Volume 4, various translations
Select bits from volume 4 chapters 1 and 2.
What am I doing with my life...
These two chapters are the torture scene that should show up in some fashion in episode 9. There's lots of amusing bits of dialogue and intense scenes, so I just picked everything I liked plus the text around it for context and killed my brain. Well, I only just started this last night so I suppose my translating speed has improved. Which also means I haven't really proofread this, so please bear with any awkward sentences. Or rather, please point out any mistakes!
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Chapter 1 - Prologue
After Rikiga leads Fura to Inukashi's hotel and Fura starts getting a little suspicious: {Note: they clearly refer to Inukashi as male here, but I'm keeping female pronouns in the narration. Stupid inconvenient English language.}
The small body jumped out from Fura's arms. The blanket slid to the ground.
"That's enough, you bastards! I can't stand it anymore! The hell are you doing?!"
Fura's mouth hung open, stupidly staring at the person whipping her hair and baring her teeth in front of him.
"Rikiga, what's the meaning of this?"
"It's exactly as it seems."
"Didn't you say you prepared a young girl for me?"
"Young girls, young boys, there's not much of a difference. I just thought you haven't discovered for yourself yet, that you might have this kind of preference too."
The dark haired one kept baring her teeth, like a stray dog. She shouted,
"Stop talking rubbish, you alcoholic old geezer! Why didn't you act according to our plans?! I'm gonna mince you three and feed you to the dogs! Remember that, you bastards!"
Plans? You three? What's going on?
Fura grabbed his coat and stood up. He looked around while putting it on. It was dusky all around, so dusky that it was frightening.
In other words, it was too dangerous to stay here.
"May I ask where you are going?"
Rikiga smiled while blocking the door.
"I'm going back. Get out of the way!"
"Don't be like that, please calm down. It's not like you to say such distressing words, Mr. Fura."
"Get out of the way, or else..."
Fura gripped the small pistol inside his pocket. It was an electronic pistol. Though its killing power wasn't great, it was still sufficient for self-defense. He took out the gun and aimed it at Rikiga's forehead. If he wouldn't step aside, he'd shoot without hesitation. Even though it was only for self-defense, it was still a pistol. It would still be fatal if shot at a person's head. It wouldn't matter if these guys died anyway, they don't even count as people.
"The show has only just begun. It'd be a pity if you were to leave now."
These words came from behind him. At the same time, someone hit Fura's head and forcefully grabbed his wrist. The pistol slid out of his hands. Even though he was only hit in the head and grabbed by the wrist, he couldn't move at all, and all his energy faded away. An ice-cold breath brushed past his ear, and he heard a soft murmur.
"Won't you stay a while longer? We'll make sure to provide you with a delightfully pleasurable experience."
It was a tender and beautiful voice, not clouded in the slightest. Sweet, clear, and pleasant - Fura was unable to determine whether the voice belonged to a man or a woman. If he complied with this voice's requests, maybe he really would be provided with a delightful experience. It was only for a moment, but he had such a thought.
He was tripped, and then slammed to the ground. He lost his breath and his consciousness faded.
"Nezumi!"
Inukashi kicked off the blanket and yelled out.
"This wasn't what we agreed on, what the hell are you doing?!"
"Don't shout."
Nezumi rummaged through the tied-up man's coat and took a leather pouch out of his pocket.
"You should learn from your dogs and quietly go to sleep, Inukashi."
"Bullshit! Why didn't you come out earlier?!"
"I forgot my lines, so I was looking over the script. My apologies."
"Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit! You bastard with no morals! Swindler! Third rate actor! You're as sly as a fox and have less shame than a pig! I'm never trusting you again! I hope the fleas on my dogs suck your blood dry!"
"Stop shouting, why are you this angry? I was only late about two or three minutes."
"It was in those two or three minutes that he licked my neck and felt up my leg!"
Nezumi smiled. Like a mother toward a young child that had acted rashly, he showed her a wry smile.
"Inukashi, everything is an experience. Being licked on the neck by a No.6 official is a very precious experience, so you should treasure it in your memories."
Inukashi's fist trembled. A light flickered in the dark eyes on her small brown face.
"Well then, you should be the one playing this role."
"Why me?"
"Because playing a prostitute would suit you perfectly! You'd seduce men and corrupt them. It's a fake and loose and wicked role. You'd be the spitting image!"
Right then, Shion came back to his senses and spoke up to Inukashi. Up until now, he hadn't been able to keep up with the progression of events and was only staring blankly.
"Inukashi, you've gone too far. That's enough."
Inulashi turned and looked at Shion angrily.
"Shion, you too! Why didn't you rush out once that man started getting on the bed? Isn't that what we agreed on?!"
"Yeah... that's right..."
That was what Shion was planning to do. They had agreed that once the man that Rikiga brought over, the Central Administration Bureau official called Fura, started getting on the bed, they would rush out from behind the screen and capture him. That was their plan, and Shion had intended to follow it.
However, Nezumi stopped him. He grabbed his shoulder and indicated to him not to go out. The bed made creaking noises and the man gradually drew closer to Inukashi. Shion was able to sense her panic. But Nezumi only bided his time and quietly hid in the darkness, not even letting the sound of his breath escape.
"I'm going back. Get out of the way!"
"Don't be like that, please calm down. It's not like you to say such distressing words, Mr. Fura."
"Get out of the way, or else..."
The man grabbed something from inside his pocket. At this point, Nezumi silently slipped out. Shion didn't sense his movements at all. Even though he was right beside him, he didn't even feel the air move.
"Won't you stay a while longer? We'll make sure to provide you with a delightfully pleasurable experience."
It was only after Nezumi's voice carried through that Shion came to his senses, rushed out from behind the screen, and arrived at Inukashi's side. By this time, the man was already lying on the ground groaning.
Inukashi was still wrinkling her nose and gnashing her teeth in rage.
"'That's right?' What do you mean 'that's right'? The only thing you know how to do is take care of the dogs after all! You're just a worthless, natural airhead!"
Shion didn't reply. By the time he was being cursed to no end, he was already clear on how incompetent and worthless he was. Even so, being reprimanded on his weak points was really painful.
Nezumi stooped down and picked up the gun. He turned it around in his hands, as if trying to determine its weight.
"A newest model self-defense gun. It's small, but it'd still be fatal if it hit any vital points. It'd be unfair if he had this toy on hand."
"And that's why you just leisurely waited for that guy to pull out his gun?"
"The odds at risk were low."
"The odds? That sounds really dangerous. While I was with that pervert, you two were just back there calculating the odds? No wonder you're such scholars! Why don't you give my dogs a lecture next time?"
