#bro's face got hidden by the hot air balloon

[solns]

holy fuck that's crowded........

like every other day someone's celebrating

[aqvarius]

Masquerade Kiss: Do Bad Girls Like to Self-pleasure? Kazuomi Shido - otona love - chapter 4 summary/translation

in case you missed it, you can read the previous chapter here or  check out my translations page to read from the start.

is it just me or have we never seen this background before?

the reason for that is because it’s the day of your day off and you’re setting off in a hot air balloon. you thought you’d be taking the private jet as usual, but it turns out it was diagonally upwards (no idea what she’s actually trying to say here, maybe that you’re going diagonally upwards in a balloon rather than jetting off down a runway and taking off). 

kazuomi says that the place you’re going to can only be reached by balloon. a place you can’t go to without a balloon...? you’ve never heard of something like that

“it’s an island that doesn’t admit transportation other than balloons”

(bro how rich do you have to be to become part of a rich people club where you learn about an island that only allows balloons. next we’re gonna learn that kazu is part of a club where they hunt man for sport)

kazu says that the owner changed and boats and jets aren’t allowed, and then he comments that you look like you want to say “that’s weird”. 

you: “by the way, this balloon... has the “SHIBA company” logo 

“yeah. i borrowed yuzu’s [balloon]”

THE FACT THAT YUZURU CASUALLY HAS A HOT AIR BALLOON... AND NOT JUST HIS OWN ONE BUT IT’S A COMPANY BALLOON ALSDKFJSL. i like how we sometimes think yuzu is so bland and minimalist but then he’s literally just as extra as kazuomi and kei but in his own equally ridiculous way. 

kazuomi thinks “balloon huh... you don’t get that many opportunities to ride one*, so when yuzu recommended/offered it, i thought it would be good”

*i’m not sure if he’s saying that you don’t get that many opportunities to ride a balloon or if he himself doesn’t (since there are like no pronouns lmao!!) but i think he’s talking about you since everything he does is for you~ also cause he basically slates balloons in the next slide

“it’s slow and plain and most of all, the altitude is low”

“it’s good if we’re talking about being romantic, but honestly i prefer something more flashy”

“but mc is surprisingly enjoying the situation”

ughhhh the things he does for you!! 😍😭

you tell him that unlike with airplanes and helicopters, you can actually feel the wind which is so nice, and it’s so great that you can see the scenery without any distance/gap.  

“you’ve been busy these days, haven’t you?” you ask. “sometimes it’s not bad to feel the wind like this, right?” 

“i see, that’s one way of thinking about it,” kazuomi says. 

you: “if i had to choose one, i’m surprised that shiba-san [is the one] who likes this [kind of thing]”

you say that you think he (shiba) would say that balloons are a waste of time. kazuomi replies that that guy is surprisingly a romantic, which is why he wanted a screw that had gone into outer space. 

(wtf yuzu is so adorable.........)

anyway, the balloon goes to its destination with you, who seems to be having fun from start to finish. 

when you land on the small island, you go to a log house purveyed by kei (more like.......perveyed....... sorry couldn’t help myself)

“...it’s so lovely! such a warm atmosphere,” you gush . 

kazu says that kei said that it was just that it was spacious... seems like it really is so. 

you exclaim that there’s a fireplace in the next room. kazuomi replies that there’s a fireplace here too. nearly all the rooms have one. you say something like that it won’t get cold at night then, and kazu adds that it’s a luxury to spend time listening to the sound of firewood. talking about sound makes kazuomi realise that the log house, with no music, is quiet for now. it’s almost silent because it’s far away from the other log houses. 

“i can’t relax like this ... i wonder if mc is having fun”

you ask him, “hey, aren’t you feeling restless?”  

“hm? no...” kazu says. he can’t help but smile wryly as you guess how he’s feeling. 

“that kind of face...” you explain

you: “plus, i was sure you like brilliant and bustling places”

“you understand me well”

you: “it would take a lifetime to understand you completely”

maybe because it’s a quiet place, but your expression is calmer than usual. he likes hearing your small laugh, and he thinks that the quietness isn’t so bad. 

“balloons, quiet log houses... none of it is very like you, but that’s why it’s fresh” you say. 

you: “shido, thank you for bringing me [here]”

there was no reason for me to add a screenshot here but i just wanted to show that you really just call him shido. 

both the balloon and the log house were loaned from, and proposed by, yuzu and kei. 

“on the surface, they were amused with all their might, but i couldn’t help but appreciate the clumsy compassion of my mates*.”

*悪友たち can mean like bad friends/bad company but can also mean like partners in crime, close friends

“well... there are no interruptions here. what do you want [to do]?”

“we came here so i can indulge your every whim** for the whole day”

“anything is fine. i’ll grant any wish”

**literally listen to your selfishness 

when the main subject comes up, you shake your head after thinking a little. “i don’t want you to do anything.”

