since yesterday.”

“That’s true. Because Ōdanna-sama is also cosplaying as a student, I’ll also yield in.”

First, because I’m going to cook, I wear only the yagasuri kimono and hakama. I also tie up my kimono sleeves with the tasuki rope. After I’m ready, Miss Butterfly indeed went out into the corridor and took me to the kitchen. At any rate, this place is a much more spacious residence compared to when seen from outside. It has several big rooms and long corridors… 

P39

“This is the kitchen. Basically, we Zashiki-warashi only eat sweets from the sweet adzuki beans. Therefore, we don’t have many food ingredients. However, it seems Ōdanna-sama has procured some ingredients in the morning, hence feel free to use them.”

“Ōdanna-sama has prepared some ingredients?”

Or perhaps I should say that Ōdanna-sama is already awake. That’s so me that I overslept so much. Well, I’m brimming anyway with the mood to make something.

“Ōdanna-sama put the ingredients here before immediately going out.”

“I see… Where would he go, I wonder?”

“Because he lived here for a while, perhaps he just wanders around, feeling nostalgic.”

“Aah. Is that so… that must be it, right…”

For now, wondering what kind of ingredients I have now, I checked what the kitchen offered.

“Daikon, burdock root, carrots, Japanese mustard spinach, white cabbage,  shishito pepper^, raw tofu, fried tofu, wild berries, and chicken.”

Just basic staple. Judging from the labels, it seems that the tofu is from Yōto while the root vegetables are from the North. The label says that the green vegetables are from the Bunmon Vegetable Laboratory, so it might be grown in a research institute. The chicken are the Kimon fire chicken. It seems getting ingredients from other places is not an issue in Bunmon. On the other hand, this place might have no specialty.  

P40

Those things are not essential to this land. They have other weapons in their arsenal here: the academics, medical care and research. Even when they are developing vegetables, the production would be in other places. Basically, this land is a land that imports things from here and there, explains Miss Butterfly. 

However, the interesting thing is, for the seasonings, it seems one can easily get the chemical seasonings similar to those sold in Utsushiyo. This villa’s kitchen also has some of those: solid consomme, granular soup stock, etc^. Chemical seasoning seems to be a field that Bunmon has been focusing on as of late. As expected from an academic city. 

“Ah, eggs. Not the fire chicken eggs, but they’re small and red. They’re also slightly warm. I wonder if they were laid in the morning…Hmm…?”

Something that looks like a letter is laid under the zaru (bamboo draining basket) that holds the morning eggs.

“I’ll be at the Bunmon University Central Square. It’s a bento day today.”

To put it simply, he asked me to make a bento and take it to the university.  

Yesterday he smoothly said, “I’ll definitely not trouble Aoi”, but he immediately asks me to do things. 

P41-42

“Be that as it may, Ōdanna-sama truly likes bento, eh? I wonder why that is.”

For a chef, preparing a bento that is better than freshly cooked meals is a bit complicated^, but that is indeed the charm of a bento. Plus, the truth is, I kept thinking that, if I ever see Ōdanna-sama again, I’d make anything for him. My hands then naturally moved on their own.  

“But I still don’t know Ōdanna-sama’s favourite food even until now.”

I do know he hates pumpkins…

For an easy preparation of the bento, I par-boil the Japanese mustard spinach in bonito-flavoured soy sauce. I then make the thick tamago-yaki. Then I groan, thinking of what to do with the other ingredients. 

“Perhaps he’ll like a chicken dish.  After all, Kimon is the production region for the fire chicken. He did look like enjoying himself when eating the fire chicken in Tenjin-ya back then. You shouldn’t hate what you’re used to eating in your home town, right.”

For that reason, the main dish for today’s bento will be the easy-to-make chicken teriyaki. I make shallow cuts in the chicken and sprinkle the chicken with wheat flour. I warm the oil in a flat pan and pan-fry the chicken, skin-down. It’s a good thing to sautee shishito pepper with the chicken to enhance the flavour of the chicken. Shishito pepper is also a good side dish for bento; just fry the shishito until it starts to burn and take it out of the pan. 

