Warning: This game likely contains strong language, drug references (do Aoba's "headache pills" and the "light drugs" count?), and will have parts that are most definitely NOT SAFE FOR WORK! Also, there's likely triggers for rape-related PTSD in this game as a whole. You have been warned.
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'... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... you really came...I was waiting...always...hurry to me...
d e s t r o y m e w i t h y o u r p o w e r......'
Okay... That's a weird way to start a game... (Somebody has a death wish...) Ah, here's our protagonist, Aoba, talking on the phone!
Aoba: "Hello, thank you for calling. This is Junk Shop Heibon."
???: "Uh, umm... There's something I'd like to ask."
Aoba: "Yes?"
???: "Do you have any custom parts for S II type Allmates in your shop?"
Aoba: "Yes we do. We also have them in stock."
???: "Ah, is that right. I see. Thank you very much."
Aoba: "Would you like to place an order?"
???: "Ah, no. Um, well..."
Aoba: "Yes?"
???: "Well, this may come off as very sudden, but..."
Aoba: "Yes?"
???: "If you're okay with it, then... When your shop closes today, could I meet you?"
Ooooo.... (Sounds like someone's asking someone out...)
Aoba: "...What?"
???: "Ah, no, umm, how should I say this, you see, your voice. It's like, you have a very nice voice, I was thinking..."
Yeah, Aoba, you're being asked out on a date.
Aoba: "...No, no, not at all, I'm very grateful. Ah, by the way, sir, I just remembered one thing, would that be all right?"
???: "Ah, sure..."
Aoba: "In fact, to continue the talk about S II type custom parts a while ago, this time the new parts of that series will be arriving shortly."
???: "Right..."
Aoba: "So, we are accepting reservations and specially introducing them only to the most loyal customers right now. Would you be interested? I think they will be popular products and will sell out immediately, but you will definitely be able to purchase them if you reserve now."
???: "Yes, um, but..."
Aoba: "Of course, because this is a special opportunity limited to special customers only, if you would like to reserve.. I could do it for you as a service."
Yes, there's a missing period in that ellipsis in the actual game... (As it has been fan translated.) Nothing to see here, move along.
???: "S-Service?"
Aoba: "Yes...a service."
???: "A-Ah, then by all means! I'll-I'll make a reservation!"
Aoba: "Certainly, thank you very much. Now then, could you please send your personal data over here? ...Okay, thank you very much! We have received your reservation. Well then, please keep supporting our shop in the future too!"
???: "Yes!"
Aoba: "Thanks!"
(Aoba hangs up the phone.) I thought you were not going to have anything to do with this? (Well, it doesn't see like anything's happening now.) (Oh! But it will! Count on it!)
Aoba: "...Haah."
'As soon as I hang up the phone. I let out a huge sigh. Although I do it knowingly, speaking to the customers with ulterior motives is really annoying.'
Yeah, tell me about it...
'Well, if it goes well, I'm sure to sell something so it's fine. ----- Your voice is so wonderful, I need to meet you no matter what. Among the people who contact our shop by phone, there are an awful lot of guys who say that.'
Maybe you're just attractive to dudes. (Like this one over here. *points to Shimohi*) (...You're really calling Shimohi a "dude"?) Okay, it's not like I'm a newbie at a ranch...
'They want to meet me when all they know is my voice... If I was a woman it'd be better, but usually a guy wouldn't ask another guy something like that.'
(Indeed.) But this is a BL game, so, of course that's going to happen.
'At first I could handle them well, but like anyone else would, I became irritated when it kept happening. But it also became easier to entice customers to buy products. From then on, like that phone call just now, I could make even more sales. Strangely enough though, it doesn't happen in the actual shop.'
Okay, that bit I'm a bit curious about...
'Sometimes a customer actually comes to meet me after a telephone call, but I just play it off.'
So, play them off Keyboard Cat! (...That joke in itself deserves to be "played off"...)
'They all end up leaving without noticing I was the owner of that voice. Since there's not much harm done, I just think "Well, whatever", and leave it be.'
Aoba: "Nnnn...Gah. The manager should be back soon."
'I stretch my arms out wide and place my eyes on the digital clock on the counter. This shop provides a variety of things ranging from small expendable supplies to specialized metal parts at a bargain price. Junk Shop Heibon. I was attracted by the subtleness of the store name and started working here; I wonder how long it's been...Anyway, it was a long time ago.'
Aoba: "...Hm? A message, huh."
Who's it from?
'I was spacing out and had my elbow on the counter when the Coil on my arm rang. A Coil is something like a mobile phone, but it's much more convenient than just that.'
So... It's like a smart phone?
'Phone calls, messages, payments, identification, and of course watching TV can all be done with this one machine.'
So, it's pretty much a wearable smart phone. Got it!
Aoba: "Let's see..."
Let's see what kind of messages Aoba has on his "Coil"... ("About what I asked for" from "Haga-san", "This Sunday" from "Koujaku", "How are you?" from "Mizuki", "Dinner" from "Granny", "About then" from "Koujaku"...) And, of course, "Please save me" from...
Aoba: "Captive Princess?"
'Is it a new kind of advertisement? The adult kind, maybe.'
(And by "the adult kind" we're assuming that means "porn".)
'It'll probably continue like "Please help me, I'm troubled by my aching body", or something. Delete...'
(Slam noise!)
Aoba: "Geh!"
(Monster! Did you do that!?) (No! I was just narrating what we heard!)
'As I was handling my Coil, something slammed into my waist. I fall from the chair and something heavy lands on my back. Three giggling voices. The culprits had to be...'
(Those three annoying brats.) (How did you...) ("Know that?" We've already seen the anime version of this after all!)
Mouse boy: "Aoba's opeeen!"
Bear-hat boy: "Open like a book!"
Pink girl: "You're so uncool!"
Ouch! Harsh...
Aoba: "...Why...you...braaaaats!"
'The evil brat siblings finally appeared. The eldest son, Kio, the second son, Nao, and the eldest daughter, Mio.'
I'm assuming those are their names, in that order. (Nope, the names of the two boys are reversed.)
'A group of annoying neighborhood kids who only come here to go on wild rampages.'
(For shame! Where in the world are their parents!?)
Aoba: "I've told you guys so many times, this isn't a playground! Can't you kids learn anything?"
(Apparently not. The twelfth Doctor is right, you humans are a bunch of "pudding heads".)
Nao: "Aaah! Aoba's looking at a pervy e-mail!"
Hey, that's just an assumption Aoba made.
Kio: "Eh!?"
(So it's NOT a porn ad?)
Mio: "No way!"
No, I already told you, it isn't a porn ad...
'Nao raises his voice after looking at my Coil over my shoulder, and the remaining two hear it and lean all over me. I-I'm gonna suffocate...'
Aoba: "G-Get off of me, stupid..."
Nao: "Pervy e-mail! Pervy e-mail! Aoba's a pervert! Pervert!"
Dude! Aoba's not a pervert! (Really...?) Nope, that's my territory! (Of course you'd be a pervert to play a game like this...)
Nao: "Grown-ups are dirty!"
(Well, at least Shimohi and the Monster are.) (Blessed straight!)
Kio: "Nu-uh! It's some message about buying bad stuff! 'Cuz this shop is sketchy!"
Huh? I don't see any drawings anywhere in the shop. (*faceplam* Not THAT kind of 'sketch'...) I know, I was making a joke.
Nao: "Sketchyyy! Sketchyyy!!"
Mio: "This shop really does suck!"
Hey! That was uncalled for!
Aoba: "Ugh...Guh."
Kio: "All right! Let's arrest the pervy, dirty, and sketchy Aoba!"
(Kids, it's Shimohi here you should be arresting, not Aoba.) (But Shimohi's, in a way, possessing Aoba at the moment.) (Okay, you can arrest Aoba to arrest Shimohi by proxy.) Hey!
Mio: "Let's do it!"
Nao: "Arreeeest!"
(More like a "citizens arrest".) Okay Niyagi, you've taken that joke far enough. (Who said it was a joke?) *headdesk* (So... Did you break Aoba's desk or something?)
Aoba: "Guh, ugh... Get off already, you braaaaaaaats!!"
Evil Brat Siblings: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!!"
'I jolt up, legs wobbling, trying to shake them off. They don't care if I say they're childish. There's no way those kids would give up just like that.'
Nao: "Hey, hey, that thing on top of the shelf, what's it used for?"
Kio: "It's probably a tool to beat someone up!"
Mio: Scaaary! Boys are savages!"
(No, "Men are monkeys".) (Now you're quoting a lizard woman from Doctor Who as well...)
'Their attention had already moved on to other things...'
Aoba: "You guys... Geh!"
'I was shocked when I looked at my Coil. At some point it had started to display a completion screen.'
("You gotta virus"!) Did you just use the title of the first episode of TOME? (Yes, yes I did!)
'Oh yeah, I had a feeling I heard a strange sound from it a while ago... Maybe I accidentally pushed a button when I was messing with the kids.'
(Hopefully, not like that!)
'I hope I didn't download some strange program...'
(In that case, you're going to be disappointed...)
Aoba: "Aaah, come on, this is horrible..."
'As I stand there confused, the retro bell on the front door rings.'
Heibon Shop Manager: "Phew, today's delivery destination was somewhat far."
'The store manager, Haga-san, who had gone out for a delivery, was back.'
*looks up* So that's who "Haga-san" is...
Haga: "I'm sorry for being late, Aoba-ku..."
'Haga-san's smiling face droops when he sees the evil brats. Considering the damage they caused to the shop, well, it's a natural reaction.'
Haga: "...Oh, you kids, hello. You're here."
Nao: "Kio, take that dooown."
Kio: "Wait a sec. Here we...Hiya!"
Mio: "Kio's shorter than I thought!"
Kio: "What'd you say!?"
"You're shorter than I thought." (He didn't mean that... Is this another one of your "jokes"?) Yes. (That's what I thought. *facepalm*)
Haga: "H-Hey kids, it's dangerous to play inside the shop. You might get hurt."
'Haga-san warns in confusion. But the brats aren't listening.'
(Haters gonna hate, players gonna play, and kids gonna do stupid things that'll get them killed...)
Kio: "Just an inch...! Eih!"
Haga: "K-Kids..."
Kio: "Aaagh! You're so noisy!"
Nao: "Shut up baldyyy!"
Kio: "...Ah."
Mio: "Ah."
Aoba: "Ah."
(So, cause of death will be "crushed by heavy object"...) (Monster!)
'...Oh boy, he said it.'
(Scrap that; cause of death will be "assault by angry store manager".)
'The air around Haga-san freezes.'
Haga: "...You children playing there. Excuse me for asking, but... What was that just now...?"
So... (They're going to hell...? Excellent!)
Haga: "Come on, please try saying it one more time. The first syllable was... ba?"
Don't do it! Not unless you kids have a death wish.
Nao: "Ba..."
Haga: "Ba?"
Nao: "Ba... Ba... Ba-Bad, this is bad, my stomach hurts, so- I- I'm going hooome!"