“what did you say...?” kazuomi says. 

you: “i don’t need anything. you bringing me here is enough”

you tell him there was a kitchen back there so you brewed some coffee. 

“don’t need anything...?” kazuomi thinks. he stands up, seeing you off to the kitchen after your unexpected response. he can’t infer the true meaning captured in your words. 

after that, the two of you drink the coffee you brewed and enjoy a dinner arranged by kei. he thinks that your profile as you gaze at the firewood in the fireplace looks peaceful and happy and wonders if this is the time you had wished for. he thought you wanted a more enriching time. 

you put your cups down on the table at the same time and laugh. your faces naturally approach and your lips touch, and when they part, you laugh again.

“it’s been a while since we spent time like this,”  you say. kazuomi agrees, saying that [you haven’t spent time like this] ever since he first visited your place. “stop joking,” you retort. “i didn’t get a moment of rest that time.” you tell him that you got cold sweats (from anxiety) at the thought of him coming to your place. 

“and now?” kazu asks.

“now, well...” you say. 

resting your head on his shoulder, he sees your eyes narrow gently as you gaze at the fireplace. 

“i’m not troubled by you seeing me, i’m cool [with it]”

“then, i’ll come visit you again***”

***when kazuomi says またお邪魔しよう he means he’s going to “intrude” in on your place again (since people say “sorry for intruding” when they go to other people’s places) 

you: let me know beforehand. i’ll get my parents to send over some jakoten.

basically they’re referring to that time in kazuomi’s lover obscura route when he came to his mc’s place for the first time and she was really anxious about him seeing her true self and afraid that he wouldn’t be into her bc her true self isn’t as sophisticated as “arisa”. she lied about being able to cook acqua pazza despite not actually being able to cook and instead made yasai itame, nikujaga and tamagoyaki and served miso soup and some side dishes, including jakoten (fried fish cakes) from her hometown (uwajima) that her parents sent, and kazuomi actually really liked jakoten haha. 

“the sound of mc’s giggly laughter fills my heart and heals me.”

“pointless conversations, playful kisses, intertwined fingers... we haven’t done anything special, but this is enough.”

“it’s a good feeling ... i think it’s because i fell in love with mc”

i just want to interrupt here because this makes me so emotional ahhh. like kazu and his mc’s thing has always been about like challenging and playing games with each other and it’s always been about the thrill of the chase, so i just adore it when they’re just simple and wholesome and in love (esp when kazuomi is the one who we get to see being head over heels). 

“falling in love, huh... i never thought the day would come when i would use that word”

this whole time, he thought it was his role to uncover**** your heart and body. however, without him even realising, you may have opened him up. 

****the word used here is more like to unravel/loosen/relax. basically it’s referring to you know how kazuomi and his mc are always talking about like getting each other to open up/expose/reveal their true selves and intentions. 

“i see,” kazuomi thinks. “we open up to each other and heal each other.” maybe that’s why you want to spend such an enriching time together. 

the coffee that you brewed is still hot and kazuomi feels like he’s never had such delicious coffee before. 

“doing nothing but sipping coffee in front of the fireplace ... that time is the most precious.”

“it’s delicious.” you say the same thing [as he was thinking] after drinking your coffee, face softening. 

“it was already pitch black outside, but the inside of the log house was full of warmth and happiness.”

“...i see. so this is happiness”

(LOOK HOW SOFT HE IS AHHHHHH)

he places the cup down and hugs you from behind. placing a hand on his arm, you murmur while staring at the fireplace, telling him that he seems to be so busy lately, you didn’t want to push him too much... you avoided tiring him out as much as possible. 

for the first time, kazuomi is unmistakably hearing the “true feelings”***** that you have hidden until now...

*****i chose to use this phrasing (alongside true intentions/face) here and in the previous chapter to try to convey the meaning as smoothly as possible through the context but you’d probably get a better sense of the meaning if you search “本音” or “honne”. essentially, it’s one’s true inner self/feelings that can’t necessarily be (and in fact is usually contrary to) one’s outward-facing societal/public persona (tatamae). it’s a recurring theme throughout kazuomi and his mc’s relationship (particularly in the earlier stages) as they are both trying to uncover each other’s real selves.

--

anyway i hope you enjoyed chapter 4! can’t believe we only have 2 chapters left to go, and i promise you that they get really steamy. but for now, i so enjoyed seeing kazuomi putting aside his own tastes to make you happy, and then realising that he’s so in love with you that even doing the simplest things with you give him bliss. it’s so rare that we get to see kazu being... not Excessive(tm)? he’s really just a man in love when it comes to you ;~~; also how cute is it that yuzu and kei give him so much shit but really try to help in any way they can when it comes down to it? 

i’ve set up a ko-fi page here and would be incredibly grateful if you would like to support me for translations and being able to purchase more routes to recap in english!

click here for chapter 5