I then fry the back side of the chicken as well. When the chicken turns golden, I pour in the prepared teriyaki sauce and let it simmer slowly. Stir the dish until it has a nice lustre and the seasoning is even.

P42

When the nice aroma starts to drift in the kitchen, in time I take the meat out of the pan and cut it into bite-size pieces. The slowly exuding chicken gravy and the sweet and spicy aroma of the sauce are mixed, such that I couldn’t help but tasting one of the edges. After all, freshly made meals are delicious. It makes me wanting for white rice. 

Since Miss Butterfly the Zashiki-warashi was peeking through the gap in the living room fusuma, 

“Miss Butterfly, would you like to try the chicken teriyaki?”

“Is that okay?”

“There’s another end of the meat, you know. I plan to put the chicken teriyaki inside a lacquered box, hence I thought of sampling it.”

With small but quick steps, Miss Butterfly enters the dirt floored kitchen. She looks cute with a calm and collected countenance and her mouth opens slightly. I brought the teriyaki into her mouth. 

“The teriyaki sauce is… sweet and spicy, with a lot of sugar. It has been properly simmered, it’s a substantial meal. It’s delicious.”

I chuckle. “Thanks.”

On the other hand, the tamago-yaki is not sweet, but it has savoury seasonings. The thick omellette is cooked through to the inside and it’s not runny.

P43-44

I also cut the tamago-yaki thinly from the edge…

“Done. I have all the dishes. And now I will put the freshly cooked rice in the bento box…”

I found bento boxes made of white wood in the kitchen cupboard. They are retro bento boxes that look like paintings^. There are three sizes: large, medium and small. The large one is for Ōdanna-sama, while the medium one is for me. I spread the cooked rice at the bottom of the bento box, then I layer it with nori, onto which I arrange the freshly made chicken teriyaki. I also arrange the thinly sliced tamago-yaki side by side. I garnish the middle part with fried shishito pepper; I add the par-boiled drained mustard spinach to the edge. 

“Ta-da! We have the boxed lunch of still-warm thick tamago-yaki and chicken teriyaki!”

Yes, yes. Even if I say so myself, I’d like to think that I did make a bento that looks delicious. On top of that, I’m now super hungry. Well, I didn’t have breakfast, did I?

I place the bento boxes in a bamboo basket along with hand towels and a flask containing green tea. I take the basket and then hurriedly make a preparation to meet Ōdanna-sama.

“Aoi-sama, do you know that, to get to the university, you just need to go towards the Clock Tower?”

“Got it, thanks!” 

I make a mental picture of the direction, put on my geta and leave the villa.

“Oh yeah, Miss Butterfly. This small bento box has the same dishes, hence if you’re hungry, just eat it!”

P44-45

“…”

Miss Butterfly just bobbed her head and said “Have a nice day.” 

-xxx-

“Let’s see… The University… Bunmon University…”

Although the townscape of Bunmon is different among Kakuriyo cities, and although I grew up in Utsushiyo, why is that I feel a bit nostalgic here? It’s not that there are no Japanese houses here. However, the green square apartment buildings do stand out. The closer I am to the Clock Tower, the larger the facilities are next to each other. The green tiled streets are also refreshing in the daytime and very neatly arranged with no garbage in sight. Easy-to-understand signboards are available here and there to guide me. 

The Bunmon University is apparently behind the Clock Tower. I follow the signs and enter the facility in front of the Clock Tower and encounter a “moving footpath”. Even ordinary people can pass through quickly. An automatic moving footpath cuts through a vast space just like in airports. The footpath is used by university students, lecturers, researchers, doctors, and ordinary people alike; all walking in a hurry. 

P45

There’s nothing like a moving footpath for the time-constrained ayakashi here. That also goes well for me, who grew up in Utsushiyo. There was a moving footpath at my local station and I would walk it confidently.

“What… whaaaaatt…!!!”

However,  regrettably I was pushed off and shoved off by busy intellectual ayakashi folks, such that I ended up pushed out of the moving footpath. I couldn't help it, for unlike in Utsushiyo, there was no handrail here. What the heck, the ayakashi folks here! They handle the moving footpath like the pros in Utsushiyo; they got appointments to catch for a living.

