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#otome translation
lisutarid-a · 2 months
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[Gakuen K] Extras Translation
Watermelon split in the Red club
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LIST OF CHAPTERS
[Translation under the cut]
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Totsuka: Hey, King. Are you interested in splitting watermelons?
Mikoto: I'm interested in watermelons, but I'm not interested in splitting them. It's too much trouble.
Totsuka: Ehh, it's good that it's troublesome. It's like they say, "If you don't work, you don't eat". Watermelons taste better after a hard work, don't they?
Mikoto: …What are you up to?
Totsuka: I'm not up to anything. Just…
Yata: That's terrible, Mikoto-san!
Mikoto: What's wrong?
Yata: Outside, um… It's hard to explain, anyway, please come with me!
Mikoto: …What the hell are you talking about?
Totsuka: Ah-h, I guess he's already found out.
Kusanagi: …What have you done this time?
Totsuka: Now-now, shall we go too?
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Kusanagi: …It's such a shocking sight that it makes the heat outside disappear. What the heck is this large amount of watermelons?
Totsuka: Well, it's me-e.
Kusanagi: Don't answer me so cheerfully… What's all this?
Totsuka: I grew them for some reason, and the harvest was unexpectedly bountiful. I couldn't eat all of them, so I brought some with me~
Kusanagi: You, are you think of us as some kind of leftover scavengers?
Totsuka: Don't worry, we can all finish them up!
Totsuka: So, Yata, do you want to split a watermelon?
Yata: Eh, haven't you eaten it already?
Totsuka: When it comes to summer, it's no fun to just eat. Well, how about a blindfold and a stick.
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Yata: Hehe! I'm gonna kill it with one shot!
Kusanagi: Yata-chan, on the right~!
Yata: Eh, on the right?
Mikoto: …Don't be fooled, it's on the left.
Yata: O-On the left…
Totsuka: Wow, King is so cruel. Yata, it's actually straight in front of you.
Yata: Seriously!?
Mikoto: Really, and which of us is being cruel?
Yata: Eeeh~~. Which direction is it really…!!
Yata: (In times like this, you have to believe in yourself)
Yata: (Before I was blindfolded, I checked the position. I must concentrate my senses on hearing and visualize my current location)
Yata: (--Here I go!)
Yata: Haaaa!!!
Watermellon?: Gyaaa!!
Yata: Hell yeah, I'm sure I did it!
Yata: --Eh, what's wrong, Kamamoto? Who did this to you!? Damn it, even when I was right beside you!
Kusanagi: He got hurt because Yata-chan was beside him. You were swinging a stick around like crazy.
Kusanagi: Mikoto, try next.
Mikoto: …Me?
Mikoto: Just one time.
Kusanagi: Don't make such a sour face. It's good sometimes, isn't it? To return back to your childhood.
Mikoto: …
Totsuka: Do you think King will split it?
Kusanagi: I'm sure he'll split it easily. That guy's sense of smell and instincts are extraordinary--.
Totsuka: Eeeh, I didn't know watermelons could burn like this~
Kusanagi: This is no time to impress!
Kusanagi: Hey, Mikoto. Why did you burn the watermelon?
Mikoto: This is quicker than swinging a stick. Well, it's splited, right?
Kusanagi: It's splited, but it's all burnt up. If you can't eat it, what's the point?
Totsuka: You guys are pathetic. Let me show you how to split a watermelon.
Kusanagi: Hmmm, you seem awfully confident.
Totsuka: I used to take a correspondence course on watermelon splitting. Compared to amateurs, I should be good at it.
Kusanagi: What is a correspondence course? There is no such thing as amateurs or experts in watermelon splitting…
Kusanagi: Well, whatever. Let's see how you do.
Totsuka: Okaaay. …Totsuka, ready!
Kusanagi: …
Kusanagi: …Ha?
Totsuka: I just wanted to try the Blue club's shout for once. …Okay then, here I go.
Kusanagi: …
Totsuka: All right. I've decided.
Totsuka: Here! Hit!!
Totsuka: Huh? It's a strange response…
Kusanagi: You have to swing down with more force. You hit it, but it didn't break.
Totsuka: Sorry, I was careless.
Yata: Amazing, Totsuka-san! I can't believe you got it with one hit!
Totsuka: Ri-ight? Just kidding. It was just a pure luck, a pure luck.
Yata: Is that so? But even if it's just a pure luck…!
Kusanagi: What's wrong, Yata-chan?
Yata: There is a suspicious figure there…Oh, one watermelon is missing!
Yata: Watermelon thief! I'll get you!
Totsuka: We have plenty of watermelons, so it's okay if they take one … A-ah, he's gone.
Kusanagi: It can't be helped, no one can stop Yata-chan when he's like that. We'll slice the watermelon and wait for him.
Totsuka: That's right. Huh, where's King?
Kusanagi: He said it was hot and went into the clubroom long ago.
Totsuka: Ahaha, that's so like King.
Kusanagi: …Hey, Totsuka. Was it thanks to the correspondence course that you were able to hit a watermelon with a stick?
Totsuka: That's a surprise, I didn't know Kusanagi-san would be interested.
Kusanagi: No, because it would have been really cool if it had split with a single hit.
Totsuka: Eh, so that's a reason!?
Kusanagi: Tell me. It's no big deal, right?
Totsuka: Hmmm, I wonder what should I do~
Kusanagi: I’m begging you, it's a matter of life and death!
Totsuka: …I guess so.
Kusanagi: Is that a "yes"?
Totsuka: No, I won't tell you.
Kusanagi: Why!?
Totsuka: Because, Kusanagi-san, for what it's worth, you haven't split a watermelon a single time yet.
Totsuka: As I said, "If you don't work, you don't eat". I can't tell this to someone who hasn't done anything.
Kusanagi: Damn it…I'll make you tell me one day, I swear!
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risukadarlin · 9 months
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[piofiore no banshou] vol. 4: henri - track one
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1; midi
masterpost
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[00:05] Oh, I’ll carry that.
You can leave the heavy lifting to me.
You can open that package instead.
I think we’ve finished unpacking now.
We only brought the essentials, so it wasn’t too bad at all, thankfully.
This is our new home.
The table.
The sofa.
The curtains.
And the bed.
I prepared the basics for us, but we can replace them if you find something you like.
It’s a bit smaller than your old room but I didn’t think a huge room would be any better.
You still seem worried whenever I’m not by your side.
That’s not it?
So… You just like being spoiled?
Don’t hide your face.
Look at me.
[01:18] You look good with your hair tied up too.
Of course, it looks just as good down.
You must be tired after such a long journey.
Even if we did stop at a hotel halfway, it doesn’t change the fact we took a longer route.
I’m sorry for pushing you so hard.
But… I’m glad we could leave some flowers for the children…
We haven’t seen them since I left everything with that person, after all.
Back then, my priority was protecting you.
I knew we couldn’t stay in that place for too long, so I even left the burial to someone else.
I know better than anyone that graves mean nothing to the dead, but…
I hoped it might bring them some salvation.
I pray they rest in peace.
Let’s go back one day.
We can’t go regularly.
But we should go again soon.
Oh, that’s right.
What should we do this afternoon?
There are still a few things we need to sort out but you can stay here and rest if you’re too tired…
Really?
Then let’s go out together.
We need things for the kitchen first.
We have a fridge but it’s empty right now.
Shopping is important but we’ve just arrived.
Shall we take a look around Bordeaux?
What do you think?
I’m glad you’re finally able to be open about how you feel.
You’re so cute.
Let’s have lunch first. We can find a cafe nearby.
Then we can look around the town for a bit.
We can buy the basics just before we come home.
Let’s buy the rest tomorrow and explore a bit more if we still have time after that.
Let’s go then!
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[03:56] How was the food?
I’m glad it was to your taste.
The food here is quite different from where we just came from.
Lyon is famous for dishes made with tripe.
Its development was driven by the production of silk, so there are a lot of labourers living there.
So, they devised a way of making cheap ingredients taste delicious.
Bordeaux, on the other hand, flourished due to trade.
It’s also especially famous for its wine.
They use bordelaise sauce with meat and fish alike. It’s made with red wine.
It’s a lot more simple than other places we’ve lived.
Though, there is the famous Lamprey à la Bordelaise. 
I don’t think I’d like it very much.
I’ll try to find a restaurant that you’ll like.
When our affairs are a bit more in order, I want us to go on a long, relaxed date.
You always make cafe au lait at home. I’ve even started drinking it when we leave the house now.
You’re looking out for me, aren’t you? I know I don’t eat very much.
You think it’s better than me just drinking espresso, don’t you?
I know hot milk is better for the stomach but I just can’t bring myself to like it.
I’m sure you know that already, though.
Anyway, we’re in an entirely new city. Is there anything you’d like to know?
I’ll tell you anything I know.
Oh, that building you can see over there is the Grand Théâtre.
Bordeaux has been a seat of the government twice in the past.
During that time, it was used as the National Assembly for the French Parliament.
Let’s go to the Opera again soon.
I’m sure they’ll show one you enjoy soon.
Is there anything else?
[06:20] You want to know why I chose to move here?
Do you remember last year, we went to Bled in Slovenia during Christmas?
When I asked you where else you wanted to go, you gave a few options.
Bavaria in Germany.
The capital of music, Vienna.
And then, Bordeaux.
You said you wanted to see the Port of the Moon at night.
Obviously, I wanted to grant one of your wishes.
But this place is very convenient for me, too.
The population is large enough and the transportation system is rather varied.
There’s a railway and boats. 
We have options if something happens.
It’s also on the West coast of France, which is ideal.
I wanted to put some distance between us and Germany, considering the state of things there.
The church is still looking for you, even now.
I don’t think they’ll be able to find us easily, but apparently he put some rather troublesome traps in place before he died.
You don’t need to worry, we’re well hidden.
All this moving from city to city is just an extra precaution.
Until a while ago, I planned to allow karma to hit me with open arms.
I believed I deserved to be punished for my crimes.
If I really thought I’d one day be forgiven for what I did, I never would have plotted revenge.
But… I never planned to involve you. Any of you.
I thought I could protect you by locking you in that small house.
But it wasn’t enough.
That’s why I won’t ever let them be one step ahead of us again.
I don’t plan to hold back against anyone who tries to interrupt our life.
Obviously, it would be best if they never found us at all.
Don’t you think?
[09:01] Are you ready to go?
What do you want to see first?
Bordeaux Cathedral? It’s around 10 minutes from here.
We can see a few sights as we walk over.
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[09:24] Bordeaux Cathedral, or the Primatial Cathedral of St Andrew, was built in the 11th century.
Well, the foundations were. They’ve been adding to it ever since.
You can see the spire from anywhere in the city.
You could even say it’s the building that best represents Bordeaux.
It was once used for the wedding of the King of France.
It’s also famous for the sculptures of the Biblical Day of Judgement.
There really are a lot of people.
Come here.
It’s a famous sightseeing spot. It can’t be helped.
Stay close to me.
I don’t want you to leave my side.
Okay?
Good. Let’s go inside, then.
I’m sure you’ll love the inside just as much as the outside.
[10:41] Isn’t it bright?
Most big, historical churches end up being quite gloomy inside.
But here… It looks like the entire inside is shining white.
I don’t believe in God, but I think you look beautiful in this Cathedral.
It reminds me of Burlone.
I remember once, you looked after me in the church, right after I’d been hit.
I was shocked; you said exactly the kind of thing my sister would have said.
Oh. I never really told you about what kind of a person my sister was, did I?
Let me think… 
Chloe was bright and sociable. She didn’t get shy around anyone.
When we were with the Falzone, she spent more time surrounded by adults than with me.
It was hard, at times.
But I never blamed her for it.
She was desperate to make a place for us in that mansion.
And now I know that love makes us do crazy things.
Where do you want to go after we finish exploring here?
Maybe we should go somewhere where we can see the entire city?
Ah, before that, you should pray while we’re here.
I’ll wait for you.
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[12:54] I knew you’d like The Grosse Cloche.
Can you see the Garonne River from here? It’s shaped like a crescent moon.
It’s almost blinding in the evening sun.
I can see why they call it the Port of the Moon.
So, how is it? Do you think you’ll like it here?
I’m glad.
There is just one thing weighing on my mind.
Bordeaux is a university city.
I saw a lot of men today who are the same age as you.
I know it might sound childish but a lot of them were looking at you.
If I wasn’t here, they’d most definitely try to talk to you.
I’m a bit worried.
Your shoulder?
Oh, yes… I was holding you close to me all day.
Especially in front of the cathedral and when we were in crowds.
I barely even thought about it myself.
I mean… I can certainly think of a reason why.
You said it before yourself, didn’t you?
I need to practise touching you.
It was probably because of that.
Now, I can’t relax if I’m not touching you.
It’s that time already?
I did plan on eating out tonight but maybe we should relax at home instead.
We should buy a bottle of wine and toast to our new lives.
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eleiyaumei · 9 months
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Who wants to complain about the (KW&) EB translation with me?
@fuckyeahbakumatsu I saw you doing that so... Let's complain how, for example, they did our boy Sōji dirty!
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My Japanese is good enough to understand that he said "I am/was Kondō-sans little brother" there. (...Did he really say "pussy"? I hope not.)
Then, there are just some word choices I hate, e.g. in my favorite scene:
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I'm not a native English speaker but I'm sure that last one doesn't make any sense grammatically nor semantically -.- What the heck are they trying to say here?? "Became engrossed in each other('s body)"?
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roseeveee · 9 months
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Well...I finished Charada Maniacs and I'm sad I did...
Feel free to listen to this song while u read! I personally think it ties into some of the story elements that stuck out to me ❤️
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So I friggin love this game I genuinely wish it wouldn't end but I'm ofc glad to have finally come to the truth and connected most of the dots. Ofc there's still a few points that confuse me but overall this game truly did it for me. I don't think I've ever been invested or loved a game this hard since even if tempest...it's so unique and special to me idk.
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All I can hope for is more localizations of other forms of content like the play and the novels. In addition, the creation of a fandisc ofc.
I recommend this game to anyone who enjoys a good mystery! But idk how to describe the romance aspect like it's genuinely special? The true ending may not be "romance" as well but it's still somehow so beautiful when it comes to its depiction of love...whether the good or bad true end you will cry!
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Please get this game if u haven't and I hope you enjoy it ❤️
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klaptl · 2 years
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KLAP Translation Part 6
Beginning of the Sports Festival
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Koyomi: "..."
Koyomi: "......"
Koyomi: "....Ugh."
Koyomi: "...Alright...!"
――Morning.
Staring up at my now familiar ceiling, I gradually woke up.
Koyomi: "Urrrgh... *yawn*...Nnn...."
The sky was clear blue. The birds chirped a pretty tune. ――Then appeared an Ittan momen*, flowing in the air with the wind.
Ittan momen: "Ahh?! I-I'm being blown away~?!"
Koyomi: "......"
Koyomi: "Ahh... What a nice morning."
Mother, Father… 
It seems that I have grown accustomed to life in the supernatural world of Aima, living among UMA.
Koyomi: (That being said... I'm particularly worried about returning to regular society...)
Though I felt uneasy, I can't help being used to my current state, so there's no point in worrying about that now.
(Yeah. I'll postpone that problem for as long as I can...)
Ignoring the problem staring me in the face, I readied myself for my day as a trainer.
