"Genpei Checkpoint?"
AS FORETOLD, I am attempting to translate Oshaka-sama mo Miteru: Beni ka Shiro ka (Buddha is Also Watching: Red or White?), the light novel spinoff to the main Maria-sama ga Miteru series, focusing on Yumi's brother Yuuki and his adventures at Hanadera Academy. If you've seen the Marimite anime then the Hanadera crew has made cameo appearances, but here Yuuki is the protagonist and it is All About Him Now. I chose this book for a variety of reasons; the first Marimite novel has already been fan-translated, I didn't want to arbitrarily jump to a random book in the middle of the series, and this starts at the beginning so anyone can read it without being invested in the series/being spoiled. Also it seems like mainstream Western shoujo-ai fandom hates everything with a penis, so I feel like the only person who might bother to do this, so THE PRESSURE IS OFF. (Though I only have the first book and apparently there are more. HM. Well, I'll decide what to do after if/when I ever finish this.)
also this part is short, but other parts are longer, so I'm still debating between posting entire chapters at once or breaking them up into these smaller parts, so... I've already wasted a lot of time transcribing it first and I think I might just skip that part. ps: let's see if crossposting works right.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE: Genpei, Genji, and Heishi all refer to the Genpei War. Genji and Heishi are alternate readings of the names of the warring clans, Minamoto and Taira, who were symbolized by white and red flags respectively.
A Troubled Entrance Ceremony
1
Before his eyes, two roads stretched out.
To the right, a steep road cutting up the mountain.
To the left, a long, level detour avoiding the mountain.
(What, what?)
On the morning of his first day at Hanadera Academy High School, Fukuzawa Yuuki entered the school gates and promptly stopped at the fork in the road that appeared before him. Just like him, quite a few students in brand new grey gakuran uniforms passed through the gates, but they continued on left or right. None of them lost, moving straight forward.
At the entrance to each road was a desk and a number of upperclassmen. The new students would first stop by this reception-desk-type place, then exchange a few words, receive something and then carry on their respective paths.
It all unfolded very naturally, but just what was with this picture?
"...."
Yuuki observed the ceremony for a brief while, but what it actually was, he had absolutely no clue.
He didn't like to brag, but he'd been attending Hanadera Academy ever since kindergarten--a purebred Hanadera boy. But he never saw anything quite like this on his first day of elementary school or his first day of middle school. It was the same place, so did just a different gate really change things that much?
(Did I get the wrong school?)
No, no, if he looked around, all Yuuki could see were men wearing the same uniform. And other than the neighbouring Lillian Girls' Academy, there weren't any schools built on a hill like this. And he obviously wasn't going to accidentally go to a girls' school. Yuuki talked himself out of his weak attitude.
That's right. Nothing was going to be solved just standing here forever. He had to pick one of the roads, go to the school, and head to the gymnasium to make it to the entrance ceremony in time.
(That is to say--)
Could he just pick whatever way he wanted? Or was it determined by some sort of random number beforehand?
(Beforehand? ...But I didn't hear anything about it.)
Yuuki began to brood. If he didn't know, he should just go up to one of the desks and ask the upperclassmen there. Then it'd be settled. But even though they were only one or two years older, they all looked big enough to be adults. In short, they were scary, and he didn't want to go near them unprepared. Especially since Yuuki was shorter than average.
(Well, then, one of the new students--)
The power of his old middle school classmates. If he looked around, he should be able to find someone he recognized. Yuuki turned around. And then.
"Ah!"
Crashed into a student that was coming from behind him.
Even though it was his fault for suddenly changing direction, the guy he hit was pretty sturdy, and as Yuuki stumbled back, the other boy caught him and politely bowed his head with a "Sorry."
"No, it's my fault."
For a moment Yuuki thought he was an upperclassman, but his uniform was brand new. And he was holding the envelope with the entrance ceremony information. He didn't look like anyone he knew from middle school.
"Ohhh, is that the rumored Genpei Checkpoint?" the new student asked, gazing over Yuuki's shoulder at the fork in the road.
"Genpei Checkpoint?"
"Yeah. When you think of Hanadera Academy High School, the Genji and the Heishi have to be the first things that come to mind."
"...I guess so." Well when he put it like that, Yuuki didn't really think he could ask "What is it?" anymore, being a graduate of Hanadera Academy Middle School and all.
"Incidentally, I'm Genji white, so I'll be taking the right road."
So that means the left road must be Heishi red. Now that he'd mentioned it, there were red or white flags near either road.
"Genji..."
"I haven't picked my clubs yet, but it's 'cause I'm better at moving my body than using my head. You can tell just by looking, right? So, what about you?"
"I," Yuuki stammered. Somehow it felt like he couldn't possibly say he hadn't thought of it until right that second. "I'm, uh, that's, yeah, I'm waiting up for a friend."
"Aahh, then I'll go on ahead. Well, see ya." He flashed a bright white smile, then left Yuuki behind. Just like he said, down the right road.