Kio: "Yeah, let's go home!"
Mio: "Let's go!"
'The evil brats run out of the store at full speed.'
(Aw man! I wanted to see those kids in hell!)
Haga: "...Ba...? What was the continuation of ba...What happened to the ba...?"
I think it'd be best if you forget about that.
Aoba: "Ah, that's right boss! Yes, yes, listen to this!"
'I start talking in a hurry to the mumbling Haga-san.'
Aoba: "There's been more orders for the S series of A parts again!"
I think it'd be safe to assume that by "A parts", Aoba means "Allmate parts".
Haga: "...Parts?"
[sarcasm] Oh, great, now he's going to be thinking of a side part done to hide a bald spot... [/sarcasm]
Aoba: "Yes! Wow, just like we expected! It's just like you said! It's a 50% increase in sales from last month!"
Haga: "Is that...so."
Oh no! Those flames aren't going away!
Aoba: "Yes it is! It's increasing! The sales are doubling!"
(Looks like someone's going to get hurt... Most likely Aoba. And that'll... DOUBLE MY FUN!) ([sarcasm] Great, now it's an MLP reference... [/sarcasm])
Haga: "Sales...doubling!"
*sigh of relief* The flames are gone now...
Haga: "Well, well, that's good to hear. If they are selling so well, we should increase the stock a little."
'After Haga-san listens to my good news, he finally returns to normal. What a relief...That was dangerous.'
Indeed...
'Haga-san is so outrageous that once he snaps, he begins to act violently...'
(And that's why we never see his wife...) Okay, that's kind of taking the "joke" too far Akurei.
'When he returned to his usual state, he pushed up his glasses, raised his eyebrows, and laughed.'
Haga: "Ah, really...They sure are some troubling children, aren't they."
Yeah... (We...) (Know...)
Aoba: "Y-Yeah. Aren't they?"
Haga: "If they weren't so mischievous, they'd be quite cute..."
Hm... (You have to think about this?)
Aoba: "That's for sure!"
If you say so, Aoba...
'I'm still surprised no matter how many times I see him change to almost a different person. I think it's said that people like that are fast to flip the switch...'
Haga: "Oh yeah, Aoba-kun."
'Haga-san walks to the counter and picks up a paper bag by his feet.'
Haga: "I'm sorry, but could you deliver this baggage to the courier? You can wrap it up for today as you go."
Aoba: "Eh, is that okay?"
Haga: "Yes. In fact, a customer is suddenly coming here today, so I thought I'd close the shop early."
Huh...? Why?
Aoba: "In that case, I'll do it."
'I pick up my bag next to me and take the paper bag from Haga-san. As I check the slip, I notice the destination is a bit far. This is a package going to the courier.'
Yes, Aoba, we know that already...
Aoba: "I'll be leaving then. And thanks for today."
Haga: "Yes, good work. Be careful."
'I bow at the widely smiling Haga-san and step outside.'
*looks at Heibon's sign* Wow... It seems that phone numbers will have Roman letters in them in addition to the usual Arabic numbers, interesting...
'The time display on my Coil reads 3:00PM. Some people mingle in this area even though it's a back street. There were several routes I could use to get to the courier. I wondered which would be the fastest. I take a soft lump of fur with both of my hands out from my bag on my shoulder.'
(Say "Hi" to Ren everyone!)
'While holding the sleeping lump of fur, I start it up by pressing my hand against its forehead.'
Aoba: "Ren. Wake up."
'When I call him, he opens his deep-black eyes with a click.'
Ren: "...Aoba."
Aoba: "I'd like to go to the courier, can you search for the quickest route?"
Ren: "Understood."
Aw... He's the cutest GPS ever!
'Silently, Ren lightly touches his paws to my upper arm.'
Ren: "Road 241 at east is blocked because of a police inspection. Buses are canceled for maintenance. It is quicker to make a detour bypassing the north terminal."
Aoba: "I see, thanks."
'When I pat his head, Ren barks once and wags his tail.'
Aoba: "Okay. Let's get going."
...Cue opening credits! Thanks in advance for this game Nitro+!
'The best way to travel around here is by foot. It's what everyone does. The transportation system in the Old Resident District is pretty bad. There's a big street running thought the center of the city, and sometimes there may be a bus or a train, or even a taxi. But they can also be cancelled or delayed without notice, so they're not really reliable.'
Damn... Toue Inc. really likes screwing people over... (Heh-heh... You said "screw"...) (Don't remind me of the nature of this game again!)
'The roads might be blocked at any time too, so nobody trusts public transportation. Even now there are hardly any cars on the street. There's only one taxi waiting in vain and some junked cars parked by the roadside. The sidewalk is filled with people coming and going. The most reliable thing you could have are your own legs.'
After what we just heard, I can believe that.
'The hopeless Old Resident District is divided into North, South, East, and Whest. They're similar but have some differences. For example, the East district, where both Heibon and my home are, is a residential area mixed with parts of down-town. The whole district is relatively safe and it's easy to get your hands on various things.'
(I don't think we can count on the "safe" part for long...)
'The North district is an off-limits area, and has become something like a ghost town. It's unsafe.'
So... Why exactly is the north district off-limits? "It's unsafe" is way to vague of a reason to me.
'The West district is a residential area, but you can't really do any shopping there. The south district is full of clothing shops, game arcades, and entertainment facilities, so a lot of young people go there. And if you go further than the North district, there's Platinum Jail, a place full of celebrities and corporate purveyors.'
"Platinum Jail" huh... Given that the words in it's name are synonyms to a specific idiom, I'd think it's safe to assume it's actually a gilded cage...
'Platinum Jail is one of the five Japanese conglomerates. And when Toue Inc. bought this island, Midorijima, they transformed it to a members-only entertainment area. If the stories I've heard are true, everything there seems to be luxurious. Starting with the Oval Tower standing in the center of the city, there are huge casinos, movie theaters, shopping malls, and hotels...Anyway, it's packed with all sorts of things. Basically, you can't become a member unless you're invited, but the membership fee is about enough to buy this whole island...or so I've heard.'
(Wait, if the membership fee is that high, why can't someone else just buy the island...) That "gilded cage" included I assume. (...and just make the fee more reasonable?) (To keep the riff-raff out. Of course!) [sarcasm] Of course... [/sarcasm]
'Of course people here in the Old Resident District can't get into Platinum Jail. The Old Resident District is, so to speak, almost like a slum, so it's tentatively managed to the degree that barely anyone can live there.'
I'd say "ghetto" would be a more fitting term, but that's just me.
'But that's it. The police who only act big are teamed up with yakuza and do whatever they want, so there's a huge difference between here and Platinum Jail.'
And both sound horrible to me. (But, for entirely different reasons, I assume.) Correct.
'It's not like we can do anything about it. Even if we're unhappy, we can't do anything but endure and swallow it. Even so, it's often said that there's no place like home, so once you get used to it, living here is unexpectedly comfortable.'
Yeah... Humans can be quite adaptable. Even to the most horrific of conditions... (Oh, knock it off!)
'We're not cornered so badly that we can't live, we have our nice days.'
I'm sorry to have to announce this, Aoba, but your peaceful days will die soon... ([sarcasm] Great, now it's a Devil Survivor reference... [/sarcasm])
'I don't wish for much. I don't mind if it continues like this. The people in the Old Resident District live thinking like that.'
Ren: "Aoba...Aoba."
'Ren pokes his head out of the bag and taps my arm with his paw.'
Aoba: "What's the matter?"
Ren: "Youre thinking too much. My thought circut is almost short-circuiting."
Are you sure you're not detecting my thoughts in addition to Aoba's? (Most likely not, remember, we effectively don't exist to these people.) Right...
Aoba: "Seriously? Just how poor of a thought circuit did I install in you?"
Ren: "If the intensity of the thought circuit is temporarily set to 100 and compared to the average adult male, the intensity of Aoba's thought circuit would be..."
Over nine-thousand! (What!? Nine-thousand!?) (Isn't that what you'd call an "old meme?")
Aoba: "Okay, okay. You don't have to tell. It's me who's going to short-circuit from that explanation."
Wow, Aoba, just... Wow. My own "thought circuit" can handle that just fine. (You sure you're not a Time Lord?) I'm mostly sure.
Ren: "Is that so."
'I involuntarily smile at Ren's earnest answer and stroke his head.'
Aw...
'Ren is a dog type Allmate. Allmates are artificial life forms with intelligence, generally used as support for network tools. They can search the internet and virtual space for information, and of course they can also be used to shop online.'
So, pretty much a net-book in the form of a robotic animal companion.
'Depending on the model, it's also possible to use one as a helping hand around the house, and they play an active part as a partner in a net game called Rhyme. There are many types of Allmates, among them are animal types which have many different forms; many people love them as pets. Ren and I have been together for quite a long time, too. I'm not exaggerating to say I would even call him my partner.'
Again, aw...
'Even as Allmates improve and new models come out, I wouldn't abandon Ren even if hell froze over.'
(Dude, the ninth level of hell is already frozen over...)
Ren: "Aoba, if you want to take a shortcut, turn right at the next road."
Aoba: "Ack, that was close. Almost missed it."
'Following Ren's instructions, I enter into a narrow side street. Once I get through here, I'll be close to the courier. The thing that acts as a divider to the four parts of the Old Resident District is a street called Aoyagi Street. On Aoyagi Street, there are lots of stores where you can get common items cheaply. In contrast, there are many maniac hobby stores in the back streets.'
Interesting... Maybe we can check out a few of those hobby stores sometime...
'As I walk on the side street, a group leaning untidily against a dirty wall stand out. Like guys taking turns biting a silver drug sheet...That sort of atmosphere. What's wrong with punk kids these days.'
Maybe they're not reading enough and spending too much time listening to metal. (...You're hopeless, aren't you?)
'There was a time when I thought those kind of things were normal. I was the same. But hey, it's not like I'm old enough to speak like a grandpa... I'm finished with that kind of thing. Totally. As I pass between the guys hanging out, the contents of their loud conversation reach my ears.'
Random Punk 1: "...So yeah, seems like it really happened. Suddenly being hijacked in the head, like this?"
Random Punk 2: "What the hell's that? A forced Rhyme participation?"
Random Punk 1: "Yeah yeah, It's exactly that. A Rhyme game would suddenly start and some random roadside, and the opponent is crazy strong too."
Random Punk 2: "But wouldn't that mean Usui's not there? If so, is it even possible to do Rhyme?"
Random Punk 1: "Seems like it's possible. I don't really get it though."
Random Punk 2: "And if you're not even prepared or anything, isn't it impossible to fight? So you can't refuse?
Random Punk 1: "Apparently it's a no questions asked thing. Anyway, being forcibly pulled in and then beaten, it's like a Drive-By."
Random Punk 2: "That's pretty bad."
Especially if you get forced into a game of Rhyme while crossing the freaking street for crying out loud! A car could hit you while you're passed out!
