Novel Vol 7 Ch 5 (The Game of Tenjin Temari)

The beautiful, caring Ginji-san (source)

Apologies for taking almost ONE YEAR to translate Vol 7 Ch 5, but I hope you enjoy it despite the one-year hiatus. Next, I will translate an intermezzo narrated by Ginji-san. That one should be quicker, because it’s only four novel pages to translate. 

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. 

Novel Vol 7 Ch 5 (The Game of Tenjin Temari)

P174-203

That night, after a few days of absence, we returned to Tenjin-ya. Sasuke-kun, the Kamaitachi kids and myself brought the produce that we obtained from Yōto for the Moonflower.

“Thanks a lot, guys. Have you eaten anything? Shall I make you something?”

“… yeah…”

The Kamaitachi kids replied vaguely, somewhat with no vigour. Instead, repeatedly saying “Sasuke-niichan, Sasuke-niichan!” and begging for his attention, they tightly hold onto Sasuke-kun whom they haven’t seen for a few days. Although they’re always hungry, food doesn’t work on these kids this time…

“Hey! Get a grip on yourself! You can’t be splendid garden keepers of Tenjin-ya if you’re being a spoiled cry baby, right?!”

“B-but…!”

“We’re like, thinking that you, you know, wouldn’t come back home to us!”

P174-175

Sasuke-kun is getting angrier at his whining brothers and sisters.

“Oh come on! Like^?? You even forgot to speak properly!”

“Right, calm down, Sasuke-kun.  Everyone is feeling depressed, you know. Tenjin-ya is doing it tough right now, what with Ōdanna-sama’s and Saizō-san’s absence…”

And just like that, just as I finished that sentence, I hold my mouth, for the children burst into tears as soon as I mentioned Saizō-san’s name. I immediately burst out my “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” to them.

“Not to worry, Aoi-dono.  Although we are ninja, shinobi, we can be cry baby too. I’m sure that Father, even as we speak, is now protecting Ōdanna-sama… Therefore, I trust that Father will return. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself…”

“No, that’s fine, it can’t be helped… Everyone, you love your father and your older brother, right? You must be worried when someone important to you isn’t coming home. I totally get the feeling.”

I wiped away the children’s tears and patted their heads one by one. They are obedient kids who love their father, siblings and family. To have a warm place to call home is happiness on its own.  That’s why, it’s worrying and painful to have someone you love going missing. Though I can’t get rid of that worry, at least I want to cheer them up and encourage them… 

P175-176

“Ah, the lights at the Moonflower are on!”

Though the Moonflower  is not open tonight, the inside lights are on and smoke is coming out of the chimney. Securing the perimeter of Tenjin-ya, each of the Kamaitachi kid disappeared in the night wind. The alert level in Tenjin-ya has been raised and now the Kamaitachi are going all-out guarding the establishment.

Are you alright, guys…?

“Ah, Aoi-sama, thank you for your hard work.”

From behind the Moonflower  counter, Ai-chan abruptly lifts her head.  She seems to be preparing stuff for the Moonflower Two business tomorrow, for these things take time. She’s only been mainly peeling, cutting, and stewing vegetables for consommé, but I’m truly grateful. She’s been doing exactly as I asked her to do through our communication pad. 

“The same goes to you, Ai-chan. It must’ve been hard to always assume my form, right?’

“No, I don’t do that just for the Moonflower business. Rather, it’s actually fun to be you. 

P176

Everyone is being kind and showing concerns about me, as you, that is. It’s just, Chibi-chan…”

“Hmm, what’s up with Chibi?”

Ai-chan points at the counter top. 

“Don’t look for me. Am bein' abandoned. Am goin' for a trip.”

I pick a piece of memo, written shabbily, and placed under a small weight stone. 

“What the heck is this. Did Chibi write it?”

“Yes. It seems Chibi-chan felt abandoned when you didn’t come home, Aoi-sama. Thus, he went on a trip.”

“Whaaaat!!! I wasn’t abandoning him! Why, I myself have been having unexpected plot twists raining down on me!”

“I have explained that to him myself several times… but Chibi-chan was like, ‘I don’t believe you, Ai-shaaaan ~’. He’s so stubborn!”

“Chibi, what the heck!”

Still, despite all these, Chibi is still pathetically cute,. Despite my concerns for the Kamaitachi kids, I have this emerging issue of Chibi’s disappearance to deal with.

P177

Where the heck did he go? Did he really take off for a trip?

“Aoi-san, thank you for your hard work!”

