Novel Vol 12 Ch 13 (The Night Ōdanna-sama Stayed at My Place)

Art by Laruha (from Laruha's Artbook, 2019)

This short story was published in Laruha's “Camellia and Snowdrop” Artbook (2019) and also in Volume 12 of the Kakuriyo light novel. Laruha's Artbook is so gorgeous, please support the artist by buying the book (e.g., through eBay - I'm not affiliated with any sellers). Come to think of that, please buy the light novels if you can, for we then support both Yūma Midori and Laruha. eBay would have them in a package from Volumes 1 to 12.

Anyway, the story in the 2022 version (Vol 12) has slightly different sentences from the 2019 version. However, the story and effect are the same. It seems Yūma Midori-sensei just edited the sentences for clarity and flow. Then, a about a week ago, I came across another Kakuriyo fan-translation site. The fan-translator is Rolypolyredbeanbun; her Wordpress site generally translates Volumes 3 and 4 (thank you!). However, she has also translated the 2019 Artbook version of this short story. Since I almost finished translating the 2022 version, I decided to keep translating it to cover any differences between the two versions. I have contacted Rolypolyredbeanbun to explain it and to thank her for her efforts. She welcomes my translation with an open heart, so thank you, Rolypoly! Also, do visit and support her site, for she has translated many chapters in Volumes 3 and 4. She has also uploaded the Prologue of Vol 11, which is very informative.

Also, a few hours before posting this translation I made a speculation about where Aoi’s house is in Kitakyushu, on the island of Kyushu Japan. I had a great time sleuthing about this trivia; click here if you’d like to read it.

The next translation will be Vol 12 Ch 14 about Aoi nursing Ōdanna-sama while he was having a cold. Hopefully I can post it by late July. 

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. 

Vol 12: The Memoir of Bed and Breakfast for the Spirits 

Ch 13 The Night Ōdanna-sama Stayed at My Place

P133

I am Tsubaki Aoi. This is the story of my activities after spending an entire year of spring, summer, autumn, and winter in Tenjin-ya’s Moonflower. At the discretion of Ōdanna-sama, I returned to my university at Utsushiyo, the Human World, after a year of absence. 

It was the end of the first summer holiday upon my return. After returning home (?)^ to Tenjin-ya during the summer holiday, just the other day I am finding myself back at Utsushiyo, to the old house where I spent my time with Grandpa. 

“I’m hooooome~~~…. Wait, why bother, no one is here any…way…?”

After attending the first lecture of the second semester, I brought some groceries home. Upon coming home though, I somehow caught the scent of an incense drifting in the air.

Although I used to live with Grandpa Tsubaki Shirō in this house, I currently live alone here. However…

“Welcome home, Aoi. You’re earlier than I thought.”

“Eh! Is that really you, Ōdanna-sama?!”

In the tatami room right after the entrance, there sits a man, his hands clasped together in prayers in front of Grandpa’s altar.

P134

The man is the Master of Tenjin-ya, Ōdanna-sama. My fiancé.

His oni horns hidden, Ōdanna-sama is currently assuming a human form. He is wearing a fresh white shirt instead of donning his usual flamboyant haori. To date, I’ve repeatedly seen Ōdanna-sama in this form whenever he is in this world, but I always feel like he’s out of place.

Still surprised by his unannounced presence, I quip,

“Why are you here, Ōdanna-sama? Just a while ago, you just cried^ as you sent me back to Utsushiyo.”

“I came here to give you something that you left at the Moonflower, Aoi. Me, this husband of yours. I thought you might have panicked without it, but… that seems not to be the case.”

“Ah, my smartphone.”

As if out of thin air, Ōdanna-sama produced my smartphone and handed it over to me. Just as he said earlier, I just noticed that I had indeed left my smartphone in Kakuriyo. Such was how rarely I used my smartphone. In my own defence, I hardly ever used it in Kakuriyo anyway. I'm definitely not a modern woman… 

“Aoi, you barely use your smartphone though you guys have such a convenient thing like this in Utsushiyo?”

