#rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 35)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

This is it! We’ve made it to the end of RDG 6! What a ride over the past five years!

If you haven’t read this announcement from last week, I have decided that my next translation project will be Ice Shoes Glass Shoes, the RDG short story compilation. This will also be my last translation project as I’d like to dedicate more time to my own writing.

Due to it being made up of short stories, Ice Shoes Glass Shoes won’t be posted as regularly as I have posted RDG. I’m considering longer, monthly updates, but I haven’t decided that for sure. Keep an eye out for updates.

Thank you so, so much for reading RDG for all these years! I’ve been so happy to share my project with you. Please consider supporting the author by buying her other series that has been translated into English, Tales of the Magatama. Noriko Ogiwara also wrote the story for the manga The Good Witch of the West.

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 4: Mizuho Part 3 (3 of 3)

Wearing an extra layer under her jacket, a thick scarf and gloves, and carrying a flashlight, Izumiko set out of the house. After the sun set, the big trees on the shrine grounds became indistinguishable patches of darkness. No one would be able to walk there at all without a flashlight. As Tamakura Shrine was already at the top of a mountain, it didn’t take long to get to the summit itself. However, it was a dangerous walk even in the daytime with sudden drop offs and narrow paths. Normally, it wouldn’t be a place someone would walk after dark. Even Izumiko, who had grown up at the shrine, had to take extreme caution while placing her feet.

However, Izumiko had never been afraid of this path, even as a child and even at night. Sawa and Takeomi, who had worried over plenty of other things throughout the years, had never said that they had to go with her because of it being frightening and they had never once called her away from the edge of the summit either. It was Izumiko’s place in a way, the connection between her and the mountain.

Now alone, Izumiko’s thoughts began to drift as she walked.

I wonder what Miyuki’s doing in the dorm. Are Mayura and Manatsu back at their house in Nagano yet?...

It had been late at night by the time Izumiko and Miyuki had gotten back from Yokohama. Mayura had already returned from the party when Izumiko arrived in their room. The first thing Izumiko had done was give her roommate all the details of what had happened. Mayura had shared her side of the story as well.

After Izumiko had gone off with Mizuho, Mayura had immediately called Miyuki. There had been no way Izumiko’s strange behavior would have gotten past Mayura’s sharp eyes. At that time, Miyuki had been at the Tachikawa JR Station building for his passport application.

After that, Mayura, worried that she had been unable to determine where Izumiko was going, had gone to Angelica’s party with Manatsu. Nothing had happened at the mansion in the harbor district, and the evening had been thoroughly uneventful. While she admittedly had seen Takayanagi there, it had been a pleasant Christmas party overall. There had been plenty of activities for Manatsu who wasn’t as good with social pleasantries, and both of them had gotten a chance to talk with Mr. Bernard, Angelica’s father. Mr. Bernard was a man with a love for continuous jokes, and was much more likable than Mayura had first thought he would be.

Mayura had been astonished to hear that Izumiko and Miyuki had almost been kidnapped and brought abroad, but seeing as Izumiko was safe and back in front of her, she couldn’t be too upset.

“It seems like you’re not fated to get dressed up for a party, Izumiko. But at least Miyuki rushed right over to you so he achieved his goal of dressing up and going somewhere.”

“He didn’t achieve that goal at all. First off, it wasn’t his goal to start with, and secondly, he had his coat on the whole time,” Izumiko had replied.

Mayura had laughed knowingly. “Strolling around in a coat can still be stylish, can’t it? And with the night scenery you could see and the bay bridge in Yokohama, it was kind of like a fancy date if you forget about what actually happened. You were alone with Miyuki so technically that was luckier than going to the party. Did you give him his Christmas present when the mood was right?”

Mayura’s words had made Izumiko feel a little uncomfortable.

“I left so quickly that I couldn’t bring the present with me. I left it in the room.”

Speaking of that, Miyuki’s Christmas present had been one of the things she had brought home with her and it was now here on Mt. Tamakura. However, seeing as Miyuki wouldn’t be here until New Year’s, more than just the wrapping would be damaged if she kept carrying it around with her in her bag.

From what Mr. Sagara said though, I have a feeling that I shouldn’t get my hopes up…

She had been texting back and forth with Miyuki, but they had agreed to keep their conversation light, talking only about what they were doing and throughout the vacation, that was exactly what they had done. She knew that he had no interest in leaving Tokyo and while she didn’t want to outright say that she didn’t want to come to him, he hadn’t asked her either.

As Izumiko made her way up to the summit, her breathing grew harder, but she reached the open air of her destination without fear. It would be more dangerous when she went back down, but she wasn’t going to think about that now.

With her breath coming out as white puffs, Izumiko looked back up at the clear, star encrusted night sky. Decorative illuminations couldn’t compare with this, the bright grandeur of the distant beyond.

Ah… It really is different…

Izumiko turned off her flashlight and let her eyes adjust as she looked up at the pinpricks of light. The night sky created a dome over the mountain, stretching in every direction. Izumiko felt like she alone was wrapped up inside of it.

For a moment, Izumiko’s thoughts emptied and she focused solely on where she was standing. However, this feeling passed and her thoughts returned.

The me standing here is my most basic self. I’ll always come back to this place, even now. But I’m completely different from the lonely person I used to be here. I went to Tokyo and I changed…  

She was expanding herself more and more, Izumiko thought. She’d even go abroad if that was necessary. Even if she stayed in Japan, she’d make connections in different countries if that was what it took. She thought about those things as she gazed up at the bright stars.

But, even so… that’s not my true wish…

Finally coming back to her senses, Izumiko pulled her gaze away from the night sky. She could sense something nearby. She didn’t know why she could sense it, but that didn’t change the fact that she was aware that someone was climbing up the path up from shrine. Izumiko turned carefully, breaking the silence she had wrapped herself in. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Her heart beat quickly.

Did something happen? Something big enough to call me back down to the shrine?...

She didn’t move immediately. She hesitated to call out either. She could make out a large shadow near the bottom of her line of sight. When the shadow was close enough that she could hear its footsteps approaching, Izumiko wondered if it was one of the young shrine attendants. They were walking steadily up the path. Izumiko remembered the flashlight in her hand and turned it on, but did not move to raise it. After a moment, the person stopped walking. Only then did she raise the light.

“Is that Izumiko?”

“Huh? Why are you here?”

Miyuki, dressed in a sweater, appeared in the light. He stared up at Izumiko, his hands resting on his knees as he took deep, tired breaths. To Izumiko, it was as if Miyuki had appeared out of the spirit world.

“How did you get here? You didn’t fly, did you?”

She didn’t hear the sound of a helicopter now, and in the time she had been up at the summit, she had only heard a car arrive in the parking lot. She had no idea how Miyuki was here now.

“I walked up here. On my own two feet. All the way from the base of the mountain,” Miyuki said with frustration. He was still catching his breath. “I came in Yukimasa’s helicopter and he dropped me off at the base. He said he wanted to stop in and visit Sawa, but he changed his mind half way here. The trip took five hours and it got dark on the way. That jerk.”

Izumiko was shocked. She might have grown up at the shrine, but she had never once walked from the base of the mountain to the shrine herself.

“Are you alright?”

“I wasn’t making any headway on the main road, so I thought I’d take a shortcut, but that was a disaster.”

Miyuki looked completely exhausted. Izumiko watched as he sat down on the ground. Only then did she remember the thermos she had placed by her feet.

“I have some cocoa. Do you want it?”

“Please.”

As Izumiko poured the cocoa into the lid cup and passed it to Miyuki, she noticed that he wasn’t wearing gloves. She was still shocked to see him here, but she was beginning to suspect this was all part of Yukimasa’s scheme.

Could it be that Mom wasn’t the present he was talking about?...

Miyuki took the cocoa gratefully. After one sip though, he declared it was incredibly sweet and Izumiko didn’t think he would drink the rest. He did though, but slowly. When Izumiko poured him a second cup, he drank that as well.

After waiting for a bit, Izumiko asked, “Why did you feel like coming to Mt. Tamakura all of a sudden? I thought you’d just be here for New Year’s if you came at all.”

“Circumstances changed, so I decided to tell you what’s going on.”

Miyuki pushed his hair back and then frowned, noticing the sticks and leaves in his hair.

“I said I was going to study abroad, but I’m not going to. You’re in extreme danger more often than I realized. I know there’s some degree of protection from spirits and other things at Houjou Academy, and the adults there can take care of this and that. But you throw yourself into things too easily with only the most basic understanding of what you need to protect yourself.”

“You don’t have to say anything else. I already learned my lesson, you know.”

Izumiko hadn’t exactly wanted to cut in, but her relief at hearing that Miyuki had reconsidered studying abroad felt like a wave crashing over her. Still, she didn’t want to make it obvious how happy she was.

“Are you really alright with giving up on studying abroad though? I wouldn’t tell you that you couldn’t go.”

“Are you saying that you’d go with me if I went?”

“Yes.” Izumiko nodded shyly but the movement was frank. Miyuki smiled a little. It was a mischievous, triumphant expression, not the sort of smile he used on adults. It was an expression from the bottom of his heart that said he didn’t care what others thought about how he was feeling. The feelings were his alone.

“Then I’ll reconsider again. Izumiko, if you’re living your life afraid of becoming someone’s research subject, why don’t you become your own researcher? Become more of an expert on yourself than anyone else and then you won’t have to worry about other researchers. The first step to that is continuing your education and getting into a college with a research program. I can help you with that.”

Izumiko blinked. “You’re saying I should study myself?”

“It’s not impossible. We can aim to go to the same college. We can major in whatever field we’re interested in and protect ourselves that way. If we can just prepare ourselves with the knowledge we need to keep ourselves out of other people’s grasps and not used for any of their purposes, we can go abroad and study at a good school after we graduate from Houjou.”

It was such a surprising proposal that Izumiko struggled to comprehend Miyuki’s words for a minute. She had a feeling that he had just pulled the idea out of midair that instant.

“Do you actually think I could aim for the same college as you?”

“It doesn’t have to be Tokyo University. There are plenty of other good schools,” Miyuki said offhandedly as if to say he wouldn’t listen to any of her excuses. “Izumiko, with college, we’d be students for more than just the three years here. You’d protect yourself and get stronger as you go. We could even go on to graduate school if we wanted. I’d be with you through the whole time, you can be sure of that. It would give us a chance to figure out what we’re capable of. To know what we can do.”

Suddenly, Izumiko could see the shining path Miyuki was setting in front of her. It was a long, bright road she had never considered before. She had a feeling that Yukariko had been referring to this when she had told Izumiko to stop thinking she would die young.

“I think I can do it, but I won’t know until I start. I want to have a dream to work towards…”

“You have the qualities to do it. I know you’ll work hard,” Miyuki said.

Izumiko had not expected Spartan Miyuki to say such a thing, but with them, Izumiko could feel a new dream growing in her chest. She was sure that if she worked hard, it would come true.  

“I have to talk with Grandpa and Sawa about this now. I’ve never told them that I want to go to college before.”

Izumiko’s cheerful words surprised even her, but she could tell that she had found something special with this.

Now I get it. This is the real reason why I left the mountain. That and so Wamiya could become one with Miyuki…

At first, Satoru Wamiya had tried to stop Izumiko from leaving the mountain. He had objected strongly to Miyuki who he had seen as an invader. However, under the light of the stars, Miyuki looked like he was part of the mountains. She hadn’t sensed his presence as being any different from the rest of the mountain until he had come very close to the summit.

I’m going to keep living my life from here on. I’m going to live it to experience new things with Miyuki. To keep living life as the gift it is…

As she thought about this, she remembered the present in her room. As long as it was this cold, gloves would definitely be useful. Still, Izumiko didn’t feel comfortable saying so straight out, so she found a roundabout way instead.

“Miyuki, are you hungry? It’s cold. Want to go back to the house?”

“We came all the way out here. Let’s look at this amazing starry sky a little longer.”

Izumiko shut off the flashlight again. Miyuki’s bare hand wrapped around her gloved one, holding it.

As the two of them stood there shoulder to shoulder, gazing up at the stars, Miyuki said in a quiet voice, “I still haven’t told you why I came all the way out here to see you.”

“I think I’ve heard enough to guess,” Izumiko whispered back. She had a feeling that she knew what Miyuki hadn’t said. “I’m just so glad you came. Now let’s go back to the house and—”

“Stop talking,” Miyuki said bluntly. He turned, bringing his face close to hers.

There were as many stars in the sky as things Izumiko didn’t know yet.

#rdg #red data girl #rdg 6 #rdg 6 week 35 #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars #translation

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 34)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

I can’t believe next week is the last instalation of RDG 6!

Yesterday, I posted an announcement about my next translation and my translations in general. Please read it if you haven’t already.

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 4: Mizuho Part 3 (2 of 3)

It was a fifty-minute walk to the shrine parking lot—the only place big enough for a helicopter to land nearby—from the main shrine. They knew when the helicopter was coming thanks to the sound of its rotors bouncing off the mountains.

Yukariko said her goodbyes to the people working at the shrine, picked up her bags, and then started making her way towards the parking lot. Izumiko went with her, knowing that this was her last chance for the two of them to walk together. There was one more thing she wanted to ask.

“Mom, why did you marry Dad?”

“Don’t you know not to ask things like that?” Yukariko asked, smiling a little. “Daisei is adorable. That’s why.”

For a moment, Izumiko felt disappointed. She hadn’t expected such a blunt answer.

…Dad does love theme parks now that I think of it. And he likes omerice. That’s kid’s food. Sawa can always talk him into doing whatever she wants him to, as well… And I thought I was the adorable one…

“But the two of you live completely different lives. You don’t see each other and you don’t do anything together. Why bother getting married?” Izumiko asked insistently.

Yukariko was entirely calm as she responded. “Why do you know we never see each other? Have you ever considered that you just don’t know whether or not we’re seeing each other?”

“Huh?... So you see each other?”

“This is the sort of thing I was talking about when I told you to expand your point of view. There are as many things you don’t know are happening in this world as there are stars in the sky.

A little sullenly, Izumiko decided to reword her question. The truth was she had thrown her original question at her mother without thinking it through first.

“Then how do you feel about Mr. Sagara? He’s always near you. Did you ever think about marrying him instead of Dad?”

This time, Yukariko took a moment before she responded.

“Ah, Yukimasa…”

They walked silently down the tree lined path for a bit before Yukariko said softly, “I think he’s the person who’ll die with me.”

Izumiko took a breath and then asked in a subdued tone, “So, he’s not the person you love the most? How is he different from Dad?”

“He’s different in a number of ways. Very different.” Yukariko sounded amused. Her dark eyes sparkled as she looked at Izumiko. “There are many types of connections between one person and another. Love and friendship do not have one shape or appearance in the least. There is no way of simplifying this like some sort of fairytale situation. If you want to understand the complexity of what you’re asking, live as long as I have. Once you’ve done that, you’ll finally understand.”

“You’re being mean, Mom,” Izumiko said, frowning. “I won’t say anything else. You’re treating me like a child. By the time I want to talk to you again though, you’ll be somewhere else.”

“You’re probably right. By the time you want to talk again, there won’t be any time left. I guess I don’t have a choice. From here on out, you’ll just have to travel with me wherever I go. The only problem with that is I’m never done with my work. But this won’t be the last time we see each other,” Yukariko said as mischievously as ever. She was most likely referring to the plans she had mentioned before.

“Starting today, I want to be more dependable for you. You won’t have to think that you don’t have me anymore. I’ve already decided that. There’s a possible future where you grow up not learning anything from me and I don’t want that to come to pass. So, stop thinking that you’re not going to live a long life.”

Shocked, Izumiko stopped walking. “How do you know that’s what I think? And what does that have to do with you?”

“I can’t say. There is a connection.”

Yukariko paused as well. She put a hand on her hip and then turned back to Izumiko, striking an elegant pose.

“I have no plans of dying anytime soon, but I will definitely die before you do. Do not think that I’ll be arranging your funeral service. I can feel it in my heart that you’ll live as long as I will. The day will definitely come when you’re my age.”

Once her daughter smiled at her, Yukariko straightened up and continued walking. Izumiko followed after her. This time though, she didn’t feel like she had to say anything. Yukariko had made it clear that she was done talking and Izumiko wanted to hold up her own resolution to do the same.

In order to change the future… Mom’s been living this life for that reason for much longer than I have. Mom’s mom was barely 20 when she died. She was much more alone than I’ve been. That’s made her much stronger than me…  

When they arrived at the high elevation parking lot, there were practically no cars in it, leaving the helicopter with plenty of room to have set itself down. Once Yukariko was in sight distance of the helicopter, the pilot’s door opened and a person came out—Yukimasa Sagara. Not having expected this, Izumiko felt very awkward indeed after the conversation with her mother.

“Hey, Izumiko. Did you have fun with your mom?”

“…If we had known you were coming, Sawa would have put something together for you.”

“No, you’ll have to excuse me. I don’t have time to stop by the shrine. We have to hurry.”

It seemed like Yukimasa had only gotten out of the helicopter to give Yukariko a hand up into it. Her neutral face suggesting this was an everyday occurrence, Yukariko accepted his hand and climbed into the waiting seat.

As Yukimasa hurried back to his side of the helicopter, Izumiko asked suddenly, “How is Miyuki?”

“He’s fine,” Yukimasa replied, smiling. Then he said thoughtfully, “Yukariko took preference today, but I’ll make him come over here sometime soon. Wait for him.”

The helicopter waited to take off until Izumiko had said goodbye to her mother and backed away to a safe distance. Izumiko stood there and watched it go until it was a speck in the sky. It wasn’t until then that suddenly remembered the Christmas present Yukimasa had once mentioned to her.

Mom really wasn’t in a position where she could get away from her job. But he made some time for her be with me on Mt. Tamakura anyway…

~*~

Seeing as there was still plenty of leftovers from the feast Sawa had made the night before, Izumiko inhaled her dinner that night.

“Can I make some cocoa tonight?” she asked Sawa as the woman cleared the plates from the table.

“Ah, you want to go look at the stars, don’t you?” Sawa said, knowing Izumiko’s habits by heart. “Tonight looks like it’ll be a great night for that.”

“There are plenty of dry, clear nights in Tokyo during the winter, but you’d be surprised how few stars you can see there. There’s so much smog and no matter where you go, there’s too much light.”

“But didn’t you see pretty light displays instead?”

“I saw one when I went to Yokohama Harbor. All the buildings and the Ferris wheel and everything were covered in lights. The lights on the Ferris wheel kept moving. It was gorgeous.”

Izumiko told Sawa this and that as she made the cocoa.

“…But the thing that got me through final exams was that if I could just make it through them, I knew I could come back to Mt. Tamakura and look at the stars to my heart’s content. I think there are people who look at the stars at Houjou Academy, but that’s completely different. You can barely see anything and you’d never notice a shooting star there.”

“That’s to be expected. There’s too much light pollution in the city,” Izumiko said, satisfied with what she was saying.

“Did you tell Yukariko about those good grades you got on your finals?” Sawa asked. “I think it’s better for her to hear from the person who got the grades, so I didn’t say anything.”

“No… I didn’t tell her.”

“Why? Yukariko would have been thrilled,” Sawa asked, her disappointment audible.

Izumiko shook her head. “Mom will only care when I get grades like Miyuki does. Plus, this time I got good grades because of Miyuki, so I can’t say I got them myself.”

“Yes, Yukariko went to Tokyo University and she has high expectations, but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t want to hear about your grades,” Sawa said. She still sounded disappointed.

Keep reading!

#rdg #red data girl #rdg 6 #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars #translation #rdg 6 week 34

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 32)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

Help me pay for my next translation project on Ko-fi.

The story really feels like it’s coming to a close now... Just a few more weeks to go!

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 4: Mizuho Part 2 (4 of 4)

As Izumiko and the rest of the group walked, a line of police SUVs passed by them. It seemed that the arrest really was going to take place. A moment later, there were uniformed police officers standing around the customs hall making announcements with megaphones that no one was allowed to enter the building.

It didn’t feel real that her mother was somewhere here doing her job right now. It was even more unbelievable that Mizuho was the one she was arresting. Izumiko’s steps felt unsteady as she walked toward the place she had felt so frightened at earlier. It had all happened so quickly though, and she now felt a numb sense of detachment being here again.

However, that all changed when she saw Yukariko on the side of the entrance.

Yukariko, dressed in a subdued grey pantsuit, was leaning against a wall, deep in conversation on her cellphone. A few strands of her shoulder length hair had slid in front of her pale cheeks. When she saw that Izumiko and the others had arrived, she lifted her head and grinned. There was something ferocious in her expression, but when she spoke, her tone was gentle.

“I’m glad you’re safe, Izumiko. I was worried something would go wrong.”

As she said this, Izumiko was reminded of how Mizuho had brought her here. If her mother didn’t work with such a special organization, Izumiko doubted that even she would believe what was happening at the moment. But now, she was standing in front of her tough, undercover police mother who wasn’t afraid of anything. Tears suddenly began to pool down Izumiko’s cheeks.

“Mizuho said you were hurt…”

“I know. You didn’t do anything wrong. I wish this hadn’t happened to you. It’s painful to think about, but I’ve been estranged from Mizuho for a while now. We just had to catch her making contact with the group she was double dealing with.”

“In other words, you were letting her make all these plans?” Miyuki asked quietly. “You’ve known she was up to something like this?”

“It was necessary. Miyuki, I’ve dedicated my life to public safety for this reason. The more Izumiko’s abilities awaken, the more formidable the people coming after her will become.”

When he noticed Yukariko’s hard gaze on him, Miyuki stepped back. His voice, however, was not timid as he opened his mouth to respond. “Are you saying that government level protection is required in order to change the goddess’s future?”

“I didn’t say that either. This time, it was only one barrier in Mizuho’s way. You don’t know how relieved I am to know that Izumiko is safe, do you?” Yukariko said, watching as Izumiko pulled a handkerchief from her bag and wiped the tears away from her lowered face. Her tone was curt. There was not one hint from her behavior that she wanted to hold her daughter, but all the same, there was deep emotion visible in her eyes when she looked at Izumiko.

“If Izumiko could find a way to contain her powers, she practically wouldn’t be able to sense them herself. That would most likely make it difficult for other people to force her into sacrificing herself to their agenda. However, the goddess’s power can only hold back one force at a time.”

