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yatagarasuhonyaku · 3 months ago

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Yatagarasu Series Fanbook: Part 1

Disclaimer: This is fan-translation japanese-english of the original fanbook. The illustrations used are also from it, made by the artist in charge of the manga adaptation.

Blog version

The Blog version is heavily recommended for the Fanbook. Formatting is much more limited in Tumblr itself.

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Fanbook (Part 1)

A Raven for All Seasons: Chill interviews with the characters (by the author!)

She asked the four princesses at the Rite of Ascension about their worries and what they are looking forward to! What's the impression Abe Chisato, the author, got from the four of them?

Eastern House, Spring Pavilion Asebi

Q: What are you looking forward to at the current Rite of Ascension?

I'm underprepared compared to the other princesses so I'm actually worried about my place in the Rite of Ascension. Still, I'm just looking forward to being able to make new friends. It's not like I possess anything special I can take pride in, so I at least want to make an effort to be as earnest as possible with others.

Q: Any concerns?

This isn’t really the case for those already close to me, but I have a feeling that I'm often misunderstood for some reason.

Abe's impressions

The cute type, pink in particular suits her. She seems younger than she is because of how she acts and talks, but she's actually older than Masuho no Susuki and the same age as Hamayuu.

Northern House, Winter Pavilion Shiratama

Q: What are you looking forward to at the current Rite of Ascension?

It would be no exaggeration to say I was born for the sake of the Rite. I want to meet the expectations and hopes placed on me by my family, who raised me until now, and the people of the North, so I'll be doing my best out of wholehearted gratitude to them.

Q: Any concerns?

None worth mentioning.

Abe's impressions

Her skin is silky, looking like a pearl. She’s the cool type and her droopy dark eyes look adorable, but wouldn't she be that much more charming if only she smiled?

Southern House, Summer Pavilion Hamayuu

Q: What are you looking forward to at the current Rite of Ascension?

I’ll be doing what I must as someone born into this position. That's all.

Q: Any concerns?

Not enough exercise.

Abe's impressions

The type that would undoubtedly be gifted plenty of bags during Valentine’s at an all girls school. Were she in modern Japan, I see her becoming a model or something of the sort.

Western House, Autumn Pavilion Masuho no Susuki

Q: What are you looking forward to at the current Rite of Ascension?

As the other three princesses have effectively come here for mine and Wakamiya's sakes, I'm of the mind to treat them with the utmost courtesy. I may end up choosing my sons and daughters’ tutor from among them, given tradition, so I plan to watch them closely for that reason.

Q: Any concerns?

I've heard food that uses vinegar is good for your looks, so I've been wanting to try it—but I choke on it.

Abe's impressions

She acts all mature, but she's only sixteen, close to seventeen. While I wouldn't say it looks bad on her, I think she's the type that's prettier without makeup.

Relationship chart (by the author!)

(Time period: at the end of A Raven for All Seasons)

The Raven Doesn’t Choose His Master: Chill interviews with the characters (by the author!)

She asked for the inner thoughts of these mysterious Lords and servants! What does Abe Chisato, the author, have to say about their real selves?

The next Golden Raven and ruler of Yamauchi The Crown Prince Wakamiya

Q: How are you feeling, having returned to Yamauchi after so long?

I’ve been away long enough, so I won't be escaping the Imperial Court’s backlash. So, well, let's just say that I've at least gathered my resolve by this point.

Q: I've heard there are plans for a number of attendants to arrive, is that true?

So it seems. I'm sure we'll be able to build a good relationship.

Abe’s perspective on Wakamiya:

The main story's (kind of) protagonist number 1. He’s theoretically the Crown Prince, but his reputation is abysmal. He’s a wanderer by nature. Back in A Raven for All Seasons, he was just a good-for-nothing with a pretty face, but some suspicions arise about whether he's truly just a good-looking, natural airhead or not during this book. His hobby is cooking, with sweets-making being another specialty of his. Most likely, personality-wise, he was always ill-suited for the world of political intrigue.

Taruhi Township Lord's second ‘idiot’ son Arriving at the Imperial Court as Wakamiya's attendant Yukiya

Q: You got the honor to become an attendant, how are you feeling about it?

It’s been so sudden, I'm beside myself with all the surprise and shock and trepidation.

Q: Are you looking forward to your job as an attendant?

It's a prestigious position, I think.

Q: Are you looking forward to it?

I damn sure am looking forward to it. Can I go back?

Abe’s perspective on Yukiya:

The main story's (kind of) protagonist number 2. He isn’t a pretty face, that’s for sure. He feigns being a kind-hearted fool, but he's such a sore loser that his charade is full of holes. When you look at it that way, it’s clear he’s still just a simple, naive kid. No matter what he may argue about it, he's a young lord born and raised. His true nature is that of a blackhearted boy who loves his family dearly.

Wakamiya's one and only bodyguard A warrior, graduated as the first of his class at the Monastery Sumio

Q: Lord Sumio, I've heard Wakamiya requested you personally as his bodyguard, is that true?

Yes, it’s an honor too great for someone like me.

Q: You're a commoner, right, Lord Sumio? Why do you think he selected you?

I wonder, maybe my results at the Unbending Reed Monastery caught his attention?

Q: Do you have a girlfriend?

…… Eh? Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?

Abe’s perspective on Sumio:

A fine young man who, despite being a commoner, met Wakamiya by some ill fate when the latter was wandering around and became his friend. Because of this, his life inevitably went into hard mode. A hard working person—he was blessed with smarts, a good personality and great physical ability, luck is the one thing he finds himself lacking. But it’ll be fine!

The Emperor’s eldest son, born to him and the Southern Empress. Wakamiya's older brother Natsuka

Q: How do you feel about your younger brother?

He may be my brother, but he's someone I swore fealty to. It’s my intention to serve him with wholehearted devotion.

Q: Rumors say you're planning to take back the Crown Prince position from him, though?

No way (laughs). By the way, could you perhaps—tell me who said that to you exactly?

Abe’s perspective on Natsuka:

He was in fact supposed to rise to the throne very quickly, but a lot happened and he renounced his position. Everyone around him ignores his wishes and gets all wound up with power struggles, so he was left with no option but to make an effort to play along. He adores his little brother! His personality is probably actually somewhat well-suited for a ruler. Despite his constant frown, he's quite the honest sort.

Relationship chart (by the author!)

(Time period: at the end of The Raven Doesn’t Choose His Master)

(Translator’s Note: In the novels, it was Sumio and not Wakamiya who, due to Yukiya’s blood relation to the Northern Lord, planned Yukiya’s involvement in the plot together with Natsuka. While Yukiya is still upset with Wakamiya for other related reasons, the blame for that falls on Sumio.)

The Raven of the Empty Coffin: Chill interviews with the characters (by the author!)

It’s the time right before the Unbending Reed Monastery's last test, the Trial of Storm. For the sake of all the young men of Yamauchi worrying about their future paths, we got some interviews with related personages!

Unbending Reed Monastery Dropout and Wakamiya's Close Aide at present. Birth Region: West. Akeru

Q: So you dropped out of the Monastery and are now working as His Highness Wakamiya's close aide, right?

Yes. While I didn't have the talent required to become part of the Yamauchi Guard, everything I learned at the Monastery is still a valuable part of me today.

Q: Are you glad you joined the Monastery?

Of course I am! I’m a firm believer that there's no downside to going to the Monastery, no matter what your social status may be. Even if you end up dropping out midway, you'll find a new path soon enough just like me. So, if there's anyone hesitating out there, I want them to give it an earnest try. I think those who are dedicated will surely be rewarded, and His Highness Wakamiya is of the same mind as well. I'm looking forward to the day we serve him together.

A few words about Akeru from Abe:

He looks like a girl so people are prone to misread him, but he's actually quite the brat. He believes his older brother was harsh with him, but the reality is that everyone around him was simply just way too lenient. His brother was more than soft enough with him by most people's standards.

A Trainee at Unbending Reed Monastery Birth Region: North. Shigemaru

Q: You come from a mountain village in Shimaki Township, right? Are you glad you came to the Monastery?

Life here is all good! The food is really tasty and you get to use a huge bath. You can also make friends regardless of social status, that's great too.

Q: Actually, about that, have you ever found yourself struggling over differences of status or anything of the sort?

Not at all! Everyone views things differently, but as long as you talk things out properly it’ll all work itself out most of the time.

Q: ‘Most of the time’, so there have been a few problems?

Ahahahaha!

Q: What do you aspire to do after graduation?

My goal isn't graduation per se, so the moment of truth for me starts once I'm finally part of the Yamauchi Guard. I'll be working hard to protect my hometown together with those important to me!

A few words about Shigemaru from Abe:

A good person unbefitting the Yatagarasu Series. He battles over the position of the most noble character with Ichiryuu's father and Azusa.

A Trainee at Unbending Reed Monastery Birth Region: South. Chihaya

Q: I’ve heard you originally joined the Monastery as an attendant for a certain noble. You seem to have cut any contact with that person at present, but have you experienced any problems afterwards due to turning your back on your backer?

Nothing in particular.

Q: Do you have an ideal to follow, a kind of Guard you want to become?

Not really.

Q: Are you glad you came to the Monastery?

Yes.

A few words about Chihaya from Abe:

He will make a point to ignore every foolish thing said around him, so he may seem like a fool himself. That said, however, his unquestionable nature is that of the straight man in a comedy duo. He'll think up some really caustic quips to what everyone around him says, but he doesn’t ever say them out loud because that's too much of a pain for him. Can you please talk more!?

Last year's Graduate and active Yamauchi Guard Birth Region: North. Ichiryuu

Q: Tell me, now as an actual Yamauchi Guard, is there any difference to how you imagined it to be?

Well, I ended up getting an unexpected promotion by His Highness Wakamiya, so I'm very happy with it, though surprised.

