Novel Vol 10 Ch 5 (The Guiding Thoughts)

FINALLY, below is my translation of Volume 10 Chapter 5. It’s a very long chapter (24 pages, A4 size without notes), but I’ve decided to make it into one post to facilitate seamless reading. To give a perspective, at the start of the chapter, Aoi is already in Yōto and already en route to rescue Ōdanna-sama from the prison. But, of course, she would encounter obstacles, and that’s what you’d be reading in the first half of the chapter.  Just keep reading, it will make sense. 

I have a busy November ahead of me, so I will only be able to return to Volume 7 Chapter 4 in early December. Fingers crossed I can present to you something before Christmas, or at least before the year ends.

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 and I hope you enjoy reading it at least as much as I enjoy translating it. And... thank you for waiting this long.

Chapter 5: The Guiding Thoughts

P132

Oh!

I jump at my feet and blink my eyes. 

The fresh morning air. I also can hear the bush warble singing, announcing the arrival of spring. 

Where is this? Who am I?

I feel dim, like someone having amnesia. However…

This is my bedroom, the very one I am familiar with due to having lived in it during my long years of living in Grandpa’s house. I get out of the futon and open the window. The plum blossoms in the nearby garden are in full bloom, heralding the early arrival of spring. 

Ouch, but it’s still cold. The coldness of a morning in late February^.

Late February…?

“Ah, of course. I need to make breakfast before Grandpa wakes up…”

P133

I am an orphaned female university student, living only with my grandpa Tsubaki Shirō. I’m currently in the midst of a spring break, just finishing my first year of college. Every day, after making Grandpa breakfast, I would go to a local bakery to do my part time job.

It’s the season for the delicious nanohana^, the rapeseed flowers, this time around. Grandpa, who loves nanohana so much, wants to eat nanohana almost every day so that he can enjoy nanohana to the fullest during its season. Nanohana ohitashi (boiled in bonito-flavoured soy sauce), nanohana salad with mustard mayonnaise dressing, nanohana salad with vinegared miso dressing, and so on, and so forth. I change the cooking method every day for the nanohana dish, but I wonder if this morning is the time for nanohana salad with vinegared miso dressing.

Also, I have a halibut pickled with salted kōji (malted rice) this time^^. I fry the halibut and serve it with the sweet and spicy simmered konnyaku* that I’ve prepared earlier. I must not forget the miso soup either. 

I immediately took out the greenland halibut in a plastic bag from the refrigerator. I have soaked it in salted koji overnight. While I am frying the halibut, I boil the nanohana. The nanohana leaves turn bright green when boiled. I like this moment when the peculiar scent of the raw vegetable being boiled rises with the steam.  

P134-135

Now. Once the nanohana is boiled, I let it cool before squeezing out the water and serving the nanohana in a small bowl. What’s left to do is to make the vinegared miso, which is a mixture of miso, sugar, sake and mustard. Mix them well and use it as a dressing on top of the nanohana.

For the miso soup for this morning, I use the dashi, or stock, of niboshi (the small dried sardines) that I’ve soaked overnight with the store-bought miso paste. It’s an exceedingly ordinary home-made miso soup with daikon and tofu as the only ingredients. Instead of having plentiful ingredients, Grandpa likes his miso soup simple with daikon and tofu. 

Then, I heap steaming white rice on a rice bowl and arrange it with the side dishes on the dining table. Grilled with salted kōji, the halibut looks delicious with its plump texture and slightly grilled colour. Grandpa’s beloved nanohana with vinegared miso dressing and the daikon-tofu miso soup are also present, plus my favourite sweet and spicy simmered konnyaku. Yes, it’s a proper breakfast indeed to start any day with. 

While taking off my apron, I take a peek at Grandpa’s bedroom next to the living room. With the white parts of his eyes exposed, Grandpa was sleeping on the futon.

“Grandpa, breakfast’s ready. Wakey, wakey!”

When I try to shake him to wake him up, Grandpa growls.

“Is it morning already… ouch, my head hurts…”

“You drank too much last night. You collapsed in front of the gate, so I had to drag you in, you know.

P135

It was really hard!” 

“Ugh… Aoi, you really take care of me, eh…”

And then, Grandpa finally got out of the futon. I bring him some water; he drinks it and gives a long exhale. It seems that he still has his hangover, but he seems to be sober for now. He stood up, muttering “Awright!” and then did some weird exercise moves. 

“I collapsed on the entrance yesterday. However, even if I lay there for a while, no one said anything. Apparently, you reap what you sow, eh…”

“It’s true that you reap what you sow, but if something happens, I would be the one in trouble. You could catch cold, and I’ll be the one who has to nurse you.” 

“If it’s you nursing me, Aoi, I don’t mind getting cold.”

“Just a minute here. You’re not young anymore, you know, so stop saying such reckless things!”

And yet, Grandpa just glosses over it and laughs it off.

To tell the truth, I feel relieved. He’s really not young anymore…

“Oh-ho! Good morning, Aoi.”

And just like that, Grandpa greeted me.

“Yes, yes. Good morning, Grandpa.”

P136

This is Act One that often happens between me and Grandpa in the morning.

Grandpa washes his face quickly and goes to the living room, where he stares at the prepared breakfast with satisfaction.

“Yep, it smells so good. As expected from my Aoi. Just by eating your homemade meals from morning, I’d surely live a long live, Aoi!”

“Well, that being the case, hurry up and eat, okay? I have my part time job right away.”

Enjoy your breakfast. 

Amongst a day’s meals, compared to lunch and dinner, breakfast is special. Although there are times when I wake up and don’t feel hungry, when I make my own breakfast and then move my body around, it’s rice that satisfy my hunger.

The halibut pickled in salted kōji has a gentle yet thick sweetness. The saltiness and umami of the salted kōji gives the halibut a mellow, moist, yet deep taste. Grandpa eats it right away along with the white rice.