"Don't be so sour, look."
Nezumi flipped the leather pouch upside down and shook it a bit. Five gold coins fell onto the table.
"Five gold coins for just one night? That's expensive, old man!"
"That's not it."
Rikiga started to talk. It was a low and rough voice, completely different from the lewd tone of voice he was using earlier.
"I told him today's prostitute was different from the usual. I said I found a special girl, so he thought it'd be suspicious if there wouldn't be any sort of extra compensation. He's an awfully cautious customer."
"So that's how it was."
Nezumi picked up one gold coin.
"Here, Inukashi. Your portion."
The gold coin that Nezumi flicked across bounced off of Inukashi's outstretched hand and landed by Shion's feet. Shion picked up the coin and handed it to her. Her brown fingertips slightly trembled.
"Inukashi?"
Inukashi tightly closed her lips, as if she was about to cry. Shion had never seen her like this before. Her shoulders and hands were also slightly trembling.
She really was scared... The Inukashi that energetically passed the days with her many dogs was trembling right now. Fear and humiliation were lingering in her heart.
Shion didn't know Inukashi's age. She herself most likely didn't even know. Almost all the residents of West Block didn't know their own age, who their parents were, or where they were born. They didn't even know whether or not they could live to the next day.
But he could imagine that Inukashi was young, even younger than his 16 year old self. Even so, she could commit fraud, burglary, and even threaten people. Even though she was always being reprimanded and scorned and insulted by everyone else, she paid them no heed. But she couldn't stand being inside that dusky room, acting as bait on that bed. She was just that young.
Inukashi's anger and malicious words were only proof of her timidness.
"I'm sorry." He uttered an apology.
"We were wrong. Sorry, Inukashi."
Inukashi blinked her brown eyes. The rims of her eye were already red, her lips trembling. Shion put his hands on her thin shoulders. He knew that this wouldn't placate her anger or bewilderment, and he didn't want her to forgive him. He was just reminded that back when he was little, his mother Karan would always hug him like this. He wordlessly placed his hands on Inukashi's shoulders and remembered the warmth that permeated through his heart.
That was all.
Inukashi didn't resist. She slightly shifted, leaning her head against Shion's chest.
"Idiots... I hate you all."
"Yeah."
"It was awful... really... really awful."
"Yeah."
"Why didn't you come out... I was bearing with it the whole time... until I couldn't stand it anymore..."
Shion apologized once again and firmly hugged Inukashi's shoulders.
Ah?
Shion suddenly felt puzzled. He felt something unexpected through his fingertips - soft flesh. Even though Inukashi was skinny to the bones, she was really soft. It wasn't solid and sturdy, but rather soft and smooth flesh.
It felt like he was touching Safu's shoulders.
How... could that be...
Shion stared at Inukashi. She picked herself up from his chest. Nezumi flicked another gold coin across. These three events happened at about the same time. This time, Inukashi firmly caught the gold coin.
{No clue why Shion is so confused here, maybe he's just surprised that she might actually be female.}
Nezumi gives the other three gold coins to Rikiga. He says the money is proof that they're all in the same boat, aka you're stuck here whether you like it not not.
"Demon." {Rikiga}
Inukashi stood beside Shion and huffed.
"Haven't you known that this guy's a demon since a long time ago? It's too late to try and resist now." {Inukashi}
Wrong.
Shion clenched his fist.
Nezumi isn't a demon. I know that more than anyone else.
He's saved me from a dead end many times. I've stayed out of danger thanks to his helping hand. He's not only saved my life, but also my heart. That's what I believe.
Nezumi pulled me up high and told me to look at the world below. He told me that this is what the world really is - not an isolated place surrounded by city walls and cut off from everything else, but an endlessly vast land with all kinds of people living their lives together, with nothing that you could even call a proper life, system of values, or justice. If I hadn't met Nezumi, I would have grown old without knowing any of that. I would have remained in that Holy City, enjoying fake fortunes and luxuries, not yearning for what's outside the city walls at all and smoothly living out my days.
Look.
That's what Nezumi said. Climb from that false world out to here. And then look with your own eyes and think with your own head. Disregard everything they've told you, the values they've placed on you, their virtues, their justice. Use your own head to think about what's right and what's important, what you want and what you believe. Ponder over it!
Nezumi has said this many times in the past, sometimes passionately and sometimes coldly. He's always said this to me, again and again and again, isn't that right?
My own ideas, my own desires, my own thoughts, my own feelings, my own hopes, my own beliefs, and what I want to believe... what are they? Ever since I met Nezumi, I've always been pondering over it. There's so much that I don't know, but I still perplexedly and incessantly pondered over it. It healed and poured new blood into my soul.
This is what it means to live.
Grasp your own soul and don't give it to anyone else. Don't be controlled, don't become a puppet.
This is what it means to live. That's what Nezumi taught me. He poured new blood into my soul.
And yet...
And yet, the one who got everyone involved in this is me, not Nezumi. I involved everyone else to save Safu, who's been arrested by the Ministry of Peace and locked in the correctional facility. I've dragged everyone into what Rikiga called a dangerous war zone without even a 1% chance of victory.
"What is it, Shion? You look kind of scary... this isn't like you."
Inukashi puzzledly asked. Shion shook his head.
"You're wrong."
"Huh?"
"You're wrong, Inukashi. And Mr. Rikiga as well. Everything was my doing this time."
Shion's eyes met Nezumi's. Or rather, he was attracted by a very intense stare, so he couldn't help but look. Those glowing, rich gray eyes were always brimming with vitality, brilliantly shimmering. They were beautiful. Yet they didn't contain even the slightest emotion. They hadn't changed ever since they first met. Those eyes that Shion saw when they first met, when he was pressed to the wall by ice-cold hands, hadn't changed at all.
Nezumi slowly looked away and spoke in a song-like voice.
"I am the spirit, ever, that denies!
So all that you call Sin, you see,
Destruction, in short, what you’ve meant
By Evil is my true element."
"What?"
Inukashi wiggled her nose.
"Shion, what's this nutcase playing at?"
"It's Mephistopheles."
"Huh? What's that, is it tasty?"
"It's a character that appears in 'Faust'... a demon."
"A demon reciting a demon's lines, how fitting."
"I said you're wrong, how could Nezumi be a demon?"
They suddenly heard a man groaning. The tied up body started to move.
"Oh, it seems that our guest is about to awaken."
Nezumi took out his leather gloves and waved them around. The corners of his mouth formed a dry smile.
"Well then, let's begin Act 1 Scene 2."
