Novel Vol 7 Ch 4 (The Mystery of Yōto)

Byakuya is the hero of the chapter, and he deserves it! (source)

Apologies for it took me this long to translate Vol 7 Ch 4 (though it is indeed a very long one, ~60 novel pages). I didn’t translate the first ~12 pages (pp 119-132) because it’s just about Aoi shopping for some baking ingredients for macaroons (she plans to make it for Takechiyo-sama and Ritsuko-san, it seems); though there is an interesting page at the start of the chapter about the “Legend of Tsubaki Shirō” from a book she obtained from the local library of sort. I started the translation from p 133 onwards because this is where the story gets meaty, with Aoi following a trail about Ōdanna-sama (and also due to my limited time). The story picks up from when Aoi finished shopping for some ingredients for her macaroons. 

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. 

Next, I will summarise Vol 7 Ch 5 and then I translate an intermezzo narrated by Ginji-san.

 

Vol 7 Ch 4: The Mystery of Yōto

P133

“Aah, thank God! I got the almond!”

“Is it delicious?”

“Yep. In Utsushiyo, it’s as popular as peanuts. Also, almonds are very useful when making sweets. I wonder, if the Southern Land sells it, whether I can directly buy it from there…”

We climbed the stairs that take us from the dark place to the brighter side of the outside street^.

“…Aoi…”

In that moment, I felt like someone was calling my name from behind. I automatically look back.

“……?”

However, no one is at the bottom of the stairs, thus I thought it must have been just me. However, just then, I caught a glimpse of familiar gold dusts. 

“That is…”

The sweet scent. I never forget this scent.

Ōgondōji-sama.

P134

Is that zashiki warashi here?!

“Ah, Aoi-dono! Please wait!”

I turn back and scale down the stairs once more, ignoring Sasuke-kun’s plea to stop.

The stairs are made of pitch dark stones. I don't remember the stairs being this long. It’s different from the stairs that led us into that bean seed specialty store. This time, I wonder why the stairs are long, very long, that it takes me a while to go down.

Did I go down the wrong stairs?

No, there is only one flight of stairs, taking me all the way down. It might be showing me the way to a different place. However, if the golden dusts I saw earlier was indicative of Ōgondōji-sama, I feel certain that I must see her once more. I mean, she would be the only one who can tell me anything about Ōdanna-sama.

“?!”

The stairs apparently led me to a bright red, decorative Western-style door. Little specks of golden dusts are indeed overflowing from a small gap of the door. 

So much for being led here. When I tried to open the door knob, I realised that it was locked.

“What should I do? I wish I have the key…”

The key?

P135

I suddenly remember something. I do have a key, hanging on a rope on my neck, hidden inside my kimono. Earlier, Ōdanna-sama gave me this obsidian key.

“It might be the wrong key, though…” 

However, I have no other key with me at the moment. Hurriedly, I took out the key out of my bosom and inserted it into the key hole. To my surprise, it fits perfectly. Slowly, I turn the key, it clicks the door open with a heavy echoing sound.

“… This place…”

As I opened the door, I realised that I no longer in one of the lively streets of Yōto. Instead, I was in a vacant square surrounded by walls.

Ōgondōji-sama is nowhere to be found. However, there is a moss-covered obsidian stone monument in the center. Surrounded by white wildflowers that bloom even in winter, the monument just stands there.

Is the key made of the same material with the stone monument…?

Lines of scripts using characters similar to the ones used by the olden days ayakashi are staggeringly scribed onto the monument, but I cannot read the content. 

For a moment, I just stood in front of the monument, unable to move.

And then, with a silent sigh, I cover my face in self-loating.

I’ve done it again. I’ve done it so many times before. 

P136

I have a habit of going crazy when pursuing something, when looking for something. As a result, I am now separated from Sasuke-kun. I bet he must be worried by now. I am indeed concerned about Ōgondōji-sama, but it’s now time to go back. 

“Eh…? The door is… not here.”

But, oh, I’m in trouble. When I turn back, the door that was supposed to be open is nowhere to be seen. I've had this experience before. If I remember correctly, it was when I went down to the Tenjin-ya basement.

At that time, I was also running after some missing children into an unknown room. When I opened the door and left the room, the door that should have been there had suddenly disappeared.

What on Earth is going on?

“Aoi.”

There, again. Again, I heard someone calling my name. I can hear it clearly this time. Also, that voice was…

“Ōdanna…sama?”

I felt as if the voice was coming from a shadowy corner of the wall. I feel like I can see a vague shape of a person in that shadow. 

I gasp.

P137-138

I thought I have seen this shape lurking in the shadow before.

Yes. When I was but a child. In the house where my mother failed to return home to, my small self was laying on the floor in hunger. That…

That ayakashi. The one whom I met for the first time in that rainy day. The one who just called me from within the shadow.^

“Say… you are… Ōdanna-sama, right?”

I approached the shadow on the wall and, with my trembling voice, called him. Immediately, the shadowy figure, which looked like a human just now, rushed into the shadow and disappeared, leaving me searching around the spot. The closer I got, the farther the thing that I’m after.

And then, from behind me, I heard that voice again, calling me “Aoi”. At that point, I know that the only possible owner of that voice is Ōdanna-sama. 

“Forgive me, Aoi. I can’t get back to you when I look like this*…”

What the heck “look like this” even mean?!

“Ōdanna-sama! Where on Earth are you! And what the heck do you mean by ‘look like this’!”

I miss him. I want to see Ōdanna-sama’s form.

“However you look is fine by me! That’s why, please come out! Come out, Ōdanna-sama!” 

Such a painful feeling gripped my heart, as if we have not seen each other for a very long time. 

Within the confines of this space, I stopped and searched around, including looking up at the ceilings. I searched earnestly the whereabouts of that voice. 

P138

Yet, I can no longer hear the voice. The figure is nowhere to be seen.  

Although… just now, Ōdanna-sama was definitely here…

“Ōdanna-sama…why?”

I miss you. I want to see your face.

I don't understand how I could hear Ōdanna-sama’s voice in such a place. He must have been imprisoned in the Royal Palace now, right? Or… was that shadowy figure not Ōdanna-sama?

No. I am certain it was Ōdanna-sama’s voice. I believed that the shadowy figure was him because I have met him when I was but a child. Turns out, it was indeed Ōdanna-sama.

So, does it mean that the shadowy figure was…Ōdanna-sama’s true form after being stripped of his human form? 