“Um, can I ask a question?...” Miyuki asked. He thought for a moment and then said, “I think the goddess is a lot like you. She’s completely different from Izumiko. The way she speaks. The way she acts. Even her personality.”

“And?”

Yukariko smiled. Miyuki was certain it was the very same bewitching smile the goddess wore.

“Was the goddess I met really Izumiko? Lately, Izumiko hasn’t been possessed as unexpectedly as she used to be, but am I right to think that the goddess still resides in you?”

“Miyuki, am I hearing that you want to meet the goddess again?” Yukariko asked teasingly.

Miyuki went sullen. “That’s not what I meant. You’re taking my words the wrong way. I want to know who the goddess really is.”

“Whether or not Izumiko and the goddess are different people depend on your perspective,” Yukariko responded, unusually open to answering his question. “I’m the one who’s responsible for the goddess traveling back in time and doing things over again more carefully. Of course I want the best for my own child who will follow in my footsteps. As a result, the goddess has absorbed some of my characteristics. The goddess’s current personality is probably more like mine than the personality of the person she was originally. You can think of it however you want, I guess.”

Miyuki looked shocked.

“So that’s the way it is…”

It’s like that then… Izumiko thought as she brought the handkerchief to her nose.

The truth eased her fears in one way, and did not in another. Her emotions were all jumbled up.

Yukariko looked at Miyuki out of the corner of her eye. Then she turned her sharp gaze towards a uniformed police officer guarding the entrance.

“Concerning the goddess, she will possess me until I die. That’s the pattern we’ve come to expect from her over the generations. That’s also why I’m so surprised that Izumiko is being possessed as well. You could say it’s contradictory to what we know about the goddess.”

For an instant, there was a strange expression on Yukariko’s face, but then she turned her attention back to the two students in front of her.

“After all this is over, I’ll have to think about why the goddess is traveling so easily to Izumiko. It could be that she wanted to see what sort of person you are, Miyuki.”

“Huh?” Miyuki and Izumiko said together, probably sharing the same thought. Had all of the trouble they had gone through been for a reason like that?

The goddess came to me to see Miyuki… Did she not meet Miyuki in the life she lived before going and reliving history?...

As she thought this, her mind all jumbled with different thoughts, a strained noise came from behind her. Yukariko’s expression immediately went hard, allowing Izumiko to make a guess of what was going on before she turned around. A tight clump of men were exiting the building. Izumiko couldn’t quite make out what was happening, but they seemed like the detectives in charge of conducting the arrest.

Mizuho…

She didn’t think the men she saw now were the same ones who had participated in her kidnapping. She looked only for Mizuho’s beige trench coat.

Mizuho Nakayama appeared at the very end of the men’s procession from the building. Her ponytail had come loose and she looked distraught. Izumiko couldn’t see her whole form from where she stood, but it was plain to see that she was in handcuffs. She looked as if she had been crying, assumedly from the pepper spray.

Mizuho’s face was turned downward, so Izumiko and the others couldn’t see the next part from where they were standing by the entrance. However, Yukimasa, standing further away by the traffic circle, saw. He was the only one who noticed. As Mizuho raised her head, there was a look of pure hatred in her eyes.

“I curse you for the rest of your life,” she said, her voice dark and rough. She didn’t say it loudly, but it cut to the heart of the people who heard. The detective nearest to Mizuho took her by the arm and she didn’t say anything else.

Yukimasa stood there quietly, not moving as he watched the detectives place Mizuho in the police car. He had no intentions of responding to her words. Instead, He simply smiled calmly.

Izumiko was as hurt by all of this as Yukimasa was. She didn’t know how many times she had gone with him to Mizuho’s office in the university hospital. Over all that time, Izumiko had talked more to Mizuho than she had her own mother. What hurt most about the day’s events was that she doubted she’d ever fully get over what Mizuho had done to her.

Mizuho was such a great doctor. Could I have been the one who ruined her life in the end?...

“Don’t cry over this,” Miyuki said from beside her. He could speak to her easily now that Yukariko had walked away to talk with a detective. “If she’s cursed Yukimasa then I’m done here. I don’t want to be tempted into doing the same when I’m not any good at that stuff yet. But it looks like I should take back what I said before.”

He continued in a more subdued voice than he usually used. “The ascetic monks really do want to protect you more than I thought they did. What Yukimasa’s doing for you is different than how he usually acts. Maybe I should take a closer look at who he actually is. You have to admit this group is completely different when Yukariko’s here and she cares about you the most.”

“Yeah…”

Recalling how Yukariko had said she dedicated her life to public service for her, fresh tears welled up in Izumiko’s eyes. For the first time, she thought of Yukariko as not only strong, but having been dealt a tragic life.

“I’ve always thought that Mom never cared about me.”

“It’s okay. You have a lot of people who support you and they’ll only grow from here. If you keep get more friends and allies like this, Yukariko won’t have to bear all the responsibility for your safety by herself.”

Miyuki paused suddenly and then added, “I felt really good about what I did today.”

“Yeah….” Izumiko nodded as the tears streamed down her face.

A little unsure of what else to say, Miyuki wrapped an arm around Izumiko’s shoulder and pulled her close to him, closing the gap between them. They did not see how the arrest was coming to a close or the people hurrying towards the police cars around them. However, as they were standing in one place for a time, the chill of the December night began to creep into their feet and legs. To Izumiko, this only made huddling together with Miyuki even better.

Miyuki is my lifeboat. This is what we have together… Izumiko silently thought.

Before they said anything. Before they named how they felt, this was what had grown between them.

Keep reading!

#rdg #red data girl #rdg 6 #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars #rdg 6 week 32 #translation

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 30)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

Help me pay for my next translation project on Ko-fi.

Week 30! Wow!

Summer vacation is already half over! Where has the time gone?! My birthday was a few weeks ago, and ever since then, I’ve been taking it easy; getting some reading done, working on my own writing, and translating. Once August begins, I’ll have to start planning for the beginning of the new school year. I’m both excited to get started, and sad to be thinking about the end of vacation.

Stay cool in this hot weather!

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 4: Mizuho Part 2 (2 of 4)

There was a well-groomed park running along the edge of the concrete harbor. A number of hotels and big buildings were on the other edge of the park that touched the road. Mizuho and Izumiko went into one of these hotels and sat down in a tea room with tapestry covered chairs. There, they ordered an afternoon tea service. After their leisurely tea, they would take a walk through the park towards Osanbashi Pier.

To Izumiko’s eyes, the grand inside of the hotel they were currently in was not unlike the hotel she had stayed at with Sawa and Daisei in Tokyo. However, Yokohama had less of a sanitized feel to it, almost as if it retained each passing year and the stability it brought with it.

When they walked into the park, Izumiko found that the vast, blue scenery of the ocean was visible there. The water was so calm—no waves to be seen, only the water lapping at the edges of boats and the harbor. All the same, the bay gave off a deep, rich feeling that made the concrete space of the park feel pleasant.

It wasn’t possible to see the horizon over the ocean from the bay. Instead, the industrial district on the far shore and the bay bridge surrounded the water. To Izumiko, this was more unusual scenery than the ocean itself. As dusk fell, orange, white, and violet lights began to twinkle on the far shore, the bridge, and the anchored boats, giving the bay a Christmas tree like appearance. While it might have been December, it was unusually mild. The wind on Izumiko’s face was a little cool, but with her coat on, she wasn’t cold.

Izumiko continued to think about this and that as she talked with Mizuho. She wanted to know who Angelica’s father was. She had known Mizuho for a long time, but this was the first time she was talking to her as a member of the ascetic monks.

“Angelica said her father thinks we’ll probably be chosen as a team for World Heritage Candidate. We thought that would be alright to accept. Is that against what the ascetic monks have planned though?” she asked casually as they walked.

“No, we were hoping for that as well,” Mizuho admitted openly. “It’s our long-term wish that you bring together all the spiritually gifted students at Houjou Academy. That was Daisei’s intention when he enrolled you in the school. However, the more your powers awakened, the more we’ve considered other directions. While you were able to purify the school grounds, that doesn’t mean you can prevent every outside force from slipping in. At times like these, you need adults to lend a hand and other people who can help you expel the threat.”

Izumiko automatically thought of the Wild Hunt. Even Mr. Bernard, Angelica’s father, had been suspended in time while the threat had invaded, hadn’t he?

“By threat do you mean the people who want me as a research specimen?”

“Yes. Your abilities could easily be used in some way for research and development.”

“But you use me for research, don’t you, Mizuho?”

Surprised, Mizuho turned to look at Izumiko who was walking beside her. Then she let out a small laugh.

“So even you’re talking about that now, Izumiko. It’s true. Ever since you were born, I’ve been the researcher keeping an eye on you. Yukariko gave me that role and I’m proud of it. Because of that, I don’t feel inclined to let anyone else study you.”

After a pause, Izumiko said, “Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about if the ascetic monks are doing the right thing and if I’m really understanding all the things that I see around me. I’ve been thinking about what Dad does, too. Somehow I get the feeling that all he’s doing is hiding a lot of things…”

Mizuho appeared to think this over for a minute. When she spoke, her tone was different.

“You’re not a child anymore, are you? The ascetic monks certainly have unseen connections to a number of organizations and shadow companies. And they’re definitely wrapped up in things that aren’t always pretty. However, there are no companies completely on the up and up without an underbelly. Everyone pursues profits and that’s not an entirely righteous endeavor. I’m not just talking about the ascetic monks here who hide themselves from society. Even organizations with public faces can’t say they always do the right thing. That’s just as bad.”

Izumiko thought this over quietly.

There’s still too much I don’t know. I have no way of judging what’s going on around me. I guess that means I don’t have any choice but to follow what the adults closest to me say and go where they want me to…

She still wasn’t completely comfortable with the situation she had found herself in. It would have been stranger for her to not feel uneasy leaving for a foreign country by boat so suddenly. But Izumiko finally had to admit that this was most likely what came from being born into such a unique group of people.

As they walked further down the park’s stone pathway, a silver, overhead sign came into view which read, “International Passenger Boat Terminal.”

A regular road seemed to lead all the way up to the pier, but the main road where cars were passing by curved away from it, a line painted on the road leading them in a different direction. The buildings along the road were bright and sparkling with Christmas lights, but the path which Izumiko and Mizuho walked on along at the edge of the water was dark compared to it. There were street lights, but they were made to look liked old-fashioned gas lamps and didn’t give off much light. It made Izumiko feel like she was already in a foreign country.

Before they passed under the “International Passenger Boat Terminal” sign, Mizuho’s cellphone began to ring. She paused, and for a minute, spoke into it in English. Silent, Izumiko looked forlornly towards their destination as she waited. The place looked lonely without any big buildings nearby. They’d be there in just a few more steps.

At that moment, a voice called out from behind them.

“Izumiko.”

Izumiko turned to see Miyuki’s tall frame walking across the nearby intersection. Seeing him approach, Izumiko’s unease finally calmed. Miyuki was also out of his uniform, but in his case, he was dressed casually in a hooded parka, a black sweater, jeans, and sneakers. He wasn’t carrying any bags in his gloved hands.

As he approached, Izumiko wondered if he had ever planned to go to the party, but there was a decent probability that Miyuki and Manatsu would have attended dressed this way. Regardless, Miyuki was outfitted perfectly for what they were about to do. She gave a relieved smile as he walked towards them.

“Did you come by yourself?” she asked.

Just as she was about to ask if Yukimasa had come with him, Miyuki stopped in front of her, out of breath, and said sharply, “Get away from that person.”

“Wait. What?”

“Don’t trust her.”

Izumiko’s eyes went wide at Miyuki’s tone. Miyuki was always so well-mannered around adults. She couldn’t believe he was speaking this way now.

“Have you met Dr. Nakayama before?” Izumiko asked. “She’s Mom’s friend and the doctor Mr. Sagara always brings me to.”

Despite what Izumiko said, Miyuki did not lower his guard. He spoke again, his tone still warning of danger. “Think hard about what you’re doing. Have you noticed you’re being kidnapped?”

“Kidnapped?—No, you’re wrong.” Izumiko looked towards Mizuho. She was scowling now, having just ended her call. “She might have lied about Mom being hurt at first, but Dad and Mr. Sagara knew what was going on.”

“Why are you here then?” Miyuki pushed. “Why are you getting on a boat?”

“Didn’t Mr. Sagara tell you what’s happening and bring you here, Miyuki?”

Izumiko was shocked to see from Miyuki’s expression that he had no idea what was going on. Finally, she began to get the sense that something wasn’t right.

“Where’s Mr. Sagara?”

“Yukimasa doesn’t have anything to do with this. He’s in the US,” Miyuki answered.

“No, he’s on his way back, Miyuki,” Mizuho said, responding to his words. She took a step closer to Izumiko and put a hand on her shoulder before continuing, her voice sounding amused. “Izumiko, he really is something. He actually met us here. I kind of doubted he would until I saw him with my own eyes. I removed any physical way he could have known what we were doing, and yet he was able to pinpoint where you were. I wonder if it was easy for him because we were still in the Tokyo area. I definitely want to look into how what he did was even possible.”

“What are you talking about, Mizuho?”

“I have proof now. Izumiko’s spiritual abilities spread to the people she trusts. The more necessary it is to the situation, the more powerfully the goddess’s power manifests. And that power can be transferred.”

Without hesitation, Miyuki looked squarely at the middle-aged woman in the trench coat. Then he asked ever so calmly, “It’s clear that you’re one of the people who want to see what the goddess’s powers are capable of. I heard a little about it while I was also having tests done in that hospital before. Where are you planning to bring Izumiko?”

“First, we’re going to Hong Kong by boat. From there, we’ll take a plane to California where Daisei is waiting,” Mizuho answered simply.

Miyuki’s retort was quick. “Why did you take her away like that? Are you really bringing her to Daisei?”

“Your father knows all about this.”

“Please don’t assume I’m the same as my father. I won’t let you do this.”

Seeing that Miyuki wasn’t about to give up, Izumiko said timidly, “Um, it’s all true. I confirmed it on the phone a little while ago. Dad said he’s going to meet us at the airport.”

“Did you make sure you really were talking to your dad? Were you the one who dialed Daisei’s number? Just hearing his voice and thinking it sounded like him shouldn’t have been enough to make you believe, you know.”

Izumiko had nothing to say in response to this. Her sense of discomfort was continuing to grow. Daisei had done most of the talking and he had hung up quickly. However, he was the sort who would do those types of things, so she hadn’t thought much of it.

Miyuki spoke up again. “If Daisei was planning to bring you to the US, he would have called you sooner about it. You should stay here in Japan for the very reason that he didn’t do that. The way this is happening is very strange.”

Izumiko was slowly beginning to agree with him. Something had seemed off from the beginning of all this. All the same, she had allowed Mizuho to convince her that everything was fine. Izumiko took a step away from Mizuho and brushed her hand off her shoulder. She gazed at the tall woman.

“Mizuho, you said that you took me away so quickly because I couldn’t go to Angelica’s party, right? You said it was because Angelica’s father would take me as a research specimen. Was all of that really true?”

Miyuki cut in, his voice cold. “You’re actually the one who wants to take Izumiko as a research specimen, aren’t you? At the very least, this has nothing to do with Mr. Bernard’s proposal. The way you’re tricking Izumiko and taking her away is far more suspicious than anything he’s offered.”

Mizuho looked at Miyuki, her eyes narrowing a little. “Huh. So this is what Yukimasa’s son is like.”

“I’m taking Izumiko back,” Miyuki said decisively. “Houjou Academy is where Izumiko belongs now. She’s not going anywhere until there’s a good reason for her to.”

Mizuho shrugged her shoulders. Miyuki’s words appeared to have bothered her.

“I see. I thought that if I could persuade Izumiko to come with me, you would respect her wishes, but it appears that my hypothesis was wrong.”

Ignoring Mizuho’s words, Miyuki grabbed Izumiko’s hand.

“We’re going this way. Come back to the dorms with me.”

As Izumiko took a step towards Miyuki, drawn in by what he had said, Mizuho grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

“I’m sorry, but there’s no way that’s happening, Miyuki.”

Before Izumiko even knew what was going on, four strong looking men dressed in suits appeared out of the shadows and surrounded Miyuki. Caught off guard, Miyuki tried to jump away, but the men grabbed him by the arms and held him where he was. It looked as if he had been captured by criminals.

“Stop struggling.”

“Let me go!” Miyuki raged, struggling even harder, but one of the men only clamped a hand over his mouth and whispered close to his ear.

“Don’t underestimate what adults are capable of doing, rich boy. I could use a stun gun or tranquilize you. There are plenty of ways that I could turn you into luggage and carry you out of here, but wouldn’t you rather this be easy? You can have a fun time leaving Japan, too. Now be a good boy and start walking forward on your own two feet. Giving in is nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Izumiko couldn’t believe what was happening in front of her own eyes. These men she had never seen before, and certainly did not know, all looked strangely the same and they were all taller than Miyuki. They weren’t shikigami nor were they spirits. They were undeniably human, but she had certainly never seen any humans like them before.

Heavy. Cold. Hard…

Whatever it was in those bodies was heavy. From the way the men moved, Izumiko could tell that more than just a heart kept their bodies moving. It was the sort of movement that wouldn’t be able to change course easily due to weight…

As Izumiko stood there staring, Miyuki, threatened into silence, was marched forward, the men’s hands on his shoulders. He turned his head to look at Mizuho.

“This is an impressive crime, Dr. Nakayama.”

Izumiko couldn’t see Mizuho’s expression from where she was standing, but she could assume the woman looked pleased with herself.

“Have you considered that I’m actually more interested in you than I am in Izumiko? As a source of power, Izumiko is one of a kind, but the people interested in getting their hands on her are far more diverse. The valuable thing about her is that we investigate such questions as what conditions lead Izumiko’s powers to influence the things around her, and what is it about the people who can accept her transferred abilities that allow them to do so. That’s you. And that’s why I want you to go with us.”

Miyuki glanced quickly in Izumiko’s direction, but then brought his eyes straight back to Mizuho.

“You’re already scaring Izumiko. I don’t know what’ll happen if you go any further with this.”

“Nothing’s going to happen. Izumiko will listen to what I say. She won’t go against what I tell her to do. We’re going to be together for a long time, after all.”

…Why didn’t I notice it before?...  

Only now did Izumiko realize that Mizuho gave off the same aura as the men surrounding Miyuki. When Mizuho had first put her arms around Izumiko in the entrance to the girl’s dorm, she should have felt uneasy. The fact that she had known Mizuho for a long time had prevented her from judging the situation appropriately.

What Mizuho had said was true. Izumiko wouldn’t do anything now. The cold heaviness from the arm around her was sinking into her. She was hardening, unable to make even the smallest movement.

Turning pale at the realization, Izumiko looked harder at Miyuki. He let out a breath and said, “So you stop Izumiko’s power. You’re the ascetic monks’ failsafe, aren’t you?”

“You could say that. I don’t want to use force getting you to come with us. Therefore, I want you to come quietly with Izumiko to Hong Kong. Once we’re on the boat, there’ll be plenty of time to clue you into what’s going on. Then you’ll know what I’ve already told Izumiko.”

With no other options available to them, Miyuki and Izumiko walked towards the pier as captives.

Keep reading!

#rdg #rdg 6 #rdg 6 week 30 #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars #translation

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 31)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

Help me pay for my next translation project on Ko-fi.

Summer vacation is half over. Where’s all this time going?! Enjoy another week of RDG!

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 4: Mizuho Part 2 (3 of 4)

The sky had completely turned to dark colors of night by now and more and more lights were turning on around them. It wouldn’t have been entirely true to say that they were the only ones walking down the pier, but those other people and their shadows were walking in the opposite direction. No one else was getting on a boat. Instead, the few other people they passed seemed to be only on the pier to see the harbor’s night scenery. The stone path they had begun on had turned into a wooden boardwalk sometime before and now the walkway sloped gently upward, the wood bending slightly beneath their feet. One side of the boardwalk had a wooden fence. The white upper half of an approaching passenger ship was visible beyond it. The ship was as big as a hotel, with floor upon floor of brightly lit windows.

Izumiko shuddered as she thought about crossing the ocean in a boat like that.

There’s no way that I can keep acting like there’s nothing wrong. This isn’t going to end well…    

Alarm bells were going off deep inside of her. Now it wasn’t just her who was in trouble. Miyuki was part of this as well. A vague foreboding in her chest told her that this was the route that would take them to the goddess’s worst possible future.

I’m afraid of all the eyes that will be on me when I go into a big city. There were so many black shadows in Tokyo and they were all so frightening. Even though I have a feeling that I’m going to see those things again soon, the ascetic monks closest to me don’t care. Do they?

The people who had come to gaze at the night scenery made their way casually up the slope to the observation deck on the terminal rooftop. There were modern art looking wooden structures with night scenes of gently rolling hills on the slope. Izumiko heard someone saying that the installation was called “the back of a whale.”

Seeing as they had traveled such a long way and they were walking on their own, there was no point in asking a stranger to save them. Even Miyuki kept silent as he walked. They walked with Mizuho and the men in one straight line, finally turning away from the sloping pedestrian path and towards a building separated a little from the rest of the area. Its glass entrance faced a huge traffic circle. It was the entrance to the customs building. As the automatic door in the middle of the entrance opened for them, Izumiko hung her head. Miyuki took her right hand in a soft grasp.

Izumiko, run.    

Even though Miyuki hadn’t opened his mouth, she received his instructions. A second later, Miyuki pulled a small can out of his pocket and sprayed the contents into the men’s faces. In an instant, a strong smell hit Izumiko’s nose. It was pepper spray.

There was a shriek. Izumiko guessed it came from one of the other people near the entrance. Under the effects of the spray, Mizuho’s men in suits couldn’t yell out, but they sneezed each time they took a breath. They grabbed at their eyes and noses with both hands and staggered about, shaking.

Izumiko did not have the time to be surprised let alone wonder why Miyuki had been hiding something like pepper spray. He gave the nearest man a sharp kick in the shin and then sprayed the can at a surprised looking Mizuho before running from the scene. Izumiko was pulled along behind him, her hand still clasped in his.

With the glass doors behind them, the two of them ran in the direction they had come. They rushed past people who stared at them, taken aback by the unusual scene they were viewing.