Rikiga looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Inukashi shrugged her shoulders, then glanced at Shion.
"Shion."
"Huh?"
"He's a demon."
"What?"
"That guy's a demon. I think... you're the one that doesn't know the truth."
(volume 4 chapter 1 end)
Chapter 2 - Act 1 Scene 2
The sound of the wind became stronger. It whistled as it blew across the ruins, carrying with it a feeling of desolation.
It was during this wind that the man woke up. He didn't seem confused. He sat up while still bound and looked around.
"What's going on?"
The man asked in a slightly rough voice. No one answered.
"What's going on? Rikiga, do you realize what you're doing?"
"I regret to say,"
Rikiga sighed for the upteenth time.
"I realize it very clearly. Though I wish I didn't."
"Release me."
The man wriggled his body. However, perhaps because it sensed movement, the rope tightened even more, so he quickly stopped moving. He looked around again and coughed a few times. He was very calm.
"What do you want? Money? Did you think that doing this would make me give in that easily?"
"It'd be no fun if you gave in that easily."
Nezumi knelt down in front of him. He immediately became wide-eyed, saying,
"What a beauty."
The man smiled.
"Rikiga, now this is what you call fine goods!"
"If you'd like..."
A hand wearing a leather glove grabbed the man's chin.
"I'll play with you anytime. But I'm very expensive, a mere five gold isn't enough."
"So you do want money. How much?"
"I don't want money."
The sneer disappeared from the man's face. He tried to withdraw his chin, but Nezumi's hold was firm and he couldn't budge at all.
"If it's not money... then what do you want?"
"Information."
"What?"
"I want information. Spit out everything you know, right here and now."
"What nonsense are you..."
"After that I'll play with you. It's a pretty good deal, isn't it?"
"Bullshit! You West Block residents dare to demand information? What do you inferior trash plan to do with information about the Holy City, eh? What use is it? You just need to stay where you belong and act like the scum you are."
A sharp sound followed. Nezumi's right hand slapped the man with great force. The man tumbled to the ground. Nezumi grabbed him by the hair, dragged him up, and slapped him on the other side of his face. Then again, and yet again. The man didn't have the opportunity to talk and only fell to the ground.
Shion stared while holding his breath. The candlelight shined on Nezumi's expressionless face. As if wearing a mask, he tormented the man with no expression.
"Nezumi..."
Shion shuddered.
Stop it. If this goes on...
Right when he was about to step forward, a brown hand grabbed him.
"Inukashi."
"Just sit back and watch, Young Master."
Inukashi licked her lips, then quietly said,
"The show has only just begun. Don't interfere."
"But... but this is too excessive."
"Shion, I remember you saying something before."
"What did I say?"
"You told me that Nezumi's really kind, right? I think you said it in this room. Have you forgotten?"
"I remember."
Inukashi let out a laugh.
"The show has only just begun, Shion. You need to carefully observe just how kind of a person your darling Nezumi-chan really is."
The corner of the man's mouth was mangled. The inside of his mouth also seemed to be injured, since blood mixed with saliva was dripping to the floor.
"S... stop it."
The man gasped for breath. Nezumi paused.
"You want to speak up now?"
"I... I don't know anything..."
"A Central Administration Bureau official doesn't know anything? That's not funny."
"Information... is all stored and managed within the computers... The information I know... isn't much at all..."
Some Shion monologue here, he thinks what the man's saying might be true, and that the only person who would know that much information is the major himself.
"Answer me."
Nezumi spoke in a low voice that seemed to crawl across the floor and crept into Shion's ears.
"What is the new facility being built inside the correctional facility? What is its purpose?"
The man shook his head.
"I don't know."
"Which administration does it belong to?"
"I don't know."
"A few days ago, an elite female student was arrested by the Ministry of Peace. We know that she was taken into the correctional facility. Does she have anything to do with the new facility?"
"I... don't know."
"We've heard that recently, a disease of unknown origin had been spreading inside the city. Is this true? What are the symptoms? How many people have been affected?"
No response. Nezumi raised himself up and shrugged his shoulders.
"Such an outstanding individual, yet with such a lacking vocabulary! Shouldn't you have quite the way with words when you're picking up chicks?"
"Untie me."
Perhaps because his mouth was swollen, the man's words sounded muffled and unclear.
"Release me and let me leave. I'll forget everything that happened here. I'll pretend it never happened."
"Why, thank you very much. How generous of you... Inukashi."
"What?"
"Hold this guy down."
"Roger."
Inukashi quickly walked behind the man and grabbed his shoulder and arms. Nezumi took off the sheath of his knife.
"What are you doing?!"
The man's voice was rigid. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
"Don't get too excited. I'm only granting your wish."
The silver blade glinted with a dull light. It was a knife that lacked any decoration, yet was so beautiful that it was frightening. Nezumi cut the rope and put away the knife. He slowly brought up the man's hand, staring attentively at him. The man who was already supposed to be freed didn't move an inch. Perhaps because he was trapped by those gray eyes and couldn't move even if he wanted to.
The hand wearing a leather glove gently caressed the man's palm.
"I thought tormenting a No.6 official a bit would make him cry for mercy and spill everything. It seems that I was in over my head."
Nezumi softly sighed as he stroked the man's fingers one after the other, as if he was fondling them.
"You're quite impressive, you've got guts. You deserve a little reward."
A glass shard was placed inside the man's palm. It was a shard from the broken wine bottle.
"And another."
The edges of the shards glinted with a faint light.
"What... what are you doing..."
The man's body and voice were trembling. He incessantly shook his head.
"Stop it, don't do this."
"Why? This is your reward, so you should accept it."
Nezumi's hand wrapped around the man's hand. He forcefully squeezed down on it.
The wind stopped. A scream echoed from within the tranquil room. Rikiga's face turned white and he looked away. Inukashi held the man down and shut her eyes, biting down on her lips.
"Talk!"
Nezumi clenched down on the man's hand and issued a short order.
"Answer all my questions, or else you can say goodbye your five fingers."
"Nezumi!"
Shion shouted out. At the same time, he rushed forth and struck into Nezumi. The glass shards that were now covered in blood fell from the man's palm.
"Stop it, please stop it."
Probably because he had predicted Shion's actions, Nezumi wasn't startled or angry at all. His expression didn't even change. He was only a bit speechless.
"Don't interfere."
"No, you shouldn't be doing this. Isn't... isn't this torture?"
"Do you have any other ideas? Did you think that if you just bowed your head down and asked, this guy would tell you everything?"
"I... But, this isn't good, you shouldn't be doing this."
