I'm writing the lines of anime "Apothecary Diaries/薬屋のひとりごと(Kusuriyano Hitorigoto) in Japanese/Romaji/English.
I'm doing this for my own English study, but I hope it helps someone else.
hello. They released a special short story for an exhibition. https://x.com/kusuriya_OA/status/2034842735765852312?s=20
Thank you for your information! I saw it and immediately took a screenshot for each page! I hope these side stories will also be compiled and sold as an ebook someday...
Today, this short story was released online by official website of HERO bunko. I have just read the contents, and found that my guess was correct.
Sazen found Loulan lying on the snow and took her to a cabin to treat her wounds. Sazen used to know the doctor who was exiled from the rear palace with Taihou's daughter, imprisoned in a room in the stronghold by Shenmei, and forced to create an elixir of immortality for her. He is also the one who taught Suirei how to make medicines. Sazen used to carry foods to the doctor's room and sometimes helped him make some medicines, so he could treat Loulan. Before Sazen found Loulan, he had stolen some books from the burning stronghold, and Loulan noticed the books in the cabin and asked him "Please bring them to the capital, for the sake of this country." When Loulan recovered, they went their separate ways. She said to him, "You should become an apothecary. That's probably your calling." He laughed and said "That can't be true."
That's the outline of this short story, which is connected to the opening episode of the next season. If you want to read it in Japanese, please see here.
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Sorry for posting about this, before posting my memo for the final episode.
In the last scene of Ep.47, a man who was a guard of the stronghold found something shiny in a bush. His name is Sazen, 左膳(さぜん), and he will appear in the next season and beyond. This scene doesn't exist in the original novel. I thought this scene would continue in the final episode, but it didn't.
Sorry if I'm wrong since this is just my guess, but I think the thing shining in a bush was Maomao's hair stick and Sazen would find Loulan lying on after falling off the balcony. The reason why I think so is because I noticed that there was a short story titled "左膳の秘密/さぜんのひみつ/Sazen's Secret" that was a special bonus for purchasing the original novel in the past. Sazen is not a doctor but he knows a little more about medicine than the average person, and he could help Loulan. Otherwise she could not have recovered from that state and escaped to the port town on her own, without being noticed by the soldiers around the stronghold. Her life was saved because the hair stick caught the bullet and she fell on soft, fallen snow, but she was still bleeding and too flamboyant overdressed to hide.
Unfortunately, we can't buy and read that short story now. When the 9th volume of the novel was released, if you bought 2 specific items at Animate, an anime goods store, you could get a bonus in exchange for your receipt. Just for your reference, I attach the photo of a leaflet of the campaign.
Orange-colored "復刻SSペーパー" seems to be the one. It says "全2種", which means there were 2 versions, and I don't know if the story was only one "Sazen's Secret" with 2 different pictures, or there was one more other short story.
Attached below is a screenshot of an online flea market site where they are for sale.
I'm very curious about it but I don't think I'd buy it at that price... although I understand it's not too expensive, considering the rarity of the product. (In fact, I can see other sites where the SS was purchased for around 10,000 yen.)
The author Hyuga sensei said on X that she had requested to animate it to the anime production staff, and actually the scene where Sazen found something shiny was animated in Ep.47, so I believe they'll provide us something in future. I can't wait but I'll wait...
This is a reblog from my post of July 2025, and you can't read the original story of "Sazen's Secret" in Japanese on Hero Bunko's website now. The link mentioned in this post is no longer valid... (I really regret not taking a screenshot at the time...)
Hello. Thank you for the usj translation. Toho YouTube released a Halloween video with xiaolan and shisui in. They're so cute 🥰. I can't believe it's almost Halloween 🎃.
Sorry for the delay in reply! Now I just posted the scripts for all the three videos. It was a nice surprise to see Shisui and Xiaolan being together!
Maomao “Ryu-zu’san’yaku’no cho-sa’ni Yūesujei’eto yatte-kita’wake’daga… Mada shu-go-jikan’made jikan’ga ari’masu’ne.”
Maomao “We’ve come here, USJ, in order to investigate Ryuzu powder… but there’s still time before the meeting time.”
龍珠散薬（りゅうずさんやく/Ryu-zu’san’yaku）: the name of the mysterious medicine (Participants in this event are tasked with helping Maomao solve the mystery behind this medicine.)
Jinshi “Well… that’s good to hear. Then I’ll have the drink. Ahh, this makes me feel so refreshed after my journey.”