“Eh…?”

When I suddenly looked up, I found the door that I couldn’t find earlier. It was the heavy, unadorned blue stone door, stuck in the wall right in front of me. I quickly rush over it. Since the door is still locked, I take out the black key suspended on my chest, insert it and turn the door open.

P139

Upon exiting the blue door…

“Eh…? Graves?”

To my amazement, I saw a graveyard, lined up with many distorted grave stones. They are a bit different from the graves in Utsushiyo. Elongated gravestones are planted into the ground, creeper plants are growing on the gravestones, flowers blooming here and there. It was a very peaceful cemetery. Yet, turns out, Ōdanna-sama isn’t here.

“Ōdanna-sama…”

On reflex, I collapsed on the ground. I am slightly disturbed and extremely surprised that I want to see Ōdanna-sama so badly.

“Whaddaya mean, “Ōdanna-sama”?”

Right there.

With no warning, a hand tapped on my shoulders from behind. I shuddered, for that voice brings back a rather unpleasant memory. Refused to be defeated by merely a trauma from the past, I swallow and decidedly look back with a stern face. 

Swish…

P140

Metal adornments. Long, see-through golden hair. 

I hate the fact that I remember this gaudy ayakashi so well.

“Raijū”.

“Long time no see~~~, Aoi-chan! Thanks a lot for the help in Tenjin-ya that time, yeaaaah!”

Flapping his hands, he beams up a smile typical of an ayakashi.  With no attempt of disguising my animosity, I glared at this ayakashi. Reunion with him at a graveyard is not a funny idea, but he does remind me of our Shinigami, the God of Death, anyway.

“I know you’ve framed Ōdanna-sama. Return him to Tenjin-ya. Everyone is working hard to prevent you from being the master of Tenjin-ya!”

“Hahahaha! That’s perfect! If you guys aren’t working hard, it won’t be that fun!” He laughs disgustingly. The kind of laughter that always celebrates tragedy.

“At any rate, I’m also working hard, you know. To catch and recapture the fugitive Ōdanna.”

“…the fugitive Ōdanna…? What do you mean by that?”

“As I just said. Ōdanna escaped the Royal Palace prison. That Ōgondōji and you Tenjin-ya lot orchestrated it, right?”

I couldn’t say anything.

“I’m here to search for Ōdanna.” 

P141

Turns out, the figure I saw before was indeed Ōdanna-sama.

Did Ōdanna-sama escape the Royal Palace… in order to see me?”

“Son of a bitch. I didn’t think that the disgusting Ōdanna was tied nice and secure, but when I was preoccupied by Byakuya, that dude escaped the Imperial Court prison and had the nerve to hide himself at that. However… since Aoi-chan is here, I do wonder if he’ll eventually come to you…~~~”

“What the –!”

“Aah, but maybe Ōdanna doesn’t wanna see you anymore, eh? I didn’t realise it at first, but that oni has surprisingly lost his power. Once his true form has been exposed, he may not be able to assume his usual form, along with his usual incessant, detestable placidity.”

What the heck is this guy babbling about?

The information about Ōdanna-sama escaping prison is disconcerting enough, but the nonsensical stories he told one after the other have made me even more perplexed^.

“Hold on a second. In the end, where is Ōdanna-sama now?”

“Huh?? I have absolutely no idea about that! And I was actually planning to have him judged in front of the public at that!”

“What the heck did Ōdanna-sama do to deserve judgement in front of the public! Unlike you, he has never done anything deplorable!”

P142

I spontaneously raised my voice. Brushing up the golden bang that obstructed his eyes, Raijū smiled sarcastically. 

“Says you, Aoi-chan. But you know, there are ayakashi in this world whose existence itself is a sinful thing. On the other hand, there are ayakashi whose existence is very much respected. For instance, this yours truly.”

“What the – !”

I was excessively angry, but he continued, whispering in my ear.

Source

“You know, Ōdanna is an ayakashi who can’t exist in Kakuriyo. If he’s around, Kakuriyo will fall into chaos like it once did. He must be sealed once again.”

“… sealed?”

I don’t get it.

What is Ōdanna-sama, actually?

Gradually, my body shivered due to a great uneasiness and chill that surged within me. Perhaps because he surmises that I couldn’t comprehend any of this, Raijū is laughing at me mockingly.

“Well, whatever. I thought you were surely in Tenjin-ya, so I didn’t do anything about it. But now that you’re here, it gets easier for me. Shall I use you as a bait to lure Ōdanna, then? Say, if I were to toss his fiancé down a valley or something like that, he’d surely come out, right? 

P143-144

If he’s not coming out by then, he’d be a laughing stock.”

Raijū grabs my wrist harshly. Despite trying so hard to shake his hands off me, the human me with zilch ayakashi power is no match for him. 

“Ahahahahahaha!!! You’re the granddaughter of Tsubaki Shirō, but you’re so weak! This is not a place where your cooking skill can help you, you know! Ah, perhaps it’s better that I also seal these hands of yours so that you can’t cook. Like what I did to your sense of taste that time.”

Raijū twists my wrist such that my face contorts in pain, but he keeps chasing me with his words.

“Aaah, but anything will do. This time around, your cooking won’t save you. You can’t solve the circumstances around Ōdanna and Tenjin-ya with just rice.”

His words stunned me. Up until now, such words have never made me falter. Yet now, it’s different. I wonder why.

Perhaps because, despite my cooking, I can do nothing… and it reverberates so hopelessly in my ears. My own excessive insecurities, of which I barely comprehend, is staring at me accusingly.  Turns out, I only have my cooking. However I look at it, it’s impossible to rescue Tenjin-ya and Ōdanna-sama with it.

“Take her to jail.” Raijū signaled to a pack of silver pigeon masked soldiers trailing behind him and made a move to shove me to them.

P144-145

However,

“As per usual, you like bullying those weaker than you, you coward!”

I heard an indifferent yet familiar sigh from somewhere, followed by a swishing sound. The pigeon-masked soldiers around me fell one by one silently to the ground. Promptly, Raijū dragged me by the wrist. Yet, the oniwaban Sasuke-kun suddenly materialised behind me, thrusting the blade of his kunai, the short ninja blade, on Raijū’s neck. 

“Tsk!” Raijū clicked his tongue and glowered ahead. There, at a large tombstone pillar.

“Fight someone your own size, Raijū.”