"Shion, you need to hurry up and discard that naive way of thinking, or else you might as well just quit now. We're not playing house here, we're fighting a war."
I know that, I know that very well. I know how naive I am, and that the future will be cruel. But...
"But... no, you shouldn't torture him. You shouldn't be doing this."
"Why?"
"He's human. You can't torture him."
Nezumi laughed. He turned his head and stiflingly laughed. The man was still wailing, his hand that was covered in blood still trembling. Inukashi muttered some sympathies. Nezumi lightly kicked the man with his boots, then turned to face Shion.
"Didn't you hear what this guy said? To them, the people of West Block are not only inferior but a world apart from them, just like ants. They don't even believe we have emotions or blood running through our veins, that we're human just like them. Even if we bleed or starve to death... no matter how much we're suffering, they don't give a damn. That's how they think. So why should only we have to think of them as human? If we're ants, then they're not human either..."
"I don't want to see!"
Shion shouted even louder than before. He shouted, preventing Nezumi from continuing to speak.
"Huh?"
"I don't want to see. I don't want to see you torturing other people."
Shion suddenly felt sick to his stomach. An intense feeling of self-loathing surged from within.
You don't want to see? Then why don't you just close your eyes? You're always like this. Whenever you come across something you don't want to see, you just look away. You just pretend you didn't see. For whose sake is Nezumi being so cruel? Isn't it all for your sake? Isn't this what you've forced Nezumi to do? You're letting Nezumi do all the dirty work while you're just standing here speaking pretty words, isn't that right? They're nothing but pretty words, Shion. Everything you say and do are all just hypocritical lies. You don't want to dirty your own hands, you don't want to feel pain, and you don't want yourself to be wounded. And yet here you are spouting off justice about how people shouldn't torture others.
So detached, so arrogant, so hypocritical, so frivolous, so repulsive... that's your true nature!
That's what you are!
It wasn't anyone else speaking, it was truly his own voice. A sense of disgust was seething in his heart.
But I don't want to see. I just don't want to see. Those are my true thoughts.
"I... don't want to see."
Nezumi, I don't want to see you being cruel. Because that's a fake you. You've taught me so many things about rebirth and creation. You ordered me to live on, you told me to think. Loving another, understanding each other, connecting with each other, longing... Right, everything you've taught me is the exact opposite of cruel. I don't want to see a fake you.
"Eve."
Rikiga unsteadily stepped forward.
"Shion's right, you should stop while you're ahead. Fura has been raised as an elite ever since he was young, so he's not at all immune to pain. If you continue, it's likely he'll have a heart attack and die."
Nezumi shrugged his shoulders. His emotionless eyes gazed back and forth between the wailing man and Shion. He silently stepped back, then slowly removed his bloodstained gloves.
I'll leave the stage to you. You'd better think up your own ideas.
And then Shion actually does manage to get information out of the guy by asking kindly. Some time later Nezumi decides that they can't get any more information out of him and decides to dispose of him:
"Shion."
Nezumi finally spoke up. The dusky air moved.
"You can't get much more information out of him now."
Nezumi's voice was ice-cold and merciless. The man sensed that callousness and his body stiffened.
"A-are you going to kill me?"
"Of course."
Nezumi's boots stepped over the not yet dry blood and walked over.
"I-I've already told you everything I know. I've spoken everything, so you can't back out."
"There was never any sort of agreement or pact between us."
"Don't kill me! I don't want to die!"
"Nezumi, that's enough."
Shion stepped between Nezumi and the man.
"You don't have to threaten him, that's enough. We need to send him back to the customs post... Mr. Rikiga."
"All right, I got it. I'll get the car ready."
"He's an enemy."
The knife was already unsheathed and spinning around in Nezumi's hand.
"You want me to just sit back and let him go alive?"
"It's not necessary to kill him now."
Heh. While his upper body was still concealed in the darkness, Nezumi faintly laughed.
"In what sort of situation would it be necessary to kill people for you? You think this guy's just going to return to No.6 and not say a word?"
"Yes."
Shion raised his head and looked toward the darkness. His line of sight met the gray eyes within the dark.
I can break past the darkness of the night or the dazzling light and catch your eyes. Have you noticed this?
"He won't say anything. Because if he does, it'd cost him his own life. A Central Administration Bureau official entered the prohibited West Block without any cover or permission. He knows what would happen if that were to be exposed. So there's no way he'll say anything about us, you should be very clear on that as well."
"Why should I give a damn?"
Nezumi silently stood up.
"There's no proof that this guy won't fess up that there's a bunch of guys in West Block looking for information on the correctional facility."
"He won't say a word."
"Shion."
Nezumi's voice was slightly overcast.
"I'll ask you one more time. Do you want to let this guy go alive?"
"Yes."
Nezumi extended his arm. Within a split second, Shion was already in his embrace. It looked like a slender and powerless arm, but it only took one to render him motionless. He felt something ice cold on the back his neck. It was the tip of a knife.
"I've had enough of your idiotic justice and hypocrisy. I really hate it. I've always wanted to tell you, if you don't throw away that naive sense of justice and your good guy mask, you won't survive. Shion, you're free to die if you want, but don't drag us down with you. You don't need that 'necessary or not' tedious way of thinking. Enemies are enemies. If they don't die, you will, and that's all."
The knife slid down his neck, bringing with it a slightly sharp pain. An embrace on one side and a cut throat on the other. Shion gazed at Nezumi. It was only for a moment, but a sweet sensation ached from within him.
An embrace of death.
Right. This is something that only a demon could do.
Nezumi let go of his grip. Shion felt the back of his neck. It was warm and his pulse was throbbing. A bit of blood stuck to his palm. He stared at Nezumi and clenched his fist, saying,
"Mr. Rikiga, get the car."
"Huh?"
"Get the car and send this person back."
"Ah... oh, right."
They actually do manage to get more information out of Fura after that, so Nezumi was wrong... And then there's this at the end lol:
"Oh right, I forgot."
Nezumi's chuckle came from the distance.
"Inukashi, ask Shion to give you a good night kiss. He'll give you an incredibly skilled and passionate one."
"Nezumi!"
The laughter gradually became distant. And then, as if sucked into the night, it disappeared with the wind.
(volume 4 chapter 2 end)
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It was pretty interesting to translate this right after looking over volume 7 again. The atmosphere and interactions all have a different feel to them. They've really come a long way... Though some of it really felt like volume 5 as well, especially that "embrace of death" scene.
Volume 7 summary will have approximately this same amount of translations. I hope LJ will be able to hold it all orz. Not sure whether I'll put it up before or after episode 9, but definitely within the week.