Koyomi: "Let's see... Got my attendance book. I made copies of the print outs to hand out to everyone, and I have my training whip with me today...!"
Koyomi: "Yeah, all set!"
Nurarihyon: "Hahaha! Aren't you looking like a full-fledged trainer?"
Koyomi: "Principal...! No, I..."
Koyomi: "I'm still far from it. Even in class I feel like I'm being saved more than the other way around..."
Koyomi: "Plus, there's still so much I don't know about UMA."
Nurarihyon: "Hehe, no one is perfect from the beginning. The seeds of success can only bloom with perseverance and a strong will to see it through."
Nurarihyon: "It's essential to continue your efforts to support your own volitions." 
From the way he was speaking, it seemed to hint that hard times were ahead... But even so, somehow his words felt kind and warm.
Nurarihyon: "But really...it's a shame."
Nurarihyon: "I'm sure you'll become a good trainer. At this rate, next year I'll have to refer you to a high school in the metro area..."
Koyomi: "In the metro area――"
Koyomi: (Ohh, that's right. When I started my job here, the principal had made that promise to me.)
Nurarihyon: "...One year. If you can sufficiently fulfill your role as a trainer in that time, I will secure you a job at a Tokyo metro-area high school."
Koyomi: "Eh... Are you serious?!"
Nurarihyon: "That much I can." 
Nurarihyon: "The terms are that you need to work here a full year but… On that matter, as long as we have an established understanding, I don't mind."
Koyomi: (Of course when that time comes, I'll be leaving this place...)
Koyomi: "......"
Nurarihyon: "Hm? Why the displeased face?"
Koyomi: "N-No! It's nothing...!"
Koyomi: "Um... I'll think about it when I really have to."
Koyomi: "For now, I'll try to concentrate just on making my class graduate, and not dwell on the details...!"
Nurarihyon: "Hehe. I see. Indeed, it may be best to proceed steadily, and take it all at your own pace.”
Yeah, at my own pace, one step at a time. I'll take the path that is before me. What my future has in store… Will be determined with my efforts here.
Koyomi: "Alright, everyone! It's time for homeroom!"
The classroom was bustling and noisy as normal… Today, the students seemed somehow restless. Like there was something going on in them that they're unsure about...
Ryou: "1,027...! 1,028...!!"
Right in front of the desk, for some reason Ryou-kun was doing push-ups with a very serious face. Beside him was...
Camil: "10,056 times, 10,05… Wait? How many times was it...?"
I'm not sure where in the world his strength was coming from, was easily doing push-ups with just one finger. It was a more abnormal scene than usual.
Koyomi: "What's going on today, everyone? It seems more lively than usual..." 
When I asked that question, Ryou-kun took a break from his pushups and answered.
Ryou: "Isn't it obvious! We have a Sports Festival at the end of the month, you know?!"
――Sports Festival.
Hearing that phrase, I somehow completely understood the situation.
Koyomi: "Ohh... That's right. Now that you mention it, that was brought up in the staff meeting the other day."
Ryou: "No no! Sensei! You gotta get more hyped up about it! When the time comes ya gotta give it your all you know?!"
Ryou: "Our class always takes home the victory! Right, everyone?!"
Agreement from across the entire classroom echoed in Reply to Ryou-kun's statement.
Sousuke: "Urgh... I really hate hot, humid weather..."
Akito: "Well, there will be plenty of chances to appeal to the ladies. I guess I'll at least put in some effort for them." 
There were a few exceptions but… Apparently the whole class is getting pumped and really looking forward to the Sports Festival. Then, I realized something.
Koyomi: "Yomi School's Sports Festival, so like a UMA haunted Sports Festival? Then...would it take place in a graveyard at night?" 
I was only speaking to myself but...
Sousuke-kun had heard me from a distance, and looked towards me with a snicker.
Sousuke: "Haaah? Why would we do a Sports Festival at night? Besides, doing it in a graveyard is ridiculous! Are you an idiot? A hag? A fat pig?"
Koyomi: "E-Excuse you...! We have weird expectations in the human realm, okay? It's an unspoken rule!"
Koyomi: "And that later-half you just said! That has nothing to do with what I said!"
Kanade: "Nyah nya. Now now, Sousuke. You must hold more respect for our Madam, you know?"
Koyomi: "Yeah! Just as Kanade-kun said!"
I puffed out my chest, and was met by a cold look from Sousuke-kun.
Sousuke: "If you need a student to defend you, you're no teacher that deserves respect."
Koyomi: "Urrrrggghhhh...!"
As that went on, I thought about how humans and UMA alike look forward to events like Sports Festival.
Seeing them all get pumped up and excited made it seem like any other school out there.
But what was most surprising… The one who seemed most motivated of all was Touma-kun.
Touma: "It's class vs. class during the sports festival. Of course, teach's one of our artillery too. You better get psyched up too!"
Koyomi: "Ehh?! M-Me too?!"
He said that to me so nonchalantly but, I'm not a UMA; I'm just a regular human. With the Sports Festival, if I end up colliding with anyone or anything, I don't think I'll get out unscathed...
Touma: "We ain't losing to any other class, or any other opponent for that matter...!"
The moment Touma-kun spat out that statement… The door to the classroom was forcefully opened, and a blinding spotlight shined through.
Koyomi: "Ehh?! W-What's going on?!"
From his feet emitted a thick fog.
???: "Huuuuuuuuuh?! And whoooo has a limber nose?!"
Uten & Saten: "Why, Haruka of course!"
Haruka: "AH HA HA HA! Why of course! My nose is the most limber and beautiful of them all!"
Touma: "Tsk... There he is! That damn Haruka...!"
Akito: "Ahhh, here comes trouble..."
Shaking off the rising smoke, Haruka-kun brazenly made his way toward us. Wait...
Koyomi: "H-Haruka-kun...?! It's already time for homeroom. You have to get back to your own class...!"
Haruka: "Hehe, what's wrong, lady? You rushed over to me so impatiently. Don't tell me...you wish to touch my nose?" 
...Amazing! He didn't hear a single word I said!
Kanade: "It's no use, Madam. It's best to leave him be, without encouraging him."
Touma: "Hey, you. Why you walking here like you own the place?"
Haruka: "Hehe. Our classes will battle at this month's Sports Festival… Let's settle our little dispute once and for all! I've come to make a pledge."
Touma: "...Huh? Dispute? Make a pledge?"
Haruka: "Why yes, exactly! Between the distinguished Nagato Tengu Clan, and your collapsed Mimasaka Clan..."
Haruka: "Originally, I believed anyone could understand who was the most refined of the two by far..."
Haruka: "It sounds most unfortunate. Many poor souls do not understand who is the most refined."
Haruka: "Therefore! We will set the stage at the Sports Festival, and truly decide who is the superior between us!"
Haruka: "Though, of course it will be my class who will be victorious!"
Haruka: "Bwaaah ha ha ha ha!!"
Uten & Saten: "As expected of Haruka-sama! He's so cool!"
Touma: "Gr...! Bring it on...! All will be settled when we're victorious at the festival...! Don't complain when that almighty nose of yours gets blown off...!"
Haruka: "Hehe...! That is the spirit, my long standing foe, Mimasaka Touma...! Try not to make an utter fool of yourself, if you can!"
Haruka: "Bwaaah ha ha ha ha!!"
Haruka & Uten & Saten: "Bwaaah ha ha ha ha!!"
Akito: "He came in to say what he wanted and just left right after… Day in and day out, he just does as he pleases."
Kanade: "Those in the Tengu Clan come in almost like a storm."
Touma: "Huh... What do you mean a storm, with that small-fry Tengu...!"
Touma-kun looked around him and raised his voice.
Touma: "Alright you bunch! For this year's Sports Festival, no matter what our class has gotta wipe the floor to smash in Haruka's nose, and take the championship...!"
Everyone's reaction to Touma-kun's fierce statement varied.
Sousuke: "Ahhh… He lets the taunts go straight to his head. He's a really simple idiot~"
Kanade: "Aye. Let us fight for triumph!"
Akito: "I'll try to put in some effort. Just enough to not look uncool."
Camil: "13,746. 13,747. 13,74...6?"
Koyomi: "......"
Koyomi: (I...don't see any sort of unity among them...)
He said that it's class on class but, will we really be okay like this...? Since that day and until the day of the Sports Festival...
Our class has been engaging in "special training".
――The relay race
Touma: "OHHHHHHRAAAAAAA!"
Koyomi: "W-Wow...! You're extremely fast, Touma-kun!" 
But isn't it against the rules to fly through the relay race...?!
――The ball toss
Camil: "...Yeah, bull's eye."
Koyomi: "Um... Camil-kun. What are you doing...?"
Camil: "...? The ball toss..."
That's not the ball toss though, Camil-kun...!
――Giant ball Roll
Kanade: "Meow meow! Let's go, everyone! Roll it around magnificently~!"
Koyomi: "In the hallway?! You're practicing ball rolling in the hallway?! Wait, if you do that...!"
Shion: "......"
Koyomi: "AH?! Sheesh, I told you, didn't I?!"
Kanade: "Urgh meow?! Re-Retreeeeat! Withdraw, withdraw!!"
And with that… For a few more days, we repeatedly trained extra hard… We couldn't wait for the day of the Sports Festival, the day of our showdown.
Koyomi: (Everyone has worked very hard, so we'll definitely take home the win...!)
Finally, the day of the Sports Festival arrived. Usually the staff members would work quietly in the staff room, but today there was a sort of restlessness permeating.
Koyomi: "Urgh... For some reason, there’s a lot of tension going on...!"
Similarly, I've been restless since this morning.
Shion: "Good morning."
Koyomi: "Oh, Shion-sensei. Good morning."
Even at times like these, Shion-sensei is the same as usual.
Koyomi: (I haven't seen him today, but Hyuga-sensei is probably the same as always. He doesn't look the type who'd like sports festivals...)
Koyomi: "Today is finally the Sports Festival."
Shion: "Yes. The weather should be perfect for the Sports Festival today.
Koyomi: "......"
Shion: "What's wrong?"
Koyomi: "Oh... I-It's nothing. Just hearing you say so calmly that the weather today was perfect."
Koyomi: "I thought you disliked noisy events..."
Shion: "Hehe... Far from it. Today has been a long, anticipated day for the students. We're here to cheer on the students; I can't hate it."
Koyomi: "Y-Yeah you're right!"
Koyomi: "For them all to work together with their peers and to give it their all..."
Koyomi: "Seeing the students like that kinda gives you a pleasant feeling, I think." 
Shion-sensei smiled and nodded towards my words.
Koyomi: (Somehow or another, it really does seem that Shion-sensei cares deeply for the students...)
Shion: "Yes, certainly. In spite of their best efforts there will be many faces of sorrow and regret after a great defeat."
Shion: "Seeing all those faces will be pleasant for sure." 
Ah, to say something so absurd with a bright smile on his face...!
Koyomi: "Well...anyway! Let's each of us do our best as well!"
The usually quiet classroom was more lively than usual. It was the day of the Sports Festival, and everyone was brimming with determination.
Sousuke: "Fwah~ ...Everyone is too excited~"
...Well, with the exception of Sousuke-kun… Incidentally, there are Physical Education classes, but they don't seem to follow the notion of changing into track suits.
Koyomi: (It was strange, considering they would change into casual clothes.)
Well, I know the cultural background is different, but I can't draw the line to see the difference between them. Later, we explained the rules and regulations on the pamphlet of rules we handed out beforehand.
Koyomi: "So, that's about the gist of it? Does anyone have any questions?"
There was little reaction towards the question. Everyone seems to be antsy to start competing against one another.
Koyomi: "Then... the meeting adjourned! Everyone, when it is time to start please gather at the meet grounds."
Students: "Okaaaaay." 
After the students' responses...
Touma: "Alright, we have some time before it starts… Why don't we do some warm-ups?"
Akito: "I'll just do whatever, I guess. If I'm with the ladies, I'd be exhausted before I even start doing sports..."
As he said that, everyone else split up to head to wherever they pleased.
Before it's time to start the Sports Festival… Where should I spend my time?
> At the gymnasium
> At the cafeteria
> At the grounds
Option: At the gymnasium
When I arrived at the gymnasium, there was Touma-kun, filled with unimaginable fighting spirit and putting in great effort into his warm-ups.
Touma: "Alright! Perfect form!"
Koyomi: "Wow...! You're a lot more motivated than usual, Touma-kun. Usually you'd be indifferent though."
Touma: "Well you know...! Sometimes, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do!"
Koyomi: "Though, just the other day it looked like you were sound asleep during the last quiz... Was I mistaken?"
Touma: "Well, that was...! It... That's not important!"
Koyomi: (Not important huh...)
Sousuke: "He's been so annoying this whole time, hmph. Sensei, go take care of this fired-up garbage and throw him out somewhere~"
As a free spirit as always, Sousuke-kun seemed to be using a gym mat in place of a bed.
Sousuke: "But really... If you're this fired-up already, will you really last the entire time?"
Sousuke: "You're getting muggy and irritating so… Lemme cool your head a bit."
Sousuke-kun lightly waved his arm, and Touma-kun's hair crackled frozen stiff.
Touma: "Wha?! So cold?! What did you do?!"
Sousuke: "What do you mean, I just cooled off your head? If you hate is so, you should just leave the gym. Touma's being too annoying~"
Touma: "Huuuuuh?! If it's that much of a pain, why don't YOU go somewhere else instead?!"
Koyomi: "Alright alright, no fighting you two. But..."
> Side with Touma
> Side with Sousuke
Option: Side with Touma
Koyomi: "Sousuke-kun? Touma-kun is really eager for today, so you shouldn't bother him, okay?"
Sousuke: "Huh~? Why do I have to be scolded? I don't understand the meaning behind it..."
Koyomi: "Because today is the long-awaited Sports Festival. Sousuke-kun, instead of something like taking a nap, why not try warming-up together?"
Koyomi: "I think it's pretty fun to earnestly challenge something."
Touma: "...Huh! Wow man, that was a pretty good line there?"
Koyomi: "...I'm not 'man', I'm 'Sensei'."
While rebuking Touma-kun, Sousuke-kun pouted and turned away.
Sousuke: "I don't really like that kind of passionate view on things..."
Sousuke: "...Well, Tengu like Haruka kinda rubbed me the wrong way, I'll put in the minimum effort needed to beat him. That's fine, right?"
Koyomi: "Yeah. Whatever the reason, I'm happy as long as you're having fun, Sousuke-kun."
Option: Side with Touma-kun
Koyomi: "Touma-kun, it's fine to be eager and motivated but you can't be forceful to others, okay?"
Koyomi: "You're usually adverse towards things you think of as bothersome, don't forget." 
Touma: "Well... Sure."
He quickly understood my point, and meekly nodded in agreement.
Koyomi: "...However. Sousuke-kun, this is your Sports Festival as well, so why not approach this a bit more seriously?"
Koyomi: "Plus... Oh, I know. I'll treat you to some victory juice! Well? How about that? Does that bring the fighting spirit?"
Sousuke: "......"
Sousuke: "Ahahahaha! Sensei, you're so amusing...! Did you really think you could motivate a high school student with juice in this day and age?!"
Sousuke: "Ahahahahaha...!"
Touma: "Are you really trying to bribe him...? Haha, funny."
Koyomi: (Urgh... I didn't predict they would laugh at me… When I was in high school I'd be plenty happy about it though...)