At that time, Ginji-san arrived at the Moonflower, making a point to come here just as he heard about my return. It’s been only a few days since the last time I saw Ginji-san, but I feel relieved to see him.

“Ginji-san, it has been quite a few days!”

“Yes. You’ve been having unexpected things happening, right? You must be tired?”

“Yeesss, I heard many things from Byakuya-san. Ginji-san, you must be busy because Ōdanna-sama and Byakuya-san are not around?”

“It’s true that it has been challenging, but others are also having it the same. Moreover, each fellow employee has this sense of crisis. They’re focusing more on their works than usual that I have almost no chance to get out. Everyone’s really staying strong!”

Ginji-san laughs bitterly. It seems that everyone in Tenjin-ya is working together to get out of this predicament. That’s very reassuring. 

“I see. Everyone, you’ve been working hard. However, you can’t be the only one who’s shouldering the burden, Ginji-san.”

P178-179

“They do say that subordinates who don’t rely on their supervisors grow better, right…”

“Oh, you’re definitely reliable, Ginji-san. Also, you're very good at motivating people.”

Ginji-san chuckles. “Aoi-san, you’re also very good at encouraging people.”

“Oh my, isn’t that something that you taught me earlier, Ginji-san?”

The two of us then burst into laughter. 

“But seriously, everyone working hard is all and good, but I’m worried if you guys are not taking a rest. Everyone’s burden is getting bigger, so I want to deliver them some nutritious food.”

“Delivering food…”

Hmm, wait. 

Of course it’s nice to make some light snacks and deliver them to Tenjin-ya folks at this hour, but…  we do have another issue here to think about.

“Tomorrow is the soup day, right?”

“Yes. I bought a lot of red radish and was thinking of making a borsch with it. Also, I’ll make curry consommé to warm us.  And don’t miss my classic pork soup and vermicelli soup with juicy chicken dango."

P179-180

“That sounds nice. Your menu feels like a mash of global dishes. Are you going to prep the meals now?”

“I was thinking about it, but I have another issue at hand.”

I fill in Ginji-san with the latest development. Mainly, on the possibility that Chibi has run away from home, so to speak. However, Ginji-san blinks and tilts his head.

“But I saw Chibi just a while ago, though?”

“What!!! Where?!”

“The bamboo grooves at the mountain behind Tenjin-ya. I went there just now to get some onsen-tamago. You know the bamboo grooves where the tube kittens reside? I saw Chibi-san there, rustling, scraping some grass. I have no idea what he was doing, I thought he was just exploring the area as per usual on his own…”

“I – I am going to look for Chibi!”

I flew out of the Moonflower. Ginji-san hollered “But the mountain is dangerous at night!” before following me. 

I follow a direct path from the courtyard towards the mountain behind and climb up the mountain in a hurry. As we climb up the mountain, I fill in Ginji-san on events at the Nui-no-in Residence, the being that I saw in Yōto, and my reunion with Byakuya-san, among other things. 

P180

“Say, Ginji-san, are you… aware of the circumstances with Ōdanna-sama?”

As I asked the question, Ginji-san looked back to check on our surroundings before saying “Yes” in a serious manner. 

“Only very few members of the management team are aware of Ōdanna-sama’s true identity, but I did learn about it personally from Ōdanna-sama himself. Aoi-san, did you learn about it from Byakuya-san?”

“Yes.”

“Are you scared of Ōdanna-sama upon learning about his true identity?”

“No. However, I did think something like, ‘As expected. Ōdanna-sama is Ōdanna-sama’.”

As I spoke, Ginji-san smiles gently. He gives a slight nod, as if saying that it’s okay to think that way. 

“What I’m scared about is this: I’m worried about which of the Tenjin-ya crew would stay in Tenjin-ya once they are made privy of this information…. There must be many ayakashi folks who think that an oni is an oni, but a jyaki is a different matter altogether.”

“Is that so…”

Although I just think of Ōdanna-sama as being Ōdanna-sama, there must be many ayakashi in Kakuriyo who do not share my sentiment. While the fact about Ōdanna-sama’s true identity is not yet widespread in Kakuriyo, some folks in Yōto are concocting plans to make this fact a public knowledge. When it happens, what will happen to Tenjin-ya…?

P181

“A-Aoi-tamaaaa~, O-kitsune-tamaaaa~”

At that time, we ran into the fluffy tube kittens, floating adorably towards us. Byakuya-san has been a secret fan of these small and weak tube kittens ayakashi inhabiting Tenjin-ya’s mountain back.

“It’s hard that Byakuya-tama is not around, you know!”