"A friend...?" Yuuki let out a small sigh. If he had something nice like that, he wouldn't be in this position in the first place. "What should I do?" he sighed again, but the roads before him still branched out in two directions just the same.
Thump, thump.
He thought he heard a soft throbbing that wasn't coming from his own heart.
Thump, thump.
It was probably something that wasn't coming back--
A sound he heard in his distant past.
--If you were me, which would you choose?
via http://kyaaa.dreamwidth.org/4491.html where there are
comments
also this part is short, but other parts are longer, so I'm still debating between posting entire chapters at once or breaking them up into these smaller parts, so... I've already wasted a lot of time transcribing it first and I think I might just skip that part. ps: let's see if crossposting works right.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE: Genpei, Genji, and Heishi all refer to the Genpei War. Genji and Heishi are alternate readings of the names of the warring clans, Minamoto and Taira, who were symbolized by white and red flags respectively.
A Troubled Entrance Ceremony
1
Before his eyes, two roads stretched out.
To the right, a steep road cutting up the mountain.
To the left, a long, level detour avoiding the mountain.
(What, what?)
On the morning of his first day at Hanadera Academy High School, Fukuzawa Yuuki entered the school gates and promptly stopped at the fork in the road that appeared before him. Just like him, quite a few students in brand new grey gakuran uniforms passed through the gates, but they continued on left or right. None of them lost, moving straight forward.
At the entrance to each road was a desk and a number of upperclassmen. The new students would first stop by this reception-desk-type place, then exchange a few words, receive something and then carry on their respective paths.
It all unfolded very naturally, but just what was with this picture?
"...."
Yuuki observed the ceremony for a brief while, but what it actually was, he had absolutely no clue.
He didn't like to brag, but he'd been attending Hanadera Academy ever since kindergarten--a purebred Hanadera boy. But he never saw anything quite like this on his first day of elementary school or his first day of middle school. It was the same place, so did just a different gate really change things that much?
(Did I get the wrong school?)
No, no, if he looked around, all Yuuki could see were men wearing the same uniform. And other than the neighbouring Lillian Girls' Academy, there weren't any schools built on a hill like this. And he obviously wasn't going to accidentally go to a girls' school. Yuuki talked himself out of his weak attitude.
That's right. Nothing was going to be solved just standing here forever. He had to pick one of the roads, go to the school, and head to the gymnasium to make it to the entrance ceremony in time.
(That is to say--)
Could he just pick whatever way he wanted? Or was it determined by some sort of random number beforehand?
(Beforehand? ...But I didn't hear anything about it.)
Yuuki began to brood. If he didn't know, he should just go up to one of the desks and ask the upperclassmen there. Then it'd be settled. But even though they were only one or two years older, they all looked big enough to be adults. In short, they were scary, and he didn't want to go near them unprepared. Especially since Yuuki was shorter than average.
(Well, then, one of the new students--)
The power of his old middle school classmates. If he looked around, he should be able to find someone he recognized. Yuuki turned around. And then.
"Ah!"
Crashed into a student that was coming from behind him.
Even though it was his fault for suddenly changing direction, the guy he hit was pretty sturdy, and as Yuuki stumbled back, the other boy caught him and politely bowed his head with a "Sorry."
"No, it's my fault."
For a moment Yuuki thought he was an upperclassman, but his uniform was brand new. And he was holding the envelope with the entrance ceremony information. He didn't look like anyone he knew from middle school.
"Ohhh, is that the rumored Genpei Checkpoint?" the new student asked, gazing over Yuuki's shoulder at the fork in the road.
"Genpei Checkpoint?"
"Yeah. When you think of Hanadera Academy High School, the Genji and the Heishi have to be the first things that come to mind."
"...I guess so." Well when he put it like that, Yuuki didn't really think he could ask "What is it?" anymore, being a graduate of Hanadera Academy Middle School and all.
"Incidentally, I'm Genji white, so I'll be taking the right road."
So that means the left road must be Heishi red. Now that he'd mentioned it, there were red or white flags near either road.
"Genji..."
"I haven't picked my clubs yet, but it's 'cause I'm better at moving my body than using my head. You can tell just by looking, right? So, what about you?"
"I," Yuuki stammered. Somehow it felt like he couldn't possibly say he hadn't thought of it until right that second. "I'm, uh, that's, yeah, I'm waiting up for a friend."
"Aahh, then I'll go on ahead. Well, see ya." He flashed a bright white smile, then left Yuuki behind. Just like he said, down the right road.
"A friend...?" Yuuki let out a small sigh. If he had something nice like that, he wouldn't be in this position in the first place. "What should I do?" he sighed again, but the roads before him still branched out in two directions just the same.
Thump, thump.
He thought he heard a soft throbbing that wasn't coming from his own heart.
Thump, thump.
It was probably something that wasn't coming back--
A sound he heard in his distant past.
--If you were me, which would you choose?
via http://kyaaa.dreamwidth.org/4491.html where there are
comments