P135-136

“Lately, I actually use it to store food photos. Other than that, yeah I don’t use it much. I don’t even check internet or social media. Having said that, I do use it to look up things, like, how to make things, like that… I mean, we don’t know when internet is going to gain popularity in Kakuriyo, right?”

Ōdanna-sama laughs. “Indeed. I wonder if we’ll soon have the days when Tenjin-ya has a homepage and sends info through social media.”

Unlike the typical modern university students in Utsushiyo, I rarely use my phone to call or send emails, nor do I make good use of my smartphone and internet. I don’t even engage in social media. However, Kakuriyo also has electricity, and I’ve heard that something that looks like internet has been gaining popularity in Yōto. Internet’s ability to communicate can also be used as a weapon. Therefore, I need to be able to use it more or less…

“However, why did you leave your smartphone at the Moonflower, Aoi? You did say that you don’t use it often.”

“I was showing Ginji-san some food photos from Utsushiyo. And then, since I heard that I could charge my smartphone in Kakuriyo, I charged it and ended up forgetting it at the Moonflower…?”

 I started to remember how I forgot my smartphone as I explained it to Ōdanna-sama. Chuckling, he says, 

“Ginji was beside himself.  If Aoi doesn’t have this thing, wouldn’t be inconvenient to her, wouldn’t she be in trouble, he said. His ears drooped helplessly.”

P136

“O-oh, is that so… I made Ginji-san worried…  Please tell him that, since it doesn’t affect me, it’s really not a trouble.”

An image of Ginji-san with his ears drooping helplessly comes to mind.

After I left Tenjin-ya once more, whenever I’m back there for long vacations and the like, all Tenjin-ya staff are excessively kind to me. They basically shower me with appreciation. Ginji-san has always been like that anyway, but he’s gone up another level, transforming into a mother figure that always worries about me and dotes on me.

Ah, in that case, Ōdanna-sama is also like that.

“By the way, sorry, Ōdanna-sama. I haven’t offered you any tea.”

“No, no, don’t trouble yourself. Once I’ve returned the smartphone to you, I was planning to go back immediately to Kakuriyo anyway.”

“Eh, are you going back now…?”

I’m quite shocked because I was hoping that he’d stay for a bit longer. Seeing my reaction, Ōdanna-sama grinned meaningfully.

“Are you sad that I’m going back, Aoi?”

“N-not really!”

P137

Ōdanna-sama laughs. “Well, in that case, shall I have that tea of yours then...”

“Ah, okay. Wait up.”

Am I that easy to read? With that thought, my attitude changed and I led Ōdanna-sama to the living room. It seems that Ōdanna-sama has been to this house several times, but I don’t recall that I’ve ever spent time with him here. Somehow this strange sensation makes my heart pulsate faster.

I serve cold brewed green tea and arrange on a plate a local specialty called ‘Gion Daiko’ that Ōdanna-sama brought as a souvenir. Gion Daiko is a type of sweets made of red bean paste wrapped in puff pastry. It is a well-known tea confectionery in Kitakyushu^, with its moist, crispy dough and delicious, slightly sweet red bean paste.

“It’s been a while since I eat a local snack. This is delicious…”

“For souvenir, I was thinking that you’d not been eating your own local snack, as opposed to the Kakuriyo snacks. Or rather, I actually like it* and, therefore, I wanted to eat it.”

P138-139

“Ōgondōji-sama might also like it, I guess?”

“Yes, I think so. Western sweets and red bean paste go well with each other. I think Ōgondōji-sama would like it. Shall I buy some for her, I wonder.”

And just as we were having the small talk…

Suddenly we heard a large thunder. Just like that, I was taken by surprise by the sudden heavy rain hitting the roof and windows.

Pale-faced, I suddenly rose in panic.

“This is bad. It’s a thunderstorm. Wa-wait,  I need to bring my laundry in. Ōdanna-sama, you just sit here. Don’t you dare to go home without telling me, okay!”

“Got it. Can you cope with the lightning^, Aoi?”

“I guess so, if it’s a daylight lightning…!”