疲れが吹き飛ぶ（つかれがふきとぶ/Tsukare’ga fuki’tobu）: feel refreshed, it makes my fatigue disappear, take my tiredness away ＝ 疲れ（つかれ/Tsukare）: fatigue, tiredness ＋ 吹き飛ぶ（ふきとぶ/Fuki’tobu）: be blown off
Hello it was recently apothecary diaries anime 2nd year anniversary and they released a video announcing a 3rd season AND a movie with an original story.🥳🎉 So excited 😆. I just hope the animation team isn't working too hard doing two things at once. Also toho YouTube just released a video for the usj food set Collab featuring jinshi and maomaos vas. Been too long since I've heard them. 🙂
Hello! Yes, I'm already very excited too, although there is still around 1 year until Season 3 starts. I saw some fans online expressing their hopes for a movie, but there was nothing about the story that seemed like it could be made into a movie, so I didn't think it would happen. I can't help but feel excited about what kind of story this all-new movie written by Hyuga-Natsu sensei will be! As for the YouTube video, they're telling nothing important, but I'll post the conversation with English translation in a few days.
12巻ドラマCD vol.1 『宮廷(きゅうてい)ボーイズトーク』 / Vol.1 of the Drama CD for the Light Novel vol.12 “Boys’ talk in the court”
The drama CD is a bonus for the special edition of light novel vol.12, and you can find the audio on You Tube.
This episode seems to take place around the first half of Season 3 of the anime, and includes dialogue based on something that has not been animated yet. Although that’s not a serious spoiler, if you don’t want to know anything new, please don’t read this episode now.
Please note that the English lines are just my translation.
This post cannot be reblogged, and please do not repurpose it, since I have no intention of infringing the copyright of this drama CD and I don’t want this post to be distributed to an unspecified number of people.
So if you want to share this post with someone, please advise them to visit my blog. I’ll put a link to this post on the home page of my blog.
Basen “You said your name’s Lihaku, right? Do you have no idea where Master Lakan has gone at all?”
目星をつける、目星がつく（めぼしをつける・めぼしがつく）: make an educated guess, get a sense of, have an idea
羅半(ラハン)「おや、どうしたんですか？えーっと…馬閃様(バセンさま)に李白殿(リハクどの)」
Rahan “Oya, do-shita-n-desu-ka? Eeetto… Basen-sama’ni Rihaku-dono.”
Lahan “Oh, what is wrong? Hmm… Master Basen and Master Lihaku.”
馬閃「ん？お前(まえ)は？」
Basen “N? Omae’wa?”
Basen “Hmm? Who are you?”
I wonder why Basen doesn’t remember Lihaku and Lahan in spite that they should have already met in the Season 2 main story… But let’s not mind about that for now.
Basen “(Sigh) We’re in trouble. The documents we need Master Lakan to check are still pending. How many days do you intend to make us wait? Do you know how long Moon Prince has been waiting for?!”
どうしたもこうしたもない… In reply to “どうしたんですか？”, “どうしたもこうしたもない” means “The situation is awful.”
Lihaku “I’m in the same position, Master Basen! I have a ton of documents that I want Master Lakan to check quickly… (Sigh) I wish they’d never asked me to run an errand… (Sigh)”
Lahan “I apologize for making you feel uncomfortable. I’m the type of person who won’t be satisfied until I see it with my own eyes, and besides, my adoptive father sometimes sleeps wedged between the shelves…”
Rikuson “Ah… I see. In case of Master Lakan, at this time of year, in this weather, I can predict about 13 places he’s likely to go, based on his habits.”
Rikuson “Yes. I think it would probably be best if you wait in the office. He should be back in about half an hour. However, depending on Master Lakan’s mood, he may not return to the office.”
四半時（しはんとき）: Normally it means “quarter hour/15 minutes”. But in KNH, the old way of counting time, dividing a day into 12 hours, is used, so it means “half an hour/30 minutes” here.
Rahan “Mite’no-toori, cha’o irete-iru-no-desu-yo. Tada matsu-nomo taikutsu-desho? Haa… Shikashi, roku-na chaba’ga ari-masen-ne. Amai mono-dake’wa ho-fu-da.”
Lahan “As you can see, I am making tea. It is boring to just wait, isn’t it? (Sigh) But there are not any good tea leaves. There is plenty of sweets, though.”
Rikuson “Master Lahan, you said that your adoptive father didn’t care about tea, so these tea leaves would be fine, and you left some cheap ones, remember?”
