Novel Vol 9 Ch 6 (The Last Bento)

Ōdanna-sama...

Apologies for the long wait. Below is my translation of Volume 9 Chapter 6. MAJOR SPOILERS, so you’ve been warned… Next, I will translate Vol 9 Ch 7 which reveals how Aoi finds out Ōdanna-sama's true name. Then, I will translate Vol 10 Ch 5, and then go back to finishing Volumes 7 and 8.

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! 

Vol 9 Ch 6: The Last Bento

P204

I slept so soundly such that I didn’t have Hatsuyume^, my first dream of the year. When I woke up, dawn has arrived.

Today is the New Year’s Day.

It's such a quiet morning that I don't feel that today is the beginning of the year. Right now, the Hachiyō are gathering at Yōto and I think our friends at Tenjin-ya are preparing for the last battle. And yet, I feel such peace and happiness, and I also think today will turn out to be a calm day ...

“Ōdanna-sama…?”

Suddenly, I wanted to see Ōdanna-sama. In the first place, I don’t have any recollection that I fell asleep yesterday. What was that last word that I exchanged with Ōdanna-sama before I fell asleep?

I changed my clothes in a hurry and look around the room^^. Ōdanna-sama’s form is nowhere to be seen. I can’t find him.

P205

Gradually, I become anxious and I put my hands on my chest.

No way. Ōdanna-sama won’t leave me and return to Yōto alone without saying a word… 

“O-odanna-sama… where are you?”

Why is that…Without saying a word to me, without a goodbye from Ōdanna-sama, I am agitated like this…

There was a clatter outside the kitchen door, so I hurriedly open the sliding door. 

“Ooh! You caught me by surprise. Good morning, Aoi.”

“…Ōdanna-sama…”

Ōdanna-sama is there, as if nothing happens, wearing a samue^. It seems that he was watering the flowers outside. With a long sigh, I spontaneously rest my head on Ōdanna-sama’s chest.

“What happened, Aoi? Are you not feeling well?!”

“No, that’s not it, Ōdanna-sama. Why, it’s because you…”

Relieved that my needless anxiety ended, I feel much better and raise my head. I need to show a cheerful smile.

“Ōdanna-sama! What bento would you like today? Why, I didn’t get to make a bento for you after all yesterday.”

P206

“Well, I was quite full yesterday, my apologies...”

“But if you don’t have the proper bento, you won’t tell me the stories, right?”

“That’s true. Today… umm… Surely I must tell you the most important thing, right?”

“………”

Today, I might learn it all. If so, then today I might also have something to tell Ōdanna-sama.

“So, what do you want?”

“Hmm… if that’s the case, how about Chinese food? Chinese food bento.  I also like Chinese food.”

Smiling sweetly, Ōdanna-sama raises his finger as he makes the suggestion.

“I see! Chinese food, is it… Come to think of it,  I didn’t get to make it a lot in Kakuriyo. Grandpa loved Chinese food like he loved dumplings and he was good at making them. Even at home, whenever it was Chinese food night, Grandpa would go out and buy the ingredients himself.”

“True, true. Shirō was good at it. I often ate his Chinese food. Other ayakashi said that the spicy food was inedible, but I quite like it.”

“… Is that so… Alright then.”

I don't know whether I could produce the taste that Grandpa would produce, but let’s try to make it my way. 

“Ōdanna-sama!”

P207

This is the time when…

Chiaki-san calls from the kitchen door.

“Ōdanna-sama, Grandma Director summons you!”

With a somewhat serious face, Ōdanna-sama calmly says, “I thought it was about time.”

As for me, I have no idea what the “about time” was all about. I can’t understand Chiaki-san’s expression either. However, I have a bad feeling about this, because the Hachiyō Night Meeting is going to start tonight.

“Ōdanna-sama…”

“Ah, don’t worry, Aoi. No need to make such a face.”

“………”

“After my meeting with the Director, I will tell you about things. Well, even Natsuha doesn’t have time for a long chat.  Although, I actually also wanted to help you making the bento…”

Maybe because I look worried, Ōdanna-sama gently touched my cheek.

“Aoi, I am looking forward for the lunch. I will come back here before the clock bell strikes at noon.”

Summoned by the Bunmon Tanuki Natsuha-san, Ōdanna-sama went to the Clock Tower. He said it wouldn’t be a long chat, but…

P208

“If today is the day when he tells me all about it, then this bento conversation will also be the last time, right.”

Our conversations while eating the bento has been fun, hence I feel a bit lonely.