What am I doing with my life...
These two chapters are the torture scene that should show up in some fashion in episode 9. There's lots of amusing bits of dialogue and intense scenes, so I just picked everything I liked plus the text around it for context and killed my brain. Well, I only just started this last night so I suppose my translating speed has improved. Which also means I haven't really proofread this, so please bear with any awkward sentences. Or rather, please point out any mistakes!
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Chapter 1 - Prologue
After Rikiga leads Fura to Inukashi's hotel and Fura starts getting a little suspicious: {Note: they clearly refer to Inukashi as male here, but I'm keeping female pronouns in the narration. Stupid inconvenient English language.}
The small body jumped out from Fura's arms. The blanket slid to the ground.
"That's enough, you bastards! I can't stand it anymore! The hell are you doing?!"
Fura's mouth hung open, stupidly staring at the person whipping her hair and baring her teeth in front of him.
"Rikiga, what's the meaning of this?"
"It's exactly as it seems."
"Didn't you say you prepared a young girl for me?"
"Young girls, young boys, there's not much of a difference. I just thought you haven't discovered for yourself yet, that you might have this kind of preference too."
The dark haired one kept baring her teeth, like a stray dog. She shouted,
"Stop talking rubbish, you alcoholic old geezer! Why didn't you act according to our plans?! I'm gonna mince you three and feed you to the dogs! Remember that, you bastards!"
Plans? You three? What's going on?
Fura grabbed his coat and stood up. He looked around while putting it on. It was dusky all around, so dusky that it was frightening.
In other words, it was too dangerous to stay here.
"May I ask where you are going?"
Rikiga smiled while blocking the door.
"I'm going back. Get out of the way!"
"Don't be like that, please calm down. It's not like you to say such distressing words, Mr. Fura."
"Get out of the way, or else..."
Fura gripped the small pistol inside his pocket. It was an electronic pistol. Though its killing power wasn't great, it was still sufficient for self-defense. He took out the gun and aimed it at Rikiga's forehead. If he wouldn't step aside, he'd shoot without hesitation. Even though it was only for self-defense, it was still a pistol. It would still be fatal if shot at a person's head. It wouldn't matter if these guys died anyway, they don't even count as people.
"The show has only just begun. It'd be a pity if you were to leave now."
These words came from behind him. At the same time, someone hit Fura's head and forcefully grabbed his wrist. The pistol slid out of his hands. Even though he was only hit in the head and grabbed by the wrist, he couldn't move at all, and all his energy faded away. An ice-cold breath brushed past his ear, and he heard a soft murmur.
"Won't you stay a while longer? We'll make sure to provide you with a delightfully pleasurable experience."
It was a tender and beautiful voice, not clouded in the slightest. Sweet, clear, and pleasant - Fura was unable to determine whether the voice belonged to a man or a woman. If he complied with this voice's requests, maybe he really would be provided with a delightful experience. It was only for a moment, but he had such a thought.
He was tripped, and then slammed to the ground. He lost his breath and his consciousness faded.
"Nezumi!"
Inukashi kicked off the blanket and yelled out.
"This wasn't what we agreed on, what the hell are you doing?!"
"Don't shout."
Nezumi rummaged through the tied-up man's coat and took a leather pouch out of his pocket.
"You should learn from your dogs and quietly go to sleep, Inukashi."
"Bullshit! Why didn't you come out earlier?!"
"I forgot my lines, so I was looking over the script. My apologies."
"Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit! You bastard with no morals! Swindler! Third rate actor! You're as sly as a fox and have less shame than a pig! I'm never trusting you again! I hope the fleas on my dogs suck your blood dry!"
"Stop shouting, why are you this angry? I was only late about two or three minutes."
"It was in those two or three minutes that he licked my neck and felt up my leg!"
Nezumi smiled. Like a mother toward a young child that had acted rashly, he showed her a wry smile.
"Inukashi, everything is an experience. Being licked on the neck by a No.6 official is a very precious experience, so you should treasure it in your memories."
Inukashi's fist trembled. A light flickered in the dark eyes on her small brown face.
"Well then, you should be the one playing this role."
"Why me?"
"Because playing a prostitute would suit you perfectly! You'd seduce men and corrupt them. It's a fake and loose and wicked role. You'd be the spitting image!"
Right then, Shion came back to his senses and spoke up to Inukashi. Up until now, he hadn't been able to keep up with the progression of events and was only staring blankly.
"Inukashi, you've gone too far. That's enough."
Inulashi turned and looked at Shion angrily.
"Shion, you too! Why didn't you rush out once that man started getting on the bed? Isn't that what we agreed on?!"
"Yeah... that's right..."
That was what Shion was planning to do. They had agreed that once the man that Rikiga brought over, the Central Administration Bureau official called Fura, started getting on the bed, they would rush out from behind the screen and capture him. That was their plan, and Shion had intended to follow it.
However, Nezumi stopped him. He grabbed his shoulder and indicated to him not to go out. The bed made creaking noises and the man gradually drew closer to Inukashi. Shion was able to sense her panic. But Nezumi only bided his time and quietly hid in the darkness, not even letting the sound of his breath escape.
"I'm going back. Get out of the way!"
"Don't be like that, please calm down. It's not like you to say such distressing words, Mr. Fura."
"Get out of the way, or else..."
The man grabbed something from inside his pocket. At this point, Nezumi silently slipped out. Shion didn't sense his movements at all. Even though he was right beside him, he didn't even feel the air move.
"Won't you stay a while longer? We'll make sure to provide you with a delightfully pleasurable experience."
It was only after Nezumi's voice carried through that Shion came to his senses, rushed out from behind the screen, and arrived at Inukashi's side. By this time, the man was already lying on the ground groaning.
Inukashi was still wrinkling her nose and gnashing her teeth in rage.
"'That's right?' What do you mean 'that's right'? The only thing you know how to do is take care of the dogs after all! You're just a worthless, natural airhead!"
Shion didn't reply. By the time he was being cursed to no end, he was already clear on how incompetent and worthless he was. Even so, being reprimanded on his weak points was really painful.
Nezumi stooped down and picked up the gun. He turned it around in his hands, as if trying to determine its weight.
"A newest model self-defense gun. It's small, but it'd still be fatal if it hit any vital points. It'd be unfair if he had this toy on hand."
"And that's why you just leisurely waited for that guy to pull out his gun?"
"The odds at risk were low."
"The odds? That sounds really dangerous. While I was with that pervert, you two were just back there calculating the odds? No wonder you're such scholars! Why don't you give my dogs a lecture next time?"
