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.
Maomao “What? You were trying to make me find it out, weren’t you? I heard the sound of an abacus during the ritual to summon the soul. You’re so careful, you wouldn’t make such a careless mistake. Why did you try to trick me into finding a fake will by becoming an accomplice of the nephew?”
詰めが甘い（つめがあまい/Tsume’ga amai）: not thorough enough, not follow through, too lax, insufficient
羅半「何(なん)のことだか」
Rahan “Nan’no koto’daka.”
Lahan “No idea what you are talking about at all.”
Maomao “Lahan, you’re a wicked fellow, but you wouldn’t go against your own beliefs. I can’t imagine you would swindle the fortunes of widows and children who are at a loss after losing their family. That’s not what you call a ‘beautiful number.’”
Lahan “Hmmm… You seem to understand my nature quite well, at the end of the day. In that case, you can probably guess why I became an accomplice, can’t you?”
何だかんだで（なんだかんだで/Nanda’kanda’de）: in the end, after all, at the end of the day, one way or another, anyhow
タチ（たち/質、性質/Tachi）: nature
猫猫「共犯(きょうはん)は認(みと)めるのか」
Maomao “Kyo-han’wa mitomeru’noka.”
Maomao “So, you admit to being an accomplice, don’t you?”
Lahan “Yes, I’m an accomplice. But I haven’t done anything wrong. I rather have my doubts about you not saying any of your conjecture just because it’s only your speculation, even though you’re almost at a conclusion.”
どうかと思う（どうかとおもう/Do-ka’to omou）: I have my doubts, I’m skeptical, I’m not sure about that, I don’t think it’s a good idea
Maomao “(Sigh) First of all, it was you who put the magic lantern in the room, right? And as for the myna bird too, you should have known about it since you talked a lot about arranging the trade goods with them.”
Maomao “Once you’ve projected a human-shaped soul with the magic lantern, you had the myna bird which you had prepared beforehand speak. Conveniently, it already knew how to talk such kind of phrases, maybe. Then, you turned off the magic lantern, grabbed a light, and ran away. The nephew would be the first to chase after you, and you could disappear halfway.”
羅半「ふーん？何(なん)で僕(ぼく)が途中(とちゅう)から消(き)えると？」
Rahan “Fuuun? Nande boku’ga tochu-kara kieru’to?”
Lahan “Hmm? Why did you think I would disappear halfway?”
Maomao “I don’t think you can run a long distance while carrying a bird and a light. More importantly, there’s a military officer among those who are chasing you, so there’s no way you can get away.”
Maomao “In that way, the nephew leaded everyone to the collection room. Candles were prepared in advance, and once the nephew said ‘I heard my uncle’s voice,’ the will would be found immediately.”
羅半「そうだね。間違(まちが)いないけど、何(なに)が気(き)になるんだい？」
Rahan “So-dane. Machigai’nai’kedo, nani’ga ki’ni narun’dai?”
Lahan “Yeah, you’re right, but what’s bothering you?”
Maomao “Yeah. Considering you got involved, he was too careless. The handwriting on the will was so poorly done that it could be easily identified if someone investigated it. And then, the sound of Lahan’s abacus. It was as if you knew I was there and was making me help us solve the mystery.”
Maomao “Also, one more thing is that the nephew made us stay in the guest room for a while. It’s already late at night. He could have just sent us home instead of the guest room. It was as if he thought there were still some work remained for us to do.”
Lahan “Why would he do that? He doesn’t need to forge a will. If he just renounces his inheritance and the wife and daughter inherit the family, there won’t be any problem, right?”
Maomao “This family didn’t have such an atmosphere. In fact, the servants recognized that Yi Chen would be the next head of the family. Unless he critically screwed up somehow, the wife and daughter would have been neglected by the servants.”
羅半「伯母(おば)と従妹(いとこ)のために、自分(じぶん)の身(み)を犠牲(ぎせい)にしたと？」
Rahan “Oba’to itoko’no tame’ni, jibun’no mi’o gisei’ni shita’to?”
Lahan “So, do you mean he sacrificed himself for his aunt and cousin?”
Maomao “Actually, he’s the son of the man who murdered the head of the family. For Yi Chen, who lost his mother early and was raised by his aunt for many years, it would be an act of betrayal against his foster parents. You said he’s that capable, so even if he runs away from this family, he could easily make a living in any way. So, I guess we were chosen as suitable riddle solvers, right?”
Rahan “Sakki’no nise’no yuigon’sho’to mattaku onaji bunmen’daro? Tada ji’o utsushita’dake’sa. Shobun’shite’kure’to Īchen’ni tano’mareta. Oku’gata’niwa zettai mise’nai’yo-ni’to’sa.”
Lahan “It’s the exact same wording as the fake will from earlier, isn’t it? The fake one was just transcribed. Yi Chen asked me to dispose of it, and never to show it to the wife.”