“Well, what do you know. Is it Aoi-san? Are you okay?!”

“Hmm?”

I looked into the bamboo basket to confirm that the bento boxes was safe. When I stood up and dusted off my knees, someone ahead called me. As I lift my head, I see the Tenjin-ya footwear manager, the Bunmon tanuki Chiaki-san. Holding a pile of books, he is observing me with a worried look from his location. 

“Chiaki-san! Ah, of course! You went to Bunmon!”

“Yes. After delivering a letter from the Young Master in the Northern Land to the Grandmother Director, I was instructed to wait here. 

P46

Chiaki-san explained briefly with a friendly smile on his face. 

“At any rate, the books look heavy, Chiaki-san.”

“Ahahaha! I’m just carrying my errands. Aoi-san, you also have something to carry.”

“These are bento boxes. I thought of bringing them to Ōdanna-sama.”

“I see. I heard that Ōdanna-sama had been having it rough and that he finally woke up after a long sleep. I haven't even paid my respect yet...”

Chiaki-san seems to think of something, but when he noticed that I was staring at him, he flashed his subtle smile again.

“Well, he does love bento. He must have wanted to eat your bento, Aoi-san.”

“Umm… Is Ōdanna-sama liking bento a well-known fact?”

“At least, it’s been the case since I started working at Tenjin-ya. He travels a lot, so he must have had many opportunities to eat bento. However, that must be a very good thing for Ōdanna-sama, eating your delicious home-made bento. Why, the Land of Bunmon is known as “The Land of the Yucky Meals”, after all…”

“Is-is that true?”

That was the time when the sound of the large bell of the Clock Tower reverberates, announcing that it is already 2 pm. Chiaki-san gasps as he lifts his face. 

P47-48

“Ah, I’m sorry, Aoi-san. I’m rather in a haste. To go to the Bunmon University, just follow this footpath straight. To go to the Central Square, cut through the Boulevard and cross Building 1. You won’t get loss. Because I’m at the Great Library next to the University, if you and Ōdanna-sama are not in a rush, please come to the Great Library this time.” 

Afterwards, Chiaki-san rushed to walk the moving footpath. The Great Library, is it? Bunmon has collected a large amount of books, eh.

I prepared myself for the moving footpath once more. This time, I got the hang of it and safely arrived at the Bunmon University ground. I walk across the giant school gate and walk along a spacious tree-lined boulevard. No one pays attention at me, perhaps because I’m wearing a university student maroon haori. But perhaps the very reason for them not even noticing the presence of a human here is that they are not interested in others. 

“At any rate, here is the Bunmon University. It’s very spacious.”

I might be feeling nostalgic because, until just recently, I was a university student myself. Yet, I came to Kakuriyo without finishing my university degree. Now, I don’t know what I would be doing there had I stayed in Utsushiyo. That issue would have bothered many people. Yet, what should I do anyway…

“Let’s see…Didn’t he say that the Central Square is after passing Building 1?”

It seems that the building with greenish grey-walls is Building 1. At first glance, it looks like a giant building with bare concrete, and you can feel the taste of the modern buildings of Utsushiyo.

P48

The aisle that cuts through the center is dimly-lit, with a cool, inorganic coldness.  The end of the aisle was bright though, thus I felt a bit relieved. I run along the aisle. 

“Wow…”

I arrived at a square surrounded by several buildings. The light is a bit dim because the tall buildings are towering from all directions. However, the light streaming in from above is whimsical. The square ground is covered with white gravels and there is a small man-made bamboo grove in the middle.  There are red chairs around the bamboo grove where students can sit freely. It was a modern and fashionable space not unlike that of Utsushiyo., Here and there, some students are napping at the chaise longues, while others settle down in their favourite places, reading books.  

While I am restlessly looking around to find Ōdanna-sama’s whereabouts, 

“Ah, there you are!”

Sitting at one of the chaise longue surrounding a man-made bamboo grove, Ōdanna-sama is playing with some tube kittens coming out of the bamboo grove. 

