KnT Bonus Chapter 1 Translation
Hey everyone!!
It’s been way too long, but here I am again with my translation of the Kurumi-centric bonus chapter that appeared in the May Issue of Bessatsu Margaret!
Disclaimer: I study Japanese in my spare time, but I’m nowhere near fluent; I’m also not an experienced translator. Though I do my best to compensate for the many gaps in my knowledge with research, I’m definitely not above making stupid mistakes, misinterpreting the text, and poorly conveying what (I think) I understood. Please don’t expect the quality of an official translation - I just want to share what I took from the chapter (right or wrong) with everyone, because it’s frustrating not knowing what’s going on in the story if you don’t know any Japanese. I spent a really long time on this one, and sometimes (often) I ran into walls (translating has me asking myself, “Does anyone actually say this? Did I just make this up? Is this even English?” haha). Thank you for understanding!
At the end of this chapter there’s an announcement that says we’ll get another bonus chapter this fall (my bet is October, half a year from now, but to my knowledge there’s no set date yet). I don’t know if we’ll get a continuation of this chapter, or if the next one will focus on another character / couple; I’ve heard rumors that people who attended Karuho Shiina’s book signing event at the Kimi ni Todoke Exhibition have claimed Ayane will get a story in the future, but these haven’t been confirmed. I do believe we’ll get at least 3 or 4 more of these chapters (enough to be released together in an extra volume down the road). I’ll update you if I hear anything! :)
The other day I made a post sharing the news that Amazon Japan had suspended international shipping for certain items, including magazines. Well, I’m happy to report that the international shipping option for magazines seems to have returned!! I would really encourage you all to buy the May Issue if you’re financially able to (if you’re a fan of “Omoi Omoware, Furi Furare” you’ll really want this - it comes with super cute “OOFF”-themed masking tape!). Here’s a quick guide I made about ordering from Amazon Japan - I know it seems intimidating, but I promise it’s easier than you think! I’m also happy to answer any questions you have about the ordering process, so please feel free to message me anytime!
Okay everyone, time to put on your cutest outfit, because we’re going to a mixer with Kurumi! :)
Someone on tieba baidu shared scans if you’d like to use those for following along with my translation; @rosemask22 was kind enough to share photos of the new chapter with everyone, so check those out too!
“This is spoken dialogue.” (This is a thought bubble.) [This is narration.]
Eiji Akahoshi, one of the main characters in this chapter, is from Karuho Shiina’s first serialized manga, “Crazy For You”; I don’t know much about him, but he and Kurumi have a fun dynamic!
Enjoy! :D
COVER
(Kurumi and Sawako have entered the same university. Their campus life is…?)
(But a rose-colored future needs a thorn, right?)
PAGE 1
Kurumi: (Once in a while I think, ‘Maybe Sawako-chan is my soulmate.’) *
(Cellphone rings; it’s a call from Shouta Kazehaya.)
* She wonders if Sawako is her “運命の人” (unmei no hito, literally “fated / destined person”) – from what I’ve seen, this can be translated as soulmate (but I wanted you to know it has the added meaning of “person I was born / destined / supposed to meet”). Also, as much as I love reading it that way (and feel free to read / interpret it that way!), I don’t think she intends to use the word in a romantic sense.
PAGE 2
Kazehaya: “Oh!! Hello…Sawako?! It’s me! Shouta!!”
Kazehaya: “Is now a good time?! It seems like Kurumizawa is always…”
Kurumi: “If you’re looking for Sawako-chan she’s actually taking a bath.”
Kazehaya: “Oh…oh?! Kurumizawa?!!”
Kazehaya: “Huh? Why are you there every day?! Do you ever leave?!”
Kurumi: “I go home occasionally ~ ”
Kurumi: “It’s been a while, Kazehaya. How are things? Have you settled into college life?”
Kazehaya: “Oh?! Yeah, little by little!!”
PAGE 3
Kazehaya: “Hold on, isn’t this Kuronuma’s phone?! You answer it…?”
Kurumi: “So, you call her Sawako when you two are alone together? Hm…”
Kazehaya: “Huh?!”