“Ohh… this is nice, Aoi. I thought that braised halibut is the best, but this one is also delicious. What seasoning did you use?”

“It was salted kōji, you see. It was the first time I pickled halibut with salted kōji, but it came out fine. Salted kōji is indeed handy. Even if you use the store-bought kōji, it will still easily give you a deep taste. I often read it in cooking magazines these days, 

P137-138

Hence I decided to try it. It seems it’s a staple from now on.”

“This is great. I’m liking it.”

“Yep, me too.”

I’m always happy to see Grandpa’s satisfied smiling face. Whenever he’s eating delicious food every day, he’s happy and well. 

“Nooow… my favourite nanohana. With the vinegared miso dressing, this is also what I like, and I’m familiar with, Aoi.”

“But you ate the same thing too yesterday!” 

Then Grandpa gobbled up his favourite nanohana with vinegared miso dressing in no time. The exquisite nanohana with its bitterness and sweetness that herald the arrival of spring. The taste of nanohana is accentuated by the vinegared miso dressing in spite of its sweet-and-sourness.

“This is it!” Sipping the miso soup, Grandpa gazes heavenwards.

“Aoi, I’m gonna be a bit late tonight. I might not even return for tonight.”

“Whaat… Are you going to have another drinking bout?!”

“Can’t help it.  Taizō-san from the dango shop in the shopping district will be under his son’s care this coming spring, so he’s moving away. We’re having drinks at his place now because of that.” 

“What the…”

But yes, it can’t be helped. Taizō-san from the dango shop has helped Grandpa and me in the past for so many times. 

P138

“It’ll be sad not to be able to eat his dango anymore. But well, in my case, I still have Aoi’s homemade dango, eh…”

“It’s not the same dango as Taizō-san’s, you know. The best ones are produced by specialty shops like his shop.”

These days, Grandpa often go out drinking with friends from the neighbourhood. I heard that he used to be a loner, but after taking me in, he started making friends with people from around here, and he seems to enjoy it as well. 

“It’s fine for you to go out drinking, but don’t go overboard with it. What would happen if you were to fall off the stairs while drunk? I told you just now, you’re not young anymore.”

“Got it, got it. Before I see you in your wedding kimono^, I won’t die, you know.”

“…………….”

“However, one day I will die. It’ll be nice to eat your homemade meal for my last meal, Aoi. This type of food, your delicious meals I normally have for breakfast.”

He often says it with a big smile spreading all over his face, though he’s been developing a habit of dining out at night as of late.

“By the way, Aoi, do you have a boyfriend at the university? Hmmm?”

“No, unfortunately. I might not be getting married for another 10 years.”

P139

“What a nonsense! Well, you don’t need a boyfriend if he comes with baggage^. You don’t have to get married either. Ahahahaha! You’ll just spend your life with me forever, Aoi!”

“For Pete’s sake, which one do you actually want? To see me in an uchikake^^ or not…?”

Grandpa, with his ever-changing opinions and carefree ‘devil may care’ attitudes.

I often heard anecdotes about Grandpa’s past life, with many a woman he fell in love with. However, when it comes to me, his granddaughter, he is a solid wall that protects me from anyone, male or female alike. 

Therefore, there’s no way I can have a boyfriend. 

I do wonder if someone like me can ever be married… 

On that night.

Grandpa said he’d be drinking, but he didn’t manage to come home that night. At any rate, is he eating and drinking until the morning after, I wonder? I’m astonished. It would be much more preferable if he tells me until what time he’s out and about…

One way or the other, I somehow have a premonition in my heart. I left home in a hurry to find Grandpa. 

P140

“Grandpa, Grandpa, where are you…!”

I actually tried not to go out in the middle of the night. At night, non-human beings are gaining strength and wandering around, aiming for humans with the power to see them. For someone like me.  Vigilant to my surroundings, I ignored the occasional laughter and footsteps. Whenever I see non-humans, I just pretend I don’t see them and walk pass them by as naturally as possible. However, some small ayakashi creatures saw me and hastened towards me.

“Aoi-shama?”

“It’s bad newsh, pleashe come thish way.”

These are the temari kappa, the palm-sized kappa, that live at the riverbank. They beckon to me to ‘pleashe hurry up, pleashe’. 

Honestly, I’m wary of any invitations from any ayakashi, but this is the temari kappa we’re talking about, hence there should be no issue. I follow them. 

Then, at the bottom of a long stone stairways, I found a fallen figure. 

“Grandpa…?!”

When I rushed over there to confirm it, turned out, it was indeed my Grandpa, Tsubaki Shirō. Has Grandpa had his head heavily injured? Blood was coming out of his forehead and he was groaning painfully. Though he was alive, he seemed to have lost his bearing.  

P141

“Grandpa, Grandpa! What on earth happened?”

Was he drunk and then slipped and fell? Or, was an ayakashi behind this?

I don’t know. But anyway, I called the ambulance right away. 

I want Grandpa to be okay. Grandpa, please don’t die…!

“…die?”

A tremendous terror gripped my heart in the dark of the night. 

What if… he can no longer wake up?

What if…he’s going to die…like this?

Grandpa, who took me in. Grandpa, who raised me.

Tsubaki Shirō, a human who can see ayakashi. A human who preferred death than being afraid of ayakashi. My sole supporter amongst people in this world.

Until now, I never even once imagined that Grandpa would no longer be in this world. It was just unthinkable to me.  

“Please don’t go. Please don’t leave me alone, Grandpa…”

I can do nothing but to cry until the ambulance arrived to take Grandpa to the hospital.  

P142

Afterwards, Grandpa was revived, but perhaps because he hit his head, he still lost his bearings. He doesn’t even recognize me. There were days where he was well enough to eat hospital food… but he doesn’t say whether it’s delicious or not. Grandpa was just being non-responsive. 

And then, my wish for him to recover was not granted. Grandpa was getting weaker and I knew he would be gone soon. 