“Ōdanna-sama, you look quite like Byakuya-san when you’re like this.”

“Oh, Aoi. You got here without getting lost!”

Wearing his university uniform, Ōdanna-sama blends into the surroundings such that no one would know that he was the Master of Tenjin-ya.

P49

How shall I say it… he doesn’t have his usual aura. He is now just an ordinary man…I mean, an ordinary ayakashi.

“Ōdanna-sama, you said you wanted to eat bento, right? Yet you’ve been away since the morning. Thanks to you, I came here after such a struggle.”

“But it wouldn’t have been that difficult, would it? There are footpaths that move along with psychic power.”

“That’s the hardest thing, you know.   The ayakashi here are all rushing.” 

“You can say that again. Because I live a long life, living a slower-paced life would have actually been a good thing.”

“It’s like a school rush hour in Utsushiyo.”

I sit next to Ōdanna-sama and listen to the sound of the swaying bamboo grooves. Compared to the tube kittens at the mountain behind Tenjin-ya, the tube kittens here are more refined. Although they were interested in me, they just flew around and around before finally returning to the grove. I suppose it’s siesta time for them. 

“It does remind me of the university I was enrolled in. There was a stray cat there.”

“What did you study, Aoi? Did you study culinary?”

“No way! I was just a normal student of Literature Studies. I studied the World Civilisation^. Cooking is a hobby of mine; I learned cooking from Grandpa.”

“Oh… But now I understand a bit of why you are familiar with local cuisines from around the world, Aoi.” 

P50

“Well, since I am interested in global cuisine, I did a lot of research on that topic.”

But I wouldn’t have a clue that I would use that knowledge to survive in Kakuriyo.

“Now, Aoi, the bento. Let’s eat the bento.”

“Are you hungry, Ōdanna-sama?”

“Of course. Without having breakfast, I hang around the university, mingled with the students, and took classes and listened to lectures without permission. As expected, I am tired and hungry.”

“What audacity! Must I remind you that you’re now a fugitive?!”

“Don’t worry. The lot here are not my enemies. For them, for the fellow students here, their so-called enemies, their own rivals are themselves.”

“Sounds like you gloss over it with that rather cool expression.”

You just can’t help yourself, eh, Ōdanna-sama.

In a dash, I took out the bento boxes from the bamboo basket and gave the big one to Ōdanna-sama.

“Ooohh. You made hikuidori, the fire chicken dish.”

“Yes. Today’s bento is ‘Fire Chicken Teriyaki in a Lacquered Box’. I thought you would like to eat the Kimon hikuidori.”

“As expected from my wise wife. Apparently, when you are accustomed to eating a certain ingredient, when you don’t eat it for a while, your body does crave for it.”

P51

First, Ōdanna-sama ate the thickly rolled omelette in one gulp. Then, he stuffed his mouth with the fire chicken teriyaki. And then, he bolts down whatever he sees. Although he seems to be hungry, he does look like enjoying his food. It’s a delight to see him eating like that.

“Say, Aoi. As a token of gratitude for the bento you made, do think of one question you want to ask.”

“…Eh?”

What a surprising proposition.

“What do you mean by that? Something that I want to ask… well, I have aplenty, so… only one?”

Ōdanna-sama seems to think that my slight confusion is interesting to see, hence he chuckles. 

“Well, that’s true. Okay, how about this? While I’m in Bunmon, you’ll make me bento each day. In exchange, I will tell you one worthy ‘truth’ for one bento. How’s that?”

“One truth… for… each time I make a bento?”

Does Ōdanna-sama want to eat bento that much? However, If I am to receive one truth that in exchange for a bento… well, I have a mountain of questions for Ōdanna-sama for that.

Say, Ōdanna-sama, what’s your favourite food?

P52

What is your real name, Ōdanna-sama?

“…”

Nevertheless, although I have wanted to ask those questions so many times, for some reasons I can’t even ask them immediately. I gently touched my own lips. Although at great pains, Ōdanna-sama was finally able to eat a bento meal, he seems to also been thinking about this issue. 