Kurumi: “Well, you know Kazehaya…Have you heard?”
Kazehaya: “What?!! What are you talking about?!”
Kurumi: “Here at college, you know, Sawako-chan…”
Kurumi: “She’s super popular.”
Kurumi: “Especially with the guys.”
Kurumi: “No one thinks of her as Sadako or anything.”
Kurumi: “Isn’t that great? Bye!! Oh, I’ll tell her you called ~”
Kazehaya: “No! Wait a sec!”
PAGE 4
Sawako: “The hot water was nice ~. Will you take a bath too, Kurumi-chan? I haven’t drained the water yet!”
Kurumi: “I’ll take a shower when I get home. I get cold after taking baths.”
Sawako: “You can spend the night if you want ~”
Kurumi: “I stayed over yesterday too, you know. Oh, you got a call from Kazehaya. I told him you were taking a bath.”
Sawako: “Oh ~ thank you!!”
Kurumi: [Hello, Kurumizawa here.]
Sawako: “Please, please be careful on your way home!!!”
Kurumi: “It’s fine, my house is really close. Okay then, see you tomorrow.”
Kurumi: [I think I’ll tell you a bit about my typical day since becoming a university student here.]
Kurumi: [In the morning I go to the university. I meet up with Sawako-chan.]
Sawako: “Good morning!”
Kurumi: “Morning ~”
PAGE 5
Kurumi: [I attend classes with Sawako-chan.]
Kurumi: “How’d it go yesterday? You were on the phone for a long time.”
Sawako: “Yeah, our conversation was a bit long.”
Kurumi: [I eat lunch with Sawako-chan.]
Kurumi: [After finishing various things I go to Sawako-chan’s apartment.]
Sawako: “I’m back.”
Kurumi: “Ah, I’m worn out.”
Kurumi: [I hang out.]
Kurumi: [I lie around.]
PAGE 6
Kurumi: [Sooner or later I get hungry.]
Sawako: “I wonder what I should make for dinner…”
Kurumi: “I brought bean sprouts. Let’s eat something simple.”
Sawako: “That sounds nice! I’ll boil the vegetables altogether with the pork I have.”
Kurumi: “Yeah. Ponzu sauce would be fine, right?”
Sawako: “It would! I have sesame sauce too!”
Kurumi: [Our meals are pretty random, though they’re occasionally planned with care (by Sawako-chan), and we really enjoy eating them together.] *
Kurumi: [Staying over and going home, because (Chizuru) and (Ayane) aren’t here, I stick to Sawako-chan like a parasite as much as I like.]
Kurumi: [Though once in a while I kindly grant Kazehaya time to talk with her on the phone…]
Kazehaya: (“Did you say ‘grant’?!”)
Sawako: “Kurumi-chan.”
* I’ve played around with this a lot (the structure has been changed a bit and I’ve added a few words) in an effort to get across the sense of the original. I think Kurumi is saying that a lot of times preparing the food / eating the meal is an informal, random thing where they’ll eat whatever (like the dinner we see them improvise), and sometimes Sawako carefully plans it, but no matter what, they enjoy eating dinner together.
PAGE 7
Sawako: “Do you put milk in your tea?”
Kurumi: “I do.”
Sawako: “Okay then, everything is all set, so let’s put in the movie you brought!”
Sawako: “Is it scary…?”
Kurumi: “I wonder!”
Kurumi: [When I’m with Sawako-chan, I’m able to feel peace of mind.]
PAGE 8
Sawako: “Huh? A mixer?”
Female Friend: “That’s right! A girl who said she could go can’t make it now after all!”
Kurumi: “A mixer, huh?”
Female Friend: “If I waste this opportunity I have no idea when it’ll come again! I definitely want a boyfriend, you know!! Really, you just showing up would be enough!!”
Sawako: (I wonder if maybe Kurumi-chan is interested?)
Kurumi: “…I guess I’ll go if Sawako does.”
Female Friend: “Seriously?!”
Sawako: “Huh?! What?!”
Kurumi: “I can’t go alone…”
Sawako: “K-Kurumi-chan!”