"Don't be so sour, look."
Nezumi flipped the leather pouch upside down and shook it a bit. Five gold coins fell onto the table.
"Five gold coins for just one night? That's expensive, old man!"
"That's not it."
Rikiga started to talk. It was a low and rough voice, completely different from the lewd tone of voice he was using earlier.
"I told him today's prostitute was different from the usual. I said I found a special girl, so he thought it'd be suspicious if there wouldn't be any sort of extra compensation. He's an awfully cautious customer."
"So that's how it was."
Nezumi picked up one gold coin.
"Here, Inukashi. Your portion."
The gold coin that Nezumi flicked across bounced off of Inukashi's outstretched hand and landed by Shion's feet. Shion picked up the coin and handed it to her. Her brown fingertips slightly trembled.
"Inukashi?"
Inukashi tightly closed her lips, as if she was about to cry. Shion had never seen her like this before. Her shoulders and hands were also slightly trembling.
She really was scared... The Inukashi that energetically passed the days with her many dogs was trembling right now. Fear and humiliation were lingering in her heart.
Shion didn't know Inukashi's age. She herself most likely didn't even know. Almost all the residents of West Block didn't know their own age, who their parents were, or where they were born. They didn't even know whether or not they could live to the next day.
But he could imagine that Inukashi was young, even younger than his 16 year old self. Even so, she could commit fraud, burglary, and even threaten people. Even though she was always being reprimanded and scorned and insulted by everyone else, she paid them no heed. But she couldn't stand being inside that dusky room, acting as bait on that bed. She was just that young.
Inukashi's anger and malicious words were only proof of her timidness.
"I'm sorry." He uttered an apology.
"We were wrong. Sorry, Inukashi."
Inukashi blinked her brown eyes. The rims of her eye were already red, her lips trembling. Shion put his hands on her thin shoulders. He knew that this wouldn't placate her anger or bewilderment, and he didn't want her to forgive him. He was just reminded that back when he was little, his mother Karan would always hug him like this. He wordlessly placed his hands on Inukashi's shoulders and remembered the warmth that permeated through his heart.
That was all.
Inukashi didn't resist. She slightly shifted, leaning her head against Shion's chest.
"Idiots... I hate you all."
"Yeah."
"It was awful... really... really awful."
"Yeah."
"Why didn't you come out... I was bearing with it the whole time... until I couldn't stand it anymore..."
Shion apologized once again and firmly hugged Inukashi's shoulders.
Ah?
Shion suddenly felt puzzled. He felt something unexpected through his fingertips - soft flesh. Even though Inukashi was skinny to the bones, she was really soft. It wasn't solid and sturdy, but rather soft and smooth flesh.
It felt like he was touching Safu's shoulders.
How... could that be...
Shion stared at Inukashi. She picked herself up from his chest. Nezumi flicked another gold coin across. These three events happened at about the same time. This time, Inukashi firmly caught the gold coin.
{No clue why Shion is so confused here, maybe he's just surprised that she might actually be female.}
Nezumi gives the other three gold coins to Rikiga. He says the money is proof that they're all in the same boat, aka you're stuck here whether you like it not not.
"Demon." {Rikiga}
Inukashi stood beside Shion and huffed.
"Haven't you known that this guy's a demon since a long time ago? It's too late to try and resist now." {Inukashi}
Wrong.
Shion clenched his fist.
Nezumi isn't a demon. I know that more than anyone else.
He's saved me from a dead end many times. I've stayed out of danger thanks to his helping hand. He's not only saved my life, but also my heart. That's what I believe.
Nezumi pulled me up high and told me to look at the world below. He told me that this is what the world really is - not an isolated place surrounded by city walls and cut off from everything else, but an endlessly vast land with all kinds of people living their lives together, with nothing that you could even call a proper life, system of values, or justice. If I hadn't met Nezumi, I would have grown old without knowing any of that. I would have remained in that Holy City, enjoying fake fortunes and luxuries, not yearning for what's outside the city walls at all and smoothly living out my days.
Look.
That's what Nezumi said. Climb from that false world out to here. And then look with your own eyes and think with your own head. Disregard everything they've told you, the values they've placed on you, their virtues, their justice. Use your own head to think about what's right and what's important, what you want and what you believe. Ponder over it!
Nezumi has said this many times in the past, sometimes passionately and sometimes coldly. He's always said this to me, again and again and again, isn't that right?
My own ideas, my own desires, my own thoughts, my own feelings, my own hopes, my own beliefs, and what I want to believe... what are they? Ever since I met Nezumi, I've always been pondering over it. There's so much that I don't know, but I still perplexedly and incessantly pondered over it. It healed and poured new blood into my soul.
This is what it means to live.
Grasp your own soul and don't give it to anyone else. Don't be controlled, don't become a puppet.
This is what it means to live. That's what Nezumi taught me. He poured new blood into my soul.
And yet...
And yet, the one who got everyone involved in this is me, not Nezumi. I involved everyone else to save Safu, who's been arrested by the Ministry of Peace and locked in the correctional facility. I've dragged everyone into what Rikiga called a dangerous war zone without even a 1% chance of victory.
"What is it, Shion? You look kind of scary... this isn't like you."
Inukashi puzzledly asked. Shion shook his head.
"You're wrong."
"Huh?"
"You're wrong, Inukashi. And Mr. Rikiga as well. Everything was my doing this time."
Shion's eyes met Nezumi's. Or rather, he was attracted by a very intense stare, so he couldn't help but look. Those glowing, rich gray eyes were always brimming with vitality, brilliantly shimmering. They were beautiful. Yet they didn't contain even the slightest emotion. They hadn't changed ever since they first met. Those eyes that Shion saw when they first met, when he was pressed to the wall by ice-cold hands, hadn't changed at all.
Nezumi slowly looked away and spoke in a song-like voice.
"I am the spirit, ever, that denies!
So all that you call Sin, you see,
Destruction, in short, what you’ve meant
By Evil is my true element."
"What?"
Inukashi wiggled her nose.
"Shion, what's this nutcase playing at?"
"It's Mephistopheles."
"Huh? What's that, is it tasty?"
"It's a character that appears in 'Faust'... a demon."
"A demon reciting a demon's lines, how fitting."
"I said you're wrong, how could Nezumi be a demon?"
They suddenly heard a man groaning. The tied up body started to move.
"Oh, it seems that our guest is about to awaken."
Nezumi took out his leather gloves and waved them around. The corners of his mouth formed a dry smile.
"Well then, let's begin Act 1 Scene 2."