Lahan “She passed out just after reading the fake will, didn’t she? She was devastated, realizing that her dead husband never put his wife and child first. Yi Chen didn’t want to accept such a will as the real one. Because she was just like a mother to him. Even if, to her, her daughter is her only child…)
たとえ～であろうとも・あっても（Tatoe ～de aro-tomo, attemo）: Even if it is～
Maomao “Regarding why Yi Chen’s father poisoned his older brother, the head of the family. There was no need to kill, if his son was going to properly inherit the family.”
Rahan “Jibun’ni nizu yu-shu-na musuko’o hokori’ni omotte’ita’hazu’da. Yo-shi’ni naru’to iu’koto’wa, sono hitori’musuko’ga jibun’no musuko’ja naku’naru’to iu’koto’daro?”
Lahan “He must have been proud of his talented son, who was unlike himself. If the son were to be adopted, that only son would no longer be his son, right?”
猫猫「そ…そんなことで人(ひと)を殺(ころ)すと？」
Maomao “So…Sonna koto’de hito’o korosu’to?”
Maomao “D-Do you mean people are going to kill someone over something like that?”
Lahan “Everyone has their own values. It might have been painful for him to have his precious treasure taken away. Or, it might have been the result of pent-up frustration. In case of you, if you had the opportunity to try an unknown poison, you want to try it yourself, don’t you? For me, that value of you is more difficult to understand.”
Rahan “Sutete’nai’yo. Tada boku’ni totte yori utsukushii michi’o sagashita’dake’dakara’ne.”
Lahan “I never did abandon. I just looked for a more beautiful path for myself.”
The background to this line is a bit complicated, so let me explain. Lahan’s real father is Lakan’s half-brother and was supposed to succeed Lahan’s grandfather, who was the head of La family. However, Lakan colluded with Lahan to bring down Lahan’s grandfather, seize the family headship, and adopted Lahan, so the public, and also Maomao, views Lakan and Lahan like traitors to their family. The actual situation of La family will likely be depicted in Season 3 or later.
Lahan “Say whatever you want. I just wanted to see my talented friend choose the more beautiful path. Well, I’m sure he’ll make a name for himself on a different path eventually, so he can pay me back as much as he likes.”
Gaoshun “Yes. Please do not worry about it. I just had a lot of work to do today. No matter how hard I try, if there is no one to ultimately sign off on it, the work just keeps piling up… I ran around trying to get a little leeway, sometimes trying to gauge the moods of other high-ranking officials, putting on a polite smile, just having a stabbing pain in my stomach… Well, compared to you, Master Jinshi, who has been out and looks so tired, it is nothing much, though…”
Suiren “Gaoshun. Sono yo-su’dato, kore’wa noma’nai’kashira? Oishii osake’de, yoku au otsumami’mo yo-i’shite’ita’noyo. Osake’nimo au amai okashi’yo. Basen’ga kuru’to omotte junbi’shite’ita’no.”
Suiren “Gaoshun, judging by your condition, I don’t think you’ll drink this, will you? It’s a delicious drink, and I’ve prepared some sweet treats that goes well with alcohol too. Since I thought Basen would come over, I prepared them.
Jinshi “You went to pick flowers several times today. If you’re not feeling well, you should nourish yourself and rest. When you sleep, make sure not to let your stomach get cold.”
滋養をつける（じようをつける/Jiyo-o tsukeru）: nourish one’s body, build up one’s strength
Jinshi “What are you talking about? I’m not going to let you drink when your stomach is upset. Just go to sleep quietly.”
猫猫「えええ、そんなぁ―――…」
Maomao “Eee, sonnaaaaaaaa…”
Maomao “What?! Oh nooooo…”
(The End)
――――――――――――――――――――
I hope you all enjoyed it! I’m a little worried about whether my translation worked well, but I feel like I was able to work on it more smoothly than my previous translations. I also hope my English skills have improved even a little.
This story seems to take place not long after Maomao injured her leg in the attempted assassination on Jinshi, so it would be around the end of Season 1 of the anime. At that time, Lahan hadn’t appeared in the main story yet, so Jinshi and Basen didn’t know who “the man with the abacus” was. All the characters in KNH are quirky and unique, but among them, La clan (Maomao, Lakan, Lahan, Luomen) and Ma clan (Gaoshun, Basen) have all particularly strong personalities and I’m looking forward to seeing all the new characters that will appear in Season 3 and beyond. Season 3 Starts in October, but before that I want to rewatch Season 1 & 2 all the way through. Season 3 will be two consecutive cours, with a new story movie coming out in between, so I’m really excited and can’t wait.
For your reference, here is the information on the voice actors for this drama CD. Only Maomao has the same VA as in the anime; the other characters are voiced by different VAs.