Miyuki probably could have flown down the slope they had climbed up before, but that was not the case for Izumiko. With her hand still in his, she stumbled continuously as they went, doing her best not to fall. If they wanted to get even a little away from their kidnappers, they couldn’t escape by running down one road the whole way.

Miyuki was aware of this fact as well. The moment they got back to the stone path, he slowed down.

“I’m going to hold them off a little. You keep running.”

“You can’t!”

“Don’t be stupid. Do you want to change your fate?” Gasping for breath, Miyuki continued. “There’s a police station at the entrance to the pier. Go there. Call Mayura and Manatsu. They’ll take care of you. At this point, going to a different organization is a good idea. They’ll help you. You were raised with the ascetic monks, but they’ve gone bad. It’s alright to run. Now go.”

As Izumiko let go of his hand and ran forward, Miyuki stayed where he was.

“Quickly!”

However, Izumiko did not keep running. She stopped after only a few faltering steps then turned back to Miyuki, her expression tearful.

“What are you going to do, Miyuki?”

“Don’t worry about me.”

Miyuki looked hurriedly behind him and then gripped Izumiko’s shoulder through her jacket, pushing her in an attempt to make her turn around.

“You have to get out of here. Wamiya will go back with you. This might not be a situation he was expecting, but he can take his own form and go with you by himself. Don’t let that researcher get you.”

“Don’t talk like it’s no big deal to have him come with me! What about you?!”

“We don’t have another option right now. I’m fine. Run!”

Miyuki gave Izumiko a hard push and again, she stumbled forward. The same as before, she did not keep running, but instead stopped a second time. She needed to say exactly how she felt.

“I can’t take Wamiya back. It doesn’t matter how bad the situation is. I can’t stop how he feels. Wamiya is completely yours now, Miyuki. Where Wamiya is, you are too.”

“What are you saying? This is not a good time for this,” Miyuki said, sounding uncomfortable.

He turned away from Izumiko and prepared himself for the men who were chasing after them. This time he looked ready for a fight and he would make sure it took as long as possible.

“You’re running out of time. Get going!”

Izumiko’s response was to rush back to Miyuki and grab the back of his sweater. It wasn’t that she thought running was impossible. She simply couldn’t imagine saving herself without Miyuki. She had a feeling that if they separated now and something happened, they might never see each other again.

“I want you to come with me. It doesn’t matter where. If you want to go abroad, that’s okay with me as long as I’m with you.”

Miyuki couldn’t help but take a breath and stand a little straighter.

“Like I said, this isn’t a good time to be saying things like that…” he whispered, his voice flat.

The suited men appeared out of nowhere and quickly began walking towards them, looking unsurprised by their close proximity. It was possible they had seen Izumiko and Miyuki’s exchange as they had approached. These men looked different from the ones Miyuki had sprayed pepper spray at. It was clear to see that whoever these men were, they hadn’t taken any damage from the previous attack.

Miyuki kept his eyes on the approaching men. With her face pressed into his back, Izumiko couldn’t see them, nor did she want to.

Between her tightly closed eyes and Miyuki’s sweater firmly clenched in her hand, Izumiko only knew the men had stopped by the tension radiating from Miyuki. She could also sense that there were a number of them. Miyuki’s back went stiff as if trying to untangle Izumiko’s grasp on him and his sweater. Even before he said anything, Izumiko knew who was standing before them.

Mr. Sagara…  

“If this is all your doing, I’m definitely going to hurt you. Even if takes a lifetime, I’m going to beat the hell out of you. You put all of this together, and yet who’s the one who said they were going to be Izumiko’s knight? I can’t believe you said such bullshit.”

Instead of raising her head, Izumiko only held on more tightly. It seemed that if she were to let go of him, he really would attack Yukimasa.

Yukimasa responded in his usual calm tone, a hint of teasing audible underneath. “You might think you’re ready for a fight, but that desire will cost you. You’ve proved what you’re capable of. That’s clear from Izumiko’s current state. However, you’re just as much at fault here as us. We had no plans of selling our goddess destined to become a World Heritage Candidate to foreign researchers. That would be a national crime punishable by arrest.”

“What?...”

For a moment, Miyuki seemed taken aback, but then he asked suspiciously, “What’s your ulterior meaning?”

“I, your father, had no intentions of sending you children to Hong Kong. My role in all of this was to ride in on a white horse and rescue the princess from the hands of the traitor. The ascetic monks here with me have the same goal. Yukariko’s going to arrest Mizuho.”

“…what?”

Even Izumiko raised her head and blinked at this. When she peaked around Miyuki’s shoulder, she saw the men in dark suits. Yukimasa, in the middle of the group, was the shortest of them, but it was clear that he was in charge. He stood there in his own dark suit, his stance wide. His chestnut hair gleamed in the glow from the streetlights. No one was as stylish as he was and no one looked quite as handsome.    

Ahh… They’re different. They don’t have the same coldness as the men from before…

Once she looked at the men more closely, she could see the differences as well. Their dark suits and well-trained behavior were the same, but they couldn’t only be described as violent looking like the men from before.    

Regardless, Izumiko wasn’t that easily lulled into a sense of security. She had learned her lesson about being lied to today.

“Then why did Mizuho tell me that you were coming?” she said to Yukimasa. “You’re friends with Mizuho, aren’t you? You work together, right? All of those tests at the hospital...”

“That’s right. You sent her all my test data too,” Miyuki added. “From the start I thought the ascetic monks were suspicious. You said you protected the goddess, but all I ever saw was that you all wanted to get your hands on her. I don’t believe it at all that you’re here to bring Izumiko to a safe place. And I bet that’s what Izumiko thinks now, too.”

Yukimasa took one long breath.

“It’s possible that Mizuho Nakayama’s research was not only noticed by the ascetic monks. It’s true that she’s Yukariko’s friend, and she did favors for Yukariko. With that said, at the last moment, she must have given into temptation and decided to kidnap Izumiko and bring her to a foreign country as part of a business transaction. I’m aware that Houjou Academy is the first time Izumiko had been protected by more than just the ascetic monks and it’s frightening not to have them so close by to her. Claiming the goddess for oneself is an unforgivable act, but it’s common for the people around her to fall prey to that temptation. There’s always a chance that the people nearest to you will betray you.”

Izumiko stared at Yukimasa.

“Did you know what Mizuho was doing… and you were pretending to help her?”

“That’s right. We’re on the same page now. I was hoping to get her to change her mind in the process though. Now we’ll be arresting her today.”

“How could she do something so terrible?” Miyuki said, shocked. “She’s a member of the same organization as you. That’s got to be enough to make you suspicious of everyone.”

Yukimasa gave a small smile. It wasn’t a forced expression, nor did it seem to hurt or bother him in any way to show it.

“There’s no helping that. If I were to describe my job, I suppose I’d say I’m something like the organization’s investigator. It’s normal for me to say one thing when I mean another and pretend to do shady things. That’s all fine as long as I’m loyal to Yukariko Suzuhara.”

Neither Izumiko nor Miyuki had been expecting such an explanation. As they stood there, silent, Yukimasa offered in a lighthearted voice, “Will you come see Yukariko? This whole kidnapping incident is over now. This will be the first time we’re all together in one place.”

Keep reading!

#rdg #red data girl #rdg 6 #rdg 6 week 31 #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars #translation

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 28)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

Help me pay for my next translation project on Ko-fi.

Christmas in July, anyone? It might be hot and summery for us right now, but for Izumiko and the others in RDG right now, it’s December! I’m sending cooling thoughts to everyone broiling in the summer sun with this week’s installation.

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 4: Mizuho Part 1 (2 of 2)

When Izumiko went up to the student government room, she found Miyuki there already, just like Mayura said she would.

Aware of Izumiko’s arrival, Miyuki looked up from the computer screen. For the first time, Izumiko realized that she wasn’t worried about her grades like she had been earlier in the semester. After all, she had already showed Miyuki all of her tests and she didn’t think he would react as unexpectedly as Mayura had upon seeing her results.

All the same, when he opened her report card, he said in a surprisingly bright voice, “Wow? You ranked tenth? You really did well!”

“Yeah. I reached my goal. And it’s all because you helped me.” Izumiko smiled and placed her bag down before settling into a nearby chair. “So…”

“The fact that your grades went up this far in such a short time shows that until now, you have been putting in very little effort. Clearly you can do well if you actually try.” Miyuki seemed to notice nothing as he spoke, saying things that hurt a little to hear. “You decided you weren’t any good at math and science, didn’t you? That’s not true. You and I might approach the material in different ways, but you quickly find the answers through instinct. Don’t just assume you’re going to be wrong because you’re not used to doing that kind of work.”

Izumiko shrank into herself, but decided to go along with the conversation for a little longer.

“I kind of get what you’re saying. Before this, I didn’t really understand the point of trying hard just because of tests. But now that I’ve done so well, I feel like I shouldn’t be saying I want to be like Mayura. Now I just want to pass her, exactly like you’ve been saying.”

Happy that her roommate had done so well on her exams, Izumiko smiled at Miyuki. “I heard that Mayura just barely beat out Takayanagi for first ranked in the grade. It seems like no one can beat her.”

“For sure. She’s definitely impressive,” Miyuki said with no particular enthusiasm. His tone might have been uninterested, but Izumiko caught the tiniest bit of a smile on his face.

“By any chance, were you aiming for first rank too, Sagara?” Izumiko asked, feeling a little unsure of herself.

Miyuki’s awkward smile remained. “What do you mean ‘by any chance’? When you’re capable of doing something, shouldn’t you put all your effort into doing it? It’s human to feel disappointed when you lose out on what you were aiming for. I’m the same as anyone else.”

“But you’re so good at everything. I can’t even compare myself to you,” Izumiko said in surprise. She honestly couldn’t see what Miyuki felt badly about. Wasn’t this the same Miyuki who had said he’d be happy as long as he scored in the top five?

“So, we should celebrate today…”

Miyuki spoke up, unaware of the direction Izumiko was seemingly trying to move the conversation in. “You’re not an incapable person. You can do so much more than you do now. I’m not just talking about studying. You’re starting to turn this academy into a safe place for yourself all on your own. The goddess hasn’t possessed you in a while, and you’ve managed to make the diviners your allies. I feel like something changed when we were named Team Goddess. I’ve got to think more about how else I can be useful now.”

Caught up in whether or not this was a good chance to reach for her bag and the present inside, Izumiko only heard the last part of his statement.

“Think more about… what?”

“Takayanagi, the Soudas, and everyone else are part of the team to protect the goddess, right? They argue here and there, but I can tell that from here on, they’ll be there to have your back with their spiritual powers. It’s their destiny to eventually become World Heritage Candidates like that. But that’s not the same for me.”

Izumiko sucked in a surprised breath and then heartily denied his words. “That’s not true at all! You’re part of this too, Sagara! Weren’t you able to get rid of those shikigami before at the Christmas party just like Takayanagi was? You were the one who helped me when the Wild Hunt came, too!”

“I was able to see the shikigami and get rid of them with my staff because Wamiya lent me his power,” Miyuki pointed out calmly. “You already know it. I don’t have abilities like everyone else does. If Wamiya ever felt like letting go of me, everything I can do now would disappear. That’s why I can’t be part of the team.”

“Why can’t you? Isn’t it okay for you to use Wamiya’s power?” Izumiko said, voicing her true feelings before pausing to think. “One day, you’re going to be the one who helps me out more than anyone else. I think Wamiya knows that and that’s why he’s with you.”

“That’s fine for the three years we’re here. I’ve more or less gotten used to him at this point. But if you think about it in the long run, I would only be able to show any abilities while I was near you. Admit it. That’s not exactly useful protection for myself. For example, if you were in Japan and I went abroad, do you really think Wamiya would actually cross the ocean with me?”

There was no hesitation in his voice, almost as if he had already thought about this many times before. Izumiko blinked and readjusted herself in her chair as she gazed over at Miyuki.

“Do you think you want to go abroad, Miyuki?”

Miyuki straightened his back and said, “Nothing’s set. I’ve only thought about the possibility. I don’t know what would be best for me yet. But I know I wouldn’t be gone for a long time. I’m not thinking I’d be gone my whole third year. I’d probably just be testing it out on a quick trip.”

“Testing out… going abroad?”

“I’ve talked with some people about becoming an exchange student,” Miyuki confided without any hesitation.

Izumiko’s body stiffened. Her breathing paused as she stared at him. All the same, it didn’t seem as if Miyuki thought what he was saying was all that shocking.

He continued speaking, his tone calm. “I’ve told my homeroom teacher that I’m considering the possibility of studying abroad for half a year or maybe a whole year when we’re second years. There’s downsides to being an exchange student, and I’m still thinking it all over, but there are definitely things I’d only be able to learn if I went now. I want to put myself first, and while I hadn’t planned to hand over my place at the goddess’s side from the start, if it turns out that the “team” is only you and one other person, Takayanagi or Mayura’s abilities are more important for you to keep nearby. You have to keep people who have the ability to fight near you.”

Izumiko was overwhelmed by the realization that Miyuki didn’t understand. He didn’t understand what Izumiko was wishing for in her precious three years at the high school or why she had come here at all.

We only have three years here, but if he’s not here too, there’s no point to it at all. I don’t even want to think about him not being here with me. Miyuki might not have any special powers, but he’s been my best support...

Something occurred to Izumiko just as she was about to say all of this out loud. If she said the things she felt, it would be the same as her saying that she needed him. She realized that was the one thing she hadn’t been able to do since Miyuki had been bound to her and her destiny.

Staying silent, Izumiko looked down at the hem of her skirt, knowing she couldn’t say the things she was thinking. Miyuki looked at her quizzically. However, it didn’t seem as if it was because he was wondering why she was acting the way she was.

“This is all still in the future, and I don’t know how it’s going to work out, so you don’t really have to think about it. I haven’t talked to Yukimasa about it yet either.”

“If Mr. Sagara says yes and gives you the money… will you go abroad?” Izumiko asked finally, her voice hoarse.

“Not necessarily. It would depend on where I could study.”

Maybe it was because he was thinking about Yukimasa, but Miyuki took a short breath and then said, “It’s just that with everything going on and now that I have to track down Yukimasa who’s disappeared into thin air, I probably won’t be able to go to Tamakura Shrine this winter. It seems like Yukimasa’s flown to the United States.”

“What? Really?...”

There was no reason that Miyuki had to spend his time at Tamakura Shrine over the long vacation. Izumiko knew that. They hadn’t bought tickets together in advance like they had for summer vacation. Seeing as her mother’s friend, Dr. Mizuho Nakayama was coming to Tokyo for a conference, she had bought a ticket for Izumiko as well so that they could travel back to Tamakura together.

Still, Izumiko couldn’t imagine a New Year where she didn’t see Yukimasa or his son even once. This, too, was quite a shock for her.

*****

On the twenty fourth, a silver and white Christmas card arrived for Izumiko at the girl’s dorm.

 Merry Christmas, Izumiko.

This year, I thought I’d give you your last Christmas present of the season first. But what should it be?

Yukimasa

 Izumiko stared at the card in front of her a little sullenly.

He must be teasing me with this…

Yukimasa had disappeared from the school without one word to Izumiko. Why was he asking her what she wanted now?

No matter how you think about, it’s generally pretty weird that an ascetic monk is wishing me a Merry Christmas…

The card arrived in the afternoon while Izumiko and Mayura were getting changed for the day’s party. Angelica’s party was still three hours away, but it would take them an hour and a half once they left the school to ride the Keio Line and then the subway to their destination. It was a good idea to give themselves some extra time in the process.

Mayura looked over at the card curiously, but she didn’t seem to think that the sender’s name was the Yukimasa Sagara they both knew. Soon enough, she moved away and went back to her own preparations.

“Hey, Izumiko. Why haven’t you given Sagara his Christmas present yet?”

“The timing hasn’t been right so I haven’t given it to him,” Izumiko replied reluctantly. Bringing it up only made her feel more disappointed about the situation. She let out a sigh. “I might give up on giving it to him. It’s not anything special and walking around with it all this time has hurt the wrapping paper.”

“What are you talking about? Today’s Christmas Eve, isn’t it? What if you give it to him before we go to Angelica’s house?”

Izumiko bit her lip. “Miyuki said something came up all of a sudden that he needs to do and he already left. He’ll meet us there. He sent me a text about it this morning.”

“Huh? He must have only sent it to you. Miyuki was the one to decide that we’d go to this. I’d love to tell him that he should actually be coming with us for that exact reason. Manatsu and I are only going because of him.”

Mayura glanced towards Izumiko and then let out an unexpected laugh. “Wow, Izumiko. You look seriously peeved. You went out of your way to put on such a cute outfit, but with that face… Look at yourself.”

Izumiko was wearing a dress with a short sweater over it. She had on a necklace and a corsage to dress the outfit up as well. Her hair was still in its usual braids, but she wore a rhinestone headband to give them more of a party-like appearance. Dressing up was supposed to make her feel better about going to the party, but Izumiko still wasn’t excited about it at all. She looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror on her wardrobe’s door, but she couldn’t focus on her expression at all.

“I never know what Miyuki’s thinking…” she complained.

“And he doesn’t understand how you feel either,” Mayura said bluntly in response. “Why can’t you give him that present? I promise you he’ll be happy to get it.”

Izumiko continued to frown. “I imagined myself giving him a better present on Christmas Eve. What I have is so ordinary.”

“You’ll know what he’s thinking when you finally hand it over. If it’s from you, it’ll be special to him.”

When Izumiko did not respond, Mayura smiled. “Well, I guess I have to say this then. In Europe, Christmas is celebrated for twelve days. I think you should give Miyuki that present even if it’s on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Don’t give up. You’d be stupid not to give it to him.”

The two of them finished getting ready with a little time left to spare before they had to leave. As they finished though, there was a knock at the door and the head of the dorm, Ms. Saijou, poked her head inside.

“Izumiko, do you know a woman named Dr. Nakayama?”  

Izumiko looked in Ms. Saijou’s direction in surprise. “If you mean Mizuho Nakayama, I know her.”

“Yes, yes. That’s the person. She’s just arrived here to pick you up. She’s in the lobby.”

“What?” Izumiko glanced towards Mayura in confusion. “What should I do? Mizuho must have gotten my return date wrong by a day.”

“Oh, is this the person you’re going home with?”

“I’m going to go down and talk to her for a minute.”

Mizuho Nakamura was not a careless person and so Izumiko couldn’t imagine that this was a case of misinformation. She hurried out of the room and down to the lobby.

In Izumiko’s mind, Mizuho was always a doctor in a white coat. The woman waiting just inside the door, however, was wearing a well-tailored beige trench coat. Regardless, Izumiko knew who she was. She was tall and just a little too thin with her hair in a high ponytail held up in a barrette. Her sharp cheekbones gave her strong, easily recognizable facial features.

Still confused, Izumiko stopped in front of the woman.

“Mizuho, I’m sorry, but today’s not actually the day I’m going home…”

Before Izumiko could finish speaking though, Mizuho wrapped her in a tight hug. Her grip might have been powerful, but Izumiko noticed the strained look on her face. This wasn’t the easygoing smile Mizuho wore when Izumiko visited her office in the hospital.

“I know, Izumiko. I need you to be calm and listen to me,” she said close to Izumiko’s ear. Her voice was so low it was practically a murmur. “Without making a scene, we’re going to leave together right now. Yukariko was injured at work. I’m taking you to her, but she doesn’t want anyone else to know her whereabouts right now.”

Keep reading!

#red data girl #rdg #rdg 6 #rdg 6 week 28 #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars #translation

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 29)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

Help me pay for my next translation project on Ko-fi.

The excitement continues! Enjoy this week’s RDG!

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 4: Mizuho Part 2 (1 of 4)

Izumiko instantly went pale.

“Is she badly injured?”

All Mizuho said was, “I can’t say anything.” Even that came out stiffly. “However, we should get there as quickly as possible. My car is waiting, so get your coat. You can’t say anything to your roommate though.”

“We were just leaving to go to a party at a friend’s house…” Izumiko said, her voice shaking.

“Then tell your roommate that you have to make a stop on the way. You don’t want to worry your friends, do you?”

Izumiko nodded and went back up to her room. Trying in vain to act normally, she pushed the door open.

“I’m sorry, Mayura. I know it’s time to go, but I was wondering if you could meet me at the party? I’ve got an errand to run first, just like Sagara.”

Mayura listened to Izumiko’s words and then her eyes went wide. “But it’s in Minato-ku. Will you be able to get there on your own?”

“I’ll be alright. Dr. Nakayama said she’d bring me.” It was difficult to keep up her stiff smile as she spoke.

Izumiko avoided Mayura’s gaze as she grabbed her black coat and her little bag, and then rushed out of the room.

The black taxi Mizuho had come in was stopped in the parking lot outside of the school’s main gate. Izumiko tumbled into the backseat. The driver must have already known their destination because he pulled away without saying a word. Even after the car had been on the road for a few minutes, Izumiko still felt like she was in a bad dream. All of this was happening so quickly and she had no idea what was going on. The whole world had turned on its head.

What’s happening?...  

It felt like the sheltered world she lived in had been dealt a hard blow. She had been worrying over nothing before this. It was as if she realized at that moment that up until now, she had been living a life with her eyes closed.

Mom’s job is something unusual. It seems dangerous. I’ve always known that. But I’ve been pretending not to know that or to see it. Now something’s finally happened. It’s not like it’s unexpected. I really should have known something like this would happen…

“What kind of injury is it?” Izumiko asked Mizuho who was sitting quietly besides her. “What happened? How much danger was Mom in?”

“Shh,” Mizuho warned quietly. She seemed worried about the taxi driver listening in. “I’ll tell you more when we get there. We can’t really talk here.”

“How long will it take us to get there?”

“If we don’t have too much trouble with traffic, it should take about an hour and a half.”

Izumiko bit her lip and gazed out the window. Why did she want to scream from the bottom of her heart on Christmas Eve? Tonight was supposed to be a time for everyone to gather together and have fun while eating delicious food and yet, it felt like the inside of the car was cut off from all of that and in a completely different world. She had gotten all dressed up for a party, but now she felt like she was on a fool’s errand she knew nothing about.

At this rate, if I don’t get to the party, Mayura and the others will worry about me like they did last time I disappeared. I wonder where Miyuki is right now…

“Is it okay if I send a text? Can I at least tell Miyuki about Mom?”