Sousuke: "...Ahh, it's strange. Pfff, hehe. Sensei, you're too dumb...!"
Koyomi: "D-Don't call me dumb...! I worked very hard to think of that...!"
Sousuke: "Hehe, but... That was interesting itself just now? I guess I'll think about it more, about the Sports Festival."
We spent our time together until it was time for the Sports Festival to start. Then… 
Option: At the cafeteria
In a loss of where to go, I headed for the cafeteria. With so many different facilities at the school, why did I choose the cafeteria?
That was...
I'm a bit famished so I thought I'd pick up a little something before the Sports Festival...? That was absolutely not what I was thinking though.
Koyomi: "...oh, huh?"
I saw others I knew there who had come before I did. Akito-kun and Camil-kun were there. Akito-kun was fumbling with his phone, and Camil-kun was stretched out, slumped over a desk. They both weren't very motivated.
Akito: "Oh, Sensei. Good timing. Hey, I have something I wanted to ask..."
Akito: "The Sports Festival is a pain for me… Could I discontinue it by making it rain?"
Koyomi: "O-Of course you can't...?! I can't just let you stop it as you please..."
Koyomi: "Hey, Camil-kun, wouldn't you agree?"
Camil: "...If anything is gonna fall from the sky, make it candy."
He sluggishly raised his head, and looked like he could care less about it all.
Koyomi: "Geez... What's with you two? You two seem to have just lost all your motivation..."
Akito: "A Kappa's heart and the autumn sky, they are quick to change at a moment's notice."
Camil: "Camil's heart and the autumn sky, they are quick to change at a moment's notice."
Koyomi: "...No, Camil-kun, yours definitely sounds odd."
Koyomi: "Besides...Camil-kun. You were in such high spirits before. You were able to do so many push-ups before..."
Camil: "Yeah. I feel so sore now, I can't move anymore."
Koyomi: "Did you do that on purpose?!" 
At any rate, there's no signs of recovering their motivation...
Koyomi: (Then I, as the adult, should give these youngins a pep talk...! ...Even though they're both significantly older than me!)
> Pep talk Akito
> Pep talk Camil
Option: Pep talk Akito
Koyomi: "Akito-kun, instead of saying that, why not work together with everyone and aim for victory!?"
Akito: "Hmmm... Victory huh. I'd consider it if there were some sort of reward for it."
Koyomi: "R-Reward huh? Uhh… Then, if you win, I can treat you to some juice?"
Akito: "I don't need that. I can buy a whole vending machine anyways."
Koyomi: "Oh... Y-Yeah, that's true."
Akito: "If you really wanna motivate me… I know. If we get the championship, you have to agree to go on a date with me, for example."
Koyomi: "Ehh?! W-What?!"
I unconsciously stepped back from him, as he looked at me with a sweet, bright smile...
Akito-kun did not overlook my hesitation. Without a moment's delay, he quickly took a step to press more.
Akito: "I'm not saying you need to follow me to my bed or anything… Oh, but I'd be more than happy if you did?"
Koyomi: "Um, uhhh... well...!"
While I was in a flustered state, Akito-kun gently wrapped his pinky around mine.
Akito: "Alright, it's a promise. If you break it... I'll make you drink 'that', okay?"
Koyomi: "Eh! Eh? Wait... 'that'? What is 'that'?!"
Akito: "Hehe... That's a secret. Alright Sensei, don't forget our promise okay?"
Koyomi: "......"
Koyomi: "He didn't even let me reply… Are we really going to go on a date...?"
One way or another, I did see Akito-kun leaving the room.
Camil: "...Skipping school for a date?"
Koyomi: (Oh! I forgot about Camil-kun being here!)
I quickly turned toward him, and still he was lazily flopped over the top of the desk, with his cheek glued to the desk.
Camil: "You can't do that~ I'm telling the teacher."
Koyomi: "N-No you can't...!"
Koyomi: "Wait no, I'm a teacher!"
Camil: "Ohhh... That's right..." 
Option: Pep talk Camil-kun
Some time had passed, and then…
Koyomi: "Camil-kun, don't say that. Why not put in the effort?"
Camil: "Nn..."
Koyomi: "C'mon, even if you're sore, you can still jump and run...!"
Camil: "Hmm...Mmm..."
Koyomi: "If you put in your best effort, Camil-kun, you could be the class's savior!"
Camil: "Savior?"
Koyomi: (Oh, that's right. That'll give me a reaction...)
Understanding what made my students happy and using it to "guide" them along is what a good teacher does! (probably)
Koyomi: "Yeah, that's right! When the class is in a predicament, Camil-kun, you can swoop in and save the day...!"
Camil: "That's...fascinating. But I possess nothing like a Legendary Sword. Or even an Orichalcum shield..."**
Koyomi: "Yeah. You don't need that for the Sports Festival. It's fine."
I think there's a few dots that aren't connecting but… At any rate, it seems I succeeded in trying to motivate him.
Camil: "Alright. I'm...off to save the world."
Koyomi: "Yeah...! Well, not the world, but the Sports Festival...! We're relying on you, Camil-kun...!"
Akito: "Sensei, you're really good with Camil~..."
We spent our time together until it was time for the Sports Festival to start. Then…
Option: At the grounds
When I arrived at the grounds, I saw Shion-sensei and Kanade-kun.
Koyomi: "Good work, Shion-sensei. Are you checking the setup?"
Shion: "Yes, I am in the process."
Kanade: "Hehehe. You have to worry hard on keeping it maintained until the end!"
Koyomi: "Also... I can understand Shion-sensei being here, but why are you here, Kanade-kun...?"
Kanade: "This is the elder's responsibility. Besides, there's a lot of fun things you can find during the ground's maintenance!"
Smiling happily, he looked at his feet. At his feet was a piece of rope, and an old-looking ball. Then I saw what looked like a dried up lizard, but I hope that's something else… All these things were lying around his feet.
Koyomi: (I'd rather not just mosey around… Maybe I can offer to help one of them?)
> Offer help to Kanade-kun
> Offer help to Shion-sensei
Option: Offer help to Kanade-kun
Koyomi: "I'd like to offer a helping hand, Kanade-kun, would that be okay?"
Kanade: "Ohh! I'd be grateful! Then, may I ask for your help in transporting this long table?"
Koyomi: "Sure. Then, should I grab it like this?" 
After asking him, I grabbed the end of the table and realized.
Koyomi: "Huh...? Kanade-kun, are you able to move this long table by yourself too, perhaps?"
Generally, UMA have an absurd amount of power, even if it's misrepresented by their outward appearances. So, even though Kanade-kun has a small build, he probably possesses an inhuman amount of strength… Realizing that may be the case, me trying to help him out may be just getting in his way.
Kanade: "Nya? Well I can move it myself but… It's fun to prepare for the Sports Festival in this way. Then we can make memories together."
Koyomi: "I see... Yeah, okay. If so, then leave it to me!"
We spent our time together until it was time for the Sports Festival to start. Then…
Option: Offer help to Shion-sensei
Koyomi: "Shion-sensei. Could I offer you a helping hand?"
Shion: "Helping hand...you say?"
Shion: "Hm. In that case, why don't you check the broadcasting equipment?"
Koyomi: "Understood. Leave it to... Huh?!"
Koyomi: (Wait, this is an abnormal school for UMA...!)
Koyomi: (Could the broadcasting equipment just be some figure of speech, but really be referring to a UMA making announcements with a booming voice...?!)
Shion: "...? What are you nervous about? Is it perchance you are not good with machines?"
But...I was worried for nothing. What Shion-sensei pointed to were familiar, rectangular black boxes that are seen in any typical broadcast room.
Koyomi: (G-Good... It's just regular equipment...)
I put my hand on my chest as I sighed in relief, and reconfigured the equipment for use with Shion-sensei.
Shion: "We only use this broadcasting equipment from time-to-time, so we need to tune it up each and every time… It's quite the nuisance."
Shion: "That being said, if we left it to the students, they won't take it seriously and tamper with it in all kinds of ways, breaking in the end..."
Shion-sensei seemed somewhat tired but… he said that with such an affectionate voice.
Koyomi: "Hehe... A teacher's job really is hard."
Koyomi: "Whether it's the UMA world or the human realm, I think they're very similar..."
Koyomi: "But if you do it so the students may enjoy themselves then any hardships just fade away… Don't you think?"
Shion: "......" 
Shion: "Miss, you are really suited for a teacher."
Koyomi: "Eh... Y-You think so?"
Shion: "I can't even fathom putting the students above myself, enduring hardships for their sake..."
Koyomi: "But even you, Shion-sensei, would have thoughts where you'd hope the students are having fun...right?"
Shion: "Well... Not quite. Rather than fun, I always hope that they will give their best effort at everything."
Koyomi: "See? Then that itself means your a good teach――"
Shion: "The sight of their distorted faces after being defeated despite their best efforts... Just the thought of it is exhilarating. Hehehe..."
Koyomi: (Oh yeah...! He's that type of person...!)
We spent our time together until it was time for the Sports Festival to start. Then...
Nurarihyon: "Ahh... Test, test."
Nurarihyon: "Ahem...! Without further ado, the UMA Yomi Abyss Vocational High School Sports Festival will now begin!!"
Under this clear sky, the Yomi School's Sport Festival begins. It was my first large event of this kind as a teacher, and I found myself getting excited by it all.
Broadcast Club: "First, we start with the student representatives' fair play oath."
Koyomi: (Oh... Speaking of, who's gonna do the fair play oaths...?)
I tilted my head as I pondered the thought...
Ryou: "Werewolf's!"
Kaede: "Mermaid's!
Werewolf&Mermaid: "Fair play oath!!"
Koyomi: "Ehh...?"
Those two are doing the fair play oaths...?!  I...have a bad feeling about this...
Ryou: "Urgh...! My back...!!"
Kaede: "Are you okay? Are you still hurt from falling down?"
Ryou: "It seems so... Urgh… But the pain again is...!"
Kaede: "You need to rest! Injuries on backs can be worse than they look!"
Kaede: "If you're unlucky, you might be unable to do any sports for the rest of your life!"
Ryou: "But...But! Today's the Sports Festival. Even if I'm in pain, I have to go!" 
Kaede: "You're going that far for the play oaths?!"
Ryou: "Ahh... Even if I have to hold it all in for the fair play oaths...!"
Kaede: "Ryou...!"
Kaede: "...Wait, it's not your oath that will end mid-way, it's your sporting career!"
Werewolf&Mermaid: "Alright, Werewolf&Mermaid's~♪"
...
......
Kaede: "...That's weird. Why isn't everyone laughing?"
Ryou: "I know! Our sense of humor is so great that UMA can't keep up!"
Kaede: "Ahh...! I see! That must be it! But I'm sure if we went to the Human City of Osaka, there'd be many who'd laugh and understand our humor...!"
Ryou: "Yeah! We're the best comic duo there is, Kaede!"
Koyomi: (Th-There's no way that would happen! If people heard you there in Osaka, they'd cuck you into the river as fish food! It's that bad!) 
Shion: "Then... Here is a question for you two."
Shion: "Regarding the opening performance of this Sports Festival, will we start with a public session of training, or will we start with an earnest athlete fair play oath..."
Shion: "Now, which is it?"
Werewolf&Mermaid: "!!"
Ryou: "T-The fair play oath!~" 
Kaede: "W-We, all the players present...!"
Koyomi: (They're just a comedy trio including Shion-sensei...)
That being said...
The Yomi School's Sports festival was finally underway. Following the disorganized fair play oaths was the first sport event, the bread-eating race.
Koyomi: "Ohhh, so nostalgic~!"
Kaede: "Did you do it before, Sensei?"
Koyomi: "I did, I did. The bread-eating――" 
As I spoke, I unconsciously looked towards the grounds and was left speechless.
Koyomi: "W-What?! Wait, what are they eating?!"
Potluck Eating Race***
Ryou: "Eh? Well it's the Potluck Eating Race so of course we're eating pots."
Hanging from a string were pots (estimated 20cm) participants bit a chunk out from them, one by one.
Ryou: "The Yomi School's Sports Festival competitions Whether it's the UMA realm or the human realm!"
Koyomi: "Oh... I-I see... That's...something..."
Koyomi: (I wonder what got lost in translation there...)
As I stood there baffled, the students hungrily munched bites out of the pots, and bursted towards the goal.
Koyomi: "As expected of a UMA school...It's not just a little different, it's completely alien to me..."
Just how many surprising spectacles will I observe just today?
Koyomi: "Haha. In a somewhat wrong way, I'm kinda looking forward to it..."
—--------------------
*Ittan momen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ittan-momen
** Orichalcum: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orichalcum
*** Originally it was a ぱん (pronounced ‘pahn’) or bread eating competition. They use fry-PANS in the competition but this is hard to translate so for now I have potluck. 
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archiveikemen · 2 days
Text
William Rex 2nd Birthday Campaign: Story (2024)
Chapters 1 - 3
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This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection. I do not own any of the original content. Please support CYBIRD by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.
Warnings and FAQ
!! Contains spoilers from William's main story !!
1st Birthday Campaign Story
I occasionally find myself reminiscing about the very first time I touched the pair of hands that took lives and gave freedom to others at the same time.
I have no regrets about surrendering everything in my life to those hands.
That’s why, today too, I’m by your side and singing my songs of love for you to my heart's content.
On my beloved’s birthday, I went to see my lover earlier than anyone else.
Kate: Happy birthday, Will!
William: Thank you, Kate. Looks like my little robin woke up earlier than usual today.
Kate: I did that to be the first to wish you a happy birthday.
William: Ahh, so that’s why this morning feels more wonderful.
William: What’s that tea trolley with the delicious looking black tea and sandwiches?
Kate: It’s your special birthday breakfast. I borrowed the kitchen this morning to prepare it.
Kate: Ah, but that's not all. I have more surprises prepared for you today—
William: … Fufu.
Kate: Will?
William: Nothing. I shall not doubt your confidence.
My cheeks turned red, it made me both happy and embarrassed to hear his jolly laughter.
Kate: Today’s your special day, and it has to be memorable for you.
Kate: I’m sorry for being so greedy.
William: You know that your greediness is what I love most about you, villainous woman.
Will smiled and gently pulled me closer by the waist.
William: Come, Kate. I shall enjoy the best breakfast with my adorable lover.
After finishing the dessert strawberries,
William: So, what does my greedy little robin want to do today?
Kate: What do you say about going to a photography studio to have your photograph taken?
William: A photograph… I’ve never thought of that.
Kate: I want to immortalise you, the embodiment of evil, as the fairytale keeper.
Kate: Words are wonderful indeed, but I feel that photographs are meaningful as well.
May my records of the self-righteous King’s sins be passed down from generation to generation, like a spoonful of poison warning against committing evil deeds.
“Look, the self-righteous King will come if you commit evil deeds. Therefore, you must never be evil”.
Because a fairytale can only end when evil has received judgement.
Kate: … You don’t want to?
William: I’d love to, this is a wonderful present you thought of. Thank you, Kate.
Kate: I’m relieved to hear that. Knowing you, there must already be one or two photos of you taken without your consent,
Kate: Besides, Her Majesty is quite a big fan of taking photos… right?
William: Yes, there's even a saying that “she is the pride of England’s photography”.
William: However, excluding a few candid shots Victor took, there has never been a proper photograph of me.
Kate: Why is that so?
