Monogatari Series - Volume 29 - Chapter Aft

Afterword

The question of “If you could only bring one thing with you to an uninhabited island, what would you bring?”, the psychology test referenced directly by Sengoku Nadeko herself in the story, has become so commonplace that it has taken on a bit of a comedic nature, where the objective becomes how to answer the question in order to appear superior to others. If you were to say something too unusual, you could face the tragedy of people thinking that you were intentionally trying to be unusual, so instead of worrying about how to respond, people will find themselves trying to alter the question itself. Basically, they’ll change the “if you could only bring one thing” portion into “if you could bring as much as you wanted of something”, making the question into, “If you could bring as much as you wanted of something, what would you bring, and how much?” If one was told they could bring as much food, water, tents, knives, clothes, and of course books, as they wanted… If one was told they could invite as many friends as they wanted, and bring over as many family members as they wanted, then how would they respond? Rather than being limited to a single thing, I feel as if it conversely makes the scope of the question too hard to narrow down. It was likely human nature to not want to bring anything beyond what was necessary, which was why in traveling, it was natural to reduce one’s luggage as much as possible. Even if you have a favorite book, you may actually want to travel in order to get away from that book every once in a while… Ultimately, even if the question said “as much as you wanted of something”, it would end up being physically impossible to walk around with too much of something. Even data could result in errors. So before anything else, perhaps we should first ask, “Do you want to go to an uninhabited island or not?”

And with that, the Monogatari series’ Monster season has been strangled, or rather, wrapped up by Sengoku-san.163 In one way, she has shown even more growth than Araragi-kun, and originally, I hadn’t even thought that the substory of Monster Season, the Araundo chapter, would take the form of an entire novel like this. Because these sorts of things happen, I really can’t stop writing Monogatari. If I were to be asked if I could write as much as I wanted about something, perhaps the answer would be the futures of Sengoku Nadeko and Araundo Uroko. With that, this was a novel deathly written 100 percent as a hobby,164 “Shinomonogatari (2) Final Episode: Nadeko Around”.

Naturally, Sengoku-san was placed on the front cover. It’s actually been quite a while since she’s been there, hasn’t it. VOFAN-san, thank you very much. In a world where the future is always uncertain, I’d like to avoid making any careless announcements, but please look forward to Sengoku-sensei’s next work. And last but not least, congratulations to Iriomote Island for being designated as a World Heritage Site!

NISIOISIN

Translator’s Afterword

There is a joke that goes something like, “A man orders coffee without cream. The waiter says, ‘I’m sorry, we have no cream. Can it be coffee without milk?’” I’m not sure it’s all that funny of a joke, though I do think it’s a bit thought-provoking (the joke often gets linked to the existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, though upon investigation, the original joke was unrelated), but one of the funnier things about the joke to me is a memory I have of one of my high school teachers telling the joke—she had thought the whole point of the joke was that the waiter was simply being stupid. Perhaps the lesson to learn here is that thinking too much about these sorts of things just makes you look stupid, which does not make for a very convincing preface to the point I’m trying to make in the first place, but I digress.

I figure it’s worth noting here for posterity that the translations of Shinomonogatari Volumes 1 and 2 were released simultaneously, as a sort of imitation of the simultaneous release of the two novels for their original publication. As the person who has saddled himself with the translation of these novels, I got the idea in my head that English-speakers should get the freedom of choice (or the illusion of choice) between reading Volume 1 first or Volume 2 first. About part of the way through, I considered that most people would probably just read in the order of Volume 1 and then Volume 2—after all, if the order is arbitrary anyway, may as well read them in the listed order, right? However, I’d say this shares some resemblance to the aforementioned joke about coffee without milk. I suppose if you were to sit down at a café and order Shinomonogatari (1) without Shinomonogatari (2) and the waiter goes “I’m sorry, we have no Shinomonogatari (2),” it would end up being a lesser experience than if the café did indeed stock Shinomonogatari (2) and it was simply your choice not to read it first. With that in mind, if you’re here after having read Volume 1 and Volume 2 in that order, I hope you were still able to find some value in choosing that order yourself. (Though of course, the experience of getting to read both volumes back-to-back is also something that can’t be dismissed.)