Rikiga looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Inukashi shrugged her shoulders, then glanced at Shion.
"Shion."
"Huh?"
"He's a demon."
"What?"
"That guy's a demon. I think... you're the one that doesn't know the truth."
(volume 4 chapter 1 end)
Chapter 2 - Act 1 Scene 2
The sound of the wind became stronger. It whistled as it blew across the ruins, carrying with it a feeling of desolation.
It was during this wind that the man woke up. He didn't seem confused. He sat up while still bound and looked around.
"What's going on?"
The man asked in a slightly rough voice. No one answered.
"What's going on? Rikiga, do you realize what you're doing?"
"I regret to say,"
Rikiga sighed for the upteenth time.
"I realize it very clearly. Though I wish I didn't."
"Release me."
The man wriggled his body. However, perhaps because it sensed movement, the rope tightened even more, so he quickly stopped moving. He looked around again and coughed a few times. He was very calm.
"What do you want? Money? Did you think that doing this would make me give in that easily?"
"It'd be no fun if you gave in that easily."
Nezumi knelt down in front of him. He immediately became wide-eyed, saying,
"What a beauty."
The man smiled.
"Rikiga, now this is what you call fine goods!"
"If you'd like..."
A hand wearing a leather glove grabbed the man's chin.
"I'll play with you anytime. But I'm very expensive, a mere five gold isn't enough."
"So you do want money. How much?"
"I don't want money."
The sneer disappeared from the man's face. He tried to withdraw his chin, but Nezumi's hold was firm and he couldn't budge at all.
"If it's not money... then what do you want?"
"Information."
"What?"
"I want information. Spit out everything you know, right here and now."
"What nonsense are you..."
"After that I'll play with you. It's a pretty good deal, isn't it?"
"Bullshit! You West Block residents dare to demand information? What do you inferior trash plan to do with information about the Holy City, eh? What use is it? You just need to stay where you belong and act like the scum you are."
A sharp sound followed. Nezumi's right hand slapped the man with great force. The man tumbled to the ground. Nezumi grabbed him by the hair, dragged him up, and slapped him on the other side of his face. Then again, and yet again. The man didn't have the opportunity to talk and only fell to the ground.
Shion stared while holding his breath. The candlelight shined on Nezumi's expressionless face. As if wearing a mask, he tormented the man with no expression.
"Nezumi..."
Shion shuddered.
Stop it. If this goes on...
Right when he was about to step forward, a brown hand grabbed him.
"Inukashi."
"Just sit back and watch, Young Master."
Inukashi licked her lips, then quietly said,
"The show has only just begun. Don't interfere."
"But... but this is too excessive."
"Shion, I remember you saying something before."
"What did I say?"
"You told me that Nezumi's really kind, right? I think you said it in this room. Have you forgotten?"
"I remember."
Inukashi let out a laugh.
"The show has only just begun, Shion. You need to carefully observe just how kind of a person your darling Nezumi-chan really is."
The corner of the man's mouth was mangled. The inside of his mouth also seemed to be injured, since blood mixed with saliva was dripping to the floor.
"S... stop it."
The man gasped for breath. Nezumi paused.
"You want to speak up now?"
"I... I don't know anything..."
"A Central Administration Bureau official doesn't know anything? That's not funny."
"Information... is all stored and managed within the computers... The information I know... isn't much at all..."
Some Shion monologue here, he thinks what the man's saying might be true, and that the only person who would know that much information is the major himself.
"Answer me."
Nezumi spoke in a low voice that seemed to crawl across the floor and crept into Shion's ears.
"What is the new facility being built inside the correctional facility? What is its purpose?"
The man shook his head.
"I don't know."
"Which administration does it belong to?"
"I don't know."
"A few days ago, an elite female student was arrested by the Ministry of Peace. We know that she was taken into the correctional facility. Does she have anything to do with the new facility?"
"I... don't know."
"We've heard that recently, a disease of unknown origin had been spreading inside the city. Is this true? What are the symptoms? How many people have been affected?"
No response. Nezumi raised himself up and shrugged his shoulders.
"Such an outstanding individual, yet with such a lacking vocabulary! Shouldn't you have quite the way with words when you're picking up chicks?"
"Untie me."
Perhaps because his mouth was swollen, the man's words sounded muffled and unclear.
"Release me and let me leave. I'll forget everything that happened here. I'll pretend it never happened."
"Why, thank you very much. How generous of you... Inukashi."
"What?"
"Hold this guy down."
"Roger."
Inukashi quickly walked behind the man and grabbed his shoulder and arms. Nezumi took off the sheath of his knife.
"What are you doing?!"
The man's voice was rigid. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
"Don't get too excited. I'm only granting your wish."
The silver blade glinted with a dull light. It was a knife that lacked any decoration, yet was so beautiful that it was frightening. Nezumi cut the rope and put away the knife. He slowly brought up the man's hand, staring attentively at him. The man who was already supposed to be freed didn't move an inch. Perhaps because he was trapped by those gray eyes and couldn't move even if he wanted to.
The hand wearing a leather glove gently caressed the man's palm.
"I thought tormenting a No.6 official a bit would make him cry for mercy and spill everything. It seems that I was in over my head."
Nezumi softly sighed as he stroked the man's fingers one after the other, as if he was fondling them.
"You're quite impressive, you've got guts. You deserve a little reward."
A glass shard was placed inside the man's palm. It was a shard from the broken wine bottle.
"And another."
The edges of the shards glinted with a faint light.
"What... what are you doing..."
The man's body and voice were trembling. He incessantly shook his head.
"Stop it, don't do this."
"Why? This is your reward, so you should accept it."
Nezumi's hand wrapped around the man's hand. He forcefully squeezed down on it.
The wind stopped. A scream echoed from within the tranquil room. Rikiga's face turned white and he looked away. Inukashi held the man down and shut her eyes, biting down on her lips.
"Talk!"
Nezumi clenched down on the man's hand and issued a short order.
"Answer all my questions, or else you can say goodbye your five fingers."
"Nezumi!"
Shion shouted out. At the same time, he rushed forth and struck into Nezumi. The glass shards that were now covered in blood fell from the man's palm.
"Stop it, please stop it."
Probably because he had predicted Shion's actions, Nezumi wasn't startled or angry at all. His expression didn't even change. He was only a bit speechless.
"Don't interfere."
"No, you shouldn't be doing this. Isn't... isn't this torture?"
"Do you have any other ideas? Did you think that if you just bowed your head down and asked, this guy would tell you everything?"
"I... But, this isn't good, you shouldn't be doing this."