William: Her Majesty never allows herself to be photographed. It’s unfair that I’m the only one being photographed, right?
William: Even though she has a role to play in this evil too, I’m the only one being known as the villain.
William’s exaggerated shrug brought a smile to my face without me realising it.
William: My “very first” photograph. I love this present from you.
(Will’s first… hehe)
Kate: Then let’s hurry to the photography studio. I have the carriage ready— ah.
When I was about to stand up and head out, Will pulled me back and I fell into his chest.
William: Before that, I want a birthday kiss.
Kate: … But we’ll be late for the photoshoot.
(I want a kiss too.)
(But I know that if we kiss, we won't be able to stop.)
William: You’re being a naughty girl, saying things that go against what your heart desires and making me out to be the bad guy.
William: Kate, “what do you want”...?
He easily exposed my innermost desires, unravelling my heart like loosening a knot.
There was no point trying to hide anything from Will.
Kate: Will, I want a kiss.
William: Shall we do that until we get tired of it, Kate?
We would never get tired of kissing, so we reluctantly parted our lips and made our way to the studio just in time.
Studio Owner: I’ve been awaiting your arrival!
Studio Owner: We have lovely weather today, so we can have a photoshoot both indoors and outdoors.
Studio Owner: Where would you like to have your photos taken?
Kate: … Will would look amazing outdoors. Ah, but he looks good indoors too.
Studio Owner: Ahaha, let’s do both then. This way, please.
Kate: Oh, thank you…
William: You’re so lovely when you’re being loyal to your desires. Well then, I shall live up to your expectations.
The photoshoot began a few minutes later, and it didn't take me long to realise what Will meant by those words.
(W-William… he looks PERFECT!)
With every pose Will struck, I could only sigh in awe.
William: How do I look, Kate?
Kate: … Perfect. Ah, please show us a wink.
William: Ahahaha! I’m glad you're enjoying this.
— At that moment, the doorbell at the entrance of the studio rang.
An elderly couple walked in.
Elderly Woman: My, are we a little too early?
William: We were just about to take a break. Would you like to proceed with your photoshoot?
Studio Owner: Let’s start the photoshoot! Alright, here we go.
We decided to watch the elderly couple during their photoshoot.
Under the clear blue sky, their smiles and the present moment were captured with every click of the camera shutters.
(They lived a long life together snuggled up like this… how beautiful.)
Watching them hold hands, their hands wrinkled from old age, my chest felt tight.
“Destruction” awaited Will and I with open arms at the end of our love story.
There was no knowing for certain that our destruction wouldn't come tomorrow.
There might never come a day when we could lean on each other lovingly like that elderly couple.
(Even so, I have no regrets. I will continue to live freely by Will’s side until the final moment of my life.)
(It's my freedom and my heart’s desire to love him until the end.)
The heart that Will set free continues beating to this day.
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William: ...
William: I have a favour to ask of you, Kate.
Kate: What is it? It’s your birthday, so I’ll do anything you want.
William: Sounds promising. Well then, will you take a photo together with me?
Kate: Together?
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William: Yes. You’re allowed to refuse if you don't want to be remembered as the self-righteous King’s lover.
Kate: Let’s take a photo together!
Kate: … Actually… I’ve been wanting to take a photo with you…
William: Ahahaha! I had a feeling you did.
William: If that's the case, let us flaunt our evil to the fullest.
— I wonder what the people looking at our photographs in the future will think of us?
Will they think of me as a foolish woman who was spell-bound by the sinful self-righteous king, leading to my own destruction?
(I don't care what they’ll say about me.)
(Because my heart is free and happy.)
Upon returning to the castle after the photoshoot, I guided Will to the dining room.
All the members of Crown were present to celebrate his birthday as planned.
We had cake decorated with strawberries, enjoyed a delicious feast, and drank wine until late into the night—
Kate: Mm… nn…
I was roused from my sleep by the gentle sunlight hitting my eyelids, my body wrapped in the sheets and the heat from last night still lingering.
(Ah, Will and I got intimate last night, and we fell asleep right after—)
(Is Will still asleep?)
I slowly lifted my head from Will’s chest that smelled like roses and caught his eyes, the colour of blood gazing at me.
His eyes seemed to hide a gentle rainfall.
Kate: … Will?
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William: … Kate.
William: How many more of such special moments will we have?
His tone sounded more serious than usual, I gazed at Will while being held close to his chest and listening carefully to his every word.
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William: I don't mean that I’ll let you die easily, but…
William: We’ll never know for sure whether fate will take you away tomorrow.
Kate: Yeah…
William: However, that won't make me regret or give up on loving you…
William: No, instead, that’s why I—
Kate: Will, mm…
William pressed his lips to mine.
The kiss felt more passionate than usual, and I found myself reflexively clinging to his shirt—
Our lips finally parted and he whispered in between ragged breaths.
William: I will risk everything I have to love you.
William: I will listen to and cherish the voices from your heart, and sing the melody of the finest love song.
At that very moment, Will and I shared the same emotion in our hearts.
We didn't know what would happen tomorrow, making that moment all the more precious.
I felt alive.
Kate: Sometimes… I wonder…
Kate: What kind of facial expression will I be wearing when my ultimate destruction comes?
Kate: I think… I’ll surely be smiling happily.
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William: … And when I’m holding your happily smiling dead body in my arms, your poison will spread and stop my breathing too.
Kate: … At that point of time, shall we go to sleep together at the finishing line?
William: … Yeah, sounds good to me.
William: But let's put that plan on hold for a bit.
William: For now, may I kiss those beautifully wicked lips of yours that can charm even the most sinful of men?
Kate: Yes… kiss me, Will.
Kate: Mm… nn…
William: Kate…
The desire in his gaze, the smell of roses in the air, the feeling of his hot fingertips on my skin.
Everything Will gave me fueled my desires and made me breathe.
(I was as good as dead before I met Will.)
I spent my life suppressing and killing my heart, ignoring my inner voice.
I felt lost, not knowing what I wanted.
Loving Will might’ve made me born again.
Kate: Will, Will…
William: … Hm?
Kate: If I keep being loved like this… I might never bear to leave you.
William: Want to hear something that’ll benefit you?
Kate: …? What is it? Please tell me.
William: I requested a day off on the day after my birthday.
William: Because I wasn't confident that I’d be able to let you leave this bed.
Kate: E-Eh…?
I was surprised for a brief moment before I burst out laughing.
Kate: … Fufu, ahaha!
Kate: I didn't expect you to surprise me again this year!
William: It’s not as if you don't know that I’m very loyal to my desires?
Kate: Yes, of course I know that.
William: So, Kate. Shall we make love in bed again, or—
Kate: I want it all. Give me a taste of everything.
William: Alright. … I was just thinking the same thing.
William: We’ll make love so hard, you’ll have scratches on your back.
Kate: Ah.
Will laughed as I looked in surprise at the scratches I left on his back last night.
A few days after Will’s birthday.
I went to the photo studio to collect the photos we took on his birthday—
Studio Owner: Huh? Didn't you just come to pick up your photos earlier on?
Kate: Eh? Was Will here?
Studio Owner: Yes. Fufu, the two of you sure think alike. The photos turned out wonderful too.
(I missed him. … This is embarrassing.)
(But it makes me wonder if Will was looking forward to seeing the photos. I’m happy if that's true.)
Kate: Thank you for taking such wonderful photos of us.
Studio Owner: …
Studio Owner: When he came to collect the photos, I told him “you look happy”.
Kate: Eh?
Studio Owner: But—
– Flashback Start -
William: Happy, huh. That’s strange, because people can never know what’s in another person’s heart.
William: Even though someone appears to be happy, they may be burdened by the feelings of loneliness, conflict…
William: Take these photographs for example. When the future generations look at them, it’s up to them how they want to feel.
William: But that's alright.
William: … Only the people in the photographs know the truth.
– Flashback End –
Studio Owner: That was why I couldn't help but ask him a question.
Studio Owner: “Is your heart happy?”
Kate: What did Will… what did he say?
Studio Owner: “It is, as long as I’m living with her”.
Kate: … I-Is that so?
(I… I see.)
Unexpectedly learning of Will’s genuine feelings made me so, so incredibly happy, I nearly cried.
At that very moment, I felt truly happy.
156 notes · View notes
majunju · 5 months
Note
I found so many new cool games from you:0 Can you do a list of what you play, please? It’s mostly otome, right?
oh of course! these are the otome games that i'm currently playing/have played recently:
virche evermore (switch)
birushana: rising flower of genpei (switch)
jack jeanne (switch)
even if tempest + even if tempest dawning connections (switch)
lovebrush chronicles (this one's a phone game but it's still classified as an otome game)
yumekuro (same as above)
177 notes · View notes
nejis-desk · 2 months
Text
Jack Jeanne Complete Collection - Interview with Ishida Sui and Towada Shin Translation
This interview is from the Jack Jeanne Complete Collection art book, it’s available on CDJapan and Amazon jp. You can also purchase a digital only version on bookwalker jp. I encourage anyone reading to purchase the game (if you haven't already) or the art book itself to support Ishida and Towada directly. 💕
This is a VERY long interview so I apologise for any typos or errors I may have missed.
~ ~ ~
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An interview with Ishida Sui and Towada Shin, who both worked on writing the story of Jack Jeanne. In this interview they reveal what went on behind the scenes during production, rejected story ideas and much more. This interview was conducted remotely on the 9th of February 2021.
Interviewer: Yui Kashima
How did Ishida Sui end up making an otome game?
—How did the production of Jack Jeanne begin?
Ishida: It was sometime around Autumn 2015 I think… On an old personal site that I used to run, I received an email from the company Broccoli to an email address that I no longer use. It was a commission request for character designs.
—In 2015 Tokyo Ghoul was still being serialised wasn’t it?
Ishida: Yes. Usually job offers like that go through Shueisha first, so I contacted my editor asking why this one was sent to my private email…  At the time, in addition to working on Tokyo Ghoul, I was also drawing illustrations for a tear-off calendar and very busy with various other things, so when my editorial department heard about the offer they seemed very shocked like "What!?".
—Why did you decide to accept the offer even though you were so busy?
Ishida: I would often receive offers asking for me to draw manga or illustrations, so I figured that this one was a similar case. However, some words in the email caught my eye. Like ‘Gender Swap’, ‘Takarazuka’ and ‘All Boys Opera'. When I saw these concept ideas, a dream began to swell in my chest and I felt like giving it a try.
I think if it had just been a normal character design job, I would have turned it down. However just from reading the short brief in the email my interest was piqued. While in discussions with the Young Jump editorial department, I also casually mentioned the kind of offer I’d received to Towada-san.
Towada: Yeah, Ishida-san asked me for some advice. I was also drawn to the ‘Gender Swap’ and ‘Opera’ concepts. I could easily visualise the setting of the story. Additionally, it seemed like it would be a story that included many different themes such as gender. When I thought about that, I figured that Ishida-san would be a good fit, since I knew he would be able to draw something that went beyond all genders.
Ishida: I’ve been drawing androgynous characters for a long time, so Towada-san and I talked and wondered if that's what they must be looking for. After that, I created my own proposal and submitted it to Broccoli.
—You created your own proposal, Ishida-san?
Ishida: When I looked at the original proposal that Broccoli had sent me, a lot of it differed from my personal tastes. It was a very upbeat and dazzling story. It would’ve been hard for me to match my art style to that, so in my proposal I noted things like ‘if it were me, I’d do something more like this’. I was interested in this unpolished gem of a story, so I thought it would be a waste to turn it down altogether. I wanted to at least try throwing my own ideas into the ring, so I spent a week creating the six main characters and sent them in.
—At that time, I heard that the game wasn’t titled ‘Jack Jeanne’ yet, but was instead called ‘Jiemarie’.
Ishida: At first, I wanted to try creating a word that doesn’t exist. So using French as a base, I came up with ‘Jiemarie’ as the game's provisional title. But then a month later when I was reconsidering the title, I looked at it again and thought, damn this looks lame. So I hurriedly called Towada-san on Skype and we entered a discussion that lasted about ten hours over what the title should be.
That’s when we decided on ‘Jack Jeanne’. The male roles take the name from the knight, or the ‘Jack’ in a deck of playing cards. And the female roles ‘Jeanne’ take from the word parisienne and Jeanne d’Arc. When these two terms are put together, I feel like you can comprehend what the game is about with a bit of nuance. Plus you can shorten it to ‘JJ’… That’s also the title of a magazine though (lol).
—Taking on another job whilst your manga was being serialised sounds like it would be tough on you both physically and mentally.
Ishida: I think I must’ve been a bit unwell (lol). My body was fine, but being able to work on something other than a serialised manga was a lot easier on me mentally. I may have seen it as a way to escape, so I didn’t feel that working on two projects at the same time was difficult. When it comes to game development, I can only create what I’m capable of, and there was no set release date yet. Of course, I would work on and submit things whenever I could though.
—What kind of things would you submit?
Ishida: I would sketch character designs, discuss and create story elements with Towada-san and try to put Univeils history into chronological order. Then I would share the progress with Broccoli and have meetings and such with them. In the beginning, rather than having to draw anything yet, it was mostly just brainstorming and planning. That’s why I think I was able to do it all concurrently with the serialisation of my manga. 
~ ~ ~
How Ishida Sui and Towada Shin know each other
—Do you chat with Towada-san often?
Ishida: Well yeah, she is my older sister after all.
Towada: We talk a lot. When we both have the time we chat over Skype.
Ishida: Once we start the conversation can last up to five or six hours. We mostly talk about things that happened throughout our day. When I’m talking to someone I often bring up something that’s happened to me and ask their opinion on it. She became someone that I could chat with whilst working on my manga. Ever since my student days we’d talk until early morning, I usually told her about storyboards I’d drawn.
—At the Ishida Sui exhibition it was revealed that Towada-san had even given you advice on some of your earliest works.
Ishida: Yeah that’s right. It was a work I’d prepared for a 'bring your own work along' induction course in Tokyo that I attended back in my student days. It was a manga about two characters who eventually became the prototypes for Tsukiyama and Hori Chie in Tokyo Ghoul. It was only about 30 pages long, however when I showed it to Towada-san the day before the presentation, she told me that she thought my linework was too thin.
Towada: Yeah, the overall linework of the manga was thinly drawn. Once I told Ishida-san this thought, he began tracing over his linework and making it thicker. And then when he looked at it again, he said “Yep, I need to redraw the whole thing”.
The linework being too thin was only my personal opinion and the presentation was in Tokyo the next day, so in horror, I began hastily telling him, “You won’t make it in time, stop, stop!”
Ishida: All I could think about was that the lines really were too thin, so I wanted to redraw it. All of the screentones had already been affixed to the panels, but I didn’t want to bring something along with me whilst knowing it wasn’t the best that it could be.
Towada: Ishida-san handled the linework and I helped with redoing the screentones. We worked throughout the night and finished redrawing the whole manuscript. Once it was done, it wasn’t even comparable to the previous version, the lines were powerful and the characters' expressions conveyed a lot. I was seriously worried though (lol), I didn’t know if we’d complete it in time.
Ishida: I couldn’t think about anything other than the lines being too thin, so I wasn’t even worried about whether I had enough time or not.
Towada: I fell asleep halfway through, but you continued and boarded that Tokyo bound flight without having slept a wink, didn’t you?