That’s true that I have a major issue with lightnings. Despite getting startled by repeated thunders, I went up to the second floor and quickly brought in the laundry. I went back down to the living room, thinking that I wouldn’t like it if the thunderstorm continued through the night. Upon my return, Ōdanna-sama was inspecting his communication board, the Kakuriyo version of a smartphone. His eyebrows taut and he looked mysterious.

P139

“What happened, Ōdanna-sama?”

“Well. I just received a notice that there is some damage to the airship that was going to take me back home. It seems it’s imperative that I’m staying in Utsushiyo until tomorrow. The thunder might have hit the airship. Therefore, I – please let me stay here, in this house, for the night.”

“Wait. What?”

What kind of development is this…?

Despite my straight face, I froze. However, I just couldn’t leave Ōdanna-sama out in the midst of a thunderstorm. Therefore, I just kept a straight face and nodded.

The evening shower that accompanied the thunderstorm passed in the blink of an eye.

“Well, in exchange for one night two days of stay, could you help me tidy up a room and replace a light bulb there? That’s a good bargain, right. Grandpa’s room is also empty with a good space and futon to sleep in.”

“You’re so considerate, Aoi. As expected from my wife.”

“On the contrary, the real wife would not hesitate to offer a place to stay for the night… That being said,

P140-141

I’m going to make good use of you, Ōdanna-sama. I have no male help around the house, so it’s quite difficult to move a heavy luggage around, you know. So, I’m going to take this opportunity to have you take a luggage from the second floor.”

“That’s not bad. Despite my current appearance, I’m an oni, and I’m quite confident with my own strength.”

“Come to think of it, you are indeed an oni, Ōdanna-sama.”

This guy hides his horns and disguises himself as a human, thus it’s easy for me to forget that he is actually an oni. I mean, Ōdanna-sama basically has a very gentle and a rather un-oni-like demeanour anyway. However, since he can easily bring down cardboard boxes that I couldn’t lift plus an old tansu^ cupboard and chair from the second floor, how great is that? An oni helper, everyone?

“Aoi, are you cleaning up this house? You’re moving this big suitcase downstairs after all.”

“Well, after Grandpa died, I found myself surrounded by things I don’t need. Before I’m marrying into Kakuriyo, I need to clean up the house.”

“Aoi, after you graduate from the university and you leave this house… what are you planning to do with this house?”

Upon hearing what Ōdanna-sama said, I temporarily turn serious before smiling bitterly.

“About that… although the rooms are old, this house seems to be quite well-built. I wish there’s another way of using it… 

P141

I’ll be sad to sell this house or tear it down…”

“That’s true. Yes, you’re right. This is, after all, the house where you spent time with Shirō,” said Ōdanna-sama as he took an extensive view of the house.

Even though it’s Grandpa’s own house, it’s nearby a train station and it has a spacious garden. The house has too many rooms. If the tatami mats and fusuma sliding doors were to be replaced, it would still be a great, usable house.

“Speaking of which, I heard that the ayakashi folks who are going to live here are having some issues with their accommodation. I think it would be great if we can create an arrangement so that one day we can rent this house out to ayakashi. What do you think, Aoi?”

My eyes snapped open at Ōdanna-sama’s suggestion. And then,

“A rental house specific for ayakashi! That’ll be great if we can make it happen.”

Spontaneously, I leaned towards Ōdanna-sama. It was such a nice proposition that even I was taken by surprise. If we can use this house that way, even Grandpa would be happy for it. It would be marvellous if this house can be passed down as a place for ayakashi to belong. That’s great.

“Tonight, we have a lot of ayakashi coming from Kakuriyo to Utsushiyo. I think it would be great to have a share house for their temporary accommodation.”

P142

“A share house. You sure know about many things, Ōdanna-sama.”

“I heard that it gains popularity in Kakuriyo. From now on, Tenjin-ya’s business will be to connect Kakuriyo and Utsushiyo. It’ll be our role.”

“And therefore we will use Grandpa’s house, right?”

“Not if you’re not my wife. If it’s just Shirō’s house, these things will just be some talking points.”

“I wonder if the ayakashi folks won’t live here cos they’re scared…”

More than I originally thought, Grandpa has actually gained quite a bad reputation in Kakuriyo. Even me, I’ve gained enough embellishments based on rumours around me just because I’m Tsubaki Shirō’s granddaughter.