PAGE 9
Sawako: “I have a boyfriend named Kazehaya, so I don’t think my going to a place like that would be fair to him or to my male partner at the mixer.”
Kurumi: “…What about me?”
Sawako: “Huh?”
Kurumi: “I also want to find another person to love soon.”
Kurumi: “I dream of having a boyfriend. Good for you, Sawako-chan, you have Kazehaya…Good for you, Sawako-chan, you have Kazehaya…Must be nice…”
Kurumi: “I also want to have a romantic encounter or something like that. Being single is lonely…Good for you, Sawako-chan.” *
Sawako: “So you see, that’s why I’m going to a mixer with Kurumi-chan this weekend. I’m sorry but thank you for understanding…”
Sawako: “Kazehaya-kun, um, from beginning to end, I’ll strive to properly support her!!!”
Kurumi: “Huh? Support?? Can you, Sawako-chan?? If I can’t find a boyfriend there might be a next time.”
Sawako: “I would even then!!”
[Kazehaya: K-Kurumizawa!!!!]
Kazehaya: “It’s okay, I believe in you!! I trust you!!!”
* Kurumi says she wants “a meeting” – this pops up a few times in the chapter, and based on context, I feel like she means a romantic encounter. It sounds sort of silly and stilted, but if I left it as “meeting” I don’t think it would get that meaning across.
PAGE 10
Kurumi: (“…Did I bother you after all?? I did, right??)
Sawako: (“I’m sorry, Kazehaya-kun…)
Sawako: “I hope a nice person will be there!”
Sawako: “I’ll do my best to support you!!”
Kurumi: […I only wanted to inconvenience you…just a bit…]
PAGE 11
Kurumi: [I wonder if it was because, overall, I was surprisingly honest with my feelings.]*
Kurumi: [That it wound up resonating with Sawako-chan.]
Sawako: “I’ll have to dress up! Oh, but Kurumi-chan, you’re cute so you can dress as you usually do!!!”
Kurumi: [Oh well, nothing I can do now. I have to be careful not to get weirdly closer to Sawako-chan.]
Kurumi: [I do dream of having a boyfriend, and I want something like a romantic encounter but…]
Kurumi: [In any case, those things won’t come to me so easily.]
Mixer Person: “All right everyone, cheers!!”
* Not 100% sure if she’s talking about herself or Sawako – I’m guessing she’s talking about herself based on what comes next, but I might be wrong.
PAGE 12
Mixer Guy: “What?? No way! You’re all cute!”
Mixer Guy: “Seriously? None of you have boyfriends?!”
Mixer Girl: “Whoa, you’re pretty smooth!”
Mixer Guy: “No, not at all! I’m actually so nervous!!”
Mixer Girl: “Me too!!”
Sawako: (I wonder if Kurumi-chan likes any of the guys here ~)
Mixer Guy: “Kurumi-chan, Kurumi-chaaaan!”
Mixer Guy: “Kurumi-chan, isn’t your name ‘Ume’?”
Kurumi: “Yeah, but just call me Kurumi.”
Mixer Guy: “I guess Kurumi might suit you better!!”
Rude Guy: “…you. Hey, you.”
Rude Guy: “You there!!”
Sawako: “D-Do you mean me?”
Rude Guy: “Yeah, you!!”
Guy at Other Table: “What’s going on at that table?”
Guy at Other Table: “Are they having a mixer?”
Eiji Akahoshi: “Looks like it. There’s a really loud guy there though.”
Rude Guy: “What’s your name?!”
Sawako: “I-It’s Kuronuma.”
Rude Guy: “Not that, your first name!!”
Sawako: “Oh, my first name?? It’s Sawako.”
PAGE 13
Sawako: “It’s Sawako Kuronuma.”
Rude Guy: “…sawasawa huh…?”
Rude Guy: “If you combine names with the girl sitting next to you…you get ‘Ume Sawa’…” *
Sawako: “…uh…?”
Sawako: “Ume…?”
Sawako: “Oh, that’s true. Heh…”
Rude Guy: (Totally. Nailed. It…!!!)