'They seem to be talking about Rhyme. Rhyme is an avatar-type online fighting game. When opponents connect their consciousnesses online with a device, they can experience a virtual battle that feels real. There's no notifications as to when and where's it's happening at all.'
So... It's kind of like "Brain Burst"?
'When "Usui", who performs the holding and judging of the game, appears then that place becomes the field.'
So, Usui's kind of like those robotic Judges from "Zoids: New Century".
'At first it was a free game made by an amateur; the rules were loose and apparently there was no Usui either. When it gained popularity fast, Toue Inc. affiliated companies finally became sponsors.'
Kind of like what Facebook did with the Oculus Rift... Jerks.
'Then, there was the strenghtening of the system with the adding of Usui and set official rules which is what Rhyme is today. Well, since I'm not doing Rhyme it doesn't concern me.'
(But it, will concern you... Soon...)
'I pass through the alley and walk onto Aoyagi street again. I can see the courier's sign at the end of the wide road. While walking towards it, I notice a thick crowd in the middle of the road. It seemed to be a loud fight. Curious onlookers gathered around and made noise. I continue to walk, trying to avoid the whole mess. A stir in the crowd suddenly occurs, followed by a shrill scream.'
Aoba: "Hm?"
'I look into the center between the curious onlookers, standing on my tiptoes. A big bulky man shamefully lies on the ground while another man stands next to him. The man standing was facing away from me. Even so, I immediately recognize him. A bright red kimono and a big sword. It can only be him.'
Let's hear it for Koujaku everyone!
Koujaku: "You're a big guy, but you weren't that much of a big deal. I can't believe you'd make a mess in front of such a fine lady."
Random Lady 1: "Kyaaa!! Koujaku-saaan!"
(Oh... My... *stars at Koujaku*) Huh... *waves hand in front of Niyagi* Hello! Earth to Niyagi!
Random Lady 2: "So cool! Soooo dreamy!!"
(Yeah...) ...
'When Koujaku taps the sword to his shoulder, the heart eyed girls rush to him while stepping on the man laying on the ground. Sheesh...'
Indeed. (Talk about letting the hormones get you your head...)
Ramdom Lady 3: "Umm... Um, I'm really sorry..."
'A woman who was standing at a distance approaches Koujaku and apologetically lowers her head in a bow.'
Random Lady 3: "I was being selfish and told him I wanted Koujaku-san to do my hair, and he..."
Random Lady 1: "So cheeky!"
Random Lady 2: "Yeah! Know when it's your turn!"
'The embarrassed woman seems to the the lover of the man still laying on the street. Perhaps the two tried to enter Koujaku's shop... and started an uproar or something. Koujaku controls the surrounding women gently with hand gestures and smiles at the bowing woman.'
Koujaku: "Young lady, if that's what you think, then I feel nothing less than honored and privileged to be a hairdresser. Then again, you are all my precious customers. It's really important to keep the line in order."
Random Lady 3: "Yes..."
(Yes, good sir!) (Shimohi, I really want to slap some sense into the Pansy right now...)
Koujaku: "Your boyfriend was a bit pushy, but he was thinking about what was best for you. Don't blame him too much, okay? Well please do come again someday. When you do, I'll welcome you."
(*swoon*) Now you cut that out yourself!
Random Lady 3: "Okay!"
'The troubled woman's expression changes incredibly quickly. Her eyes sparkle and she blushes up to her cheeks. Did this really have to happen...?'
Apparently "yes"... (Game script and all.)
'The other surrounding women apparently didn't like where this was going, so they start to push around the enchanted woman.'
Random Lady 2: "Hey! How long are you going to stand there? Move over!"
Random Lady 1: "Umm, Koujaku-san! You broke a sweat, right? I just bought this handkerchief a while ago, but...if you'd like, please use it!"
Koujaku: "No, I can't do that. You bought it because you liked it, right? You should use if for yourself."
Random Lady 1: "It's okay! If Koujaku-san would use this, I'm sure this handkerchief would like it too!"
I'm thinking it's more like she's going to wish she was the handkerchief soon...
Koujaku: "It too, huh... Since you said it like that, if I refused, I'd be out of line. Well, I'll thankfully use it then."
'Koujaku takes the woman's hand together with her handkerchief and draws them closer to himself, smiling.'
(Are you sure this is a BL game?) Yes, absolutely sure. What with that sample I, no, we saw at the local anime convention during Noiz's route. I'm sure you'd remember the mutual masturbation and oral sex sce... (I'd rather not!) Okay then...
Koujaku: "Thanks."
Random Lady 1: "!!!!!!"
'There it is. His famous lady killer smile. At least, that's what I call it.'
Random Lady 1: "Haaaaah...!"
'The handkerchief woman goes into a weakened state and attracts glares full of terrible jealousy. Every single woman seems to be poised for the kill.'
(*ji...*) Dude, Niyagi! Not you too! Anyway...
Aoba: "...Let's go already."
What Aoba said.
'I've seen this act many times. Disgusted, I start to separate from the crowd.'
Koujaku: "Aoba?"
'...Crap.'
We apparently failed our hide check.
'I know that everybody's attention is now directed to me. Don't call out to me, not now... This is bad, let's pretend I didn't notice. I turn on my heels and quickly start to walk away.'
Koujaku: "Hey, wait."
'Koujaku, disregarding my attitude, runs after me and catches my arm. Here we go again...'
Koujaku: "Aoba. It really is you!"
Aoba: "...Yo."
Koujaku: "You've got some bad habits. If you're around, you should say something."
Aoba: "Well, yeah...I just happened to be passing by during work."
Koujaku: "During work? A delivery?"
'Koujaku breathes out and smiles. The surrounding womens' eyes become hearts again.'
I wonder for what reason...
'That smiling is his habit from long ago, but there are plenty of women who still fall for it like this.'
Like Niyagi over here. (*swoons again*)
'It's like his sub-weapon.'
(The main one being that sword, of course.)
'However... there are too many people so speaking is difficult... And the womens' eyes are scary.'
(*breaks out of trance* What!? Aoba's scared of women!?) I think it's more the glaring daggers of jealousy that's scaring him. And I don't blame him for that.
Aoba: "But don't you have work too? Then again, there's all this commotion here."
Koujaku: "Yeah, just because this guy here tried to ignore the line. Nothing too hard to handle."
'Koujaku points at the man who is face down on the road.'
Aoba: "If you won't give it a rest, someone's going to stab you."
Koujaku: "Stabbed? By whom?"
(Me!) *ji...* (What are you staring at me for? I'm just kidding, you know even if I did try to stab Koujaku, my katana would just go right through him without dealing any damage what-so-ever.)
Aoba: "If you look around, you'll see..."
'Feeling jaded, I look at the women who were glaring back at me.'
I think it's time we move on, shall we?
'It almost feels like they're saying "It doesn't matter if you're a woman or a man, if you get close to Koujaku, I'll never forgive you!" with nothing but their glares.'
Yeah... Koujaku has a rabid fan club...
Koujaku: "Ah, well, it should be fine. Do I look like I'd be stabbed that easily?"
(We'll see about that...)
'Koujaku lifts the edges of his mouth into a smile and laughs. This guy...'
...Is a total Casanova.
'But he certainly is skilled so I won't say anything. Koujaku has been aware of the merits of his looks for a long time now, and, not to put it bluntly, he's a casually confident man that's pretty good at fighting. He works as a women's hairdresser at his own pace, and he seems to be quite famous for it. He works according to his own whims and sets up his signs when he wants to. There's no notice, and he doesn't take reservations.'
I can see why.
'Despite that, people always line up immediately. Whenever Koujaku touches your hair it's supposed to send you to heaven. I can't even imagine how that works. Through my own eyes, this good guy act seems nothing but cheap.'
Well, I wouldn't be surprised if he's doing this for the same reason as your own "phone conversations".
Aoba: "Anyway, keep fooling around within bounds. How many women do you think are off crying in the shadows?"
Koujaku: "You keep saying that but I can't help it, it's shameful for a man to refuse a woman when she offers herself to him. Women are the treasures of this world."
I'm sure that was meant to be a compliment for all women everywhere, but I really don't like the comparison to an object part at all. (*points to Shimohi* Feminist...)
Koujaku: "Women are pretty and cute. So I want to be gentle to everyone."
Except when it's in self-defence. Got it.
Random Lady 1: "Koujaku-san, you're so cool!"
(Yeah...) And... Niyagi's back to swooning again.
Random Lady 2: "I love you!"
(Me too...)
Aoba: "...Well, I guess it's fine like that then. Anyway, I'm going."
Koujaku: "Right."
(Wait! I'm stuck with Shimohi and Shimohi's following Aoba around. If Aoba leaves, I'll be forced to leave as well! No!) (Yes!)
Random Lady 1: "Koujaku-san, hurry!"
Random Lady 2: "Hey there, it's my turn next."
Aoba: "....."
'As soon as I was finished talking, the women went back to mobbing Koujaku. Standing in the middle, Koujaku looks at me as if he just remembered something.'
Yeah, let's just go already...
Koujaku: "Ah, that's right. I'll come visit your place some time, so give my best regards to Tae-san."
(Who's Tae...) Aoba's "grandmother". (Why the air quotes?) (An off-model scene in episode three of the anime has Shimohi convinced that Aoba's just a replacement goldfish to Tae.)
Aoba: "Yeah, yeah."
'I give a short answer and start walking again. Even so... That guy didn't seem tired at all. He does anything he likes because he says women are treasures, but for me it's just impossible. Isn't it said that people like him are a certain kind of character?'
Well, that's the first I've heard of that.
'While listening to the womens' bubbling voices from behind, I walk to the courier. A specialized shipping office, "Delivery Works". I enter through the sign-bearing automatic doors and am greeted by the smiling face of Yoshie-san, who sits at the reception desk.'
Yoshie: "Welcome. Oh, Aoba-chan. Hello!"
Aoba: "Thanks, as usual."
'I bow slightly and put the paper bag on the counter. A small dog with dangling, glossy fur sits proudly on the counter and closely watches my movements. It's the sign dog of this shop, Yoshie-san's Allmate Clara.'
Aoba: "I'd like to send this, please."
Yoshie: "Yes, yes. I'll take care of it."
'With experienced hands, Yoshie-san checks the address and pushes a nearby button. A box next to the counter opens and she throws the paper bag inside. The courier is a shipping service that sends packages immediately to anywhere in the Old Resident District.'
(Okay, so, did Haga really have to deliver that package earlier himself or did he just go here?) Most likely he went here.
'Even though we're on a small island, no one could possibly walk the same distance within a day. That's why in this town, where automobiles and such are inconvenient, it's very useful.'
Understandable.
'...Now then. With this, my work today is finished.'
Aoba: "Well then, excuse me."
Yoshie: "Aoba-chan, are you going back to the shop after this?"
Aoba: "No, I'm going home for today. The manager is closing the shop early, so he said I can go home once I'm done with this."