“But I don’t know yet about Ōdanna-sama’s favourite food…”

Could it be Chinese food? Perhaps Ōdanna-sama would finally tell me about it because I still haven’t been able to hazard a guess…

No, I have no idea. No clue. Because Ōdanna-sama always eats wholeheartedly anytime, be it the fire chicken teriyaki, the five-colours sandwich and the last bento. Since I still have some remaining ingredients from yesterday’s New Year dishes, I’d like to use them. 

“Grandpa often made shrimp chili, sweet and sour pork, chop suey, the green pepper steak ... Oh, egg foo-yoong made with sesame oil was also delicious. I can’t skip that.  Also, the black vinegar fried rice! If Ōdanna-sama often ate Grandpa’s Chinese food, he’d absolutely have tried it…”

Alright then. For today’s bento, the menu will be the black vinegar fried rice, pepper steak and ebi egg foo-yoong, plus the cucumber and chrysanthemum leaf salad with leftover kanikama – the crab sticks – as the dressing. That is decided.

Once again I left home to go to the Momiji Supermarket at the end of the hill to buy ingredients I didn't have. I got myself some interesting stuffs, which will make the Chinese-food bento perfect. Hehehee…

P209-210

“Aoi-sama, is there anything I can help you with?”

As I return to the Poppies Villa, Miss Butterfly, who was quietly sitting on a zabuton in the tatami living room, asks. And she was nowhere to be seen when I was searching for Ōdanna-sama earlier…

Before I knew it, I have taken her presence for granted^. 

“Thank you, Miss Butterfly. Yeah… I’d love your help.”

The corner of Miss Butterfly’s mouth twitched slightly, as if she was going to say something. However, she just stood up silently, left the strings she had been playing with^^, tied her sleeves with the tasuki* rope and came to my side. While she’s peeling off the vegetable skins for me, I’m making the egg foo-yoong. For that, I will need…

“Ta-da! The Chinese-style chicken stock I bought at the supermarket. It’s a newly released paste product!”

“……………….”

As expected, Miss Butterfly continues peeling the vegetables in silence. I cough and go back to square one. See, making your own chicken stock is hard work. Though I’ve made them at the Moonflower, I’ve also been using instant chicken stock in Kakuriyo**.

P210

That chicken stock was made at the Bunmon Research Institute. However, the chicken stock paste, now this is the first time I see it. Even in Utsushiyo, I’ve only recently saw the easy to use version like this; the paste-like stock in a tube. 

“Aoi-sama, I’ve finished cutting the potato and carrot.”

“Ah, thank you for your help, Miss Butterfly. I’m going to use them both in the egg foo-yoong.”

“Egg foo-yoong… Isn’t that an egg dish from China in Utsushiyo?”

“Yes! You know it quite well. It’s like the Chinese-style seasoned omurice.”

I par-boil the vegetables and left-overs and sauté the shrimp in sesame oil. I crack the eggs in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix them. I heat up a small frying pan, drizzle the sesame oil, pour in the egg mixture, stir it with saibashi (the long cooking chopsticks) and fry it in a low heat for a while.  It looks like a round hot cake. I flip it over and cook it again. It smells delicious and fragrant. The seasoning might be the reason why this omelette smells different from the tamago-yaki I usually make. 

P211-212

Since Miss Butterfly has prepared a large flat plate, I take out the fried egg foo-yong.

“Shall I take this one out?”

“Yes. When It’s time to pack the bento, I’ll do more with it. Just leave it as it is for now.”

I want to make sure that the inside is well-cooked using the retained heat.

“Next is the pepper steak! The classical Chinese dish! Although the real one uses beef, since we have pork leftovers, this one is the pork version of the pepper steak.”

“It’s quite appropriate.”

“That’s fine. I have to use something. It’s also very important to be creative in cooking so that the ingredients are not wasted.”

What a big thing I just said. However, I always strive to cook without leaving much leftover ingredients. There were times when it was difficult to do so during the Moonflower business, but…

Anyway. The pork pepper steak. I have leftover boiled bamboo shoots I used for the New Year dishes, plus leftover pork. Also, because I bought green peppers at the supermarket at the hillslope, I will use them. I first chop the bamboo shoots and green peppers into small pieces, then I season the pork and sprinkle it with potato starch. There’s no wok, so I put sesame oil in a large frying pan, stir-fry the pork to loosen it, 

P212

and add ginger quickly. Ah… it smells so delicious…Here I add the chopped green peppers and bamboo shoots and stir-fry them again.  

“The sauce is the Bunmon oyster sauce. The raw material seems to be from the Southern Land.”