Izumiko pulled her cellphone out of her bag, but Mizuho said quickly, “There’s no need to do that. Yukimasa has already told him what’s going on.”

“Huh? Mr. Sagara? Isn’t he in the US?...”

“He’s on his way back right now. His job is to jump from one thing to another.”

“Um, does Dad know about what happened?”

“Of course.”

After a moment, Mizuho added coolly, “Don’t use your phone. Why do you think I came all the way out to your school without calling or sending you a text first? You have dangerous people around you on that campus. Your roommate is one of them.”

Izumiko stared at Mizuho, her eyes wide.

“Why Mayura?”

“You may not know, but whenever Mayura and Manatsu Souda go anywhere, without a doubt, they have people following them in the shadows to protect them. There are people doing the same within the student body as well. That’s useful in the way that when you do anything with them, you too have powerful bodyguards, but it also means that it’s difficult to keep secrets around them and that’s troublesome.”

Izumiko thought of Yoshiki Hayakawa and knew that there was truth in Mizuho’s words. Having people like him around would be a plus for a smart girl like Mayura—information could probably be passed quickly to her that way.

“So you mean you don’t want the people in Togakushi to know about Mom?...”

“We’ll talk when we get out of the car.”

******

The taxi drove down the city’s main thoroughfare, the grey of the road and the grey of the median continuing on and on.

All Izumiko wished for was that they could arrive at their destination quickly, but that only added to the pressure of the situation, and she didn’t bother to read the names of the exits they passed. No matter where they were going, Izumiko wouldn’t know where they were, so even if she did read the names, they would mean nothing to her. As she was in an area she wasn’t familiar with, she couldn’t even keep track of the distance they had driven. Besides, everything looked the same on this city highway.

They turned onto an expressway, but Izumiko knew they’d be back on the regular highway sooner or later. Still, she had no idea what direction they were going in and she still didn’t know their destination. Even so, Izumiko began to notice little by little that the white signs flashing by them were starting to say Yokohama. She came to a realization.

Yokohama isn’t in Tokyo Prefecture. It’s in Kanagawa Prefecture. That means we’re not going into the middle of Tokyo. We’re going south.  

The highway brought them through a tunnel. When they came out, the city signs they drove past were for Yokohama Park. The highway scenery had also been replaced by a large town full of tall buildings. The buildings weren’t as tall as they’d be once they got into the heart of Yokohama though. The taxi drove down a tree lined road that, according to the signs, would take them to the prefectural building. Then they took a right turn at a traffic light and stopped.

Izumiko got out of the taxi. She looked around, but she couldn’t spot anything that looked like a hospital.

Mizuho paid the driver and got out of the taxi. Something about the current situation frustrated Izumiko and she asked sharply, “Which hospital are we going to?”

Mizuho watched the taxi drive away, straightening the cuffs of her jacket. Then she said suddenly, her voice full of emotion, “I am so sorry, Izumiko. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this up to you. When I told you that Yukariko was hurt, it was actually a lie.”

Izumiko opened her mouth. Finding that she couldn’t make any words come out, she stood there for a moment instead. The world before her eyes seemed to be flickering around her.

“…a lie?”

“I know it was a terrible thing to do. In order to bring you here in absolute secrecy though, it was necessary to confuse you. We had no intentions of letting you go to Angelica Bernard’s party at her home.”

Mizuho’s voice had taken on the confident tone of a doctor. She might have been sharing a difficult truth, but her words were exceptionally calm. Izumiko continued to stare at her, unsure whether to be relieved or upset.

“Why?”

“Because the Bernard family would like to take you from us as a research specimen.”

A research specimen?...  

After a moment, Izumiko felt like she was starting to figure out what was going on. Even so, it still hurt badly that Mizuho had lied to her.

“This is too much. You lied to me and then took me all the way out here all of a sudden. You’re treating me like a little kid who doesn’t understand anything.”

Mizuho nodded her acceptance of this and said soothingly, “It was wrong of me. That’s why I’m apologizing. At some point, Houjou Academy somehow became a place where either everyone was being monitored or there was no way to see what was really going on inside.”      

“Then if Mom isn’t hurt, why are we here?”

“We’re working to expose what’s going on inside the school,” Mizuho answered in a deliberately calm voice. “This also happens to be the reason why we never told you anything before this. It’s also the reason why I’m the one who was sent to get you even though I’ve never revealed myself as part of this group before. Up until recently though, I couldn’t make it to Houjou Academy. It would have been suspicious for me to move too quickly.”

The energy Mizuho was giving off made her feel more like a man than a woman—not unlike Yukariko. Izumiko recalled that Mizuho had been a close friend of Yukariko’s during college. Some of Yukariko must have rubbed off on her then. Some of Izumiko’s anger slowly began to calm.

“But why did you bring me all the way to Yokohama?”

“Because we’re getting on a boat.”

“A boat?”

Mizuho’s tone suddenly changed. “Izumiko, you’re going to get on boat to Hong Kong with me. From that boat, we’ll take a plane to the U.S. Your father is there, dealing with a number of situations. We’ll be going to him.”

Izumiko stared at her. “Why… are we taking a plane from Hong Kong?”

“If we go through an airport in Japan, it would be easy for someone to trace our flight information. We need something to throw people off our trail. There aren’t any passenger boats that leave from Yokohama’s Osanbashi Pier, so it’ll be a good smokescreen. Even though we’re going to Hong Kong, it’ll still take a night to get there. There’s a comfortable ship leaving this evening. We can take that.”

Izumiko winced at the words Mizuho was telling her so candidly. Leaving country like this sounded far too sudden.

“But I didn’t pack anything. I don’t have an overnight bag… I don’t even have a passport with me.”

“We can easily prepare a passport for you,” Mizuho said. From her voice, this did not seem to be a surprising problem for her. “The ascetic monk organization is good at turning out items like that. Yukimasa Sagara alone has made more ID cards and passports than you can probably imagine.”

“What? Is that really true?”

Izumiko took a deep breath thinking it actually did sound likely. No matter how she had thought about it, it had always been suspicious that Yukimasa had a teacher’s certification as well as a nurse’s license.

As Izumiko stood there, bewildered, Mizuho continued on objectively. “Being flawlessly talented at whatever he does is just another part of what makes Yukimasa who he is. No one can match him when it comes to pretending to be a professional in any field he chooses. He has a rare gift.”

“…Oh.”

When Izumiko, who was feeling very overwhelmed, didn’t respond further, Mizuho leaned forward and looked into her eyes.

“Do you understand a little more of what’s going on now? If you still don’t trust what we’re doing enough to get on the boat to Hong Kong, you can talk to Daisei. We’ve gone far enough, so using a phone should be alright. Do you want to talk to him?”

Izumiko nodded, and Mizuho pulled a cellphone out of her coat pocket. She typed a number on the touch screen which she was clearly familiar with entering. As if distancing herself from the sounds of the cars on the big road, Mizuho turned her back and took a few steps away. Then she said something in quick English to the person on the other side of the line. She had gotten in contact with someone in California.

Izumiko watched silently. After a minute, Mizuho turned back to her, the phone still pressed against her ear. She smiled and walked back, the heels of her shoes making a clicking noise as she returned.

“It’s Daisei.”

Izumiko, still only half believing this, pressed the phone against her own ear.

“Um, hello.”

”It’s me. Did you hear everything? Everything Mizuho’s told you is correct. I’ll come pick you up at the airport, okay?”

“Dad, this is all happening out of nowhere. I…”

“That’s very true. I’ll be there for sure. Wait for me.”

Izumiko wanted to speak more, but Daisei hurriedly hung up. Without thinking, Izumiko glanced down at the time display on the phone. There was a seven-hour time difference between Japan and California. Doing the math, she found that it was early night there; ten o’clock. Daisei often went to bed after the sun had come up so he was probably still working.

“Did he hang up already? He’s always been a fidgety person,” Mizuho said, trying to comfort her.

With a long face, Izumiko handed the phone back.

“We’re not getting on the boat right now,” Mizuhol continued. “We’ll wait until you’re feeling calm again. This is the first time you’ve seen the harbor, right? Miyuki should be arriving here, too.”

Izumiko looked up quickly. For the first time since Mizuho had arrived at the dorm, her spirits lifted somewhat.

“Miyuki’s coming with us too?”

“Oh, I guess I didn’t say that. He should already be here.”

What is this?...

“Then can I call him too?” Izumiko asked, her voice instantly cheerful again. “Or I could text him.”

“You can’t do that yet. There’s still a high chance that he may still be being followed. He’ll find us once he knows he’s lost them. There’s no need for you to worry though. Yukimasa will take care of it.”

Izumiko was able to nod her head. This must have been why Miyuki had left before them on a sudden errand. Finally, she allowed herself to relax. While the idea of getting on a boat to Hong Kong only made her recoil, she felt better about it than she had before.

…If I was worried about Miyuki going abroad, at least I’m going with him now. Wait. Why didn’t I think of that before?...

Noticing the trouble fall away from Izumiko’s expression, Mizuho grew relieved.

“You didn’t get to go to the Christmas party, so I want to make it up to you. We’ll go have Christmas dinner at a nearby hotel. It’s still early for dinner though, so let’s go get some tea and cake. Or we could get dim sum in China Town.”

Keep reading!

#red data girl #rdg #rdg 6 #rdg 6 week 29 #translation #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Afterword)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

Noriko Ogiwara ended RDG 6 with an afterword about how she came to the RDG story and giving thanks to some of the people who helped the series happen.

Translation Notes:

Read about The Record of Ancient Matters here.

The yatagarasu are three legged, talking crows that appear in Japanese folklore. Interestingly, one of the novels I was originally considering as a next project is all about yatagarasu.

Masako Shirasu is a famous Japanese historian, famous for her essays and collection of Japanese antiques.

Komako Sakai is the illustrator for the original, non-light novel covers of RDG. She came back to do the cover for the short story RDG book, Ice Shoes Glass Shoes.

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 4: Mizuho Afterword

The Red Data Girl story has come to one of many possible ends.

This may only be the starting point for Izumiko and Miyuki, but I believe Izumiko’s “first tale” ends here.

When I wrote the first book in the series, I wasn’t sure if I could continue writing the story. For one, I was positive that the story wasn’t clear enough to be a series.

The origin of Izumiko’s tale begins two years before the first book was published. Ms. Okayama from the editing department at Kadokawa Publishing, who waited patiently for the book about a “girl who becomes a World Heritage Candidate,” was shocked when My First Familiar fell out of the sky and into her lap instead.

I was quite nervous about calling the story “fantasy,” but Okayama wasn’t upset by it at all. You see, if you ask me, my personal idea of fantasy is “digging into old cultural heritage based in myths and history while allowing one’s imagination to take wing without being bound by existing boundaries.” That’s why I included asceticism, diviners, and ninjas in the Red Data Girl series.

I’m convinced that somehow, these groups have tried to continue on into the present day, but what I’ve written in these books is just my personal daydream, completely flying free from any historical fact.

My first published work was Dragon Sword and Wind Child, a book based on the motifs present in The Records of Ancient Matters, Japan’s oldest collection of myths and legends, and other ancient Japanese records of similar stories. This is where the idea of the torihiko, a crow who could transform its appearance, was first born. Emperor Jinmu imagined it in the character of Yatagarasu while he was on the march from Kumano.

I can’t shake the feeling that all of those stories are still having a lingering effect on me. I felt like I had a personal connection to Wakayama Prefecture, where the Kii Peninsula is located, before I ever actually set foot there. It was as if I had already been there.

I visited Wakayama some years before publishing Dragon Sword and Wind Child. It happened to be the summer that the Kii Mountain Range’s sacred grounds and pilgrimage road were registered as World Heritage Sites. (They were officially registered on July 7th, 2004.)

What seeing the place with my own eyes taught me was the natural connection between Shintoism and Buddhism.

It made me realize I completely disagree with the way this connection is taught in social studies textbooks. I also came to see manifestation theory, the idea that Shinto gods are the manifestations of buddhas, in a completely negative light. For the first time I realized that this was not the way ancient Japanese people saw these things, and that knowledge has seeped into my skin permanently.

The things I took away from reading The Records of Ancient Matters and the other Japanese history archives are unusual, but I think of them with reverence. Now I feel as if I can truly appreciate how skillfully Masako Shirasu’s essays on Buddhist statues and other similar writings are composed.

~*~

I owe gratitude to many people throughout the process of publishing these six books.    

Komako Sakai, thank you very much for the cover illustrations. I believe Ms. Sakai’s drawings of mysterious-looking Izumiko lent me great amounts of strength.

The publication of these novels is thanks to Kadokawa Publishing’s Satoko Okayama. I cannot express how grateful I am to her. She’s taken care of me to the level of a parent feeding their child with a silver spoon; dealing with everything for me, even the things I never see.

In the same way, Masaki Sakamoto from Kadokawa Publishing has also done so much for this series. She really did so much that I could not have done on my own.

Izumiko, Miyuki, and the Souda siblings have a future that continues far on from here. Whether I write more of it or not, their journey continues. I still don’t know everything there is to this world I’ve created or what’s inside of it, so I want to keep growing it… In other words, I now think this story is a small part of its fictional world’s bigger picture.

I want to give the most thanks to the readers who have followed the story all the way to this point. Thank you very, very much.

Noriko Ogiwara

#rdg #rdg 6 #translation #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 33)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

Help me pay for my next translation project on Ko-fi.

Wow! We’re so close to the end here! Just two more installations after this one and we’ll be done!

Translation notes

Near the beginning of this week’s installation, Izumiko drives past Kumano Hongu Taisha. This is a famous Shinto shrine.

While driving through Japan’s countryside, it’s not unusual to find rest stops that specialize in local goods and produce. They’re always worth stopping at! You can find great stuff at really reasonable prices.

-10 degrees Celsius is equal to 14 degrees Fahrenheit.

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 4: Mizuho Part 3 (1 of 3)

Izumiko returned to Mt. Tamakura with Yukariko.

It was difficult to say how Yukariko had worked this out with her job. Maybe she was acting as Izumiko’s guard. However, she showed no signs of this as they headed towards Haneda Airport. Instead, she simply acted like a normal parent. Izumiko hadn’t walked together with her mother like this since she had been about four years old.

Miyuki hadn’t changed his plans, choosing to stay in Tokyo with Yukimasa as he had said he would. Still, Izumiko couldn’t have wished for anything better than having the chance to travel with Yukariko.  She was grateful for the opportunity to tell her mother everything Mizuho had said. If she hadn’t been able to share what had happened so quickly, the story would have welled up inside of her like pus until it consumed her. As Yukariko was both someone involved in the event and the listener, she was happy to take in every tiny detail. As a result, it was the first time in a long while where a conversation they shared could not be called awkward.

When Izumiko told Yukariko how Mizuho had said she could stop Izumiko’s abilities, Yukariko was clearly shocked.

“She chose to say that in an attempt to trick you. She wanted to persuade you of what she might be capable of because she thought you wouldn’t be able to fight back against her that way. Mizuho wouldn’t have been able to control you long term though. She probably just said it to keep you quiet.”

Izumiko let her head droop, feeling relieved. “I think I’m too easily persuaded into believing what people tell me. I guess I’m just gullible.”

“There are times when people are easily persuaded into things, but that’s not always a bad thing.”

“But I got tricked into thinking that Dad knew about going to Hong Kong. There are bad parts about being easily persuaded too, aren’t there?”

“In the case of Mizuho, Daisei wasn’t connected to what was going on at all. That was guaranteed to trick you. I keep a close eye on everything Daisei does.” As they sat next to each other on the chairs in the gate waiting area, Yukariko smiled. “After all this, being gullible is a problem you will have only had in the past. Going forward, I doubt you’ll be tricked into anything again.”

Izumiko unconsciously wrapped her fingers around her braids. “So, can I change my hairstyle now?”

“Hair is said to be a source of spiritual power,” Yukariko said, somehow sounding like Yukimasa. She took one of her daughter’s braids and examined it. “My biggest wish hasn’t come true just yet. Keep these the way they are for just a little longer. I can’t say your abilities are stable quite yet and—”

Yukariko paused.

Izumiko looked curiously at her mother. “And what?”

“And Miyuki thinks your braids are cute.”

Izumiko pulled back in surprise.

“You’re lying.”

Chuckling, Yukariko said, “Yes, I’m lying. I’m the one who thinks they’re cute.”

There was nothing Izumiko could do about her red face and so she made herself as small as possible instead. Still, it felt unusual to have this sort of discussion with Yukariko. It didn’t feel like they hadn’t talked in a long time. Now that they were getting close again, Izumiko could tell that Yukariko was a playful person, but she had already known that somehow.

Oh right. The goddess…  

She agreed with what Miyuki had said. Yukariko was certainly a lot like the goddess.

When Izumiko and Yukariko left Nanki Shirahama Airport in the Kii Peninsula, Shingo Nonomura was there to pick them up in his car. It took more than three hours to drive across the prefecture to Mt. Tamakura, but Izumiko was much happier that he had come all this way for them instead of having them take a helicopter. She was overcome with relief to be back home.

Yukariko seemed happy as well.

“Thank you, Mr. Nonomura. As long as you’re driving, we can stop somewhere on the way so that I can get you something good.”

Seeming pleased, Mr. Nonomura looked over at Yukariko and smiled.

“Sawa’s already making a huge feast.”

“I know that. I was thinking more along the lines of some good local sake for you to take home.”

While she said that, Yukariko ended up buying more than just sake when they stopped. This was a new experience for Izumiko who had never stopped at a roadside local specialty store before. It was also unusual to be entering a store with her mother.

While driving, they passed Kumano Hongu Taisha, a major Shinto shrine, and followed a road north that ran next to the Kumano River for some time. The temperature was always mild in the Kii Peninsula, but it was still negative ten degrees Celsius.  While the roads didn’t tend to freeze entirely in December, once January came around, there would be plenty of times when it became impossible to drive all the way up to the top of the mountains.

In the winter, Tamakura Shrine was isolated from the people who lived at the base of the mountain and became a lonely place. Being away after so long, Izumiko savored the cold, clear, crisp smell of the top of the mountain. However, with their arrival, the connection that had formed between mother and daughter quietly lessened a bit. All the people who worked at the shrine had come up for the occasion and now they were surrounded by people.

Takeomi and Sawa came out to greet them, their expressions relaxed. Izumiko had heard plenty of stories about how Yukariko and her father, Takeomi, hadn’t gotten along well, but after Yukariko had entrusted Izumiko to the shrine and had left for Tokyo, Izumiko had barely seen them fight when her mother had come home for her brief visits. This was because during her rare returns, she always went out drinking with him and they were both impressive drinkers.

The evening meal on the night of their return was indeed impressive enough to be called a feast. There was drinking and singing and Izumiko, too, ate to her heart’s content and spent as long as she could with the people who had come to see her and Yukariko. Still, there was a limit to how long she could sit with people who were drinking so much.

Why is Mom so popular with everyone?

No matter how she looked at it, it was plain to see that all the people who worked at the shrine had come so as not to miss an opportunity to be with Yukariko. However, Yukariko, with sake in her cup, was not like any other woman Izumiko knew, and she acted as if she didn’t care at all. To Izumiko, her mother was cruder than she was charming, but it was obvious that people liked her anyway.

I wonder if I’ll ever wish I’m more like Mom…  

Thinking that she had a long way to go before she was ever like her mother, Izumiko went up to her room. There was a lot to think about when it came to the connection between the goddess, Yukariko, and her, but she was too tired for that now. The noise from downstairs didn’t bother her as she slipped off into sleep.

~*~

Yukariko’s return home was short. The next morning, she received a work call and a helicopter came to bring her back that afternoon.

“Mom, you really don’t get a lot of time off.”

“Well, there isn’t much time between one incident that requires my attention and the next.”

Izumiko felt disappointed as she sat at the table with her mother as Yukariko ate breakfast. It might have been the late morning, but Yukariko was still wearing the yukata she had slept in. She had already finished Sawa’s miso soup and was now leaning back in her chair as it digested.

“I really wanted to see you off to school myself this time. I know that Mizuho was able to take you because I wasn’t there for you. How could I not know it?” she said, her voice gentle. “So, I need a break. That arrest did not feel good…”

Yukariko usually wore a lot of makeup, but seeing as it hadn’t been long since she had woken up and she hadn’t put any on yet, her skin looked a little plain in the morning light. Izumiko liked this side of her mother more than the one she had seen the night before. Her eyes were downcast and she was calm as she quietly chose her words.

Still, it was clear that she was suffering from a hangover.

“Mom… Are you okay?”

“My head is pounding.”  

Yukariko groaned and then made her way carefully to take a bath. Izumiko let out an unconscious sigh. Just like that, she had barely gotten any time to talk with her mother. It was always like this.

However, the Yukariko who came out of the bath had recovered from her hangover surprisingly quickly. Her hair was already dry, and she was dressed and made up perfectly. She invited Izumiko on a walk.

The fog had cleared up early that day, but it was still a winter day and the weather reflected that. Izumiko and her mother walked through the cold under the tall pine trees and the other trees who had all since dropped their fall colored leaves to the ground. In this season where the usual green thickets had disappeared, there were now unusual boulders to be seen around Tamakura Shrine. The two of them walked past many of them as if greeting old friends.

“A sacred stone…” Yukariko said, running a hand across a bare stone face. “The Japanese people of old used to think the gods dropped special stones from the sky. The gods were said to have picked up these stones from incredibly hot places deep down in the earth. You could tell which stones were from the gods by touching them. That’s all because Japan is in a volcanic zone, and volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and hot springs gushing from the earth are all regular occurrences here. That’s what I think at least.”

“In other words, you think the gods are the magma inside the earth?” Izumiko asked her mother in surprise. She’d never heard anyone say that before.

Yukariko gave her daughter a tiny smile.

“In other words, stones are made of minerals. They’re the furthest things from life forms and while we think of them as hard and unmoving, they also make up the core of the earth. Long before there was life on the planet, stones were moving beneath it. Most likely, that’s the earth’s true destiny and organic lifeforms are just a small part of what’s happening here. You know those first organisms that crawled up onto the surface of the earth are distant relatives of everything walking under the sun today. That fact makes me happy. Gods are the true essence of happiness. Most likely, so is the goddess.