As for me, I did have time to prepare for his departure. However, the truth is, after he was gone, I have only loneliness and numbness in me. I don’t know what to do. 

During his funeral, many people who helped him in his later years came to pay respect. Actually, many people came. Tearful people, people who just came to bad-mouth him, as well as ayakashi, looking awkward despite being disguised as humans…

Grandpa still becomes a horrid topic of discussion, even in front of his smiling portrait. 

Ah… I am now but all alone.

I have no father. My mother left me behind. Grandpa, the only person who loves me, has also now left this world. 

P143

In the aftermath of the funeral, the dark night weighs heavily. 

How would I go on from now on, I wonder. 

I can’t see what’s in front of me. I have no dream nor hope. As if I was back to the horror of that dark room, where I was confined in as a child. I am paralysed.

I don’t want to be left alone anymore. I hate being left alone…!

Before I see you in your wedding kimono, I won’t die, you know.

You’re a liar, Grandpa. I’m not married yet, you know. 

Grandpa, where are you now? Where should I go to meet you?

I frantically ran in the darkness. I hate this place. I’m lonely here. I have no one to forgive nor love anymore. I no longer have a family. I’m all alone in this world. And I couldn’t even say goodbye to Grandpa?!

I want to go back to those happy days I spent with Grandpa. 

P144

I have to find Grandpa!

“Over there is dangerous, yo!”

I vaguely heard the buoyant voice of a young lad from behind me. That voice was powerful enough to stop me on my track, such that I look back. 

“… who is it?”

Behind me is a young lad wearing an old style school uniform in a devil-may-care style. 

He wears his hat deep on his head and thus I couldn’t see his face, but why is that I am somehow felt reassured of his presence?

“Over there is dangerous. Come over here.”

“No way. I’m looking for my Grandpa.”

I shook my head, trying to shake off the influence of his words. However, the boy grinned and said the following in an amused way.

“Cool. Then… I can eat this bento, right?”

On his palm, an item is wrapped in furoshiki.  

P145

What’s that? I have a feeling that it’s a very important item.

Oh right. I made a bento earlier.

However, when did I make it? Whom did I make it for? Grandpa is the only person I make bento for. 

“Wrong, Girl! Tsubaki Shirō hates bento!^”

“Ah…”

Of course. Grandpa didn’t really like bento. He’s someone who hated eating cold rice^^ and, as much as possible, only ate freshly made warm rice. Whenever he had to eat out, he’d eat anywhere other than in a bento restaurant. 

Therefore, that bento is not Grandpa’s.

Then, whom did I make it for?

“Give it back. I need to bring it.”

“Bring it where?”

“That is… uhm… to the university, you see. That bento is mine.”

“Ooh… despite your look, you’re a university student, eh? Something’s fishy…”

“Say what?”

I just realised that I have become a little girl. 

P146

…yes, the same little girl whom Grandpa took under his wings.

“Come here. I’ll take you to where you wanted to go. Didn’t I tell you, it’s dangerous over there.”

“………….”

The lad takes my little girl hand.

It brings back memories. So nostalgic. The nostalgic scent even makes me cry. Strange. I’ve never met this person before. For some reasons, the warmth of his hands felt so precious that I bit my lower lip and started sobbing.  My field of vision becomes red before I knew it. The path I walk on now is the way home to the house where I lived with Grandpa. Led by this warm and powerful hand, I am returning to my lost home. I’m sure this lad is returning me, the stray child, home.

“By the way, Aoi.”

The lad called my name. How does he know my name, I wonder. 

The lad

 quickly releases my hand and hands over the bento that he’s been carrying, muttering “Here” in the process. 

P147

“Since we’re going our separate ways here, I’m giving this back to you. It’s a very important item, isn’t it? Make sure you hold on to it.”

“… We’re going our separate ways here?”

But we haven’t arrived home yet.

However, I somehow end up feeling very sad to part ways with this lad. The lad smiles. Holding the brim of his school hat, he says,

“Watch for the oni, Aoi.”

“Oni? Why?”

It feels like what Grandpa said back in those days. Onis are incompatible with humans, Grandpa said. He said that onis are cold villains. They’ll get whatever they want and if you don’t like it, well, too bad…

“If you come across the oni, you’d be kidnapped, you know.”

“… Is it bad, to be kidnapped?”

“For sure…because it’s a sad thing. I’ll end up alone.”

“………….”

The lad then kneels down and takes his cap off in front of me.

P148

A lonely and subtle smile stares at me. I thought that the shape of that mouth resembles that of my beloved person as well as my own. 

“That oni… surely he will steal even your heart, Aoi. If that happens, I won’t be your number one anymore.”

“………….”

“However, this is just my egoistical wish to have you by my side forever. It‘s more difficult to leave you all alone. That’s why… somehow, please be happy.”

Be happy, Aoi. 

With that, the lad put his own hat deep on my head.

“______oh!”

I felt like waking up from a moment of dream. I’m now standing on the ground somewhere, my hands reaching out to someone. 

“…Grand…pa?”

I blinked my eyes and pulled my hands back, staring at them quietly. 

Just now… yep, it was definitely Grandpa.

P149

For some reasons, when I saw him earlier, I didn’t register that it was Grandpa. However, I now realised that it was his younger version. Tsubaki Shirō, the rascal who once wrecked havoc in Kakuriyo. I recognised him because I saw his photo in the Tenjin-ya basement back then. 

A rendezvous with Grandpa’s younger version. Not sure if that was a dream or what, but at any rate, I’m taking deep breaths to sort things out. I pinch my cheeks; it hurts. I might not be dead after all.

“This place…”

What a surprise. I thought I was dragged into an airhole by the roots of a sakura tree. Seems that I’m now right under the sakura tree, of which roots are growing on the ceilings. In addition, I see a giant cave. When I look down, there is a giant pit just next to me. It seems that the pit is going down under.

“This is…” 

I hear thundering rumbles.