These tube kittens are slowly circling me. While attending to them, I use the opportunity to ask about Chibi.

“Hey you guys, have you seen Chibi around here?”

“Chibi-taaaan~?”

“Chibi-tan was sleeping at our plaaaace~”

“No, he IS sleeping at our plaaaace~”

The tube kittens were ready to answer. Based on their cues, I head towards their living habitat, which is an area within the bamboo groove where bamboo tree stumps are lining up. This is the place where Byakuya-san usually fed the tube kittens. Upon the tube kittens’ “There he is!”, I peer into a tree stump. 

“Oh, Chibi. That kid, he’s in the tree stump.”

Chibi is sleeping inside a rather thick bamboo tree stump, his body curling into a ball.

P182

His hands (or flippers?) are wrapped into each other like a furoshiki.

“Well, he does give the vibe of a runaway boy,” said Ginji-san who also took a peek. 

“Chibi, Chibi, wake up.”

I poke Chibi with a finger. He rubs his eyes, and with a grumble, sighing “I’m still sleepy~~~”. However, upon realizing that it was me who woke him up, he snapped his eyes open and, before long, he pout.

“Oh, it’s Aoi-shaaan~! The Aoi-shan who abandoned meeee~!”

“Oh, stop holding a grudge on me, please. It’s not like I was abandoning you. I also had many things happening, you know. Hey… that’s why, let’s go back home to Moonflower together. I’ll take you with me for the next trip.”

“…uh, nope!” 

“Aoi-san, Aoi-san, Chibi’s threatening you!”

“Oh, he’s playing tough this time…”

Chibi is clicking his beak in a threatening manner, snapping at my finger when I tried to reach for him. Still, I lift him and make him facing me. 

“Chibi, it doesn’t hurt, you know…”

P183-184

“I knoooow. Aoi-shan, you don’t need me anymooooore~. In that case, I also don’t need you anymore, Aoi-shaaaan~”

“I need you. Chibi, you are my sidekick, right? Even if you no longer need me, I’ll still be sad when you’re not around.”

The kappa said nothing.

“Chibi, you really don’t need me anymore?”

Chibi looked back at me sharply and seemed to give this troublesome question a serious thought for a while. At that very moment, his tummy made a gurgling sound. 

“Are you hungry? Have you not been eating for the last few days? Hey, come to think of it, you look thinner! You seem to be lighter than usual.”

“Yes… I only want to eat Aoi-shan’s homemade food…” Chibi-san says this cute confession with such an obedience, despite his menacing and biting attitude earlier. I automatically laughed out loud. Chibi’s attitude took a sharp turn and he is now sucking my thumb sweetly like smoking a cigar, earning “Such a short rebellious phase, eh?” from Ginji-san.

“Well then… let’s eat once we return to the Moonflower. I’ll make what you want to eat, Chibi.”

“Yep. Then… I want kappa maki!”

So he wants the cucumber sushi roll. “You really like kappa maki, don’t you? But we actually have fresh wasabi right now.

P184

Since we also have cucumber, I’ll make you delicious kappa maki.”

Although Chibi doesn’t care about wasabi, since cucumbers are involved here, he is still doing an over-the-top dance. 

Instead, Ginji-san was like, “Wasabi?! How nice it is to have fresh wasabi!”

“Ooh, I’ll add wasabi to your list of favourite things to eat. Do you like wasabi, then?”

“Of course! Nothing beats wasabi as a condiment for sake!”

“Well then, shall I also make temari-zushi using other vegetables as well? It’s not hard for me to make a lot of temari-zushi to bring to our friends…”

However, with a worried face Ginji-san hurriedly says, “Oh is that because of what I said? Please don’t overdo it. You have trading hours tomorrow, so you must also be tired.”

“No, it’s not a trouble at all. I want to do my share. It’s unbearable for me if I don’t have anything I can do.”

“Aoi-san…”

“Now then, shall we return to Moonflower? Chibi is also hungry.”

Holding Chibi by his shell, I place him at his usual position, i.e. on my shoulder, and then return to the Moonflower. As per usual, he’s been blowing nose water bubbles now on my shoulder. Upon returning to the Moonflower, I promptly cook the rice and prepare the vinegar for the sushi rice. 

P18

I actually ended up preparing a lot of sushi rice.

“Aoi-sama, what on earth are you planning to do with so much sushi rice?” 

Question marks floating on her head, Ai-chan placed the rice into a big sushi rice barrel made of hinoki cypress. She then divided the rice into three parts and fanned them with an uchiwa fan. Chibi followed suit and, making a pitter-patter sound, fanned the rice with a small uchiwa fan.