羅半「そんなこともありましたねー、陸孫殿(リクソンどの)」
Rahan “Sonna koto’mo ari-mashita-neee, Rikuson-dono.”
Lihaku “Master Basen, please read the room. If you just stand here alone, it will look like we’re the ones leaving you out. Or would you rather be alone? As a servant of the Moon Prince! Being all alone! That would be awkward!”
空気を読む（くうきをよむ/Ku-ki’o yomu）: read the room
ハブる(Haburu): rough way of saying “to leave someone out” ＝仲間外(なかまはず)れにする
ぼっち(Bocchi): alone, all alone, lonely ＝ casual form/abbreviation of the word ひとりぼっち
Basen “O-oh, I get it, I get it! So, don’t pull my hand! Hey… you, Lihaku, right? You’re being over-friendly.”
羅半「わー、グイグイ行(い)くなぁー」
Rahan “Waaa, gui-gui iku-naaa.”
Lahan “Wow, he’s pushy!”
陸孫「明(あか)るい体育会系(たいいくかいけい)ですねー」
Rikuson “Akarui taiiku-kai-kei desu-neee.”
Rikuson “He’s a cheerful jock.”
We Japanese often use the word “体育会系” for sports-oriented people, or a kind of tough and strong, muscle-brained type of people. As you might have seen in anime/manga, most junior and senior high school students in Japan belong to some kind of club, and club activities provide them with experiences and memories that are just as valuable, if not more so, than classes, that even has a huge impact on their personality development. Club activities are roughly divided into sports clubs(体育会系) and other cultural/academic clubs（文科系/ぶんかけい/Bunka-kei）. People with the same type tend to have similar ways of thinking and values and tend to get along well.
Rahan “Basen-sama, ki’ni-shinaide-kudasai. Chichi-ue’ga modotte-kita-to-shitemo, boku-tachi’ga kono-ba’de hara-odori’o shiyo-to ippen’no kyo-mi’mo-naku, tada amai chagashi-dake totte owari-desu.”
Lahan “Master Basen, please don’t worry about it. Even if my father returns, he won’t have the slightest interest in us even if doing belly dancing or anything here, he’ll just take some sweets, and that’ll be it.”
Rikuson “You can have more snacks, but please don’t touch the fried bread with condensed milk. It’s Master Lakan’s favorite food. That is the thing you need to do if you don’t want to incur any resentment.”
Rikuson “Master Basen, I can’t say for sure that it will be exactly half an hour, and there’s possibility that he even won’t come back, so I can’t take responsibility.”
羅半「義父上(ちちうえ)は秋(あき)の空(そら)みたいなところがあるから」
Rahan “Chichi-ue’wa aki’no sora-mitai-na tokoro’ga aru-kara.”
Lahan “My father is like a kind of the autumn sky.”
There is a saying that “女心と秋の空（おんなごころとあきのそら/Onna-gokoro’to aki’no sora）: A woman’s heart is fickle like the autumn sky” in Japan.
Rikuson “Master Lakan’s disposition is well known, even to the court ladies, so they don’t come near him. When the court ladies and servants are gossiping, a man with stubble suddenly approaches, as if wanting to join in, and they find him creepy…”
Rahan “Shitsu-rei-desu-ga Basen-sama. Boku’wa josei-kankei’ni tsuite’wa, shikkari sen-biki-shite-imasu-yo. Mendo-kusai oya’ga iru otaku’no musume’ni, kyo-mi-hon’i-de te’o dasu wake nai-desho?”
Lahan “Excuse me, but I draw a clear line when it comes to relationships with women. There’s no way I’d make a move out of curiosity to a daughter whose parents are so troublesome, right?”
李白「逆(ぎゃく)を取(と)れば、そうじゃない女(おんな)には手(て)を出(だ)すってことだな！」
Rihaku “Gyaku’o toreba, so-ja nai onna’niwa te’o dasutte koto-dana!”
Lihaku “On the other hand, that means you’ll go after any woman who isn’t like that!”
Rikuson “Master Lahan, there was a widow you were dating until recently, right? I believe she was the second wife of the second son of the Kou family… I forgot that she asked me to give this package to you, Master Lahan.”
Lihaku “There’s a letter inside… Let’s see… ‘It seems you’re worried about your skin condition, so I’ll send you something, although it’s nothing special… a silk… loincloth…”
Lahan “You say that, Master Lihaku, but isn’t it much better than a girl who talks nonchalantly about her boyfriend and shows him off like a prize? …That being said, isn’t it a bit unfair that I’m the only one who has to talk about my relationships with women?”