In the first place, Kakuriyo has something similar to oyster sauce, but it seems that this one I have is closer to the Utsushiyo oyster sauce. At least, that’s what’s written on the label. So, I’m adding this oyster sauce, the chicken stock, sake and sugar to the frying pan, and stir-fry them with the rest of the ingredients. The smell of the oyster sauce is kind of nostalgic… Now, I season with salt and pepper and it’s done. I tasted it with Miss Butterfly and yep, it’s delicious. The taste is not too strong, the sugar makes it slightly sweet and mellow.

“It is favourable.”

“It really helps to have an instant seasoning like this. I wonder if I can get it from Bunmon next time. The taste is also close to that of Utsushiyo."

As expected, the Bunmon folks have thoroughly conducted research on this topic. The paste seasoning, squeezed out of the tube is something that has recently been produced in Utsushiyo, thanks for their user-friendliness. 

“Now, the last bit is the black vinegar fried rice!”

P213

“Although the Kakuriyo folks are familiar with fried rice, the black rice version is rather rare, isn’t it?”

"It looks like a black cause of death, but it's surprisingly refreshing and delicious."

I fry the leftover minced meat in salt and pepper. Miss Butterfly chops the onions and the carrots that were also used when making the egg foo-yoong. I add ginger and chopped vegetables to the minced meat and stir-fry, then add cold rice and stir-fry them well in the frying pan so that the whole ingredients are mixed.

“Is this time for the black vinegar?”

I giggle. “Are you curious? I’m mixing the black vinegar in now.”

I take the bottle of black vinegar from Miss Butterfly’s hands, drizzle it on the frying pan, and mix the whole rice mixture. I then drizzle some soy sauce and, when it smells fragrant, I put the fried rice into a serving bowl. The fried rice is piping hot. The ingredients are exceedingly simple, the colour is just a bit dark. The refreshing scent of the sake is appetizing, but it’s for the lunch (i.e. I’m not eating it now^). I need to pack the bento boxes quickly. I cut the egg foo-yoong I made earlier into 6 pieces like a cake and drizzle the prepared sweet and sour sauce on top.

P214

I fill half of the lunch box with black vinegar fried rice. I use the attached partition to stack lettuce leaves into a bowl, which I then fill with plenty of pork pepper steak. Next to the lettuce bowl, I place two layers of egg foo-yoong drizzled with sweet and sour sauce. I then fill the empty spaces with cherry tomatoes and cut cucumbers, with Chinese sauce dressing.

“Yes, it’s done.”

The last bento is done^. The big one is for Ōdanna-sama, the medium one is for me, and the small one is for Miss Butterfly.

“Ōdanna-sama… please come home quickly…”

I’m upbeat. But of course, because once I deliver this bento, I will know about everything… and I might also tell Ōdanna-sama something.

That I have come to love you.

I wrapped the lunch boxes in tenugui towels and put them in a bamboo basket. On the porch, I wait for Ōdanna-sama to return. I vaguely stare at the sasanqua – the winter camellia – flowers, daffodils, and winter flowers unique to Kakuriyo that bloom in the garden.

P215

Come to think of it, Ōdanna-sama has been taking care of these flowers. Ōdanna-sama… he surprisingly has green thumbs…

“Have you been waiting for me, Aoi?”

“Ah, Ōdanna-sama.”

 On time as promised, Ōdanna-sama returned to Ōgondōji-sama’s villa. My eyes snapped because I just saw Ōdanna-sama already assuming his usual Master of Tenjin-ya form.  

“O-Odanna-sama, is that okay that you’re in this form?! With this form, everyone will know that you are the Master of Tenjin-ya.”

“That’s true.  And since I’m on the run, let’s run, Aoi.”

“Eh?!”

Holding the lunch box with one hand, Ōdanna-sama took my hand with the other hand and started running, saying “This way!”.

From the narrow lane behind, we run up the stairs towards something that looks like a secret pathway.

“Where, where are we going, Ōdanna-sama?!”

“This way. There’s a special place ahead of us!”

P216

Ōdanna-sama looks back with the smile of an innocent young boy. As for me, the same old me, that face takes my breath away. You’re so cunning, Ōdanna-sama… You can look like an adult yet boyish too at the same time. However, did you say that you were on the run…?

I run wheezing like crazy as Ōdanna-sama pulls me running. He doesn’t even break a sweat, but I’m huffing and puffing, already out of breath.

 “I’m sorry, Aoi, but we must hurry. If that’s okay with you, I can carry you while running.”

“Oh no… that’s not necessary. It’s embarrassing.”