Source

Silently, a young man in white kimono, a conical hat on his head, stepped out from behind the tombstone pillar.

Scratch that; “a young man” would be an impolite term to describe him. That man is the Head of Accounting who has supported Tenjin-ya from its inception. Byakuya-san.

“Byakuya, you son of a bitch!”

“Yep. Have you recovered from the fall from the stairs after I kicked you? Even though until now you have been tiptoeing around me, yet as expected, whenever you catch a glimmer of Aoi-kun, you can’t help but chasing her around.”

Hold on a minute. It can’t be… Byakuya-san cannot have used me as a decoy, right???

“Byakuya! I bet you got Ōgondōji to help you with the prison break, after all. The King is very angry.

P145

You Tenjin-ya lot can’t do as you please, you know!”

“Shut up.” 

With a snap, Byakuya-san closed the hand-held fan he’s been holding at the corner of his mouth; his eyes narrowed coldly. 

“As per usual, you’re yapping around about petty things. You should look at the mirror: what nonsense did you whisper to the King?”

“Ha! I just said what I thought; that the so-called Kijin is actually a jyaki! I managed to unmask him! Long ago, the jyaki tribe plunged Kakuriyo into chaos. He, they, have to be sealed away. You should know about it best, Byakuya^!”

Byakuya-san said nothing. He was silent for a while, but Raijū’s words made him open his fan in front of his mouth. As if he is hiding a smile. 

 “Raijū, you are truly a blabbermouth. That’s why you are an idiot.”

“Excuse meeee!”

“Well, suit yourself. Your idiocy will never heal even if it takes a life time. It may never need to heal.”

Waving his fan, Byakuya-san is laughing at Raijū as if the latter is a fool. Then, a thick, lightly coloured mist rolled in, enveloping Byakuya-san, Sasuke-kun and myself. 

P146

“Shit! You’re spiriting yourself away!”

Gradually, a distance is forming between Raijū and us, and I feel that we are getting further and further away from him. Before I knew it, I am now disconnected from his hands, which so far have been holding me captive. 

“Don’t you dare running away, Byakuya! You’ve mercilessly abandoned^ your hometown and Yōto! I bet you are doing the same to Tenjin-ya now!”

I could only hear Raijū’s angry voice reverberating to where we are now.

Hometown?

The fog is thick, cold, and envelops the surroundings. I thought I heard someone, somewhere, telling me to run, so I did what I was told: I ran. I can see a speck of dim lightin the distance. When I spontaneously ran towards it, the fog dissipated and I was enveloped by the light.

“…………………..”

Tic-toc-tic-toc-tic-toc…

I can hear the sound of an old clock ticking from somewhere.

P147

Before I knew it, I was standing in a dusty storeroom full of antiques.

“How are you feeling, Aoi-kun?”

Someone opened the storeroom door. The owner of the voice was Byakuya-san, who was standing nonchalantly in a room behind that door, against the background of a warm light.

“My feelings are… fine at the moment. It’s just, in a very short amount of time, I traveled from one place to another. I have no idea where I am, no idea what the heck is going on, so I’m a bit overwhelmed.”

“Hmmm. But of course.” 

Byakuya-san cast a fleeting glance at my shoulders. I follow his gaze to see plentiful gold scales clinging to my shoulders.

“It seems you’ve been spirited away twice today: by Ōgondōji-sama and by me. It's an advanced technique that makes me tired. However, since it forces your body to move to another place, it might have also put a strain on your human body, eh.”

“No… I’m not actually that tired.”

“You’re a tough girl, as per usual.”

Oh, I see. My moving through that door earlier was apparently thanks to Ōgondōji-sama’s spiriting away technique. I kind of felt it, now that it has been mentioned. Why, the very thing that led me to that place in the first place was Ōgondōji-sama’s golden dust trails. 

P148

“Say, Byakuya-san, where are we?”

“In a basement in Yōto, a place always hidden by a barrier.”

“Somehow… it feels like a ninja hideout.”

“What!”

Sasuke-kun, who was using wall-colored cloth to hide himself, peeled off the cloth and showed his face. Why did he even have to use his ninjutsu in such a place like this…

“You two, come here. Sorry for what happened earlier, but I need to talk to you urgently.” Byakuya-san urged us to leave the storeroom.

Tic-toc-tic-toc-tic-toc, tic-tic-tic…

Upon leaving the storeroom, I heard the sound of ticking clocks from all over the place. Looking around, the other room was a dimly lit room modelled after a mountain hut, with colorful stained-glass lamps hanging here and there, projecting colorful specks of light across the walls. It’s indeed a strange room with clocks of various shapes, written in Chinese numerals, alphanumeric, Roman numerals, and unknown characters adorning its walls.

“You are at an underground suburb of Yōto called “Ochikubo”. This is the “Silhouette” Clock Shop.”

“So…  Ochikubo suburb, is it?” 

P149-150

Sasuke-kun frowns and makes a face.

“No need to be so cautious,” comments Byakuya-san upon registering Sasuke-kun’s reaction. “It’s true that it’s not the same with Yōto’s Tsuki-no-me suburb, this is an unrefined and shady suburb where only thugs gather. However, this is a special suburb where indigenous ayakashi can gather out of reach of the Imperial Court folks. It's a perfect hideout for gathering information.”

“Hey, hey. Isn’t it bad to call us unrefined and shady?”

Suddenly, I heard a voice from up a staircase. A deep, harsh male voice. When I look up, I see a particular grey-haired gentleman with black round sunglasses perching atop of his nose. He’s wearing a kimono adorned with various embroideries in traditional patterns. 

“Yep. As per usual, you don’t know what you’re talking about, eh.”

“Hahahaha! Byakuya-sama is scathing as per usual.”

For the benefit of Sasuke-kun and myself, Byakuya-san absentmindedly introduces the stranger in front of us as follows:

“This is Shimon, the Silhouette owner, a One Thousand Years Mole. He’s also the older brother of our Tenjin-ya R&D Dr Saraku.”

“Whaaaaaaaat!!!"

Totally surprised, Sasuke-kun and I raised our voice in unison. But it’s true, I’ve been thinking how this stranger looks like our Dr Saraku. But he’s not Dr Saraku either. 

P150-151

“His brother, are you?!”

Sasuke-kun being Sasuke-kun, of course he’s surprised. That’s true that Dr Saraku has always stayed inside the basement, hence it was hard to imagine him having a brother. I wonder why. It feels like he’s an ayakashi born of its own accord from the depth of the land. 