Izumiko gazed at the boulder in front of them.

“Happiness. That’s a good thing...”

“Life invites good and evil. But for that very reason, it’s right to appreciate fear. No matter what a living thing does, the gods will bring about a bad outcome. Even so, it’s right to pray for the strength to respect the fear that comes with the outcome.”

The perfectly clear air at the top of the mountain was cold even in the bright sunlight. In the silence of the open space where they stood, Yukariko’s voice sounded flat with nothing to reverberate off of. It sounded smaller than Izumiko had ever heard it before.

“The ancient ascetic monks walked on the mountains they had devoted themselves to, training in their ascetic ways, and knew the stones around them better than anyone else. They would burn sacred sticks to ask for the gods’ blessings.—They worked with fire as well. They also learned how to refine metal. They knew where deposits of metal were and could take gold, silver, and mercury from the ground. At that time in society, people were suspicious of this knowledge and treated the people who had learned these skills like frauds.

“Traces of this lifestyle still live on in today’s ascetic monks. The goddess is capable of the same connection to the past. She can see those ascetic monks in the distant past and learn from their experiences. When the goddess’s true nature is misjudged, the gods’ purity falls victim to human suspicion. Such are the lives of humans. It’s sad, but it happens so easily.”

Not looking at her mother, Izumiko asked quietly, “What should I do? How much should I hate being born into a life like this? How much do you hate it? I’ve been wanting to ask you those things for a long time now.”

Yukariko was quiet for a minute, but then she let out a loud laugh.

“You’re still not looking beyond yourself. For the time being, go out and live a little more. Expand your point of view. When you look further, inside and out, you won’t just find good things. You’ll probably find things you don’t like. Ugly things. But if you don’t let them frighten you, you’ll find things about yourself that you can’t even imagine now. Not discovering those things would be a waste of living your life.”

“Have you discovered those things, Mom? Are you happy with the way you are and with working in public safety?”

“I don’t regret having you. That’s what you want to hear, isn’t it? I’m strong because you make me so.”

Izumiko looked at Yukariko in frustration. Her words felt empty as if she was saying them just to placate her.

“Are you strong enough not to be afraid of the goddess’s future? I’m definitely not strong enough for that.”

Yukariko’s manner changed at the emotion in Izumiko’s voice. When she looked at Izumiko this time, her expression was honest. Her eyes narrowed and she said softly, “If you’re talking about becoming a World Heritage Candidate, you’re right to be apprehensive. During my time with the goddess, I’ve tried to direct all such outcomes in a positive direction. Of course, no one can determine the future and in the end, it all comes down to what you decide. When it comes down to it though, there are the things I was able to do and the things the goddess was able to accomplish for the sake of the future. You know, your going to Houjou Academy is a new development in the goddess’s existence. It’s a place the goddess of the past has never seen before. You’ll be able to find new possibilities going forward.”

“…So, all the people I’ve met at Houjou Academy are new to the goddess too?”

Yukariko crossed her arms and then reached out to take one of her daughter’s braids in her hand. She ran the tip of her finger down it. Until now, the only other person who had made that searching gesture had been the goddess while she had been possessing her. It was so much like what she had done.

“That’s right. Even with those student’s you’ve met at school, your destiny is already slipping away from the futures I’ve experienced. The you in your braids now is a new person. A new me. A new you. We’re unique from anyone else on this planet. But isn’t that to be expected?”

“If I’m a new person, can I change the destruction in the future?” She took a breath and asked, “How can I change it?”

Yukariko smiled but then shook her head slowly.

“Don’t ask me that. You have to look for the new answers yourself. The path to those answers is spread out in front of you. Most likely, my own power will run out before you find them. But I take pride in the part I’ve played. And that feeling is nothing special. Everyone takes hold of their destiny and walks a path towards making what they want a reality.”

The way her mother spoke, Izumiko wondered if she was talking about the goddess. Still, she got the sense that it was okay if she couldn’t distinguish between the two. Her mother, the goddess… all the people in their lineage stretching all the way back had a wish—a wish to give people a better future—and that was what they strove for. For thousands of years, this was all the goddess had wanted for humankind.

Keep reading!

#rdg #red data girl #rdg 6 #rdg 6 week 33 #translation #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 25)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

Help me pay for my next translation project on Ko-fi.

It’s summer! Woo! I have the next two months more or less to myself to do all sorts of fun things, including getting back to a regular translation schedule!

Speaking of translation schedules, today marks the return of weekly RDG posts! Lots of translation time means lots of material to share with you. I’ll return to biweekly posts in the fall, but until then, enjoy lots of RDG!

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 3: Winter Solstice Part 4 (1 of 2)

As there were no windows in the hall, it was pitch black without the overhead lights on. Everyone at the party sucked in a collective breath and stopped moving. There was a beat of silence where no one said a word.

I can’t…

Painfully aware that what was happening at the moment was her doing, Izumiko was grateful when the lights flickered back on a second or two later.

“What was that? A power outage?”

“I thought it was going to be the same as what happened at the school festival!”

Relieved voices broke out across the hall. Up on the stage, Hoshino was saying something into the microphone to try and quiet the crowd.

That was close…

Izumiko realized she was covered in sweat, and chills were going down her spine. She wanted to wipe the sweat off her forehead, but her hand couldn’t reach it under the costume’s head. Izumiko took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. However, there was something stopping her from fully relaxing and she couldn’t put her finger on where the feeling was coming from. She was being pulled under further and further by thoughts there was no escaping from.

I’m completely to blame for what’s going on here. I should be the only one being pulled down into this darkness…  

Even before this, Izumiko had been afraid of what she was finding herself to be capable of. But now she knew for sure that the thing that made her quake with fear wasn’t just around her, it was inside of her. She couldn’t separate herself from the darkness, even when she went somewhere as bright and happy as where she was now.

I’m not even a little human-like. No human would call the life I live normal either…    

When she had been deep inside of Mt. Togakushi, she had felt the sensation of floating through directionless darkness. Now inside the reindeer costume, Izumiko was experiencing the same feeling. The darkness inside of her small body was just as deep and all-consuming as the darkness she had found in Togakushi.

Something suddenly came to mind then. St. Nicolas gave presents to good children while his frightening attendant carried off bad children who didn’t receive anything. Not everyone was given equal blessings. Izumiko was overcome by a feeling of profound understanding of that reality.

“Izumiko.”

Izumiko was startled by Mayura’s soft voice which was unexpectedly close by. She hadn’t noticed the other girl’s approach at all. When she looked through the mask’s peephole though, it really was Mayura. She was still dressed in her raggedy costume, and so no one seemed to notice her sitting next to a reindeer. However, the tone of her voice was sharp, conveying her urgency.

“Hey. I couldn’t recognize shikigami before, but for some reason now, I’m seeing them all over the place. The room’s crawling with them. Do you know why?”

“Shikigami?”

Izumiko sucked in a breath and hurriedly looked around her. However, all she could see were partygoers.

“I don’t see any yet. The costume makes it hard to see anything though…”

Mayura seemed surprised.

“You don’t see any? Something must have happened. I’m going to go find out if Manatsu can see any.”

With this said, Mayura quickly left Izumiko’s side. Izumiko sat there, speechless. She did have to admit that something strange was happening, though.

Even when she strained her eyes, she couldn’t pick any shikigami out of the crowd. As expected in the artificial, overhead light, everyone’s shadows looked pale and barely there. Like the time before when she had identified Nobuyuki Sakano as a shikigami, all the guests’ bodies had a grainy look to them as if they might come apart at any minute. They were all the same.

What’s happening?...  

As she looked around the room in confusion, Miyuki and Takayanagi both came into view. Miyuki rushed towards Takayanagi and began to make the nine signs he had taught Izumiko, chanting as he did so. Takayanagi began to make the signs in the familiar lattice-shaped gesture as well. This was the first time Izumiko had seen him do it.

Perhaps it was due to the self-protection charms they were chanting, but Miyuki and Takayanagi looked less insubstantial than the people around them. Inside of her mask, Izumiko couldn’t hear distant sounds well, but she easily picked up what Miyuki said to Takayanagi.

“Don’t you think there’s a limit to what you should do? You’re so full of yourself that you brought this many shikigami here?! The regular students are going to notice something at this point!”

“Before you blame anyone, take a good look. Those aren’t shikigami. They’re something else. I thought their numbers had been growing,” Takayanagi practically snapped.

As he spoke, he pulled a piece of paper cut into a human-like form from his breast pocket and brought it to his mouth. He blew it towards a nearby female student in a costume. When the paper touched her, she disappeared. The fact remained though that to Izumiko, the girl hadn’t looked different from any other human.

“Ah, so she disappeared. Good. It doesn’t make any difference to me,” Miyuki said irritably. As he spoke, he began to swing his staff around in a way that suggested the action and its goal really didn’t make a difference to him. More students began to disappear. Only then did he appear to notice what Izumiko had already seen—all the students looked like the ones that were currently disappearing.

Mayura’s voice traveled to Izumiko in the same way as Miyuki’s had before. “Hey, Spot. Even if you’ve finally gotten to the point where you can’t control all your shikigami, you don’t have to announce it to the world.”

“Who are you calling Spot?” Takayanagi shot back unabashedly.

When Izumiko turned her reindeer head, she saw Manatsu with Mayura. They were walking forward hand in hand. Manatsu had taken off the upper half of his animal costume and had wrapped the arms around his waist to keep the bottom half up over the clothes he wore underneath. Mayura was already speaking to Takayanagi.

“You’ve had your chance, so now it’s Masumi’s turn. You’re not allowed to complain, even when he cleans all of this up. After everything’s over, you should consider apologizing to the adults for what you’ve done.”

Manatsu looked serious as he and his sister twisted their hands into a number of different gestures not unlike the ones Miyuki and Takayanagi were making. After a moment though, he glanced at Mayura as if realizing something.  

“Shoot. We messed up. It probably wasn’t the best idea to call Masumi right away…”

“Why?” Mayura asked in surprise.

It was Masumi, appearing in full form in front of them, who answered though.

“Mayura, why are you never dressed up like a princess? It’s so discouraging to me.”

Masumi was dressed in the same outfit Mayura was, complete with the fraying apron and kerchief on his head. He crouched down, looking sullen. “You know I can’t do my best when I don’t like what I’m wearing…”

“Alright, alright. I’ll go change,” Mayura said, sounding as if she had given up. Then she hurriedly walked away.

What was strange about the whole scene was that none of the other students, teachers, or guardians seemed to be paying any attention to what was going on. They all just kept talking to one another. No notice was taken of the people who Takayanagi and Miyuki had made disappear. It was as if those students had simply walked away or left the party. The non-shikigami that had escaped the two of them seemed to be sluggishly moving away without anymore fuss.

What if this is another dimension?… What if this is all happening outside of reality?...

A thought suddenly occurred to Izumiko. While she had thought everything had gone back to normal a second after the lights had gone out, something was slightly different.

Is this someplace inside of me?...

This way of thinking gave her a reasonable explanation for why she hadn’t been able to detect any shikigami. If this was someplace inside of her, then everything here was a part of her. It was strange that Miyuki and the others were acting the way they always did, but maybe this was some sort of phenomenon brought on by her desires.

I’ve been sucked down into myself. I have to find the reality beyond this…

It was difficult to be aware of the outside world when she was in a place with no apparent way out. As much as she didn’t want to, she forced her awareness in the direction of the party.

It had gotten dark outside of the auditorium. She could taste that darkness and the chill of the rattling branches on the trees across the campus. Beyond the noises of the wind, she could hear what sounded vaguely like far off, distant thunder.

Ah, it’s getting closer…

Izumiko realized this through her reluctance. Now that she was aware of it, the sound was slowly beginning to grow louder. Her senses were getting sharper, but they still offered no help. The unpleasantness of the noises continued to increase. The low bass noises felt as if they were burrowing into her head.

While it sounded like thunder, it was different from the real thing. What she heard now was a mix of ground shaking rumble and high-pitched noise. The ground shaking rumble sounded like a herd of horses’ hooves, and the high-pitched noise was like dogs howling.

…Is it the Wild Hunt?...

As she thought of this, she lost her train of thought connecting her to the outside world. She remembered what she had looked up after the exams. This was like Japan’s night parade of one hundred demons. The Wild Hunt with its supernatural hunters chasing after the dead… The collection of spirits that prowled through the darkness and storms that came along in the dead of winter…

They collect souls. The hunters of darkness that ride black horses and own black hunting dogs…

There was a thunderous roar accompanied by an ominous tremor that made her stomach quake and all the doors in the auditorium fly open. A white, mist like haze flowed into the room.

Izumiko knew that the pack of howling dogs was now in the lobby. Then they were barreling into the room, jumping and leaping as they went. A black shadow rose up in the middle of the mist. The first horse of the hunt placed a heavy hoof on the floor and let out a snort before immediately advancing. More horses followed after it, their tack jangling as their massive bodies stepped forward. Their riders, however, were less substantial than their mounts. They were little more than their brimmed hats, cloaks, boots, and gloves, like mummies or bare skeletons.

The area covered by the white mist was growing, making it hard to see the people at the party. Still, no one noticed. They paid no attention to the shadow hunters, nor did the hunters have any interest in them. The object of their hunt, the reason these dead had come together, was her alone.

This is my problem…

The hunters were the only things Izumiko could see in the darkness of her costume. At the same moment that she realized the position she was currently in, Claus let out a yell next to her.

“Ah! Keep the dogs away from me please, Izumiko.”  

“Claus, you can see them?”

“Hunting dogs are the worst. I’ve been bitten before.”

Izumiko didn’t have the time to look in Claus’s direction, but there was no doubt that he could see the black dogs from the fear audible in his voice. She took another deep breath, unsure of what to do.

“What’s happening…”

“Izumiko.”

She could hear Miyuki’s voice right next to her. She hadn’t noticed his approach anymore than she had Claus’s. When she gravely brought her hands up and turned the reindeer head, she saw Miyuki dressed in his ascetic monk’s garb and holding his staff horizontally over his head. She knew he was focused on the threat coming through the doors of the hall.

“You can see them too, Miyuki?”

“Of course I can. What do you think the point of having Wamiya with me is?” Izumiko got the sense that Miyuki had intended to speak calmly, but his voice came out hollow.

The dead hunters on their black horses and the pack of black dogs continued forward. The dogs’ deafening baying and the sounds of the horses’ hooves grew, but so did another sound—unsettling silent screams that seemed to enter her body not through her ears, but through her skin. This was joined by the high pitched, metallic sound and the unforgettable scent of death.

Unable to shout over all the noise, Miyuki brought his face close to the reindeer head.

“I don’t know why they’re here, but I’m going to drive them away. I don’t need your help, so go stand by Takayanagi.”

Izumiko held her breath. She was no longer capable of knowing if she was talking to the real Miyuki or if this was a dream. Uncertain of herself, she said weakly, “You can’t drive them away anymore. This is what’s inside of me. So there’s no point in running from it…”

“What are you talking about? I have no idea what you’re trying to say, but snap out of it. You know how to protect yourself, so don’t let them get into your head!”

Miyuki clapped a hand onto the reindeer costume’s shoulder and shook her as if trying to wake her up.

“Get it together! Everyone’s doing their best to keep you hidden.”

Izumiko couldn’t feel much through the thick fabric of the costume, but the sense of Miyuki’s touch reached her. Belatedly, she realized that they weren’t in her own personal darkness.

Ah… Alright. So I have to replace the barrier…

She knew at once what was making reality so messy. She hadn’t truly realized the reason for her protection charm, one so large it covered the whole campus, until now.

…They said that the winter solstice is the darkest day of the year…

It was as if she had opened her eyes for the first time since all of this had begun. It all made sense now. The darkness of the season had a dark effect on Izumiko’s power as well. It was something that was necessary for her to understand. Just like summer and winter came and went. Just like day and night danced around each other. This world was always shifting back and forth between light and darkness here and there. While certain things remained throughout the year, the world was not something that remained the same all the time. It was made to constantly recreate itself.

I can’t chase the darkness away from myself. But if I know that there’s a way through the darkness inside of me, I can change how I deal with it. I don’t have to let the darkness take me over…

As Izumiko discovered this about herself, Miyuki continued speaking about something else.

“I feel the same way as Mayura. I’m not happy about working with Takayanagi. It’s just that he’s here in the right place at the right time. I feel bad about saying this to Mayura and Manatsu, but we can’t let Masumi take control of this place. If he swallows up this many spirits, he’ll become invincible.”

Now that Izumiko knew that Miyuki really was himself, she was positive that this wasn’t a dream. She answered him.

“Yeah, I agree.”

Hearing her words, Miyuki turned away and called out in the opposite direction, “It sounds like we’re ready! Let’s start, Takayanagi.”

It appeared that Ichijo Takayanagi was also completely capable of seeing the Wild Hunt. Its appearance, however, seemed to have taken him very much by surprise. He faltered, not beginning whatever magic he was supposed to, and Miyuki was forced to urge him on before he began to chant.

The little paper dolls that Takayanagi blew into and then threw towards the oncoming hunt seemed like nothing compared to what they were up against. They were simply blown back in Takayanagi’s direction by the power of the invading force, fluttering up into the air.

However, up in the air, the appearingly useless charms began to change form one by one. Letting off golden glows so powerful they sent beams of light streaming down below them, they became dazzling balls of light. A second later, they had grown wings and were flying through the mist, leaving trails of brightness behind them.

Takayanagi’s creations were so bright that it was difficult to make out their actual forms, but the V-shape of their wings made them look like birds of prey. As they glided through the air, the lights split, increasing their numbers. Eventually, the whole hall was filled with light and it became clear that the black hunting party would not be able to keep moving forward. The strength of the ear-splitting noise weakened, and the hound’s baying began to lessen.

Eventually, the horses and their riders began to fade. They changed from midnight black to light grey, then continued on to an even lighter misty dust color. The dogs, horses, and the dead were surrounded by the birds of light. Then they disappeared.

Keep reading!

#rdg #red data girl #rdg 6 #rdg 6 week 25 #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars #translation

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 26)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

Help me pay for my next translation project on Ko-fi.

My summer vacation is off to a great start! I don’t get a lot of time to work on personal projects during the school year, but this week I’ve gotten a good chunk of translation done, worked on some personal writing, gotten back into a daily running routine, and finished a cross stitch I’ve been working on as a wedding present for a friend. It feels good to be so productive!

Enjoy this week’s RDG!

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 3: Winter Solstice Part 4 (2 of 2)

The Christmas party was still going on.

It was uncertain how many people had noticed that something strange had occurred. Still, there must have been some sort of indication that something had happened because compared to the energy of the first half of the party, the mood had lessened somewhat. Mayura chose this opportunity to change into Cinderella’s ballgown, and she joined Honoka in her prince’s outfit. That brightened the mood again and caused the crowd to break out in a round of applause.

Izumiko couldn’t watch Mayura in her new outfit. Now that it was clear that the ghostly hunters in their black garb were gone and the space had fully returned to reality with the party going continuing, Izumiko suddenly felt all of her energy leave her body, making her knees grow weak. Noticing this, Miyuki and Claus took her by the arm and led her out of the room.

The moment they stepped through the door that led from the spare room on the side of the auditorium into the hallway, Izumiko sank down into a nearby seat. Miyuki hurriedly pulled the reindeer head off of her, alarmed by her inability to stand.

“Are you alright, Izumiko?”

Izumiko appeared from inside her disguise, covered in a cold sweat and letting out gasping breaths. Her braids were messy and parts of her hair were sticking to her forehead.

“I… I was so scared…”

Claus repeated her sentiments from his place beside her, his expression serious. “I get that. Those apparitions were scary. You did really well.”

“What exactly happened?” Miyuki asked, looking troubled. “Why did you panic like that? This time, no one was bothering you. You were just standing there in your costume, but then the power went out, and the auditorium went into another dimension…”

“You haven’t been feeling well, have you, Izumiko? Not for a while.” Claus said.

For a moment, all Izumiko could do was keep gasping for breath, unable to say anything. But little by little, the sharp fear that was making her body tremble all over lessened, and the feeling of danger left her. Now she could speak to Miyuki and Claus. Unfortunately, even after her breathing had quieted, she found that she couldn’t put the situation into words well.

“…It was dark in the costume. So, it was getting hard to breath. I could barely see the people around me. It made me think that everyone was far away and I was completely alone.”

“Izumiko, you’re not afraid of closed in spaces, are you?” Miyuki spoke up quickly. “You’ve got the symptoms of claustrophobia. Have you been feeling badly since you put the costume on?”

Izumiko blinked a number of times. She hadn’t considered it before, but now that she thought about it, she had never liked closed in spaces. She had pushed herself too hard and hadn’t noticed that her discomfort had begun as soon as she had put the reindeer head on.

“…That sounds about right. There’s not much space inside the mask and I don’t like being completely wrapped up in this costume from head to toe.”

Surprised by Izumiko’s declaration, Miyuki let out a long sigh.

“Why didn’t you say from the start that you didn’t like the costume? You’re so dumb.”

“I couldn’t say anything though. Everyone’s going out of their way to think about my wellbeing,” Izumiko protested weakly, but Miyuki frowned.

“If you’re getting hurt in the process of people trying to be nice, they’re not taking care of you. You have to make it clear when you don’t like something. Didn’t something big just happen because you didn’t say anything? And what was up with those ghosts at the end? Once you seemed to get control of your powers again, it was like you gave them a power up.”

“I don’t know. I think it happened on its own.”

Izumiko was a little frustrated to see that he was getting upset over something he didn’t have anything to do with. A little of that energy returned with her frustration though.

“I might not have been able to say that I didn’t like the costume before, but if it’s alright with you, I’ll say it now. It’s pretty difficult standing around in a full body costume when everyone’s talking and laughing and having a good time. Only people who have experienced it would know though.”

When all I’m doing is standing around on the edge of a party, I just can’t find the urge to give you the present I bought for you…  

She realized that she wasn’t actually angry—she wanted to cry. And with that, whatever willpower that had been holding back the tears that were now pooling around her eyelashes disappeared. They overflowed and dripped down on the brown fur of her reindeer costume.

“…This is the first party I’ve ever been to.”

“I know. Stop. I get it, so stop crying,” Miyuki said quickly, caught off guard.