At any rate, Ōdanna-sama brought me to a shrine at the slope of the hill. The mossy guardian dogs and the broken lanterns seem to be a far cry from the landscape of the well-maintained Bunmon area.

“Is this it?”

“This is a shrine to worship Ōgondōji-sama. There is a protective barrier around which prevents others from easily entering it. Now we can eat your bento to our hearts’ content, Aoi.”

“What on earth are you running away from?”

“Hmm…? Oh, from a big black boar^.”

P217-218

“… come again??”

I'm worried that something might be happening, but Ōdanna-sama goes up to the front shrine, sits down as if nothing happens, and hurries me to open the lunch box as soon as possible.

“We’re eating at the shrine, isn’t the Deity going to be angry?”

 “Don’t worry. This shrine is Ōgondōji-sama’s and it’s akin to her tearoom.”

I understand that Ōgondōji-sama is a daiyōkai in Kakuriyo, but I can’t understand the true nature of her importance. At any rate, the bento. Since I didn’t eat breakfast, it will be brunch then. 

“There you go. As requested, the Chinese food bento. Though it’s a bit weird eating Chinese food on New Year’s Day.”

“We didn’t get to eat the New Year’s Eve soba nor the zōni soup^, did we?”

“Doesn’t feel like New Year at all, eh?”

Ōdanna-sama opens the lid of his large bento box and smiles with satisfaction. I wonder if there’s something there he likes. If that’s so, I’m happy. 

“So nostalgic. This is definitely the Chinese food that Shirō often made.”

“Now, come to think of it, Grandpa did like spicy food. He taught me the sweet and mildly flavoured food that the ayakashi likes. However, just for the Chinese food, I used my own preferred taste.”

P218

“Aoi, do you like Shirō’s Chinese food?”

“Yes. Well, but when I was little, I didn’t really eat a lot of Chinese food because they were too spicy. However, today’s bento has pepper steak and egg foo-yoong, and I like them because they're not spicy.”

First, Ōdanna-sama ate the egg foo-yoong. It’s a Chinese-style omelet with a savory flavor of sesame oil and plenty of vegetables and other ingredients. Since it’s drizzled with sweet and sour sauce, it’s also very useful as a main side dish. 

"Yep. The sweet and sour sauce is appetizing. It has the substantiality of a tamagoyaki with plenty of ingredients."

“This is my favourite.  Because I seasoned the egg mixture, a small quantity of sweet and sour sauce is enough for it.”

Ōdanna-sama bolts down the Chinese-style fried rice, nodding his head, saying “This is it, this is it...”

“This one is also a refreshing, not too sour, fried rice. When Shirō first served me this, I wondered what this black rice was.”

 “Black fried rice does have a strong visual impact.”

“For the pepper steak, the thinly sliced vegetables also have an interesting texture. Looking closely, I can see that yesterday’s leftover vegetables are used here.”

“That’s true. Do you have anything you want to say about it?^”

P219-220

“As expected from my wise wife, you’re thinking far ahead.”

“… there, you’re saying that again.”

And then we both chuckle. The exchanges between us are always pleasant like this, which makes me happy. Of course, Ōdanna-sama eating my home-made bento makes me happy. Will there be a future where things like these become normalcy, I wonder…

Talking with Ōdanna-sama, we looked at the quiet shrine yard and ate the bento. 

“Now. Since I’m being treated to Aoi’s delicious bento lunch, let’s talk.”

“The last… truth?”

“Yes. Aoi, until this day, I have told you bits by bits about your curse^ and things about Shirō. Now, any thoughts for the last truth you want to know?”

“That is…I want to know how you rescued me, Ōdanna-sama.”

What the heck is “the destiny-altering food”?

“…ah, of course…”

Ōdanna-sama folds his arms and looks up to the clear sky. At mid-day, the dim white moon is suspended as one speck.

“Aoi. Originally, the curse that fell upon you was truly unsolvable. Remember that I told you that it was the curse from the King of the Underworld?”

P220-221

“Yes.”

“I’ve told you about a time where the human king and the king of the underworld, the humans and the ghosts, were in a constant dispute. At that time^, several nations divide the land, and the human king and the king of the underworld were vying for world supremacy. Shirō once went to the Underworld, a world that is very big compared to Kakuriyo.”

“Why did he go to the Underworld?”

“That was… I think he might have done that to find some medicine to cure his wife’s illness.”