Yoshie: "Oh! Is that so! Isn't that nice? Doesn't the last episode of "If it's Dan" air today? You can watch it real-time!"
I'd think that "You can watch it Live!" would be a better translation choice, but that's just me.
Aoba: "Dan...? What's that?"
It sounds like the name of someone, Aoba.
Yoshie: "No way! Didn't I just tell you the other day!?"
Maybe, but this is likely just so you'd have an excuse to tell us what kind of a show "If it's Dan" is.
Aoba: "Ah, did you... Uh... What was it again?"
Yoshie: "It's a drama, a dra-ma! "Goodbye With a Cheek Dance"! Today it's finally decided who will be the partner! I'm definitely thinking that Kaiser Matsuoka would be perfect! That fresh smile is absolutely beautiful, I just can't get enough!"
Okay, I guess we'll just have to take your word for it.
Aoba: "Right..."
'Yoshie-wraps her hair around her finger and looks absent-minded with eyes like a girl in love. Well... She isn't really a bad person.'
Yeah, Yoshie just sounds like a lady who's really into "shipping". (Shimohi! Now that pun was really bad!)
Aoba: "Well, I'll be taking my..."
Yoshie: "Speaking of which Aoba-chan, have you heard? You know, that story, that story. I think you may not know!"
Is this going to be about those Rhyme Drive-Bys?
'Yoshie-san seems to be quite serious and draws her eyebrows together while beckoning. ...She's not a bad person...'
Okay, now it sounds like that's just something you're telling yourself. (Like Niyagi when she claims that Kenshin Himura isn't our father.) (Hey!)
'I give up and bring my face closer to hers. There are no other people in the shop, but for some reason Yoshie-san starts to speak in a whispering voice.'
Yoshie: "You know, Hyougadani in the North? That dangerous district."
Kind of, what about it?
Yoshie: "It was never a good place from the start, but recently I've heard dangerous rumors."
Aoba: "Yeah?"
Yoshie: "There seems to be a team whoes leader is a super diabolical condemned criminal!"
Aoba: "Ah. Scratch, was it? Some dangerous gang seems to be around that area a lot now."
Yoshie: "Yes, yes, the team seems to be completely made of prisoners. If I remember right, even before there were stories about people getting kidnapped, or buildings being destroyed, right? That's so scary! You can't even walk alone peacefully at night. And the police aren't relibable at all... Not to mention they don't know what to do for us. Really, it's a hard world we live in."
Yeah, indeed...
'It's true that the police of the Old Resident District hardly do their jobs.'
(Kind of like Yu Narukami's Uncle?) That's only in the hiimdaisy comics...
'They don't care if crimes are committed. For example, when passing a policeman, if you get on his nerves even just a little bit, you'll be punched, or in the worse case, arrested.'
Yeah, the police force here are just a bunch of bullies.
'They're just like yakuza.'
That too.
Yoshie: "Aw, yuck. I want to go home soon too. Hey, what do I do if I'm attacked on the way home!?"
(I think... You're screwed. [sarcasm] Have a nice day... [/sarcasm]) I think that sounded a lot more sinister than you intended.
Aoba: "Eh?"
'Yoshie-san sends me a emaningful look with sparkling eyes.'
Oh... I'm thinking Yoshie wants Aoba to be her proverbial knight in shining armor.
Aoba: "...I-I think you'll be fine."
Yoshie: "What, what, whaaaat!? Aoba-chan, how mean! How can you just say I'll be fine!?"
(Well, it's a dog-eat-dog world. Get used to it!)
Aoba: "Ah, well I'm finished so... Good job today."
???: "Wait."
'When I try to hurry to the exit, I'm stopped by a different voice than Yoshie-san's.'
Most likely Yoshie's Allmate, Clara.
Aoba: "Huh?"
Clara: "I wonder how the blue one is doing?"
Ah, talking about Ren I see...
Yoshie: "Oh Clara-chan. Did you miss Ren? That's right, Clara-chan is a very good friend of Ren-chan's!"
(Somehow, I doubt that.)
'Yoshie-san lifts Clara in her arms and looks at me with eyes full of expectation.'
Aoba: "Uh, unfortunately I left him at home..."
(Liar!)
Clara: "He's in that bag of yours, isn't he? Were you going to leave without having him saying hello to me?"
Ouch! Aoba failed his bluff check. Also, I'm thinking that was exactly the plan here.
'When she presses me like that, I know I can't escape anymore. I'm sorry Ren... but endure it for a little while. I take out Ren, who's in sleep mode, from the bag and tap his head lightly to start him.'
Ren: "...Aoba. What's the matter?"
Aoba: "Ren. Um, could you say hi to Clara-chan?"
Ren: "....."
'Ren's tail and ears droop. In front of him is the cocky Clara-chan being held by Yoshie-san.'
Ren: "....."
Clara: "What is it? Is he still asleep?"
No, I think it's more like he doesn't want to talk to you.
Ren: "...How are you, Clara?"
Clara: "I'm fine, Ren."
'Clara wags her tail joyfully. Yoshie-san also lowers the corners of her eyes and smiles.'
Yoshie: "Really, Clara-chan and Ren-chan are such good friends!"
Seriously!? That's got to be the most one-sided "friendship" I've ever seen...
Aoba: "Ah, ahahaha..."
Yeah, Aoba understands what I'm talking about.
Aoba: "Since the greetings are over, this time I really..."
Yoshie: "Ah, wait! Wait a minute, Aoba-chan!"
*sigh* What is it now!? (Seriously, this reminds me of your mama. What with how she takes fucking forever to leave a place...)
Aoba: "...Huh..."
Yoshie: "Just one thing! Wait just a minute! Sorry, I know you're leaving!"
Aoba: "....."
'When I was freed from Yoshie-san and went out, it was already night time.'
Aoba: "...Ren, good job back there."
Ren: "...If it can't be avoided, I'll do what I must."
("Because we can"!) (When can you ever stop doing song references...?) Most likely... Never. (*sigh*)
'Ren crouches down in the bag wearily. Clara seems to like Ren in such a manner that when our eyes meet, it looks like he's begging for help.'
Yeah, this is most definitely a one-sided relationship.
'The personality of Allmates can be set to one's liking, it changes with each environment little by little. As a result, a difference comes out in the chemistry between Allmates just like with people.'
*sigh* ...Wish I could have an Allmate...
'Ren seems to not like Clara. Unfortunately for Ren, I think it's a bit entertaining.'
(Ah, so Aoba has a bit of an appreciation for schadenfreude like Shimohi here. Intersesting...) [sarcasm] Why not list ALL my other bad qualites while your at it... [/sarcasm]
Ren: "Are you okay too, Aoba?"
Aoba: "...Somehow."
'After Yoshie-san stopped me, I was treated to a cake that had a huge amount of whipped cream on it; she'd made it in a cooking class.'
Well, at least you had cake for your trouble.
'...More accurately, I was forced to eat it all. Thanks to that, I now have severe heartburn.'
Aw man... (Can anyone here tell that Shimohi has a sweet tooth?)
Aoba: "So, let's go home now..."
'I pat Ren's back to encourage my fellow soldier who has barely evaded death, and begin to walk towards home.'
Now that's a major exaggeration there.
'The town was now dressed in night and flashy neon lights lit up the shops everwhere. Because illegal construction isn't regulated, the sky in the old resident district is covered with the shadows of distorted buildings. That's why it's kind of dark even during the day.'
Didn't really look like it to me. (That's because you might be part cat or something like that.)
'When night falls, groups that almost seem like there were in hiding until then come out. Ribsteez groups gather too, so there's a completely different vibe from daytime.'
Yeah... I usually can't recall how to pronounce "Rib-stee-ze"... So I just call it "Rib".
'Ribsters are people in Old Resident District teaming up and fight in in turf wars by themselves.'
No, that's not a typo, the fan translation acutally has the text repeat "in". (It would be a better idea if they just had one "in" in that line.) I know, right.
'Because Ribsteez is older than Rhyme, the guys doing Rib look down on the ones doing mostly Rhyme. The Ribsters think of those who do Rhyme as "big headed wise guys who live in their own fantasy worlds".'
Interesting, that's what people like Niyagi think about geeks and nerds.
'But since it seems like some Ribsters that are switching to Rhyme, lately there have been many quarrels between the two groups.'
Yeah, that's an oddly worded sentence. I think it'd sound better without the "that".
'While I advance through the lively atmosphere, my hand is suddenly grabbed from behind.'
Quick! Activate defensive manuvers!
Aoba: "!"
Random Punk 1: "Ooh, isn't this a Brain Nuts jacket?"
(What? Is this going to be like a mugging? Except with jackets instead of shoes?)
'The person who grabs my arm is a frivolous man whose hair is dyed red. Probably younger than me.'
(Isn't YOUR hair dyed blue?) *ji...* (Why are you staring at me fo...? Nevermind...)
Random Punk 2: "Hey, wasn't this design on premier right now?"
'This time a green haired guy comes closer with a smile. Wow, their hair colors, is it Christmas?'
Not likely, I think it's just a coincidence.
Random Punk 1: "Oh no, I want this sooooo bad! Hey, mister!"
No, I don't think Aoba's going to sell you his jacket! (Or even give it to you for that matter.)
'The red haired one looks at me with an artificial smile.'
Aoba: "...They sell these at the shop in front of the station."
'When I try to shake off his hand with great effort, the redhead looks at me angrily.'
Random Punk 1: "Wait a sec, hey."
Random Punk 2: "What's with your attitude?"
Random Punk 1: "I'm tellin' you I want this right here and now. You deaf?"
No, Aoba's not deaf, he's just not going to give his jacket to you! Are YOU deaf!? (Or a pudding-headed human...)
Random Punk 2: "And by the way, we're Bug Bomb. Ever hear of us? So, what's all this? You underestimating us?"
'The green haired guy holds out his wrist proudly.'
Ah I see, these two are Ribsters...
'On it is a tattoo of a winking girl with enormous breasts leaning over a big pink bomb. Whoa. Aren't these guys ashamed of haivng someone carve that on them...?'
(I know! Right!)
'And I haven't heard of Bug Bomb before. Even though this tattoo would also be a thing that people in teams do, I knew very well that these guys were underlings. Because they're only that, they like to pick up fights openly like this.'
Again with the grammar issue... "they like to pick fights openly like this." would be a better choice of wording.
Aoba: "Lame."
The use of an ablist slur aside, yeah, these punks aren't cool.
Random Punk 1: "Aah? What'd you say just now?"
Since you're not getting the hint. "You're not cool, get your own damn jacket!"
Aoba: "I just called you lame."
Random Punk 2: "Huuuh? You, what's your team?"
He doesn't have one.
Aoba: "I'm not in one."
Random Punk 1: "Ha!? Don't tell me you're a no-mark?"
*sigh* *faceplam* Yeah, this guy's a "pudding head", that's exactly it...
Random Punk 2: "Seriously!?"
...Yeah, seriously. Now support search and rescue and get lost!
'Red and Green look at each other and started to smile stupidly.'