猫猫（マオマオ/Maomao）…悠木碧（ゆうき・あおい/Aoi Yuki） Maomao in KNH anime, Kiriya Ubuyashiki (Kagaya Ubuyashiki’s son with black hair) in Demon Slayer
壬氏（ジンシ/Jinshi）…櫻井孝宏（さくらい・たかひろ/Takahiro Sakurai） Giyu Tomioka in Demon Slayer, Cloud Strife in the game Final Fantasy 7 Remake & Reverse (Japanese version)
高順（ガオシュン/Gaoshun）…津田健次郎(つだ・けんじろう/Kenjiro Tsuda) Kento Nanami in Jujutsu Kaisen, a man of Westalis Military Intelligence, who scouted Loid in Episode 40 in SPYxFAMILY
馬閃（バセン/Basen）…松岡禎丞（まつおか・よしつぐ/Yoshitsugu Matsuoka） Inosuke Hashibira in Demon Slayer
羅半（ラハン/Lahan）…小林千晃（こばやし・ちあき/Chiaki Kobayashi） Stark in Frieren
I was very surprised to learn that both roles of Suiren and the wife were played by the same VA, and moreover, by a male VA.
Learning about Yi Chen’s hidden, deep affection made my heart ache, but Maomao, who said she “can understand” it, probably feels the same way about her adoptive father, Luomen. Not only the core plot development engaging, but the witty banter between Maomao and Lahan, as well as the comical scenes involving the oblivious Basen, made it a very entertaining story. I would also love to hear your thoughts on this story!
Wife “Yes… My husband intended to adopt Yi Chen. Originally, Yi Chen’s mother died young, and I essentially raised him. If my daughter hadn’t been born, we would have adopted him long ago as the heir.”
Maomao “Where you got the candles from, and… I know this is quite presumptuous, but would it be possible for us to participate in so-called ‘the ritual to summon back the soul’?”
Wife “I understand. In any case, I thought I would prefer someone of the third party who has nothing to do with the inheritance to be with us. But instead, I have a request…”
Jinshi “The fact that she wants a third party to be present means that she needs to keep a close eye on the nephew to make sure he doesn’t do anything wrong.”
Basen “That is right. If the will contains something unfavorable, the nephew should want to get rid of it. The servants would probably be on his side.”
Basen “It seems that he is also an official, and the deceased was acquainted with him, though not being in the same department. So they used that connection to get the candles this time.”
面識がある（めんしきがある/Menshiki’ga aru）: be acquainted with, be familiar with, know each other
ツテ（伝手/つて/Tsute）: connections
猫猫（なんか手(て)を振(ふ)ってる）
Maomao (Nanka te’o futteru.)
Maomao (He’s waving.)
壬氏「妙(みょう)に馴(な)れ馴(な)れしい男(おとこ)だったと」
Jinshi “Myo-ni nare’nare’shii otoko’datta’to.”
Jinshi “He seemed strangely over-familiar.”
羅半(ラハン)「妹(いもうと)よー！」
Rahan “Imo-to’yooo!”
Lahan “Little Sister!”
Lahan’s way of addressing Maomao as “妹よ(いもうとよ/Imo-to’yo)” is very unique, and I can say that is depicted as one of Lahan’s distinctive feature of his personality. We usually call our younger sisters by their first name, and don’t use the word “妹（いもうと/Imo-to）”, although we only refer that when talking to people other than our family members. Since the anime hasn’t yet shown a scene where Lahan and Maomao meet and talk, I’m so curious to see how it will be translated into English. I tentatively translate it as “Little Sister,” but I will revise accordingly after shown in the anime.
猫猫（羅(ラ)ハ――ン！）
Maomao (Rahaaaaan!)
Maomao (Lahaaaaan!)
壬氏「あっ。おい、どうした？なんで窓(まど)を閉(し)める？」
Jinshi “A. Oi, do-shita? Nande mado’o shimeru?”
Jinshi “Huh? Hey, what’s the matter? Why did you close the window?”
Maomao (Master Basen is so slow to catch on! In comparison, Jinshi really gets it.)
It sounds weird that Maomao call Basen with “Master” but Jinshi without in her thought. I’m not sure if the author deliberately did that or not. Perhaps it shows that Maomao feels her being so close to Jinshi?
Maomao “Who the hell is your little sister?! You Abacus Four-Eyes!”
Maomao hates being called “妹（いもうと/Imo-to）: little sister” by Lahan, because he is actually her cousin (her biological father Lakan’s younger brother’s son) and also an adopted brother. Besides that, her feelings towards Lakan are very complex, as revealed in Season 1, and she also takes a harsh attitude towards Lahan, whom Lakan adopted.
Rahan “Hidoi’na. Hisashi’buri’ni au kazoku’ni taisuru taido’kai? Teka, Yarite-Babaa’kara shisso-shitatte kiite, sore’nari’ni shinpai-shitetan’dayo.”