Favourite food or real name. But they don’t really have special meanings, do they? Would things change if I know those things? There’s also a surge of indescribable anxiety in my chest. How shall I say it… I felt that I need to ask my question in a different order. I felt that there are many overlapping secrets, each are intricately intertwined with the other. 

“Ah… ummm… Say Ōdanna-sama, what kind of student were you?"

For now, that was apparently the question I could come up with. It seems to be an unexpected question for Ōdanna-sama, for he blinked in surprise. Yet, he props up his chin and “ummm…” to himself as he thinks about it.

“Hmm. You want to know about my university days. At that time, I was part of a study group of four students, which included Natsuha, Zakuro of the Great Lake Skewer Confectionery and a guy^ from the Army General family.”

P53

“Zakuro-san too?!”

“Yeah. Have you met Zakuro, Aoi?”

“Y-yes…”

Zakuro-san. She’s the Hachiyō of the Southeastern Land, an Azuki Arai^. Hailing from the Great Lake Skewer Confectionery, she’s an artisan of wagashi, a type of Japanese sweets often served with tea. Zakuro-san is the purveyor of wagashi for the Imperial Court. I’ve met her once in Yōto. She did say quite a lot of stinging remarks about the sweets I produced.

“I heard that Zakuro-san was a member of Tenjin-ya during its initial stage.”

“Yep. After I became the Master of Tenjin-ya, I invited her over because we don’t have an artisan specialized in sweets in Tenjin-ya. However, it seems Zakuro felt out of place with our business.”

“The Moonflower… I mean, the bungalow at the back yard, I heard that Zakuro-san used it for the sweets business in the first place.”

“Yep, that’s true. Zakuro was an excellent confectioner, hence we opened a tea house there for her. It was one of Tenjin-ya’s strong points at that time. However, after she left, we could do nothing good out of it. It became a place with a shady history. That is, until you came.”

“Well… it’s also like that for me. If you ask me if Moonflower is working, it’s still a questionable location.”

“What are you saying. You’ve done many great things there!”

Ōdanna-sama stopped eating his bento midway and looked down at me in an uncertain manner. He seems to have noticed something^^.

P54

“What did Zakuro say to you?”

“… She said that my cooking… is just a fad. It won’t be remembered by posterity … she said.”

“Is that so. … Even until now, those were just the words I expected from her…”

I give Ōdanna-sama a fleeting glance. He can’t say anything more, but his face displays a bitter smile.

“In addition, I heard something else from Hatori-san. Zakuro-san was…she used to be your fiancée, right, Ōdanna-sama?”

“Eh? Ahahahahahahaha!!!”

After giving me a puzzled look,  Ōdanna-sama strikes his own knee and laughs out loud. 

“No way! It’s true that Zakuro was my friend during the university years, but our relationship was never like that, not even once. Rather, Zakuro used to lecture me harshly at times…” He gasps before resuming, “Don't tell me that you're concerned about this, Aoi?!”

“No-no way!”

I instinctively turned away with such a non-cute response. Why, you asked? Well, because Ōdanna-sama had such a hopeful look on his face!

“Well, what the heck… Zakuro no longer considers me as her friend. That’s because when she left Tenjin-ya, she already found out that I was… a jyaki^.”

P55-56

Ōdanna-sama said “jyaki”.

I once again face Ōdanna-sama. With a serious countenance, he gazes rather far away into the vast sky. 

“Aoi, I don't know how much you know about me, but as a jyaki, I was once sealed away. Five hundred years ago Ōgondōji-sama woke me up from the deep underground of the Oni Gate.”

“I have… heard a bit of that story. But it means, you also had a time before you were sealed off, right?”

“Yep. I actually lived in Utsushiyo a thousand years ago.”

“Eh, in Utsushiyo? Really?”

So, it means that Ōdanna-sama has lived for 1,000 years?

“I was apparently born in Kakuriyo, but when I was just born, I was whisked away to Utsushiyo. The time period when it happened was the Heian Era^.” 

“The Heian Era… I see…”

That was such a long time ago that I couldn’t imagine. Yet, Ōdanna-sama was familiar with such a by-gone era. 