(Looks like we're going to have to kick some Christmas Pudding-head ass!) (*facepalm*)
Random Punk 1: "You can't be serious!"
*ji...* (Staring at the Christmas Pudding-head duo because you want to punch them?) Yeah...
'There are tag arts used as team symbols in Rib, and the team's tag art is tattooed somewhere on your body when you join. Those who don't have a tattoo are assumed to not do Rib. That's why it's common that no-marks become targes of diversion for Ribsters. There's no team that holds a grudge if you happen to kill a no-mark.'
(Sounds dangerous.) Yeah, it is...
Random Punk 1: "Heeh, if you're a no-mark, means it's okay to do you in."
Not with us it isn't!
Random Punk 2: "Cause we can afford to. Hey bro, let's go other there for a little while, okay?"
???: "Better leave while you're ahead."
Cue the Big Damn Hero, in the form of Mizuki of Dry Juice!
Random Punk 1: "Huh!?"
'Red and Green throw an exaggerated glare at the voice coming from behind them.'
Mizuki: "If you get involved with him, he'll break both of your jaws."
Random Punk 1: "Haa? What? Who're you?"
Random Punk 2: "...Aah."
'As soon as the green haired one sees the owner of the voice, his facial expression stiffens.'
Random Punk 2: "Hey, this is bad..."
Random Punk 1: "What's bad?"
Random Punk 2: "That's... the leader of Dry Juice, Mizuki."
Told you, everyone.
Random Punk 1: "What!? Dry Juice...!?"
Mizuki: "Do you know that guy's killer technique? Fox's heel drop. Eat it once and it'll break your jaw."
Random Punk 1: "Tch...! If you're from Dry Juice, you should've said so from the start!"
Random Punk 2: "L-Let's scram!"
(*looks up* I thought you said Aoba doesn't play Rib!) He doesn't, Mizuki's just bluffing. (And it looks like he succeeded with his bluff check.) Then again, I'd think it was more of an Intimidate check but, whatever.
'After saying worthless last words, the two of them ran off like puppies with their tails between their legs. Witnessing that, the guy behind me laughs.'
Mizuki: "That was pretty lame. If you're gonna run, don't start a fight at all."
(It'd say it was more of a jacket mugging, but what the fuck...)
'Already knowing his identity, I turn around.'
Aoba: "Yo."
What's up?
Mizuki: "Long time no see, Aoba."
'This radiantly smiling guy is Mizuki, leader of the largest Rib team, Dry Juice. Look a bit lower than his dark hair and below one of his green eye you'll find a tear tattoo, his team's symbol, proudly displayed on his dark skin.'
That "eye" should be in plural form if you're going to preface it with "one of his"...
Aoba: "What the heck was that fox's heel drop thing?"
Mizuki: "I was talking about your foot tricks. I came up with the name just now, but whatever. I wasn't wrong to say you've broken some jaws before though, right?"
Aoba: "That was years ago."
Mizuki: "I remember it clearly even now. But anyway, it's unusual for you to be here around this time."
Aoba: "Yeah, true."
Mizuki: "Did you finally feel like joining me in Dry Juice?"
Nope. Just out late while on the job.
'He smiled widely as he spoke, but I just shrugged my shoulders lightly.'
Aoba: "Nooo waaay. I keep saying I don't want to, remember?"
Mizuki: "Try joining a team, all sorts of good things come with it."
'Mizuki and I hung around a long time ago, we were freinds that did a lot of stupid things. He has a friendly personality, but in tight situations he's capable of exact and tight reasoning. Since all the guys participating in Rib like to act real tough, It think it's pretty awesome that he was able to put so many of them together to make the largest Rib team. But I still have no plans to join Dry Juice or become a Ribster.'
See Niyagi, I wasn't lying when I said that Aoba's not part of any Rib team.
Aoba: "Anyway, I hate anything that would cause me trouble."
(Sorry, dude, but a whole lot of trouble's coming your way.)
Mizuki: "I know. But lately, the state of our team has been somewhat fragile."
Aoba: "Fragile? Really? Isn't your team the best as always?"
Mizuki: "It's because of that. Because of Rhyme."
Aoba: "Rhyme..."
Yeah, you mentioned that yourself earlier. (What with Ribsters switching to Rhyme...)
'Mizuki's facial expression clouds.'
Mizuki: "Our members are also sneaking to their side. It's fine to hear that Rhyme is a game where you battle with brains, but in the end it's just a delusional game, right?"
(Like VRMMOs?) Niyagi, I actually like the series Sword Art Online! Wait, you actually made a reference to something I like, even if it's in the form of an insult? Hurray! (Wait! What? NO!!!)
Mizuki: "Honestly, I can't figure out what's so good about it. Are you delusionally protecting your turf or what?"
I'm thinking it's more like a "everyone for themselves in a fight for pride, honor or something like that."
Aoba: "Well, yeah, it's weird..."
'It's not like I couldn't understand the feeling Mizuki harbored against Rhyme. The same could be said about Rib; that it's a children's foolsih war game. But, despite that, Mizuki is thinking about his team seriously. He may not forgive the guys who easily jump at the trend.'
Mizuki: "And then there are those mysterious disappearances."
I heard something that could be roughly translated as being "spirited away" but that's just me. (*facepalm* You just never stop with these otaku references, do you...) Nope. (Figures.)
Aoba: "Mysterious disappearances?"
Mizuki: "You've heard about them, right? Stories about entire Rib teams going missing."
Aoba: "Yeah, I have, but isn't that like an urban legend? Besides, it's a rumor from ten years ago."
("Morhpine"...) (What was that about?) You'll see...
Mizuki: "I don't know the reason, but recently there've been thems that I haven't been seeing for a while now."
Aoba: "Are you sure they just didn't make a mistake and get in trouble with the yakuza?"
Or the police? Then again, the police are practically yakuza themselves. (Fuck da police!) (Monster!)
Mizuki: "More importantly, some members of the teams which disappeared have come back aimlessly after several days. But it seems they can't remember anything. They've forgotten themselves... It's like their brains have been destoryed or something."
(More like their minds have been... "Scrapped".) Okay, I'll forget the leak about Morphine, but spoiling "Scrap" is going a bit too far.
Aoba: "But about those disappearances, wasn't the culprit that group Morhpine? Morphine itself is like an urban legend."
("Fifteen cents for the morphine!") "And twenty-five cents for the beer!" ("Fifteen cents for the morphine!") [simultanous] ("You can carry me away from here!") You can carry me away from here!" [/simutanous] (*facepalm* [sarcasm] Great, now you two are singing an old Civil War-era song called "Soldiers Joy"... [/sarcasm])
Mizuki: "Well, I guess so..."
'...Morphine.'
Let's see... "C17H19NO3"... To the Internet! (Specifically to Wikipedia.) ...Yeah, that's the chemical code for morphine. Like H2O is for water.
'Long ago, it was the strongest and most feared legendary team among Ribsters. Their tag art was full back from top to bottom and had a heart and a cross. Their strenght was wrappend in mystery.'
As in an anatomical heart, by the way, not what you see on most Valentines' day cards.
'Though there were various rumors, all contents were scattered and nothing made sense. Those desappearances were the same. Even if there were guys that saw Morphine, there are no specific stories or evidence at all.'
Mizuki: "If it turns out that Morphine's not behind this, then I've been thinking it's probably those Rhyme guys."
Aoba: "Isn't that a bit far-fetched?"
Mizuki: "I'm not completely serious about it, it's just that recently the Rhyme guys have getting carried away."
Aoba: "But as for things like the disappearances, and even destroying people's minds, can they even do that?"
(I know someone here who can do the later...) Akurei! Not now!
Aoba: "Wouldn't it have caused a huge commotion if they could?"
Mizuki: "No, I do know that. That's why I'm not too serious."
'Suddenly, a cheer arises nearby. Surrounding people begin to run in that direction. Mizuki clicks his tongue and grimaces.'
Mizuki: "...Rhyme, huh."
Yeah, Rhyme...
Mizuki: "...Aaaah, I'm not feeling too well. I'll be leaving. See you, and make sure to show your face at the shop."
(Heibon? Isn't he usually there?) No, Mizuki means his tattoo parlor... Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that Mizuki's day job is a tattoo artist.
Aoba: "Okay."
Mizuki: "See ya."
'Mizuki waves with his open hand and advances through the crowd, pushing away those who are gathering at the Rhyme site. After Mizuki's figure disappears completely, I turn my face to the direction in which everybody was running to. I don't hate Rhyme like Mizuki does, but I'm not very interested in it either.'
([sarcasm] Oh really...? [/sarcasm] Sly Blue?) (Who's this "Sly Blue"?) ...I'm not saying, and neither should you Akurei. (Aw man...)
'If you meet Mizuki for the first time and talk about Rhyme with him, you'll probably hate it afterward.'
Ren: "What's the matter?"
Aoba: "Nothing. Let's keep going."
'I pat Ren's head and begin to walk in the noisy alley. Then...'
Cue Virus and Trip?
'Suddenly, I'm wrapped in a white light.'
Oh no... (Is this the Drive-By?) Or is it an offical Rhyme match starting?
Aoba: "...?"
'A mass of light appears in front of me when I stop to see what happened. It gradually takes a human form and extends its hand toward me.'
Ah, it's the start of an offical Rhyme match. (Yo, bro, what's up?) (Huh?) Akurei's just being weird. (Whatever you say...)
'Its fingertips brush my cheek -and vanish.'
(Aw... Aoba's...) Don't! Say it! (...Spoil sport.)
Aoba: "Eh..."
'While I wonder what happened, many people suddenly swarm around me.'
Aoba: "E, ...Eh? Whoa!"
'I'm mobbed by an excited group. I don't think I can slip out of here...!'
Random Rhymer 1: "Usui, Usui!"
'A large circle of light floats on the ground, and what appears inside is... A body of a woman with multible arms sways slowly, and then stops.'
Usui: "Now, sorry to have kept you waiting, everyone! Rhyme's starting now! The first battle of today is between Rhyme names 'Player' and 'Route 44'!"
"Player"? Seriously!? (What an unimaginative player name. At least your brother has the creativity to at least call the player character "Guy" in his games.)
'...This is Rhyme.'
And most definitely not Sparta. (Or Patrick.) (Cut that out!)
'I've seen it several times at a distance, but this is the first time I've been up so close.'
(Or rather...) Nope, still too early to mention that.
'What appears within the light is they symbol and referee of Rhyme, Usui. Usui speaks in a deep voice, contradicting its appearance. While brightening the light and swaying two hands, a huge virtual monitor appears over its head. The audience can watch the state of the game from that monitor. The participants are already standing on both sides of Usui and adjust the setting on their Allmates.'
Usui: "Can the newcomer successfully break a winning streak!? Or...!? Okay, 'Player' seems to have finished preparing! 'Route 44'... Are you almost ready too? Both seem to be finished! Well then, let's start already! GAME... START!!!"
Let the games begin!