“Nice to meet you, Tenjin-ya colleagues. It seems my brother always troubles you.”

“N, no. We’re the ones who always give him trouble. We’re always asking him to develop this and that.” I bob my head to emphasize. 

Shimon-san chuckles.  “I’ve heard time and again about Aoi-san of the Moonflower in his letters to me. You guys created manjū together, right? He wrote happily about it. I tried the manjū, it was very delicious.”

Shimon ushered us to a velvet sofa, where an array of pottery bowls were displayed on a glass table in front of us. And then he pours some brown liquid into a glass pot. That one is…

“Could it be… is that coffee?”

“It’s not the usual coffee from coffee bean, but it’s made of dandelion roots. My wife runs a geothermal farm, and I use the dandelions grown there.”

P151-152

“Shimon-san, have you a wife?”

“Yes. Yet, she’s extremely shy and thus does not come to greet you, sorry for that. Basically, we the Thousand Years Moles don’t like to appear in front of others.”

“Ah, I see…”

Sasuke-kun and I made a face to show that we totally get it. 

“In lieu of her presence, this dandelion coffee is her greeting, so to speak.”

We thank Shimon-san and receive the still warm drink. Surrounded by the myriad clocks and the echoes of their ticking hands, the stained glass lamps giving the room enigmatic shades of colour, somehow the dandelion coffee feels right. The colour is indeed that of the normal coffee, but it doesn’t really taste like coffee. If anything, it tastes like bitter sweet herbal tea. Sasuke-kun seems to dislike it, for he keeps making a face. However, when I mix the drink with soy milk and some sugar cubes that came with it, it does become easier to drink, and delicious at that. Sasuke-kun actually added three sugar cubes to his coffee.

“Ummm, Byakuya-san, have you been here since you left Tenjin-ya?

“Yep. I’d been searching for Ōdanna-sama’s whereabout with the help of Nui-no-in dono. I knew right away that Ōdanna-sama was imprisoned at the Palace, but the issue is the trigger; what caused it.”

P152

“… Raijū told me that. He said that Ōdanna-sama should not be allowed to exist.”

I have no idea what Raijū meant by that.

I want to know. I want to know about Ōdanna-sama.

For a while, Byakuya-san stared at me, as if making sure about something. Before long though, he sighed and, with one look, signalled at Sasuke-kun, who immediately understood the meaning and quietly left the room. After taking a sip of the dandelion coffee, Byakuya-san quietly started speaking.

“Aoi-kun, how much do you know about Ōdanna-sama?”

“None. I know nothing about him. However, I think I saw something that looked like Ōdanna-sama just now. I think it was indeed Ōdanna-sama.”

Little by little, I explained what happened to Byakuya-san; about the thing that lurked in the shadow beyond the door that I found earlier. Upon hearing my story, Byakuya-san said, “I’m sure that was indeed Ōdanna-sama. Dare I say, amongst the Tenjin-ya folks, Ōgondōji-sama and I might be the only one who know the truth about him. Nah… even for me, I don’t know everything about him.”

Byakuya-san opens and closes his hand fan repeatedly, somewhat with no vigour.

“I was thinking that I should tell you about this sooner or later. You are, after all, Ōdanna-sama’s bride.”

P153

“Umm…”

“It’s outrageous to have something to hide between husband and wife.”

Byakuya-san closed his fan, its sharp sound reverberates. He lifts his face and fixes his gaze on me, as if he has finished arranging what he has to say. 

“Aoi-kun, I’m not sure what you’ll think and do upon hearing what I have to say. I will not blame you if you decide against marrying Ōdanna-sama after all. Even that’s what that Ōdanna-sama is extremely afraid of.”

I said nothing.

Byakuya-san begins his narration, amidst the bitter sweet scent of the cold dandelion coffee.  In this dimly lit room, filled with the echoing sound of the clocks’ seconds hands. 

Tic-toc-tic-toc-tic-toc…

As if it was a symbol of reminiscence of the passage of time.

“First, let’s talk about the founding of Tenjin-ya. It dates back nearly 500 years ago. At that time, the place where Tenjin-ya was to be built was actually an old castle called the Tenjin Castle. In that castle resided the Hachiyō of that period, Ōgondōji-sama. 

“So, at that time, there was no inn yet?” 

P154

“Yep. That was because, at that time, no ayakashi could have lived in the Kimon Land, because it resembled hell on earth. The sky was filled with dark crimson poisonous clouds with ghostly air, the ground was filled with blood-coloured lava, and no single plant could grow there… Yep, that place was called “Hell’s Miniature Garden” at that time.”

To think that the lively Oni Gate was once such a desolate place…

I can’t believe it.

“But you must have felt it a bit anyway, right, Aoi-kun?  Something shivering rushing up from the bottom of the valley surrounding Tenjin-ya.”

“Ah…”

At that time, I was looking for the lost children of some customers and almost fell into a ravine. At that time, I indeed sensed something unsettling from the darkness at the bottom of the valley^.

“The Oni Gate of Kakuriyo. That land was a place that lived up to its name. In particular, the place where Tenjinya is later located is surrounded by a deep valley. There, its precursor Tenjin castle functioned as a weight* to keep something sealed inside.”

“A weight…to keep something sealed inside?”

Byakuya-san looks reluctant to utter the next words, but he keeps going.

“Yes. The one sealed in that land was none other than Ōdanna-sama. Ōdanna-sama was… a jyaki that was asleep deep underground in a place where the current Tenjin-ya stands.” 

P155

“Jya…ki…?”

A jyaki that was asleep in the underground.

And just like that, I remember a similar story. Come to think of it, a jyaki was once also sealed in the Southern Land. While looking for some water sources, Shizuna-chan accidentally unsealed that jyaki and she was fired from Orio-ya as the result. Such creatures are at times sealed at excellent hot spring sources…

And later, when I was held captive in the Southern Land, I was looking for the mermaid scale required for a ceremony. At that time, another jyaki attacked me but Ōdanna-sama rescued me. That jyaki was the one that Shizuna-chan accidentally woke up^. 

Ah, yes. That jyaki said something like, “You’re the same as me” to Ōdanna-sama. 

Anyone knows that Ōdanna-sama is an oni. Why, he’s even called ‘Kijin’ or the Oni-God, at that.

But then… well, what is jyaki then?

What is the difference between a jyaki and an  ordinary oni?