Ishida: Yeah. I let Towada-san sleep and continued applying the screentones myself right up until the very last minute. I was still applying them whilst on the plane and also after my arrival in Tokyo. I used screentone number 10 a lot, so I remember the scenery around me gradually began to look grainy like the screentone. It felt as though I was hallucinating.
—Sounds like it was a tough manuscript to complete. Towada-san was also the author for the Tokyo Ghoul novels, has your relationship always been one akin to work partners?
Ishida: When it was decided that Tokyo Ghoul would be getting a novelisation, I was given other authors' works to look at. However, none of their styles really clicked with me, and they didn’t seem right for the series. I knew that Towada-san wrote, so I tried reaching out to her.
Although back in the days of Tokyo Ghoul’s serialisation, Towada-san and I didn’t talk as much as we do now. If I had any concerns I would just try and sort them out by myself. We’d always gotten along as brother and sister, however we didn’t really start to have a ‘work partners’ kind of relationship until we started working on Jack Jeanne together.
Towada: That’s true. Back then, we only occasionally conversed regarding the novelisation of Tokyo Ghoul. Before :re we only spoke once every few months over Skype. As Ishida-san said, it wasn’t until I started working on Jack Jeanne that we really started properly talking to one another.
—How often would you contact each other?
Towada: Depending on what stage we were at, we would bounce ideas off each other once every three or so days. Ishida-san would make a request like “I’d be happy if this part of the script was done within the next two weeks.” And then I’d present what I’d written and we’d discuss it and then I’d return to writing again. This process was repeated until Jack Jeanne reached its completion.
—Was Ishida-san the one that reached out to Towada-san to write the script of Jack Janne?
Towada: He didn’t ask me specifically to write the script, early in development he’d ask me to help with some research like “I’d like you to look up some information on this, could you help me?”. I’ve always liked ikusei games and within that genre I also enjoy romance and otome games. So I think that’s why it was easy for Ishida-san to consult me about it. We’ve had a common interest in games ever since we were kids.
Ishida: Back then I played games like ‘Pinnochia no Miru Yume’ and ‘Angelique’. I wanted to try and conquer Marcel in Angelique but it was one difficult game, so it was a tough task. Before I could even raise any flags with him, the training aspect of the game was so hard that no matter how many times I played I never got any good at it.
Towada: I’m the type that loves playing games, so after talking with Ishida-san, I went on to play every popular otome game that had been released around 2015, as well as every Broccoli published otoge. I completed every single character route in those games. I began analysing otome game trends and Broccoli’s brand identity and relayed my findings to Ishida-san. After that, I went along with the Jack Jeanne production team and Makasano Chuuji-san from Shueisha, who was the scriptwriter of the Tokyo Ghoul anime. We all visited the city of Takarazuka for research.
Ishida: I was also supposed to be there for the Takarazuka trip but since I had my manga to worry about, I had Towada-san go and take in the atmosphere in my place.
Towada: I did have to gather material but I think I visited Takarazuka a total of five or six times. From morning I would watch the Takarazuka theatre from afar and simply watch the guests move about, soaking in the atmosphere of the city.
Along with the Takarazuka plays, I also watched student plays, in total I probably went and watched one hundred shows. Theatre shows that are performed by professionals are fully realised and flawless. So getting to see the contrast to student plays, where they progress and improve until the show is complete was a very helpful reference.
I’ve always enjoyed watching plays, so everything I had to research overlapped with my own hobbies. I still shared my own input with Ishida-san though.
Ishida: I’d never formally been asked to write a script before… I felt like a fraud (lol). I think it’s because I’m not very good at being considerate of other people. I don’t think I’d be able to work with anyone other than Towada-san on something.
—Why is that?
Ishida: Well, for one I don’t want to talk to anyone for long periods of time (lol). Because Towada-san understands what aspects of a story are important to me, she’s also able to comprehend what I mean when I talk in abstract concepts. We could save time by not needing to have any pointless discussions.
Towada: Back then Ishida-san was still very busy publishing his manga, so bringing in all sorts of new people to work on the project probably would’ve put quite the burden on him. That’s why I wanted to help him out in some way.
After researching all sorts of things, I ended up participating in a production meeting for Jack Jeanne, but I was not expecting that I myself would end up being in charge of writing the script. Rather, I was more just looking forward to getting to play a game made by Ishida-san. As things progressed though, I was asked to try plotting things out, or to write part of the script to be used temporarily. Eventually I came to think, why don’t I just write the scenario myself?
I’d never written the script for a game before though, so that’s what had been holding me back. Unlike novels, it’s commonplace to not have to write descriptively. Novels are made up of dialogue and descriptions, like describing the setting and characters' expressions or emotions. So I had to spend a lot of time working out how to write to properly convey a story through dialogue alone.
When I first started getting the hang of it, I tried writing a script that still included descriptions but I quickly stopped. Jack Jeanne is about theatre, so I figured that it would be easier to convey the presence and narrative of the story through conversation. I usually write novels, so I was uncertain, but since Jack Jeanne has sprites of the characters on screen, I thought that I could do it. I suppose it’s closer to writing for a manga rather than a novel.
~ ~ ~
The rejected character routes
—Before Tokyo Ghoul was completed, what kind of things did you work on?
Ishida: The first two years were mostly spent creating the game’s world and mechanics. Like deciding how many performances there would be, how the plays would be presented. Would it be a dialogue drama? Would there be mini games? Things like that. We also had to decide whether summer break would be included or not, how raising affection would work and how the choices would be presented. Those are the sort of things that were talked about first.
—You got to watch over the entire game’s development then.
Ishida: At first, I got carried away and envisioned a stage play game full of skill mechanics that I personally enjoyed. A busy game full of specs you can raise and improve in mini games, however when I explained these details to a friend of mine, they were like “You’re just imagining a game that you would like, right?”.
They asked me if that’s what the eventual players of Jack Jeanne would be looking for. That same friend said that since it’s a story that deals with the theme of theatre, it would be better if the player could witness the performances themselves. So I took that advice and the prototype of the current Jack Jeanne was created. I told all of this to Towada-san and had her handle the script.
Towada: You can’t write a script without knowing how the game’s system works after all.
Ishida: Now that I think about it, before Tokyo Ghoul was finished, rather than build the game's foundation, all I was really doing was scattering the sand to prepare for said foundation.
When Tokyo Ghoul entered its endgame especially, I really had to concentrate on it, so I took a six month break from Jack Jeanne. Ending a story requires a lot of energy and attention, so I left the practical work of Jack Jeanne to Towada-san and only supervised the music production and attended any important meetings.
—So during serialisation you were making preparations to jump right into it afterwards?
Ishida: Yes exactly. I wasn’t able to do much practical work, so I had Towada-san prepare the script in advance for me. And for the time being, create one character route.
—Which character was it?
Towada: It was Shirota. I wrote about the equivalent length of a short book and it was more or less complete. In the end, we scrapped the entire thing though… Because the atmosphere in the beginning was quite dark.
Ishida: It was dark because I was too used to Tokyo Ghoul. It included issues like a troubled household and severe bullying. Reading something like that wouldn’t put the player in a happy mood.
Despite it being a story about the theatre, my attention drifted to other topics which didn’t fit. And it was me who had asked Towada-san to write something like that… A couple months after the Shirota route had been completed, I read over what Towada-san had written for me once again and realised that it was a bit too gloomy. I’d forgotten what prompt I’d even given to her in the first place (lol).
The first character portraits and CGs that I created were for Shirota too. The reason being that Shirota is the only second year student and he was already a complete individual, so he was easy to create for. As for the third year students, there’s three of them, Fumi, Kai and Neji. Along with Kisa, Suzu and Yonoga are also first years, so continuity and character relationships need to be taken into account in order to create them, so they were a little more complex.
—How did the other characters come to be?
Ishida: At the proposal stage, the first character that I created was Kai. It’s a game where characters will be falling in love and confessing to one another, so first off I wanted a character that was handsome. Then I made Fumi who would be Kai’s partner. After that, I think Shirota was next.
Towada: At first you created the characters by basing them on plays didn’t you?
Ishida: I’m a fan of Yamamoto Shugoro’s work ‘Kikuchiyosho’ so Shirota was created using that as a base. In Shirota's case the genders are swapped, but Kikuchiyosho is a story about a girl who is born into a samurai family and raised as a boy. It has an element of androgyny and portrays the confusion and anger concerning gender quite well.
—How did you select the plays to base the characters on?
Ishida: I chose plays that lots of people are familiar with and would be easy to assign characters to. Kai is ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, Fumi is ‘Salome’, Neji is ‘Faust’ and Yonoga is ‘Shintokumaru’. Kisa and her classmate Ootori are ‘Don Quixote’. Ootori ended up becoming a side character though.
—So Ootori was originally meant to be a main character?
Ishida: Yeah. If I were to compare it to Tokyo Ghoul, Ootori is in the same position as Tsukiyama. I wanted a pompous character like that in Quartz. However I may have made him a little too unique (lol).
I received feedback from Broccoli that they want the main six characters to be an elite group, so a more easy to approach character would be better. So I moved the bright and cheerful character that I had originally made as Onyx’s Jack Ace over. That character was Suzu.
Making the characters personifications of plays started to become difficult to stick with though, so I abandoned the idea entirely halfway through.
—Despite appearing glamorous, the characters are all dealing with their own issues, like certain complexes and family troubles. I think that they’re all conflicts that are easy to sympathise with, how did you decide what the backbone of each character's conflict would be?
Ishida: First I created the character's appearance and then decided what personality would match them. Like with Fumi, when I began to think about making his story about the unique struggles that come with being born into a respected family, if becoming a successor was going to come into question, then he needed to have a brother.
In this way, I worked backwards from the vibe of his appearance and created his home life. I did the same with the other characters too, thinking things like ‘to have a personality like this they must not have parents, or they must struggle with expressing themselves’.
I think that if you let your characters do human-like things, then aspects of them that are easy to sympathise with will be born.
Jealousy, setbacks due to failure, inferiority complexes… Each and every character naturally ended up having some form of theme attached to them.
—I feel as though Kisa had a different sort of personality than that of a typical heroine.
Ishida: To put it simply, I want my protagonists to be fighting something. If they’re not giving it their all, then it’s no good. If they’re just standing around, then you can’t empathise with them.
—There’s times where she draws others towards her or supports those around her. She also has some masculine aspects to her.
Ishida: I think that I’m moved by characters who make me think “This kid’s really admirable”. That’s why I made Kisa a girl who works hard no matter the difficult situation that she’s in. I like Kisa and I’m sure Towada-san feels the same way.
Towada: She’s the result of both of our preferences. While due to the game’s setting, she of course has struggles related to being a girl, but I was careful to write the main thread of her story in a way that transcended gender and instead simply showed her charm as a human being.
—Regarding gender, I was impressed by how neutrally it was portrayed.
Ishida: Yes. Originally, I was going to make Shirota a character with a feminine personality, but I ended up scrapping the idea. In the end, he ended up having more of a masculine mentality. The premise of Jack Jeanne is that boys also play the female roles on stage, but it’s not a metaphor for anything and I didn’t want it to raise any questions. I simply wanted to give it my all creating plays with that setting and create something new and refreshing.
I don’t struggle with any gender related issues myself, so it’s not like I can fully understand what it’s like, but in general I’ve never considered gender to be a very big deal. If someone born male were to tell me “I have the heart of a woman” then I’d just think ‘ok cool’.
To me it feels strange to place so much weight on such an issue. I don't see why others need to be bothered by someone else's gender, I'm not since I myself am not able to speak for such experiences.
Towada: At first, it was possible to take that direction with Shirota but as I continued to write, I came to realise that there was no need to exaggerate any emphasis on his gender identity.
To those looking from an outside perspective, it may seem like a unique identity such as that is a person's defining trait, when in reality it's only just a portion of their whole self. If you consider it to be all they are, then you end up denying the other aspects of that person.
Whilst considering the individually of each character, I kept in mind to write them in a way that seemed natural for them.
—The side character, Tanakamigi Chui of Amber, had a very striking presence. How did you go about creating him?
Ishida: I wanted someone that’s easily understood to be the antagonist, so I went ahead and tried to draw someone who looked like an unstoppable genius. Despite being a second year, it’s as if he controls the school. I wanted an enigmatic and intriguing character like that. Once I named him Tanakamigi Chui I felt as though he was complete and his inclusion in the story was quickly decided on.
—On the flip side, were there any characters that you had a hard time creating?
Ishida: I had to think a little harder about the other members of Amber. They needed to have the aura of the enemy but since they’re only villains in the context of the stage, they’re not actually bad people. So it was hard to find that balance between them.
Visually they’re edgy and have a talented vibe, but they also have their own individual quirks, they’re not all homogeneous. I struggled with Kamiya Utsuri especially, I wanted him to visually look like he could be a Jeanne while also still looking like a boy, so it was difficult to get him right. I didn’t have to do many redesigns though and all the other characters came to be without much trouble.
What I actually had more trouble with, was the fact I made the cast too large. I initially created almost double the amount of first year characters, but when I looked back over the script that Towada-san created, I told her “There’s way too many characters, please cut some of them out.” To which Towada-san replied, “Ishida-san, you’re the one who created them in the first place.” (lol).
Towada: That’s because the cut characters had already appeared in the script (lol).
Ishida: I feel that when there’s too many characters a lot of them get wasted, so just like that I end up creating and scrapping a lot of my characters. I think even Broccoli were surprised by the amount of times I’d suddenly tell them “Oh that character doesn’t exist anymore.”
—Apart from characters, were there any other aspects of the game that were abruptly discarded?
Ishida: The performances I suppose… Originally I had wanted there to be a larger variety of shows, but if you were to put all of them in the script it probably would’ve ended up being three million characters long.
In the beginning of development, I had originally planned for each character's route to have a different final performance. There’s six main characters, and including Kisa’s route, that would total to seven unique shows.
Before that there’s the newcomers, summer, autumn and winter performances, so I arranged to have a script written for each. Basically I wanted to include more shows and increase the amount of sub stories, but that would be confusing to play through and development would never end. The game engine has its limits too, so I decided to keep it simple.
Towada: It would’ve been difficult to play through all that as well (lol). For the final performance, we settled on it being one show and letting the player enjoy it from each character’s perspective instead. And even then, there’s still over 20 different endings to the game, so it still took a long time until everything was fully complete.
—Newcomers, summer, autumn, winter and the final performance, were these five show’s scripts all original?
Towada: Yes. However at first, like the characters, we had planned to base them on famous productions. Like Shakespeare or fairy tales. We figured that players would find it easy to get immersed in plays that they were already familiar with.
Ishida: For the newcomers' performance, I thought we could have a show called ‘House of Biscuits and Candy’ based on Hansel and Gretel. I had also originally planned to use each character's motif to base the plays on.
Towada: Like Shintokumaru, right?
Ishida: Yeah yeah. I even went as far as getting permission to use it, but if the show were to be following a story that already exists, then the script would be bound to it. Once I understood that it would make it difficult to relate the stories to Univeil, we decided to create the plays ourselves.
Since I acquired the permission to adapt Shintokumaru though, maybe I’ll have to make a manga about it someday…
By the way, the one who was saying “Let’s do this” and then changing it to “Nevermind let’s not” was all me. I’ll start on something wholeheartedly thinking that it’s the right choice before realising halfway through that I can’t actually take it anywhere and stop. Jack Jeanne’s development was full of trial and error.