Lihaku “That’s true. Master Rikuson, you do give off that kind of aura…”
“空気(くうき/Ku-ki): air” means something like an aura or a vibe here. We can also use “雰囲気(ふんいき/Fun’iki): atmosphere” here in Japanese, but I thought you probably don’t use the word atmosphere to people in English.
Lahan “When you were dating, you seemed kind but you always had other things in mind, didn’t you? Women are sensitive to those kinds of nuances of feeling. She wants to be number one for you, but she can’t be number one… But you’re kind to her… that’s what hurts her the most…”
Lihaku “Yes! No matter what my parents say, I will buy Pairin out! I’m the youngest son of a local official, and I was sent off to go wherever I wanted, so I don’t care what anyone says now.”
Lihaku “In that case, I was just nothing special, that’s all. I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen, and become a big man who can’t be ignored! And then I’ll try come and get her sooner.”
大(たい)したことない: nothing special, not a big deal
羅半「まぁ本人(ほんにん)が納得(なっとく)しているのなら、何(なに)も言(い)いませんよ」
Rahan “Maa hon’nin’ga nattoku-shite-iruno-nara, nani’mo iimasen-yo.”
Lahan “Well, if you understand and accept that, then I won’t say anything.”
納得する（なっとくする/Nattoku-suru）: understand, be convinced, be satisfied, agree, accept
Rikuson “If you try to hide or dodge, you’ll only end up cornered, so I think it’s wise to speak lightly. I’m not saying this out of curiosity, but out of kindness, so please forgive me.”
悪しからず（あしからず/Ashikara-zu）: Please understand that…, please accept my apologies but…, we regret that…, I hope you won’t take it amiss, thank you for your understanding.
馬閃「わ、私(わたし)は…」
Basen “Wa, watashi’wa…”
Basen “I, I…”
羅半「おや？赤(あか)くなって動(うご)かなくなった」
Rahan “Oya? Akaku-natte ugoka-naku-natta.”
Lahan “Oh? He’s turned red and stopped moving.”
李白「俺(おれ)ら、悪(わる)ノリしすぎましたかね？」
Rihaku “Orera, waru-nori-shisugi-mashita-kane?”
Lihaku “Did we get too carried away?”
悪ノリする（わるのりする/Waru-nori-suru）: get/be carried away, overdo, go too far
Basen “I, I don’t have the experience you guys have. Well, it’s about time I marry someone, and my mother or sister will find me a suitable partner. That’s all.”
Lihaku “Just one question. If your parents or sister were to decide on your marriage partner, do you have any preferences or what kind of partner would be best?”
馬閃「ど、どんな相手(あいて)がいいとかって…考(かんが)えたこと無(な)かったな…」
Basen “Do, donna aite’ga ii-tokatte… kangaeta-koto nakatta-na…”
Basen “I-I’ve never thought about what kind of partner would be good…”
Lihaku “I wonder what kind of sister and mother they are? Ah, if they’re Master Basen’s sister and mother, that means they’re Master Gaoshun’s daughter and wife.”
～11巻ドラマＣＤ Vol.2『徳利の謎（とっくりのなぞ/Tokkuri’no Nazo）』 (2/2) / Vol.2 of Drama CD for the Light Novel vol.11 “The Mystery of the Sake Bottle” (2/2)～
The drama CD is a bonus for the special edition of light novel vol.11, and you can find the audio on You Tube.
Please note that the English lines are just my translation.
This post cannot be reblogged, and please do not repurpose it, since I have no intention of infringing the copyright of this drama CD and I don’t want this post to be distributed to an unspecified number of people.
So if you’d like to share this post with someone, please advise them to visit my blog. I’ll put a link to this post on the home page of my blog.
Maomao “I’ve been eating less so I can eat tons of delicious food. By the way, Head Clerk, when you said sake with grilled fish fins, were you referring to the sake with that one’s fin?”
Gaoshun “Yes. I said they had pufferfish, but it’s a delicacy and, more importantly, it’s poisonous, so it’s not openly served. Therefore my friend told me to start by ordering some sake with fins.”