I heard the other day^^ that Grandpa’s wife… which means, my grandma, had an incurable disease. As a result, she died after giving birth to my dad. It seems Grandpa wasn’t there when Grandma died, for he was in the Underworld…

“Yes. As the result, Shirō couldn’t find what he wanted. However, while he was in the Underworld searching for the medicine, one of the Kings of the Underworld took a liking on him, such that the King told Shirō that he should marry the King’s daughter.”

“Eh? The King’s daughter… she would be an ayakashi then?”

“Yes. The King’s daughter fell in love with Shirō at first sight. Aware of his daughter’s feelings, the King ordered Shirō to marry into the royal family. However, everyone knows that Shirō is not someone who would stay put at one place, even if he’s the next in line for the throne. Besides, in the first place, Shirō came to the Underworld to help his wife.

P221-222

Therefore, he naturally rejected the King’s suggestion and refused the King’s daughter. However… this is where our problem started. Deeply saddened by Shirō’s rejection, the Princess committed suicide after cursing Shirō.”

“……………….”

This revelation, coupled with the silence of the shrine yard, made me shiver. 

The daughter of the King of the Underworld. She loved Grandpa so much that she cast her own life for that…?

“Grieved by the passing of his daughter, the King of the Underworld cursed Shirō upon his daughter’s remains. Instead of cursing Shirō himself, the King cursed Shirō’s relatives, anyone who have a blood connection with Shirō. The thicker the blood, the more powerful the curse is.”

Ōdanna-sama sneered, but he immediately clasped his hands onto his mouth, as if to verify his position^. When an ayakashi laughs bitterly, it is a sign for a situation that went too far.

“Hell hath no fury like an ayakashi scorned^^. I wish Shirō had conducted himself more wisely, but him being him, there was no other way around it… By the time he returned to Utsushiyo, his wife had passed away and his son, Kyōtarō, was carrying the curse. Because of that, Shirō ended up a lonely man.”

Ōdanna-sama narrates all he knows, as much as possible, in a detached manner.

“He was estranged from his parents’ house, the Tsubaki family house. His progeny had also encountered hardship because of him.”

P222

“Aoi, after the death of your father, Tsubaki Kyōtarō, Shirō had been desperately looking for a way to break the curse, but he could find none. The curse of the Underworld is a technique that has been developed during the many years of war, emerging from the darkness of the Underworld itself. It wasn't something that could be solved by a single human being.”

Listening to this story very silently, I now understand the general circumstances around the curse that Grandpa had. And then, there is something to worry about, after all.

“So… so, Ōdanna-sama, how did you…”

How did you find the solution that escaped even Grandpa? How did you lift my curse?

“Ah, of course. Frankly speaking… that was feasible due to the special physical constitution of the Setsuki.”

Then, Ōdanna-sama turned to face me and calmly told me the truth.

“Aoi. The food you ate was… the essence of my own psychic power, so to speak.”

“… the essence of … your own psychic power?”

What the heck does it mean? I totally don’t get it. 

I think the food that I ate when I was a child was white, round, and rather obscure. All I remember was that it was delicious. Thus, when Ōdanna-sama told me that the food was the essence of his psychic power, I just tilted my head. 

P223

However, slowly but sure, I start to understand. That thing, could it be a very valuable thing for Ōdanna-sama…?

“Every ayakashi has the “essence of the psychic power” in his/her body. Something like the heart that circulates the psychic power around the body. However, unlike other ayakashis, the psychic essence in a setsuki can absorb and purify malicious gasses^ or miasma (邪気). Therefore, the jyaki is known as an oni who even eats the souls of other ayakashi. Without the ability to purify poison, you cannot take in the soul of ayakashi – impurities included – into your body.”

However, it was the former invaders ... the current royal family and the aristocrats connected to them who noticed the special properties of the setsuki. 

“Many lands in Kakuriyo had miasma seeping out from the deep underground. It was also the case in the former land that is now called the Oni Gate. The invaders wanted to rule Kakuriyo and make it a liveable land by suppressing the outflow of the miasma back to the ground, and this was done by sealing the setsuki underground to absorb and purify the miasma.”

That is why, on rare occasions, the jyaki (邪鬼) that came out to the ground after the seal was broken are associated with plenty of miasma  (邪気). Thus, these entities were called using the unsightly term of ‘jyaki’, or the ‘evil oni’.

“Aoi, do you remember the jyaki that we encountered in the Southern Land? He was originally a setsuki. Yet, continuously sucking in the miasma, he became a jyaki. Even if you can purify maliciousness, if you ingest too much of it, parts that cannot be purified will remain in the body and you will be clad in that impurity.”

P224

The jyaki in Ep 20 of the anime

“…That… that is…”

Come to think of it, that jyaki indeed said that he and Ōdanna-sama were “the same”. I didn’t know what it meant at that time, but now… I know. Both of them had the same origin.