Q: I've heard you graduated as the second to last in your year?

Please, do not misunderstand. To graduate from the Unbending Reed Monastery is already an amazing feat all by itself. Your scores during your time there or your results at graduation aren't that relevant afterwards, really.

Q: Apparently, you picked a quarrel with an artist in the middle of painting, asking him to take on a request for a Heavens’ Portrait (TN: This is a concept that appears formally later in the novels. It’s fine to not know about it). Rumors say that you absolutely went to buy it up once it was finished, too. Is that true?

From whom did you hear that? Can we act as if you didn’t ask me that?

A few words about Ichiryuu from Abe:

He's so energetic, it’s nice, isn’t it?

A Trainee at Unbending Reed Monastery Birth Region: East. Haruma

Q: I’ve heard hierarchy is brutal at the Monastery. Any concerns about your relationship with your seniors?

None at all! Especially because Evergreen Yukiya, a senior two years above me, has been taking special care of me. He’ll always kindly advise me whenever I have any trouble.

Q: Oh, you mean the famed ‘Monastery’s Teen Prodigy’ Evergreen Yukiya! I requested an interview with him, but it got refused. What is he like as a senior? From your perspective as his junior.

He isn’t only intelligent, but also incredibly considerate. He’s the best senior I can imagine.

Q: There are rumors about how he’s a spiteful man with an awful personality, though?

I believe anyone who says that is just blind to reality.

A few words about Haruma from Abe:

Even I, the author who wrote the events, can’t quite figure out why he came to admire Yukiya this much. It’s most likely not anything rational, possibly something akin to love at first sight. And there’s not much that can be done about it if it’s love at first sight, right?

An Instructor at the Monastery and Main Instructor for Theory Seiken

Q: Apparently, there’s quite a number of problem children in this year’s graduation class?

I fail to see what you mean by problem children, but I believe they’re all hard-working kids, who have earnestly sought out their own paths to follow from hereon.

Q: You say that, but there are stories about how much they fought and how some of them even defied their instructors, though?

That’s true, yes. However, fights are bound to happen if you gather that many kids that age (laughs). The same happens every year, and I don’t believe someone is a good trainee because he doesn’t get into fights and meekly obeys his instructors. Besides, the fact they could defy one is proof in itself that the Monastery is functioning as it should again. I personally hold pride in this new Monastery.

Q: Then, is it fine for the delinquents and the rowdy to aspire to join the ranks?

Oh, keep them coming! I’ll be looking forward to meeting them.

A few words about Seiken from Abe:

He simply kinda seems like a proper well-put Yatagarasu because he’s following his calling as an educator, but I believe him to be quite the dangerous man. He’s absolutely no saint and he may seem calm, but he’s quite fierce actually.

An ex-instructor at the Monastery, once in charge of Strategy Exercise Lessons Suikan

Q: It’s said that you suffered a massive loss during a Board Drill with Yukiya of the Northern House, who will be graduating this year, when he was still a Seed. Is that true?

It’s true.

Q: From your perspective, can we expect big things from the future of Yukiya of the Northern House?

His talent in Strategy is beyond question. He’ll probably be declared Yamauchi’s number one Strategic Counselor in no time. In that sense, you can definitely say his future looks promising, but I personally wish that doesn’t turn out to be the case.

Q: What do you mean by that?

(Laughs) I know this may make me sound like a sore loser, but I’m speaking from the perspective of an emergency. Anyway, I pray we don’t find ourselves in a situation where he ends up with total control over the army.

A few words about Suikan from Abe:

While he aspires to become an instructor just like Seiken out of admiration for the man, he’s still a complete greenhorn. He’s now being taught how to be a proper teacher by his own students. Go, you can do it!

Twitter Q&A (Part 1)

Translator’s note: This is a selection ensuring no spoilers at the moment of translation. I’ll be covering everything over time, but there’s much that would ruin future developments if read now. Spoiler questions aside, they’re translated in the order they come up in the fanbook. There'll be many more to come.

Question: Regarding the relationship between Yamauchi and the Outside. Say, for example, that a year passed in the Outside—how many years would that be in Yamauchi? Is there any difference in the speed time passes between the two, or is it the same…?

Answer: Timewise, there shouldn’t be any difference whatsoever between the two places.

Question: Please, teach us about the merchandise that Yamauchi sells to the Outside. Are there any items people back in the day or us modern people are using or seeing without realizing they were produced in Yamauchi?

Answer: Merchandise produced by Yamauchi is considered quite the commodity among a very specific kind of client, so the sold goods are bought out by them in their entirety. Hence, as long as these clients don’t use the goods where people can see it, a normal human wouldn’t ever have a chance to see or touch any of it.

Question: What’s the Yatagarasu’s life expectancy like? They seem quite ignorant about events from just a hundred years ago, so I’m of the idea that it must be quite different to modern human life expectancy. Maybe similar to that of the Heian era?

Answer: On the contrary, Yamauchi has been blessed overall with better nutrition and less illnesses compared to the Outside, so I’m of the thought that their life expectancy and builds have been closer to that of modern time humans for a long time now. And this may be a superfluous addition, but I think that, even now in the modern era, there’s so much we humans don’t truly understand that well about events just a hundred years ago, more so compared to what we believe ourselves to know about them.

Question: So Yatagarasu women experience menses, what does that imply?

Answer: It’s not exactly the same as the menstruation experienced by human women, but Yatagarasu women go through a fairly similar physiological phenomenon. Once a month, they must discharge a failed egg out of their bodies and, when the time comes, they start to feel ill. In particularly bad cases, remaining in human form becomes difficult for them. Because of this, women will shut themselves in specialized rooms and sheds during this period.

Supplementary addition: This comes up in another question I answered later on, but pregnant women will shift to bird form as their child’s birth date gets closer. They must be in bird form during the process of laying the egg itself, no exceptions.

Question: When Yatagarasu transform, what’s the order in which the body changes? I would like to know how it works for both cases, from bird to human and from human to bird, and if there are any sort of differences from person to person.

Answer: A human’s arms and a bird’s wings have bones in common to a degree, right? Yatagarasu (excluding the True Golden Raven) will change forms from those. This mechanism works by having these shared bones first reshape themselves and then, following that, the muscles will reattach as feathers simultaneously appear or disappear. There are some individual differences, of course, but the process is fundamentally the same for everyone.

Question: Could a bird form Yatagarasu live on their own in the mountains?

Answer: If the person is lucky enough, it’s possible to survive in such a way, but I think that this Yatagarasu would have to be an exceptional hunter or otherwise be condemned to die of hunger. In fact, it would maybe be easier for that person to just cross Yamauchi’s barrier and live on the Outside as a normal crow.

Translator’s Note:

I would like to mention it here, as I forgot to make a note about it back in the day and I think it's actually fun trivia for the setting. The most popular way to read the japanese term for "feather robe" (羽衣) is not "Ue", what the Yatagarasu Series uses, but "Hagoromo" and that's how the concept is mostly known in the West: "the Legend of Hagoromo" and "Hagoromo (Noh play)" are examples that may come up in english if you search the term.

Although the finer details vary from version to version of the legend, the basic idea remains the same: it is said to be worn by celestial maidens, and it transforms them into birds and gives them the power of flight so they can come and go from the Heavens. The story usually has a man watching a group of birds transform into beautiful women to bathe in a spring. Then, taken by the sight, he steals one of the hagoromo and the celestial maiden that it belonged to gets stuck there.

From there on, according to the japanese internet, there are two main variants that diverge in plot greatly: in one she ends up marrying the man that's essentially her kidnapper, bearing him children before finding her hagoromo again and returning to the Heavens; and in the other she's adopted by an old couple, blessing them by producing extremely high quality alcohol until the couple ends up driving her away once they realize she's not their real daughter, forcing her to wander until she finds a new home.

The essential idea of the hagoromo, as in a robe worn by minor divinities (Yatagarasu are originally gods of guidance, associated with the Sun, sometimes depicted acting as messengers for other more important gods) that allows them to shift between a bird form and a human form and that must be necessarily worn/produced to access said bird form, does however remain mostly intact in its implementation into this saga as the "Ue" or, as the english version of the anime (and my translation in turn) call them, feather robes.

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yatagarasuhonyaku · 3 months ago

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Chapter of the Fireflies: Those Who Yearn

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation japanese-english of the original novel. This is a short story originally written for a japanese magazine and later compiled in one of the Ravens' Hundred Flowers books.

Blog version

For other translations, you can find them HERE

Timeline: Midway of Raven of the Empty Coffin, after the Chihaya chapter

Characters (in order of relevance): Masuho no Susuki, Akeru, Sumio, Yukiya, Hamayuu, Nazukihiko, Chihaya, Shigemaru.

Synopsis: During Yukiya's second year at the Monastery, he takes the lead role during the Boys' Festival celebrations at Cherry Blossom Palace. The inciting incident to a strange proposal...

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Those Who Yearn(1)

It all happened during the Boys’ Festival(2).

At the time, the mountains were full to the brim with new leaves, all sparkling like green jewels under the dazzling sunlight, but in Cherry Blossom Palace none was more splendid than Sakura no Kimi, the Crown Prince's wife.

An aroma so strong it was almost overbearing came from the ornamental scent bags hanging around the place. They were made with mugwort and iris, and decorated with freshly cut flowers and five-colored strings that were now swaying in the blowing wind. For the first time in three long years, the Horse Racing Ceremony was to take place at the riding grounds in front of Cherry Blossom Palace.

Within Yamauchi, the Boys’ Festival was, for the most part, structured to take two days. During the first, Medicine Hunting(3) took place, and Horse Racing was scheduled for the second.