“I just feel like making a lot. The Tenjin-ya folks have a lot on their plates now, so I was thinking of bringing them temari-zushi as light snacks.”

“OMG… Aoi-sama, are you going to drop dead or something if you’re not cooking?”

I honestly don’t know whether that was a compliment or not.

Ai-chan moved on to do bits and pieces to help me with this operation. I gave her the responsibility with the sushi rice. 

“Aoi-san, I got it! I got another barrel for serving the temari-zushi!”

“Oh cool! Thanks a lot, Ginji-san!” 

Hollering from the kitchen cellar, Ginji-san then emerged with an old-fashioned sushi barrel. As I spoke, I kept cutting the vegetables quickly. This time, instead of making sushi with fish as per usual, I am making vegetable temari-zushi. I’m using an array of vegetables including cucumbers, carrots, myoga ginger, yam, home-made Chinese cabbage pickles, umeboshi, etc., because I want to create a colourful ensemble temari-zushi everyone can enjoy. The process itself is actually an easy one. 

P186-187

I thinly slice cucumbers and carrots before rubbing them with sesame oil and salt. I peel off myoga and soak it in soy sauce. I cut mountain yam into cubes and rub them with the sweet bonito-umeboshi. Because I have plenty of home-made Chinese cabbage pickles, I slice them for the temari-zushi. Ginji-san is helping out by immediately grating the big wasabi. He cuts and then grates the wasabi stem, creating the most delicious grated wasabi. 

“Aaah, I can’t resist the scent of a fresh wasabi!”

“See how the properly grated wasabi stem has plenty of moisture and the vivid light green colour…”

Ah, the fresh natural scent of wasabi. Together, Ginji-san and I did the tasting. A strong, yet rather comfortable scent invaded our nostrils. I’ve heard that good wasabi are not spicy and, indeed, because these wasabi are grown in excellent water and soil conditions, they are utterly delicious. Yes, it’s true that the sharpness is there, but to some degree, the spicy taste gives a lingering freshness.

All these vegetables are handed over to Ai-chan, who uses them to cover the sushi rice, which she has shaped into bite-size balls earlier, creating an all-together very nice collage of temari-zushi.

P187

The only exception goes to the stiff yam,  which was wrapped in thin strips of nori seaweed. Thus completes the colourful ensemble of temari-zushi, created by an assembly line made of the Moonflower staff who earnestly created the temari-zushi. 

“Oh yeah, Aoi-san, are you also making non-vegetarian sushi?”

“I am, Ginji-san.  We also have friend, like the children, who dislike vegetables. Since we currently have no fish, I made the standard egg sushi for them, plus bacon sushi for good measure. I’m glad I made a lot of bacon beforehand…”

In addition to the vegetable temari-zushi, I made thick, moist and firm tamagoyaki and cut it into thin slices. Then I made tamago sushi secured with seaweed, gunkan maki sushi wrapped in thinly sliced grilled bacon that tickled my senses, and another sushi with cheese in it.  Recently, I've stocked up bacon whenever I have free time so that I don't run out of stock. Also, I ordered a lot of cheese from the Northern Land for some cheese dishes I’ve been planning for winter. The ayakashi folks like homemade bacon because of its longer shelf-life than beef, thus I can make a lot of dishes from bacons. 

“Aoi-shaaan, have you finished making my kappa maki~~~?”

“Arrgghh!! I forgot!”

P188

Due to Chibi’s demand, I’m making his kappa maki right now. In addition, I also make pickled daikon radish maki, shredded dried plum maki and natto maki. I basically made temari-zushi. It seems I’ve been using any ingredients I can find here to make the temari-zushi and hosomaki. Inside the sushi barrel, I put the followings: the beautiful and colourful temari-zushi, nori tamago sushi, bacon gunkanmaki, and various hosomaki… and thus the meal is completed.

“Hmmm, though we don’t have fish at the moment, what we have now is quite a show, eh.”

“It’s so cute and wonderful, right!”

Ginji-san is somehow quite excited. Together, we are tasting the leftover temaki-zushi and hosomaki. 

“Yes, myoga! I totally recommend the myoga sushi! This is such a taste for adults!”

“Oh wow, the yam temari-suzhi is also superb! The plum-flavoured yam is such a classical taste for ayakashi, but it’s the first time I taste it as sushi. Other vegetable sushi choices also have chewy textures and the vegetables also taste great. Such a fresh taste of wasabi also reaches the height of extravagance.”