“Well, from this explanation you can understand the characteristics of the essence of a setsuki’s psychic power. And thus concludes my story.”

Ōdanna-sama closes his eyes for a while before opening them again. 

“I postulated that Aoi’s curse could also be purified by the setsuki essence.”

He continued in a low voice, his voice echoed in silence.

“Aoi, you know that I came to see you when you were starved to death, trapped in that room… only on the first day. At that time, because I was afraid that you’d be scared of the oni mask, I borrowed Ginji’s Southern Land mask. Then I met the younger version of you and I had this strong urge that I should help you. To change your fate of death, I had to lift your curse. That’s why… I implored Ōgondōji-sama to extract my essence, then I had Ginji put it in front of you.”

My benefactor, the masked ayakashi.

I did learn that there were two ayakashis back then from Ginji-san. And now, I understand the purpose of that Southern Land mask. 

P225

And then, I also understand one more thing.

“The, the thing that I ate that time was…the essence of your psychic power, right? That’s your heart, isn’t it?  Then, it’s basically your life…”

I am now shaking. My words are hardly coming out. A great trepidation crawls up my spine, swallowing me, like a dark cloud covering the moon. With my trembling hands, I covered my cheeks. I can’t keep up. Too many things to worry about. 

However, I do know one thing. For ayakashi, psychic power is the same as life itself. Why, an ayakashi has to eat when his/her psychic power is depleted. The fact that I ate Ōdanna-sama’s psychic essence, which later keeps producing the energy for my body, means that… 

...how on earth Ōdanna-sama lives then?!

“Ōdanna-sama… is your body alright?! Your psychic essence, I ended up eating it, so you are…!”

“Aoi, calm down. I’m fine.” 

P226

Ōdanna-sama cuddled me closer to him and stroke my shoulders. 

“Thanks to Ōgondōji-sama’s power, my body has been receiving periodic maintenance. That’s why, there’s no issue. I have the substitute essence inserted here as an alternative to my psychic essence.”

As if nothing happened, Ōdanna-sama pointed at his own solar plexus. 

“My human form was torn off because of Raijū. The shock during that incident caused a crack in the artificial essence, hence I could not move for a while. That was all there is to it.”

“But, but…”

Witnessing my pale face, Ōdanna-sama laughed again with a troubled face. 

“Don’t give me that face, Aoi. It was my decision, it had nothing to do with you.”

“But…Still!”

Yet, he shakes his head. 

I can’t help thinking about the risks Ōdanna-sama took for lifting my curse. 

For a while, Ōdanna-sama watched me intently, waiting for me to calm down.

Then,

“I knew that, once you learned about this story, you would feel indebted to me. That’s why I actually didn’t want to tell you about it. Because, that’s a disadvantage for me.”

P227

“…A disadvantage?”

“It’s a disadvantage in my marrying you.”

“…………”

“If you hear about this story, because you would be grateful and penitent, you might start saying that you love me, that you want to be my wife. You might end up saying those things.”

“That… well, that…”

But it’s true. Once I heard it all, I do want to tell Ōdanna-sama those feelings. 

That I have come to love you.

However, now… I don’t think I could say it anymore. 

Now, if I say that I love him, Ōdanna-sama would just sadly laugh. If I say that I love him because of my gratitude and penitence, Ōdanna-sama might have no choice but to accept my feelings^…

“I finally found you, the Master of Tenjin-ya.”

This was it. 

P228-229

The wind has changed direction.

A man in black armour, his body is so big that I have to look up, appeared in the shrine yard and is now climbing up the stone stairs with heavy footsteps. He was a Yōto soldier wearing a rousing helmet, shaped like a wild boar head, complete with its fangs.

“Kurogai^ Shogun….”

It seemed that Ōdanna-sama knew that ayakashi. Shogun… I see. Could he be one of the three generals of the King? 

Other soldiers in black armor step noisily into the yard and surround us with katana in their hands.

“It’s been a while, Gai^^.” 

As if nothing happens, Ōdanna-sama grins and greets that general. The general, who was called ‘Gai’, smiles back with an indescribable face.

“I’ve become such an old man, but you really haven’t changed, eh. Nevertheless, sorry, Jinpachi.  Traitors who disobey the will of the King must be arrested. Although you have been sheltered by the Bunmon Tanuki, but Director Natsuha has changed her mind. She has sold you out*.”

Kurogai Shogun turns the kissaki** part of his katana towards Ōdanna-sama.