Lahan “That’s awful. Is that how you treat family you haven’t seen in a long time? I mean, I heard from the old madam that you’d disappeared, so I was half-decently worried.”
それなりに(Sore’nari’ni): half-decently, reasonably, in its own way, accordingly
This phrase is a typical example of ambiguous Japanese. When used in reference to monetary amounts or quantifiable things, it means “quite a bit” or “fairly much.” However, when used in reference to “worried”, as in this case, it means “not very much, but not a little.” In other words, the actual extent of it varies depending on the speaker, and the interpretation will differ depending on the listener, so it’s left to your imagination.
Rahan “Shitsurei’na. Sore’yori chichi’ue’ga dore’dake omae’no koto’o shinpai’shite-iruka wakatteru’noka? Mendo-kusain’dazo, ano ossan. Omae’ga Rokusho-kan’ni inai’koto’o gomakasu’noni, dore’dake kuro-shita’ka wakaru’ka?”
Lahan “That’s rude. Do you even realize how worried our father is about you? That old man is a pain in the neck. Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through to cover up your absence from the Verdigris House?”
オッサン（おっさん/Ossan）: I followed the anime’s translation as “old man,” but in Japanese, おっさん exactly means “middle-aged man,” and old man is actually called “じいさん(Jiisan).” In Japan, we casually and frequently use the word おっさん(rough) or おじさん（polite） to call a middle-aged man, and おばさん for a middle-aged woman, but those words can sometimes be taken as insulting. I guess if I used the word “middle-aged man” in my translation, it would sound so unnatural in English.
Maomao “Family, huh? I don’t want to hear that from someone like you who like other people’s wives!”
人妻（ひとづま/Hito’zuma）: other person’s wife, someone’s wife, married woman
既婚女性（きこんじょせい/Kikon’josei）: married woman
While both words have the same meaning, 人妻 is a more suggestive way of speaking, often used to hint at an inappropriate relationship or similar situation.
Rahan “Shikkei’na. Wari’kitta kankei’o tsukuri’yasui mibo-jin’to ki’ga au’dake’dayo. Hito’zuma’ja nai.”
Lahan “How rude. I just get along well with widows because they’re easier to have a no strings attached relationship with. They’re not other people’s wives (but widows).”
割り切った関係（わりきったかんけい/Wari’kitta kankei）: a no strings attached relationship
Lahan “I just want to clear up this misunderstanding now. There’s no way I would have an indecent relationship with a woman whose husband has just died.”
Maomao “No, you’re the one who brought the suspicious stuff. How dare you sell it to the unfortunate widow.”
羅半「あいにく、僕(ぼく)が頼(たの)まれたのは甥(おい)の方(ほう)だよ」
Rahan “Ainiku, boku’ga tano’mareta’nowa oi’no’ho-dayo.”
Lahan “I’m afraid, no. The person who asked me for it was the nephew.”
あいにく(生憎/Ainiku): Unfortunately, I’m afraid, Too bad, Tough luck.
There are two possible interpretations of this word here;
1. It was unfortunate the nephew asked him for that because Lahan prefers to be asked by the widow.
2. Lahan is saying “I’m afraid,” or even “Too bad” to Maomao because her confident guess was completely wrong.
If he said “お生憎様！（おあいにくさま/Oainiku’sama）” instead of “あいにく”, he would mean the 2nd one without doubt. But “あいにく、…” can be interpreted in both ways. I’m not sure but my guess is the 2nd one.
Lahan “Yeah. The nephew Yi Chen asked me to get him the candles. We knew each other since when I was talking with the head of the family. Because the candles have become so popular now that they’re being resold at exorbitant prices, he asked me if I could get them at a fair price for him.”
Lahan “I’m telling you! I just sold high-quality candles. And the only thing I advertised them for was, ‘A candle that looks like showing the flickering of the soul.’ I never did any exaggerated advertising.”
Maomao “Mm-hmm? Then, what about the stories that the dead came back to life, or that the soul returned? Isn’t it that you perfectly used those rumors to advertise them?”
Lahan “You’re sharp in those kinds of things, Maomao. I did say that this candle was the one used in the rumored funeral. But I never said anything about it being able to bring back the dead to life. I didn’t deny it either, though. The rumor got exaggerated and the advertising copy just got twisted.”
Lahan “You really don’t get it. This candle has first-class, beautiful numbers, from its shape and scent to how it burns. Because of the effort that goes into making it, the unit price is high. Even if a craftsman puts so much time and effort into making it, but it remains unsold, resulting in a loss and even forcing the business to close, that’s a loss, isn’t it?”
Lahan “Hm… The nephew, huh? Yi Chen is quite a shrewd man. He has foresight. He’s also good at managing the servants. If only his father hadn’t screwed up, he would have easily become the head of the family. The deceased head was also a capable person, but he was only able to indulge in his hobbies of eating rare delicacies and such because Yi Chen was so capable as the young leader.”