Rude Guy: “Actually, I should say you’re “Sawa Sawa”! You’re the type that was unpopular until now, right???” **
Kurumi: (Even though he’s weird she was locked onto immediately?!)
Sawako: “You’re exactly right. So you could tell…?”
Rude Guy: “Of course I could ~ !!! That’s just how I am!!”
Kurumi: (What do you know about Sawako-chan?!)
Mixer People: “Kurumi-chan, Kurumi-chan.”
* Ume Sawa (Plum Sour) is a type of plum wine / alcohol made from pickling plums (I believe). I think it can also refer to a cocktail.
** This line, goodness. I’m not really sure what he’s saying in the first sentence – “Sawa Sawa” (using the same “Sawa” kanji in Sawako’s name) is a kind of sparkling sake, apparently. Since he just made a (fantastic) joke about Kurumi and Sawako’s names being “Ume Sawa”, he might be trying to make another alcohol name-pun. This is my best guess, and maybe that kind of alcohol (like Sawako) has only recently become popular?
PAGE 14
Eiji’s Friend: “You’re looking over there a ton! Are you that curious?”
Eiji: “Oh…”
Eiji: “No…I just think that guy is creepy.”
Eiji’s Friend: “…You’re not thinking of jumping in…?”
Eiji: “No, no. I’ll let him swim. For now.”
Eiji’s Friend: “For now?!”
Rude Guy: “I know it all, you know? Fortune-telling’s my specialty.”
Sawako: “Fortune-telling…!!”
Rude Guy: “Yeah, I’ll take a look for you.”
Sawako: “Huh?”
[Kurumi slaps his hand away!] *
Rude Guy: “Oww!”
* YASSSSS KURUMI!!!!
PAGE 15
Kurumi: “L-Look at mine!! Here!!”
Rude Guy: “Huh ~? You…?”
Rude Guy: “But I want to read her palm. Can I do you next ~ ?”
Kurumi: “I wonder if you can.”
Sawako: (Uh??)
Sawako: (I wonder if she might l-like him…?)
Rude Guy: “No can do. The fact is there’s an order to these things…”
Kurumi: *shudder*
PAGE 16
Sawako: (No, this isn’t right!!!)
Sawako: “K-Kurumi-chan!!”
Kurumi: *has turned to stone*
Rude Guy: “Man, that’s just how it is. There’s an order to things!”
Rude Guy: “See you! Since I kept you waiting, I’ll give you something special! Ta-da!!”*
Rude Guy: “I’ll feel your cheek!!”
Kurumi / Sawako: (C-Cheek?!)
* I filled in some things – he says, literally, “Because I kept you waiting, to you ta-da!!” This is just my interpretation.
PAGE 17
Sawako: “Kurumi-chan, look out!!” / Kurumi: “Sawako-chan, get down!!!”
PAGE 18
Eiji: “Long time no see, Sawako.”
PAGE 19
Sawako: “…Eiji onii-chan…?!” *
Eiji: “Sorry, but these girls are leaving.”
Eiji: “Also you two indulged this guy too much.”
Sawako and Kurumi: “Huh?”
Eiji: “You’ve already had enough, right?”
Kurumi: (…“These girls”…Me too…)
Kurumi: [Onii…?]
Kurumi: [He…]
* Sawako addresses Eiji as “onii-chan” (older brother), which doesn't necessarily mean they’re blood related (they are though). Onii-chan can refer to an older brother figure or a young man.
PAGE 20
Kurumi: [He saved us…]
Sawako: “He…he’s my cousin…”
Kurumi: “Oh…”
Kurumi: […So he’s related to Sawako-chan…?]
Eiji: “…Sawako.”
Eiji: “Isn’t it too dangerous…? It’s risky. If it had gone that well…”
Sawako: “Dangerous?!”
Eiji: “Oh yeah, don’t you have a boyfriend? Did you get dumped?”
Sawako: “Oh! No…”
Eiji: “Huh?”
PAGE 21
Eiji: “What?! That’s pretty low! Your poor boyfriend!!”