As for Medicine Hunting, just like the name implied, the term originally referred to a religious service(4) consisting of the picking of medicinal herbs and the acquisition of deer antlers. The first day was, in fact, the most important part of the event. It was when the Golden Raven, the chief of all Yatagarasu, would perform a ritual known as ‘Antler Knocking’, in which he would retrieve the antlers of a nine-colored deer(5) raised by the Bureau of Medicine.

However, in modern days, real deer hunting had come to take place simultaneously with the ritual at one of the hunting grounds on the Center's property. The attendees were mostly young noblemen, purposely for the sake of building up their stamina in preparation for the coming summer, who would later go on to present their acquired prey at the Court. The second day's Horse Racing Ceremony was intended as a reenactment, showing off their performance during the hunt itself.

For the Yatagarasu, who possessed both the form of a human and a three-legged giant crow, to employ another member of their own race as a ‘horse’ and ride it was an act requiring permission only given to a limited number of privileged. So, during the event, the young noblemen who took part in the hunt rode outstanding giant crows, all specially chosen for the occasion, and shot an arrow each towards an earthenware deer statue as they flew towards it.

There were multiple potential riding grounds in the Center, so the one used for the festivities was chosen by the priests after seeking Lord Yamagami's divine will. That said, for the one by Cherry Blossom Palace to go unchosen for three years was unheard of. After all, there was in truth another altogether different criteria than divine will playing a hand in the events.

On the sides of the cliff where Cherry Blossom Palace stood, there were covered paths built to bridge the different buildings. Thin bamboo screens had been placed on them, making it impossible to look at whoever hid within them. There sat the Ladies in Waiting under the service of Sakura no Kimi, the edges of their kimono visible from underneath the curtains. Peeking from underneath the green bamboo were colors as vivid and pleasing to the eye as the peonies and azaleas that decorated the many ornamental scent bags around.

Masuho no Susuki, the head of Sakura no Kimi’s Ladies in Waiting, watched over such a scene with the indifference of an onlooker. She was standing on top of a stage which overlooked the roofed paths where the others were waiting in line.

To the opposite side, at the halfway point between the stage and the mountain, a tall rock protruded upwards with a red deer statue on top of it. Giant crows flapped their dark wings as the young noblemen on their backs approached the statue one after the other, mimicking the act of shooting their bows.

While they all feigned indifference, they kept giving curious glances at what hid behind the bamboo blinds—most likely, picturing in their minds the ladies’ beauty through their lovely clothes. Something that the women within were very well aware of. They had, in fact, gone through great lengths to look their best for the day. Aware as she was of their hard efforts, Masuho no Susuki looked warmly over the scene from underneath her long-handled parasol.

The Ladies in Waiting serving at Cherry Blossom Palace were often young, beautiful women—and their chances to meet the sons of the nobility were quite scarce. Many of them ended up marrying someone just for their families’ sake without ever meeting face to face with their husband before the fact. Hence, it had become custom to use the Horse Racing Ceremony as an excuse for a bachelor line-up.

The number of successful marriages among the nobility went noticeably up every year the Ceremony took place at Cherry Blossom Palace compared to the others. Some young men had even gotten the chance to successfully rise up in standing after a high-ranking princess fell in love with them at first sight, so none were more psyched up during the day’s exhibition than those of the low nobility.

Just a few years ago, as Masuho no Susuki calmly realized, she would have been the most concerned with the beauty of that barely visible kimono edge. Yet now that her plentiful waving locks had been replaced with the hairstyle of a nun, the only thing she felt was utter disinterest.

The highest of the nobility, besides the Golden Raven, who stood at the top of Yamauchi’s hierarchy, were the Four Houses, who had all been entrusted with the ruling of the territories in each of the cardinals—the Eastern, Southern, Western and Southern Houses. Each Region had their own unique produce and crafts they specialized in, and their best goods and talent were all henceforth sent to the Imperial Court. In doing so, the economy at Yamauchi’s Center stayed in motion.

Masuho no Susuki had been born as the first princess of the Western House, which held craftsmanship as its regional specialty and, until not that long ago, she had been one of the candidates to become the wife of the Crown Prince—Wakamiya.

Masuho no Susuki’s beauty had been without equal at the time, even compared to the other beautiful princesses sent by the Four Houses to Cherry Blossom Palace as prospective wives. There had been no doubt she would be the one chosen and yet, in the end, it wasn’t her but a lady of the Southern House—the West's political rivals—who became Sakura no Kimi.

Ever since infancy, Masuho no Susuki had spent her life with the conviction that she would be chosen as the prince's wife. She had longed for Wakamiya—who had grown into quite the attractive young man, a perfectly matching picture to the memories of those moments in her youth spent together—more than anyone else. A fact that had driven her to believe that, in the unfortunate and unlikely case she went unchosen, it would be the end of her. That she wouldn’t be able to live on.

Reality, however, couldn’t have been more different from her imagination.

The moment Masuho no Susuki actually met Wakamiya during the consort selection process, she came to discover that the attraction wasn’t there at all. He even told the candidates—of all things to say—that ‘he didn't particularly like them, and there's a possibility he may end up betraying them in the future.’ That ‘if they didn’t mind that, he would make them his wives.’

His arrogance was plain for anyone to see as he stomped all over the love the princesses held for him. Masuho no Susuki was a prideful woman and this wasn't something she could ever overlook. In fact, she had been so worried about the Southern princess, who had actually gone and accepted such terms, that in the heat of the moment she became a nun and a Lady in Waiting serving her.

Those of the Western House had been beside themselves with disappointment, apparently, but Masuho no Susuki saw the instant she cut down the same hair she had prided herself in as being freed of something possessing her. From that point onwards, she had lost all interest in romantic love.

She learned afterwards that Wakamiya's circumstances were what left him with no other option but to be realistic to a fault like that. While it gave her a newfound respect and admiration for the Southern princess, as she had chosen to become his wife with full knowledge of the brutal circumstances she was embroiling herself in, she still couldn't picture herself as Wakamiya’s wife at all from that day onwards.

She had never expected to find such a side to herself, but she had come to discover that she liked this version of herself—someone who kept her dignity and pride—much more than the woman drunk on love she had once been. So, what alternative did she have?

——An hour or so had passed since the start of the ceremony.

The last shooter should be about to arrive at the scene. This star shooter, unlike the other young noblemen taking part in the event before him, didn’t have to feign the act—his role was to shoot an arrow and actually hit the deer effigy. Successfully taking it down brought good fortune and failure brought misfortune, or so the story went, which made it an important duty to bear.

Ever since that tiny boy had left to train to become a high-ranking military officer, Masuho no Susuki hadn’t had much of a chance to meet with him—would he be actually capable of successfully fulfilling the task?

Suddenly, the sound of bells ringing resounded in the distance.

“He's coming, Lady Masuho no Susuki,” the Lady in Waiting waiting beside her announced nervously.

It wasn’t the shooter ringing the bells, but the herald. Ting-ting-ting. A giant crow led the way, the bells producing their shrill sound as it moved forwards. It flew much, much faster than any of the young noblemen had before. In fact, Masuho no Susuki couldn’t help but wonder with a touch of fear whether it was too much speed.

Yet, right behind the heralding giant crow came the shooter—and he proved to be just as swift. The rider, laid down on top of his steed, lifted his body all of a sudden with smooth, graceful movements as the sleeves of his cool light blue kimono—embroidered with silver—flapped in the wind, the gold of the stirrups sparkling under the sun.

The shooter, with his back now fully straightened as if he were unfolding, clung tightly to his mount's back using just his thighs while he gracefully drew the bow.

A woosh, and the arrow came loose with a sound not unlike a high-pitched whistle, piercing the deer effigy as if it had been sucked in. The effigy immediately crashed down with a clatter, giving no time for the bell to ring to indicate the shooter had successfully hit the target.

The spectators cheered, and the shooter dropped his speed. He then drew a loose arc in the sky, flying towards the spot where Masuho no Susuki awaited him. In the process, he passed by the roofed paths and their excited occupants but, unlike the other young men taking part in the ceremony, he didn't pay them even a single glance. The other young men, who had been on standby right underneath the stage, flew up and positioned right behind him.

The star shooter—a scion of the Northern House, once Wakamiya's close aide and a boy Masuho no Susuki regarded as her own little brother—smoothly landed on the stage where Masuho no Susuki stood with the spectacularly dressed young noblemen right after him.

Actually, no—calling him a ‘boy’ didn't feel right anymore. The young man had now dismounted with ease and approached Masuho no Susuki with a broad smile on his lips.

“It’s been so long, Lady Masuho no Susuki.”

His friendly voice was unfamiliar to her ears, somewhat hoarse as it was so characteristic of teenage boys. Masuho no Susuki was taken aback.

‘Who is this?’

Of course, she knew his name. Asking would be stupid, she realized that much. Still, and despite having met so many times before, the man in front of her looked like a completely different person in her eyes.

“Are you… Yukiya?”

“I am, yes. I've come to bring this year's Boys’ Festival's medicine to Sakura no Kimi.”

After giving his face a long, hard look, Masuho no Susuki could in fact tell those were without question Yukiya's features, but he had changed so much that it was almost a guarantee to confuse him for another.

His cheeks, once round like a baby's, were now lean, giving him the distinctive look of a warrior, and the outline of his face was that of a young man, firm and defined. His skin had a healthy tan to it and his somewhat light-colored eyes sparkled. To top it all off, he had become noticeably taller compared to their last meeting—it was now Masuho no Susuki who had to look up.

It actually felt like a fox had disguised itself to deceive her.

“Lady Masuho no Susuki?” Yukiya called out to her, perplexed.

After finally coming back to herself, a panicking Masuho no Susuki proceeded to respond as custom demanded. “You did a good job coming here. Sakura no Kimi must be no doubt overjoyed as well.”

“There's no bigger honor than that,” Yukiya courteously bowed his head and signaled behind him with his eyes. The moment he did that, a number of warriors—all fully clad in black—briskly stepped forward from the group and proceeded to place in a line the medicine, deer meat and antlers they had brought, all loaded on small offering stands.