Rahan “Musume’wa mada chiisai’daro? Kodomo’ga naka’naka deki’nai’kara, moto’moto oi’o yo-shi’ni shiyo-to’iu hanashi’datta’shi, sono tsumori’dattan’daro. Demo maa, su-nen’go’no koto’wa wakara’nakattan’daro-na. Yappari jitsu’no musume’wa kawaii’kara.”
Lahan “The daughter is still young, right? They originally planned to adopt their nephew since they couldn’t seem to have a baby, and Yi Chen probably intended to be as well. But I guess they didn’t know what would happen a few years later. After all, your own daughter is the one you love.”
Maomao (Now I understand the younger brother’s motive for poisoning his older brother. It’s pretty much the same view as Master Jinshi and Master Basen. Did he decide against adopting his nephew so that his daughter could inherit the family?)
猫猫「ふーん？」
Maomao “Fuuun?”
Maomao “Hmmm?”
羅半「はいはい。こんなものでいいか？…と言うか」
Rahan “Hai-hai. Konna mono’de ii’ka? …To’iuka.”
Lahan “Okay, then. Is this good enough? By the way…”
Maomao (The other one is a servant… Hmm, from what I can see, it seems just as Lahan said… Even though we are accompanied by a suspicious masked man, he doesn’t mention that specifically, and his demeanor is polite.)
Jinshi “What in the world is that just now?! A figure actually appeared, and what’s more, I could even hear the voice… If it were just that the candle flame is lit again, I could have easily dismissed the rumors as lies… but this makes it seem real, doesn’t it?”
Basen “…Aa. Ano myo-na hikari’o oi’kakete’kita’tokoro, ano garakuta, a… iya, shu-shu-beya’ni tsuita. Soshite, rei’no tamashii’o yobu ro-soku’ga tsukue’no ue’ni oite’atta’noda.”
Basen “…Yeah. I followed that strange light and ended up in that junk…, uh, I mean, the collection room. And there it was, that soul-summoning candle, sitting on the desk.”
Basen “Yes… That was hard to believe. Then, as soon as the wife saw the will, she turned pale. She must have thought that it was written that her daughter could inherit.”
Maomao “I am not sure if I can say I have proof… I think we will probably find out if we investigate the morgue we just were. The nephew told us to go back to the guest room, though.”
Jinshi “I see… That may explain the third story. However, it’s not just like the soul of this family’s head which we have just seen. That wasn’t upside down, and was much clearer.”
Maomao “What we saw earlier was probably caused by using something like a magic lantern. It projects a picture drawn on glass with light. It is an unusual device, but perhaps someone like you could have seen one before, Master Jinshi?”
Maomao “Yes. I realized that from looking at the junk… no, I mean, the collection room earlier. If the collection of trade goods was the taste of the deceased, there might be one such item.”
Maomao (I guess this is the room of the wife who’s passed out. I thought there might be tension due to the inheritance dispute, but it seems he’s really worried.)
Maomao (Let’s see… The family headship will be passed on to the nephew. And, it also says that some of the property will be distributed to the wife and daughter, but…)
Yi Chen “Then, you’re saying I prepared a fake will? Even though my uncle’s soul guided me there? How do you explain what happened in the ritual just now?”
Maomao “Actually, I have a question to you. Besides having a fondness for delicacies, the deceased head of this family also enjoyed collecting trade goods, right?”
Maomao “Sono do-gu’ga areba, hitsugi’no aru heya’ni arawareta, hito’no sugata’o shita tamashii’ga saigen’dekiru’kato omoi’masu. Sono ato’no tamashii’no ido-ni tsuite’wa, kuroi fuku’o kita jinbutsu’ga sho-mei’o motte hashi’reba, ikura’demo saigen’dekiruno’dewa nai’desho-ka?”
Maomao “With that tool, I think we can recreate the human-shaped soul that appeared in the room with the coffin. As for the soul’s movement afterward, couldn’t we recreate it any number of times if a person in black clothes runs with a light?”
Maomao “A myna bird… is the name of the bird, correct? This is its feather, right? Surely the servants remember that he used to keep birds at least, don’t they?”
Maomao “You used an accomplice to make it seem like your uncle’s soul had returned. Then you had a myna bird speak, making it sound as if it were your uncle’s words. How do you explain that?”
共犯者（きょうはんしゃ/Kyo-han’sha）: accomplice
あたかも～のように(Atakamo ～no yo-ni): as if it were～ ＝まるで～のように
Yi Chen “I was supposed to inherit this family… But now my cousin, who was born later, is taking it all! Even though I’ve been trained to be the successor for years!”