Whenever I’m about to start something, Towada-san will express her concerns with my ideas but I always end up pushing on with them only to ultimately scrap it.
I probably have at least ten books worth of scrapped drafts alone. I had no real knowledge of how to properly craft a story. I hadn’t drawn anything other than Tokyo Ghoul, so even though I had no idea what the fundamentals of storytelling were, I misunderstood that I could write other kinds of stories too. This time around I studied and revised each time… I really learnt a lot.
Towada: You learn things by doing them, so I think I just got used to it (lol). Also, you don’t commonly see stories presented within stories, I thought that it was a rare case for a game especially.
~ ~ ~
The story behind ‘Lyrics: Ishida Sui’
—You also wrote the lyrics for each of the songs used in the performances didn’t you, Ishida-san?
Ishida: Yes, that’s how things ended up. It goes without saying, but no one, including myself, thought that I’d be the one writing the lyrics.
Originally Broccoli brought in several professional lyricists and had me look over what they’d written. However I couldn’t help but feel that they were lyrics I’d heard somewhere before, or they at least didn’t leave a unique impression on me. I did feel the finesse of a professional, and they were beautiful lyrics that fit the story in one way or another… But the words used didn’t touch on the core of the story. 
The songs in Jack Jeanne are stage songs that Neji wrote for the members of Quartz. So unless you’re familiar with the setting and understand how the characters are feeling, then you won’t be able to write lyrics that perfectly fit the scenario.
While I knew that my lyric writing technique would be far from that of a professionals, I thought that no one understands and loves these characters more than me, so I approached Broccoli about it. I’d poured my heart into not only the character designs, but also the story and system of the game, so I didn’t want to compromise on the lyrics and have them pale in comparison.
So, to the best of my ability, I wanted to at least try my hand at writing them. I had Broccoli check whether or not what I’d written was viable and asked them “If there are no problems, then please let me write the lyrics.”
—Did you sing the temporary vocals for the songs too?
Ishida: When I submitted the lyrics to Broccoli, I got the normal response of “Thank you, we’ll leave the temporary vocals to you.” Along with this message they also wrote “You can hire a professional vocalist if you’d like, or you could record the temporary vocals yourself.”
Because of this I started thinking that maybe I should record them myself. Similar to how one wouldn’t be able to write lyrics for the songs without a deep understanding of the story, if you weren’t the one who wrote the lyrics, you wouldn’t know how they’re supposed to be sung either.
So, after deciding that I had to be the one to do it, I made preparations to acquire some audio recording equipment and downloaded some editing software. I divided up the parts and harmonised with myself and over the course of three days, I finished recording the temporary vocals. That’s more or less how I did it.
—When recording yourself singing, being self conscious about it can interfere, can’t it?
Ishida: I don’t think I was possessed by him or anything, but… When I tried to go all out, as expected I felt a bit hesitant, so I began recording whilst imagining I was Neji.
In the game, Neji is the one who writes the scripts, so surely he would also write the lyrics and subdivide the song and do everything himself. So I got through it thinking like that. In that pumped up mental state, I sent in the temporarily recorded songs but all Broccoli said back was “Alright, let us know your upcoming schedule”, I got so carried away that I was somewhat bewildered by the cold response (lol).
~ ~ ~
Recruiting via DM, gathering specifically selected creators
—It appears the creators you gathered to handle things such as the concept art and music are all people whose work you enjoy.
Ishida: Yes. Almost everyone was sent a targeted offer. For example, I’ve always loved the concept artist Lownine-san’s work ever since I was a student. I suppose you could say I was jealous of how high quality their artwork is… They’re someone who I thought I'd never be able to beat in my entire life. Lownine-san is an amazing artist who is especially good at blending characters into their backgrounds.
When we were creating Jack Jeanne, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to pull something like that off, so I definitely wanted to recruit Lownine-san for the job. After getting permission from Broccoli, I reached out to Lownine-san myself through Twitter DM’s. I had only appreciated Lownine-san’s work from afar, and we’d never actually interacted before, but we did both follow each other. I received a reply that Lownine-san was fully on board to accept the job.
Towards the end of Jack Jeanne’s development, I got the chance to speak with Lownine-san, so I asked them “Could you teach me how to draw?” They gladly accepted this request and taught me how to draw whilst screen sharing over Skype. However, in about 10 minutes, they’d already drawn such an amazing piece that I felt I should just put my pen down (lol).
Towada: You were a little down after that, weren’t you?
—Had you been a fan of Kosemura-san, who was in charge of music, since you were a student as well?
Ishida: Yes, I’ve listened to Kosemura-san’s music a lot since I was a student. When I was brainstorming what kind of music would fit Jack Jeanne, Kosemura-san’s ‘Light Dance’ immediately came to mind, since it fit perfectly. Because I didn’t have any personal connections to Kosemura-san however, I didn’t know how to get in contact with him, so I made the request through Broccoli. I only found out about this recently, but apparently Kosemura-san almost turned the offer down*, I was quite shocked to hear that (lol).
*When the initial request was sent, it was under wraps that the game was being made by Ishida Sui, and since Kosemura-san didn’t have much experience in writing game music, he wasn’t optimistic about the offer. However, later, when he learned that it was a game being made by Ishida Sui, he readily accepted the offer.
—How did Seishiro-san, who was in charge of the choreography, get chosen for the job?
Ishida: A very long time ago I saw the group Tokyo Gegegay appear on a program called DANCE @ HERO JAPAN and I remember thinking ‘this group is crazy good’ and I was immediately charmed by them. After that, whilst I was looking through more videos of Tokyo Gegegay on YouTube, I happened upon a studio workshop video and discovered Seishiro-san.
—What about him caught your eye?
Ishida: Whilst first and foremost his dancing was super sexy, it also had a certain strength to it. I remember thinking that he danced in a way that embraced the best elements of both masculinity and femininity. And that had stayed in my memory ever since. When Seishiro-san was recording motion capture for the game, he allowed me to interrupt and even taught me some of the choreography.
(note: you can watch Seishiro dance here, he is also the choreographer behind this RADWIMPS music video!)
—I hear you’ve known Gyudon-san, who was in charge of making the movies, since your Tokyo Ghoul days. 
Ishida: Yes. Around the time volume 13 of Tokyo Ghoul was set to be released, we held a still image MAD (Music Anime Douga) contest. The grand prize winner of said contest was Gyudon-san, who at the time was still only a student. The way they made a video by manipulating the manga panels to move so fluidly was really cool and stood out from the rest. 
Around when Tokyo Ghoul had ended and :re was about to start, I had Gyudon-san make a minute long video for me. After that, Gyudon-san grew in popularity and became someone whose work is in high demand, so they seemed very busy.
However when Jack Jeanne was announced, we were able to have them create a promotional video for us. Since I’ve known them since Tokyo Ghoul, I figured I couldn’t go wrong entrusting the job to Gyudon-san. They didn’t just deliver their finished work without a word either, Gyudon-san also made a variety of suggestions and worked on the project with a positive attitude. For the videos used in the performances, I was asked to provide materials and became very involved in the process. I think it took about two weeks… Despite the really tight deadline, Gyudon-san allowed me to catch up and was super helpful.
I was also the one who reached out to Touyama Maki-san, who was in charge of creating the in-game chibi characters and the 4koma manga used for promotional purposes. During Tokyo Ghoul’s publication, Touyama-san would draw short comics for the series as a hobby, I thought they were a nice person for doing so. Their art was great too and I was very thankful. So when it was decided that we’d be displaying chibi characters during the game’s lesson segments, I wanted to leave it to Touyama-san and sent them the offer.
(note: this is the MAD that gyudon won the contest with, they now regularly make moving manga CM's for jump titles, they make the Choujin X ones too!)
~ ~ ~
The winter performance moves into Quartz’s ending, and the divergence in the story since the beginning of the year drastically branches off
—The performances, packed full of each of the character’s skills, continue for a year and pass by in the blink of an eye. Once the new year breaks, it feels as though the atmosphere of the game drastically changes. What were your intentions behind this?
Towada: That’s when the character route specific endings begin. So we packed all the needed material to set them up into the winter performance.
Ishida: The winter performance is like an ending for Quartz as a whole, so we packed it full of good lines and scenes without holding back. I may have used up all of my cards but by using them all without compromise, we were able to make the story reach a nice peak. After that, the story switches to focusing on each character's individual ending.
Towada: We used a lot of great material in the winter performance, which meant the final performance would have to be even better still. In a good way, it gave us a higher hurdle that we now needed to overcome.
—So you needed to create even more anticipation heading into March?
Towada: From January to March, each character’s route is completely different. From the new year onwards I needed to create seven different scripts, so it was very challenging. The amount of text for the last three months of the game alone just about eclipses the amount of text from up until the winter performance. There was so much to write that I began to fear I wouldn’t even be able to finish it.
Ishida: Having more choices that drastically change the ending of the game makes the player feel more involved. So, despite it making things tougher on ourselves, around the time we were working on the autumn performance is when we began thinking about how the game’s big branches should work. Along with the main routes, we also planned for there to be the option to deepen your bonds with the side characters.
—How did you go about creating the confession scenes?
Towada: Before the winter performance, to some extent each character has already grown closer to Kisa, so I kept in mind not to disrupt that flow. Since if I didn’t make it a confession that respected both Kisa and her suitor’s feelings, then I felt it would spoil the fun.
—Is that how you approached the ‘realising Kisa’s a girl’ scenes as well?
Towada: Yes, I suppose so. As I was writing the script, I knew that a point was going to come where Kisa would have no choice but to acknowledge the fact that she’s a girl. There’s characters that realise her true gender once their bond deepens and on the flip side, there are some who don’t realise it at all. There’s also the case of Yonaga, who knew Kisa’s situation from the beginning. I guess you could say each reveal followed one of these three patterns. Those who came to realise it, those who didn’t notice anything and those who knew from the start. I think they ended up being nice variations and I put careful consideration into writing them to make sure none of the realisations felt forced.
Also, the beginning half of the story is akin to that of a sports drama about teenagers putting on shows together, so the room for romance to be added is limited. That’s why, when I first started adding romantic elements to the character routes, it felt strange to me, so I discussed it with Ishida-san. I wasn’t able to effortlessly soak the story in romance. I think I had to rewrite Shirota’s ending at least three times…
Ishida: Shirota was who you tried writing an ending for first after all.
Towada: Shirota and Kisa aren’t the sort of people who’d be all flirty, and Shirota’s initial route was already muddy, so it was difficult to pull everything together. However, once I stopped trying to write in a way that forced romance on them and instead wrote them becoming closer as partners, things went more smoothly.
It may not be a stereotypical sort of love, but it was a human love. I thought that the natural way these two would be drawn together wouldn’t be through whispering sweet nothings to one another, but instead by coming to understand one another without having to exchange words at all. Once I’d completed Shirota’s route, to some extent, I continued writing the other routes in a similar way.
Ishida: While it’s true Shirota acts like that, the other characters all act differently. To the point some aren’t even comparable. In contrast to Shirota, Suzu’s route ended up being more of your stereotypical kind of romance. I thought that it would be nice for each character to have their own unique form of love.
Towada-san’s strong suit is writing a love story with your more classic otome guys like Suzu and Kai. I have no idea about that kind of thing, so I left Towada-san to pour her own ideas into their routes. On the flip side, characters like Fumi and Neji were dyed more with my own ideas. Neji’s way of flirting especially were mostly lines that I requested.
Towada: He’d say “Make him say something like ‘Try seduce me!’ Because I want this CG to appear.” (lol).
Neji especially plays with his words a lot, so unless Ishida-san told me what wordplay to write, I wouldn’t have been able to expand on it. Ishida-san has a very unique way of phrasing things, so I asked him for advice a lot to make sure I was making Neji speak in a Neji-like way. I then arranged the lines and created events in order to reach the intended goal. I constructed the route in a way that wouldn’t disrupt the flow of the story. As for Fumi, Ishida-san wrote his route himself.
Ishida: Yes, I wrote it all myself.
—Well isn’t this quite the exciting plot twist?
Ishida: I turned into quite the young maiden myself (lol). Even though I’m clumsy at it… I began wondering why I ended up loving writing it so much. I added some lines that have more of an adult and deeper meaning to them, so when I played the route myself I was like “Woah!”.
Towada: It’s more interesting if at least one character is that way. From the early days of production, I’d quietly wanted Ishida-san to write a character himself, so I was happy. I was unsure how to deal with Fumi too, so it was a big help that Ishida-san took him on. His route ended up being a lot sweeter than I’d been expecting though, it got my heart racing (lol).
Ishida: I was also the main writer for Kisa’s solo route. There’s no romance in it, but it’s an ending where long lasting friendships are born and it ended up being the kind of story you’d see in an uplifting shoujo manga.
Towada: It’s full of Ishida-san’s flair, I loved it.
Ishida: If love is a lie, then how do you face that lie? That’s the sort of thing I thought about. Kisa is lying about her gender and pretending to be a boy, but Neji, Suzu, Fumi, Yonaga and so on, are also hiding lies within themselves.
The fact they’re all hiding their true motives is something that they have in common with Kisa. Whilst hiding, the two grow closer. I think that a confession is a scene where all these lies intersect and burst open. Everyone is lying, and I thought that was like a play, without realising it I think that slowly became the theme of the work. 
As people, we meet others whilst lacking something and some people end up becoming a necessary part for someone else. I wanted to see a drama like that. Despite it being a game with confession scenes, I wanted it to be a story that both women and men alike are able to identify with.
~ ~ ~
From thorns to rounded edges, how the style of work transformed 
—If there was a small novels worth of rejected material, then how many books worth of words made it into the final game?
Towada: In terms of paperback books, probably about twenty volumes worth.
—Because as well as the main scenario, there’s also the sub scenarios and the stage plays?
Ishida: As much as time allowed, I put my all into creating the game. However there was a deadline for things like the voiceline recordings, so I was working both day and night to get things done in time.
Towada: I was only getting around three hours of sleep. I feel like at one point Ishida-san didn’t sleep for four days.
Ishida: I was in a serious pinch so I don’t remember it well, but when I was writing the script I would hole myself up in a manga cafe for around thirty hours at a time. Multiple times a month. Once I felt as though I’d written to a good point, I’d go home only to return to the manga cafe again. Why? Because I was sleeping in the manga cafe. I mays well have been living there…
Towada: Once Ishida-san had finished writing his part of the script, he’d have me check it. So at the same time, I’d have Ishida-san check what I’d written.
Ishida: For a period of time it seemed like Towada-san was always awake. Whenever I would send a check request she always responded right away regardless of the time, so I figured she must not be sleeping.
So that my productivity wouldn’t be affected, I made sure to sleep at a regular time, however I’d be awake for like 30~40 hours at a time and then sleep for 10 and then be awake again for another 40. My sleeping patterns would repeat in this cycle. During Tokyo Ghoul’s serialisation my sleeping patterns were similar, so to some extent I might’ve gotten used to it.
—That’s just like Neji-senpai, isn’t it?
Ishida: Yeah yeah, I worked in a similar way to him. However in Neji’s case, he can complete a script just one day after coming up with the idea for it, so he works way faster than us. It took us around two months to write parts of the script, so Neji really is a genius isn’t he? I was writing whilst wishing I could be like Neji.