“Ah, will you look at the time. I need to prepare for dinner soon. What would you like to eat tonight, Ōdanna-sama?” 

I looked at the clock and stood as I asked Ōdanna-sama. A radiant smile emerged on his face as if he’d been waiting for this question. 

“Aoi’s home-made dishes. It’s been a while since I’m having my fill of it.”

“Oh, come on. Quick, make a request and I’ll see what I can make out of the leftover ingredients.”

Having said that, I reach for my apron that I stored properly nearby and put it on. I stand there in my apron, motionless, waiting for his decision. I then urge him to hurry up in a low demanding voice. 

P143-144

Ōdanna-sama groaned and said “Okay…” after a moment.

“Oh, yeah. I’ve been moving around and got hungry. In such a case, I’d like to eat a typical oni meat dish.”

“Meat? Like, a hamburger?”

“Hamburger! That would be great… Yeah, that’s it! I want it!”

Ōdanna-sama’s eyes sparkled like a child as he made a declaration that he wanted to eat hamburger. Upon receiving such a direct request, I melt and laugh.

“Right-o. I do have some mixed ground beef and pork, so I can make it quick. I’ll top it with your favourite sunny-side up^.”

“Oooh! Topped with sunny-side up! That’s the best!” 

Ōdanna-sama, who loves eggs, cried in jubilation. And since he was somehow eager to help, he then mixed the hamburger ingredients with his hands. 

Now then.

Thanks to Ōdanna-sama’s help, the dinner was ready quicker than I thought.

“Ooooooh! Even though it’s just topped with a sunny-side up, it looks more delicious than the typical hamburger!”

Hamburger topped with jiggly sunny-side up egg
(from Route63 Cafe in Gamō, Kokura Minami Ward, Kitakyushu, Google Map)

P144

Big round hamburgers topped with jiggling sunny-side up eggs are served on the dining table. Ōdanna-sama’s red eyes are sparkling.  In front of him, there is rice that looks like being piled up on a children’s plate^… 

“Eggs are amazing, aren’t they? It has its own charm that makes you think it looks delicious.”

“Well, in reality, eggs are delicious.”

“Right, because it’s your favourite food, Ōdanna-sama.”

The sauce is ketchup, Worchester sauce and soy sauce. Very simple to make but it lends to a very appetizing home-made hamburger. Then, I garnish the dish with thinly sliced cabbage, parboil broccoli and asparagus, as well as tomatoes on top of cucumbers. I made wakame soup in a flash and pair it with the typical white rice that the Japanese people love. 

Without further ado, Ōdanna-sama and I clasped our hands and said, “Thank you for the meal*.”

“Oooh… when I split it with the chopstick, the meat juice flows out. This is the thing I’m looking forward to when eating hamburger.”

“That flowing meat juice is a great pair for white rice, right? When you split the soft boiled egg, the thick flowing egg yolk works well with the meat, and it’s also delicious.”

“Indeed. The strong taste of the sauce is also nice, but the taste becomes more mellow when you add the egg yolk; so delicious. And yeah, they work well with white rice too.”

We talk and eat, stuffing our cheeks with the juicy hamburgers.

P145

It’s an affordable hamburger made of ground beef and pork, but the sunny-side up topping turned it to be a bit luxurious. The umami of the meat juice, the strong sauce and the mellowness of the egg are perfect with white rice…

“Ah, Oni-shan is heeeere…”

At that moment, a creature wearing a small straw hat entered and climbed up the external corridor. Chibi - who has been accompanying me back to this world - is back home.

“Speaking of, I thought Chibi the kappa wasn't here. Bad Chibi, coming home so late…”

“That’s true. Just because it’s summer, he’s been coming home late these days. Delinquent kappa.”

“I’m not delinqueeeeent… I’ve been giving out gifts to my Kakuriyo frieeeends… And then a terrible thunderstorm assaulted me, so I took shelter under the eaves for a biiiit….”

“Yeah, that might have been the case now, but you’re always late, aren’t you?”