Jinshi “It’s a forgery of the will, but the incident will probably be covered up within the household. Now that he made such a fuss in front of the servants, I guess the trust he’s built up until now would be shattered…”
薬屋のひとりごと １2巻 ドラマＣＤ vol.２ 『魂の蝋燭（たましいのろうそく/Tamashii’no Ro-soku）』 (1/3) / Drama CD for KNH Light Novel vol.12, vol.2 “The Candles of Souls” (1/3)
Please note that the English lines are just my translation.
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Suiren “Maomao, please ask the young master which he would prefer to do first, dinner or a bath. Also, since you have an injured leg, you can sit in a chair.”
〇〇してちょうだい(〇〇shite-cho-dai): casual way of saying “〇〇してください（〇〇shite-kudasai）: please do 〇〇/verb”
Maomao (…I don’t get it at all…) “Master Jinshi? Which should we prepare first, dinner or a bath?”
（棒）＝棒読み（ぼうよみ/Bo-yomi）: reading in a monotone/toneless/flat voice
The question is well-known as an old-fashioned, typical one that wives ask their husbands when they return home in newlywed households in Japan. (We need to fill the bathtub with hot water beforehand in order to take a bath. Also, housewives need to prepare a warm meal so that it can be served at just the right time. So this question symbolizes the ideal housewife who devotes herself to doing housework for her husband.)
That’s why Suiren wanted to get Maomao to ask this question to Jinshi. I guess Maomao should get that, and that’s the reason of her toneless voice.
Maomao “I can see that, but I thought that there would be some particular reason why you brought them, Master Gaoshun. Or perhaps, Lady Suiren asked you to run an errand for her?”
お使い（おつかい/Otsukai）: an errand
高順「今日(きょう)はお使(つか)いではありません」
Gaoshun “Kyo-wa otsukai’dewa ari’masen.”
Gaoshun “It is not an errand today.”
猫猫（今日(きょう)じゃない日(ひ)はお使(つか)いがあるんだ…）
Maomao (Kyo-ja nai’hi’wa otsukai’ga arunda…)
Maomao (So, he does run an errand on a day other than today…)
壬氏「薬屋(くすりや)、お前(まえ)もその蝋燭(ろうそく)について知(し)りたいか？」
Jinshi “Kusuriya, omae’mo sono ro-soku’ni tsuite shiri’tai’ka?”
Jinshi “Apothecary, do you also want to know about the candles?”
猫猫「そう言(い)われると知(し)りたくありません」
Maomao “So-iwareru’to shiri’taku’ari’masen.”
Maomao “If that is what you say, then I do not want to know that.”
Gaoshun “Xiaomao, I understand that it sounds too fishy for you to believe, but please stop showing your gums and making such a distorted face. Master Jinshi is lowkey hurt…”
眉唾物（まゆつばもの/Mayu’tsuba’mono）: fishy story, too good to be true
Maomao “Well then, excuse me.” (Check the color of the metal plate… Check the smell. Check the taste. Mmm! This is just a tasting for poison, but the chicken’s good! Pork’s good! Mmm, hehe. Refreshing-flavored chicken, and jiggly pork!)
Jinshi “I’m not interested in the souls of the dead or anything like that. But there are people in this world who believe that the candles do have magical powers.”
うんぬん（云々/Un’nun）: and so on, etc., yada yada yada, this and that
世の中（よのなか/Yono’naka）: world, society
宿る（やどる/Yadoru）: be in, dwell in, reside in, stay at
Gaoshun “Yes, in the past, there have been cases of people calling themselves immortals committing fraud by claiming to be able to resurrect the dead, even deceiving members of the royal family. These candles have recently become a hot topic, and are being sold for the exorbitant price of ten silver coins a piece. Apparently, some people even those poor, are willing to go into debt to buy them, hoping to hear the voices of their dead family members or meet them again.”
仙人（せんにん/Sen’nin）: immortal (A Chinese legendary being said to have lived in the mountains, far from the secular world, and through ascetic training, attained an immortal body and superhuman powers)
Gaoshun “When they first started selling them, no one paid any attention to them and bought them. But when a merchant used the candles for a funeral, the soul of the dead returned and the dead person was resurrected. Stories of other miracles caused by these candles also spread, and there has been a constant stream of people wanting to buy them in search of similar miracles.”
Jinshi “They say that at least three miracles have occurred. The first one, as Gaoshun explained earlier, occurred at the funeral, where the soul of the dead returned. The dead was resurrected and is now living a normal life, apparently.”
猫猫「…それ、最近(さいきん)似(に)たようなことがありませんでしたか？」
Maomao “…Sore, saikin nita’yo-na’koto’ga ari’masen’deshita’ka?”
Maomao “…Hasn’t something similar happened recently?”
Maomao (Suirei, a former court lady… is a schemer who plotted to assassinate Jinshi and then attempted to escape by pretending to be dead in a state of suspended animation induced by taking the medicine herself.)