Once she verified that everything in the checklist was accounted for, Masuho no Susuki nodded in approval. “Everything has arrived safely indeed.”

“Please, send my best regards to Her Highness.” A pleasant, refreshing smile later, Yukiya nimbly jumped back onto the giant crow's back. “Now, if you'll excuse me.”

Masuho no Susuki bowed slightly at him and Yukiya gave her a firm last greeting back before taking off. The flashily dressed young noblemen, who had been looking over their exchange with keen interest, followed after Yukiya this time as well—although they were clearly reluctant to do so.

Their group flew away, in the direction of the Imperial Court, as Masuho no Susuki watched over them. With them gone, all that remained on the stage was the ‘medicine’ sent for Sakura no Kimi, the Ladies in Waiting and a small number of warriors who had stayed to help carry the delivered goods to Cherry Blossom Palace.

It was among those warriors that Masuho no Susuki found the face of someone who wasn’t even supposed to be there. Her eyes went wide open. “Sumio, is it really fine for you to be here?"

Sumio had a dark complexion and a somewhat small build for a warrior, and he was always found by his Lord Wakamiya’s side as his bodyguard. His lord, always keen to abuse his infamy at the Court as a ‘fool’, had no qualms to indulge in his bad habit of skipping ceremonies and, to make matters worse, Sakura no Kimi, his wife, didn’t reprimand him—she instead went as far as to willingly help him on occasion. All in all, it was a pain to deal with.

Just the day before, Sakura no Kimi had actually gotten news of Wakamiya secretly escaping from the Court and had left for Sunrise Palace—where Wakamiya had been supposed to be—to act as his literal body double. She wasn't even supposed to ever come out from Cherry Blossom Palace.

Masuho no Susuki had waited with bated breath ever since, hoping her absence went unnoticed by everyone, but the situation had to have somehow resolved itself. Otherwise, Sumio wouldn’t have been there at the event. He ran towards her with a slight, wry smile on his lips and stopped some distance away from her.

“I know we've caused you much worry, but Wakamiya has now returned to Sunrise Palace. Sakura no Kimi should be back here as well tonight—she's at Sunrise Palace right now,” Sumio announced to her in a whisper, low enough that nobody else but Masuho no Susuki could hear him.

“I see.” Masuho no Susuki let out a sigh of relief.

Every single time, it was Sumio and Masuho no Susuki's job to clean up whatever mess Wakamiya and his wife caused by acting irresponsibly. She had gotten quite used to it—a feeling she actually found terrifying when she stopped to think about it, although there was little to no point to complaining after being at it for so long.

The weight on her shoulders now lifted, her mind couldn’t help but to turn towards the events that had just transpired. “Still, what a huge surprise. I knew that Yukiya would be taking on the role of the star shooter, but—”

“I know what you mean…… He has grown up a lot, hasn't he?”

“I mean, yes, that kid was shorter than me last time we met.”

Masuho no Susuki's actual little brother had joined the Unbending Reed Monastery—the same training facility for military officers Yukiya attended—at the same time as Yukiya did. Despite their circumstances, Masuho no Susuki had gotten the chance to meet with her brother from time to time, but his growth rate hadn’t been nearly as dramatic as Yukiya.

“It's as the outer books say, right? ‘If you don't meet a young man for three days, pay attention’(6),” Sumio responded as he smiled wryly.

Masuho no Susuki, on the other hand, quietly muttered, “Seeing him grow makes me happy, but… It does make one feel a bit lonely……”

The source of her turmoil was, most likely, a gnawing feeling of loss. Whenever she thought about how that innocent boy was gone from this world—even if she technically knew it was a good thing and she should be glad for his growth—the sensation that overtook her was one beyond description.

⊛　　　　　⊛　　　　　 ⊛

After finishing up the matters at Cherry Blossom Palace, Sumio flew right back to Sunrise Palace. There awaited the young men who had just recently joined him in the ranks of Wakamiya’s bodyguards. Their nerves were plain on their faces, but their expressions shifted to ones of relief the very second they saw Sumio return.

Well, not like Sumio could blame them for that.

Their Lord and his wife were found within the annex they were guarding, but the couple didn’t obey common sense and dealing with their sudden whims was still a bit too heavy a task for the new guards. Apparently, they had been trembling with fear at the possibility of receiving some ridiculous order during Sumio's absence.

But Sumio was here now and the young Guards let him pass inside.

“I'm back,” Sumio opened the door and announced his arrival with a very familiar tone—something usually unthinkable from a servant. There, in front of a desk facing the window, was a young couple, their appearances remarkably similar, drinking tea with complete ease.

“Good job out there. How were things at Cherry Blossom Palace?” The handsome young man who asked the question was none other than Sumio's childhood friend and the Lord he had sworn his loyalty to—His Highness Wakamiya. His straight hair was tied at his nape and fell over his light purple kimono. He was dressed casually, with no hakama.

“It all went without a hitch. It may go without saying, but nobody noticed Sakura no Kimi's absence.”

“How was Yukiya?” Sakura no Kimi—Princess Hamayuu, who was dressed in the exact same outfit as her husband, asked with clear amusement. Dressing gown or not, that outfit probably still qualified as male attire, yet it was quite the perfect fit for the tall princess, who was constantly taking the role of Wakamiya's body double.

“That too went without issue. However, I brought a message with me from Lady Masuho no Susuki for Sakura no Kimi—’For all of the world, please, let's not have another ceremony take place in your absence ever again. Also, please, return as soon as possible.’”

Sumio replied to Hamayuu with some degree of respect, but the oddly-dressed princess just cackled in answer. “She doesn't learn her lesson either, huh? She should have figured out by now that I won't listen no matter how many times she asks.”

“I guess she can't hold herself back from trying,” Sumio spoke a tad emotionally—he felt exactly the same way as her after all. The young couple was, unfortunately, impervious to his tame attempt at sarcasm.

“Anyway, now that Masuho no Susuki has shown her face in front of those noblemen, we'll have quite a commotion awaiting from here on.”

“What do you mean?” Wakamiya asked his wife.

Hamayuu let out a snort. “Isn't it obvious? I mean there’ll be marriage proposals aplenty.”

“I see…” Wakamiya’s eyebrows lowered. “But Lady Masuho has become a nun, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem…”

“Quite the opposite. She let down her guard because she's a nun now and showed her face, and I'm convinced that's going to backfire on her.”

Sumio couldn't help but to agree with Hamayuu’s argument in his mind. Masuho no Susuki had never cut corners when it came to her appearance when she had still been a candidate to become Wakamiya's wife, always dressed in tremendously splendid outfits.

However, ever since she had decided to serve Hamayuu as her Lady in Waiting, she had come to prefer plain outfits with subdued colors. But she wasn’t the princess renowned as the most beautiful in Yamauchi for nothing. Far from diminishing her appearance, it had actually come to highlight her own natural charm and in turn made her stand out even more than before.

The events of the day had been no different in that regard. The young noblemen's eyes had been hopelessly glued on her the entire time as they passed on the medicine, however brief a moment it had been.

“It's at my discretion as her master to decide whether she returns to secular life or not, after all. Wait for it, I assure you there'll be letters arriving nonstop to Cherry Blossom Palace from tomorrow onwards,” Hamayuu declared as her lips curved upwards.

Wakamiya tilted his head with an ‘uhm’. “And looking at you, it seems you're more than eager to receive such proposals for Lady Masuho?”

“Of course I am! It's Masuho no Susuki we're talking about! To make such a beautiful and good-natured woman waste her life away serving me is no hobby of mine. It would be such a shame, who could do that?” Hamayuu yelled at him. “That said, I have no plans to give her away to some no-good noble. To marry Masuho no Susuki is to quite literally gain the Western House as your ally. There should be someone, right? Someone ready-made for her, in need of the Western House's influence.”

Wakamiya, who had seemingly realized where the conversation was going, grimaced. “Hey……”

“It's a good opportunity. I've told you this many times before, but you really should be taking Masuho no Susuki as your concubine.”

Wakamiya, faced with his legal wife's keen glare, sighed. He was clearly sick of it. “And I've told you this many times before. As nice as gaining the Western House as my ally sounds, the West-affiliated nobles will undoubtedly get carried away if I do that.”

“Do you really think you have the leeway to say that in your current situation? You barely have any allies and, to make matters worse, you have political enemies everywhere. Shouldn't you secure your position first, even if that means turning a blind eye to those who use their lineage to throw their weight around?”

“And I’m telling you that's absolutely not a problem I can turn a blind eye to. This is a topic that concerns the future course of the Imperial Family, I must not cheap out on my methods.”

“You say that, but where's the meaning in that if you get killed for taking things too slowly?”

The conversation had gotten to a point beyond the realm where Sumio could even dare to open his beak. And so, under their bodyguard's watchful gaze, their very un-couple-like argument kept escalating further and further.

“Don't fuck with me, what's even your problem with Masuho no Susuki!? That girl will certainly be a good mother. If I were a man, I would have taken her as my legal wife without hesitation! Are you freaking blind?” Hamayuu picked Wakamiya up by the collar.

“Your logic is off. It's not like I have any problem with Lady Masuho.”

“Of course you don't! If you had said otherwise, I would have had to do you the favor of destroying your sorry ass here and now.”

“Wait a moment. What even are you to Lady Masuho?”

“I'm Masuho no Susuki's master and your wife. It's me of all people who's telling you it's fine to go with it. What other issue can you have to not take her as your concubine?”

“It's nothing but issues. Anyway, I’m not taking Lady Masuho as my concubine, I won't back down on this.”

While he didn't resist Hamayuu's grip, Wakamiya remained otherwise unyielding. Hamayuu finally clicked her tongue and, all of a sudden, dropped him. Sumio took some newly poured cold brewed tea and quietly placed it in front of them.