Sawako: “Y-Yes…you’re right…”
Kurumi: “Wait! That’s not true! Tell him everything, Sawako-chan!”
Kurumi: “I’m the one who invited her! I forced her to go!”
Kurumi: “I want a boyfriend so I told her to come with me!”
Kurumi: “Sawako-chan explained that to her boyfriend ahead of time!! It isn’t her fault!!”
Sawako: “K-Kurumi-chan, Kurumi-chan!”
Sawako: “Um, I chose to come on my own!”
Sawako: “No matter what anyone says, ultimately I made the choice myself! It’s my responsibility!!”
PAGE 22
Sawako: “…um, Eiji onii-chan.”
Sawako: “This is Ume Kurumizawa-chan.”
Sawako: “…She’s my best friend.”
PAGE 23
Sawako: (I said it…)
Eiji: “…Oh. It’s too bad your mixer was a failure, Ume!”
Kurumi: “D…Don’t call me ‘Ume’!!”
Eiji: “Hmm?”
PAGE 24
Eiji: “Well, if you want a boyfriend that much, I’ll introduce you to one next time! Ume!”
Eiji: “See you. Be careful heading home!”
Kurumi: “D-Don’t call me Ume ~ !!!”
Sawako: “Bye for now! We will!”
Sawako: “An introduction…! That would be nice!!”
Kurumi: “I’m not that desperate!!”
Kurumi: [I wonder if he’s really related to Sawako-chan…]
[Sign reads: Laundry Day at Kurumi’s House]
Kurumi: (Isn’t he kind of mean?!)
Kurumi: (But still, at the mixer I only talked to the guy across from Sawako-chan!!)
PAGE 25
Sawako’s Message: [I’m sorry to bother you during your break. I’ve arranged to have dinner with Eiji onii-chan tonight. I think I’m going to go all out cooking, so if you’d like, please come over to eat with us, Kurumi-chan. You don’t need to bring anything.]
Kurumi: (Huh?! She’s inviting me?! Is it okay if I go?! To a private dinner?!)
Kurumi: [No more!!! Sawako-chan!!!]
Kurumi’s Message: [If you’re doing that much I’ll definitely come eat.]
Kurumi: [Y-You freaking saint ~ !!!] *
* She actually calls Sawako a Buddha (can also mean “merciful person”), but I changed it to saint so it would sound more natural in English.
PAGE 26
Kurumi: (Sawako-chan’s favorite tea and…my favorite tea…)
Kurumi: (And then…any drink will do for that guy, right?)
Kurumi: [Huh? Oh!]
Kurumi: (It’s that guy from the other day…!!)
Kurumi: [What’s he doing here…?]
Kurumi: [If I remember correctly, that guy’s university is really far from here, so he wouldn’t live in this area, right?]
Kurumi: [Why is he looking around restlessly…?]
Kurumi: [Huh? Don’t tell me he’s looking for Sawako-chan?]
PAGE 27
Rude Guy: “Oh! Perfect timing!! You there! You!!]
Kurumi: (H-He’s coming this way!!)
Rude Guy: “I’ve been looking for Sawa-Sawa Kuronuma’s house!! You know where Sawa-Sawa’s house is, right?! Where is it?! Where?!”
Rude Guy: “Hurry up!!”
Kurumi: “…Stop looking…”
Rude Guy: “What?! Even though I came all the way here?!
Kurumi: “Sawako-chan has a boyfriend.”
Rude Guy: “Really?!”
Kurumi: “She may be your type, but…”
PAGE 28
Kurumi: “…give up.”
Kurumi: “There’s nothing you can do.” *
Kurumi: “If you give up now, it’ll still be easy.”
* Kurumi literally says “Impossible things are impossible” – you can substitute your own motivational advice for what I wrote haha.
PAGE 29
Rude Guy: “Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey…”
Rude Guy: “Isn’t she kind of a slut…?” *
Kurumi: “No, she isn’t. She only came to the mixer as my friend.”
Rude Guy: “Making a face like that is bitchy…!!”
Kurumi: “That doesn’t make her a bitch!”