仮死状態（かしじょうたい/Kashi’jo-tai）: suspended animation
策士（さくし/Saku’shi）: tactician, schemer
The word 策士 means someone who is skilled at cleverly devising strategies and plans to ensure things go well, and it can be used in both a positive and negative sense. I translated it as “schemer” which has a negative connotation, but I’m not sure if “tactician” would be a better choice.
Maomao “I am not exactly knowledgeable about that, but there are rare cases of the dead coming back to life. A body that was in a state of suspended animation comes back to life. However, in most cases, it is more likely to be a misdiagnosis by a doctor who was not careful enough to confirm the death.”
高順「誤診(ごしん)…。そんなにあるものなのですか？」
Gaoshun “Goshin… Sonna’ni aru’mono’nano’desu’ka?”
Gaoshun “Misdiagnosis… Are there really that many cases?”
Maomao “Private doctors are different from the royal medical officers. There are a lot of self-proclaimed doctors who don’t even study properly and are practically frauds.”
〇〇まがいの（〇〇紛いの/〇〇magai’no）: 〇〇-like, pseudo-〇〇, almost like a 〇〇
It’s mostly used in a negative sense, referring to fake things/people.
Jinshi “Apparently, during the funeral, the candle that had gone out was relit. The moment it was lit, the body moved inside the coffin. Unlike the first case, the soul did not return completely, and the body became motionless again.”
Maomao “The candle lights up, the corpse moves a little, then stops moving again… And these candles are the same type as those? Let me check a bit, please.”
壬氏「ああ」
Jinshi “Aa.”
Jinshi “Sure.”
猫猫（ふむふむ…フンフン、フンフン、フン…）
Maomao (Fumu’fumu… Fun’fun, fun’fun, fun…)
Maomao (Hmm…, sniff, sniff…)
水蓮「匂(にお)いを嗅(か)いでるの？犬(いぬ)みたいね、猫猫(マオマオ)」
Suiren “Nioi’o kaideru’no? Inu’mitai’ne, Maomao.”
Suiren “Are you sniffing it? You’re like a dog, Maomao.”
高順「猫(ねこ)もやりますよ」
Gaoshun “Neko’mo yari’masu’yo.”
Gaoshun “Cats do that, too.”
壬氏「猫(ねこ)も人間(にんげん)より鼻(はな)がいいそうだぞ」
Jinshi “Neko’mo ningen’yori hana’ga ii’so-dazo.”
Jinshi “Cats are also said to have better noses than humans.”
水蓮「やっぱり猫(ねこ)なのかしら」
Suiren “Yappari neko’nano’kashira.”
Suiren “Then I wonder if she is a cat, after all.”
高順「やっぱり猫(ねこ)なのでしょうか」
Gaoshun “Yappari neko’nano’desho-ka.”
Gaoshun “I wonder if she is a cat, after all.”
壬氏「うん…猫(ねこ)か…」
Jinshi “Un… Neko’ka…”
Jinshi “Yeah… A cat, huh?”
猫猫（…なわけねえだろ）
Maomao (…Na wake’nee’daro.)
Maomao (As if.)
…なわけねえだろ ＝ rough way of saying “そんなわけないだろう(Sonna’wake nai’daro.): As if, It can’t be, No way.“
Maomao “I am just trying to confirm what the candles are made of. But anyway, as expected of the expensive products, they sure are quite particular about that.”
Maomao “Master Jinshi. There is a saying, ‘Haste makes waste.’ Sometimes you can only learn things by conducting experiments and verifications repeatedly.”
Maomao “There is vaporized wax mixed in with the smoke swaying to and fro. Strong alcohol can sometimes catch fire, right? In the same way, the vaporized wax acts as a fuse, relighting the candle wick. Of course, as we could just see, the success rate is not so high. But if you have several candles, one of them might light up.”
たゆたう（揺蕩う/Tayutau）: sway to and fro, drift about, flutter
Jinshi “In the room where the body was being laid to rest, the soul appeared in human form. The soul wandered around for a while, and has gone somewhere in the end, apparently.”
Gaoshun “The body was apparently placed in a morgue near the temple. According to the person who was keeping watch all night, when the candle flame went out, the soul of the deceased appeared. In the pitch-black room, only the figure of the deceased was clearly visible.”
Maomao “But those suspicious candles only became a hot topic recently, right? If they had been on sale for over a year, it would have been much earlier.”
Maomao “Furthermore, in the first story, even though it was about a funeral, there was no mention of candles. I guess it was much later than in the first story… around the time of the second story, that they started selling a lot, right?”
壬氏「時系列(じけいれつ)を考(かんが)えると…その通(とお)りだな」
Jinshi “Jikeiretsu’o kangaeru’to… sono toori’dana.”
Gaoshun “So, you are saying that they made a forced connection between the first and second stories so that they could use the second story to trigger the candles’ good sales. You mean, as an afterthought, they added and tied the first story of the past into the second story to sell candles, right?”