'Usui smiles and raises a hand with a graceful movement unfitting of its voice. The monitor emits a white light and projects the field. The audience cheers and hoots unanimously.'
*holds head* Ugh! What's going on here!?
Aoba: "...Agh."
'Suddenly, a sharp pain runs through my head.'
Oh... Right, the headaches... (Oh, right, this again...)
Aoba: "....."
'I hold my forehead and my gaze wanders. What? Is it because the audience is so loud?'
Well, sometimes I get headaches if I scream too loudly. But...
Ren: "Aoba, are you all right?"
Aoba: "...Yeah, I'm fine. But let's go now."
Indeed...
Ren: "That would be for the best."
What Ren said.
'Passing somewhat forcibly between the spectators who were absorbed in Rhyme, I slip out from the mountain of onlookers. I lean on a nearby wall, exhale, and look down.'
Aoba: "...?"
'...Someone's here?'
Ah, Virus and Trip...
'When I look up, I see a familiar duo.'
Dark suit: "Good evening."
Plaid vest: "Hey there."
Dark suit: "What's the matter? Are you not feeling well?
Plaid vest: "Being in that crowd make you sick?"
Aoba: "You two... Yeah, that might be the case..."
'The one with the glasses is Virus, and the powerfully built one is Trip. I've known these two for a long time.'
Ren: "Aoba, how are you feeling?"
Aoba: "So-so, but I'll be fine."
Virus: "What are you doing in a place like this? It's rare for you to be watching Rhyme."
Aoba: "Well, there's no particular reason."
Trip: "Are you beginning to become intersted in it?"
Aoba: "Not really."
Trip: Then did you just wander around and wind up here?"
Aoba: "I did not. And the same goes for you two, what are you wandering around here for?"
(Heh-heh... "Fifteen cents for the...!") No! (Dude, you're being such a spoil sport...)
Virus: "We are here because of work."
(...!) Still no! (Fuck!)
Trip: "It's because the Rhymers have been getting a little out of hand recently."
'There are some so-called dangerous associations in the Old Resident District, these two are members of one. I got acquainted with them long in the past, back when I was in my teens and did stupid things. I spent all my time in the western district Wanibashi and didn't go home, and for some reason I was always irritated.'
Hm... (Maybe he doesn't recall...)
'When I was living like that, I once made a mistake in a fight and encountered a person who wanted revenge, and I was sent to the hospital. It's embarrassing to even remember... At the moment, only these guys and Granny know about those days. At one time, we lost contact with each other, but we began to talk again staring a few years ago.'
(Blah, blah, blah... Let's move on!)
'I had become a part-timer, and they had joined the yakuza. Saying that, here the police are like yakuza so I don't think much of it.'
Aoba: "Anyway, you two are looking as similiar as always. Like twins."
Virus and Trip: "We're not twins."
[sarcasm] Right... (Whatever you say...) [/sarcasm]
Trip: "Aoba-san, is your work going smoothly? Aaah, you worked at an ice cream shop? The one with the penguin aprons? Didn't you get fired after one day?"
Wow... That sounds... Bad.
Aoba: "Not one, three days. Now I'm a salesclerk at a junk shop."
Still, getting fired after three days is still bad.
Trip: "Aah, what was it? Byoudou?"
No, it's "Heibon"!
Aoba: "'Heibon'. I've worked there for quite a long time now."
Virus: "Working at a place with that name doesn't quite fit you Aoba-san. Well, if you want to behave violently again, call us any time."
(*sigh* I wish I could...) (*sigh* You're always a Monster...) And you two hardly get along.
Virus: "We are faily prosperous, so I'd recommend it."
(Yeah, but Kou...) Zip it. (But...) I said, "Zip it." (*blows raspberry*)
Aoba: "Hahah... I'll only accept your thoughts."
Virus: "I still often think that I'd like to see your fighting again, Aoba-san."
Trip: "That's right, because we're your fans."
Coming from those two, that sounds creepy...
Usui: "Oh my, 'Route 44' takes 250 damage!! Have we finally reached the climax!?"
'The excitement of the audience reaches its peak as Usui continues to broadcast the Rhyme. ...Then.'
(...Here comes Mr. Policeman with the megaphone?)
???: "HEY, you holligans!!!"
Yeah, it's that guy...
'A voice enters, deviding the enthusiastic atmosphere. Accompanied by police officers is the megaphone-holding evil eyed detective Akushima.'
Virus: "Ah, that noisy man has finally arrived."
Akushima: "Don't go making a fuss here!!! ALL OF YOU FUCKERS ARE UNDER ARREEEEEST!!!"
'Usui disappears like smoke and the Rhyme is suspended. The participants and the spectators escape in all directions.'
(*breaks bottle* Scatter!) (Where did you get that bottle?) (Hammerspace, as usual.)
'Akushima. He's a detective who abuses his authority and does whatever he wants to. The number of victims who have been arrested or received abuse by this guy on false charges are countless.'
Yeah... We'd better get out of here...
'Fitting to his haggard appearance, he's called the god of death of the Old Resident District.'
Virus: "Better run away from here. You hurry too, Aoba-san."
Aoba: "Yeah."
Trip: "By bye, Aoba."
Akushima: "Wait you idiooots! DON'T RUN AWAAAAY!!! We're gonna arrest EVERY LITTLE SHITHEAD HEEEEEEERE!!!!!"
That doesn't give us any reason to stay here!
'I begin to run immediately so that I won't get caught by Akushima, who's just about to pop a blood vessel.'
(...Maybe he should take some meds for that.)
'I decide to continue to Aoyagi street.'
Oh dear...
Aoba: "!"
Is this the "Drive-By"...?
Aoba: "...Egh."
Nope, just a normal car attack.
'I almost get hit by a motorbike when I turn at the corner while running.'
I stand corrected, motorbike attack. Better not have been playing card games on it... (*facepalm* [sarcasm] Great, now it's Yu-gi-oh! The Abridged series... [sarcasm])
'I quickly roll onto the ground.'
Aoba: "....."
'I blankly look up at the bike.'
So... (Are we going to meet Mink?)
'The man doesn't get off of it. His eyes are focused on me. ...When I see his eyes, for some reason, chills run through me.'
(I've got a good idea why... Heh-heh.)
'The man says nothing and speeds off on his bike again.'
Well, maybe next time.
Aoba: "! ...Hey!"
'I stand up in a hurry, but it's already too late. The motorbike makes a roarsing sound and speeds down the street in the twinkling of an eye.'
Aoba: "....."
'That bastard...!'
Yeah! He, quite literally, did a hit-and-run!
'He almost caused a taffic accident, and he didn't even apologize for almost running someone over, either! It wasn't an uncommon thing in this town, but i was still angry. I shudder when I think that I could have been run over by that man.'
Ren: "Aoba, are you all right?"
Aoba: "Yeah, just barely. But that was close."
Ren: "It's a relief you're safe."
Yeah, otherwise I would have felt it too... (Like those headaches...?) Yeah...
Aoba: "Yeah."
'I'm calmed by Ren's concerned words and my anger fades. Well, since I was safe, it should be fine...'
(For now...!)
'I change my mood and begin to walk home. When I enter the residential area and walk a bit further, I see my familiar house.'
Aoba: "I'm ho..."
...me!
???: "Get a grip already!! You stupid grandson!!!"
Eep... (That's his...) Grandma, yeah...
'A thunder shakes my eardrums as soon as I open the door. My ears ring.'
Aoba: "So... loooud..."
Indeed, what happened to your indoor voice!?
Tae: "Of course! I'm yelling so you can hear me clearly!"
Dude, we're not MY grandma...!
'The real source of the thunder... Granny stands at the platform of the entrance, snorting and scowling at me. I've always wondered, where does she get that loud voice from? It's so mysterious, I can't help it.'
Aoba: "What now, why are you angry?"
Did you forget to lock the door again?
Tae: "Of course I'm angry! It's the key, the key!"
(...Blade?) Not likely. (Figures, this world wouldn't have something as awesome as a keyblade.)
Aoba: "Key?"
Tae: "When you go to work, take the entrance key and close the door by kicking! I've told you so many times!"
Aoba: "Aah... I see. Sorry."
...So he did forget to lock the door...
'When I woke up today I was almost late to my part-time job, so I panicked and flew out of the house.'
Tae: "Don't 'sorry' me! Really, why did I raise a child with such a bad memory?"
Aoba: "Jeez, I couldn't help it. I forgot."
Dude, even I don't forget to lock the house!
Tae: "Of course you overslept and dashed out again. Really, even though you turned twenty-three you're still so helpless. It's so sad I could cry."
Aoba: "But I said I'm sorry! Is there any human being around that hasn't been careless at some point?"
But usually not something as basic as LOCKING THE FUCKING DOOR!
Tae: "What, are you aming for the world championship of carelessness? How many times has this happened already?"
Hm... How would a world championship of carelessness work...? (*sigh* You ponder about the most pointless things sometimes...)
Aoba: "...Six times?"
Hopefully, that's just in a lifetime.
Tae: "Honestly... A child like you..."
'Granny began trembling with anger. A blue vein is clearly visible on her forehead, this could be getting dangerous.'
Run for the hills...! (She's gonna blow!) (Mrs. Tae is! Not! A! Bomb!)
'Granny could faint if too much blood goes to her head, so this isn't a joke...'
Aoba: "I get it, I get it! I'll be more careful starting tomorrow, so don't shout anymore!"
Tae: "...Hmph. How many times have I heard those words too? When you're like that, I can't just fall and die."
Whoa... That's kind of morbid.
'Grandma lets out a rough snort and goes back towards the kitchen while making loud footsteps.'
Tae: "Hey, come in already."
'...It seemed she's settled down for a while, anyway.'
Or at least there isn't going to be any heart attacks soon.
'Relieved, I take off my shoes and enter the hallway. Shouting happens every day like this, but our relationship isn't that bad. It's rather good, actually.'
[sarcasm] Whatever you say Aoba... [/sarcasm] If I heard shouting everyday, I'd likely be stressed out enough to have a crap-ton of headaches. (Wasn't that from you shouting too much?) Whatever...
'Granny's shouting is a proof that she's fine. If her shouting disappeared one day, I'd feel lonely.'
Yeah, Aoba, that's kind of messed up.
'I feel thankful to Granny for raising me by herself, and I also respect her. It would be embarrassing to tell her, so I won't. In the kitchen, Granny moves something that was just stir-fried in the frying pan to a plate. I wash my hands by the sink, pick out chopsticks from a shelf, and arrange them on the table. My parents were also living together with us, but they were free spirits by nature and were never in the house.'
(Sounds like a certain "someone" if they ever become a parent... *stars at Shimohi*)
'When the year passed and I'd think they'll never return, the would suddenly come back, and disappear again. That was the case ever sinse I was small, so living together with just Granny became everyday life for me. That's why I was unexpectedly calm even if my parents didn't come home. It's really thanks to Granny.'
(Aww...) Niyagi, I still think hearing shouting like that everyday is kind of messed up.