“Jyaki was actually Kakuriyo’s native species during the antiquity time. Just like the ayakashi of the Northern Land. However, at that time, due to the dispute with the ayakashi folks migrating from Tokoyo the Underworld, many of us were killed or sealed off. 

P56

In the first place, at that time, we were not called jyaki to begin with. Why, the term jyaki was coined by the royal family to look down on us."

“… What were you guys called in the first place then?”

“Setsuki^.”

With secretive little voice, Ōdanna-sama finished his revelation and gently let me absorb it.

The wind blows strongly, hoisting my side hair.  

“Originally, we were not called the jyaki. Instead we were a clan called ‘Setsuki’.”

The sound of the bamboo leaves swaying and rustling tickles my ears. I notice that there are no students around us now, only Ōdanna-sama and I. Ōdanna-sama himself seems to be engrossed in his thoughts.

Basically, to provide a place for the ayakashi immigrants from the Underworld who came to Kakuriyo from across the sea, the powerful indigenous ayakashi of the Setsuki Tribe became the bad guys who had to be eliminated.

“All over the land, constant conflicts occurred between the indigenous ayakashi of Kakuriyo and the migrants ayakashi from Tokoyo. The Icemen Clan of the Northern Land survived thanks to their special constitution and their land being covered by ice. However, the Setsuki Clan chose to fight back and most of us were killed or sealed off. … Many from the Setsuki Clan also 

P57

killed the invaders and then ate them. Because of this heinous act, the notoriously villainous legend sticks with us even until now. Also, the Great King and the Founder of the current kingdom was actually killed^ by a setsuki. However, the creation of the so-called jyaki the villains might have been a means to justify the history of their own invasion.”

The current Royal Family and the aristocrats are actually the invaders from Tokoyo the Underworld. At least, they are the descendants of the invaders. To justify this fact, the story of the extermination of the evil oni has been handed down as a heroic tale.

“My parents would have held a distinguished position in the Setsuki Clan. Yet, in the midst of the upheaval in those bygone days, just for me, who was still a baby at that time, they escaped from Kakuriyo to Utsushiyo. Afterwards, I secretly survived in Utsushiyo. Yet, Utsushiyo has this ambiguity about ayakashi living in Utsushiyo. Any ayakashi, oni or not, was regarded as an evil existence and being hated for that. There were humans who knew how to eradicate ayakashi. Something like the art of demon exorcism and Onmyōji, the Five Elements. Well, the famous example would be Abe no Seimei^^, I think."

“Then, Ōdanna-sama, you lived in an era when Abe no Seimei was alive, right?! You were his contemporary*!”

I myself would know of such a big name. Grandpa seemed to know a bit about exorcism. I am also aware that the ayakashi folks of Utsushiyo have been exterminated by exorcists. Consequently, Utsushiyo is a difficult place for ayakashi to live. It was apparently also like that for a thousand years. 

“Although I wasn’t aware of Kakuriyo, I knew that Utsushiyo was not my own world. Although

P58

I have never seen my birthplace, I ended up wanting to go back there. … Yes, yes. A thousand years ago, in Utsushiyo, I had an oni friend who knew how to find the door that led us to the world of the spirits. I went back and forth between Utsushiyo and Kakuriyo several times with him. Then, at one point, I stopped returning back to Utsushiyo and instead I spent my time in Kakuriyo.”

Ōdanna-sama kept going.

“However, at that time, there were many ayakashi in Kakuriyo who still remembered their hatred towards the setsuki… no, the jyaki. There were other races of oni in Kakuriyo. They lived normally and mingled with other ayakashi folks in Kakuriyo. However, the jyaki were unforgiven. Therefore, I was captured and sealed off for being a jyaki. There, deep in the underground of the Oni Gate. Shameful, isn’t it? After a long struggle, my parents escaped to Utsushiyo for me. Yet, because I returned to Kakuriyo, I got sealed off.”

“No. No.”  

I just shook my head.

“However, weren’t you lonely, being imprisoned in such a dark place?”