Ginji-san and I are voicing our excitements over the quality of our vegetable temari-zushi.

“Cucumbeeeeerrrr….! Turns out, only the cucumber maki are the beeeeest….! The runner ups are the egg maki and the plum makiiiii!”

“For me personally, the bacon and cheese sushi gives me the satisfaction. Love it!”

My 24/7 sidekicks Chibi and Ai-chan apparently prefer the hosomaki and sushi instead of the vegetable temari-zushi.

P189

“Wait, wait! We can’t just be here and ooh-ing and aah-ing. Our fellow Tenjin-ya staff are going to end their work soon, and we need to bring these sushi to those exhausted guys!” 

Once we recalled our original goal in making these sushi, we immediately bring them to our fellow staff. We definitely look like those sushi sellers.

-xxx-

“Oh wow! Aoi-san, Young Master. Thank you so much for these many sushi. We were actually talking about what to eat for dinner just now…”

First we brought the temari-zushi to the resting station where our hot spring manager Shizuna-chan and her staff were resting. The girls and boys working at the onsen are exclaiming “Cuuuute!” or “Yuuuummmm!” 

Kazune-san, Shizuna-chan's direct apprentice and also Chief Assistant of the onsen, smiled and swiftly reached out for a handful of temari-zushi to eat with her fingers.

“Don’t be greedy, Kazune. Wait a minute.”

“Awww! Shizuna-sama, you’re stingy! What a selfish boss!”

OMG, is Shizuna-chan pretty strict when dealing with her assistants…?

Although we have quite a lot of young-looking ayakashi here, ayakashi are generally older souls anyway, so there are many who like wasabi and vegetables. Thank goodness.

P190

“Is the onsen busy?”

“Not so much compared to the other departments. In my case, I’m busy with some experiments at the basement lab, and it’s busy down there,” Shizuna-chan flashes a subtle smile while squinting. 

Speaking of which, Byakuya-san did ask her to make some kind of medicine in a hurry. 

“Wow, the scent of wasabi really stand out!”

“You know, this wasabi is a fresh wasabi grown at an wasabi field underneath Yōto. Oh yeah, the onsen guards are also growing vegetables underground, right?”

“Yes. I am doing research on vegetable cultivation using hot springs, geothermal heat, and the psychic power teeming from the underground. We sometimes visit the vast underground cultivation facilities in the Yōto and refer to them."

Shizuna-chan seems to take a great interest in temari-zushi using vegetables and wasabi grown underground. The other kids also said that they would need to go to the underground if they keep eating the sushi. 

Shizuna-chan, despite her busy schedule, she still has time to do research. What a fully motivated girl! I keep thinking that physical strength is an indispensable factor to be an onsen manager.

-xxx-

“Oooohh! Young Master!”

P191-192

“Young Master is bringing us something!”

Next is the resting station of the waitresses. The waitresses are in a high spirit because Ginji-san is taking time to bring them some food, such that they are now fixing their makeup surreptitiously to be more presentable. Despite standing next to Ginji-san, I might be oblivious to them. 

“Thank you very much for your concerns, Young Master. Everyone is hungry, but only snacking on candies and manju isn’t healthy, right,” said the young proprietess Kikuno-san^. Unlike the children waitresses, she greets us with the generous smile and charm of a married woman.

“No, Kikuno-san. It was Aoi-san here who prepared the meals.”

“Oooh, Aoi-san? I heard that you’ve been working hard on this. I'm afraid that we’ve caused you trouble.”

“Not at all, Kikuno-san. Because I got some vegetables from Yōto, I was thinking of what can I do with them.”

From Kikuno-san, I learned that the waitressing section is understaffed. Everyone is working hard and there has been no mistake despite their worries. However, she’s been wondering what will happen if people start to get tired. Upon hearing it, Ginji-san said he’d try contacting some vendors to get more waitresses.

P192

The next place for the temari-zushi delivery is the accounting^ department.

The accounting department is located at the back section of Tenjin-ya behind a large and heavy closed door. Anyway, if you open the door slightly to peek through, you’ll see that everyone is busy inside. Clad in white kimono, the grim-faced ayakashi accountants are facing desks, stroking writing brush or flicking abacus beads. 

“Byakuya-san’s entire workload is a large burden that a normal ayakashi can’t handle. Consequently, his absence has left a big hole to fill in.”