Rude Guy: “I mean, you’re saying she does all kinds of stuff with her boyfriend!!”
Kurumi: “So what if she did?!”
Kurumi: “How does a girl going out only with a boy she likes make her a slut?!”
Eiji: “Pfft.”
Eiji: “Ahahahaha! All right, that’s enough! Good work!!”
Kurumi: “Ah!!”
Rude Guy: “Oh!! You’re that punk from the other day!!!”
Eiji: “Who are you calling a punk? I’ll walk this guy back.”
* He literally uses the word “bitch” (meaning “bitch” or “slut”). Definitely not cool, Rude Guy!!
PAGE 30
Eiji: “You go on ahead! Here, I’ll give this to you.”
Kurumi: “Oh!! Okay!!”
Eiji: “Well then, let’s go ~”
Kurumi: [T-Thank goodness…]
Kurumi: [This way he won’t find out where Sawako-chan’s house is!]
Kurumi: [Eiji onii-chan…good job!!]
Kurumi: (T-That was scary ~ !!)
Kurumi: [He ended up saving me again…]
PAGE 31
Eiji: “Yo!”
Sawako: “Welcome! Thank you for the cake!!”
Eiji: “No, it's nothing. Mom gave me the money for it. She said, ‘Come to our house next time.’”
Sawako: “I will! Tell her I said hi!!”
Eiji: “Relax! I put him on the subway so he wouldn’t follow me.”
Eiji: “Just in case, let’s exchange our contact info, Ume. If something happens let me know!”
Kurumi: “Oh! That would sort of help!”
PAGE 32
Sawako: (That's nice…I’m a little jealous.)
Sawako: (…Maybe I should be brave too and try calling her that…)
Sawako: “…U…”
Sawako: “Ume-chan, this drink…”
Kurumi: “Don’t call me ‘Ume’!!! Geez!!”
Kurumi: “W-What is it?!”
Eiji: “No way!! Not too honest with your feelings, Ume! You’re funny!!”
PAGE 33
Eiji: “Oh? You’re not going to say it? Tell me not to call you ‘Ume.’”
Kurumi: “I won’t say it!! You’re the type to call me ‘Ume’ more the more I say it!!”
Eiji: “Oh, so you noticed?”
Sawako: “U…Ume-chan…”
Kurumi: “Don’t call me ‘Ume’!!”
Eiji: “Oh, that’s right. Ume, what kind of guys do you like?”
Kurumi: “Hm?”
Eiji: “An introduction! I’ll try to feel out the guys that don’t have a girlfriend, but you have them, don’t you? Some preferences.”
Kurumi: “Preferences…??”
Eiji: “Hm? You don’t get it?”
PAGE 34
Eiji: “Okay then, what about your past boyfriends?”
Kurumi: “There aren’t any.”
Eiji: “What?”
Kurumi: “I’ve never had one.”
Eiji: “A boyfriend?”
Kurumi: “Never.”
Eiji: “Wow, I’m surprised…”
Eiji: “…but you haven’t then, huh? Hm, even though it’s not that unusual I can’t introduce you after all.”
Kurumi: “Huh? Are you making fun of me??”
Kurumi: “Is it because I’ve never had a boyfriend??”
Eiji: “No, I’m not making fun of you. I don’t have a girlfriend right now, either.”
PAGE 35
Eiji: “Since this guy might be the first one you go out with, it should be done right. More or less.”
Eiji: “Speaking of not being surprising…” *
Kurumi: “Hm?”
Eiji: “Well…you do have a cute face though.”
Eiji: “I can only picture you as a stubborn little kid…!!”
Kurumi: “I’m not like a little kid!!”
Eiji: “No, you totally are. Like a child actor.”
Kurumi: “My face is cute though!!!”
Eiji: “You’re used to that, huh?”
Sawako: (A-Are they getting along…?! The conversation is continuing non-stop…!!)
Sawako: (H-He doesn’t have a girlfriend??)
Sawako: (Is an introduction necessary…?!)
Eiji: “All right then, what about guys you’ve liked up til now?”