'Even though I've made her worry about me over many things, I want to cherish the time I'm living with Granny. Even without any special luxuries, living like this is enough.'
Tae: "Well then, let's eat."
'Somen noodles, tuna, stir-fried shiitake mushrooms and boiled greens, deep fried fish and miso soup are all lined up on the table.'
Wow, that's more than I usually eat at dinner time. (Of course it is! Usually you eat small, simple to make meals that tend to be heavy in carbs.) (Like delivery pizza and pasta.) I wish I could have actuall pizza every day... (Where did you get that example from?) (Places...)
'I took a seat with Granny and put both hands together.'
Tae: "Thank you for the food."
Aoba: "Thank you for the food. Granny, this is delicious."
Tae: "Is that so?"
'Being chased by the police made me hungry, so Granny's homemade cooking really hits the spot'
Why's there no...? *suddenly holds head* Ow ow ow! Oh, right... That... Stupid headaches...
'While I scarf down my food, a sharp pain runs through my head. Aaah, it came... The usual pain...'
(Doesn't he take medication for that? If not, he should!) ...Yeah, he does, now quit shouting. It's just making this pain worse...
Aoba: "Ow, ow, ow..."
Tae: "The usual? Don't forget to take your medicine after the meal."
Told ya...
Aoba: "Yeah."
'A long time ago, when I did stupid stuff and got hospitalized, the headaches became very frequent. This was the second time today. I had many things inspected in the hospital, but they said the cause was unknown. Since then, I've taken a medicine Granny perscribed to me.'
(Are you sure that's allowed? I mean, it's not like Tae's a doctor or some...) Actually...
'Granny has a medical licence, and she examines old people from the neighborhood and prescribes medicine.'
See, in a way, she is a doctor!
'Being safer than an unskilled doctor who takes only lots of money, she has a bit of a reputation in the neighborhood.'
Well, Black Jack does charge a crap-ton of money for his services; but he's anything but "unskilled".
'Other medicines are useless, but when I take Granny's medicine, the headaches always stop quickly.'
(Sounds like she knows more about Aoba than she lets on...)
'That's a sure reason to be able to call her skilled.'
But, she still pales in comparason to Black Jack.
Aoba: "Thanks for the meal."
'When I finish eating, I take the medicine, and after I clear off the tableware I go up to the second floor.'
Later...
'I enter my room and take Ren, who's in sleep mode, out of my bag and start him up. My head still hurts...'
Yeah, tell me about it... *rubs forehead*
'I think about getting some fresh air and head out to the veranda. I step out on the veranda and lean on the handrail. The slightly cool wind feels comforatble. When I let out a small breath and look up to the sky, only the shadows of the folded buildings reflect in my field of view. The scenery wasn't like this in the past. It was more beautiful. This island...'
...has gone to the dumps.
'Midorijima floats in the remote sea southwest of the Japanese Island, Honshu. The selling points of the island are the blue sea, white sands, and rich green foliage... Or so they were.'
Like I said, the island's gone to the dumps.
'Those are all stories from the past. Now on the east side, Platinum Jail occupies approximately a one-third of the island in a lordly manner. Because Platinum Jail and the Old Resident District are cut off with a huge wall, we can't see inside it from this side. I've seen the representative of Toue Inc., the company that built Platinum Jail, on TV and network several times.'
And by, "network", I'm assuming you mean "the Internet"...
'Apparently, when I was a kid, Toue Inc. required eviction of the inhabitants during the development of the island. However, they were promised luxurious houses and lots of money, so most of the inhabitants left the island depending on negotiations. But still there were some stubborn inhabitants who wouldn't go away. We're like that, too.'
And I can see both that and why...
'No matter how good the conditions they were offered, they couldn't abandon their hometown where they were born and raised; they kept ignoring the eviction demand again and again. After a while, Toue's side said no more. They began to give up, and the reason was officially "because they didn't want coercion." But, in fact, they had abandoned the remaining inhabitants. If you don't want to accept negotiations, so be it. Live or die, it's up to you.'
But isn't that how life usually goes, either you die or you live 'till you die?
'And then, Toue dealt his next hand. Saying that it was maintenance for the island, the supply lines of water service, gas and goods were narrowed rapidly and the surviving inhabitants were driven away to the present Old Resident District as a result. The once beautiful Midorijima was ruined... No matter how anyone describes it, a country cannot allow such tyranny.'
Damn straight Aoba! (Heh-heh... You said "straight" in a game like this...)
'The inhabitants who belived that appealed to the main land wanting them to do something. But, since nothing has changed even now, it was useless to hope for better.'
"Their laughter and joy was but a hopeless dream..." ("Which turned into nightmares as some douchebag charmed all.") (I know you two changed the lyrics a bit, but that's another music reference; and it's to a MLP fan song, no less!)
'About three years ago, when going from the Old Resident District to the main land, you had to obtain the permission of the Administration Bureau, which belonged to Toue. In other words, the inhabitants of the Old Resident District can't step out of the island without the permission of Toue. Such permission is never granted. Never.'
Daaammmnnn...
'It's Toue's way of saying that the people who rejected the evictions were wrong.'
(Huh? But what about the children of those people? Do they have to be punished for the sins of their parents?) Kind of sounds like it to me.
'As I was staring out into space, something makes a sound by my feet.'
Ren: "Aoba. What will you do with the data that was downloaded earlier today?"
Aoba: ...? "...Downloaded?"
Yeah, remember that strange program that not-a-porno-ad email downloaded onto your coil?
'I was leaning on the handrail, but Ren's words startle me and make me stand up straight. ...That's right. I completely forgot. It was when the brats came into the shop today. Before I knew it, a download complete screen had popped up. Was it...?'
Aoba: "Did the data contain a virus?"
Not to be confused with Trips partner.
Ren: "I didn't detect anything."
Aoba: "Contents?"
Ren: "It's a type of game where a player performs movement and information gathering by manipulating a character, fights with an enemy character, acquires an experience value and raises a level."
(We would've gotten the same information in less time if you'd just said "It's an RPG.")
Aoba: "Ah, an RPG, huh? Do I have to pay?"
See! Even Aoba understands what an RPG is! (And, of course, the reason you know what that is... Is because you mostly play those types of games yourself.)
Ren: "You don't have to pay for it."
Well, that doesn't rule out the posibibly of it being a "free-to-play" game...
Aoba: "Huh... so I didn't accidentally pay for it because of those brats. Is it some kind of trial application?"
Calling it a "demo" works as well.
Ren: "That is unknown."
Aoba: "Well, if there's nothing weird I could try it. Just to kill some time."
Ren: "Shall I start it?"
Aoba: "Please do."
(Well, well... This isn't going to be the first time a game's going to be played in a game.) Are you talking about ".hack//Infection and it's sequels? (Yep.)
Ren: "Understood."
'I take Ren in my arms, return to the room and sit on my bed.'
And now we're seeing the game screen...
(in-game)Captive Princess: * Help me... * Someone, please save me... ... * Someone, free me from here... ...
Aoba: "That's a really retro screen."
Indeed, it's like we're playing a DragonQuest clone... (Oh, get a load of this! Aoba's commenting on a game... While we're commenting on him and his game! It's...recursive commentating!) (I thought you were going to thrown in an Inception reference.) (Didn't have to. You did it for me!) (...Why!?)
'Kio, Nao, and Mio's generation have probably never seen anything like this. Even I haven't seen this type of an old game anywhere else but on video sites.'
Nice to know that the video game let's play doesn't die out by Aoba's time.
'After the message from the princess was over, a title log appeared.'
Let's see... The text on screen looks a little something like this... ([sarcasm] Great, we get to see more of Shimohi's bad ASCII art... [/sarcasm]) ...No! Wait, I've got an even better idea! *pulls out cropped screenshot*
'...It's so old, it's almost strangely refreshing.'
(Kind of like "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood" today?) Akurei...that strangely sounds close to an insult...
'While the odd feeling rises inside of me, I push "START".
Aoba walks his character due south, past a forest trough a tunnel/labyrinth to the other side walks to the cost line and then... The screen goes blank with "TO BE CONTINUED" written across the screen.
Aoba: "Huh? This'll contine? Are the parts delivered periodically?"
That's what it looks like.
Ren: "Looks like it."
And Ren agrees with me! Yay!
Aoba: "I see. It's exactly the shortness of a game you can play when you have time to kill."
Like Tetris or Fruit Ninja? (Anyway, Aoba finally turns the game off.)
'I don't know if it was entertaining or not, but if a sequel comes out, I might play it again.'
Well, it would be better if this and any of it's sequels combined. Because, as it is, it's barely an excuse for a game! *looks up* Not to mentionn that I wasn't far from the truth with that "DragonQuest clone" remark earlier...
'As soon as I close the game screen, I yawn. I was so focused on the game I didn't realize how tired I was.'
Aoba: "I think it's time to get ready for bed."
'I close the window and curtain to the veranda and leave my room to go to the washroom.'
And...
'The next day.'
Thanks for saying that for me.
'I go to work at Heibon as always and look after the shop from behind the counter.'
Ack! *holds head* Damn it! Not again!
'Ow, ow, ow...'
(The headache's back again...?) Yeah... (Any idea what's causing it?) (You know what's causing it! Remember! We watched the anime version of this!) (Stop yelling at me!) CAN YOU BOTH STOP YELLING!? THIS ISN'T HELPING!! Ow... And that didn't help either...
'I get my usual headache and massage the inner courners of my eyes with my index finger and thumb. My head's felt heavy ever since this morning.'
...Aoba, if that's our fault, I apologise but there's nothing I can do about it now...
'Even after I took my medicine after breakfast... Did I catch a cold?'
Not likely.
Haga: "Aoba-kun, I'd like to ask you to do a little delivery."
'Rattling noises come from the back of the store as well as Haga-san's voice.'
Aoba: "Ah, I'll help, ...!"
Dang it, Aoba, we're still feeling that acursed headache...
'My legs wobble when I try to stand up. I instantly push my hand onto the counter.'
Damn it... I haven't felt anything like this since that one time in gym class were we had to do a roll of some kind and I think I cracked my neck or something... (Oh, yeah, we remember that; it was a backroll. You were dizzy for a while and had to rest for a bit.) (Not to mention how your vision went wonky for a while, or was that the dizzyness at work?)
Haga: "Aoba-kun, are you all right?"
[sarcasm] Does it look like we're okay...? [/sarcasm]
Aoba: "Sorry, I feel a little dizzy."
... (...) (...Yeah, something's wrong with your head, dude...)
Haga: "Please sit down. I can do it. ...Huuun! Ha! Hiiya! Phew."
...That didn't sound very convincing at all.
Aoba: "....."
Haga: "Hm? What's the matter, Aoba-kun?"
Aoba: "Ah, no, I just thought that was pretty amazing."
(In the sense of "Did really well for his age" or "That was amazing...ly bad"?)
Haga: "Oh, it wasn't anything like that. Hahaha."