“I have no idea what kind of burden that a normal ayakashi can’t handle…”

I’ve heard that Byakuya-san has properly trained many extremely talented many staff. However, because we are this busy, I can truly appreciate the amount of work that the Tenjin-ya staff – and by extension Byakuya-san– are  conducting. 

“Oh, my! Young Master and Aoi-san! How are you doing?”

The Accounting Head Assistant, Chizuru-san, a spectacled beauty, her hair up in a secretary-style, invited us in once she registered our presence.

“Ummm… we might be imposing you, but we’ve come to deliver you something.”

P193

Before long, we handed in the sushi barrel containing the temari-zushi to Chizuru-san, whose glasses are sparkling as she took one temari-zushi and chew it. Despite her intelligent appearance, her eating style was totally wild. 

“As expected from you, Aoi-sama,” said Chizuru-san amidst her chewing, “as per what Head of Accounting said, the psychic power from your sushi is five times larger than a normal meal. It’s delicious and makes me alert. I want to keep eating these by myself, but if I distribute these sushi to the staff, I’m sure their productivity will be fivefold.”

I said nothing. 

“I stayed up all night, but thanks to you, I might be able to get some sleep later. Everyone, stop for a moment and gather around quickly!”

Chizuru-san took something out of her kimono sleeve that looks like a teacher’s pointer and attached it to the wall. She then invited all accounting staff. There’s something about her. She somehow resembles Byakuya-san, but she’s also different…

However, this efficiency is as expected. It’s an efficiency obtained only by Byakuya-san’s assistant. After each and everyone received temari-zushi, they returned work. 

“We might need to force them to take a rest, eh…”

“Oh, yeah, you’re right.”

Ginji-san prepared the nap room for the front office people to rest in.

P194

Next, we’re heading to the large staff room behind the reception desk in the lobby to find the front desk employees and shoe guards.

“Chiaki-san, are you okay!” 

There seems to be a problem there.

A pale-faced and exhausted brown tanuki, er…, I mean, Chiaki-san was laying on a big sofa, while Akatsuki and other staff members rushing to nurse him.

“What’s happening, Akatsuki?”

“Oh, Young Master! Chiaki-san’s health seems to took a turn for the worse. It’s no wonder, because he was busy negotiating with the Bunmon tanuki and others in the Northern Land, and he was also doing his job as the head of shoes department with no break. However, during business hours he didn’t show any sign of fatigue in front of the children staff here because he didn’t want them to worry…”

“I didn’t even think of such a thing! Forgive me, Chiaki!”

That a considerate person like Ginji-san failed to notice, Chiaki-san must have really been doing his best with his usual smile all the way until he got ill like this. Just thinking about it made me cry, though it makes sense for him to do that.

“Akatsuki, Young Master, don’t you worry. I just need to rest for a bit, and then I’ll be okay.”

The tanuki wobbled as he tried to get up from the sofa, but immediately he fell to the floor. 

P195-196

Immediately I brought the temari-zushi barrel to Chiaki-san. 

“Chiaki-san, eat this. It’s packed with the psychic power of many Yōto vegetables. My cooking increases the recovery rate of your psychic power. You should feel better soon.”

“T-thank you so much… Aoi-san.”

Chiaki-san chose the carrot temari-zushi and took a bite. At first, he chew slowly, but later he gained momentum and ate it completely. Then, one by one he reached for the temari-zushi, before returning to his human form with a popping sound.

“W-w-woooow!!! I can fill energy brimming from within my body! The headaches, abdominal pain, nausea, stiff shoulders, and lower back pain that I had before are now completely gone!”

“Thank goodneeeess…. Thank goodness!”

Chiaki-san has improved… what a relief!

“But please take a rest, Chiaki-san.  Even when your psychic power has recovered, your fatigue still lingers. Therefore, resting is indispensable.”

“Got it, Aoi-san. Thanks a heap.”

Chiaki-san sits seiza-style on the  sofa and bow deeply. Despite coming from the Hachiyō lineage, he is truly a humble person. 

P196

“Ohh, what’s this?! Are we having Aoi’s homemade vegetable temari-zushi?”

Akatsuki arrives at my side and peers into the sushi barrel. 

“Akatsuki, you looked  battered since the last few days. Please tell everyone at the reception to eat these.”

“Did you make all these?”

“I wasn’t the only one making them. Ginji-san, Chibi and Ai-chan also lend a hand.”

Akatsuki didn’t say anything. Instead, while taking a bite on a yam temari-zushi, he looked at me intently.

“You, I got the feeling that you’ve been trying too hard.”

“Say what?”