* Can’t really figure this one out, so I gave it my best guess.
PAGE 36
Eiji: “There was someone you liked at least that much, right?”
Kurumi: “Sawako-chan’s boyfriend.”
PAGE 37
Eiji: “Hm?”
Kurumi: “Sawako-chan’s boyfriend. I caused a lot of trouble for Sawako-chan.”
Eiji: “Seriously?”
Kurumi: “Seriously! I did a ton of mean, underhanded things!!”
Sawako: “Kurumi-chan we’re already even.”
Kurumi: “No we’re not. Sawako-chan, you didn’t spread a bunch of made-up rumors, or try to create a rift in anyone’s friendship.”
Eiji: “What? You did those kinds of things? That really is mean ~ !!”
Kurumi: “I know. I’m quite good at doing those kinds of things. I can tell lies with a straight face!”
Eiji: “Hmm?”
Kurumi: “But, I didn’t win even once.”
PAGE 38
Kurumi: “…That’s the first time I’ve said it.”
Sawako: “I was able to try my best, several times, because you were there, Kurumi-chan!”
Eiji: “Haha!”
Eiji: “Gross.”
Kurumi: “Excuse me?”
Eiji: “No, what I mean is…”
PAGE 39
Eiji: “…that sort of reminds me of something.”
Eiji: “Later! Get in touch with me once in a while.”
Sawako: “I will!”
Kurumi: “Thank you for dinner.”
Sawako: “Oh! Kurumi-chan!”
Kurumi: “Yeah?”
Sawako: “I won’t be home during our next break…I have plans.”
Kurumi: “…Are you going to see him? Kazehaya.”
Sawako: “Yeah.”
Kurumi: “I see – then I’ll leave you to Kazehaya.”
Sawako: “Okay!”
PAGE 40
Kurumi: [What should I do?]
Kurumi: [This will be the first time since coming here…]
Kurumi: […that Sawako-chan won’t be around…]
Eiji: “Are you the dependent type?”
Kurumi: “I might be…”
Kurumi: “I’m disgusting.”
Kurumi: “I used to watch Sawako-chan’s boyfriend every day. Like a stalker.”
Kurumi: “Every day…I was dreaming every day…”
PAGE 41
Kurumi: “…afraid of myself, and unpleasant.”
Kurumi: “It’s off-putting, right?”
Kurumi: “The stalker from that mixer and I…I wonder what makes me any different from him.”
Kurumi: “There is no difference. We’re the same. I really am disgusting.”
PAGE 42
Kurumi: “Sawako-chan really was a great girl. She was able to become friends with me.”
Kurumi: “Once in a while I think, ‘Sawako-chan might be my soulmate.’”
PAGE 43
Kurumi: “…If Sawako-chan hadn’t been in my life, I would have gone completely to the dark side…”
Kurumi: […No…]
Kurumi: [I wonder if even now…]
Kurumi: [Even Sawako-chan who’s tried…At what point would she be unable to forgive me?]
PAGE 44
Kurumi: [After I wanted to try bothering her, does she still like me? Is it all right?]
PAGE 45
Kurumi: [At what point would it not be all right…?]
Eiji: “Will you go out with me, Ume?”
PAGE 46
Eiji: “Don’t worry. I forgive you.”
PAGE 47
Eiji: “Will you give me a try?”
Kurumi: […my vacant, sleepy eyes were instantly opened.]
PAGE 48
Kurumi: [At what point did I talk? At what point did I think to myself?] *
Eiji: “Will you give up thinking about fate?”
Eiji: “I’m sorry to say this is a fated meeting, too.”
* I’m struggling to phrase this – I think she’s wondering where exactly the boundary is between what she’s been saying out loud and what she’s felt in her heart (maybe because Eiji can tell what she’s thinking and feeling?). It’s literally, “To what extent did I talk? To what extent did I think to myself?” I could be totally wrong!
PAGE 49
Kurumi: [Once in a while]
Kurumi: [I think]
PAGE 50
Kurumi: [“Maybe Sawako-chan is my soulmate.”]
Thank you all for reading!