——The exchange had been a bit violent, but Sumio knew very well that, for this oddball couple, it was just some form of play.

Hamayuu promptly accepted the glass teacup and drank it all in one go. That done, she stared at Wakamiya with squinted eyes. “...... I’ve realized as much, you know? That the Western House's Lord and Heir must be begging you to take her as your concubine. Won't it become a problem for you to disregard their wishes like that?”

Wakamiya, who had been quite a bit more well-mannered while drinking his tea, left the translucent cup on the floor with a clink. “Even if that's the case, my stance is the same. I can't take Lady Masuho as my concubine, given how it will affect power dynamics.”

“No matter what?”

“No matter what.”

Hamayuu’s face was one of disappointment—and it most definitely wasn't an act on her part. “Then, what are you planning to do? To keep Masuho no Susuki as a nun is just too much of a waste.”

This time around, Wakamiya nodded in agreement. “I feel the same, yes. If possible, I would want her to play a role in strengthening the ties between the Four Houses.”

Hamayuu's expression changed as she focused on giving him an earnest proposal. “Are there any suitable young noblemen among the Four Houses, though? At least for ones that come to mind now, there's only Aotsugu from the East and Kiei from the North, but……”

“Both of them must already have legal wives, and there's no way I'm sending Lady Masuho away as a concubine.”

“Then we are left with no option but to extend our criteria to branch families. That said, that comes with a problem—finding someone with a high enough status to fit in with the Western House.”

Both of them groaned as they wondered what to do. Sumio, who had been listening to the conversation in silence until then, cleared his throat lightly.

“Sumio, what's wrong?”

“Do you have any good ideas, perhaps?”

They both turned towards him with the same exact expression on their faces. Sumio smiled wryly.

“...... I don't know if it's a good idea, but—I do have a suggestion.”

⊛　　　　　⊛　　　　　 ⊛

Green rain fell ruthlessly all over the Unbending Reed Monastery's roof tiles, but the rain drops dripping unceasingly from the building’s eaves were clear and its interior remained isolated from the grey world outside the walls.

“Sorry, Yukiya, you shouldn’t have to help me like this,” Shigemaru said with a frown, his big body hunched over. Yukiya, however, laughed lightly in response.

“It's fine. We’ll take care of this in just a minute.”

Due to the rain and at the Instructors’ convenience, the day's practical courses had been replaced instead by theory and, while Yukiya himself had finished the assignment quickly, he had chosen to stay to patiently explain everything to his best friend, who was as compassionate as he was bad at theory subjects.

To become part of the organization in charge of the protection of Yamauchi's rulers—the Yamauchi Guard—you had to first enter its training facility, the Unbending Reed Monastery. It required the recommendation of someone influential and enduring three long years of training, so it was a grueling process and dropouts were a matter of daily life.

They had to learn not only arts like swordsmanship or archery, but other practical skills like horsemanship—where they learned how to ride horses and how to fly themselves—and theoretical subjects like Etiquette and Law as well. This methodology was known as the Six Arts, Four Techniques and Two Studies.

They had plenty to learn about theory during their first year at the Monastery, but their studies were much more focused on the practical from the second year onwards. In other words, the evening was essentially a break for the trainees, at least once they were finished with their mostly meaningless assignment, and had in consequence mostly gone on their merry ways to relax as they pleased.

Class was almost over by the time Yukiya and Shigemaru had managed to clean up the latter's assignment barely enough to be above reproach. They had just stood up, planning to get a snack from the kitchen, when someone else interrupted them.

“Hey, Yukiya! I've heard you have gotten quite popular lately, right?” One of their fellow trainees called out to them.

Yukiya turned towards him. “Wait, popular? What do you mean?”

“Oh, don't play innocent!”

“We heard about it, you know? That you've been getting love letters nonstop ever since the Boys’ Festival happened.”

“They must be from the girls working at Cherry Blossom Palace, aren't they?”

The group of boys looked at Yukiya, all wearing sarcastic smiles. “Well, what can you do? An esteemed nobleman like the star shooter at the Horse Racing Ceremony isn't like the rest of us mortals.”

——So they were jealous and wanted to tease him, huh?

At least then the discussion wasn’t likely to be that serious. Realizing that, Yukiya's lips curved into a wry smile. It wasn’t him who answered their provocations, however, but Shigemaru. “He has rejected them all, though, so I don't think ‘popular' is the right word for it, really.”

Still, Shigemaru’s nonchalant explanation was met with shocked screams. “You gotta be kidding me!”

“What are you? An idiot!?”

“Why would you even waste such an opportunity!?”

“Why become the star shooter if you’re going to do that then!?”

With everyone around snapping at him, Yukiya retorted with disgust. “I didn't really become the star shooter because I wanted to, you know. There just wasn't anybody else who could take on the role, so it fell on me in the end.”

At the moment, a certain young man was reading a book at a corner of the dining hall. His shoulders twitched uncomfortably the second Yukiya spoke, but none of the boys gathering around Yukiya noticed that. Instead, they let out a collective and overdramatic sigh of aggravation. “What a waste.”

“You could have, I don't know, met them at least once?” Despite not being the actual recipients of the letters, they all acted as if it were a personal offense. It was annoying beyond belief.

“But it would be a problem if I did that and they got actually serious about me,” Yukiya hastily argued back, and the mood of the entire hall noticeably dropped.

“This bastard……”

“You piece of shit……”

“You better pay for what you just said one day! And as painfully as possible, I hope……”

Everyone cursed him, their words full of resentment. Among them, only Shigemaru glanced at Yukiya's expression with clear curiosity. “Then, what kind of girl would you actually consider dating?”

“Huh? Shige, are you curious as well?”

“Sure I am! You never talk about these things.”

Faced with his best friend's unexpected interrogation, Yukiya scratched his cheek. “Uhm, well—She must have a birth family to rely on in case something happens to me. Her social status must be similar to mine, and the marriage must be politically advantageous in some shape or form. Plus, she must be able to assess situations calmly and to promise me she won't ever drag romantic feelings into the relationship no matter what. If it were someone like that, I would at least consider it. A bit.”

As far as Yukiya was concerned, his answer was simply serious and sincere, but the looks on everyone’s faces had all simultaneously gone stiff. “That—wasn't what we meant, you know?”

“It wasn’t anything that serious! Just say you like fair skin or a big chest or something.”

What the hell was wrong with these guys? This entire conversation was now genuinely pissing Yukiya off. “Who even cares about appearances? Everyone ages and gets wrinkles, so it doesn’t change anything? To embrace a beauty, just go to the Red Light District?”

Among an otherwise deafening silence, a low groan escaped from the lips of one of Yukiya's fellow trainees. “...... If I ever run into any girl daring to say that Yukiya is cool or something like that, I’ll just do her a favor and stop her right then and there. No matter what it takes.”

“Same here.”

“Oh, really? If my little sister said she wanted to date Yukiya, I wouldn't actually ask her to reconsider—”

“What the hell, Shige? You’re way too soft on Yukiya!”

“Aren’t you sorry for your sister? Because I sure am now!”

Everyone found themselves at a loss for words as Shigemaru gave Yukiya a somewhat troubled look. “Still, you would be marrying her, why forbid romantic feelings between each other? That’s such a lonely way to live, I feel.”

Yukiya laughed at that. He knew very well how cold-hearted he sounded, and his expression made it obvious.

“Sharing your life with someone just over some ephemeral passion won’t ever make you happy. Once the heat of love dies down, all that remains is a cold, hopeless reality.” That being the case, to not ever drag such feelings into the agreement was much more preferable. Those were Yukiya’s genuine thoughts on the matter. “Besides, politics are going to play a part in any wedding a noble like me could have. There's nothing lonely or fun about it. I don't want anything out of this hypothetical woman—and if she wanted something from me, then that would only trouble me.”

The ruckus surrounding him had been replaced with uncomfortable silence. Shigemaru, meanwhile, looked at Yukiya with pity in his eyes and murmured to him in a quiet and confidential manner, “I wonder, what kind of girl would make you actually fall in love……?”

“I don’t believe such a person will ever appear, and it's not like I want it either.”

Suddenly, a loud thump resounded across the hall. The young man reading, who had remained silent until then, had slammed the book against his desk and stood up in a rage.

“Akeru? What's wrong?”

Akeru, however, didn't pay any mind to the confused trainees questioning him.

“Chihaya!” he raised his voice with clear irritation. “The rain is but a drizzle now. Come with me, I’m going to train.”

In response to Akeru’s calling, Chihaya opened one of his eyes with clear annoyance—up until then, he had been leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.

Those who didn’t know the finer details of how they had met often concluded that Chihaya was Akeru’s attendant or something of the sort, given he was a lowborn and he attended the Monastery thanks to the support of the Western House, Akeru’s family; but the Unbending Reed Monastery was a meritocracy. The truth was very different—a genius like Chihaya couldn’t stand to watch as Akeru fumbled due to his tendency to lag behind in practical courses and so he curtly looked after him.

While Chihaya would have usually retaliated and poked some fun at Akeru for giving him orders like that, he didn’t this time. He seemed to have an inkling of why Akeru was so upset. His expression instead stuck on resignation, Chihaya followed after Akeru as he left the dining hall without ever opening his mouth.

Although there was rain, the drops didn’t have much strength and the sun was out with no wind.

The determining factor of a horse’s speed wasn’t so much its quality but rather its rider’s skill. Akeru sat on Chihaya’s back, who had transformed into a crow, and flew as fast as he could towards the shooting range. The wind howled as it slammed against his face. Once they reached the landmark Akeru used as a guideline, he lifted his body and drew the bow—but his aim was off and the arrow failed to hit its mark.

“Dammit!”