After experiencing writing a script, I’ve come to have a lot of respect for authors. Writing is completely different from drawing. When writing I need to really concentrate on it, I can’t multi-task or think about anything else. Whereas with drawing, there are some things that can be done as long as you can move your hand, so I can talk to someone whilst drawing or watch a movie in the background or work whilst thinking about other things. I can’t do that when I’m writing though, I was starting to wonder if I really had to think so deeply about everything I wrote.
—During the production of Jack Jeanne, as you worked on the script or the lyrics etc, did you notice any changes in how you worked?
Ishida: For Tokyo Ghoul, I was always consciously adding things, meaning I would draw everything that I came up with. I thought that it was fine to only put 20% of my output into the characters and dialogue. However, when I was working on Jack Jeanne, I began to think that my method of just adding things was incorrect and that I should also consciously remove things. It’s ok to just be left with what’s necessary. My way of thinking ended up being the exact opposite to before.
—What brought about this change in thinking?
Ishida: It was early in production, when I had asked Towada-san to write Shirota’s route for me, I got concerned about the ‘sharpness’ of the story. As I mentioned earlier, I ordered Towada-san to add this and that and sent her walking on a long journey. Except, what lay completed at the end of that road was such a painful story that even I myself was shocked by it. When I looked down at the world I had created it was as if I’d received a psychological shock. I think I even smelt the faint scent of blood.
—From thorns to rounded edges. I still remember the comment you made during a press conference saying, “I was careful to not kill off any characters”.
Ishida: Stories where characters die are usually fast paced with high stakes, however, the kids at univeil are living a different kind of story. I had to consider the best way to create drama in that kind of setting. I thought about it a lot and it may have only ended up being possible because of the fact it was a game.
—Why is that?
Ishida: Because of the flow of the dialogue, backed by Kosemura-san’s music while it's being read out by all of the voice actors. It all comes together as one… That’s what I think at least. Writing and illustrating are Towada-san and I’s main domain of expertise, but I think that it was thanks to all of the other various creators involved that we were able to create something new.
—Do you think anything about yourself changed, Towada-san?
Towada: It came down to the fact I wanted to create something for Ishida-san whilst there were also things that I wanted to add myself. This dilemma caused me trouble at times, however when I started to consider what components I should add, or which ones I should remove, I began to discover what elements I liked and what my own skillset was. 
The way that Ishida-san and I go about creating stories is different. I came to understand that Ishida-san’s strong point is creating impactful scenes, whilst mine is plotting and world building. Ishida-san being in charge of the pivotal scenes would make things more exciting, so I concentrated on writing everything else whilst keeping the balance in mind. Through working on Jack Jeanne, I’ve become able to say that my strong suit is being able to create a story that flows well.
It may be true that by working with other people, you come to understand more about yourself. Starting with Ishida-san, I also looked at what the other creators were doing and thought ‘so this is how they interpret the story.’ Seeing what they came up with made me notice different approaches that I hadn’t thought of.
I’d write whilst listening to Kosemura-san’s music and decide which way to take a scene. Or I’d watch Seishiro-san dance and think about how I could make the performances more exciting. We were all connected in some way. Novels are usually written alone by one person, so I came to learn the thrill of working on something in a team.
—The way you all came together as gears to create a single work sounds similar to the story of Univeil.
Towada: True. I never thought I’d experience something straight out of my youth again at this age. Being helped by other team members or being supported by them, being motivated by simple phrases like “It was great” or “I like this idea”.
For example, when I was working on the final phases of the story, I was just writing and writing with no end in sight, I couldn’t take it anymore and my pen just stopped moving. During this dire moment so close to the end, my proofreader messaged me saying, “You’re almost done.” And with that simple message alone, it was as if a burst of light appeared before my eyes. Everything had gone pitch black, but they lit everything back up again. Ishida-san also wrote some of the script, so I didn’t feel as alone.
Ishida: At that time I left all my drawings alone and decided to solely focus on the scenario.
Towada: Yeah, because I hit a point where I wasn’t able to write it on my own anymore… When Ishida-san sent me the script he’d written, it was interesting and I let out a breath of relief. I felt the joy of being able to see someone else's work. I was the same as the Univeil students who find joy in performing with others. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do it if I was alone.
Ishida: You’ve got that right. I think that if anyone was missing from the team, it wouldn’t have worked out. Not to mention that in my case, everyone’s contributions were directed to me, and they were all people that I’d personally gathered.
With manga, even if it comes to the worst case scenario, at the very least it would all just fall on me. However this game isn’t just something I made on my own, I need to contribute as much as I can or the efforts of everyone around me will go to waste as well. There was a moment where I felt afraid of having such a heavy responsibility placed on me. However, if I had tried to do it all on my own, I think I would have given up.
By listening to wonderful music, reading interesting scripts and moving forward together with everyone, I was inspired. Coming together with fellow creators to make one work came with a lot of challenges, but it was fun. It was refreshing being in an environment working alongside other people, and because of it I was able to experience something new.
—Has working alongside other people changed the way you work at all?
Ishida: Right now I’m still in the state immediately after being swept away by the raging waves of a storm, so I’m not sure how I really feel yet. I’m in the phase of just watching what becomes of Jack Jeanne as the waves subside.
Even though the script and illustrations were done, like bonus stages lots and lots of new tasks kept popping up. So I was still busy with work up until the beginning of October last year. When I looked at some of the thoughts people had on the demo version of the game, it felt as though what we’d all been working so hard on had finally taken shape, and I was relieved.
Working on this project I’ve come to learn both the hardships and the fulfilment that comes with creating something with others. So, I suppose I’ve started considering working on something by myself again… I’m not trying to say that it’s in my nature to want to work alone, I think I’m just experiencing some kind of aftershock. I think the waves are returning.
Towada: I’m still working overtime and supervising Jack Jeanne (lol). Like checking content that will be posted on social media, as well as the 4koma manga. Content is still being released and there have been bug reports from some people who played the demo… Meaning that my journey is still not over yet. I think that things should calm down once the game has been released for a while.
Ishida: Yeah, probably after around five months (lol).
—After their final performance, the members of Quartz all threw a party to celebrate. Did you and the rest of the creators do the same upon the game's completion?
Towada: I celebrated with Ishida-san as siblings. And then afterwards we got swamped with work again (lol).
Ishida: Yeah, we didn’t end up meeting with the other developers or the voice cast. Big project after parties aren’t as common these days, but I do want to hear everyone’s stories of any struggles they had.
Towada: There were way too many people involved in total for me to be able to speak with them all, but I’d still love to convey my impressions to them. Like letting them know what I thought was good, or letting them know that a certain thing really helped me out.
Ishida: Ideally I would like to gather everyone and really have it feel that ‘this is the team of people that created Jack Jeanne’ and I’d like to express my gratitude to them all in person. I hope that an opportunity like that will come one day.
~ ~ ~
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lisutarid-a · 4 months
Text
[Gakuen K] Extras Translation
Memories of Okinawa
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LIST OF CHAPTERS
[Translation under the cut]
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Saya: Uhh, I wonder what I should do…
Kusanagi: What are you groaning about? Is that…a guidebook for a school trip? Where are you going this year?
Saya: Okinawa.
Kusanagi: Really? Haha. It because of Mikoto, don't mind.
Saya: Suoh-senpai doesn't like Okinawa?
Kusanagi: I don't know if he likes it it or not. Last year the whole Red club went to Okinawa.
Kusanagi: Due to club expenses, Mikoto and I went by plane, while the other members went by boat. Well, it was tough…
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Totsuka: Waaah, it's so hot in Okinawa in summer.
Mikoto: It's hot everywhere at this time of year.
Totsuka: Well, I guess so. Oh, I found a skewers store. King, want to eat?
Mikoto: Yeah. I'm hungry.
Totsuka: Okay, I'll go get some. Wait here.
Totsuka: Oji-sa-a-n. One Uzura Bacon (Bacon wrapped quail egg) and one Negima (chicken and scallion skewer), please.
Totsuka: Huh, a phone call. Who is it?
Totsuka: Hello-o.
Kusanagi: …Totsuka, where're you?
Totsuka: Let's see…in front of the skewer shop?
Kusanagi: Ha? What are you doing there?
Totsuka: I just placed my order and am waiting. … Oh, here it comes. Thank yo-ou (Nifue de biru), Oji-san~
Kusanagi: Nifue…what's that?
Totsuka: Nifue de biru. It means "thank you" in Okinawan dialect, didn't you know?
Kusanagi: I don't care!
Totsuka: Very bad, Kusanagi-san. If you are going on a trip, you must learn about the place properly.
Kusanagi: You're the one who's not learning …
Totsuka: What do you mean?
Kusanagi: Do you know your current location? Can you tell me where you are?
Totsuka: In Okinawa.
Kusanagi: I already know that. Honestly, you're lost, aren't you?
Totsuka: If I had to say, it's maybe so.
Kusanagi: Without a doubt, that's a "yes". Mikoto is not at the meeting place too…What happened to the Red club's group behavior skills?
Totsuka: King? If it's about King, he's with me.
Mikoto: …Who you're talking to?
Totsuka: Kusanagi-san. I'll switch to speaker so the three of us can talk.
Kusanagi: Mikoto, are you there?
Mikoto: Yeah.
Kusanagi: It's not "yeah". You promised to wait for Yata and the others at the hotel. Why are you wandering around?
Totsuka: I invited him. Since we had come all the way to Okinawa, I thought it would be a waste if we didn't go out.
Kusanagi: If that's the case, would it hurt you to say a few words if you are unexpectedly going out?
Totsuka: Sorry, sorry, I was careless. But it's okay, I'm sure we'll be able to get back.
Kusanagi: This your "sure" makes me very nervous…
Mikoto: Kusanagi, what is "puru"?
Totsuka: Ah, I was wondering about that too.
Kusanagi: Puru (プルー)…Pool(プール)?
Mikoto: Puru.
Kusanagi: Puru…Country name…Is it Peru?
Kusanagi: I don't understand. Don't you have a hint?
Totsuka: I'm guessing it's about taste. Or is it the look?
Mikoto: The look…?
Kusanagi: What the hell are you talking about? What is "Puru"? Is it written somewhere?
Mikoto: On menu of the store. It says "Goyachan Puru".
Kusanagi: Hey, you two. Just to confirm, it's not Goyachan Puru. It's Goya chanpuru (bitter melon stir-fry), okay?
Totsuka: Eh, no way!
Kusanagi: What the heck is Goya-chan?
Totsuka: Doesn't it sound like a mascot character?
Kusanagi: That is…I can't deny.
Kusanagi: I mean, Goya Chanpuru is Goya Chanpuru and Goya-chan is…That's bad, I'm getting confused!
Kusanagi: Anyway, the dish is called Goya Chanpuru. Don't come up with anything else complicated, okay!?
Totsuka: If Kusanagi-san says so, so be it. King?
Mikoto: I understood.
Kusanagi: I see, what a relief…No, I got tired now…
Totsuka: Next question. Papaya-chan puru is…
Kusanagi: That's not Papaya-chan! Do you not understand, idiot!?
Kusanagi: I'd like to go to you right now and punch you with my fist, but I have to wait for Yata-chan and the others…
Kusanagi: We're going to separate just for today. Get back to the hotel by dusk, okay?
Totsuka: Oka-ay, see you soon.
Totsuka: All right. Now that we're allowed to go on our own… King, where do you want to go?
Mikoto: This place is okay.
Totsuka: Ehhh, let's go see the sea!
Mikoto: If it's the sea, you can look at it as much as you want on the island.
Totsuka: You are so naive, King. The sea in Okinawa is different from the sea at the school island. The clarity, the color…
???: I thought I saw someone familiar, but it turned out to be you.
Mikoto: Munakata…
Totsuka: The color is - a beautiful green. And there are coral reefs and a lot of fish that you can only find here.
Munakata: …Could you not ignore me, please?
Totsuka: Ah, excuse me. Hello, Munakata-san. Have you been following King by any chance?
Munakata: No. I'm here to attend a government-sponsored student summit. And you?
Mikoto: It's none of your business, don't stick your nose into it.
Munakata: This is not an interrogation. It's just a chat, a trifling conversation, so don't be so alarmed.
Totsuka: We're on a vacation. All the Red club is here.
Munakata: …But it's just the two of you here.
Totsuka: Somehow, we got the freedom to go on our own. Shouldn't Kusanagi-san be with Yata and the others?
Mikoto: Totsuka, don't talk so much.
Totsuka: It's fine, it's fine. It's not something important.
Munakata: …Is that so?
Totsuka: What do you mean?
Munakata: There are only two of you here. This information is very useful, depending on how you look at it.
Mikoto: Hah, are you trying to pick a fight?
Munakata: Yeah, with all my might.
Mikoto: Good, bring it on.
Munakata: I won't hold back. I'm going to…Shuri castle!
Mikoto: …Ha?
Munakata: If you come to a tourist place, you must sightsee. Since time is limited, please make the most of it.
Mikoto: …Oi, Totsuka.
Totsuka: Even if you look at me like that. Well, that's fine. I don't want to get in trouble with the police on my trip.
Mikoto: How annoying…Should we withdraw and run away?
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Kusanagi: …That's what happened. It was really hard work…
Saya: What happened to Suoh-senpai and the others after that?
Kusanagi: I heard they went sightseeing together, but I don't know the details. I don't care what they did, I had a hard time over there on my side…
Kusanagi: Yata-chan is no good with girls, you know? There are a lot of girls in light clothing at tourist spots in the summer, right? The answer to your question is…
Saya: …Panic?
Kusanagi: Correct. I'm glad we went on a school trip in the fall.
Kusanagi: As long as you don't repeat the year, you only have one chance. Enjoy it as much as you can.
Saya: Okay!
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risukadarlin · 9 months
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[piofiore no banshou character drama cd] vol. 5: henri - english translation masterpost
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DISCLAIMER & COMMENT
i apologise everyone for the ridiculously long wait! i’m hoping to be productive from now on! i may still be a bit slow and sloppy with uploads while i get back into the swing of things but i’m going to do my best! thank you for reading.
i do not own henri or the rights to the cd!
TRACK ONE
TRACK TWO
TRACK THREE
TRACK FOUR
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blupengu · 3 months
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Felt obligated to share my favorite sketch from the Virche fan book!
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Sweeties 😭
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wildflower-otome · 5 months
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[Translation] Shuuen no Virche - Ankou Short Story
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Writer: Satomi Nakayama Source: Shuuen no Virche Error Salvation Visual Fan Book
Note: Major spoilers for the ending of Adolphe/Ankou's route below.
Lycoris ~I only think of you~
—The Drifter, the person who I made a soul contract with.
‘—Did you know? Flowers have certain meanings and words that they symbolise.’
He was a knowledgeable man of many talents.
‘For example, red roses signify “love”, and also the words “I love you.”’
‘Is that so? At the very least, when I was in the outside world I never heard of such a thing…..I think.’
‘It’s knowledge one is unable to gain without asking first, so that’s understandable. But once you do know about it, the way you think of what you took to be everyday sights will change. If it has a meaning, I’ll teach you it.’
—Ever since then, because this conversation strangely left an impression on me, each time I came across a different type of flower, I would always ask him what it meant.
‘What about the flowers blooming in the garden at your home?’
‘The ones shaped like star fragments are lilies. They bear the meaning of innocent, pure love. The flowers that look like fairies are called laurel. They are flowers that mean to vow eternity, and the words, “I won’t change until I die.”