Chibi tsk-ed. “You’re nagging too much, Aoi-shan.” 

Oh, he’s calling me names. Why, you delinquent little kappa!

And then he plopped on the dining table, eyeing the hamburger with greedy eyes. Just in case, I had made a small hamburger with cucumber salad for him. I took the dish out; he devoured it with undivided attention.

P146

“By the way, until where did you go out this time?” I asked Chibi, who was still beside himself with joy.

“I visited my relatives in the Mojikō Retoroooooo….”

“Oh. Is Mojikō Retro^ nearby? As per usual, you’re such an energetic kappa.”

“Temari kappa walks more than 20 kilometer every daaaaay… An ayakashi from Kakuriyo is popular among my frieeeeends…”

Once upon a time, Chibi was abandoned by his friends. I fed him, took him in and brought him to Kakuriyo. However, after various experiences in Kakuriyo, he became strong, so he wasn’t bullied anymore when he came back here. Anyway, it’s rare to have a temari kappa going to Kakuriyo.

“Aoi, I'm done.”

“Ah, okaaaay!”

Donning Grandpa’s yukata, Ōdanna-sama emerged from the bathroom as he dried his hair briskly with a towel. Unexpectedly, the yukata fit Ōdanna-sama nicely that I ended up staring at him.

“What is it, Aoi? Do I still have foam on my face or what?”

P147

“Huh? Oh, no. Nothing like that…”

Uh, I ended up giving a weird reaction. Ōdanna-sama is getting more and more marvellous, even when he’s fussing about whether he has shampoo foam on his face and hair just now. I don’t really understand myself. I mean, I never got a chance to see him emerging from the bath before^, to say nothing of the fact that it’s just the two of us now, unlike when we’re at Tenjin-ya.

Like, is this what a married life feel like…?

“Aaaahhh!!!”

“What happened, Aoi?! Did you get bitten by a bug?”

I shrieked so suddenly that Ōdanna-sama was startled.

“Come to think of it, I actually have some pears! Yes, pears! Delicious and sweet, properly chilled pears!”

“Pears…?”

“Eating pears after taking a bath is the best, you know. Let me cut some for you, okay…” 

Though I was also surprised by my own scream, I scurried away to the kitchen. 

What the heck am I doing, actually…

After I calmed my troubled heart a bit, I serve the cut pears to Ōdanna-sama as dessert.

P148

Unwinding in the living room, Ōdanna-sama eats the pears and starts lazing around by watching a typical Utsushiyo TV quiz program.

“Ōdanna-sama, I didn’t know you watched something like this.”

“The one thing I was looking forward to during my business trips in Utsushiyo is the TV programs here. Particularly the quizzes, because it's a good way of gaining knowledge about Utsushiyo.”

“Ah, I see…”

Unexpectedly, Ōdanna-sama has a detailed knowledge about history, geography and law, plus some trivia of Utsushiyo. Both of us solved the quizzes, rejoiced when we got the right answers, and laughed when we got the wrong ones.

Spending time peacefully with him like this got me thinking. In Utsushiyo, is this how a married or cohabiting couple spend their time together…?

And of course, I once again made an exclamation.

“I – I’m going to take a bath!”

“Okay. Go warm yourself up properly^, yeah.”

I said nothing. Very spontaneously, holding my change of clothes, I dashed to the bathroom. However…

What? Wait a minute.

P149

Does taking a bath mean that I am exposing myself – pyjama, no make-up, and all – to  Ōdanna-sama?

Or perhaps I should say that I am exposing myself to him after the bath? 

Like, right now, Ōdanna-sama is staying overnight, right?

And, in the future, we are going to be a married couple who love each other, right…?

Although it’s too late now, I’m thinking about those things while soaking in the bathtub.  I submerge my face in hot water to somehow suppress my urge to scream out my feelings.

Like, the two of us will be home alone tonight in this house. What does that even mean?!

Various thoughts are piling up that I was going mad with them and ended up choking on water^. I hurriedly get out of the bath, change into my pyjama, and go back to the living room while nursing my pounding heart.  