They passed by the target and Akeru raised his voice again. “One more!” But the giant crow didn’t caw in agreement, instead aiming to head back to the ground. “No, Chihaya, wait! Where are you going!?”

Chihaya glided down and threw Akeru to the ground with a shake once they had almost reached the ground.

“Ouch! What are you doing!?”

“Now, calm down.” Chihaya returned to human form mid-air and smoothly landed right in front of Akeru, who was lying on his butt. That done, Chihaya said matter-of-factly, “Rushing it won’t get you anywhere. Or do you want to fall off a horse again?”

As childish as he knew it was, Akeru couldn’t help but to pout in answer. “But…… If I stay like this, I may not even be capable of taking the Trial of Mist……”

“And you have more than half a year left before that. That’s not why you’re panicking—it’s Yukiya, right?”

Akeru couldn’t argue against that—Chihaya was right on the mark. After all, the first candidate proposed for the role of star shooter at the Boys’ Festival hadn’t been Yukiya, but the scion of the Western House and Masuho no Susuki’s younger brother—Akeru.

It was only once Akeru proved incapable to hit the target no matter what he tried that, left with no other alternatives, the role fell on Yukiya, who originally had no intention whatsoever to participate in the event. For Akeru, it had all been beyond vexing. So much so that he hadn’t even attended the horse racing event altogether, as the idea of acting as Yukiya’s opening performer together with the other noblemen was too much for him to bear.

Yukiya’s social standing wasn’t as high as Akeru’s, but he was still directly related to the current Lord of the Northern House and hence a proper member of the high nobility. However, he had grown up among the rural nobles of North, famed by their warrior clans, and so he was leagues above Akeru at skills in arms. Akeru hadn’t paid much mind to this difference back when they had first joined the Monastery, but the more time passed, the more obvious and wider the gap became.

“There’s no point in comparing yourself to Yukiya. If I had to guess, his eyesight is just that good.” Chihaya was usually a man of few words, so why did he have to become all talkative only at times like these? Or so Akeru inwardly thought in anger. Not like that stopped Chihaya from talking. “And that’s something you’re just either born with, or not. It’s not a problem that hard work can somehow fix.”

After they advanced to their second year, Akeru had gone through a growth spurt that had thrown off his sense of balance. While the same had happened to Yukiya—in fact, he had grown a lot more than him—he had seemingly surmounted the issue with ease. This wasn’t just a matter of eyesight—Yukiya’s talent was, no matter how one looked at it, superior to Akeru’s.

Chihaya sighed at Akeru’s silence. “Don’t you sulk like that. You may be worse than Yukiya at physical skills, yes, but at the very least you still have the better personality.”

He had a serious expression on his face, which actually made it harder to tell whether he truly meant his words or it was all just a joke. Quite the sloppy consolation.

“Thank you, I guess,” Akeru replied bitterly.

Then, Chihaya frowned. “Wait a minute….. Is there something else?”

“...... Nothing in particular.” Akeru looked away in a pointless attempt to avoid Chihaya’s gaze, knowing he could be strangely perceptive. Chihaya, meanwhile, glared at him in question, seemingly unwilling to back off that easily. “—Ah, fine! But you have to keep it a secret for now, got it? The truth is that my sister has gotten some marriage proposals.”

“Oh?”

“And the main candidate as of now is—Yukiya, apparently.”

Chihaya’s eyes went wide open.

“...... Now, that’s—” His words died down there, but Akeru could feel Chihaya’s condolences clear in the air. “To have that as your brother-in-law is……”

“It’s a humiliating prospect, but that’s still fine. But you heard how cruel he was when talking about a prospective wife…”

If his sister were to actually marry Yukiya, Akeru genuinely believed that she would lead a horribly unhappy life. However, his sister wasn’t yet aware of it and the ones actually moving the proposal forwards were their families, so Akeru couldn’t even protest. Hence, he ended up essentially running away.

Chihaya crossed his arms, apparently having grasped the subtext of Akeru’s words. “So that’s why you acted like that before.”

“Childish, right?”

“I do get why, though.”

Akeru, still on the ground, held his head in despair. He hated this entire situation. “What should I do if Yukiya and my sister end up actually engaged……?”

Chihaya was watching Akeru with pity in his eyes as he groaned pathetically when someone else joined the conversation. “—Well, you have no more need to worry, it seems.”

The voice came suddenly and out of apparently nowhere. Akeru raised his head in surprise. There, under the shade of the training hall’s building, he found a familiar face.

“Sumio!” He was an alumnus of the Unbending Reed Monastery. Despite his lowborn status, he had graduated as the first of his class and entered service as His Highness Wakamiya’s bodyguard. Sumio approached them, raising his hand in greeting as Chihaya did the same with his eyes. Flustered, Akeru stood up. “Sorry for my rudeness. Uhm, still, why are you here?”

“I was searching for you, actually. As I said just a moment ago, this concerns your sister’s marriage. It was canceled.”

“Eh—?” A screech escaped Akeru’s lips. “Canceled? What the hell happened?”

Sumio scratched his head bashfully. “Well, about that. We thought that Yukiya wouldn’t go against it as long as it was an order, so the matter was first brought up to Masuho no Susuki and—she absolutely hated the idea.”

⊛　　　　　⊛　　　　　 ⊛

Much like they had expected, letters written by the many young noblemen who had fallen in love at first sight with Masuho no Susuki arrived like a veritable storm to Cherry Blossom Palace. Everyone would ask for her to return to secular life and for being given the honor of taking her as their legal wife.

While Masuho no Susuki herself paid none of them any mind whatsoever, a request to discuss the matter from her master, Sakura no Kimi and Wakamiya was a different matter altogether. Apparently, she had meekly listened to their talk about marriage in complete silence at first. Her behavior, however, shifted the very second Yukiya’s name came up as the prospective husband.

“You have to be kidding me! Why else would Yukiya’s name even come up here?” Masuho no Susuki asked them with her big eyes wide open, as dumbfounded as she was furious. “And here I was wondering what prompted a formal discussion! I was willing to go through with it if it was all like, a huge issue coming up among the Four Houses with my marriage as the only real way to solve it. But, no! You’re telling me it’s with Yukiya of all people! Are you messing with me!?” Masuho no Susuki screamed, boiling with anger. “This is a pointless marriage, no matter how you put it! What were you even thinking to propose it?”

Sakura no Kimi had apparently not expected such an explosive reaction, as her bold and fearless self was nowhere to be seen. She was unusually pale. “Well, but you see, Masuho no Susuki! You’re at the peak of your beauty. I can’t bring myself to keep you here sequestered at Cherry Blossom Palace, so……”

“And that’s none of your business!” Masuho no Susuki spouted with anger, very much unlike her usual self as well. “I became a nun very much willingly, thank you, and yet you’re ignoring my wishes altogether and moving this entire thing along without me!?”

She glared at Hamayuu, her red, glossy lips twisted into a grimace. This time around, Wakamiya, with a somewhat troubled look on his face, tried to appease her instead. “Please, do at least try to look at it from the bright side instead. It’s because this isn’t a matter of necessity that we didn’t plan to move things forwards any further without your approval. We just thought that maybe, if it was Yukiya, you wouldn’t be wholly against the idea…”

The second Wakamiya said that, however, Masuho no Susuki’s expression went blank. “...... What did you say?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Who suggested such an idiotic thing?” she asked in a quiet voice. It made it all the more terrifying.

Even Wakamiya, ignorant as he was of the intricacies of romantic love, seemed to have realized how bad the situation was, albeit belatedly. He immediately closed his mouth, but his eyes wandered and, for a second, pointed in Sumio's direction. Masuho no Susuki turned around violently and glared at Sumio, who had been waiting on the side in silence.

“I see. Now that I think about it, you would be the only one in a position to say such a thing.”

Resigned to his fate, Sumio nodded lightly in acknowledgement. “My apologies, I have no excuse.”

“Why?”

“Your eyes were following Yukiya around during the Boys’ Festival.”

“That’s—I mean, yes, he did an impressive job as the star shooter, but I was moved seeing him all grown up as one would a little brother, not… it most definitely wasn’t like that. So you better keep all those vulgar suspicions off your mind!”

The more Masuho no Susuki spoke, the more she got worked up. Her lips were trembling and her eyes, the deep color of amber, were glistening.

“...... I’m extremely sorry. I jumped to conclusions.”

“I’m not forgiving you. This is an insult to both Yukiya and I.” Masuho no Susuki, who had just been taking slow breaths in an attempt to calm herself down, stood up in a fury as she pointedly glared at Sumio. “I’ve thought this for a while, but I can’t keep it to myself any longer after this. I have nothing but disdain for that side of yours, don’t come close to me ever again!”

After crying out those last few words, Masuho no Susuki shed a tear and left Cherry Blossom Palace.

“Hey, wait, Masuho no Susuki!” All flustered, Hamayuu went after her. Wakamiya and Sumio were left behind in an uncomfortable silence.

⊛　　　　　⊛　　　　　 ⊛

“—And that’s what happened. Masuho no Susuki made Wakamiya and Sakura no Kimi promise they wouldn’t ever again push anything marriage-related on her without permission, so I don’t think there will be any more engagements coming for the time being.”

Akeru couldn’t stop himself from breathing a sigh of relief. “I see…”

His heart broke for his sister—to think that she had hated the idea to the point of crying. Still, it was a much more preferable experience than to have such an undesired marriage actually happen. His mood lifted knowing the whole talk was no more, but he found that the anguish was now replaced by resentment towards Sumio, the very source of the problem.

“Still, why did you even think Yukiya was right for my sister? He’s a cold-hearted bastard—he said one of his conditions for a wife is to not bring love into the marriage. There’s no way he would ever be a good fit for her, right?”

While his tone came out slightly accusatory, Sumio didn’t seem at all bothered by that. Instead, he gave him a weak smile. “I know that’s what Yukiya says.”

“Then, why?”