However, Byakuya-san is not there yet. Firstly, he was still talking about Tenjin-ya’s founding era. 

P156

“The first time I met Ōdanna-sama was immediately after Ōgondōji-sama woke him up after she broke the Tenjin-ya underground seal. Yes, although he was nameless and he assumed the form of a young oni child, his words and thoughts were indeed not those of a child…”

Byakuya-san resumes slowly, his eyes closed as if he was about to doze off.

“Yet, despite being called a jyaki, his eyes were incredibly pure. His dignity and presence were overwhelming, such that even a great number of daiyōkai I’ve met so far also unconsciously feared him.”

Remembering those moments, Byakuya-san covers his mouth and chuckles.

“Upon waking up the jyaki, thereafter Ōgondōji-sama decided to manage the Tenjin Castle as a very large inn and thus changed the name of the establishment to Tenjin-ya.”

“Is that the current Tenjin-ya?”

“Yep. As if triggered by the jyaki’s awakening, the land sprung back to live beyond recognition. The dark crimson sky cleared up, making way to fine weather. Before long, the lava that overflowed from underground became fertilizer that nurtured the plants. On top of that, the land bears excellent hot springs.”

“That’s true… I’ve heard that Tenjin-ya’s hot springs are the best in Kakuriyo.”

Being a land where a jyaki with Ōdanna-sama’s level slumbered, I can see how Tenjin-ya’s hot springs are excellent.

P157-158

“While Ōgondōji-sama assumed the role of the Proprietess, the still very young jyaki child was raised to be the master of Tenjin-ya.”

Afterwards, Byakuya-san started to refer to the jyaki child as Ōdanna-sama.

“Firstly, Ōdanna-sama wished to find committed employees for Tenjin-ya, which at that time had no employee at all. He thus invited me who, needless to say, was an authority at the Palace. He also invited Yōto researcher Saraku and a sweets artisan of the Imperial Court. To us, he asked if we’d like to work together at Tenjin-ya.”

“Ōdanna-sama asked you Byakuya-san, and… also Dr Saraku?”

And who was the sweets artisan of the Imperial Court? Who might that be. I wonder if that person is no longer at Tenjin-ya.

“Well, at that time, Saraku and I had just lost something important; we were in despair^. Ōdanna-sama did not fail to notice the state of the Imperial Court at that time. At first, I was cautious because he was a jyaki child. However, in the end, everyone was attracted to Ōdanna-sama’s mysterious power and his hidden potentials and charm.”

Byakuya-san chuckled as he remembered the distance past. I feel like this is the first time I am witnessing Byakuya-san smiling in such a nostalgic fashion. 

“At first, Tenjin-ya’s business didn’t take off as planned and we were struggling with cashflow problems. We had to do everything to repair the old castle repairs and establish the town. Everyone pooled their ideas and started working to restore Kimon’s image. 

P158

There were even times when Ōdanna-sama secretly traveled to Utsushiyo to do his research on inns, hot springs and souvenirs.”

“Ōdanna-sama, to Utsushiyo?”

“Yep. Ōdanna-sama seemed to have an affectionate attachment to the world called Utsushiyo. I’m not sure where he had gone to and what he had done there before he was sealed away, though. Well, in such a state, we persevered and continued our business, even though we were on the verge of bankruptcy. In the meantime, you reap what you sow, and customers began to gather. When customers gather, merchants will also gather. Right in the heart of a land that had been feared and forsaken thus far, the central business center of Ginten-machi emerged. People started to settle there, creating a lively vibe. Ōdanna-sama, Saraku and myself loved the inn called “Tenjin-ya”, the very inn we have built from scratch, with a sense of accomplishment of reviving a dying entity. As if it was our own child…”

I remember a scene a while ago where Ōdanna-sama, Byakuya-san and Dr Saraku were enjoying the full moon together^. I felt that they shared a bond due to their old fellowship back then. 

“This is what they call reminiscing the olden days, eh. To sum up, basically what I want to say is this: I just want to protect an inn called Tenjin-ya so long as Ōdanna-sama exists there. If that Tenjin-ya’s master is not Ōdanna-sama, that Tenjin-ya is not the Tenjin-ya I want to protect.”

“…Byakuya-san…”

P159

“However, at the moment we have a very different road ahead of us. To a large extent, things would be easier if Ōdanna-sama is just replaced with another master.”

“Why is that? Although Ōdanna-sama is a jyaki, is that such a terrible thing to be?”

“Yep, so it seems.”

“But, in the first place, Ōdanna-sama is also an oni, right? What’s the difference between a jyaki and an oni?”

“They are different. Though it’s easier to say that jyaki is but a race of oni, they literally do have some demonic dispositions.  Although they just look like ordinary oni in appearance, they are much stronger than a normal oni. A jyaki has an inherent wickedness and a cruel personality. A jyaki once killed a Kakuriyo king in the past, such that it made a big impact on our history. Luckily, we were able to avoid having jyaki as the ruler of this land. Afterwards, jyaki has become an existence that should be sealed deep within the Kakuriyo underground.”

Frowning yet stern-faced, Byakuya-san firmly closes the half-open fan he’s been holding at the corner of his mouth. 

“To put it simply, jyakis are abominable beings that are capable of shaking the sovereignty of Kakuriyo’s royalty and disrupt this world. To the Kakuriyo ayakashi folks, a jyaki is the most frightening, evil ayakashi^, so to speak. Consequently, once the King realised that Ōdanna-sama was a jyaki, the King had Ōdanna-sama captured.”

I felt so cold as I listened to this story.

“Could it be that… the King would like to, once again, seal Ōdanna-sama?”

P160

“Yep, that seems to be the plan. Because Ōdanna-sama is a jyaki, it’s not unthinkable to feel threatened by his presence. The King is obliged to protect this Kakuriyo, after all.”

“B-but! Ōdanna-sama is not that kind of jyaki! Of course I was scared at him when I first saw him, but once I got to know him, I realised that he’s actually naïve.  He has never hurt anyone, he’s nostalgic, and – despite being an oni – he has never done a single bad thing. Ōdanna-sama even protected me from that Southern Land jyaki!”

When in private, Ōdanna-sama’s personality is not the same as his public image, such that it’s weird to call him a jyaki. Or is that just because I don’t know anything about him yet? However, isn’t that also true that everyone at Tenjin-ya missed Ōdanna-sama so much? That he has such a kindness and open-mindedness that I also observed?