Nevertheless…

Despite me losing my mind like this…

In the living room, having turned off the TV, Ōdanna-sama has used the zabuton^^ as a pillow and laid down. Now, he's dozing off peacefully.

“… he may have overworked himself…”

I then sigh heavily.

Again, I feel like I am SO completely at this guy’s mercy.

There is a futon in the next door room that used to be Grandpa’s room. I spread that futon before rolling and dragging* Ōdanna-sama onto the futon, putting him to bed. 

P150

“Gosh! It’s like handling Grandpa when he’s wasted!”

Once upon a time, after dragging and pulling another guy in a similar fashion, I used to lay him down onto this very futon, in this very room.

That guy was the guy feared by the ayakashi folks. Tsubaki Shirō, my grandpa.

A photo of him smiling fearlessly adorns this room, overlooking the soundly sleeping Ōdanna-sama. I can even hear Grandpa’s loud voice now, laughing away.

“Good night, Ōdanna-sama.”

“…yep. Good night, Aoi.”

Though his eyes were shut, Ōdanna-sama properly replied to me. When he wakes up, he might think that he moved here on his own… 

Despite all these, I still have that mischievous thought. I’m really a busybody.

I yawn. I moved a lot today and I’m really sleepy. I roll into my own futon, falling asleep. 

P151

“Aoi… Aoi…”

“Mmm… five more minutes…”

Amidst my slumber sleep, I can hear a voice calling me. I grab my thin futon and turn over to come back to sleep. However, I suddenly realise who the owner of that voice is.

“What! Arrrghhh!!! Ōdanna-sama?!”

I hold up the thin futon against me as I sprung up.

Ōdanna-sama has completely changed his clothes and is now already well-dressed. 

“Aoi, if you don’t wake up soon, aren’t you’re going to be late for uni?”

“No way! What time is this?!”

I hurriedly look at the clock.

Shoot!

I was planning to properly make breakfast for Ōdanna-sama, complete with a bento for him to bring back. But now, I have no time for all of that. It’s not that I overslept too much that I’d be late, but I was actually hoping to leisurely spend time with Ōdanna-sama. And I can’t do that now!

I rushed to dress up, arrange my hair and sloppily apply my make-up; so sloppy that the make-up was all over the place and so obvious for all to see.

P152

I frantically got myself ready that I surprisingly scored some extra time. However… 

“What should I do…  But, we have a bit of time, so maybe I should try to make something to eat!”

Seeing how my eyes go round and round in circles in utter chaos, Ōdanna-sama said thusly to calm me down,

“Now, calm down, Aoi. Sticking to your normal university schedule is important, so I’m fine skipping breakfast.”

“But, Ōdanna-sama…”

I promised him two meals and made him help me around the house. So pathetic. I almost burst into tears that Ōdanna-sama gently pats my head. 

“Yesterday evening, I made delicious hamburgers with you. That memory is enough as a gift from you this time around.”

“… But, aren’t you hungry^, Ōdanna-sama?”

 “Not really*. But in that case, how about this. I’ll walk with you towards your university. On the way there, shall we stop to buy something to eat at a convenience store, and then eat the meal outside? En route, there’s a park with some bench.”

“Convenience store? Park?”

“Since you cook your own meals as much as you can, I gather that you rarely buy meals at convenience stores. We can also drink affordable but delicious coffee there. All in all, not that bad, you know.”

P153

“Ōdanna-sama, do you drink coffee?”

“Of course. The shop assistant might think that I prefer my coffee black, but I actually prefer café latte.”

In spite of myself, his words made me laugh. At any rate, having such breakfast every now and then might be a good idea. Besides, Ōdanna-sama was right. I rarely eat meals from convenience stores.

“In that case, when we’re ready, let’s go. I’ll take you to the station, and then I’ll go back home to Kakuriyo.”

“Sure. … Thank you, Ōdanna-sama.”

At that very moment, in a flash, I see our future. From now on, I’m sure we will have a lovely life as a married couple. Putting all our energy into our life, alternating between joy and sorrow. There will be also time when blunders are made and shock follows, thus my feeling miserable. However, with his calm composure, Ōdanna-sama will always constantly comfort me, showing me the way. For sure, he will also be following me. 