“Well, it’s precisely because he says those things that I thought it would work out……”

Incapable of comprehending what Sumio was trying to tell them, Akeru looked at him dumbfounded.

“What do you mean?” Chihaya asked instead, and Sumio groaned in answer.

“Well, you see, if we’re talking about Yukiya’s harsh manners—in a manner of speaking, to me it feels like the logic at work is the same as Wakamiya’s when he asked Sakura no Kimi in marriage.” According to Sumio, when Wakamiya asked Hamayuu to become Sakura no Kimi, his words were tremendously cutting. “‘I’ll never be a good husband for you and it doesn’t mean I’m in love with you. Depending on politics, I may have to take on a concubine or I may have to betray you. Despite it all, you won’t be allowed to complain. If you’re still fine with it, then I’ll take you’—so he said.”

“Now that too is… quite the love confession.”

After hearing such a thing, what woman would gladly accept the terms? None, as far as Akeru was concerned. He couldn’t fathom what Princess Hamayuu was even thinking when she agreed to that.

“Well, it’s a terrible way to say it when you look at it from outside, right? But I knew the situation Wakamiya was in when he asked her that, so to me those words were just him being fully honest with her.”

Wakamiya had plenty of enemies at the Imperial Court and a change of government could happen no matter how much Wakamiya fought back and, regardless of his wishes, he could well find himself in a situation where his only real option was abandoning his wife. In fact, Wakamiya could easily be the one to die first. As a ruler, he could be in a position where calling someone special, whispering his love, was not allowed to him.

——‘Even then, would you still be my wife?’

“In those circumstances, promising her certain happiness would have been the same as deceiving her.”

‘It will be hard going, but I still want you by my side. I want you to choose me fully knowing where we stand’.

“Personally, I can place my trust much more easily on someone like that than on some irresponsible guy willing to spout sweet words he doesn’t mean. And as far as I see it, Yukiya is the same,” Sumio said quietly. “There were apparently some very difficult circumstances surrounding his birth and, on top of that, he swore his loyalty to Wakamiya. He has made his peace with not knowing what may happen to him tomorrow, but to not make a spouse unhappy means being careful like that.”

Akeru was left speechless. Meanwhile, Chihaya just watched Sumio intently with an unreadable expression.

Sumio sighed sadly. “Besides, and this is between you and I, I was there as Wakamiya and his wife thought of marrying Masuho no Susuki off without even the slightest concern for her own opinion on the matter. I wasn’t fine with that, as you may guess, so I just wanted things to at least go in a slightly better direction for her, but……”

It had, by all appearances, the opposite effect.

Still feeling conflicted after Sumio’s explanation, Akeru timidly spoke, “My sister must be of a mind to only be with someone she loves, so…… of course she would be angry at being paired with someone willing to say such horrible things, someone like Yukiya. Even if he has a proper reason for it.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Sumio murmured, frowning ever so slightly with his gaze distant, lost somewhere else. “...... And yet, the look in Masuho no Susuki’s eyes when she looked at Yukiya was so intense.”

He must have been looking at her a lot, Akeru suddenly noticed. Before he could follow that line of thought, however, Sumio raised his head and gave them a bright smile, full of energy. “Anyway, I just came to tell you that. You won’t need to worry about your sister for a while.”

“You have my heartfelt gratitude.”

“But now that I’m here, I guess I may as well watch you train,” Sumio announced cheerfully.

Before Akeru could say a word, Chihaya answered, “We’ll be in your care then. Could you give him an example of what to do?”

“Sure thing. Are you fine with being the horse?” Silently, Chihaya transformed into a crow. Sumio looked at him with satisfaction and nodded. “Good. Then, let’s get going.”

Chihaya, with Sumio on his back, flew high into the sky. He took quite the long detour, putting so much distance between him and the training spot that it was almost overdoing it. Akeru found himself thinking about how they must have gotten quite far when, suddenly, the blurry shadow of a bird came into his sight. He let out a gasp.

While Akeru had seen Chihaya fly as a crow innumerable times during training, it was the first time he had seen him speed up like that. From what he was seeing, it had to be about as fast as his top speed without anyone riding him. It had to be too much—how was Sumio even going to shoot a bow while riding that fast?

The rider and mount approached Akeru by the minute, but Sumio was leaning towards Chihaya’s back so perfectly he was virtually melded into it, making it impossible to tell he was even there. Right as Akeru realized that, Sumio lifted his body from his mount, as light as a feather dancing on the wind.

In a matter of seconds, Sumio pulled out an arrow and shot it. It was so fast that Akeru couldn’t even tell how he had done so in the first place—his eyes couldn’t follow the motion. By the time he processed what had happened, Chihaya and Sumio had already flown past him like a storm, and an arrow adorned with white feathers had landed right in the middle of the target. Sumio was terrifyingly quick and precise.

“Did you get to see it properly?” Sumio asked as he and Chihaya returned and the latter relaxed his wings, but Akeru just stood there dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe what he had just seen.

“...... I didn’t quite get what I saw.”

Sumio jumped off from Chihaya’s back, and the latter immediately returned to human form. “No wonder. It’s the first time I managed to fly that fast when ridden.”

“Well, appearances aside, I’m part of the Yamauchi Guard, you know? It would be an embarrassment if I lost against a mere trainee,” Sumio laughed well-naturedly.

“You were even better than Yukiya. You could have well taken the role of star shooter at the horse racing ceremony instead!”

“Me? No way! I’m not a noble, remember?” Sumio retorted without hesitation and Akeru’s chest tightened as if someone had clutched his heart. “Hey, Akeru. I know Yukiya is brilliant, so I understand why you’re panicking. But some things people are just born with or without. There’s nothing more futile than to compare yourself and envy others over something like that, something you can’t hope to fix. So, don’t you think it would be better to consider what you can achieve with what you actually possess instead?”

——Most likely, the man in front of him felt the truth of those words much more acutely than Akeru ever did.

Akeru remained silent as Sumio watched over him—his eyes were so gentle. “Chihaya and I are above you as far as talent as a warrior goes, but no matter how skilled we are, when it comes down to politics, we have no footing whatsoever to stand against the men at the Imperial Court.”

“That’s……”

“You know what I mean, right? We don’t have the status.”

In politics, Akeru was acknowledged just by virtue of his birth. But being told so just made him feel like Sumio was mocking him. “But that’s—!”

“You were born as a noble here in Yamauchi and it’s fine for you to use that as your weapon. We have our bodies and you have your status, what’s the big difference? The problem here is what you use that weapon for, don’t you think?”

It felt like Sumio’s keen eyes were piercing him. Akeru, still unconvinced by his arguments, refused to answer.

“I think that it would be a waste for you to get greedy and attempt to do too much at once, coming out the other side achieving everything by halves and mentally crushed. You have the high status and the bright mind, plus a virtuous character to not let that go to your head. What you lack may look desirable, but you realize no amount of complaining will change that, right?” Chihaya clapped his hands wordlessly. His look was the one of someone who had been wanting to say that all along. “Akeru, you may not be able to become a good bodyguard, but you can become a good vassal. Are you really unhappy with that?”

It was as if Sumio was testing him. His question made Akeru feel like crying.

“...... No.”

“That’s good then.”

And yet—and yet! Akeru bit his lips. “Still, it’s so frustrating!”

“—It is, right? Frustrating,” Sumio repeated the word as he sighed, his tone giving him away.

Afterwards, once Akeru ran to retrieve the training saddle and Sumio was watching him go, Chihaya approached him without a sound. “Are you truly fine with this?”

Sumio turned around with a start. Faced with Chihaya’s silent stare, a forced smile appeared on his lips—the boy had seen through him, it seemed.

“...... It’s not like I can do anything about it.” It was the one thing he couldn’t help or change. No matter what he did. “She may hate me and give me the cold shoulder, but I at least thought it would be fine for me to wish her a bit of happiness.”

Ah, and yet—it was so frustrating.

As he spoke, Sumio slowly shot an arrow. An impressive shot that landed right in the middle of the target, as if it had sucked it in.

—---—---—---—---—---—---—---—---—---—---

1: The original title is しのぶひと, in hiragana, which I'm interpreting by pure logic as 偲ぶ人. The main meaning of the verb 偲ぶ is to recall, which is what you may find in japanese-to-english dictionaries, but it has more than one meaning. The second, which I consider the intended here, is "心引かれて、思いをめぐらす。慕わしく思う" or "To muse of a heart stolen. To yearn."

2: The Boys’ Festival (端午の節句) or Boys’ Day celebration, also known as the Feast of Flags, takes place every May 5th in Japan. Within the story of Yatagarasu, it’s noteworthy for its second day being when Wakamiya, Yukiya and Kazumi go to spy on Cherry Blossom Palace and Yukiya is thrown down the cliff, being seen transforming by Asebi and the others. Wakamiya was, in fact, supposed to visit that day bringing the offerings.

3: Medicine Hunting (薬狩) was an actual component of the Boys’ Festival in ancient times, although it’s now lost to time. They would indeed get deers’ antlers, mugwort, irises and similar medicinal materials. The scent bags were also a historical element of the festivities, being made with the gathered materials with the idea of helping with keeping people healthy during the following rainy season. These scent bags would stay until September 9th, the Chrysanthemum Festival.

4: The term refers explicitly to Shinto rituals, but Yamauchi has no concept of Shinto.

5: The nine-colored deer (九色の鹿) has its roots as a sacred beast in a buddhist jakata tale, but it’s also known to appear in the Konjaku Monogatarishū (今昔物語集), a recopilation of japanese folktales written during the 12th century and other ancient tales. Much like the name implies, its fur is supposed to be of nine colors.

6: Sumio here is quoting the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The specific excerpt (which has since become a saying in Japan) originally referenced Lü Meng, a general who came to serve under Sun Quan, during his youth. It’s essentially used to express that you must never underestimate how fast a young man can grow, both literally and metaphorically. “Outer book” here means any book coming from Outside of Yamauchi.