I have so many thoughts upon listening to Ōdanna-sama’s story. Yet, the first thing that  came out of my mouth was that. Ōdanna-sama gives me a fleeting glance before suddenly smiling slightly.

“I hardly remembered anything when being sealed off. However, when Ōgondōji-sama woke me up, I reverted back to a child form. Afterwards, I was raised by Ōgondōji-sama,

P59

then I got the petname of ‘Ōdanna’ in Tenjin-ya. While spending time outside Tenjin-ya, my alias is ‘Jinpachi’. The reason why ‘Jinpachi’ was chosen as my alias was because, back in those days, it was a popular boy’s name, hence I wouldn't stand out. It was Ōgondōji-sama who ordered that name to be used, because, at any rate, I had to hide the fact that I was a jyaki.”

Alias…? Turns out, ‘Jinpachi’ was a pseudonym after all. 

“Afterwards, well… since I was a little oni boy until becoming an oni student, I managed to graduate from the university safely. Then, I worked at Tenjin-ya before officially took charge as the Master to date. And now, Raijū exposing my true form was a miscalculation^. Ahahahaha!”

“That-that’s not a laughing matter!”

“It is a laughing matter. Why, because I was able to fool the ayakashi of Kakuriyo for about 500 years. So much for ‘the kijin’, the so-called oni god. There’s nothing more interesting for the ayakashi to talk about now than this.”

Ōdanna-sama chuckled and made a bad face. Turns out, he’s indeed an oni. On the other hand, what a sad history and past life he has…

I knew nothing. Nothing at all… about this guy…

“What will you do from now on, then, Ōdanna-sama?”

Because his secret as a jyaki has been exposed, Ōdanna-sama’s life would be very different from now on. 

P60

Everyone in Kakuriyo has learned that Ōdanna-sama is a jyaki. They hurl abuses with strong, heartless words at him for being a jyaki. Such is the extent of the hatred of the current Kakuriyo ayakashi towards jyaki.

Looking up at the sky with both hands behind the chaise longue, Ōdanna-sama says, 

“That’s true… With things as they are, shall I go to Utsushiyo then? The modern Utsushiyo is an easy place for ayakashi to live in. Perhaps Asakusa^?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Aoi. Aren’t you slowly missing Utsushiyo? Then, let’s forget about everything here and run away with me.”

“…”

I can’t believe the words coming out of Ōdanna-sama’s mouth. 

-TBA in Part 2 (read here)-

Translation notes

Following Kakuriyo Translation & Fan Translator By Choice, I put the page numbers of the original novel volumes (the Japanese version) in the translation to enable any readers who can read Japanese and have the books to examine the related pages. If the last sentence of a page goes over the next page, I will put a combined page number as an indication. 

I use mainly Jisho.org for Kanji searching, though at times Romajidesu.com and Nihongo-pro.com are used as well. I use Google Translator to have a rough guess of the meaning of phrases, but then I consult my trusted Japanese grammar book for the closer approximations of the meanings (the “Japanese the Manga Way” by Wayne P. Lammers – I would have otherwise tripped on nuances such as “kita”, “iku” and “okimasu”). I use The Jaded Network for SFX effect translations.

Seigo Nakao’s “Japanese-English English-Japanese Dictionary” has proven to be very useful as a companion to Jisho.org. To assist with grammar, I also use Naoko Chino’s “All About Particles”, Kakuko Shoji’s “Japanese Core Words and Phrases”, Kakuko Shoji’s “Common Japanese Collocations”, Kakuko Shoji’s “Basic Connections” and Kamiya Taeko’s “Japanese Sentence Patterns for Effective Communication”.

Specific translation notes

Chapter title: ^ The chapter title is食火鶏の照り焼き重, while teriyaki juu 照り焼き重 is the teriyaki served in a jubako, traditional Japanese lacquered food box with a lid.

P38: ^ yagasuri 矢絣柄 is a Japanese pattern resembling arrow feathers (see Aoi’s kimono on the Vol 9 cover)

P39: ^ Shishito pepper looks like green chillies, but slightly bulkier

P40: ^ Uh, don’t go there. Avoid chemical seasonings at any cost, Aoi! I’ll take organic, natural seasonings any day!