‘And these flowers that washed up from the sea?’
‘The ones that seem to have white wings are nodding anemones. They have the somewhat disquieting meaning of love unable to be conveyed, love betrayed. The other ones are elder flowers. They’re extreme flowers, that contain meanings of zeal, joy and pity.
‘Hoh….. There really are so many of them. I wonder for what purpose they exist…..’
‘Hmph. They exist so that flowers will become meaningful for people—most likely. And so that one can pick flowers that have a suitable meaning for the person you are giving them too…..or so it is thought.’
‘?’
As I remained unable to imagine it, the Drifter pointed his index finger at me.
‘Meanings are not necessarily everything but—A person of the opposite sex would likely be much happier receiving red roses, flowers that are suitable for a proper love confession, than ones that mean ‘dishonesty’, don’t you think?’
‘Well…..certainly.’
At this easily understood example, I nodded my head in agreement.
‘But to think there are as many meanings as there are flowers….. Have you memorised all of them?’
‘Haha, surely not. No matter how much I love flowers, even I have my limits. It’s only the ones I’ve read about in books or handle as part of my work that I know about.’
Hearing what he said, a “certain question” came to mind. If he knew the meanings of all flowers within his knowledge, then—
‘Do you know the meaning of lycoris flowers?’
‘Yes, of course. They were flowers that commonly bloomed in my hometown, after all. However—’
‘However?’
‘I don’t know the meaning of “black” lycoris. It would appear that this colour is unique to Arpéchéle.’
‘…..Does the meaning differ depending on the colour?’
‘Yes, that is correct. For example, the roses I told you about before, there is a big difference in meaning depending on if they are red or yellow.’
‘…..Sounds like there’s a lot to it.’
I continued to think it over.
‘Then—outside of the black kind, do lycoris flowers have a particular meaning?’
‘Yes, indeed they do. For example, the representative red variety—have the meaning of “passion.”’
‘Passion…..’
Hearing the word, what came to mind was—. The figure of my dear friend, left behind in the past that had gone by.
‘…..It’s a flower that suits Yves perfectly.’
The Drifter did not fail to hear the words I had quietly murmured.
‘My descendant…..you say. Perhaps you might call me not a doting parent, but a doting ancestor, for saying so, but hearing you say that makes me feel proud.’
However, the Drifter, after picking one of the lycoris that was blooming at his feet, handing it to me as he continued—
‘The one other true form they have—white lycoris, are surely a good fit for you.’
With a smile, he told me that he was sure they suited the face that I couldn’t remember.
‘Me…..?’
‘—White lycoris mean “I only think of you” and “Look forward to the day we meet again”, words of faithfulness. They are fitting for you, who continues to wish for her salvation, and to reunite with her again.’
‘…..…..…..!!’
My eyes widened at hearing what the Drifter had said. To think that flowers with such meanings as these existed this world…..
All the same, despite my astonishment, I shook my head at the Drifter’s words.
‘…..…..…..They are unfitting for someone as powerless as I. These lycoris noirge are more than enough for me.
As if imitating the Drifter, I picked a lycoris. And then—.
‘—The one who suits pure white lycoris, the kind that will bloom after salvation, is not me, but her. …..Someday, I want to see her smiling happily in a flower garden of white lycoris noirge.’
I spoke of my dream of a future in which someday the flower petals blooming before me became pure white—.
* * *
———My wish came true.
‘Adolphe, over here…..!’
‘Calm down, you don’t need to sprint, Ankou’s grave isn’t going to run away.’
My dear princess…..and the ex-novice, had come to visit my grave, which had been placed at the center of a field of white lycoris noirge.
Even though it wasn’t even my death anniversary, whenever something happened, she had made a habit of coming here to talk to me.
About things that had made her happy. Things that had made her sad. Insignificant things.
Because she spoke to me about almost everything, almost as if she were able to see me—
(I really am, so happy)
After running up to my grave, she laid down the white lycoris she had been holding.
‘These are white lycoris that Adolphe and I grew together, with Yves’ advice. Today they bloomed at last, so we came to bring you some, Ankou.’
…..Dear me. Even though so much time had already passed since my death.
‘…..I wanted to grow them together with you as well, Ankou.’
(—My princess, your habit of crying hasn’t changed at all)
I stretched out a finger, to stroke her hair…..or tried to, anyway.
(No, you don’t need my comfort anymore)
After all, she—had become a “normal person”, able to stand on her own two feet.
After forcefully wiping at her eyes, just as I thought she might…..
‘Beautiful, aren’t they…..? Flowers that bloomed in the future of salvation, that you protected for us—!’
She spoke with the brightest of smiles.
…..…..…..…..
(Ah, in the end-)
It hadn’t been a mistake.
(These flowers suit you the most, more than anyone else in this world)
If the lycoris I had watched over had become a guide for you to advance into the future, as they turned from black to white—.
(Nothing else could make me happier. I am the luckiest person in the world.)
Until the end of her life as a “normal person”, I pray that these flowers may continue to proudly bloom—.
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roseeveee · 9 months
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Question! Is there an English patch for Jooubachi no Oubou? I'd like to play it but it's not localized yet
It's PC tho!
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klaptl · 2 years
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KLAP Translation Part 5 (Sousuke)
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A few days after that――Home visits have finally begun.
It was the first time for every family, and although they seemed to be at a loss for anything, we had meaningful conversations. All that's left is…
Koyomi: "Ah, Sousuke-kun!"
I spotted a familiar figure wandering around aimlessly, and hurriedly called out to him.
Sousuke: "Huh, if it isn't Sensei. What is it? Can I help you?"
Koyomi: "Help me? No it's not that... It's about the home visit."
Koyomi: "When would it be convenient for you, Sousuke-kun?"
Sousuke: "I wrote down 'anytime' right?"
Koyomi: "T-That was written down, yes. And yet you keep on saying 'doesn't work' to me over and over when I suggest a date.
Sousuke: "That's because I didn't feel like it~"
Koyomi: "At any rate… We need to get a move on with it already."
Koyomi: "While I was waiting for a day to work out for you, I already finished for everyone else."
Sousuke: "I'm the only one left?"
I nodded in response.
Koyomi: "Also... Do you have plans today? I can clear my schedule and do it today, I guess that would be an option, right?"
Sousuke: "Hm... I don't really have any plans today..."
Koyomi: "Then let's do it today? You must be bothered by me asking you over and over again about your plans, right?"
Sousuke: "Ehhh? ...Well, I guess I can't deny that. But I'm really not in the mood for that..."
Koyomi: "No way. Your selfishness is affecting not just my schedule in many ways."
Koyomi: "This time, you have to listen to me."
Sousuke: "Urgh... Fine, let's get it over with..."
Koyomi: "...*sigh*. Alright then, I'm gonna ask you again. Sousuke-kun, when would be a good time for the home visit?"
I heaved out a drained sigh, when Sousuke made a gesture as if he was thinking about something.
Sousuke: "......"
Sousuke: "Then... I don't mind if we do the house visit today, as long as Sensei is willing to ask me nicely?"
Koyomi: "A-Ask you...?"
Although I was a little baffled by this unexpected reply――Well, if that's how I can conduct a home visit, It's probably not that big of a deal. Swiftly reassuring myself, I breathed out slowly.
Koyomi: "Ahem... Suou Sousuke-kun. Would you please do me the favor of allowing me to do the home visit today? I would appreciate it."
Then...
Sousuke: "...Hm, okay. Since your went that far, it can't be helped. I'll go along with the home visit."
For whatever reason, Sousuke-kun's face lit up and he smiled.
We arrived in a quiet residential area in the outskirts of Tokoyo.
Sousuke: "... Ah, we're almost there. It's a little cramped, so don't barrel in."
Koyomi: "Ba...! I won't barrel in.
Sousuke-kun, what do you think of me?"
Sousuke: "Maybe that you are like... a bull in a china shop?"
Koyomi: "......"
...I shouldn't have asked. He led me inside to a regular studio apartment. The room was painted blue and had a somewhat clean and tidy appearance.
Sousuke: "Even so, why do you need to see my room? There's nothing really fun about it."
Koyomi: "It's not about...what to do. I believe it's a teacher's duty to understand what sort of life their students live."
Sousuke: "Hmmm? So that's what it's about."
Judging by the appearance, the room looks thoroughly clean. It also doesn't seem like he's living any sort of rough life.
Koyomi: "Do you ever feel uneasy or anxious about living alone?"
Sousuke: "Hmm... Not really?"
Sousuke: "The facility I used to live in didn't have any private rooms... I think it's more enjoyable now that I can live my life the way I want to."
Sousuke: "The living expenses are limited since the facility provides financial support, so I really can't waste it... But it's enough for me."
Koyomi: "...I see. You were brought up by a facility, huh, Sousuke-kun."
Sousuke: "Pretty much. It was a bit suffocating living together with everyone else... Maybe that wasn't my cup of tea."
Sousuke-kun swung around his legs as he recalled his childhood.
Koyomi: "......"
Koyomi: "So...about your parents."
Sousuke: "Hm? Oh... Huh? I figured if you knew about the facility, I thought you'd understand that part too."
Koyomi: "I-I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have asked."
Sousuke: "Hmmm, don't think so. But that said, I don't think it's a fun story to hear."
Sousuke-kun stopped his legs, and the room grew quiet. His words slowly spilled out into the air.
Sousuke: "My mother was a Snow Woman, but my father was a normal human. I'm probably one of those, what you call, half-demons."
Sousuke: "Moreover, naturally Snow Women should only give birth to females but, I'm a boy, right? My existence is quite unusual."
Koyomi: "So... Male Snow Women are rare?"
Sousuke: "Of course they are. Well, it's a contradiction in terms. I'm male, but a Snow Woman."
While twirling his hair with his fingers, Sousuke-kun continued to speak.
Sousuke: "But because I was born from a Snow Woman, I'm technically a Snow Woman too. There's no other way to call me."
Koyomi: "...Can't we call you a Snow Man?"
Sousuke: "Sensei... Snow Men are of a different species of Snow Woman you know?"
Koyomi: "Eh? R-Really?"
Koyomi: (I never knew...)
Sousuke: "So, uhh... yeah, so much for my parents. Now they are living in the human world――in Tokyo."
Sousuke: "A marriage between a human and a UMA is a pretty naive and challenging matter here."
Sousuke: "On top of that, their kids ended up being an SSR in terms of UMA as you can see. They had a lot of issues with living around here."
Koyomi: "So then... You were left at the Asomatous Facility?"
Sousuke: "Pretty much. But you know, even kids can be sensitive to foreign elements and outsiders..."
Sousuke: "If you drew up a Snow Woman, half-demon male, then of course you'd have no choice but to bully him! ...Pretty much?"
Sousuke: "I'm pretty delicate too. In the beginning I was pretty worried, but after some time I decided to move on and stopped caring about them."
Sousuke: "If I'm gonna be hated no matter what I do, I might as well say what I think. Otherwise it would be a waste.
Even though he smiled so nonchalantly, I could tell that he had a complicated upbringing just by listening to his story now.
Koyomi: "I see... You'd like to meet your parents..."
Sousuke: "Of course I do. I'm their child after all. Once I can graduate school and can go to the human realm, I can go to Tokyo and live with them――"
Sousuke: "That's why I enrolled in Yomi School as soon as I was old enough to be admitted."
Sousuke: "I'm probably the one who's looking forward to graduation the most."
As he spoke, he gave a somewhat bashful smile.
His upbringing made him the man he is today. For Sousuke-kun, the presence of his parents is very important to him...
Somehow or another, I had already guessed that. In the end, we both shared about ourselves. It wasn't exactly what you would call a home visit, but time passed by as we talked with each other.
Koyomi: "Wow, it's already this late..."
Koyomi: "I'd better get going. I am glad I was able to learn so much about you, Sousuke-kun."
Sousuke: "Sure. Ahh... I'm worn out from talking so much with Sensei..."
Koyomi: "......"
What a foul mouth. Sousuke-kun is just a bit too frank. ...Let's just go with that.
Koyomi: (I-It's not like he hates me or anything, it's just because the conversation dragged on for so long, right?
Sousuke: "...? What is it, Sensei? Does your stomach hurt? No scavenging for food okay?"
Koyomi: "I-It's nothing! And I won't go scavenging for any food...!" 
As I spoke, I quickly prepared to leave.
Koyomi: "Well then, see you tomorrow."
Sousuke: "Yeah. Bye bye."
Shortly after, I bid him farewell.
Koyomi: "......?"
As soon as I went down the stairs of his apartment,I heard the sound of a door coming from his place. Subsequently, I heard what sounded like eager footsteps.
Sousuke: "Yahoo~ Sensei, we will meet again."
Koyomi: "Sousuke-kun. Uh... What happened?"
Sousuke: " "Nothing really? I was just thinking I'd go out to shop for tonight's dinner."
Saying so, he started to walk down the tinted city street――then stopped a few steps ahead of me.
Sousuke: " "...Sensei, aren't you going home?"
Koyomi: "...! Ah, I-I'm going!"
Then we again found ourselves walking together on this night road, sharing trifling stories with each other.
About class.
About UMA.
Well, as usual he did occasionally poke fun at me here and there...
But still, it felt refreshing to walk together on this night road. It was only then that I realized…he had gone out of his way just to send me home.
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archiveikemen · 16 days
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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MY JP AND EN ACCOUNTS IM CRYINH 😭😭😭
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cloudcountry · 5 months
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SUMMARY: blanc and kyle attend your after party.
WARNINGS: none!! :D
COMMENTS: happy birthday @vivislosingitagain <3 thank you for being my friend and for making me so happy this year. i hope you had fun today ^^
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“I hope you enjoyed your birthday.” Blanc smiles, his features flickering with shadows in the soft candlelight.
“I did.” you smile back, voice soft as you stroke a sleeping Kyle’s head, “And so did Doctor Ash here, apparently. Drank himself silly celebrating again.”
You try to laugh it off as he snuggles into your hand. It doesn’t work. Blanc notices and his smile turns softer.
“You’re beautiful when you smile.” he says, and your heart skips a beat at his charming words.
Of course. Of course Blanc would slip in a flirtatious comment. As much as Oliver got on his case about it, you could never quite bring yourself to do the same.
“You smiled a lot today.” he adds, standing up from his seat and approaching you from across the small (the too small) dining room space, “I swear, your radiance will never fade.”
You can’t move with Kyle’s head resting on your shoulder, his hand placed gently on your thigh as your hand is buried in his hair. Blanc knows you’re too kind to get up, so he pulls out a seat right next to you.
“We love you dearly, sweetheart.” Blanc places his hand over your free one and intertwines your figures. You forget how to breathe for a second.
“Happy birthday. It’s an honor you spent it with us.”
With the way the world starts spinning, you’re convinced you’ve also had too much to drink. Except you know that’s not the case, because you’re so very aware of Kyle’s warmth on your left and Blanc’s soft smile on your right and oh, how your heart is fluttering like mad.
You’re so in love with them. So, so in love with them.
And when you look at the two of them, you know in your heart they love you too.
The cake rests half-eaten at the table as the three of you end up falling asleep there, ready to wake up with cramps in your necks and sore backs and stinging ears after Oliver for sure scolds you in the morning.
But you also know your hands will be warm, intertwined with the hands of the people who cherish you the most.
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