Always constantly bestowing me with a sense of security, my future husband. 

This Ōdanna-sama, my future husband, pulled my hand, and together we left home.

The gorgeous art by Laruha (please buy the artist's Artbook...)

P154

Then, at the convenience store en route to the station, I buy some onigiri filled with mustard greens and some green tea. Ōdanna-sama buys some mix sandwich and warm café latte, plus a steamed bun with meat filling. Afterwards, we go to the nearby park and share our meals there.

Such a lovely and pleasant morning. Since the bench is under the trees, it is cool. The wind blows, bringing a hint of autumn scent, but the late summer thunderclouds are still visible in the sky.

All in all, definitely not a bad morning. If anything, the feeling was something new to me, a calm yet strangely exciting moment. Did Ōdanna-sama know that we would be able to spend such a time like this? It’s like having a date with him. Spending time with him in Utsushiyo, definitely not a bad idea.

“Well then, Ōdanna-sama, I’m off!”

“Yep, take care. I'll come pick you up again later^.”

I pass through the ticket gate at the big station. Looking over my shoulder, I see Ōdanna-sama waving at me behind the ticket gate. I waved back.

P155

Ōdanna-sama, with his smiling face, slightly reluctant to part way.

A stream of people passed in front of him for just a brief moment, but when I check again, he is nowhere to be seen. He just vanished. 

I observe my surroundings in silence^. 

He is an ayakashi. 

A non-human being.

In a flash, I was reminded of this fact.

I am also acutely aware that I am temporarily living a separate life from him. Sadness hits me.

“… All right then.”

My life as a normal human being resumes. In order to spend happy days again with Ōdanna-sama, despite our painfully obvious limited time*, I have to just go through my routine.

Therefore, let’s get to it.

-xxx-

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. 

These days, I use mainly Jisho.org for Kanji, plus the Imiwa app for whenever I’m offline and cannot access Jisho.org (usually mid-flights). The built-in Mac Japanese-English dictionary is also very useful for kanji meaning. These days, I can read the JP script pretty quickly to understand the content. However, whenever I got stuck, I use Google Translator to have a rough guess of the meaning of phrases, but then I would rewrite it in my own way.

I like using the “Japanese the Manga Way” by Wayne P. Lammers. Sometimes I use The Jaded Network for SFX effect translations, but these days I can glean the meaning from the onomatopoeia. 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 note:

P133: ^ The “(?)” was legit in the novel, and I think it’s because Aoi’s thinking of Tenjin-ya as her home, so whenever she has time on the weekends or during holidays, she would return home to Tenjin-ya. However, since Tenjin-ya isn’t her childhood home, the (?) was put there as a fun reference. 

P134: ^ I think the one crying was Setsu instead of Aoi, because the JP ver is 泣きながら私のこと, nakinagara watashi no koto. If Aoi was the one crying, the JP ver would be 泣きながらの私のこと。

P137: ^ this is the first time I learned that Aoi’s home is in Kitakyushu (North Kyushu).

* I purposely didn’t translate it as “my favourite food” because Ōdanna-sama’s favourite food is egg (particularly tamago-yaki). He does like dorayaki, because it was the first food he’d eaten since Ōgondōji-sama released him from the underground prison about 500 years ago.

P138: ^ when Aoi was little, her mother abandoned her in a desolate place with no food. Aoi then developed phobia towards lightning, because she had to endure sleepless and hungry nights with lightning, thunder, and no food. 

P140: ^ Tansu is the Japanese chest primarily used to store kimono. It has many long and thin drawers suited to store several (or even just one) kimono at a time. I have (too many) kimonos now, and I really want a tansu!

P143: ^ The sunny-side up here was a bit difficult to translate. Aoi first said 目玉焼き (medamayaki), which meant sunny-side up. However, Ōdanna-sama later said 半熟卵 (hanjuku) or soft boiled egg. Then I remembered what my Japanese friend did with her sunny-side up. She would crack the egg in a small pan and fry it as per usual, but right after the egg sizzles, she’d add a bit of water and close the pan lid. She was effectively frying and then boiling the egg. I also saw the same technique in a Japanese drama (I think “Followers” on Netflix), hence I realised it was a common way of frying eggs in Japan. I did that every now and then and I like the result. Therefore, when Ōdanna-sama said hanjuku (soft-boiled egg) in the Japanese version, he did mean “boiled” because the egg was fried and then boiled with a bit of water.