Maomao “Okay! First, an aperitif… well-marinated apricot liquor. A stronger liquor would be fine, but I’m looking forward to the sake with fins… Tofu with century eggs… Mmm, just the right amount of saltiness. (nom) The bang bang chicken goes really well with the sesame sauce. The accompanying vegetables are also crunchy and chewy… They use fresh ingredients, don’t they? The chicken falls apart in my mouth, while it’s not overcooked to lose its flavor. They’re boiled with sake. This cucumber and jellyfish salad is great! The jellyfish is crunchy, the cucumber is crisp, and the sesame flavor is great! The sourness and spiciness are balanced just right…”
壬氏「妙(みょう)に饒舌(じょうぜつ)だな…」
Jinshi “Myo-ni jo-zetsu-dana…”
Jinshi “You’re strangely talkative…”
饒舌な（じょうぜつな/Jo-zetsu-na）: talkative -more formal word than “おしゃべりな”
Maomao “Poison tends to accumulate in the internal organs of pufferfish. Depending on the type of pufferfish, the milt can be poisonous, so just to be on the safe side, I think it’s best not to eat it.”
Maomao “Just for you, to be on the safe side. Also, you should avoid the parboiled skin that comes with sashimi. Also, sashimi is raw, so it might not suit your taste.”
Maomao “It’s called red ginseng. It’s a herbal medicine that’s good for loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue recovery, and for strengthening the body.”
Maomao “Gastrodia tuber is made from the dried roots and stems of the plant Tall gastrodia. It is prescribed for dizziness, paralysis, convulsion, etc.”
Maomao “Inside the package with the lotus design is lotus root, as you can see. It’s known as a vegetable, but it’s also often used as a herbal medicine.”
Maomao “Yes. The reason the bottle was so thin and small is because it was used to hold medicine. It’s also airtight and just right, so they stuffed the letter in it and let it go down the well. I wondered why they used such a beautiful sake bottle instead of a cheaper bamboo one.”
Gaoshun “But what do you think about the part where we were told that there was no opium poppy, Xiaomao? There is definitely something that looks like a poppy flower painted on the broken bottle.”
Maomao “First, the owner of the Peacock House didn’t make the mistake of serving afuyou to a first-time customer. Second, there was no afuyou on the menu. Third, the menu ‘afuyou’ was incorrect.”
Maomao “That’s right. If it was opium, I would understand, but I don’t understand why they would try to hide poppy seeds in a bottle and send them. Even though the rear palace has strict rules about what can be brought in, poppy seeds would still be considered a food ingredient. Of course, opium can’t be brought in. If the Peacock House really was dealing in opium, that would be a whole other issue, though.”
Jinshi “She was one of the first concubines to come to the current emperor’s rear palace when it was established. The daughter of a merchant, she was of low social status, but she was beautiful and intelligent, and was the favorite for a time. However, about three years ago, she became ill and developed tumors in her body.”
Jinshi “Yes. It was difficult to treat her anywhere, so as a gesture of mercy, we gave her opium to use. She died as a concubine, and her body is kept in the rear palace.”
Jinshi “Now that I think about it, even after Concubine Xinyi died, there was a man who sent her medicine for a while… No matter how many times we told him that she had died, he seemed reluctant to believe it.”
Gaoshun “Regarding the military officer named Wei, we learned that he was injured a few days ago. It seems that this man was the suspicious person who got away around the moat outside the rear palace.”
Gaoshun “Most of them had left the rear palace, but one capable person remained. It was that lady-in-waiting who had been communicating with the military officer in question.”
Maomao “I knew, or rather, I have considered the possibilities, about a reason why they went into hiding to obtain a special letter, and perhaps something related to opium poppies. Adultery in the rear palace is punishable by death at worst. So I have considered what purpose each party had in communicating with each other.”
Maomao “First of all, about the military officer, you must have noticed too, haven’t you, Master Jinshi? He cared deeply for Concubine Xinyi, whether it was as a sister or romantically. However, Concubine Xinyi suddenly entered the rear palace and passed away. The more passionate he is, the more unbelievable it must be. Since even her body never left the rear palace…”
Maomao “But everyone said that she had died, and when he tried to send medicine to the rear palace, they rejected it. Years passed, and just when he was finally starting to forget about Concubine Xinyi, he met her former lady-in-waiting.”
Gaoshun “The former lady-in-waiting served Concubine Xinyi even before she entered the rear palace. She was apparently acquainted with the military officer.”
Maomao “Yes. There are only a few occasions when a lady-in-waiting from the rear palace and a military officer meet. It must have been after the last garden party, when the ghost at the well happened.”
Maomao “What if the former lady-in-waiting whispered to the military officer: ‘Concubine Xinyi is still alive. However, she has a special illness that must be hidden. The treatments in the rear palace are unreliable. Can you prepare some medicine for the weakening concubine?’”