He leaned forward towards Izumik, who was still sitting down, and placed a hand on her small head.

“I know you were only trying to get through what you had to do, but don’t cry in a place like this. Nothing happened during the actual party in reality, so I think we can say it’s a success. That’s a reason to smile, you know.”

“Yeah… But still,” Izumiko said, tears still streaming down her face. “I bought clothes specifically for today’s party. Jewelry too!”

“Then that’s even more reason not to be crying,” Miyuki replied, easily rejecting her words. Before Izumiko could respond, he continued. “Even if you don’t get a chance to change outfits today, doesn’t that just mean you should find an opportunity to wear them some other time? If it’s that important to you, I’ll come up with something. Christmas Eve is coming, you know.”

Izumiko had continued to sniffle while listening to what Miyuki had to say, but when she heard his last words, her tears abruptly stopped. She wiped her eyes with a costumed hand.

“Come up with something… For what?”

“Something for us to do. We could go to karaoke or see a movie or something.”

“Really?”

Now certain that she was done crying, Claus’s face broke into an expression of candid relief.

“I’m going to go see if they’ve brought out the cake for the end of the party. I’ll grab both of you pieces, and let’s eat together.”

*****

While Izumiko, Miyuki, and Claus were sitting in the spare room eating their cake off paper plates, Ichijo Takayanagi walked in.  

He was still wearing his diviner’s outfit, but he had taken off the tall hat that went with it. As a result, he didn’t look as tall as he had before. His expression was calmer than it had been at the beginning of the party, too.

“Now I get why you have to hide, Izumiko. It’s not a question of the level of your abilities. It’s when they’ll appear next,” he said, not bothering with a greeting first.

Surprised by his entrance, Izumiko, Miyuki, and Claus all stopped eating.

“Would you say that we entered another dimension back there?” Miyuki responded very carefully.

“If you thought that Izumiko’s powers were the opposite of diviner powers, you’d be wrong. She’s the source of all the power that’s been appearing here. She’s a powerful point of magical reference.” Takayanagi wet his lips and then continued. “Izumiko didn’t seal away my shikigami. She doesn’t know how to do things like seal or bind. That’s not what she’s doing. She’s altering the flow of magic from its origin even though she has no clue what she’s doing.”

“Aren’t you the one benefiting from this alteration?” Miyuki said, sounding unconcerned. “From what I saw, your magic seems to be more powerful than it was before.”

“In divination, there are rules and logic. Fundamentally, the idea is that chaos builds up in our world, and rules and logic are the restraints that we have been provided with to hold it at bay. Therefore, the ability to bind magic is essential. That’s not what Izumiko’s abilities are though. They amplify things. That’s what she does.”

After finishing a large bite of his remaining cake, Miyuki put his plate down.

“And?”

“And, you say? Izumiko has shown you what she’s capable of. So why aren’t you frightened by it? She amplified the good and the bad indiscriminately just now. My shikigami and those unidentifiable spirits of the dead!”

Takayanagi waved both his hands around as he spoke, but Miyuki only shrugged.

“Well, that’s probably because she’s not used to what she’s doing yet. It’s not that I don’t get what you’re saying. The whole reason why the ascetic monks call the goddess the goddess is because she’s a source of power. But it’s ridiculous to be afraid of her. Izumiko’s the one with all that power and all she can think about is party clothes.”

“That’s a terrible way of putting it, Miyuki,” Izumiko complained, setting her own plate down. However, now that she was feeling better, she could reflect calmly on what she had done. Even when Takayanagi met her gaze, she was able to speak her mind without backing down.

“Today, I thought a lot about the things you’ve said to me. I don’t think what you’re feeling is wrong exactly. That’s why the ascetic monks need to hide me away. So that I’m not used for something strange and dangerous.”

Takayanagi looked at Izumiko and let out a short sigh.

“I’m aware that you were the one that so easily made my shikigami so powerful and allowed me to achieve the feat I did today. I can’t say why or how from what I saw, but the thing that descended on the party was probably trying to test the power that it felt here. It was something that leaked out of its own barrier.”

Miyuki glanced at Izumiko next to him.

“The group that appeared were demons from the west. Was Izumiko influenced by hearing their story from Hoshino?”

“That may have been it, but…” Izumiko murmured.

Had she been that frightened by the story, she wondered. She was suddenly embarrassed.

“I believe it’s possible that they may have come that far, even though they aren’t familiar with our campus,” Takayanagi said with mixed emotions. “Situations like that have happened before, so it’s likely that’s what happened here. It seems that there’s still reason to examine what it would mean for us to cooperate with each other.”

“Yes, yes. We need to look into that,” an unexpected voice said, interrupting Takayanagi. “But this time, at least, you get passing marks for cooperation.”

The four students in the spare room all turned their heads to look towards the door. Angelica was standing there in her umbrella-like pink skirt.

“My father’s going to be extremely pleased that there are such outstanding students here,” she said in a carefree tone. “It would be amazing if you all joined forces. My father said you’d become World Heritage Candidates, just like the Kii Mountain Range.”

Izumiko felt her heart speed up at the mention of her home. “Um, what do you mean like the Kii Mountain Range?”

“The Kii Mountain Range is a group of World Heritage sites like none other in the world. There are so many temples, shrines, and spiritual places, all connected by pilgrimages by people of all different religions. You’ll probably be recommended as a team for World Heritage Candidate. At least that’s what my father said.”

“As a team?...”

Dumbfounded, Takayanagi asked suspiciously, “Angelica, who’s going to be on this team? Are the Soudas included in this too?”

“Everyone’s included. The student government too,” Angelica answered with a bright laugh. “Izumiko and everyone who protects her are valuable. Also, I don’t think you know this yet, but this was what the chairman was aiming for from the start. My father is finally going to be interested in what’s happening here!”

Keep reading!

#rdg #red data girl #rdg 6 #rdg 6 week 26 #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars #translation

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 24)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

Help me pay for my next translation project on Ko-fi.

Nine more days left of school! I repeat, nine more days left of school! How great is that? I’m looking forward to summer vacation. I’ll be doing a lot of little travel between family obligations, some trips with friends, and a little working holiday I’m planning for myself. Mostly though, I’m planning to take some much needed downtime for myself the attention this translation deserves!

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 3: Winter Solstice Part 3 (2 of 2)

At four o’clock, the auditorium opened and students started gathering inside.  

When Izumiko looked around at the people arriving, she saw that plenty of students were wearing normal clothing, but many others had come dressed in costumes as well. From what she could see through her mask, there were even some students dressed in full out cosplay. As a result, the student government members did not stick out very much at all. It looked like many of the foreign students had gotten a taste for traditional Japanese clothing during the festival, because an unusual amount of them had even arrived in kimonos.

The whole event hadn’t turned out very much like a Christmas party, but Hoshino had said from the start that he hadn’t been aiming for a religious feel. They had even gone out of their way not to use any ornaments on the Christmas tree that would be construed as Christian symbols. With that said, they had used plenty of tinsel, ribbon, glass balls, and blinking strings of lights, and the auditorium was admittedly decorated in red and green.

As plenty of teachers were also in attendance, there were far more adults scattered around the room than Izumiko had thought there would be. Unsurprisingly, none of the teachers were dressed in costumes, but they were wearing cone shaped party hats happily enough. There were other teachers standing around the tables at the edge of the room where sandwiches, cookies, and drinks had been set up.

…This really does feel like a party…

At the start of the event before everyone had arrived, Izumiko had felt like she had been looking in at the big room and its decorations from some outside place, but now she couldn’t help but feel drawn in by the festivities. The white-haired Santa Claus was, of course, a huge hit, and Izumiko, in her matching reindeer costume, walked around with him. Santa had candy in his bag and he handed it out to the people around them as they went, making him even more popular.

Practically all the people who came to see Santa also wanted to shake Izumiko’s hand once they saw her in her costume, not that they knew who she was. For some time, she, the reindeer, became a one stop handshake station.

Eventually, volunteers stepped up onto the stage to sing a song or perform a short skit, and most of the crowd was drawn in that direction. Only then did Izumiko realize just how tired she had become. The festivities hadn’t livened her mood as much as she had thought they would.

What’s wrong? I’m here at this great party, aren’t I? Is this because the barrier’s not up today?...

A strange, uncanny feeling that she hadn’t felt in a while returned. There were shikigami mixed in with the students in the hall. That was most likely why she was feeling so off.

Now that I think about it, I have been acting pretty carefree about everything lately…  

Not far away, Manatsu, who was dressed in a wolf costume not unlike Izumiko’s reindeer, had taken off his wolf head and was playfully putting it on different students. Izumiko had no intentions of doing the same thing.

After the chairman had made his opening speech on the stage, he had disappeared into the crowd of students and now was out of sight. It was the same with the parents who had run the bazaar during the festival. She could not spot even one of them through the wide mouth of the reindeer.

“Let’s take a break, Miss Reindeer,” Claus said unexpectedly.

When she turned her head in his direction, she saw that the Santa bag he was holding was more or less empty.

“Let’s go into the side room and have some juice and sandwiches. They say you can’t work on an empty stomach, and besides, we’re guests at this party, too.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Izumiko was relieved to know that they were in agreement. Her throat was painfully dry. Seeing as she couldn’t use her hands very well in the costume’s gloves, Claus picked up some food for her, and the two of them slowly made their way to the side of the auditorium.

No one would be able to see them in the side room. When they got to there, Izumiko took off the reindeer head. Only then did she realize how difficult it had been to breath inside of it. That was part of the reason she hadn’t been able to relax so far during the party.

Claus, having taken off his own white beard, looked over at her.

“Oh! Your color’s not good,” he said, sounding a little surprised. “Are you feeling sick, Izumiko?”

“No. I’m just not used to the costume. That’s all. I’ll be fine after our break,” she answered quickly. She pulled off the costume’s gloves and undid the fastener at her back so that she could pull the fuzzy fabric down around her waist. This immediately made her feel much better. She accepted a cup of orange juice gratefully.

Claus placed a red and white napkin on his costumed lap and enthusiastically began eating a sandwich. He seemed to have had enough of the party for the time being while working as Santa, and did not mind at all that they were eating outside of the main hall.

Izumiko considered how Claus was helping her out by coming out here so that she didn’t eat alone. It was something a good-natured Santa would do.

She took the seat next to Claus and decided that she would ask him somewhat of a personal question. She had never had a chance to talk with him one on one before.

“Hey, does it bother you at all when Takayanagi chants Bible verses? Isn’t that upsetting to you as a Christian?”

Claus blinked his dark blue eyes and stopped eating for a moment to think about this. Then he opened his mouth and said, “Hmm…. It doesn’t bother me. There’s power in the words of the Bible and that’s what’s important. I see it as something Takayanagi and I can agree on. There are people who grew up in the same culture as me, but there are even more who grew up in cultures different from mine. It is possible to become friends with anyone.”

“You can forgive people for using your magic even though they don’t believe in Christianity?” Izumiko asked.

His response was unexpected.

“Honestly, there are more things I cannot forgive fellow Christians of. Germany has a past full of it. The Catholics and Protestants have come together in hate many times and have killed many people.”

“That is true…”

“Theology isn’t tolerant at all. I think there are definitely people who hear one thing and immediately say it’s wrong. Before I say something is wrong though, I want to learn more about it,” Claus said, smiling at Izumiko. “You’re the same, aren’t you, Izumiko? If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have come here. I’d like to be a priest, but I don’t know if I’ll really be able to do that.”

His unconcerned way of speaking was strange to Izumiko. She let out a quiet laugh.

“I can tell that you have a big heart, Claus. That’s why you were able to take on the job of American Santa so well.”      

“I don’t think I really could have refused. Even though the feel and the look of Christmas is different from country to country, I think it brings people from all over the world together. Today is the shortest day of the year, and with the shadows coming down on us, it’s a reason for people to come together and celebrate.”

“This is a winter solstice party?”

“Germany’s at a higher latitude than Japan, so the days are much shorter in the winter there,” Claus said thoughtfully. “It has a feeling of being wrapped in darkness. During this season, we light candles on a specific day to invite the light back in. Supernatural forces can wander around in the shadows, so we do this to chase those forces away and light a figurative flame in our souls. Christmas decorations sparkle in the lights that are lit, which is why we put them up.”

***

Talking about Christmas lightened Izumiko’s mood. Between that and the sandwich and cookies she ate, Izumiko felt like she could keep wearing the reindeer costume until the end of the party.

I just have to bear with it a little longer. I need to stay hidden today…

When she slid back into the upper half of the costume and went back into the auditorium, Hoshino was up on stage with the microphone, inviting people to join him for a game. Okouchi was spinning a bingo cage with intensity. Seeing as there were prizes to win, most of the party goers’ attention had moved to that area of the room.

“Do you want to play bingo? We’re guests here too, after all.”

“Yeah. You’re right…” Izumiko agreed, but her costume’s gloves blocked the numbers on her playing card. She made herself busy looking around the room instead.

She watched patiently from her place at the edge of the crowd. As she looked, she spotted Takayanagi’s tall hat appear as he stood up in the middle of a group of his followers. There were a number of girls in the group, but there also seemed to be a good amount of boys as well. The group didn’t seem to be up to any trouble though, so that was fine.

As Izumiko looked around the crowd further, she saw that Mayura and Honoka had already found the chairman as they had promised they would. It was about time for Mayura to change into her princess costume, but maybe unwilling to cut the conversation short, she was still in her handkerchief and apron.

The chairman smiled through the whole conversation. He was middle aged and sturdily built although not very large. He did not act all important despite his job title. From his soft outer appearance, he didn’t look like the sort of person who would scheme either, but Izumiko knew better than that.

Mayura, Honoka, and the chairman may have been deep in conversation about something, but of course, Izumiko wasn’t close enough to hear what was being said, so she turned the reindeer head to look somewhere else. Miyuki wasn’t part of the discussion with the chairman…

After a bit of searching, she found Miyuki in his ascetic monk outfit. He was with Angelica, a little removed from the rest of the crowd.

Angelica’s costume was just as outlandish as Izumiko had thought it would be. Her skirt was umbrella wide and looked something like what might be worn on stage at a ballet except that it was part of a party dress covered in lace and ribbon that a little girl would wear. Her hair was up in pigtails decorated with more ribbons. While students were whispering “magical girl?” back and forth to each other about the costume, that was definitely not what she was wearing.

Up until now, Izumiko had never seen Miyuki have a one on one conversation with Angelica. Here they were though, wrapped up in their own discussion to a point where no other student tried to break in. Just then, Angelica’s face broke into a bright smile and she happily beckoned someone over. A foreign man in began to approach the two. It was probably Pierre, Angelica’s father.    

What am I doing here?... Izumiko thought suddenly.

Out of nowhere, it felt like it was even harder to breath in the mask than it had been before.

I’m hiding in people’s shadows, disguising myself like this, and just staring out at a party through a peephole. There’s no reason for me to be here…

She recalled what Takayanagi had said. He had wanted to understand why she was going this far to hide from the public eye. If she wanted a reason why the goddess shouldn’t become the World Heritage Candidate, she had one. Izumiko desperately wanted to live a normal life and for that very reason, she needed to ask the others for their support in making that happen. However, she hadn’t realized that as she had been bumbling along.

Watching Miyuki’s lively back and forth with people like Angelica and Pierre made Izumiko think that what he had said about being fine with the news about Kaori had only been words. But she was also pretty sure that had been obvious from the start.

Of course he’d care. It’s his mom…

Sooner or later Miyuki would travel overseas now that he knew where she was. Izumiko was already sure of that much as well. Whether it would be because of who he was or what he was capable of, it was something he would have to do. It wasn’t just his mother who had gone abroad. His father, Yukimasa, was the sort of person who wandered as well.

Miyuki will have a future that’ll take him far away. I’m different… I’ll be hidden by other people my whole life and so there’s no place for me to go. Even if I could hide myself away and put off what’ll eventually happen, there’s no place that Miyuki and I could go together…  

Becoming aware of the darkness in the costume’s mask, she began to feel like she was the only one wrapped in shadows. That seemed fitting for her. When it came down to it, she was really the one who was carrying around all the darkness with her.    

Without me even realizing it, everyone’s bound me to their own plans... It’s just like what Takayanagi was trying to say. He was right about everything. About Miyuki, too.

Her panic was rising, but at least she knew it was creeping up on her. She wanted to scream for no reason. Just as she realized exactly what was going on, all the lights in the auditorium; strings of Christmas lights, everything, went out.

Keep reading!

#rdg #red data girl #rdg 6 #rdg 6 week 24 #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars #translation

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 27)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

Help me pay for my next translation project on Ko-fi.

I did it! This week I finished translating RDG 6! And with that, I’ve finished translating the RDG series! There’s a new book that came out last year, Ice Shoes, Glass Shoes, and I do plan on translating that, but it’s a book of short stories, not a seventh book in the series. Keep an eye out for more information on what I’ll be doing after RDG 6.

While I’m finished translating RDG 6, I still have another 100 or so pages of the book left to post here for you. I expect that I’ll be posting the last piece of the story sometime in early September. Until then, enjoy the last third of the book!

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 4: Mizuho Part 1 (1 of 2)

The December closing ceremony was set for the 22nd.

Many of the students who lived far away would be leaving for home that day. However, Izumiko, Miyuki, and the Souda siblings had plans to stay at the school until the 25th. Miyuki had not forgotten the promise he had made to put something together for them and their friends to do so that Izumiko could dress up and Mayura and Manatsu had readily agreed to the suggestion as well.

However, something unexpected occurred the day before the closing ceremony. While gathered at one of the cafeteria’s white tables and just about to finish their lunch, Miyuki said, “I got an invitation to a party on Christmas Eve. It’s for all of us. Angelica’s putting it together at her home and she’s invited ten or so of her new friends. What do everyone’s plans look like?”

“What?! Her house in Paris?” Izumiko asked, the words coming out of her mouth before she could think about them.

Miyuki turned to look at her, his eyes disbelieving. “Yeah, right. There’s no way we could go there even if she invited us. Her father apparently has an apartment he rents in here in Tokyo. Here are your official invitations.”

Miyuki handed each of them an envelope. Their names had been written on them. The card inside, decorated with Christmas-y drawings, gave the date, time, and address. While Izumiko had been indeed invited to the barbeque at the Souda’s house that summer, this was the first time she had gotten a formal written invitation to a party. She stared at the card for some time, struck by its novelty.

“The address is in Minato-ku, the harbor district. Angelica’s dad really is rich just like she said then,” Mayura said with admiration. Then she looked towards Miyuki questioningly. “But why did she pass this information on through you? Were you talking to her about something? You’ve gotten awfully close to her lately, haven’t you?”

Izumiko immediately turned to look at Miyuki, taking in his expression at Mayura’s question. It was something she had wanted to ask about as well.

Miyuki, apathetic to their suspicion, denied the connection. “You’re wrong. It’s Claus I’ve been getting to know. He’s the one I got the information about the party from. Apparently, Claus mentioned to Angelica that you didn’t have fun at the school party, Izumiko, and that’s how we got the invitations. He also told me that most of the people who are invited are exchange students, but he knew you wanted another chance to dress up.”

Izumiko was quiet for a moment as she gazed at the invitation one more time. There were a lot of things she hadn’t experienced yet, including karaoke, going to a movie theater, and attending a party at a friend’s house to name a few. Going into the city just to have some fun was a big event for her.

“If the four of us are together, I’ll go anywhere…”

When Miyuki had promised to put together some other opportunity to celebrate Christmas, Izumiko had secretly imagined that he had been talking about a first date. After he had brought the suggestion up with Mayura and Manatsu though, she had felt a mix of disappointment and relief. With that said, Izumiko certainly felt the most at peace when the four of them were together. Now that she had friends as good as these, she was ready to try anything.

…But Angelica’s party feels a little like a trick.    

Manatsu didn’t seem to have much interest in going to the party. He was holding the invitation between two fingers and waving it back and forth like a fan as he said, “I like your first idea of going to see a movie better. Or just us going to karaoke. I really didn’t ask for anything boring like this.”

“Takayanagi isn’t one of those friends Angelica’s invited, is he?” Mayura asked quickly. She, unlike her brother, seemed interested in going.

Miyuki nodded. “I didn’t ask, but I’d say there’s a good chance of that.”

“Then, let’s not go… Or at least that’s what I want to say, but I really want to.”

Mayura leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. “Angelica’s dad is the one who is came up with the idea of us coming together as a team to become the World Heritage Candidates, right? What do you think about that? Should we be grateful?”

“What are your thoughts on it, Mayura?” Miyuki asked instead. “That’s what I’d rather hear. Obviously, Izumiko and I will be grateful if none of this continues on beyond school. But you wouldn’t really understand that, would you?”

The bright winter sunlight shone through the big glass windows of the cafeteria. With the seating so near to those windows, it was practically like sitting in a sunroom. Seeing as exam days were only half days of class, the cafeteria was mostly empty. The space was quiet and comfortable, a far cry from what it always seemed to be like when it was packed with students arriving for lunch. Izumiko and the others were now basking in the calm. They had all taken off their uniform blazers, revealing their v-neck sweaters beneath.

Mayura looked around the room for a moment. Then she pushed her hair behind her shoulders and replied, “…That’s not true.  I had completely given up on becoming the World Heritage Candidate, so when I heard the chairman had said something like that, I was unexpectedly happy. I thought, ‘So they don’t think I’m useless. Isn’t it good that they changed their minds? I’ll be with Izumiko. It’s great that I’ll be in a position where I can protect her.’ When the shikigami started to attack at the party, all I could think about was how important it was to make sure she was safe.”

Izumiko was well aware that she would only ever be seen as someone who needed protecting. Just thinking about what might have happened if she had stayed in that dark place still made her stomach drop.

“It seems like there’s still a lot of things I don’t know about myself…” she said dejectedly. “I felt the dimension change during the party. I’m really sorry for being so useless.”

“If we’re talking about not knowing ourselves, then I’m a mystery too,” Mayura said, sounding caught up in her thoughts. “I started seeing shikigami out of nowhere, remember? Before, I could never make out the differences you described between them and humans.”

“Me too,” Manatsu added. “I can spot them a lot better than I could before. I have a theory. Maybe once the campus came under Izumiko’s control, this and that started changing little by little.”