A weak wind and unpleasant feelings are rising from below. It resembles the fear I had from the cliff of the Tenjin-ya basement. 

P150

No, more than that, it’s about the miasma. 

“Had I made a mistake, I would have fallen for sure.”

Could it be that the miasma gushing forth from this pit had induced my dream? A dream about the last day between me and Grandpa. Had I been wandering around to look for Grandpa, I’d have fallen into this pit. However, I might have been rescued by the young lad, who was actually the younger version of Grandpa. 

I looked down at the bento box and wondered if that was also part of my dream. Then, wondering why Grandpa helped me, my eyes caught a student notebook that was sandwiched between the furoshiki knots.

“Of course. I picked it up from under the sakura tree.”

I was wondering why the furoshiki had fallen there, but upon opening it, I was quietly surprised.

Then, the corners of my eyes got hot and misty.

---------- Third Year Star Crew of the Onmyō School, Tsubaki Shirō

Turns out, the owner of the notebook was indeed my grandfather.

P151

“Grandpa…”

As I flipped through the notebook, a piece of white paper torn from the inside fell on my feet.

This is an assuring yet strained logic, but perhaps something left in this notebook had rescued me. This place is a labyrinth prison, and that guy is Tsubaki Shirō.  A guy who excels in making both humans and ayakashi alike astonished, a guy who makes impossible possible. 

Thank you, Grandpa.

I now remember who I am and the purpose of my coming here.

I slip my grandfather's keepsake student notebook, found in such an unexpected place, beneath my kimono chest. I then hold the lunch box tightly and move forward.

There is a spiralling gentle slope around the pit. I gather there are some prison cells on the other side of the wall, where many sinners and jyaki were once captured. I ended up witnessing some skeletons rolling. I thought I might be scared, but that’s not the case. Rather, I’m thinking of the pathetic spirits wandering around the labyrinth with sad and empty feelings. Those would be the spirits of those who died here ...

P152

Floating ahead of me, Ginji-san’s fox fire stopped in front of a prison cell. I take a peek inside.

The oni is sitting quietly, his back against the cliff wall.

"Ōdanna-sama. No…”

I take a deep breath and call his name. 

“Setsu.”

Sitting at the back, the oni’s shoulders twitched in surprise. 

I place my hands on the iron bars, calling the name of the person I've missed. 

For a while, there was no response. However, finally, he lifts his face.

“… Is that you, Aoi?”

The deep crimson eyes are glistening, even in the darkness.

“Yes, it’s me. Ōdanna-sama, I came to pick you up!”

“Why?”

The voice is cold, the crimson eyes transmit the vibe of rejection that keeps me at a distance.

“Why have you come to this place? This is not a place that you can endure. Go home at once. I’m already… already…”

P153

“…Ōdanna-sama…”

His gaze is weak, yet also scary and oni-like. It briefly reminds me of the fear that gripped me when I first came to Kakuriyo and met Ōdanna-sama. However, that fear soon subsides.

And that’s because, for many times now, I’ve seen the kind, mischievous and even the charming nature of Ōdanna-sama. 

“Ōdanna-sama. … No. Setsu.”

“…………..”

“I finally found it, you know, your name.”

Through the iron bars, I handed him the bento that I’ve made for him, the very important item I’ve carried with me all this time. 

Then, I say this with no hesitation,

“I love you. Please marry me.”

It’s a blunt proposal, with no sophistication whatsoever. However, this is what I feel. My plea. The awakening of my love, just for Ōdanna-sama.

P154

For a moment, Ōdanna-sama’s expression becomes child-like innocence^, as he stares at me through his long bangs. However, he immediately frowned and turned away from me, not moving at all from his spot. 

“Stop it. Such a lie…!”

“How rude. I’m not lying here, you know.”

“You’re lying. No one loves someone like me. In the first place, didn’t you actually turn down the marriage proposal?!”

What, so Ōdanna-sama doesn’t believe me?

Guess it can’t be helped. That’s true that at first, I did reject him and repudiated the intention to marry. What a messy situation, eh…

“Go home, Aoi.”

He ordered me with a stronger tone. 

“I am not in love with you. The marriage is but an engagement, that’s all.”

“…………..”

I set aside the bento. Then I pick up a sharp stone and use it to hit the cell lock many times. However, perhaps there’s a special spell applied to the lock, or perhaps the lock is indeed unbreakable. As a result, I ended up injuring my fingers and hands.

P155

However, I’m not quitting. 

Slowly, Ōdanna-sama gets up. Can’t he see how unreasonable I’ve become^?

“Stop it, Aoi. Such a futile thing to do!”

“No, I’m not stopping!”

I frantically threw myself against the jail lock.  With the fleeting strength of a human girl. 

“You’re cruel, Ōdanna-sama. You easily rejected my affection. Do you have any idea what it took me to arrive at this resolution?!”

I’ve been shedding tears before I knew it.

“If loving me is an issue for you, then don’t kidnap me to begin with. Don’t be so kind. Don’t rescue me. Don’t gamble on your life at that…!”

The stone I’ve been using broke; its fragments scatter, injuring my cheek in the process. I wipe the gushing blood coming out of my cheek. However, because I wiped my cheek with my bloodied hands, I actually ended up smearing more blood on my face. 

However, that’s okay. At any rate, I’m still shedding tears.  

“You’re cruel. You kidnapped me, and then made me falling in love with you. But now you distance yourself from me. I can’t help it that I’ve already fallen in love with you!”

P156

I crouch down, curling my body as if holding a large stone, and then wailing without even bothering to wipe down my tears. Although I knew it already, Ōdanna-sama’s “I don’t love you” statement still gave me a shock. However, this is also the first emotion within me that I relish.

“It’s fine that you don’t love me…! That much I already know. I’ve noticed that already.”

“No, I – ”

“However, you promised, didn't you?! Then, be responsible and marry me. Stay with me forever!”