What does he mean by ‘sold you out’? Did the Director tip the King of Ōdanna-sama’s whereabouts?

P229

Ōdanna-sama didn’t say a word in reply. Instead, in silence, he slowly rose. His calm composure is as if he already knew in advance that this thing would happen…

And because of that, my anxiety just went off-scale. Because as Ōdanna-sama turns his back on me, he is walking down the shrine stairs and heading towards the Yōto soldiers.

“O-Odanna…sama…”

I rose and reached out to Ōdanna-sama. That was when,

“You’re also coming! Raijū-sama ordered that Tsubaki Aoi should also be captured alive!”

I was so surprised. One of the soldiers grabbed me and violently dragged me down from the shrine.

However, the attentive Ōdanna-sama was,

“Hey!!!”

Turning back, Ōdanna-sama’s pupils spark deep crimson light as he sharply glowers at the soldier.

“Get your hands off Aoi. I’m coming with you, isn’t that enough?!”

His deep voice, worthy of the title of Daiyōkai, reverberates, brimming with cold bloodlust. 

The soldier squeals and holds his breath. He withdraws his hands from me and becomes completely paralysed.

P230

With a bitter voice, Kurogai Shogun announced to the surrounding soldiers,

“It’s okay not to take this young human lady with us. Our priority is the Master of Tenjin-ya.”

“But, Kurogai Shogun…”

“I said it’s okay, so it’s okay. Jinpachi is cooperative, so let’s just go!”

As ordered by Kurogai Shogun, the soldiers leave me alone. Ōdanna-sama’s eyes already returned to his normal composure, despite him being captured. And then, as if nothing happened, he said this to me,

“Well then, Aoi, I’m off. I’m heading towards my own battle. It’s to protect my own dignity, my place to belong, as well as the future where you and the Tenjin-ya friends can exist together.”

So unlike an oni, his smiling face is brimming with affection. After briefly showing me his precious smile, with a grave look and such a determination, he turned to the front, away from me. Kurogai Shogun handcuffs Ōdanna-sama with a pair of spell-engraved handcuffs and takes him away from the shrine courtyard.

“Wait…!”

“Ah, of course.”

P231

As I start to speak to stop him from leaving, Ōdanna-sama stops in his tracks as if he remembered something.

“By the way Aoi, I haven’t told you my favourite food, right?”

Then, once again turning to look at me, he grinned and resumed.

“That was the first thing I ate from the bento box you gave me.”

“Eh?”

With a sudden flash of understanding, I open my eyes wide. Once I knew what he was talking about, I wondered why I hadn’t noticed it until now. I felt so thick-headed that I was so astonished and speechless. Seeing me agape like that, Ōdanna-sama laughed mischievously. He then followed Kurogai Shogun and no longer looked back. 

Yet, with a gasp, I remember something.

“Ōdanna-sama! Ōdanna-sama, wait! Wait, I, I have something to say!” 

I reach out to him. I still haven’t told him anything. Yet, he’s leaving. Ōdanna-sama is taken away.

“Wa-wait!”

With my tangled feet, I rush out with all my strength, but the Yōto soldiers block me.

P232

I could only see Ōdanna-sama’s back through the gaps between the black-armoured soldiers who wouldn’t let me through. Even when I reach out to him, I can’t touch him. I don’t want to relive the experience of running after you and yet still cannot meet you. 

Will I ever see you again?

“Ōdanna-sama!!!”

I love you. I love you.

Yet, those very words are not coming out of my lips. 

Ōdanna-sama, your own life has been cut short to save my life. Yet, I knew nothing, and I keep rejecting your kind self. I was such a stupid girl.

Nevertheless, at this stage, I love you, Ōdanna-sama. I want to be by your side…

Yet, you might not believe my feelings. And for that, my heart and my legs sink. I slump on the ground, paralysed. 

-TBC in Vol 9 Ch 7-

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

P204: ^ Hatsuyume is the Japanese word for the first dream of the year. Because the Japanese try not to sleep on the New Year’s Eve, their first dreams would usually be on the transition between January 1 and 2. See also https://jisho.org/word/初夢

^^ I think what happened in Ch 5 is that Aoi fell asleep in Ōdanna-sama’s room when he was having a chat with Tannosuke. In Intermission, Ōdanna kissed Aoi’s forehead, then he might actually just let her sleep in his room.

P205: ^ Samue (作務衣、さむえ) is the work clothing of Japanese Zen Buddhist monks, worn when engaged in samu. Made from cotton or linen and traditionally dyed brown or indigo to distinguish them from formal vestments, samue are worn by monks of most Japanese Buddhist traditions. performing labour duty such as temple maintenance and field work. In modern times, they have become popular as general casual or work wear. It’s similar to Ōdanna-sama’s clothes as the fish monger Jinpachi.