“Human energy is inferior to ayakashi energy. Don’t go overboard, okay? I’m sure you’re doing your best, but get some good night sleep afterwards.”

I had to laugh. “What’s this! Akatsuki, you’re worried about me?”

Akatsuki being Akatsuki, he’s worried but he’s also blunt and addresses me in a casual manner. I think it’s partly because he lived amongst humans for a long time, and also that he has a sister. Oh, and he has the disposition that you’d expect from the Reception Head. 

“Got it. I won’t collapse here.”

P197

And then, just like that, I think I know what I can do.  There’s an old saying that you can’t go to war with an empty stomach. Everyone knows that they have to prepare for the big battle for Tenjin-ya ahead, and to do so, they need to preserve their strength. So, rather than me going here and there by myself, why don’t I support the crew by increasing their strength? If it is within my power to do so, that might be an important role for me. 

I want to give the Kamaitachi kids some temari-zushi, but they’ve apparently gone to bed. Sleep well, kids…

As we returned to the Moonflower, Ai-chan and Chibi have just finished tidying up. 

“Ah, thanks a lot! You guys saved me. We’ve been going here and there to deliver the temari-zushi, but we haven’t eaten anything, so we’re starved!”

“I’m also hungry, Aoi-san.”

My stomach rumbles in unison with Ginji-san’s. 

Wondering what’s left to eat, we rummage through the refrigerator. However, we have used up all the ingredients for the temari-zushi, and we can’t use the vegetables for tomorrow’s trade…

P198-199

“We have a lot of sushi rice leftover, but I have no more ingredients left.”

Ai-chan shows me the sushi barrel with leftover vinegared sushi rice. 

“Using these for onigiri would be nice… – oh! Wait a sec! We still have wasabi!”

Everyone tilts their head as they mutter “Wasabi?”

“Let’s make wasabi donburi! Ginji-san, you’d also enjoy freshly grated wasabi, right?”

“Wait, what kind of dish are you making?”

“Exactly what it sounds.”

Although Ginji-san can’t exactly imagine a wasabi donburi, a wasabi rice bowl, I started preparing it right away. It’s not like it’s a hard dish to make anyway. You just put vinegared rice into a bowl, sprinkle bonito flakes on top,  heap the freshly grated wasabi on top, sprinkle chopped spring onions and shredded myoga ginger to your liking, and then…

“Just pour soy sauce over it and mix it with the wasabi as you eat it.”

Though using the normal warm rice is also delicious, I can definitely also recommend vinegared rice. After all, vinegared rice, wasabi, and soy sauce are the perfect trio for sushi. Even without other ingredients, if your wasabi is this fresh, it’s already delicious enough. 

P199-200

Since we still have leftover nori seaweed, Ai-chan roasted it for me. I can make wasabi temari-zushi with this nori.

“Yumm… such an extravagance! I never thought that you can eat wasabi this way. So delicious!”

“Ginji-san, you really like wasabi, eh?”

I feel like people who like sake are more likely to like wasabi. Grandpa was also like that. 

Ginji-san seems to have eaten a lump of wasabi and is squirming in pain. His expression is a little cute. I hand him water.

 “Woow, it woke me up! …I think I can still work today.”

Ginji-san drains his glass, blinks and stares into the sky. 

“N-no way, Ginji-san. You need to properly rest after you finish eating!”

“I can’t do that. Ōdanna-sama also did his routine duties in his office until he finished them, late into the night. No matter how busy he was, he never showed it. Instead, he always stood tall and constantly placed himself as the central pillar, the heart of our inn.”

 Afterwards, Ginji-san bitterly smiles, frowns and drops his gaze.

“I’m only acting as Ōdanna-sama’s substitute for a few days, but I can tell how heavy his responsibility is.

P200

I don’t think I can become someone like Ōdanna-sama. But I’m still going to do whatever I can…” 

Not being able to be like Ōdanna-sama, Ginji-san lets an uncharacteristic sigh, yet he still lifts his head and looks ahead. I pat Ginji-san’s back. 

“Ginji-san…, it’s true that you’re different from Ōdanna-sama. However, you’re still going around for the sake of Tenjin-ya crew, so that’s okay to be that kind of pillar, right? I feel like you’re getting more dependable these days. I mean, you’re more reliable than usual.”

“Aoi-san…”

“Today when I was going around Tenjin-ya and saw everyone’s face, I got some inspiration. The truth is, when I left Tenjin-ya for Yōto, the more you know of the situation, I’d been wondering whether there was truly nothing that I could do. However, finally I saw it. First of all, I have to admit that there are things I can't do no matter what."