“……………”

“If that happens, I’ll be by your side forever. I will never leave you again.”

What a ridiculous thing am I sprouting now. I must be giving Ōdanna-sama quite a lot of trouble now. However, I have been saying nothing but the truth. The true feelings inside my heart.

“You are my number one, you know. Don’t tell me that this feeling is just a lie.”

 Because I truly love you.

This is not the same with the indistinct sentiments that I have for the ayakashi who rescued me when I was little, nor comparable with the affection I have for Grandpa. 

P157

This feeling is the unmistakable love that I have as the result of meeting you and knowing you. I thought I could not love anyone like this. However, once I fell in love, I cannot pretend otherwise. I can’t and don’t want to stop this fast surge of swelling emotions. 

“Aoi…”

With no hesitation^, cold hands wiped away the tears at the corners of my eyes. 

Surprised, I lift my face to see Ōdanna-sama’s hands reaching out through the gaps between the iron bars. 

Though I want to see those eyes just a little bit closer, the iron bars that separate us are very solid…

“What?!”

However, at exactly that time, Ginji-san’s fox fire that has been floating on the side suddenly rushed towards the lock. The kitsune will-o-wisp makes a rumbling noise and finally disappears.

“Ah…!!”

The jail door opens, leaving Ōdanna-sama and I facing each other, with no obstacles between us. As if Ginji-san has given us his support^^. 

Ōdanna-sama touches my cheeks and asks thusly,

“… Aoi. Is someone like me* enough for you?”

P158

I have my answer ready. 

“If it’s not with you, Ōdanna-sama, I’m not getting married. I don’t think I’ll ever love this way again.”

If you still don’t get it, I’ll make you get it. 

I pull Ōdanna-sama’s collars towards me and seal his mouth with mine. 

I think my lips were trembling due to the extra vigour. And then, our eyes meet at a very close distance. 

“Didn’t I say that? Take responsibility and marry me.”

Yes. I will become the bride of the most fearsome oni in this world. 

As for Ōdanna-sama, while stroking his own lips, he says this,

“Y-you’re so cool, Aoi. You’re so assertive…!”

He’s trembling and turning pale, not sure from shyness or fear. Imposingly, I say thusly,

“Ōdanna-sama, you’re acting like a girl, you know! Get a grip on yourself!”

I am scolding Ōdanna-sama in such a place of all places. Perhaps because the normal banter between me and Ōdanna-sama has been restored, the two of us chuckled.

P159

“Say, Ōdanna-sama, please eat the bento. I have included your favourite food there.”

“……….”

Once again, I present the bento to Ōdanna-sama, half-forcing him to accept it.  Ōdanna-sama opened the bento package. Uttering, “Oohh…”, his eyes widens in surprise as he sees the content. The content is the same with that of the first bento that he ate in front of a shrine in Utsushiyo just before I was abducted to Kakuriyo.

The okazu (side dish) is ginger-grilled pork loin with a refreshing plum flavor. Also present are spicy lotus root kinpira, the perfectly seasoned Japanese mustard spinach ohitashi, as well as shimeji and maitake mushroom stir fry with dried bonito flakes that unexpectedly pairs well with rice. On top of that, Ōdanna-sama’s favourite food, the tamago-yaki with spring onions. I made a point to make the tamago-yaki as plentiful as possible. 

“You finally noticed it, eh, my favourite food.”

“That’s obvious, isn’t it? If I failed to do so, I would be disqualified as a cook.”

“But until now, you failed to notice it, Aoi.”

“Uh… that’s because an egg-liking oni doesn’t fit the image, somehow.”

However, once I noticed it, the gentleness^ of his favourite food somehow fits Ōdanna-sama’s character. 

And this is my sincerity and vow. From now on, I will be Ōdanna-sama’s ally. I will make him food every day.

P160

I will have him eating those meals, and I want to aim at improving my ability to make his favourite food.

Ōdanna-sama takes out the chopsticks and, in this very strange place, clasps his hands to say “Thank you for the meals”^. Then, he first brought the spring onion tamago-yaki to his mouth. He chews it attentively and also tastes other side dishes, satiating his hunger. 

“Aaah… turns out, hunger and loneliness are indeed our great enemies. There’s something to be said about being able to eat delicious food while one’s dragged into such a dark place like this, experiencing hunger and loneliness.” 

“I definitely get the feeling.”

“However, I’d also say that an empty stomach is the best spice. Surely, of all the meals I’ve eaten thus far, this bento is the most delicious. My favourite food is the crème de la crème.”

Afterwards, Ōdanna-sama picked another piece of tamago-yaki. Though at first he tasted the bento slowly, with a gradually increasing vigour, Ōdanna-sama devours his bento. 

“You don’t have to eat it like there’s no tomorrow, you know. When we’re married, I’ll make you bento every day. You can also eat tamago-yaki as much as you want. Tell me, why did you not want to marry me?”

“… I can’t believe that it’s now you, Aoi, who’s coercing me into marriage.”

Upon finishing his meal, with a subtle smile Ōdanna-sama neatly tidies up his bento box and methodically wraps it up with the furoshiki. 

“However, you see, this is actually the second time you asked me to make you my bride.” 

P161

“Eh…?”

“I’m sure you’ve forgotten about it. However, I give up. You don’t give me a chance to propose, eh?”

Ōdanna-sama chuckled at whatever he was talking about. Then,

“Aoi, I’m so happy to learn about your feelings for me. Thus, now, I truly love you.”

With his big arms, Ōdanna-sama hugged me, the very me who have come this far. He then whispered in my ears,

“So this is what love is, I wonder? Somehow, my chest feels painful. I feel like I’m going to die like this. Or, I’ll continue living like this.”

“I’ll choose the living part, thanks.”

Aaahh… this emotion definitely belongs to Ōdanna-sama. Yet, though I’m currently being romantically embraced by the love of my life, I spontaneously still ended up quipping. Still, I also embraced him tighter. 