"Shion, you need to hurry up and discard that naive way of thinking, or else you might as well just quit now. We're not playing house here, we're fighting a war."
I know that, I know that very well. I know how naive I am, and that the future will be cruel. But...
"But... no, you shouldn't torture him. You shouldn't be doing this."
"Why?"
"He's human. You can't torture him."
Nezumi laughed. He turned his head and stiflingly laughed. The man was still wailing, his hand that was covered in blood still trembling. Inukashi muttered some sympathies. Nezumi lightly kicked the man with his boots, then turned to face Shion.
"Didn't you hear what this guy said? To them, the people of West Block are not only inferior but a world apart from them, just like ants. They don't even believe we have emotions or blood running through our veins, that we're human just like them. Even if we bleed or starve to death... no matter how much we're suffering, they don't give a damn. That's how they think. So why should only we have to think of them as human? If we're ants, then they're not human either..."
"I don't want to see!"
Shion shouted even louder than before. He shouted, preventing Nezumi from continuing to speak.
"Huh?"
"I don't want to see. I don't want to see you torturing other people."
Shion suddenly felt sick to his stomach. An intense feeling of self-loathing surged from within.
You don't want to see? Then why don't you just close your eyes? You're always like this. Whenever you come across something you don't want to see, you just look away. You just pretend you didn't see. For whose sake is Nezumi being so cruel? Isn't it all for your sake? Isn't this what you've forced Nezumi to do? You're letting Nezumi do all the dirty work while you're just standing here speaking pretty words, isn't that right? They're nothing but pretty words, Shion. Everything you say and do are all just hypocritical lies. You don't want to dirty your own hands, you don't want to feel pain, and you don't want yourself to be wounded. And yet here you are spouting off justice about how people shouldn't torture others.
So detached, so arrogant, so hypocritical, so frivolous, so repulsive... that's your true nature!
That's what you are!
It wasn't anyone else speaking, it was truly his own voice. A sense of disgust was seething in his heart.
But I don't want to see. I just don't want to see. Those are my true thoughts.
"I... don't want to see."
Nezumi, I don't want to see you being cruel. Because that's a fake you. You've taught me so many things about rebirth and creation. You ordered me to live on, you told me to think. Loving another, understanding each other, connecting with each other, longing... Right, everything you've taught me is the exact opposite of cruel. I don't want to see a fake you.
"Eve."
Rikiga unsteadily stepped forward.
"Shion's right, you should stop while you're ahead. Fura has been raised as an elite ever since he was young, so he's not at all immune to pain. If you continue, it's likely he'll have a heart attack and die."
Nezumi shrugged his shoulders. His emotionless eyes gazed back and forth between the wailing man and Shion. He silently stepped back, then slowly removed his bloodstained gloves.
I'll leave the stage to you. You'd better think up your own ideas.
And then Shion actually does manage to get information out of the guy by asking kindly. Some time later Nezumi decides that they can't get any more information out of him and decides to dispose of him:
"Shion."
Nezumi finally spoke up. The dusky air moved.
"You can't get much more information out of him now."
Nezumi's voice was ice-cold and merciless. The man sensed that callousness and his body stiffened.
"A-are you going to kill me?"
"Of course."
Nezumi's boots stepped over the not yet dry blood and walked over.
"I-I've already told you everything I know. I've spoken everything, so you can't back out."
"There was never any sort of agreement or pact between us."
"Don't kill me! I don't want to die!"
"Nezumi, that's enough."
Shion stepped between Nezumi and the man.
"You don't have to threaten him, that's enough. We need to send him back to the customs post... Mr. Rikiga."
"All right, I got it. I'll get the car ready."
"He's an enemy."
The knife was already unsheathed and spinning around in Nezumi's hand.
"You want me to just sit back and let him go alive?"
"It's not necessary to kill him now."
Heh. While his upper body was still concealed in the darkness, Nezumi faintly laughed.
"In what sort of situation would it be necessary to kill people for you? You think this guy's just going to return to No.6 and not say a word?"
"Yes."
Shion raised his head and looked toward the darkness. His line of sight met the gray eyes within the dark.
I can break past the darkness of the night or the dazzling light and catch your eyes. Have you noticed this?
"He won't say anything. Because if he does, it'd cost him his own life. A Central Administration Bureau official entered the prohibited West Block without any cover or permission. He knows what would happen if that were to be exposed. So there's no way he'll say anything about us, you should be very clear on that as well."
"Why should I give a damn?"
Nezumi silently stood up.
"There's no proof that this guy won't fess up that there's a bunch of guys in West Block looking for information on the correctional facility."
"He won't say a word."
"Shion."
Nezumi's voice was slightly overcast.
"I'll ask you one more time. Do you want to let this guy go alive?"
"Yes."
Nezumi extended his arm. Within a split second, Shion was already in his embrace. It looked like a slender and powerless arm, but it only took one to render him motionless. He felt something ice cold on the back his neck. It was the tip of a knife.
"I've had enough of your idiotic justice and hypocrisy. I really hate it. I've always wanted to tell you, if you don't throw away that naive sense of justice and your good guy mask, you won't survive. Shion, you're free to die if you want, but don't drag us down with you. You don't need that 'necessary or not' tedious way of thinking. Enemies are enemies. If they don't die, you will, and that's all."
The knife slid down his neck, bringing with it a slightly sharp pain. An embrace on one side and a cut throat on the other. Shion gazed at Nezumi. It was only for a moment, but a sweet sensation ached from within him.
An embrace of death.
Right. This is something that only a demon could do.
Nezumi let go of his grip. Shion felt the back of his neck. It was warm and his pulse was throbbing. A bit of blood stuck to his palm. He stared at Nezumi and clenched his fist, saying,
"Mr. Rikiga, get the car."
"Huh?"
"Get the car and send this person back."
"Ah... oh, right."
They actually do manage to get more information out of Fura after that, so Nezumi was wrong... And then there's this at the end lol:
"Oh right, I forgot."
Nezumi's chuckle came from the distance.
"Inukashi, ask Shion to give you a good night kiss. He'll give you an incredibly skilled and passionate one."
"Nezumi!"
The laughter gradually became distant. And then, as if sucked into the night, it disappeared with the wind.
(volume 4 chapter 2 end)
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It was pretty interesting to translate this right after looking over volume 7 again. The atmosphere and interactions all have a different feel to them. They've really come a long way... Though some of it really felt like volume 5 as well, especially that "embrace of death" scene.
Volume 7 summary will have approximately this same amount of translations. I hope LJ will be able to hold it all orz. Not sure whether I'll put it up before or after episode 9, but definitely within the week.