P209: ^ The JP ver isいつの間にか、当たり前のようにいる (Itsunomanika, atarimae no yō ni iru). Not sure what the context is, but I hope I got it right.

^^ The original sentence is 持っていた紐を術で遊ばせ; Motte ita himo o jutsu de asobase. Little girls in Japan like to play with strings, so I think Miss Butterfly was just playing with strings when Aoi arrived.

* Tasuki is the rope that people use to tie up their kimono/yukata sleeves so that the sleeves don’t hinder their movements when doing some cooking or other things. Ginji always “rolled up his sleeves” with tasuki, and Aoi would do that too whenever she’s cooking and doing chores.

** The original sentence is 夕がおでは自作することもあったが、即席の鶏ガレスープの素って隠世でも探すとある

P214: ^ This is something I missed because of the jump. Why does Aoi know that this is the last bento? She wouldn’t know what happened next, so Ōdanna-sama must have told her that it would be the last day of them staying in Poppies Villa.

P216: ^ I’d laugh if this is not serious. However, you must have seen by now why Ōdanna-sama said that...because he was indeed pursued by Kurogai (the Black Boar) Shogun's army.

P217: ^ zōni雑煮 is the traditional clear soup eaten during the New Years’ Eve (just after the clock strikes midnight). It mainly consists of the mochi cake, garnished with vegetables like carrots, parsley, etc. One of Midnight Diner’s episodes has this beautiful zōni. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zōni

P218: ^ The JP ver is 「そうよ。何か言いたいことでも？」which translates to “What do you want to say?”. However, I don’t think Aoi wanted Ōdanna to immediately tell his last secrets right away while they’re eating. I think she was saying something like, “Yeah, and so?” in response to Ōdanna commenting about her using yesterdays’ leftover. I think this is particularly true because in the next sentence in p219, Ōdanna praised Aoi’s economical (and sustainable) thinking. 

P219: ^ Aoi wasn’t surprised, hence Ōdanna must have told her about the curse in her family in the previous chapters.

P220:^ The JP word is actually現在 genzai, or the present time. But since Ōdanna-sama was telling a story, and because in the current time there was no dispute (if any) between any human king and the Underworld king, then I think genzai here should be interpreted as “at that time”.

^^ It might be in Vol 9 Ch 3, 4, or 5, which I have not translated.

P221: ^ The JP ver is 大旦那様は「ハッ」と嘲笑のようなものを零し、だがそれを自らに問い直すかのように、口元に手を当てた

Now, 嘲笑 chōshō  means ‘scornful laughter’ or ‘sneer’. I don’t think Ōdanna-sama sneered at Shirō in this sentence due to the fact that he immediately clasped his mouth. I think he was more like displaying his contempt at the King of the Underworld for being so vengeful. It seems Aoi understands, for the next sentence is actually her commentary on Ōdanna’s behaviour.

^^ The JP ver is actually あやかしの愛が憎しみに反転した時の、呪いの力とは恐ろしい(Ayakashi no ai ga nikushimi ni hanten shita toki no, noroi no chikara to wa osoroshī), 

which means “When an ayakashi’s love turns into hatred, the power of his/her curse is terrifying.”  I borrowed Shakespeare’s line in my translation.

P223: ^ I translate 'miasma' or ‘malicious gasses’ from jyaki, 邪気　＝じゃき

Another way to translate it is ‘noxious gas’ or ‘vengeful spectre’. It’s the purple gas that surrounded the oni/jyaki that Ōdanna and Aoi encountered in Ep 20 of the anime. Note how the characters are read the same as the jyaki characters 邪鬼 (that denotes the ‘evil’ oni). This similarity was on purpose.

P227: ^ okay I legit cry when I translated this part!! I actually sobbed! Really sobbed, tears and all!

P228: ^ Kurogai’s Kanji is 黒亥, literally translated as “The Black Boar”.

^^ I bet Gai was the last member of the Gang of Four during Setsu’s university days (Setsu, Natsuha, Zakuro and Gai).

* NO WAY. I don’t believe it for ONE second that Natsuha would tell Yoto that Setsu was in Bunmon!!

** Kissaki is the cutting tip of a katana. By the way, a katana has two edges, one sharp and one blunt. If you watch Rurouni Kenshin, you’d understand this immediately, for Kenshin’s Sakabato is a reversed katana where the dull/blunt edge is facing up.