“Earlier, when I was locked up here, my psychic power was substantially exhausted. However, thanks to your homemade bento, my power has been considerably restored. Now, it seems that I can do anything.”

Slowly, Ōdanna-sama let go of me before standing up to do some light stretching. 

P162

I took the empty bento box and stood next to him. 

“Aoi, with you as my bride, I can face the worst. Someone can drop me at the bottom of hell itself and I’d still be alive^.”

“What the heck is that! Earlier you actually rejected my love and said that you didn’t love me!” I said unkindly, flustering him. 

“I didn’t say I didn’t love you. That was just a pre-nuptial doubt, a pre-wedding jitter! Now I want to marry you, Aoi!”

“…I’m amazed at your defiance.”

Where is the menacing Ōdanna-sama? Where is the frail Ōdanna-sama?

However, I end up giggling. Turns out, Ōdanna-sama is indeed cute…

“Well, that’s the spirit, Ōdanna-sama. You’re now looking forward to the future.”

“All thanks to you for coming here, Aoi. You are truly my hope, you know.”

 And then, Ōdanna-sama held out his hands towards me. I take his hands and nod in assent.

“I’m the same, you know. I’ve decided... that I will live with you.”

I am grateful for this love, for the promise made long ago, and for meeting you. 

In this Kakuriyo, we will be husband and wife.

P163-164

Having recovered his psychic power, Ōdanna-sama held me, blasted^ the walls and ceilings and got us out through the airhole of the sakura tree. Afterwards, we are safely reunited with Takechiyo-sama^^, who has been waiting for us. 

“Aoi!”

“Takechiyo-sama! Thank God you’re safe…!”

Takechiyo-sama and I hug each other and confirm each other’s safety. It seems he’s been crying. His face was drenched wet, so he used his sleeves to wipe his tears. 

Meanwhile, Ōdanna-sama kneels* in front of Takechiyo-sama, who was still wiping his tears.

“Takechiyo-sama, I see that you have grown up. When I saw you the last time, you were but a little baby.”

Takechiyo-sama stares in puzzlement. It seems that he doesn’t have a recollection of meeting Ōdanna-sama at al. Ōdanna-sama himself adopted a formal posture and bowed his head deeply in front of Takechiyo-sama. 

“Takechiyo-sama, please allow me to express my immense gratitude for you taking the trouble of coming to such a place.”

“I’m actually just repaying Aoi’s kindness to me.”

Takechiyo-sama straightens up his expression and properly receives Ōdanna-sama’s greeting with a dignified demeanour of a member of the royal family. 

“Besides,  Grandfather King must wake up from his stupor and stop being so subservient to Raijū**.”

P164-165

“What a coincidence. I happen to think so as well, you see.”

Upon reaching this consensus, the two of them grin, as if concocting a plan. 

Be that as it may, although we can get Ōdanna-sama out of this place, it will still be a matter of life and death from here on. Above the ground, the Hachiyō Night Meeting will begin soon. No, it might have already begun. Byakuya-san and Ginji-san are participating there, and they must be fighting now to restore Ōdanna-sama’s reputation. 

“Quick, we must go there now.”

“Yes. Let’s go back to the surface immediately. That sakura tree is like a prison guard. It’ll go into a rage as soon as he learns of my escape.”

Just as Ōdanna-sama speaks those words, the aforementioned giant sakura tree once again creates a flurry of falling cherry blossoms. It swishes its branches and roots around, trying to catch us. Ōdanna-sama grabs Takechiyo in one arm and pulls me towards him with his other arm before hastily rushing towards the labyrinth to seek refuge there. From there, I looked for the elevator to take us to the surface. With the help of Takechiyo-sama, once again we look for the multi-layered sakura crest, for once we find it, we can open the passage and easily breaks through the labyrinth.  I run towards the elevator, press the button that will take us to the surface and soon ascend to the surface. 

P165

And thus, we return safely to the laboratory. 

“Aah, unexpectedly, Mole-shan, you are shomeone who can’t lie, aren’t you…”

“Uuuh, I can’t believe that Chibi-chan doesn’t struggle in an Old Maid card game…!”

“This is your punishment for putting me in an inshect cage^. I’m not an inshect…”

“I said sorry, didn’t I ~~~”

There we have Dr Saraku and Chibi, apparently waiting for us. Dr Saraku seemed to have trapped Chibi in a figurative insect cage during the game, thus Chibi’s displeasure. 

Wait, why do we have the babanuki^^ here? Where’s the trump card, by the way?

“Ah, Aoi-shan has returned… Oni-shan is here too…”

Chibi threw away the trump card and rushed to my feet. 

“We’re back, Chibi. Also, hi, Dr Saraku.” 

“Yes, yes. Yomegō-chan, I knew if it was you and Takechiyo-sama, you’d make it.”

Dr Saraku had the trusting expression in him. He offered Takechiyo-sama, who had braced a dangerous adventure and thus looking tired, some tea and a face towel and suggested that the young prince rest for a bit. 

And then…

P166

“Welcome back, Ōdanna^.”

“Saraku, thanks a lot for coming even here.”

“No worries.  Anyway, since long ago, I’ve been the one who dug through the underground hierarchy. After all, I am the scum of the earth in Kakuriyo.”

Yet, upon looking up at Ōdanna-sama, Dr Saraku laughed uncomfortably. “I should’ve kept my mouth shut, shouldn’t I?”, he added^^. However, Ōdanna-sama shakes his head. 

“Not at all. I see you as none other than an important part of the family, Saraku.”

Dr Saraku laughed. “I gave up.” 

“You continue to save me using the knowledge you gained from your research. Isn’t that so?”

“…Yeah. That’s my plan, you know.”

Ōdanna-sama and Dr Saraku are like friends who have known each other for so long. They also look like a family, on top of that. They looked at each other with warm gaze and nodded to each other. 