高順「その通(とお)りです。武官(ぶかん)もそう証言(しょうげん)していました」
Gaoshun “Sono toori-desu. Bukan’mo so sho-gen-shite-imashita.”
Gaoshun “That is correct. The military officer also testified that.”
Maomao “The military officer would have given the former lady-in-waiting a hair stick or something and discussed the details outside the rear palace. If he was a military officer guarding the palace both inside and outside, he might have heard about the waterways in the rear palace.”
Jinshi “I understand the military officer’s motive, but I don’t understand the former lady-in-waiting’s motive. Do you know why she tried to contact him?”
猫猫「はい。その前(まえ)に、一(ひと)つ確認(かくにん)を」
Maomao “Hai. Sono mae’ni, hitotsu kakunin’o.”
Maomao “Yes. Before that, let me confirm one thing.”
Maomao “That’s just the ladies-in-waiting’s own report, isn’t it? Opium can be a medicine depending on how it’s used. But it’s addictive, and more like a drug. I think the former lady-in-waiting may have had a taste of opium.”
Maomao (The former lady-in-waiting smoked opium while treating the concubine. After the concubine died, she remained in the rear palace, but she wanted to smoke opium again. She was slightly addicted. However, even if she wanted to get some, she had neither the connection nor the money. So she used the military officer whom she met by chance. To experience another drug-induced dream…)
Gaoshun “Unfortunately, I didn’t go there either. An acquaintance of mine happened to be going to the Peacock House, so I asked him to get this. Let’s open it.”
Maomao “…After all, opium is not something that is traded openly. It’s still opium poppy, but it’s poppy seeds. And… (sniff, sniff…) they’re roasted thoroughly, so even if you tried to cultivate them as seeds, they wouldn’t sprout. The reason she had so many exchanges with the military officer must be because they didn’t sprout.”
Jinshi “When distributing poppy seeds, they must be heated beforehand. By the way, it seems that several flower pots were found in the former lady-in-waiting’s room.”
Gaoshun “I understand that the military officer believed that Concubine Xinyi was still alive and tried to obtain the medicine. I also understand that the former lady-in-waiting had not been able to forget about the opium and tried to use him to obtain it. But why was the Peacock House selling herbal medicines in such a roundabout way? After all, aren’t they selling illegal medicines as well?”
Maomao “There are many men who find the ankles of a sheltered young lady visible through the gaps in the blinds more enticing than a dancer exposing her skin.”
深窓の令嬢（しんそうのれいじょう/Shinso’no reijo）: a sheltered/well-protected/well-bred young lady
Maomao “Since we have the opportunity, let’s have these poppy seeds right away. Lady Suiren, now that we have these poppy seeds, is there anything you can use them for?”
～11巻ドラマＣＤ Vol.2『徳利の謎（とっくりのなぞ/Tokkuri’no Nazo）』 (1/2) / Vol.2 of Drama CD for the Light Novel vol.11 “The Mystery of the Sake Bottle” (1/2)～
The drama CD is a bonus for the special edition of light novel vol.11, and you can find the audio on You Tube.
Please note that the English lines are just my translation.
This post cannot be reblogged, and please do not repurpose it, since I have no intention of infringing the copyright of this drama CD and I don’t want this post to be distributed to an unspecified number of people.
So if you’d like to share this post with someone, please advise them to visit my blog. I’ll put a link to this post on the home page of my blog.
Gaoshun “This is the seventh time court ladies have infiltrated.”
猫猫「高順(ガオシュン)様(さま)、それはどうツッコめばよろしいでしょうか？」
Maomao “Gaoshun-sama, sore’wa do tsukkomeba yoroshii-desho-ka?”
Maomao “How should I react to you, Master Gaoshun?”
ツッコむ（つっこむ/Tsukkomu）, ツッコミを入れる（つっこみをいれる/Tsukkomi’o ireru）: throw in a punchline, point out the obvious
Japanese comedy is based on the two elements of “ボケ（ぼけ/Boke）: funny man” and “ツッコミ(つっこみ/Tsukkomi): straight man”. In this case, Gaoshun said “This is the seventh time” like a funny man, and Maomao tried to say something like a straight man but couldn’t find what to say, so she asked “How should I react?”
Gaoshun “How difficult it is… to select the bodyguards and administrative staff for Master Jinshi… Whenever we find the best people, they always turn us down.”
Suiren “Even if I ask someone to do young master’s laundry, the underwear often goes missing, so it was a real hassle. For a while I had no choice but to wash it in the well here.”