“Like, the campus is changing to resemble the way Izumiko sees it?” Mayura cocked her head to one side and then said hesitantly, “I didn’t want to say this in front of Takayanagi before, but now that I can see the shikigami, I feel a lot better about them. I can’t think that they’re entirely bad anymore…”

“I didn’t think they were from the start. That’s why I said you were being too stubborn about them.”

Hearing her brother say this, Mayura lifted her chin primly. “We might disagree with the diviner when it comes to our opinions on using shikigami, but now it’s clear where we stand with him. That’s because now, everyone knows he’s not the best magic user on campus. I think it’s safe to say he never gives up though.”

Manatsu laughed and said off-handedly, “Think of the shikigami as Spot’s toys. Anyway, Masumi’s definitely more powerful than he is. And now that Izumiko’s forgiven Takayanagi, we can be on just as good terms with him as we are with Masumi. But have you noticed that since he started saying the school is his, it feels like a load has been taken off?”

“Oh. Now that you mention it, I have noticed that. I haven’t needed as much sleep.”

Mayura stared at him. The day after the party, both she and Izumiko had gone about their day completely normally with no ill effects despite everything that had happened.  

“Something’s definitely different,” she said. “Is it what you mentioned before?”

Miyuki, who hadn’t said anything until this point, opened his mouth and said thoughtfully, “Takayanagi said that the goddess can alter the flow of magic from its origin and amplify it. Maybe that’s what’s different. Speaking of becoming a team, I still don’t know how I feel about it, but I heard what you had to say, Mayura, Manatsu, and it sounds like we need to talk things out more before we make any decisions. We’re not just dealing with divine spirits and ghosts here. We’re all people who are being affected by living inside of the goddess’s barrier.”

Izumiko’s heart lightened as she thought of what Hodaka had said to her during their last meeting.

President Hodaka said everything in this world shares the same roots. Humans are just one part of a greater picture. But humans are a big part of nature…

Manatsu smirked, saying, “I guess we’d become Team Goddess. That sounds good. Team Goddess. It sounds like fun to me.”      

Izumiko laced her fingers together and brought them up to rest in front of her chin. “I’m going to do my best to make sure there aren’t any negative effects and adjust any magic I’ve put in place if need be. I also need to take advice from more people so that I’m not alone or wondering what needs to be done. I’ve become much more conscious of what I should be doing than I was before. So, please let me stay with all of you.”

Mayura reached out a hand and lightly smacked Izumiko’s stiff arm.

“Easy there. You jump to conclusions so quickly. We’re all in the same boat here. Takayanagi’s still kind of a problem, as is Angelica and everyone she’s connected with.”

At Mayura’s words, Miyuki quickly looked away and rested one elbow on the back of his chair. Then he gazed out the window for a minute before finally saying, “It definitely won’t be hard to come to a compromise. Ascetic monks, diviners, and ninjas all have the same ancient, Japanese roots and we all know that already. It’s just because of the situation surrounding the adults that our backers and Takayanagi’s backers haven’t joined forces. But if we can work together here at the academy, those adults might end up working together, too.”

“What about Angelica and her father? Are you suggesting that we should feel grateful for their offer?” Mayura asked.

“So that’s going to be the attitude that people working with the goddess adopt, huh?” Manatsu picked up the invitation he had placed on the table and looked at it again. “I guess we should go to this party to see what Angelica and her family really want then, right? If that’s the plan, I’ll go too.”

Miyuki looked at Manatsu, his expression somewhat strange, but then readjusted his position in the chair and turned his attention to Izumiko.

“What do you want to do, Izumiko? If you have a bad feeling about this, you can decline.”

Izumiko wondered why Miyuki had turned his head away before. It had looked as if he hadn’t wanted Mayura to see his expression. She realized that he hadn’t said one word about his own thoughts on the party. Izumiko suspected that he had kept his mouth shut because he wanted to go to Angelica’s party.

For some reason, it was because of this, not because she had a bad feeling about the party, that she didn’t want to attend. Even Manatsu was going to the party, so Izumiko didn’t have any reason to decline.

Her mind decided, she opened her mouth and said, “Let’s accept the invitations and see what happens at Angelica’s party.”

~*~

Accepting her report card from her homeroom teacher, Izumiko returned to her seat and nervously peered at what was written on it. Her body immediately began to shiver as a rush of accomplishment she had never experienced before washed over her.

Yes!... I did it!

Her results on the end of term exams had ranked her tenth in the grade.

However, her true excitement wasn’t due to her high rank. If she was feeling this pleased with her grades, she would have an excuse to openly thank Miyuki for his hard work and give him the Christmas present that was currently hidden in her bag.

When Izumiko had gone out shopping with Mayura for an outfit and jewelry, she had also bought Christmas presents. Seeing as she had had plenty of spending money from Sawa left over after buying the clothes, she had been able to buy a lot.

Mayura had given her an important piece of advice. At this point, she shouldn’t buy anything expensive for anyone. Doing so would only make the recipient feel badly.

“Don’t go crazy,” she had said. “Something little is good. For example, get something that’s unique and will make them smile or something they can use.”

She had gotten her grandfather, Takeomi, a paperweight, and Sawa a kitchen gadget. Both gifts had been unique, but easy to pick out. However, it had been harder to find a good present for Miyuki seeing as she didn’t know what he liked. At a loss of what to pick, she had eventually chosen gloves. She had gotten the feeling that if she had chosen a hat or scarf for him, he would still keep using the ones he already had. All the same though, she still wasn’t sure if he would like her present either.  

Originally, she had planned to give the gloves to Miyuki during the Christmas party and pretend she had gotten them as a store freebie or something along those lines. However, she had missed her chance and had been carrying them around ever since. Throughout that time, the present had begun to feel more and more boring to her. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to give them to him anymore.

As she thought about this, Mayura appeared at the door to Class 1-C and waved to her. Izumiko’s braids bounced behind her as she quickly got up and went to meet her friend.

“How did you do, Izumiko?” Mayura looked calm, but she had a satisfied smile on her face. “I got ranked number one. Miyuki’s number two, and Takayanagi’s number three.”

“You’re amazing, Mayura! You did exactly what you said you would.”

When Izumiko clapped for her, Mayura added with no embarrassment whatsoever, “They compiled the rankings only using the grades from our core classes. I’m not going to say this to many people, but that meant that Takayanagi couldn’t throw his weight around to get a better rank. What did you get, Izumiko?”

“I’m ranked tenth.”

“What? That’s a huge jump! That makes you way more amazing than me!” Mayura sounded genuinely surprised and her voice rose to show it. Realizing they weren’t in the best place to be exclaiming over grades, she lowered her voice and said, “It’s because you managed to fill in that gap you had in math, right? Was it worth all that extra studying you did?”

“Yeah, for sure.” Izumiko nodded.

An unusual expression crossed Mayura’s face as she looked at her. “Today, Manatsu and I are going to have a serious talk about the importance of schoolwork. I’m hoping he’ll take on a different attitude after it.”

“Oh?”

Izumiko blinked, but kept her gaze on Mayura’s face. When she looked into her friend’s eyes, she understood exactly what she was telling her. Usually Manatsu failed most of his exams.

“I think Miyuki’s already on his way to the student government room. Go tell him thanks.”

Keep reading!

#rdg #red data girl #rdg 6 #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars #translation #rdg 6 week 27

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 23)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

Help me pay for my next translation project on Ko-fi.

It’s nearly summer! There’s another twenty or so days left of school and then we’re done! I think we’re all ready for the vacation (students and teachers), but we still have some fun things to do before we say goodbye including a major class trip and the musical. It should be a good last few days!

RDG will be going back to a weekly posting schedule starting on June 23 and going through the end of August.

We will be finishing RDG early in September!

Last year, Noriko Ogiwara, the author, published a book of RDG short stories titled Ice Shoes, Glass Shoes. I bought this while I was in Japan last summer, and I do plan to translate it like I have the rest of the series. However, I’d like to start a new project after RDG 6 ends and then speckle those short stories in here and there as I go.

I’ll have more information on what that next project will be as we get closer to the end of RDG. I tend to post more detailed information about my translation on my RDG translation twitter. Click the link above and follow if you’d like to hear more.

Finally, happy 5 year anniversary to the RDG translation! I can’t believe it’s been this long!

Translation notes:

This is what a Heian era nobleman would wear.

This is an ascetic monk/mountain monk outfit.

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 3: Winter Solstice Part 3 (1 of 2)

With Mayura’s help, Izumiko quickly decided on what she would wear to Saturday’s party.

Coming to the conclusion that buying something that could only be worn to a party would be a waste, they had decided to buy outfits they could wear on a normal day out and then accented them with corsages and jewelry. During the holiday season, any accessory shop was full to the brim with cute items. Izumiko and Mayura had gone from one to another, enjoying themselves, and buying things here and there.

But then, two days before the party, it was time to carry the decorations over to the space where the party would occur. Hoshino, the planning chief, declared their new outfits unnecessary.    

“We placed a rental order with the same group we used for the festival, so we have professionals to help us set up and break down. Plus, we get ten costume rentals included in the price. We have the teachers’ permission to use those rentals, and we’re planning to have the student government wear them. Claus has dibs on the Santa Claus costume, but we have costumes for the rest of the members, too. This is my decision as planning chief.”

The only people looking at each other in surprise were the first years. The second years appeared to somehow already be aware of this decision. They all looked calm.

Angelica was also at the meeting that day. “I always planned to go to the party in costume, so I’ll be attending in my own outfit,” she said brightly. “My highly esteemed father brought me one.”

The first year student government members looked at each other again. It was becoming clearer that Angelica’s showy Warring States era costume from the festival had been a product of her father’s interest in anime. They were sure her next costume would be something amazing, too.

“Will we be able to… choose the costume we like?” Shimamoto asked the chief nervously.  

“You can choose from what’s being ordered,” Hoshino replied sternly. “Choice number one is the Cinderella series. Choice two, the Little Red Riding Hood series. Choice three, animal costumes. That’s it.”

“What? Just those three?”

“During the school festival, we could only dress as kuroko, right? This time instead of just that, we’re all going to work at this party in the showiest costumes possible. It’s important that we make our guests feel welcome.”

Once Hoshino was finished speaking, Honoka spoke up, her voice serious as well. “Right. Obviously, Ichijo Takayanagi will be planning to talk himself up in one way or another while Izumiko does her best to not draw attention to herself. I think it would be good for Izumiko to choose an animal costume so that she can hide her braids. Everyone else will choose whatever showy costume they want, and do their best to make it hard for Takayanagi to stand out. President Murakami can’t make it on Saturday, but those are the instructions he’s left for us.”

Mayura appeared to automatically agree with the plan. “I get it. So that’s how we’re going to do it,” she murmured enthusiastically.

Manatsu raised a hand quickly. “I’ll choose an animal costume, too. I’ve always wanted to try one on.

“What costume are you going to choose, President Kisaragi?”

Once asked, Honoka puffed out her chest, and answered. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to be the prince from Cinderella. I wouldn’t give up that costume to anyone else.”

Knowing that she would have never chosen a princess costume, all eyes turned to Hayakawa who was looking visibly upset over this development. Clearly, he had been hoping for this costume as well.

On the day of the party, once everyone was changed into the costumes they had rented and got a chance to see what everyone else was wearing, it was plain to see that Honoka’s prince costume was far more impressive than anyone had expected. The whole Cinderella series had an early eighteenth century Rococo look to it. The prince costume was comprised of a tailcoat embroidered in gold and silver thread, a frilly shirt, shoes complete with ribbons, and a curly, white wig. No one had ever seen such a formally dressed prince costume before this.

The second-year bespectacled duo had chosen to dress as the prince’s attendants and were wearing something similar to Honoka with black hats tilted far back on their heads. They would walk around carrying a glass shoe, looking for a girl who might be able to fit into it.

It had been decided that Izumiko would wear a reindeer costume. It would go well with Claus’s Santa suit, thus keeping the spotlight off of her.

In a spare room, Izumiko slowly tried to pull the brown costume on over a t-shirt and light pants. Seeing as she was so petite, the pants attached to the bodysuit were far too long, but not so oversized that she wouldn’t be able to walk in it.

“This is the first time I’ve worn an animal costume…”

“Generally, I’d say there aren’t many people who have.” Mayura laughed as she closed the fastener at the back of Izumiko’s costume. She was wearing a kerchief over her hair with a patched blouse that matched a well-worn skirt and apron. There was soot on her face as well. For the second half of the party though, she would change into a Rococo princess dress, which would make her the flashiest person in the room.

“The chairman will probably be on the party floor today, so Sagara and I will make contact with him and try to figure out what the adults here have planned,” Mayura informed Izumiko. “You, on the other hand, should stay as far away from the chairman and the other adults as possible.”

“Right.”

The reindeer head was overly large, and looked as silly on Izumiko as it would have on a child. As a result, there was something charming about the way the antlers and muzzle rested over her head and face. Unfortunately, however, the mask’s big, round eyes were at the height of her forehead, and the only way she could see out was through the mask’s mouth. The opening there had netting stretched across it, creating a small window. That made Izumiko’s line of sight narrow, and when the head shifted even slightly, Izumiko lost her view. All in all, it was difficult for her to see the world beyond the inside of the reindeer head.

The polyurethane crafted head might have been a pain to wear, but at least it wasn’t heavy. Still, it was difficult to move in seeing as she couldn’t see her feet very well. What was more, as she didn’t know how tall she was in the reindeer head and kept bumping into this and that as she made her way out of the empty room. The whole getup was much harder to manage than she had thought it would be. Mayura held her hand all the way to the auditorium where the party was being held.

And so, when they arrived in the hall, they were surprised to see someone in a wolf costume, not unlike Izumiko’s, jumping around excitedly. Obviously, it was Manatsu, but Izumiko still couldn’t believe he could move around like that.

Mayura was also amazed by her brother.

“What’s up with you bouncing around like that? Is it really that fun to wear an animal costume?”

“Nah. That’s not why I’m so happy,” the wolf with its tongue sticking out said in Manatsu’s voice. He pointed towards something with a gloved hand. “If you look at Little Red Riding Hood, you’ll know why the wolf is so excited.”

They turned their heads to see a cute girl wearing a bright red cloak and holding a basket. She was standing nearby, surrounded by second year students. It was Wataru Shimamoto, grinning from ear to ear from all the praise he was getting.

Staring at the very cute Red Riding hood, it sounded very much as if Mayura muttered under her breath, “Oh no. He’s going to get way more attention than me.”

There was someone dressed as an old witch in a black cloak standing next to Shimamoto. It was Rena Akinokawa in the outfit, which only made Shimamoto seem that much more innocent in his own costume.

“The student government went all the way with this. Do you think it’ll be enough that Takayanagi will give up on standing out?”

Manatsu answered his sister’s question, his voice uninterested. “You don’t need to worry about that. Look over there.”

Izumiko reached up and moved the reindeer head with her hand so that she could look in the direction he had indicated. Ichijo Takayanagi had just walked through the entrance to the hall. Indeed, she could see why there was no need for them to worry about him tonight. Takayanagi’s costume was a Heian era noble’s outfit. The overshirt he wore with hakama pants was dark blue and the shirt underneath was red and white. To complete the look, he wore a tall, black, narrow hat on his head. The whole ensemble made Takayanagi’s small frame larger than it normally appeared.

…He went way too far…  

Izumiko and Mayura were left speechless as they watched Takayanagi approach. The costume didn’t make any sense in the context of a Christmas party, but it certainly matched the wearer.

“Thank you for dropping your barrier today,” Takayanagi said in his Heian attire. He stared straight at Izumiko in her reindeer costume. “I knew as soon as it disappeared this morning. I made a new shikigami. Isn’t that great?”

“…Ah, sure.” Izumiko emphasized her words with a careful nod of the reindeer head. First thing that morning, she had recited the charm Miyuki had taught her. However, as she hadn’t sensed anything change, this was the first time since then that she knew for sure that it had worked.

Right… There are going to be shikigami around today, and I’m going to have to deal with them.        

“Don’t use your shikigami for anything so big that you make trouble for the people around you,” Izumiko said, intending to sound firm, but Takayanagi was unfazed.

“I can’t really guarantee that. No matter what you might tell me, I’m the one in charge today.”

Mayura, standing there in her housekeeper’s costume complete with a long broom, scowled. “If Izumiko says to do something, you do it,” she broke in. “You’re just a diviner who uses minions to do your bidding. If you do what you want to do, we’ll kick you out of here.”

Takayanagi ignored Mayura. He turned back to Izumiko and continued on in the same tone as before. “Izumiko, you should be more receptive towards shikigami. We diviners are well versed in using spirits. You should know more about what we do just in case you ever want to join us. True cooperation cannot be achieved where there is no understanding, wouldn’t you agree?”  

“I’m guessing you want me to say that from here on out, I’ll let you use shikigami anytime you want on campus?” Izumiko responded cautiously.

“I’m acting as the top of the school’s public face because of your own strategies, aren’t I? Being who I am, I want to know a little more about you seeing as you’ve hidden yourself away from the public eye all this time. That way, I can be useful to you on my own terms even when you do not lift the seal on my abilities. While you might have sworn that you will not release the bonds you have placed on me, might it be correct that we’ll never fully come to a true understanding of each other as long as we are held within this arrangement?”

What he’s saying is true… Izumiko thought.

No one wanted to be controlled, Izumiko considered vaguely to herself. With that said though, she seemed to be fine being the one controlling someone else. She hadn’t thought about it that way until now, and it made her inwardly cringe.

“That’s true, but… Takayanagi, is there any way that I can convince you to stop using shikigami for good?”

“Using shikigami is the foundation of diviner’s magic. That’s something you’re unwilling to accept, isn’t it? However, like the Soudas, you can’t say that you feel uncomfortable dealing with the spirits of the dead. You’re working with one right now, aren’t you?”

Again, Izumiko couldn’t help but think over the words Takayanagi had said so confidently.

“Izumiko, don’t listen to him,” Mayura said sharply. She had not been tempted to rethink her opinions. “He was born talking garbage.”

Miyuki’s voice was suddenly audible from the side of their small gathering. “That’s so true. Save all those fancy words you’re trying to confuse Izumiko with for after this party. You should know that whatever you say, it’s not going to work anyway.”

Izumiko hadn’t seen Miyuki in the auditorium before now, but it seemed as if he had been close enough to hear the conversation that was going on. She turned the reindeer head to look at him and her eyes instantly went wide.

“Sagara… that costume…”

“It’s just a costume.”

“But it’s…”

“I said, it’s just a costume.”

Miyuki’s appearance was shocking enough to rival Takayanagi’s Heian outfit. He was dressed in full ascetic monk garb, complete with a wide shouldered traditional vest adorned with soft, pom pom looking decorations worn over hakama pants. There were cloth wrist coverings on his arms and straw sandals on his feet. He was wearing a stiff looking hat on his head and a braided cord wrapped around his waist held a small leather pelt in place against his back that would have been useful if he had needed to sit down on wet or dirty ground. And of course, he was holding a staff in his hands.

This was the first time even Izumiko had seen Miyuki dressed in full ascetic monk attire. However, she had absolutely no clue why he had gone to such lengths.

“But that’s not the costume the student government rented,” Izumiko said.

Miyuki answered in a strained voice. “One of the other students grabbed mine before I could get to it and the only costume left was Cinderella’s sister. I wasn’t crazy about either of them, but between the two, this seemed like the better choice.”

“Those are some interesting choices…”

Mayura looked as if she were about to say something, but she held her tongue with Takayanagi there with them.

Shimamoto, standing a bit apart from them, had something to say though.

“Oh man, too bad, Sagara!” he called over. “So I’m really the only guy dressed as a girl here?”

“Shut up. You can’t complain about something while everyone’s complimenting you on it,” Miyuki retorted.

He looked towards Takayanagi next. “I don’t think Izumiko’s power and your magic really have much in common, but if you’re saying you want to work together, we can probably come up with some sort of compromise or agreement. From here on, we need focus on figuring out more about how the goddess works.”

Tayakanagagi took in Miyuki’s outfit with interest, just like everyone else.

“Are you saying that as the ascetic monk’s representative, Sagara?”

“Probably not. Who are the people who are coming to see the World Heritage Candidate student today? Are they parents of exchange students?”

Takayanagi’s tone relaxed at Miyuki’s question. “It’s not necessarily going to be all foreigners. There could be some Japanese inspectors too. Either way, they’ll be people who know a lot about World Heritage.”

“Can they see shikigami?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. People’s understanding of shikigami most likely varies from place to place. A Japanese inspector would be more likely to know the same things we do because they’re Japanese.” Takayanagi readjusted his hat with a hand and then continued. “That’s the case with anything based in history. I don’t believe most average people in the world today can distinguish between diviners and ascetic monks. Therefore, I see nothing wrong with what I said before. It would be possible for Izumiko to join the diviners.”

Keep reading!

#rdg #red data girl #rdg 6 #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars #rdg 6 week 23 #translation

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 22)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

Help me pay for my next translation project on Ko-fi.

Happy Mother’s Day! The timing of this installation played out really well... I’ll let you read on to find out how. :P

Translation Note:

Namahage is a Japanese demon from Akita Prefecture.

Angelica mentions that her father has asked her to use the word “父上/Chichiue” when she’s speaking about him in Japanese. Izumiko and the others find this funny because it’s a very polite, somewhat antiquated way of referring to one’s father. I’ve chosen to translate it to “highly esteemed father” because it has the same, very polite, antiquated feel to it.

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 3: Winter Solstice Part 2 (2 of 2)

The next day when Izumiko went to the student government room, she found blonde haired Angelica sitting in a chair there, enjoying a conversation with Honoka. Upon seeing Angelica, Izumiko stopped dead in her tracks. Angelica, on the other hand, grinned happily when she noticed Izumiko.

“Ah, hello, Izumiko. How are you?”

“It’s been suggested that we invite a few of the exchange students to help with the party, too,” Honoka explained calmly. “It was President Murakami’s idea. When Angelica heard, she was excited to offer her help. She’s in my class, too.”

“The exchange students still feel like guests here, so we were really happy to get this opportunity from the student government,” Angelica said, batting her thick eyelashes. Her words were genuinely heartfelt. “Let’s put together an awesome party.”

With just the two smiling girls inside, the room felt calm. Honoka’s half Japanese heritage seemed more evident than usually as she sat talking next to Angelica.