P144: ^ I guess the plate of rice looked like it would be on a children’s plate because it was a normal-sized plate (Japanese plates aren’t that big because they tend to portion their meals considerably), and thus it looked small because Ōdanna-sama might have the plate full of rice.

* I translated “itadakimasu” to “thank you for the meal” because itadakimasu actually is more than “let’s eat”. It’s like “I’m receiving this food, and I am grateful for every being who contributes to this food”. 

P146: ^ Mojikō Retro 門司港レトロis a tourist attraction in Kitakyushu. The direct translation of Mojikō Retoro is ‘The Old Harbour Administration Gate’, because 門=gate, 司=administer, 港=harbour, and レトロ = retro or old-fashion. This piece of info from Chibi is important for me to speculate where Aoi’s house is. By the way, the Mojikō neighbourhood is gorgeous, I really want to visit this place one day! 

P147: ^ Really, Aoi? In Vol 6, you actually saw him – in his birthday suit – in the Tenjin-ya outdoor onsen. Well, to be fair, at that time, he was splashing back into the onsen urgently, instead of emerging from the onsen…

P148: ^ The JP ver is 「ああ。しっかり温まってこい」. I had a hard time trying to properly translate it (no pun intended). Shikkari しっかり= properly, atatamatte温まって is the command version of atatamaru = to warm oneself, while koi こいis the more informal form of kuru, which gives a commanding nuance.  Basically, Ōdanna-sama told Aoi to get warm by taking a bath properly. -koi is used by someone with a higher honorific status (like, Ōdanna-sama). However, since it’s hard to transfer the “koi” command to English, I ended up with “Go warm yourself up properly, yeah” as the translation. See this website for more explanation about the -koi (-kuru) ending of a command: 

P149: ^ The JP ver is のぼせそうになるほど色々考えているうちに溺れかけたので. I am not sure if Aoi was really going to drown in the bath due to thinking of various things, or she felt like drowned by the thoughts. I was inclined to think it’s a metaphor, but Aoi did choke on her bath water once in Orio-ya (IIRC) when she thought of too many things, hence I think she choked on water this time because she was thinking the various (delicious) things that could happen between her and Ōdanna-sama tonight!

^^ zabuton is the sitting pillow that you often see laying around a Japanese living room.

*I chuckled when translating this part. Ōdanna-sama is tall and muscular; it must’ve been difficult for Aoi to drag and roll him onto the futon!

P152: ^ Since Aoi learned that Ōdanna-sama sacrificed his lifespan to lift her curse, Aoi seems to always want to feed him. Aoi's food contains her psychic power, and eating her food is the quickest way for ayakashi, Ōdanna-sama in particular, to regain their strength. Therefore, I think Aoi's concern that Setsu is hungry is also because she wants to sustain his life force and prolong his life, even just a bit.

* Ōdanna-sama actually said「うーん」, which is hard to translate. It can mean ‘yes’ when it’s the short ‘un’「うん」, but when it’s long and melodious ‘uuun’「うーん」, it means ‘no’. It seems to me that the ‘uuun’ this time is long, hence a ‘no’. Therefore, I translated it as “Not really”. If Ōdanna-sama said yes, Aoi would’ve been more disappointed that she couldn’t make him breakfast, hence I think he would say ‘no’ or its variants.

P154: ^ Ōdanna-sama meant that he'd pick Aoi up again the next time she visits Kakuriyo (most likely during the weekends, because summer holiday is over). However, in Vol 12 Ch 14, we will learn that he got cold, so he couldn't pick Aoi up. 

P155: ^ I replaced「…」with “I observe my surroundings in silence” and swapped its place with the previous sentence for effect.

*Remember that – due to his sacrifice – Setsu only has ~100 years to live, and Aoi’s life as a human is even shorter. Therefore, every moment matters for them.