“To have you, Ōdanna-sama, locked down in such a place is uncalled for. To say nothing of the King, who plans to have you only as the miasma absorption equipment. For the peace of Kakuriyo, the royal family has no scruples in making you a scapegoat, so to speak. Once you’re weaker, their plan is to drop you into the pit of that hell*.”

P167

To me, Dr Saraku asks, “You’ve seen that giant pit, haven’t you?”

I nod with a frown.

“Was that the very reason Ōdanna-sama was summoned to Yōto at the end of last autumn?”

“That’s what I think, Daughter-in-law. The plan started when the King summoned Ōdanna-sama. I bet Raijū was the one who suggested it to the King. That dude, he knows that we cannot survive in our world when miasma from the depth of the earth reaches the surface. Case in the point for another world of ayakashi… Tokoyo the Underworld, for it is already in such a state.”

“…………”

Raijū.

So that’s the extent of Raijū’s usefulness for the royal family.  Raijū’s advice and suggestions are now influencing the future of Kakuriyo.

“You know, many spirits were wandering around in the labyrinth prison.”

“Yes. They must have been some setsuki who were sealed in that pit. To suppress the miasma gushing from underground, these setsuki were imprisoned there because they had the ability to suck in the miasma^.”

Earlier, I found a grave in a quiet place in the Palace. Could it be that the grave belongs to a setsuki who was dropped into the pit leading to the depth of the earth? Thus, the grave is only a consolation for ceremonial purposes^^.

P168

“Now then, the Hachiyō Night Meeting is currently being held precisely above us. Byakuya and the Young Master are doing their best for our cause there.”

“How about you, Dr Saraku?”

“I have things to do here. However, once I got the sample, I’ll immediately go there too.”

Sample…?

Before I ask about what the heck the sample is about, Ōdanna-sama says “Let’s hurry up, Aoi” and holds out his hand towards me. With Chibi on my shoulder, and after leaving Takechiyo-sama in Dr Saraku’s care, I take Ōdanna-sama’s hand. 

Two of his kamaitachi staff alight in front of our eyes. Hanzō-san^ and Sasuke-kun. The two of them kneel in front of Ōdanna-sama. 

“The venue for the Hachiyō Night Meeting is at the top floor of the Palace, amongst the Heavens^^.” 

“Come what may, we’ll definitely take you there!”

Ōdanna-sama nods readily to the trustworthy guards of Tenjin-ya. And then, with his gaze fixed onwards, he announced thus:

“Now, onwards. We shall win back our future!”

-TBC in Vol 10 Ch 6-

Translator’s notes

AAAND!!! Ōdanna-sama is fighting back!!! YAY!!!

I never thought that I would be able to finish translating this chapter before my trip… but here you go. Thank you so very much for sticking with me this long!! I hope you love this chapter at least as much as I love it. 

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:

P132: ^ I translated “late February’ from 下旬、げじゅん, which actually means the last third of a month; 21st to the last day of a month.

P133: ^I also love nanohana! I wish I could find the local farmer here who grows nanohana, but I only got the imported frozen version… Btw, I need to try the vinegared miso dressing for nanohana…

^^The halibut Aoi is using is カラスガレイ or the Greenland halibut. Google it; it’s often used in Japanese cuisine in anime and dorama. Aoi actually grilled a halibut for my other favourite ikemen Hatori during one of the Orio-ya episodes (ep 18 perhaps). Also, I’ve never heard of kōji until I translated this page. A few googles later, I am convinced that I need to have kōji in my kitchen for my vegetarian washoku…

(Shirō likes this idea of using kōji as well, apparently)

*Oooh! Aoi loves konnyaku as well! I LOVE konnyaku! It took a while for me to get the hang of making it, but now I LOVE making it! My konnyaku trick is to thinly slice the konnyaku  (about 0.5 cm thick), soak it in hot water twice to get rid of the weird smell, and then rub salt on it, before frying it with chillies, garlic and soy sauce. I use the ‘cake’ version of the konnyaku instead of the ‘noodle’ version.

P138: ^Shirō actually said 嫁入り姿 (Aoi’s married form), but I think if I translate it into ‘wedding kimono’, it will be easier to imagine.  

^^ The same with Shirō, Aoi actually said 嫁入り姿 (her married form), but I think if I translate it into ‘uchikake’ it will be easier to imagine.  

P139: ^ The JP ver is まあ、変な虫がつくくらいなら、彼氏などいなくていいけどな ( Mā, hen'na mushi ga tsuku kurainara, kareshi nado inakute īkedo na.). Mushi 虫 is insect or feelings (how confusing)… and Google translated the first part as ‘don’t have to have a boyfriend as long as weird insects are attached’. I take it, it means that Aoi doesn’t need a boyfriend if there are strings attached.

P145: ^The JP ver is「違うな。津場木史郎は、弁当嫌いだったはずだぜ」. It could be Aoi or the boy who said it, but since the sentence has ‘da ze’ at the end, it cannot be Aoi, because it’s not her style to use ‘ze’. It’s very masculine, and something that Shirō would say. Hence I added “Girl” in the translation, to clarify that it was the boy (Shirō) who said it.

^^Well, I can say that Shirō missed out how tasty a bento box can be. As long as you cool the rice properly before putting it into the bento box (to prevent the rice from sweating), and as long as the okazu and main dishes are properly seasoned, a bento box is a divine experience. I know, I make them regularly. But don’t put the bento in the fridge. It has to be room temperature. If you put your bento box in an airconditioned room, it should be fine for lunch without reheating . In fact, reheating it would not be the best way to enjoy a bento box. Room temperature is the best way. If you have an insulated lunch bag and you’re out and about, just put an ice brick inside the bag, but outside the bento box, and you should be fine.

P154: ^ I translated ‘child-like innocence’ from ‘adokenai’ あどけない. It might be an over-translation (‘innocent’ will do), but I think Ōdanna here looks actually happy or hopeful with Aoi’s proposal. Of course later, he thought it was just a joke, but for a moment there, he looked happy.