Just then, the second year bespectacled duo came in. Overwhelmed by the girls’ showy presence, they grew stiff and unable to speak. Instead, they simply sat themselves down at computers and stared solely at the screens, their eyes quickly scanning back and forth across them. When Miyuki appeared with Claus, the two of them didn’t look surprised. However, when they saw the tall, widely built young man’s ruddy face, their interest focused on him.

“He looks like him, doesn’t he?”

“For sure.”

Hoshino and Okouchi got up to stand on either side of Claus. Then they said in unison, “Be our Santa Claus.”

Claus scratched his head and let out a gentle sounding laugh. “I had a feeling that someone would ask me that.”

The two second year boys began talking unabashedly to Claus about this and that. “Seriously, can we ask you to dress up as Santa? Claus, you’re from Germany. It would be completely different than one of us playing Santa.”

“I know, right? We’re so happy we have someone who looks like you here.”

“I’m Catholic, so I celebrate the Festival of St. Nicolas on December sixth,” Claus said, his blue eyes sparkling. “St. Nicolas traditionally delivers presents on the eve of that day. Protestants don’t worship saints, so they say people like Christkind or Santa Claus brings presents on the 24th, Christmas Eve. Santa Claus is the name people living in America and Holland have given St. Nicolas.”

“Old traditions, of course. As to be expected in Germany.”  

Claus grew visibly pleased at Hoshino’s interest. “I understand how Santa Claus is portrayed in Japan, too so I have no problems acting out the Santa people expect at celebrations here. He’s a smiling Father Christmas. That’s what people in Germany call Santa Claus, you know. Father Christmas. Actually, St. Nicolas is a bit more of a frightening person to children. He brings a scary faced helper with him, and gives presents to the kids who have been good all year. But it’s said that his helper, Farmhand Rupert, steals away the bad kids.”

Hoshino brightened at Claus’s story as well. “That’s like our Namahage here in Japan. Or the Wild Hunt in Europe.”

As Izumiko listened to their conversation, Mayura came over and said softly, “This is all President Murakami. He wants to use this Christmas party as a way to win over Angelica and Claus.”

“Win them over… to the student government?”

“Yeah. If those two become our allies, we’ll be able to get more information about what’s going on overseas.”

While Izumiko mulled over Mayura’s words, Honoka casually asked Angelica, “I heard your father might be coming to our party. Is that true?”

“That’s right,” Angelica said enthusiastically. “My highly esteemed father, Pierre, is coming.”

“Highly esteemed?”

“Pierre wants me to say that when I speak about him in Japanese.”

Honoka laughed lightly. “Your knowledge of Japanese culture must have come from your then father, huh?”

“Definitely. He’s an otaku.”

Angelica’s tone was light, but it was uncertain of what she had meant by her use of the word “otaku.” At her words, the second year bespectacled duo ended their own conversation and turned their attention towards Angelica for a moment.

“Your father turned his hobby into his job, didn’t he? He’s the head of UNESCO’s East Asia division, and he’s come to Japan a number of times. He’s a big fan of Akihabara, right?”

Honoka glanced at the bespectacled duo for a second, but then continued to speak to Angelica. “So your father works for UNESCO? Isn’t their headquarters building in Paris?”

“Yes! My maman, Cecile, also works at UNESCO. She works for a different division though.” It seemed like Angelica didn’t have to call her mother ‘my highly esteemed mother.’ She continued speaking. “I have a photograph of Cecile. Would you like to see? Cecile’s never left Paris, so she always sends me a current picture of herself.”

Angelica searched in her handbag, and pulled out a small tablet. She pulled up a photo on the screen.

“Wow. You can tell it’s your mom by just looking at her. Who’s the other woman with her?”

“That’s Rochelle. She’s Cecile’s cooking friend.”          

Intrigued, Izumiko and Mayura moved forward to see. The photo showed a blonde woman who looked like Angelica and an Asian woman. Both women seemed to be about the same age. They were relaxing in a room that might have been in Angelica’s home. The table in the photo was covered in food.

“Cecile is learning how to cook Japanese food from Rochelle. She’s teaching her how to make dashi and when and how to use soy sauce… stuff like that. Cecile’s really interested in Japanese cooking right now.”

“Is Rochelle Japanese?”

“She is. She was married in France and lives in Paris. She speaks French really well.”

It made Izumiko feel strange to think about teaching a woman in a European home how to cook with konbu and katsuo.

“No matter where you are, people who know how to cook are the best, aren’t they? Maybe I should learn how to cook Japanese food too…” Izumiko said. She suddenly felt badly for just having eaten Sawa’s food without learning how to make the dishes. If a woman who had gone as far as to marry internationally and move to Paris had mastered this aspect of Japanese culture, why hadn’t she?

Someone snickered at her. She turned to find Miyuki. Apparently he had been listening as she had spoken. Like Sawa, he knew very well how little Izumiko could cook and, as a result, how unusual the words she had just uttered were.

It’s not something to laugh about though…  

Izumiko grew irritated, but she did not snap back at Miyuki. The boys had also moved closer to get a look at the photograph, and Miyuki’s attention had already shifted to the tablet.

“Is she also a UNESCO—” Miyuki began to ask Angelica, but then he changed his mind and closed his mouth, letting the second year boys speak instead. Izumiko didn’t catch his eye, but with all the talking going on, it seemed like she was the only one who noticed Miyuki’s sudden reaction.

He sucked in a quick breath as he gazed at the photo, but then hid his surprise. Outwardly, it looked like nothing had changed, but he did not open his mouth again for a few moments.

After those few moments, he asked a casual question, but it wasn’t want he had begun to ask before.

“Does your mother’s cooking friend work in the same division as your mother? Does she live near your family?”

“Yes to both, I think. Her house is in the suburbs, but it’s near my parents,” Angelica answered to Izumiko’s surprise.

Miyuki recognizes her. Could that woman be…

Izumiko’s heart began to beat rapidly in her chest at the thought. While she tried her best not to draw attention to what she was doing, Izumiko couldn’t help but glance towards Miyuki.

When the student government meeting finally ended and they could talk freely among themselves, Izumiko could wait no longer. She caught Miyuki at the end of the hall and asked in a whisper, “Rochelle is someone you know, isn’t she? Who is she?”

Miyuki looked at Izumiko in surprise. “You noticed?”

“I did.”

“Shit. I guess I haven’t trained enough,” Miyuki said under his breath, looking away, clearly upset that there was a crack in his poker face. Izumiko didn’t want to say she had noticed because she knew him so well.

“You were so surprised when you saw that person. Is she…”

“Yeah,” Miyuki answered, sounding as if he had given up. “She looks like Kaori. I don’t think it’s just a look-alike either.”

I knew it…

Izumiko had been so sure she was right, but she took a deep breath all the same. She tried to recreate Angelica’s photo in her mind. The woman’s black hair had been in a bun and she had definitely seemed to be Asian. There had been a soft smile on her face, but Izumiko had gotten the sense that she had the strong core of a person who was suited to living internationally in Paris. Just from the one photo, it was hard to tell if the woman looked like Miyuki, but she wasn’t petite. She was tall, although thinner than Cecile and most other people Izumiko knew. She had a simple beauty to her as well.

Rochelle didn’t look anything like what Izumiko had imagined Miyuki’s mother might look like up until now, but now that she was thinking it over again, she didn’t have any trouble seeing possible similarities.

…So that’s what Kaori is like.

“Did you actually know she was living in Paris?”

“No.” Miyuki’s voice was low. “I didn’t know she was living there, and no one told me she had remarried. When I tried to look for her on my own, I had no idea where she was living, but I kind of had this sense that she was abroad.”

“This a huge coincidence,” Izumiko said, surprise coloring her tone. “And better yet, she’s friends with Angelica’s mom.”

‘I know, right? But is it really coincidence? I mean, it’s right in front of me, but I’m still shocked.”

Miyuki continued in a self-deprecating tone. “I haven’t seen her since I was seven, and I haven’t seen a photo of her since then either. Even though I think I only remember her face a little, I would know her if I saw her. I wonder why.”

It was clear to Izumiko that his mother’s appearance wasn’t something that Miyuki could simply be happy about. The feelings that had bubbled up in him after seeing the photo were far too much for him to handle.

“Are you going to try and find out if it’s really Kaori?...”

Miyuki’s words were severe as he responded. “Maybe I will. I don’t know. Izumiko, don’t tell anyone about this. Obviously, you can’t tell Angelica.”

“But what would happen if you asked her specific questions about Rochelle without telling her anything? You can’t really do that,” Izumiko pointed out.

Still, Miyuki refused outright. “What would happen if I didn’t do anything. Right now, all we know of her whereabouts is that she’s hidden herself overseas. You definitely can’t tell Yukimasa that I saw someone who sort of looks like Kaori either. It’s better that he doesn’t know.”

“Then I won’t say anything. This is your business, after all,” Izumiko confirmed. Miyuki had made up his mind, and there was no point in saying anything against that decision now. No matter how good a person’s intentions might be in trying to change his mind, he wouldn’t listen.

I have things that I can’t share with anyone else, too. We’re the same. Everyone has something like this…

Izumiko considered this, staring somewhat sadly at Miyuki.

Only then did Miyuki’s tone turn softer. “Don’t get the wrong idea,” he said apologetically. “I’m a little surprised you noticed. But to me, Kaori isn’t a necessary person. I’ve lived longer without her than I have with her. It’s better that I don’t think too much about her.”

“Really?” Izumiko looked up to catch his eye, but he had already turned away.

“The people around me now are more important to me than a distant mother. But enough about that. I’m going to teach you how to break that protection charm I taught you. I heard Takayanagi broke through your barrier. If you learn this technique, you could probably do the same thing to one of his.”

They exited the school building, and, just like he had the time before, Miyuki taught Izumiko another charm. Seeing as Izumiko had only vaguely considered that there must be a way to break through a barrier before this, she was glad Miyuki hadn’t wasted any time teaching her how to do it now.

“Thank you. You’ve taught me so much…”

She felt so grateful for what he was doing for her, and more than anything, she wanted to express that gratitude.

If I told him that I wanted to give him a Christmas present, I wonder if he’d accept it without making a scene…

Unaware of what Izumiko was thinking about, Miyuki said, “I’m not doing anything big. You’re already powerful enough on your own that you can get rid of the shikigami on campus by yourself. Don’t forget that. And it’s not just me saying that. Yukimasa wants you to be more self-aware of your abilities, too. Because of everything you can do now, I have a feeling that he’s going to leave the school. His responsibility of watching over your competition with the diviners is over, after all.”

This time, Izumiko did meet his eyes. “Huh? Mr. Sagara is going to stop being a teacher?”

“He hasn’t been around since the end of term exams. You haven’t noticed?”

Izumiko sucked in a breath, realizing that she really hadn’t seen him since then. It was most likely only due to the fact that classes had ended after the exams that she and the other students hadn’t noticed his disappearance and made a fuss about it.

“What will Mr. Sagara do now, then?”

“Do you think he’d actually tell me something like that in advance? If he feels like letting me know, he’ll do it after breaking all contact with me for a while,” Miyuki said, a hint of ire in his voice. “When he shows up, it’s out of nowhere, and when he leaves, it’s sudden too. I have a feeling he won’t show up for the Christmas party. It means that he trusts your ability to act as the leader of this academy.”  

“Something about the way you said leader gives me a bad feeling…”

Ignoring Izumiko’s grumbling, Miyuki said, his expression serious, “If you forget that you’re leading this school, there’ll be a lot of problems. Takayanagi will turn into a headache. Still, he’s the figurehead here, and we don’t really know if people are happy with that. I bet there’s going to be trouble at this party.”

Keep reading!

#rdg #red data girl #rdg 6 #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars #rdg 5 week 22 #translation

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 19)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

Help me pay for my next translation project on Ko-fi.

Happy Palm Sunday, Easter, and Passover to those who will be celebrating over the next week!

This installation has brought us to page 200 in RDG 6. We’re chugging along! It’s officially spring break for me, which means I’ll have more time than usual to dedicate to RDG. I’m hoping to get a decent amount done each day, and move further through the novel. I think I’ll be done by the beginning of summer!

Translation Notes:

The Namahage are a type of demon portrayed at festivals in certain parts of Japan.

The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons appears in a number of Japanese folktales. It’s more or less just what it sounds like.

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 3: Winter Solstice Part 1 (2 of 3)

Seeing as no one came to the student government room during the study days before the exams, it was a much better place to tutor someone than the library. Talking wasn’t allowed in the library’s reading rooms and any questions a student amassed during their time there were easily forgotten by the time they left and could speak again.

In the government room though, it was perfectly fine to talk. Miyuki also seemed to prefer it over the library because he felt more comfortable when other people’s eyes weren’t on him. They could also talk freely about whatever they wanted when there weren’t other people around. Today, Izumiko was planning to use that solitude to bring up the awkward moment they had had the day before.

However, Miyuki and Izumiko weren’t the only ones to claim use of the student government room. When they arrived, Okouchi and Hoshino were already settled there. Unused to not coming to student government once a day during the pre-exam club hiatus, the two second years had been coming anyway to play around with the computers there.

Okouchi and Hoshino were so lost in their own world though that they never once bothered Izumiko and Miyuki when they studied together or did anything else. Little by little, Izumiko had gotten used to their presence, and didn’t notice them as much as she had at first.

The two second year boys came from very normal families. It was clear that neither of them had been raised in connection with spiritual abilities of any kind. However, while they did know about the students who had been raised with magic, they had reacted quite calmly to their existence. Their reaction probably wasn’t the norm though. The way they interacted with Izumiko hadn’t changed at all either.

The people Honoka collected for student government all must have something special in common, but I wonder what it is… Izumiko thought quietly to herself.

Hodaka and Honoka’s student government had turned itself into a well-functioning group over the past few months, but they had to have all been chosen for some quality they showed. Izumiko was just grateful that no one had been treating her differently since everything with Takayanagi.

The bespectacled duo had liked Miyuki from the start, and Miyuki had gotten along with the older students as well. He seemed to have a respect for their deep knowledge of everything two dimensional. Izumiko could tell that the duo was quite intelligent as well. They just really didn’t care much about anything outside of their own interests.

That day, as Hoshino, Okouchi, Miyuki, and Izumiko were talking, Hoshino said out of nowhere, “Did you know? December 25th, the day that everyone thinks is Jesus Christ’s birthday, was actually decided on by the Christian church after the Council of Nicaea that was held in 325 AD. The Roman empire was showing off the authority it had at the time, and they set the date to intercede with the Mithraic winter solstice. December 25th was the date of that holiday.”

Miyuki looked at Hoshino, and then let out a small laugh. “Does that mean you’re interested in a Christmas event all of a sudden?”

“If this is all common knowledge to the exchange students, it would be embarrassing if I didn’t know it. It was interesting to look things up. Listen to this,” Hoshino continued enthusiastically. “The headquarters of the Greenland International Santa Claus Association is in Copenhagen, and they talk about people becoming certified Santa Clauses on TV and stuff. Also, Scandinavia is seen as Santa Claus’s home. But in Scandinavia, the word they use for Christmas, Yule, is actually the Germanic winter solstice that dates back to before Christianity. Old Man Santa doesn’t appear in that old European festival. Instead, there’s a spirit of some kind who doesn’t give nice presents to anyone. It’s kind of like the Namahage here in Japan. It’s a demon that goes around scaring little kids into behaving well.”  

The image of a man dressed up in a demon mask and a straw cape with a sword in his hand going door to door during a festival came to Izumiko’s mind. She had seen it on TV at some point.

“The Namahage is from the Touhoku region in the northeast, right?” she asked. “He’s part of one of their festivals.”

“Yes, yes. He’s the one that goes, “Are there any bad kids here? Are there any crybabies here?”” Okouchi said, his expression serious as he took on the demon’s role for a second.

“The Christmas that Japanese people are used to comes from the US,” he continued. “And US Christmas comes from England. We’re used to the Christmas traditions that come from the English speaking part of the world, but there are many different traditions beyond those. The reason why western Christmas has rooted itself so deeply here in Japan is because Emperor Taisho died on December 25th and the day became a national holiday. It became a normal day again after World War II, but decorating Christmas trees, Santa Claus’s presents, and the winter sales war remain.”

“Have you been researching Christmas too, Okouchi?” Miyuki said doubtfully.

“I need to be prepared so that this doesn’t become a Christian based event. I’m doing this for President Honoka, too.” Okouchi went back to typing on his keyboard. “Christmas trees appear in winter solstice festivals that predate Christianity. Decorating houses with boughs from pine trees comes from early, non-Christian traditions. Decorating with evergreens is said to keep away evil spirits and attract good luck. We decorate with pine branches in a similar way here in Japan. After December 25th became Christ’s birthday, Germany began the tradition of decorating trees in the early modern era. It apparently then spread to England through the royal family. When Europeans first came to America, Christmas trees were one of the customs they rejected as being pagan. They were Puritans after all.”

“Wow. That’s unbelievable,” Izumiko said, her eyes wide. “So, Christmas trees are a pagan tradition. Decorated trees and the way we hang pine boughs outside people’s homes seem really different, though. Do they really still have the same basis in their meanings?”

Seeing Izumiko’s involvement in the conversation, Hoshino continued with increased vigor. “Speaking of original meanings, the connection between Christmas and the Wild Hunt is also interesting. There’s a legend about a hunt that takes place during the time between Halloween and the winter solstice. The hunting party is made up of fairies, the dead, and their black hunting dogs. That’s the Wild Hunt. The stories originated in Europe, and there are lots of different versions of it, but because any human who sees the hunt dies, it’s basically the same as Japan’s Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. However, if children put offerings in their stockings on the night before Winter Solstice, Germen folk stories say they’ll receive presents in those stockings from the Wild Hunt the next morning. ”

“Is that where leaving candy in Christmas stockings comes from?” Izumiko asked.

Miyuki made a sour face. “Please use this time to study for the exams, you two. Don’t waste the rest of your time wrapped up in this.”

“We’re getting wrapped up in this because it’s just before the exam,” Hoshino said. “Without fail, I always feel the need to read a big fat book right before exams.”

“Ah, me too.” Okouchi agreed.

The two of them made a few comments about their extensive stock of knowledge, but the conversation ended quickly after that. It wasn’t because they were bothering Miyuki though. They had simply said all that they needed to. Most likely, Okouchi and Hoshino had not been ignoring their studies, they had simply wanted to give Izumiko and Miyuki a break from their own work.

Quick break or not, Izumiko had been surprised by what she had just hard, and she couldn’t easily stop thinking about it. Even after parting from the bespectacled duo, she was still mulling over the information.

“I didn’t know that Christmas had its roots in a pagan holiday. Maybe I’ll do some research on it too… I’ve never heard of the Wild Hunt either. If they were comparing it to the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, the legends should be from around the Heian era probably. The Night Parade is mentioned in an Abe no Seimei story, isn’t it…”

“Don’t get pulled into this, Izumiko. We’re focusing on math right now,” Miyuki said, giving her a frightening look. “If you do the same thing they’re doing, you’ll waste all your time. Those two have the impressive ability of being able to switch back and forth between topics in an instant.”

“Had you heard about what they said before?”

“Most people wouldn’t know those things. I’ve only ever thought of Christmas as a day where kids ask their parents for things they want.”

“So, a present day?”

Sensing that Izumiko could no longer concentrate on the problem set, Miyuki gave up for the time being and answered her question.

“Okouchi was right when he mentioned the sales war. Isn’t that really what Christmas is for most people besides people who believe in it?”

“I never got any presents on Christmas,” Izumiko replied. “Were you someone who did?”  

“I don’t just get stuff. I have to ask Yukimasa for it. If I bug him about something I need, he’ll get me whatever I want. He’s such a bad parent. I guess it’s his way of making up for leaving me alone so much,” Miyuki said bluntly.

The dry relationship between him and his father was quite evident at that moment. He didn’t seem as close-lipped as he usually was when Yukimasa came up in conversation though. He was speaking calmly.

Izumiko expanded upon the question she had already asked.

“Did you ever get a Christmas present from anyone? Like from a kid at school or something?”

“Yeah, I got a few of those.”

“From girls?”

Hearing this, Miyuki looked at Izumiko in surprise. “Well… some. We had present exchanges and Christmas parties, after all.”

“I’ve never been to a Christmas party. But I’d see presents during the cold season with their pretty wrapping paper and ribbons, and I always thought it would make me feel really good to get one. They have a different feel to them from getting New Year’s money,” Izumiko said, thinking about it yearningly.

She had never been able to experience a Christmas party when her school life had depended on being driven back and forth from the shrine to school in Mr. Nonomura’s car. She only knew about them from what she had heard from other people.

Miyuki gave a little laugh as if he found her life detached from the rest of the world strange.

“Unexpected Christmas presents do make people happy. You end up wondering how the other person knew you wanted whatever it was that they gave you.”

“Are you talking about something you got from a girl?”

“Why are you getting so particular about this? I get Christmas presents every year. That’s why Yukimasa can’t ignore the day either and gives me something. The sender’s name is never anywhere on the box, but it’s probably from Kaori. I have a feeling that it comes through Mr. Sengoku.”

Izumiko blinked at the unusually personal story he had just told her. Kaori was the name of Miyuki’s mother who had divorced Yukimasa years ago.

“Does your mom live in the mountains? Mr. Sengoku is the ascetic monk you trained with on Mt. Haguro, right?”

“I have no idea where Kaori is now. I heard that she got remarried a long time ago. That’s why I haven’t seen her or talked to her since she left. I just get a present with no name on Christmas.”

Miyuki showed no emotion at all, but all the same, Izumiko could sense how he was feeling. Even though he hadn’t seen his mother in all this time, she still had a big place in his heart.

After a moment of thought, Miyuki ended the conversation with a note of finality. “Mr. Sengoku is Kaori’s uncle. He’s the only person I know in the Sengoku family. Let’s stop talking about Christmas. We can talk about it more after the exams when we can relax.”

Izumiko knew how much it had taken Miyuki to share this story with her, so she didn’t want to make him angry by spacing out on the math problems he had prepared for her. She dropped her head back to the problem set, and diligently returned to her work on the equations.

Keep reading!

#rdg #red data girl #rdg 6 #rdg 6 week 19 #rdg my wish on the night of the shooting stars #translation