And for those of you who are here after finishing Volume 2 and have yet to read Volume 1, I suppose you have benefited the most from this. Congratulations. Anyway, on behalf of the author, I would like to thank you for reading “Shinomonogatari (2)”—and I would also like to thank you for reading my translation.

Polaris

Updated May 26, 2024

Notes

[←1]

 なりますし narimasu shi “after all, this will be”, なりすまし narisumashi “masquerading”.

[←2]

 令和 Reiwa is the name of the current era of Japan’s official calendar (with respect to the publication date).

[←3]

 遂に tsui ni and 終に tsui ni both mean “finally, at last”, with different kanji. Arguably, the former has a connotation of “leading up to this”, and the latter has a connotation of “being at the end”.

[←4]

 ダッコちゃん Dakko-chan. A doll with its arms reaching out as if to hug something.

[←5]

 恋女房 koinyoubou “one’s dear wife”. A Japanese joke that stems from the idea that a strong battery of pitcher and catcher is like a married couple.

[←6]

 一筋縄 hitosujinawa “ordinary method”, literally meaning “one strand of rope”. Nadeko then says 二筋縄, replacing the “one” with “two”.

[←7]

 泡盛 awamori. Liquor exclusively distilled in Okinawa.

[←8]

 知的 chiteki “intellectual”, 知能犯 chinouhan “white-collar crime”. The latter term can literally be translated as “intellectual crime”, in contrast to violent crimes that are more physical in nature.

[←9]

 ばらす barasu “expose”, バラス島 Barasu-shima “Barasu Island”.

[←10]

 由布島 Yubu-jima “Yubu Island”, 湯布院 Yufuin (a district in Ōita Prefecture).

[←11]

 佐渡 Sado (referring to the island or city), 佐賀 Saga (referring to the city or prefecture).

[←12]

 千石 Sengoku and 百石 Hyakkoku. 石 koku is a unit of volume, so she’s saying that she’ll decrease from a thousand koku to a hundred koku. In other words, she feels smaller compared to the old couple’s name value.

[←13]

 Also known as ワニワニパニック Wani Wani Panic.

[←14]

 権力者 kenryokusha “influential person”, 人権 jinken “human rights”.

[←15]

 離島甲子園 ritou koushien “Remote Islands Koshien”. A baseball tournament held across remote islands in Japan (akin to the Japanese High School Baseball Championship which is referred to as Koshien).

[←16]

 舐める nameru can mean “too look down on”, but it literally means “to lick”, hence the ice cream reference.

[←17]

 奄美大島 Amami Ōshima and 甘味 amami “sweetness”.

[←18]

 沖永良部島 Okinoerabujima, 選ぶ島 erabu shima “choose the island”.

[←19]

 へいわきねんこうえん heiwa kinen kouen “Peace Memorial Park”. The kanji would be 平和記念公園, but it could potentially be confused for 記念講演 kinen kouen “memorial lecture”.

[←20]

 陰気 inki “gloomy, dismal”, インチキ inchiki “deception, fraud”.

[←21]

 必ず kanarazu “absolutely”, 必須 hissu “required”, 必要 hitsuyou “necessary”.

[←22]

 The symbol referred to as “asterisk” is actually the Japanese reference mark (※), consisting of two crossed lines and four dots. Nadeko compares it to the kanji for “necessary” (必), which consists of two crossed strokes and three dot radicals.

[←23]

 科目 kamoku “subject”, 目がない me ga nai “to have no eye for”.

[←24]

 地理 chiri “geography”, チリ chiri “Chile”.

[←25]

 十勝 Tokachi, a district in Hokkaido, contains the kanji for “ten victories”.