“Of course there are many types of jyaki. You have your brainless jyaki with only basic evil thoughts. And then you have jyakis who have surpassed their brute strength. Ōdanna-sama is the latter. I don’t know though how he was prior to being sealed in the Tenjin-ya underground. However, the person who emerged once again in this world after Ōgondōji-sama broke his seal had the most honest, sincere eyes I’ve ever seen, a far cry from any treacherous ayakashi I know in the Palace. He should not be imprisoned in the underground darkness once more just because he’s a jyaki.”

The dark underground…

P161

Somehow, various emotions surged within me and I trembled even more. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who once got trapped in such a place. Apparently, Ōdanna-sama also experienced it. He was imprisoned for a much longer period than me. He was lonely, and I’m certain that he was always hungry all the time… He was in such a pain, in such a pain…

“And now, Ōdanna-sama is… already…”

“Byakuya-san?”

“No.”

Byakuya-san shook his head vigorously and stopped saying what he wanted to say. Instead, he finished the cold dandelion coffee in front of him.  

“Aoi-kun. I’ve told you a very long, non-sensible story. Sorry if it made you confused.”

“N-no… I feel like I finally started to understand things that have escaped me so far. However, it’s scary… What will become of Ōdanna-sama after this? Can he return to Tenjin-ya, I wonder…”

Calmly yet tightly, Byakuya-san grasped the fan he’s been holding at the corner of his mouth.

“We’ve been able to hazard a guess of where Ōdanna-sama is now. That would be easy if Ōgondōji-sama is here. However, I don’t think the Master will be returning to Tenjin-ya anytime soon.”

Why is that?

P162

I asked Byakuya-san why, but he shook his head. There must be some reasons behind it. The reason for Ōdanna-sama not being able to return to Tenjin-ya.  

Byakuya-san paused for a while before resuming in a whisper. 

“… Even when all the Kakuriyo ayakashi turned against us, I want to be his ally.  However, it could mean that we’ll lose Tenjin-ya at the same time. Because you can’t run an inn if everyone is your enemy.”

“That is…”

That is true. It’s natural that the number of customers depends on the way we run the business and the reputation and image of our inn. Because the Kakuriyo ayakashi folks hate jyaki, whatever achievements we have so far can be easily overlooked.

“Tenjin-ya employs many people. If Tenjin-ya goes under, our employees will have no livelihood. We also have many orphans.  To protect these kids, the presence of an organization called Tenjin-ya is important. Thus, to protect Tenjin-ya…”

“Wait. Byakuya-san, don’t tell me that Ōdanna-sama… that there is a plan to replace him with another master?!”

Is that why Ōdanna-sama can’t return to Tenjin-ya…?

P163

Unconsciously, I stood up and cried out in tears. In front of that Byakuya-san. 

“I hate this! Though I haven't been working in Tenjin-ya for long, even I understand that  Tenjin-ya is Ōdanna-sama’s place to belong. Why, he is called “Ōdanna” for that! He is the Master!”

I bet that, for Ōdanna-sama, Tenjin-ya is a place that has saved him from loneliness. It was where he made friends, shared his joys and sorrows and eventually found his purpose in life. Tenjin-ya is a place like that. 

“If Tenjin-ya is no longer my place to belong, I have nowhere else to go.”

Before, with such lonely eyes, he told me that. Only now I start to understand the meaning of those words. 

Despite being slightly taken by surprise by my desperation over Ōdanna-sama’s matter, Byakuya-san calmly replied with “I get it”. 

“I told you that, didn’t I? For me also, a Tenjin-ya without Ōdanna-sama as its master is not my Tenjin-ya. The important thing is for us to persist until the year-end Night Meeting. We need to create an opposition within the Hachiyō against the motion of decommissioning Ōdanna-sama. We must absolutely prevent five or more votes approving that motion. Public opinions be damned!”

Just now, those passionate and emotional words were coming out of the always phlegmatic Byakuya-san.

P164

“… Byakuya-san…”

I’m a bit surprised that Byakuya-san has been contemplating the issues about Ōdanna-sama to such an extent. On the other hand, the fact that Odanna-sama has so many subordinates is like hope itself. Like a miracle itself. After all, Byakuya-san has worked with Ōdanna-sama for a much longer period than me. It might be impertinent for me to think of such a thing, but I’m glad that Ōdanna-sama has such a supporter like Byakuya-san. I feel like I’m about to cry.

“Wha’s up, Aoi-kun?”

“No… I… I just used to think that you were a stoic and heartless person.”

“Sheesh. My shortcomings are an endearing quality to my friends and family, you know.”

“Really? I think you’re still quite strict. Very strict.”

Without his strictness, Tenjin-ya would have been in disarrays. However, this very Byakuya-san, who can be fired up about things that matter to him, may also be more compassionate than anyone I know. 

“Right back at you, Aoi-kun. You used to reject Ōdanna-sama; what gives? Could it be that you’ve been totally charmed by him?”

“Whaaaaaaat???? No way! This is not ‘love’, you know, this is ‘like’! Probably, okay!”

“As per usual, denial is a river in Egypt for you^.” 

P165

Looking at me in amazement at my insistence, Byakuya-san said,

“Aoi-kun. At least, please be Ōdanna-sama’s ally till the end. Despite whatever true form of his that you might end up seeing.”

I said nothing. 

“No, I can’t force you to do it, can I?”

Byakuya-san let out a bitter smile tinged with sorrow, and ended the story with those words.

And then, with his “Well then, I have a secret appointment with the Minister of the Right after this”, he hurriedly left the Silhouette Clock Shop. I was ordered to stay in this shop for a while, then exit through another hidden passageway to return to Tenjin-ya. The reason is to avoid our movements being noticed by the enemy.

“You must still be a bit tired, right? Would you like another serving of the dandelion coffee?”

Shimon-san the One Thousand Years Mole shop owner gently spoke to me, who was still sitting on the chair. 

“Thank you. I would like that.”

“Would you like some fruit cake made of buckwheat flour?”

Shimon-san skillfully prepares the coffee and sweets for me and Sasuke-kun, who just returned to this room. 

P166

Our eyes glisten at the pound cake-like fruit cake made of soba (buckwheat) flour, loaded with dried fruit and spices.

“My wife also baked this fruit cake. She used a lot of spices, so the taste is a little peculiar, but it's perfect for winter.”