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yatagarasuhonyaku · 3 months ago

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Yatagarasu Series Fanbook: Part 1

Disclaimer: This is fan-translation japanese-english of the original fanbook. The illustrations used are also from it, made by the artist in charge of the manga adaptation.

Blog version

The Blog version is heavily recommended for the Fanbook. Formatting is much more limited in Tumblr itself.

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Fanbook (Part 1)

A Raven for All Seasons: Chill interviews with the characters (by the author!)

She asked the four princesses at the Rite of Ascension about their worries and what they are looking forward to! What's the impression Abe Chisato, the author, got from the four of them?

Eastern House, Spring Pavilion Asebi

Q: What are you looking forward to at the current Rite of Ascension?

Q: Any concerns?

This isn’t really the case for those already close to me, but I have a feeling that I'm often misunderstood for some reason.

Abe's impressions

The cute type, pink in particular suits her. She seems younger than she is because of how she acts and talks, but she's actually older than Masuho no Susuki and the same age as Hamayuu.

Northern House, Winter Pavilion Shiratama

Q: What are you looking forward to at the current Rite of Ascension?

Q: Any concerns?

None worth mentioning.

Abe's impressions

Her skin is silky, looking like a pearl. She’s the cool type and her droopy dark eyes look adorable, but wouldn't she be that much more charming if only she smiled?

Southern House, Summer Pavilion Hamayuu

Q: What are you looking forward to at the current Rite of Ascension?

I’ll be doing what I must as someone born into this position. That's all.

Q: Any concerns?

Not enough exercise.

Abe's impressions

The type that would undoubtedly be gifted plenty of bags during Valentine’s at an all girls school. Were she in modern Japan, I see her becoming a model or something of the sort.

Western House, Autumn Pavilion Masuho no Susuki

Q: What are you looking forward to at the current Rite of Ascension?

Q: Any concerns?

I've heard food that uses vinegar is good for your looks, so I've been wanting to try it—but I choke on it.

Abe's impressions

She acts all mature, but she's only sixteen, close to seventeen. While I wouldn't say it looks bad on her, I think she's the type that's prettier without makeup.

Relationship chart (by the author!)

(Time period: at the end of A Raven for All Seasons)

The Raven Doesn’t Choose His Master: Chill interviews with the characters (by the author!)

She asked for the inner thoughts of these mysterious Lords and servants! What does Abe Chisato, the author, have to say about their real selves?

The next Golden Raven and ruler of Yamauchi The Crown Prince Wakamiya

Q: How are you feeling, having returned to Yamauchi after so long?

I’ve been away long enough, so I won't be escaping the Imperial Court’s backlash. So, well, let's just say that I've at least gathered my resolve by this point.

Q: I've heard there are plans for a number of attendants to arrive, is that true?

So it seems. I'm sure we'll be able to build a good relationship.

Abe’s perspective on Wakamiya:

Taruhi Township Lord's second ‘idiot’ son Arriving at the Imperial Court as Wakamiya's attendant Yukiya

Q: You got the honor to become an attendant, how are you feeling about it?

It’s been so sudden, I'm beside myself with all the surprise and shock and trepidation.

Q: Are you looking forward to your job as an attendant?

It's a prestigious position, I think.

Q: Are you looking forward to it?

I damn sure am looking forward to it. Can I go back?

Abe’s perspective on Yukiya:

Wakamiya's one and only bodyguard A warrior, graduated as the first of his class at the Monastery Sumio

Q: Lord Sumio, I've heard Wakamiya requested you personally as his bodyguard, is that true?

Yes, it’s an honor too great for someone like me.

Q: You're a commoner, right, Lord Sumio? Why do you think he selected you?

I wonder, maybe my results at the Unbending Reed Monastery caught his attention?

Q: Do you have a girlfriend?

…… Eh? Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?

Abe’s perspective on Sumio:

The Emperor’s eldest son, born to him and the Southern Empress. Wakamiya's older brother Natsuka

Q: How do you feel about your younger brother?

He may be my brother, but he's someone I swore fealty to. It’s my intention to serve him with wholehearted devotion.

Q: Rumors say you're planning to take back the Crown Prince position from him, though?

No way (laughs). By the way, could you perhaps—tell me who said that to you exactly?

Abe’s perspective on Natsuka:

Relationship chart (by the author!)

(Time period: at the end of The Raven Doesn’t Choose His Master)

The Raven of the Empty Coffin: Chill interviews with the characters (by the author!)

Unbending Reed Monastery Dropout and Wakamiya's Close Aide at present. Birth Region: West. Akeru

Q: So you dropped out of the Monastery and are now working as His Highness Wakamiya's close aide, right?

Yes. While I didn't have the talent required to become part of the Yamauchi Guard, everything I learned at the Monastery is still a valuable part of me today.

Q: Are you glad you joined the Monastery?

A few words about Akeru from Abe:

A Trainee at Unbending Reed Monastery Birth Region: North. Shigemaru

Q: You come from a mountain village in Shimaki Township, right? Are you glad you came to the Monastery?

Life here is all good! The food is really tasty and you get to use a huge bath. You can also make friends regardless of social status, that's great too.

Q: Actually, about that, have you ever found yourself struggling over differences of status or anything of the sort?

Not at all! Everyone views things differently, but as long as you talk things out properly it’ll all work itself out most of the time.

Q: ‘Most of the time’, so there have been a few problems?

Ahahahaha!

Q: What do you aspire to do after graduation?

My goal isn't graduation per se, so the moment of truth for me starts once I'm finally part of the Yamauchi Guard. I'll be working hard to protect my hometown together with those important to me!

A few words about Shigemaru from Abe:

A good person unbefitting the Yatagarasu Series. He battles over the position of the most noble character with Ichiryuu's father and Azusa.

A Trainee at Unbending Reed Monastery Birth Region: South. Chihaya

Nothing in particular.

Q: Do you have an ideal to follow, a kind of Guard you want to become?

Not really.

Q: Are you glad you came to the Monastery?

Yes.

A few words about Chihaya from Abe:

Last year's Graduate and active Yamauchi Guard Birth Region: North. Ichiryuu

Q: Tell me, now as an actual Yamauchi Guard, is there any difference to how you imagined it to be?

Well, I ended up getting an unexpected promotion by His Highness Wakamiya, so I'm very happy with it, though surprised.

Q: I've heard you graduated as the second to last in your year?

From whom did you hear that? Can we act as if you didn’t ask me that?

A few words about Ichiryuu from Abe:

He's so energetic, it’s nice, isn’t it?

A Trainee at Unbending Reed Monastery Birth Region: East. Haruma

Q: I’ve heard hierarchy is brutal at the Monastery. Any concerns about your relationship with your seniors?

None at all! Especially because Evergreen Yukiya, a senior two years above me, has been taking special care of me. He’ll always kindly advise me whenever I have any trouble.

Q: Oh, you mean the famed ‘Monastery’s Teen Prodigy’ Evergreen Yukiya! I requested an interview with him, but it got refused. What is he like as a senior? From your perspective as his junior.

He isn’t only intelligent, but also incredibly considerate. He’s the best senior I can imagine.

Q: There are rumors about how he’s a spiteful man with an awful personality, though?

I believe anyone who says that is just blind to reality.

A few words about Haruma from Abe:

An Instructor at the Monastery and Main Instructor for Theory Seiken

Q: Apparently, there’s quite a number of problem children in this year’s graduation class?

I fail to see what you mean by problem children, but I believe they’re all hard-working kids, who have earnestly sought out their own paths to follow from hereon.

Q: You say that, but there are stories about how much they fought and how some of them even defied their instructors, though?

Q: Then, is it fine for the delinquents and the rowdy to aspire to join the ranks?

Oh, keep them coming! I’ll be looking forward to meeting them.

A few words about Seiken from Abe:

An ex-instructor at the Monastery, once in charge of Strategy Exercise Lessons Suikan

Q: It’s said that you suffered a massive loss during a Board Drill with Yukiya of the Northern House, who will be graduating this year, when he was still a Seed. Is that true?

It’s true.

Q: From your perspective, can we expect big things from the future of Yukiya of the Northern House?

Q: What do you mean by that?

A few words about Suikan from Abe:

Twitter Q&A (Part 1)

Answer: Timewise, there shouldn’t be any difference whatsoever between the two places.

Question: So Yatagarasu women experience menses, what does that imply?

Question: Could a bird form Yatagarasu live on their own in the mountains?

Translator’s Note:

#Translation: Yatagarasu Fanbook #yatagarasu #yatagarasu series #the raven does not choose its master #karasu wa aruji wo erabanai

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yatagarasuhonyaku · 3 months ago

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Princess Tamayori: Synopsis

At someone's request, I translated (and touched up) the official synopsis for Princess Tamayori as an appetizer while I solve my RL issues. Some of the promised fanbook translation should come out soon too! Also, you can read Those Who Yearn in the meantime.

If you would rather avoid any spoilers whatsoever before the translation releases, feel free to skip this post.

"It's the year 1995. Shiho, a high school student, arrives to the village of Sannai (TN: Sannai is an alternative way to read the kanji for Yamauchi) that her grandmother once abandoned, running away from the place with Shiho's mother many, many years ago. What awaits Shiho there at the village is a terrifying ritual. At the nearby mountain's domain, an area people are forbidden to access, she's cornered and with her life on the line when a young man appears... Is he an enemy or an ally? A human or a crow?"

#not a translation #sort of?

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yatagarasuhonyaku · 4 months ago

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For the next month I'll be having some RL issues that won't allow me to spend the usual amount of time translating. I'll be most likely covering either material from the fanbook or scenes from the first three books.

#not a translation #This is the best compromise i can reach at present

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