[←26]

 馬脚を現す bakyaku o arawasu, “to show one’s true colors”. 馬脚 bakyaku literally means “horse legs”, and Kaiki extends the metaphor with 鹿脚 kakyaku “deer legs”. Together, “horse” and “deer” make 馬鹿 baka “idiot”.

[←27]

 達急動 takkyuudou, the special move of Prince Yamato from Bikkuriman. Previously referenced in “Tsubasa Cat”.

[←28]

 ノネコ noneko and 野良猫 noraneko technically both refer to undomesticated cats. The distinction between the two is generally given as: noraneko (translated as “stray cat”) are cats reliant on humans to survive, while noneko (translated as “feral cat”) are cats that can fend for themselves in the wild.

[←29]

 野良犬 norainu (translated as “stray dog”) and 野犬 yaken (translated as “wild dog”). 野犬 yaken can also be read as noinu (though often written as ノイヌ). The distinction between norainu and noinu is basically the same as the distinction between noraneko and noneko, but both norainu and noinu can be considered yaken.

[←30]

 “Iriomote cat” is the proper English term for イリオモテヤマネコ Iriomote-yamaneko, but it can be literally translated as “Iriomote mountain cat”. The species name is always in katakana, but Nadeko uses the kanji (西表山猫 Iriomote-yamaneko) here to highlight the literal meaning.

[←31]

 山猫 yamaneko, translated here as “mountain cat”, is actually a term that actually points to several different species, including wildcats, leopard cats, and lynxes.

[←32]

 Originally, Nadeko references the fact that 教師 kyoushi “teacher” and 詐欺師 kizashi “con man” both contain 師 shi “master”.

[←33]

 Originally, Nadeko says マルネコ maruneko “round cat”, which is corrected to マヌルネコ manuruneko “Pallas’s cat”.

[←34]

 Kariyushi shirts are shirts that are based on (and resemble) Hawaiian shirts, made to promote Okinawan tourism.

[←35]

 薄汚い usugitanai “dirty-looking”, 薄着 usugi “lightly dressed”.

[←36]

 The city of Iwaki is known for a resort named Spa Resort Hawaiians, which features a Hawaiian theme and hula dancing.

[←37]

 海人 uminchu is the Okinawan word for “fisherman”, and is a popular word displayed on souvenir T-shirts from Okinawa.

[←38]

 幹部 kanbu “leaders, top brass”, 患部 kanbu “wound, diseased part”.

[←39]

 犬 ken “dog”, 件 ken “case”.

[←40]

 条件 jouken “condition”, 条約 jouyaku “treaty”.

[←41]

 反目 hanmoku “hostility”, ハンモック hanmokku “hammock”.

[←42]

 サップ sappu “SUP” (or “standup paddleboarding”), シャラップ sharappu “shut up”.

[←43]

 蛇の生殺し hebi no namagoroshi “half-killing a snake”, a figure of speech for “leaving something unfinished, possibly with the intention of inflicting suffering”.

[←44]

 戦き ononoki “shiver, shudder”, 斧乃木 Ononoki.

[←45]

 Originally, Yotsugi asks how many times Nadeko is going to use the particle を o, because Nadeko’s previous sentence consisted of many object clauses linked with that particle.

[←46]

 そば soba “nearby”. 相場 souba “market price”, figuratively “conventional”.

[←47]

 満目蕭条 manmokushoujou. A four-character idiom that means, “a scene that looks desolate and forlorn as far as the eye can see”.

[←48]

 うねる uneru “to twist”, 唸る unaru “to moan”.

[←49]

 見舞われる mimawareru “to suffer”, 舞う mau “to dance”.

[←50]

 衣食足りて礼節を知る ishoku tarite reisetsu o shiru. A Japanese saying. Literally, “only when basic needs for living are met can people spare the effort to be polite”.

[←51]

 地震雷火事親父 jishin kaminari kaji oyaji “earthquakes, thunder, fires, and fathers”. A list of things that are generally feared.

[←52]

 衣食住 ishokujuu “clothing, food, and shelter”, or the basic necessities of life. Nadeko suggests the order should be 食住衣 shokujuui, or “food, shelter, and clothing”.