猫猫「洗濯(せんたく)？今(いま)はやってませんよね」
Maomao “Sentaku? Ima’wa yatte-masen-yone.”
Maomao “Laundry? We’re not doing that right now, are we?”
Gaoshun “However, the ladies-in-waiting have requested that we investigate the fact that there is always a clanging sound like dishes coming from around the well around dawn.”
Maomao (I think there is a ghost story like that…)
In Japan, there is an old ghost story about a maid who broke one of the family heirloom plates in the set, was killed and thrown down a well, and became a ghost whose voice can be heard counting the plates every night from the well.
Jinshi “It’s strange, isn’t it? If it’s plates or bowls, I can understand why they have to wash them. Sometimes a slow servant girls will clean up what they left undone.”
Jinshi “Yes, there has been suspicion that someone may have stolen some of a concubine’s belongings. That’s why this has been brought to me. What do you think this is?”
Maomao “I’ve heard of using lacquer, but it doesn’t stick right away. I thought it would be easy to match because it has a picture on it… um, this and this…”
Maomao “This sake bottle is much rounder and smaller than a normal one, and there is wax on the spout. I assume that the spout was plugged and then sealed with more wax.”
Maomao “Probably to stop water getting in. This sake bottle is heavily glazed, so water won’t seep in, but if it got in through the spout it would be pointless.”
壬氏「なぜ水(みず)が入(はい)らないように封(ふう)をする？」
Jinshi “Naze mizu’ga haira-nai-yo-ni fu’o suru?”
Jinshi “Why do they seal it to prevent water from getting in?”
Maomao “If you send a letter through the proper channels, it will be censored in the rear palace. It’s not uncommon to send letters in codes or via a different route if you don’t want them to be seen.”
Maomao “Yes. There are waterways throughout the rear palace. Water flows from outside the rear palace, so it would not be strange if there was a well using the same waterway on the north side of the outer court, adjacent to the south side of the rear palace. The reason the bottle is small and thin is so that it can move smoothly through the waterways and float.”
Jinshi “Are they going to put the secret letter in a bottle and then float it down a well in the outer court, and then pull it up from a well in the rear palace?”
Maomao “She probably put a net in the well so that the sake bottle would get caught, and then she would pull it up when no one was around. For example, at night or early in the morning, the ladies-in-waiting of the rear palace wouldn’t use the well. She could just break the sake bottle and throw it away to destroy the evidence. If she mix it in with the trash where they throw out broken teacups, it won’t be discovered.”
Maomao “So, when she was found by the officer who was ordered to watch over by Master Jinshi, she dropped the bottle in her haste to escape. She couldn’t retrieve all the pieces, so she just picked up the letter inside.”
高順「辻褄(つじつま)は合(あ)いますね」
Gaoshun “Tsuji-tsuma’wa ai-masu-ne.”
Gaoshun “That makes sense.”
辻褄が合う（つじつまがあう/Tsuji-tsuma’ga au）: consistent, make sense, logical
Jinshi “Then, Apothecary, please add some more imagination. How will she respond to the letter she received? From the flow of water in the well of the rear palace, she can’t put the letter back in the outer court well.”
Maomao (You…) “Maybe he didn’t want a reply to his letter. If he does need a reply, I think it’s best to just let things go with the flow again.”
この野郎（このやろう/Kono yaro）: you jerk, you bastard
In this case, Maomao is just a little annoyed, because Jinshi keeps trying to get answers from her even though she doesn’t want to be specific what she isn’t sure about. I don’t know which word works in English but “jerk” or “bastard” is too harsh. In Japanese, この野郎 or コノヤロー is a mild insult, especially if you only think it. After all, この is “this”, and 野郎 is “guy”, and she is just thinking “This guy” in a rougher way.
Jinshi “I see. But wouldn’t it be impossible to reuse this bottle? If it were dropped into a moat, it would probably break from the impact. I could understand if it were only a short distance from one well to another, but…”
再利用する（さいりようする/Sai-riyo-suru）: reuse
The kanji “再” is exactly the same as “re” in English, which means “again”.
再生する（さいせいする/Saisei-suru）: regenerate 再確認する（さいかくにんする/Sai-kakunin-suru）: reconfirm 再開する（さいかいする/Saikai-suru）: restart 再会する（さいかいする/Saikai-suru）: see/meet again
不可能（ふかのう/Fukano）: impossible
The kanji “不” is exactly the same as “im” in “impossible”, “dis” in “disadvantage（不利益/ふりえき）”, or “un” in “unhappy（不幸な/ふこうな）”, which means “no” or “not”.