I was fretting because I thought I had to perform something big and produce some big results. However, I was wrong. Raijū did say that this time, cooking has no place in the story. But, of course he’d say so. He’s Raijū after all. First, I’ll judge it for myself. Then, I’ll do whatever I can with my own cooking^. 

Yes. My role will be to encourage and support the wellbeing of Tenjin-ya staff. 

P201

“That’s why Ginji-san, please tell me when you’re tired. I’ll make delicious food that helps you feeling better.”

“Aoi-san…”

Next to me, Ginji-san lifts his face in surprise and studies my face. 

I feel embarrassed and fidgety. Have I said something reckless just now?

“Aoi-san, your cooking will always cheer anyone. I’m sure that from now on there are decisions that influence a great number of people. Your cooking exposes ayakashi’s heart. At times like this, I’m certain that your cooking can support the crew of Tenjin-ya. That includes me, of course. For me, your cooking has been repeatedly showing me the way too.”

As if remembering something, Ginji-san chuckles and is absentmindedly inspecting a teacup in front of him.

“From now on, uhm… even when I’m tired, when I go back home, when I see your smile and your cooking, I’m sure I’ll be able to do my best…”

And yet, as soon as he said so, Ginji-san covered his own mouth. Then, with a red face, he said “No, sorry…”. He became flustered and hit his head into the counter. It was so unlike him that it took me by so surprised. 

P202

“Wh-what happened, Ginji-san?!  You’re hurting yourself!!”

“No, what I mean by ‘home’ just now, Aoi-san, that so-called home, that…!”

 Ginji-san is rolling his eyes in circle. I can totally understand why Ginji-san is shy. 

“Aaah… I get it! You were talking about the Moonflower, right? Ginji-san, you’re talking about the Moonflower as your home! See, it’s nothing to be ashamed of!”

Ginji-san said nothing. 

In an instant, Ginji-san’s face becomes pale. His fox ears droops. And then,

“Ginji-san, Ginji-san…? Ginji-san, are you okay?!”

Ginji-san fell asleep with his face down on the counter. 

Ai-chan was like, “Oh my, oh my, my condolences…”, while Chibi was like “Kitsune-shan dropped deaaaad~~~”. No, no, no, not exactly dead. However, this Ginji-san was definitely not his normal self. His face is cold to touch and his fatigue is definitely piling up. It seems he has not been sleeping lately and he should take some sleep for now. 

P203

Tenjin-ya will be in chaos if Ginji-san collapses, right? I do think his power is much bigger than he thinks. 

Together with Ai-chan, I carry Ginji-san to a tatami room and brought out a futon for him. 

“Now then, shall I also do the preparation for tomorrow’s macarons?”

“Whaaat! You still want to do something now, Aoi-sama?!”

“I can’t help it, Ai-chan. Almond powder takes overnight to dry. I need to make it today.”

I’ve been totally inspired by everyone. My body itches to do things. Though Ai-chan pulls me down to sit back, I still want to do things.

It seems I’ll pull an all-nighter tonight.

-TBC in Vol 7 Intermezzo 1-

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:

P174: ^ Basically, Sasuke-kun was angry because his brothers and sisters forgot to use the ‘-de gozaru’ ending, and just used the very casual ‘mon’ (which I translated as ‘like’, as in the very commonly used word ‘like’ these days that is often inserted in every sentence).

P191: ^ Kikuno (菊乃) is the previous waka-okami before O-Ryō. When Kikuno left to get married, O-Ryō became the waka-okami. But then, after O-Ryō tried to injure Aoi in the earlier episode, Ōdanna-sama fired O-Ryō from her waka-okami position, and reinstated Kikuno.

P192: ^ 帳場, ちょうば、(hotel) reception, but it’s located at the back, hence it’s weird if it’s the reception…Since 帳= accounting, hence I’ll translate it as “accounting”.

P200: ^ This section was difficult to translate, perhaps because I don’t understand Japanese psychology as much as I should. Part of the original JP is だけど違う。雷獣も言っていた。今回は、料理でどうこうできる話ではない、と。当然だ。まずはそこを認めて、だからこそ自分のお料理でできることをやる。I take it that the “tōzen da” or “naturally/of course” refers to “of course Raijū would gaslight me, because that’s what he does.” Therefore, I translated this section as Aoi not letting Raijū decide for herself. Instead, she’ll be her own judge to see whether there’s something she can do to help Tenjin-ya. I added "He’s Raijū after all" just to emphasise what Aoi meant by "Of course".