[←53]

 月火 Tsukihi, 火 hi “fire”.

[←54]

 Nadeko originally uses 暗礁に乗り上げる anshou ni noriageru, which literally means “to be stranded on a reef” but figuratively means “to run into difficulties”.

[←55]

 The original pun involves 日向 hinata “in the sun” with 日和る hiyoru “to be noncommittal”.

[←56]

 Originally, Nadeko compared two different Japanese words for “flint”, 火打ち石 hiuchiishi and 燧石 suiseki.

[←57]

 Quote from Ranma ½ from the character Cologne.

[←58]

 Possibly a quote from Star of the Giants, but I was unable to verify this.

[←59]

 A reference to Star of the Giants.

[←60]

 ブラック企業 burakku kigyou “black company”, or a company that exploits its employees.

[←61]

 仮想 kasou “supposed”, 火葬 kasou “cremated”.

[←62]

 火急 kakyuu “urgency”. Contains the kanji for “fire”, 火.

[←63]

 火事場の馬鹿力 kajiba no bakajikara, literally “foolish power at the scene of a fire”. A term that roughly equates to “adrenaline rush” or “fight-or-flight response”.

[←64]

 人口 jinkou “population”, 人工 jinkou “man-made”.

[←65]

 The original phrase is 一念岩をも通す ichinen iwa o mo toosu, “A single thought can even pierce a boulder”.

[←66]

 迂路 uro “detour” is the word used in 迂路子 Uroko, which would literally mean “detour child”. 

[←67]

 It’s a superstition in Japan to put snakeskin in your wallet for good fortune.

[←68]

 干物 hoshimono “things dried in the sun”, combined with the usual 物語 monogatari “story”.

[←69]

 脱皮 dappi “shedding of skin”, 脱する dassuru “to escape from”.

[←70]

 There was no pun here, originally. 軒下 nokishita “eaves”, 葉っぱ happa “leaves”.

[←71]

 Originally a kanji pun, breaking up 厳密 genmitsu “strict” into 厳 gen (also meaning “strict’) and 密集 misshuu (meaning “crowding together”).

[←72]

 精根 seikon “vitality” contains the kanji for 根 “root”, hence the use of the term 抜根 bakkon “uprooting”.

[←73]

 砂を嚙むよう suna o kamu you, literally “like chewing sand”, but used to mean “insipid, dull”.

[←74]

 失神 shisshin, “stupefaction”. The kanji literally mean “loss” and “god”.

[←75]

 研ぐ togu means “to hone, to polish”, but also just means “to wash rice”. The word used for “wash” earlier was 洗う arau.

[←76]

 シラウオ shirauo “Japanese icefish”.

[←77]

 躍り食い odorigui and 活け作り ikezukuri are both ways of serving fish while they are still alive. 

[←78]

 Combining 幸い saiwai “fortunately” with 海の幸 umi no sachi “seafood” (lit. “fortune of the sea”) to make 海の幸い umi no saiwai “fortunately in the ocean”.

[←79]

 格別 kakubetsu “exceptional”, 別格 bekkaku “extraordinary”.

[←80]

 衣 i “clothing”, 異 i “difference of opinion”.

[←81]

 住 juu “shelter”, 重心 juushin “balance”.

[←82]

 建物 tatemono “building”, but the kanji 建 tate (from 建てる tateru “to build”) was replaced by 崩れ kuzure (from 崩れる kuzureru “to crumble”).

[←83]

 場当たり ba atari “haphazard”, 罰当たり batsu atari “receiving retribution”.

[←84]

 かまくら kamakura, a dome-shaped hut out of snow.

[←85]

 いざかまくら iza kamakura. When written with kanji as いざ鎌倉, it means “when something major happens”, a phrase originating from the time of the Kamakura shogunate, where samurai would congregate in the city of Kamakura whenever something major happened. The pun plays on the city of Kamakura with kamakura as a snow hut.