P41: ^ That is true that there’s a trick at making a delicious bento. I make bento for lunch at times to bring to work, and I have learned that, if I slightly over-season the dishes, it will taste better. Also, don’t bother to heat up your bento. It’s actually better eaten cold, as long as all rice and the side dishes are properly cooled off before you close the bento lid, so they don’t ‘sweat’ inside the bento box.  

P43: ^ The Japanese sentence is 絵に描いたようなレトロなお弁当箱だ but I am not sure what it means with ‘e ni kaita’. As in, the bento box is so pretty, as if emerging from a painting? And what does it mean with ‘retro’ if it is equated with a painting?

P49: ^While translating Vol 12 Ch 13, I realised that Aoi lived in Kitakyushu when she was still living with Tsubaki Shirō. There is a university in Kitakyushu called... The University of Kitakyushu, and there is a Faculty of Humanities, Dept. of Comparative Cultures. It sounds like what Aoi would study, so I think this is where she would study in the real world.

P52: ^ This guy is actually 将軍家出身の男子学生, which basically means that his family serves the Shogunate. However, because Kakuriyo doesn’t have a Shogunate system per se, I translated 将軍家 as “the Army General family”. He might appear later in Volume 9. 

P53: ^ Azuki arai is a type of youkai who washes azuki beans. Zakuro, a very beautiful azuki arai, is a food artisan of the Great Lake Skewer Confectionery and her specialty is wagashi, a type of Japanese sweets which includes mochi. In Vol 7, Zakuro met Aoi and dissed the latter’s sweets, saying it wasn’t good enough.

To see a JP drama about wagashi, watch Fukuyado Honpo (Kyoto Love Story). It’s a bit cheesy, but I love the main actresses, which includes Sasaki Nozomi. 

^^ I love him!! He knows Aoi just by looking at her reaction!

P54: ^ Two things: First, this is the first time that Ōdanna candidly admitted that he is a jyaki (Aoi also noticed it). Second, it seems Zakuro knew that Ōdanna was a jyaki way before Raijū found out about it. Was that why she left Tenjin-ya? As in, Byakuya knew about Ōdanna being a jyaki but he was cool about it. I suspect Saraku-hakase was also in the know, but also cool about it. However, Zakuro couldn't digest it, hence she left? Is it possible that Raijū further confirmed his suspicion that Ōdanna was a jyaki from Zakuro?? Not that she'd tell, but Raijū got that from her reaction or so??

P55: ^ No wonder Ōdanna-sama always reminded me of Mansairaku, the anti-hero of Otogi Zoshi! Both of them existed together in the Heian Era! Not to mention that both of them had extreme dark secrets they carried all the time…

P56: ^ “Setsuki” is written as 刹鬼 in Japanese. The first Kanji is Ōdanna-sama’s real name, and the second Kanji is ‘oni’. It means “oni who lives in temples”.

P57: ^ I knew it!!! I said that in Vol 7 Ch 2!

^^ Again, Otogi Zoshi has Abe no Seimei as one of the main characters. His alter-ego is actually Mansairaku, the guy I often associate with Ōdanna-sama, if not only for their aloofness (and now that they lived in the same era, it becomes more interesting to me personally!).

*I added the last sentence about Ōdanna-sama being Abe no Seimei’s contemporary just to make it clear.

P59: ^ The Japanese sentence is 今になって雷獣に化けの皮を剥がされたのは誤算だったがな。But I don’t know whether the ‘miscalculation’ 誤算 was on Ōdanna-sama’s part or Raijū’s part. 

P60: ^ Ōdanna-sama has an ayakashi friend in Asakusa called Sutendōji, and the story of this guy is told in Yuma Midori’s other novel. I have a sneaky feeling that Sutendōji was the friend who first took Ōdanna-sama back to Kakuriyo. However, while Setsu decided to stay in Kakuriyo, Sutendōji decided Kakuriyo was too dangerous for him and returned to Utsushiyo. This is my guess only.