“Ah, you’re right. I can smell the delicious cinnamon… ah, she also baked it with sesame seeds and black soybeans.”

The spicy fruit cake warms my body, such that I sigh in relief. By the way, the cake’s peculiarity does pique my interest to eat it. I took a bite, feeling the taste soaking my heart. It goes without saying that cinnamon goes well together with dried fruit. Nevertheless, the winning trait of this cake is that it is made of buckwheat flour instead of the normal wheat flour. The rustic taste of Japan calms my heart, which was restless until just a while ago.

“It’s delicious. The scent of the soba flour...matches the dandelion coffee somehow.”

Shimon-san smiled sweetly. “My wife would surely be pleased to receive a compliment from you. My wife learned to make this sweet from a confectioner, but she didn't have many opportunities to try it, you see.”

Sasuke-kun also seems to like this cake, for he stuffs his cheeks in silence. I like his face like this.

P167

Casually, I told Shimon-san about it as well. 

“Umm, Shimon-san, is your wife also a One-Thousand Years Mole?”

“Of course. We One-Thousand Years moles are good at burrowing ourselves underground and immersing ourselves in making and researching this and that. Therefore, my only match is also a One-Thousand Years Mole. I make and repair clocks in this underground town, but my wife diligently grows vegetables and fruits in the underground farm."

“As expected, you are not unlike Dr Saraku,” Sasuke-kun casually quipped.

Shimon-san laughed. “That's true, eh. My younger brother Saraku has a sharp mind. He is a particularly brilliant inventor amongst the One-Thousand Years moles. However, exactly because of his talent, he was dragged out of the underground and was forced to conduct some very difficult research as a researcher of the Imperial Court.

“Difficult…research?”

“Yep. His research was about something to hurt others. That research might have been important for Kakuriyo. However, for Saraku, that research kept hurting his heart^.”

Without giving any details, Shimon-san just subtly yet abruptly smiles and continues his story. 

“However, Saraku was rescued. By none other than Byakuya-sama and Tenjin-ya’s Ōdanna-sama. He was whisked to a place where he can create things that will make ayakashi happy^^. Saraku is

P168

a strange guy, but he has a strong sense of duty. I think he plans to work hard as well this time, for the sake of Tenjin-ya.” 

Sasuke-kun and I look at each other. Dr Saraku, who is always irresponsible and hesitant, but can be so enthusiastic at times about his research that he looks like a mad scientist. I relied heavily on him for my souvenir products. He also prepared for me the Moonflower Two. That Dr Saraku apparently has such a dark past. 

Ōdanna-sama has disappeared from Tenjin-ya, and gradually the background stories of his executives begin to unravel. In addition to the history of Tenjin-ya itself, there exist stories of those who continued to support that inn. In particular, Ōdanna-sama, Byakuya-san, and Dr Saraku, who were involved in its creation...

In the evening, Sasuke-kun and I headed to the back gate to leave Shimon-san’s house. There was a basket full of vegetables and flowers in front of the back door, and when I looked around, I saw a petite woman wearing glasses looking at me from the shadows across from where I stood. The lady must be Shimon-san’s wife. I bow to her. 

“This is a gift from my wife. Please take it with you.”

“Eh? Are you sure?”

P169-170

“Of course. Vegetables grown underground rely on sunlight, but they are less affected by the seasons. We use clean underground water and soil rich in psychic power for these vegetables. We grow vegetables with flavours and features that are different from those grown in Yōto, such that the aristocrats have come to enjoy them.”

"I've heard that story before, that underground vegetables are gaining momentum as of late."

I tried to lift the basket, but Sasuke-kun immediately carried it on his back for me. He was so prim, as if to tell me that this is his job to do. What a reliable ninja he is…

"Oh, right! Please have a look at our wasabi field on your way home.” 

“The wasabi field?”

"It's the bestseller from my wife's farm. It's our pride and joy."

I have never seen a wasabi field. It piques my interest. As such, with Shimon-san as our guide, we passed through a dark underground passage with  exposed pipes, which also serves as the passage home. And then, my eyes involuntarily widen when we finally see a scenery spreading out in front of us.

“Ooooh… what a wonderful scenery!”

Despite being underground, what lays before me is a shallow waterhole made of stones that stretches endlessly, with watermills here and there. 

P170

It is an idyllic wasabi field with beautiful water and greenery. Embedded in the high ceiling, a huge lens containing oni fire functions as an artificial sunlight. This is definitely a rural landscape I have yet to see to date. Shimon-san entered the wasabi field as if it was something he usually does and pulled out a few wasabi stems. He handed one to me and put the rest in the basket Sasuke-kun was carrying on his back.

This is pre-grated wasabi in its natural form, with leaves still attached.

“May I have these?”

“Of course. My wife also told me that she’d like you to eat it. At any rate, a freshly harvested wasabi is fragrant. It has such an exquisite spiciness and sweetness, so please use it in various dishes.”

Despite having so many vegetables as a gift already, I am so grateful to have wasabi an additional souvenir. What kind of dish should I use this splendid wasabi for?

We pass by the wasabi field and arrive at a wharf. Surprisingly, there seems to be an elevator that is used by the One-Thousand Year Moles to dig pits. Well, a so-called elevator. It seems that they usually use this elevator to carry vegetables to the ground.

P171

We were apparently quite deep underground, for it took us about five minutes^ to ride up in the elevator. Upon alighting from the elevator, we find ourselves in an old barn with vegetables lining up, waiting to be shipped. 

It seems that this place is a good distance away from Yōto. As I was absentmindedly observing the skyscrapers of Yōto in the distance, my nostrils caught the scent of the countryside, burnt dry leaves and the likes, wafting through the air. And then, traversing this countryside is the Great Kanro River, the largest waterway in Kakuriyo. Somehow, watching the winter sunset reflected on the river surface made me sad.

“Aoi-dono. We have pick-up from Tenjin-ya over there.”

I see a small boat cruising the river towards us.  As Sasuke-kun said, it looks like a Tenjin-ya ship, where ingredients such as the red turnips I bought at the grocery store and the almonds I bought at the bean seed specialty store have already been loaded onto.

I boarded this ship and gazed at the flow of the Great Kanro River from the window. Bewildered and shaken by all sorts of emotions, I somehow took out the key hidden in my chest and held it in my hand.

Earlier at the Moonflower, Ōdanna-sama gave it to me. He said that, if I want to know anything about him, I need to find something that I can open with this key. 