P155: ^ The JP ver is 私が無茶しているのを、見ていられなくなったのだろうか。Watashi ga mucha shite iru no o, mite i rarenaku natta darouka, where ‘mucha shite iru’ means 'unreasonable'. I hope I translated it correctly.

P157: ^ I translated ‘with no hesitation’ from スッと – ‘sutto’. It’s like a swishing movement, but The Jaded Network also gives some other translations, including: ‘right away’ and ‘without hesitation’ or ‘without a second thought’.

^^ I totally TOTALLY love and respect Ginji here. It’s not easy to back away from your love… not even for your best buddy and best boss….

*I translated ‘someone like me’ from ‘konna ni boku de’. It is very sad… very poignant. ‘konna ni’ is like ‘[something] like this’. ‘konna ni kaban’ means ‘a bag like this’. Thus, ‘konna ni boku’ is like ‘a person like me’, ‘someone like me’.

It gives the impression that Setsu really thinks that he doesn’t deserve to be loved by Aoi.

P159: ^ I understand what Aoi meant. At first, because I usually ate tamago-yaki at non-authentic Japanese restaurants, I didn’t really get the appeal of tamago-yaki. However, once I understand how to make the fluffy ones (by adding the konbu dashi, mirin, a dash of sugar and shoyu in a proper mix), the fluffiness of a proper tamago-yaki can indeed be attributed to being ‘gentle’.

P160: ^Sweet Setsu… he still says ‘itadakimasu’ in a rotten jail…

P162: ^See my note on p166 for extra info on this pit of hell... 

P163: ^ De, basically Ōdanna-sama is THAT powerful to escape if he wants to, back when Kurogai Shogun apprehended him (vol 9 ch 7). He just chose not to escape because he believed it was the right thing to do. By the way, the verb that Ōdanna-sama used was actually ‘to kick’ (蹴りながら), but I think it’s cooler to use ‘to blast’ because… how do you kick a ceiling? I’d say he actually blasted the ceilings and the walls with his power.

^^ Takechiyo is the first grandson of the King and also the first son of the Second Prince. He featured heavily in Vol 7 Ch 3 (which I only summarised, not translated).  

*IDK why, but whenever my favourite hero is paying a respect by kneeling, I always find it charming. Borderline sexy, even…

**This is interesting. How old is Takechiyo in ayakashi age? He’s but a kid, but he sees how his Grandpa King has been subservient to Raijū’s schemes. Interesting. Takechiyo might have the right attitude to be a king one day.

P165: ^ I think insect cage is part of the Old Maid card game. Never played it, so I don’t know if I should translate it as ‘bug cage’ or ‘insect cage’ etc, or even if in the English version, it is called in with a totally different name.

^^ The JP text includes a ‘babanuki’ word. According to Wiki, in Japan, babanuki is “played exactly as old maid, but instead of removing a queen or any other card, a joker is added, and the player who is left with it loses”.

However, again, I’m not sure about the context. Does being trapped in an insect cage is the equivalent of having the Joker in your hand?

P166: ^Dr Saraku did not use the honorific ‘-sama’ here when addressing Ōdanna-sama. Because Saraku is Setsu’s mentor, I do see the name ‘Ōdanna’ here as more of a pet name. Dr Saraku addresses Setsu as Ōdanna-sama when speaking to others, but here, due to their familiarity, he dropped the honorific.

^^ Dr Saraku said he (Saraku) was the scum of the earth, but that also meant a criminal. Ōdanna-sama is still a wanted person, hence Saraku felt uncomfortable after blurting that out.

*Their plan is seriously too cruel; I shuddered when I translated this part! Earlier in p162, Ōdanna-sama commented how he'd still be alive even if he were to be dropped into the pit of hell, as long as Aoi is his bride. I didn't get it when I translated it, but now I see that he actually meant it literally. His enemies (including the royal family) are actually going to drop him into the pit of hell!

However, this part also reminds me of Asura, a character voiced by Konishi Katsuyuki (Ōdanna-sama’s voice actor), because Asura was also eventually banished into the Underworld. Yet, unlike the Setsuki clan in Kakuriyo, Asura remains strong and he then became the Lord of the Underworld. However, though Asura is a cool character (and Katsuyuki’s voice-over is perfect as usual), I still prefer Ōdanna-sama. Sure Ōdanna-sama cannot defeat Asura, but he is much kinder and much more approachable. Ōdanna-sama is definitely a husband material, whereas Asura is best left brooding alone.

P167: ^ To think that it easily would be Ōdanna-sama’s fate! He would DIE as well like that if Aoi et al didn’t rescue him!!!

^^ The JP ver is せめてもの、葬いということなんだろう, “Semete mono, sousai to iu koto nandarou.”  And I translated it as “Thus, the grave is only a consolation for ceremonial purposes”.

As in, perhaps the grave was actually empty, because the body of the last Setsuki leader was actually not there.

P168: ^Hanzō-san is Sasuke's father. In Vol 9 Ch 3 or 4 (which I haven't translated), Setsu explained that Hanzō was actually safe and sound. IIRC, Setsu asked him to flee to Utsushiyo while waiting for things to get better, or something along the line. Gotta check it again when I have time. At the end of anime Ep 10, I think Hanzō-san was the tall Kamaitachi who accompanied Ōdanna-sama as the latter went for a business trip in Utsushiyo.

^^Sasuke said the following JP ver:「八葉夜行会の会場は、宮殿の最上階、天上の間でござりまする」, “Hachiyō no kaijō ha, kyūden no saijōkai, tenjō no ma de gozarimasuru.”

The ‘gozarimasuru’ is Sasuke’s speaking style, akin to Himura Kenshin’s speaking style. However, the tenjō no ma is more difficult to translate. Literally, it means ‘amongst the heavens’. Not sure what it means otherwise.