I'm suspecting it's the latter.
Robot: "Cleaning, cleaning."
'Haga-san's Allmate Bonjin-kun comes up and whirls around him.'
(Well, it seems that not all Allmates look like animals...) Okay, I stand corrected on that fact. (Heh-heh... U...Su...I...!) Dude, does it look like... Wait. That didn't happen yet... (Oops.) (Avoiding shouting to not make your headache worse?) Yeah...
Haga: "Ah, Bonjin-kun. Please take care of the back."
Bonjin: "Back, back."
Haga: "Ah, yes. Could I ask you to deliver this item for me?"
'Haga-san takes a small paper bag out of his pocket.'
Haga: "The order came in the middle of the night from yesterday's visitor, it's specified as a special delivery."
'When I see the slip of the paper bag, I notice that the adress is in the East Distirct like we are. It would be faster to deliver this directly.'
Haga: "Since one of our contractors is coming soon, I cannot leave the shop. I'm sorry."
Aoba: "It's okay. I'll leave right away."
(Wait! It's a... Wait... Why am I caring what happens to Aoba?) Because whatever happens to him happens to me, and... As I recall... If I die, you die as well. (I know it's just... A question that hasn't come to mind before...)
Haga: "Thank you very much."
'Haga-san smiles and walks towards the stairs to the basement. My head still feels heavy. ...But it's my job. I'll have to try my best.'
Yeah, about that... Just don't pass out from overworking. (Funny that you mention "passing out"...) ...Let's just pretend you didn't say that.
'I tap my forehead lightly, get myself together, and let out a short breath. I take my bag close to me with Ren in it and leave the shop with the paper bag.'
(Let's see... "Outside the shop"...)
Aoba: "Hmm, was it faster to go this way?"
Ren: "Yes."
'I walk through Aoyagi street while Ren navigate.'
"...while Ren navigates." would've been a better choice of words here.
'In this quiet road between buildings, a familiar tag art is drawn here and there on the walls. Beni-Shigure. Koujaku's team.'
(So, Koujaku plays Rib...?) Something tells me Niyagi doens't know what to make of this...
'Rib teams claim their territory by drawing their tag art. This area was Koujaku's team's territory.'
Why the use of past-tense verbs here?
'The size of Koujaku's team is not very big. Rather, not many are aware of Koujaku participating in Rib. He's popular among women, and therefore irritates many guys. He fights very often. But he has never lost. Before even he himself was aware, many male fans followed him because of his consecutive victories, and a team was formed just like that.'
So, "he didn't choose the Rib life; the Rib life chose him"? (Oh boy...)
'Still, because he's taking care of them without being cruel, I think his character must also appeal to them.'
(Kind of like he's appealing to the Pansy here.) (What!? Uh... *blushes*) (My point exactly!)
'If you rely on him, you can't really complain.'
Either because there's no reason to complain or... (Because he'll beat the shit out of you if you do.) (Monster!)
'Lots of team members gather because they adore the leader, and they come to resemble the leader somehow. Maybe because of that, here in Benishigure's territory there are lots of men wearing Japanese clothes without a hakama.'
(A haka...what?) A hakama, those pleated pants like... (What our father usually wears.) (Kenshin Himura is not our father!) Right... You keep telling yourself that. (And... It's Hakuoki all over again...)
'If you just glance at them they may look evil, but they're all good guys.'
(If you say so, Aoba...)
'They help old ladies with heavy luggage, or look for a missing child's parents. That's why Beni-Shigure's popularity is pretty high in the Old Resident District. That's also thanks to Koujaku... perhaps.'
???: "Yo, Aoba."
Aoba: "Hiya."
'I exchange a greeting with a member I'm acquainted with. Some other members are talking happily with a police officer. The Old Resident District's police aren't the most honest bunch of people, but depending on money or their mood they may mingle with the islanders. Some Ribsters use them to gain information or have things overlooked.'
(Mm... Bacon...) (Monster! Not cool!) Uh, Niyagi... Unless Akurei was suggesting we actually 'eat' the police, I don't see a problem here.
'Well, whatever suits them. As I contune walking down the street, I hear an awfully high-spirited voice come from in front of me. A group of three with one man and two women walk towards me, the women snuggling up to the man and pushing and shoving while walking.'
Let's see... A "thorn between two roses" situation... Yep, most definetly Koujaku.
Random Lady 1: "Oh, stop it, silly Koujaku-san!"
Random Lady 2: "But I love that about you too!"
I was right, and those two are back again...
Koujaku: "Ahahahahaha!"
Aoba: "......"
'..I knew it.'
Yeah, same here Aoba.
'Of course, the guy walking sandwiched between the two women is Koujaku. I didn't want to bump into him in this situation... I want to avoid them, but they keep coming closer and I have no choice.'
Koujaku: "Oh, well if it isn't Aoba!"
Aoba: "...Hi there."
'Koujaku's face draws into a cheerful smile.'
Red bird: "Aoba. Ren doing okay?"
'Flying next to Koujaku is his Allmate, Beni. Ren's face peeps out of the bag.'
Ren: "I'm here."
Beni: "Hoo, I see."
Random Lady 1: "Oh, Koujaku-san, is this your friend?"
Huh, you don't remember seeing Aoba yester... Oh, right. You probably literally have eyes only for Koujaku...
'The woman glances at me with judging eyes.'
Koujaku: "Yeah, a childhood friend."
Random Lady 2: "Oh, is that so? This boy?"
Dude! Aoba's a man, not a boy! (What? Not going to punch the air and pull some random object out from off-screen?)
'...Well then. I'm sorry that the amazing Koujaku's childhood friend doesn't measure up to the man himself.'
Wow, I can just...taste, the sarcasm dripping from that comment...
'Even though we call ourselves childhood friends, it's not like we were always together when we were small. Originally Koujaku was from the mainland, and came to this island with his mother. He was on the island for about three, four years, and then returned to the mainland with his mother again.'
(Oooo...) (What?) (Nothing...) (Doesn't sound like "nothing" to me.)
'During that time was a little vacant period, and about three years ago Koujaku suddenly came back alone. I was surprised when he came back because he had become quite sturdy, but the faces and gestures he made when he laughed and the way he spoke hadn't changed at all. Then we started to hang out together again, and he often comes to visit my home to eat Granny's home made cooking.'
(I can see why...)
Koujaku: "What now, what's the matter with you?"
Aoba: "What do you mean?"
Koujaku: "You don't look so hot."
Oh, right, doing our best to still work while dealing with that... I think it qualifies as a migrane by now.
Aoba: "! ...It's nothing, really."
([sarcasm] Right... [/sarcasm])
Koujaku: "Really? That's good then."
'I act calm, but deep down I'm actually surprised. I definitely stil have a small headache. Do I really look that sick?'
Apparently... "Yes".
Koujaku: "Are you working now?"
Aoba: "Yup. Unlike somebody else."
Ooo... Snap! (Koujaku better get some lotion for that BURN!) (Monster! You will NOT insult Koujaku like that!) Ow... Niyagi... Akurei... Headache... Remember...? (Oh... Right. Sorry.) Huh?
'When I say this sarcastically, the women standing on both sides react before Koujaku can.'
Random Lady 1: "Well! It's not like Koujaku-san is playing around, you know!"
Random Lady 2: "Yeah, even now he's only escorting us during his work."
(I wonder if he's doing that kind of "escort work"?) (No!) (Are you su...) (Yes!) Headache... (Oh no. Sorry again...)
Aoba: "....."
Koujaku: "Oh don't say that. Although, it's true that when I'm with such cute laides, I can't get any work done."
(Koujaku... I... I...) (Pansy, you're up to that again...)
Random Lady 1: "Kyah!"
Random Lady 2: "Oh, Koujaku-san!"
(Yeah... He's the best...) (*facepalm* *sigh* *mutters something inaudable*) Huh? You say something, Akurei? (It's nothing.) [sarcasm] Right... [/sarcasm]
'Every single time, when he says things like that, wouldn't anyone else just be completely on edge...?'
Beni: "It's shameful for a man to refuse a women when she offers herself to him, right?"
No, not really. Not all men are interested in sex, just like not all women would welcome the sexuall advances of a man...
Koujaku: "Exactly. Women are the treasures of the world. They're soft and tender, and will gently embrace a man. That's why cherishing women is a man's duty. Am I right?"
No, and right now I feel like punching Koujaku right now. (Shimohi! What are you thinking?) Ow... (Oh no, not again...) Not that I could, what with what Akurei mentioned earlier about her katana and such.
'Koujaku puts his arms around the woman's shoulders.'
Random Lady 1: "Kyaaaaah!!!"
Random Lady 2: "I cold die happily right now!"
Well, both of them obviously consented, so it's okay. But still... (*sigh* I wish I was either one of them right now...)
'.....'
Anyway, moving on...
Aoba: "...Well then, I'll be going."
Random Lady 2: "Hm? Wait a minute. Hey!"
'As I stand completely disgusted and also completely ready to leave, one woman calls out to me.'
(Shimohi!) Ow... Hey, I may influence Aoba's choices; but not to this degree...
Random Lady 2: "Here, I knew it. There's some dirt on you."
Huh? Where?
'The woman's skinny fingers reach out and lightly dust the collar of my jacket.'
Aoba: "...Ah, thanks."
Koujaku: "As expected. I love thoughtful women."
Well, she could've just told us where the dirt was. Then again, it's not like she can read minds or anything like that...
Random Lady 2: "Hee hee. ...Oh?"
Why did you just use Kenshin's trademark suprise otomotopeia? (Huh? Oh, right, you also actually listen to the Japanese voice acting.)
'The woman who is happy about being praised by Koujaku suddenly looks at me as if she realizes something.'
Aoba: "...?"
Random Lady 2: "Now that I look at you, you have long hair, don't you?"
So... You got a problem with that? (I know Shimohi doesn't, I mean, he likes long-haired pretty boys. If you know what I mean...!) [rushed whisper] Akurei! Not so loud! [/rushed whisper] (Feeling bashfull about this?) ...Yeah. Kind of strange that you're suddenly okay with this Niyagi. (Really?)
Aoba: "...!"
Random Lady 1: "Oh, that's true. I didn't notice."
Random Lady 2: "Hee hee, that's kinda cute."
Hey! I think it looks "cool", not "cute"!
Random Lady 1: "Looks like a woman's hair!"
Hey! Men can have long hair as well! That's not a female-only trait!
'While laughing teasingly, one of the women reaches out her hand.'
Oh shit!
-Shake her off-
-Hesitate-
---------------------------------------
And THAT; ladies, gentlemen, and variations there of... Is the beginning of the "common route". (So, will Shimohi have Aoba hesitate in his reaction or will he have Aoba "do his best" to shake off that lady who's invading his personal space?) (I don't see anything wrong with wanting to touch pretty hair.) Oh, you'll see why Aoba doesn't like that... Next time on...! DRAMA... (...tical Murder! Don't miss it! Spoiler alert: We're going for Clear's route first!)
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