That’s true that there was a door that I was able to open with this key.

P172

Upon opening that door earlier, I certainly heard your voice. Then, if I look for something that I can open with this key, I feel that I should be able to find my way to Ōdanna-sama one day. 

Say, Ōdanna-sama.

Where are you now?

“Eh…?”

When I saw my own reflection in the window,  I noticed the hair ornament that was securing my hair. I gasped.

“No way. The flower on the hair ornament…”

My hair ornament with the camellia bud… As if impatiently waiting for the winter to be over, it opens up its red petals. In fact, it already blooms to the size of a flower, instead of a mere bud.

What’s the meaning of this?

My heart is pounding like crazy, tightening my chest such that it hurts.

-TBC in Vol 7 Ch 5-

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

P133: ^ Before Aoi followed the golden dusts of Ōgondōji-sama, she and Sasuke-kun visited a bean seed specialty store. I take it that the store is below the street level, and they had to climb down a flight of stairs to visit the store. Hence, after she got the almonds, she and Sasuke-kun climbed up the stairs once more to reach the street level.

P137: ^ this is important, because this is the firsts time (chronologically speaking) that Aoi registers the association between the kind ayakashi and Ōdanna-sama.

* the actual Japanese phrase was 『この姿で』or “in this form”, but I find it better translated as “look like this”. 

P141: ^ This is also important because I always thought that Ōgondōji-sama rescued Ōdanna-sama somewhere in Vol 8 (because Vol 8 took place in about a month’s time or so). If Ōgondōji-sama rescued Ōdanna-sama from the prison in Vol 7, then it means that it took her a long time to restore Ōdanna-sama’s artificial essence. But yet again, later in Vol 7, Aoi actually did a prison break to rescue him, so perhaps the news that he escaped prison was false. 

Update 7 Oct 2022

After comparing this prison break event with Vol 9 Ch 1, I now have a different interpretation of what happens here. It seems that Ōgondōji-sama had indeed rescued a conscious Ōdanna-sama from jail just around the time Aoi was shopping around Yōto for cooking ingredients. However, since Ōdanna-sama was very weak, he could not maintain his human form. When Ōdanna-sama was already a fugitive (perhaps Ōgondōji-sama transported him in invisible mode across Yōto), he might have seen Aoi shopping around in Yōto, so he called her. Sensing that Ōdanna-sama wanted to talk to Aoi, Ōgondōji-sama spirited Aoi away so that she could at least hear Ōdanna-sama in private (instead of in the middle of a Yōto street). However, since Ōdanna-sama was in his jyaki form, he didn't want to show himself to Aoi. He just called her several times, then apologising for not being able to show himself, and left. 

Later, Ōgondōji-sama fixed Ōdanna-sama's artificial core (i.e. the artificial version of his psychic heart). However, since the damage that Raijū did was quite significant, it took Ōgondōji-sama a while before she could fix Ōdanna-sama. During this time, Ōdanna-sama became unconscious, and he only woke up the day before his reunion with Aoi in Vol 9 Ch 1. 

I have also updated Vol 8 Epilogue with this new interpretation. In that chapter, Ōdanna-sama woke up in Bunmon (the Cultural Gate) after Ōgondōji-sama repaired his psychic essence. There, he felt like he did meet Aoi once in Yōto, but he didn't remember what she said back then. I used to interpret it as Ōdanna-sama taking Aoi to Yōto back in Vol 1, but at that time, they talked about many mundane things. After translating Vol 7 Ch 4, I think Ōdanna-sama meant that, once he was freed from jail by Ōgondōji-sama, he met Aoi once in the capital, and Aoi did say that she didn't care how he looked, she just wanted to see him. However, he didn't remember that conversation at all, at least in Vol 8 Epilogue.

End of update 7 Oct 2022

P145: ^ The JP ver is そんなことは、お前が一番よく知っているはずだぞ、白夜！, which made me think that Byakuya’s family might have suffered a jyaki attack in the past. Could it be that his wife died that way? If so, it’s more admirable that Byakuya didn’t hate, and ended up loving Ōdanna-sama like father to son.

P146: ^ Oh, this is interesting and sad at the same time. So, Byakuya abandoned his hometown in the past? I bet the information is at the latter chapters in this volume 7, because we have two small chapters narrated by Byakuya. I am looking forward to translating them!

P154: ^ I didn’t recall that Aoi sensed something like that in the anime; it might have not been teased out properly there. The manga has not covered this story yet, perhaps in manga vol 9 (the JP ver is now up to vol 8, the Eng ver up to vol 7).  

*The ‘weight’ here is 重石or ‘omoshi’ in JP ver. Think of a heavy paper weight made of metal or stone. That was the role of the Tenjin Castle; as a weight (or a lock,  if you will) to keep the ‘jyaki’ later known as Ōdanna-sama sealed.

P155: ^ Wait, so the jyaki who attacked Aoi was the same jyaki who attacked Shizuna? At that time, Tokihiko-dono didn’t kill the jyaki who attacked Shizuna (Tokihiko-dono just rescued Shizuna), so I take it that jyaki then dwelled in the Dragon Palace afterwards?

P157: ^ This must be when Byakuya lost his human wife. It must be it, for he later smiled a such nostalgic smile… As for Dr Saraku, I wonder what kind of loss he experienced before Ōdanna-sama pulled him out of his misery.  

P158: ^ Hohoho! Yes, of course you’d remember that, my dear Aoi! You actually saw your Ōdanna-sama in his birthday suit when he innocently stepped out of the onsen, you naughty naughty girl!

P159: ^ I am not sure how to translate the word 害妖 (perhaps pronounced as “gaiyō”?). According to Jisho.org, the first kanji 害means “injury; harm; evil influence; damage” and the second kanji 妖is ayakashi (which is also the first character for yōkai 妖怪or another name for ayakashi).  Since the first kanji means bad thing, then I translate 害妖 as “evil ayakashi”.

P164: ^ I translated ‘denial is a river in Egypt’ from 素直ではないな (“you’re not being honest about your feelings”).

P167: ^ wow, I think we definitely need a gaiden chapter of Dr Saraku’s past!

^^ Is this why Dr Saraku’s design of the Shooting Star airship later in Vol 10 Ch5 was so childish? Because he was making up for the horrid episode of his life?

P171: ^ Wow, it means that Byakuya-san’s spirited away technique is amazing, that he can materialise three people so deep underground!