Gaoshun “Yes. Regarding the sake bottle from the other day, I had someone keep watch over the moat as you said, and there was someone suspicious there.”
Gaoshun “Yes. Actually, after that, I quickly tried to find out where the sake bottle was made, based on the glaze. However, it wasn’t being sold at any pottery stores in the capital. And by chance, I found one that looked similar…”
Gaoshun “I have an acquaintance who has a hobby of collecting plates, so when I asked him about it, he had something similar and I borrowed it. Apparently it’s sold at a certain restaurant. It just so happens that the restaurant has a chef who specializes in fish dishes, so I came to invite you over hoping that I could keep a promise I made to you before, Xiaomao.”
Gaoshun “I see… Then I think we’ll go out tonight. I’ll get permission from Suiren, so don’t worry. I don’t think It’s appropriate to go in that outfit, so I’ll bring a change of clothes.”
Maomao (They gave me page clothes when they told me to change, and this is what happened… Jinshi is wearing a mask, and Gaoshun looks completely different. I wonder if it’s not a good impression to see eunuchs hanging out at brothels?)
猫猫「壬氏様(ジンシさま)まで来(く)る必要(ひつよう)なかったのでは？」
Maomao “Jinshi-sama-made kuru hitsuyo nakatta-no’dewa?”
Maomao “Probably there was no need for Master Jinshi to come over here, wasn’t there?”
Maomao (The Peacock House. It is a high-class brothel just like the Verdigris House, but while the selling point of the Verdigris House is the performances of the courtesans, that of the Peacock House is the delicious food. So, high-ranking officials come to eat here, like this.)
Maomao (At first glance he appears to be a good-natured old man with a gentle smile, but they say that he is a miser on per with the greedy old madam…)
好々爺（こうこうや/Ko-ko-ya）: good-natured old man, good old man
守銭奴（しゅせんど/Shusen-do）: a miser, money-grubber, scrooge
〇〇並みの（〇〇なみの/〇〇Nami’no）: on per with 〇〇, on the same level as 〇〇
Maomao (Indeed, as expected of a purveyor to higher-ups, the furnishings are of good taste. Many of the items have seasonal flowers painted on them… The courtesans’ musical instrument skills are also not bad. Plates are displayed and the courtesans stand alternatively.)
Owner “If you like, please choose your favorite tableware. Take your time. The food will be prepared right away, but if you need anything… Haha… just ring the bell and call me.”
Maomao “It’s a slang term. The courtesans were lined up alternating with the plates, weren’t they? It means, ‘It’s fine to enjoy your meal, but would you like to flirt with the courtesans?’”
戯れる（たわむれる/Tawamureru）: play, flirt, frolic
壬氏「飯屋(めしや)ではなく妓楼(ぎろう)だったな」
Jinshi “Meshiya’dewa naku giro-datta-na.”
Jinshi “It is not a restaurant but a brothel, after all.”
Maomao “In case of the Peacock House, it is also used by officials for collusion, soI don’t think courtesans will come until they are called. However, it is a high-class brothel that’s a bit different from the Verdigris House, so I don’t know much about it… The courtesans here don’t come as customers to my apothecary either…”
Maomao “The plate you showed me also had flowers painted on it. Should I pick a courtesan who seems loose-lipped and ask her where it’s made? I don’t know if she knows, though.”
壬氏「何(なに)か、気(き)になったことはないのか？」
Jinshi “Nani-ka, ki’ni-natta-koto’wa nai-noka?”
Jinshi “Is there anything that piqued your interest?”
Gaoshun “No wonder there were so many flowers I’d never seen before. What caught your attention by the fact that there were also plants that are used for various herbal medicines depicted in addition to ornamental flowers?”
Maomao “Yes. If asked to choose a plate they like, most customers would read too much into it and choose a courtesan. Even if they chose plate straightforwardly, I think the most would choose a plate with a familiar flower on it. But what would the owner of the brothel think if he chose a plate with a more plain flower on it and guessed right the name of the flower?”
Are you familiar with Hyuuga-sensei’s 聖女に嘘は通じない (English title “You Can’t Bluff the Sharp-Eyed Sister”)? If so, do you have any opinions about it?
Sorry, I haven't read any of her other works. I've only watched a lot of Japanese TV dramas and only knew about the famous anime, so actually KNH is the first light novel I've ever read. If I had more free time, I'd like to read and watch other works more, but that may be difficult at the moment...