こじつける(Koji’tsukeru): make a forced connection, read too much into, strech, far-fetched
絡める（からめる/Karameru）: involve, tie into, wrap around, tangle
Maomao “That is right. Or, I think they later added the name ‘candles that can summon the souls of the dead’ to the candles they were originally selling.”
Gaoshun “By chance, the candles became a hot topic, and that sparked the idea of selling more. There was an interesting rumor from the past, so they pieced them together and used them as advertising slogans. Is that right?”
Jinshi “Indeed, it seems that the candles’ sales have increased significantly in the last few months. If they promoted sales of the product based on the second story, it makes sense.”
納得がいく（なっとくがいく/Nattoku’ga iku）: It makes sense, It clicks.
Maomao “There are many things I don’t understand about the third story… If I could see what the actual scene was like, I might be able to figure it out, though.”
Jinshi “Tomorrow, a funeral will be held for a certain official. The bereaved family has suggested using this candle to summon the soul of the deceased.”
Maomao (Dressed shabbily? Perhaps he’s talking about the disguise I made him before? It’s true that I did dress him in unknown someone’s clothes of aging body odor, but… Does he really have to say that much?)
加齢臭（かれいしゅう/Karei’shu）: aging body odor, old person smell
そこまで言う？（そこまでいう？/Soko’made iu?）: You’re going too far. I think you’re saying too much.
壬氏「では、参(まい)るか」
Jinshi “Dewa, mairu’ka.”
Jinshi “Shall we go, then?”
参る（まいる/Mairu）: Keigo (humble, polite type) for “行く（いく/Iku）: go,” “来る（くる/Kuru）: come”
In this case, Jinshi doesn’t need to use keigo to Maomao and Basen, though. I guess he is trying to show especially to Basen that he is working seriously.
Maomao (This food poisoning involving the official is one of the incidents that are connected to assassination attempt on Jinshi. So he may feel responsible for it, and that might be why he is attending the funeral.)
馬閃「…がしかし、遺言書(ゆいごんしょ)にはどう書(か)かれているのか問題(もんだい)ですね」
Basen “…Ga shikashi, yuigon’sho’niwa do kakarete’iru’noka mondai’desu’ne.”
Basen “But anyway, the problem is what is written in the will.”
Basen “The deceased official and his wife only have a daughter. His relative is his younger brother who poisoned him, and the younger brother has a son.”
猫猫「うーん… かなり微妙(びみょう)ですね」
Maomao “Uuun… Kanari bimyo-desu’ne.”
Maomao “Hmm… That is quite an iffy situation.”
微妙な（びみょうな/Bimyo-na）: subtle, so-so, not really, iffy, hard to say
This word originally means “subtle,” but recently it’s more used as “iffy” when it’s hard to say/judge.
Maomao (Even if it’s her biological father’s inheritance, daughters who don’t inherit the family often have no rights to it. So, the inheritance often ends up in the male line, and the family headship is also…)
Jinshi “If the deceased clearly wrote a will, the inheritance will be distributed accordingly. But if there is no will, the nephew, who is in the male line, will inherit the house, and the wife and daughter will only be left with a small amount of money.”
Wife “Thank you for your concern and coming over us.”
お構いもできずすみません（おかまいもできず、すみません/Okamai’mo dekizu, sumi’masen.）: (Direct translation) I am sorry that I cannot/could not entertain/take care of you enough.
構う（かまう/Kamau）: care about, take care of
It’s a set phrase that hosts say to their guests. In Japanese, there are many humble expressions like this, and they are set phrases, so in reality, it’s more like saying thank you than apologizing.
Basen “U, Un, gu-zen mimi’ni shite’na. Saikin uwasa’ni kiku, tamashii’o yobi’modosu ro-soku’to iu’mono’o te’ni ireta’toka…”
Basen “Uh, yes, I happened to hear that. I also heard that you’ve acquired the candles that are said to bring the souls back, which is making a buzz recently.”
Maomao “Excuse me. We heard that the suspicious candles are being sold at exorbitant prices in town, so we came to investigate. We are sorry that it is like making use of your husband’s funeral.”
Wife “If only the will were found, we could consider what to do with ourselves. If my nephew, who is managing this household now, will inherit the family, I am thinking of leaving this house before my daughter becomes old enough to understand.”
身の振り方（みのふりかた/Mi’no furi’kata）: future course, plan for the future, what to do, next step in one’s career, career move/path
物心がつく（ものごころがつく/Mono’gokoro’ga tsuku）: become old enough to understand what’s going on around oneself
Hello. How are you? The first trailer for the movie just released. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP5wg0kTh54 I'm so excited 😊. I hope it's released in theaters where I live.
Thank you for your information! I'm also looking forward to seeing the movie on the big screen at the movie theater. And now I've been working on the translation of Drama CD vol. 12. Please wait just a little bit longer.
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.
――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
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?”