[←86]

 子泣きじじい konaki-jijii. A yokai that lures passersby to pick it up. When it gets picked up, it transforms into a heavy stone that crushes its victim to death.

[←87]

 砂かけばばあ sunakake-babaa. A yokai that throws sand at passersby.

[←88]

 A pun on Gregor Samsa, main character of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. In Japanese, the name Samsa is rendered as ザムザ Zamuza, with the pun being ザ・ムザムザ za muzamuza, where むざむざ muzamuza means “helpless, without resistance”.

[←89]

 千石 Sengoku is made up of the kanji for 千 “thousand” and 石 “stone”.

[←90]

 ストロー sutoroo “straw” (as in drinking straw) is in English. Nadeko says that in Japanese, the word is 藁 wara “straw” (as in the dry stalks of wheat), thus likening it to weeds. 

[←91]

 命知らず inochi-shirazu “reckless” (literally “not knowing about life”), 昆布知らず konbu shirazu “not knowing about kelp”.

[←92]

 焼くyaku “to fry”, 焼きが回る yaki ga mawaru “to become dull, to lose one’s edge”.

[←93]

 地理 chiri “geography”, 理知 richi “intellect”, チリ chiri “Chile”.

[←94]

 相合い傘 aiaigasa “sharing an umbrella”, but also referring to a common doodle in Japan where the names of two people in love can be written under an umbrella symbol.

[←95]

 四コマ漫画 yonkoma manga “4-koma manga”. A comic strip with four panels.

[←96]

 持ちキャラ mochi kyara, referring to the character one primarily plays as, such as in a fighting game. In English, it is generally referred to as one’s “main”.

[←97]

 無人島 mujintou “uninhabited island”, 無尽蔵 mujinzou “unlimited supply”.

[←98]

 スランプ suranpu “slump”, スクラップ sukurappu “scrap”.

[←99]

 没 botsu “rejection (of a manuscript)”, 水没 suibotsu “submerging”.

[←100]

 蛇足 dasoku “redundancy, superfluity” is comprised of the kanji for “snake” and “leg”.

[←101]

 式神 shikigami. The second kanji is then replaced with 紙 kami for “paper”.

[←102]

 おいそれ oisore “readily”, おそれおそれ osoreosore “fearfully”.

[←103]

 絵に描いた餅 e ni kaita mochi, literally “picture of rice cakes”, referring to a prize beyond one’s reach (i.e. you cannot actually enjoy the rice cakes because it is just a picture). In English, a phrase with a similar meaning would be “pie in the sky”.

[←104]

 理 kotowari “natural way of things, conventions”, 断り kotowari “permission, consent”.

[←105]

 山ガール yama gaaru “mountain girl”, 山狩り yamagari “mountain hunt”.

[←106]

 雑草 zassou “weeds”, 野草 yasou “wild plants”.

[←107]

 七草の節句 nanakusa no sekku “Festival of Seven Herbs” is a tradition of eating seven-herb rice porridge towards the beginning of the year. There is primarily 春の七草 haru no nanakusa “seven herbs of spring”, which is mirrored by 秋の七草 aki no nanakusa “seven herbs of autumn”. There are no corresponding herbs for summer or winter.

[←108]

 The full quote is 皐夔稷契、何の書をか読むべき koukishokusetsu, nan no sho wo ka yomu beki, and comes from 十八史略 Eighteen Histories in Brief, a Chinese history text that was also popular in Japan. The line is used as a retort to someone not being well-read, because at the time of Gao, Kui, Ji, Qi (referring to the four wise ministers of the legendary Emperor Shun), there were no books, suggesting that books were not necessary to become wise.

[←109]

 蜂の巣 hachi no su “beehive”. The reticulum of a cow is referred to as the ハチノス hachinosu for its honeycomb-like appearance, and is colloquially known as “honeycomb” in English, as well.

[←110]

 雀蜂 suzume-bachi “hornet”, but the kanji literally mean “sparrow bee”.

[←111]

 雀の涙 suzume no namida, lit. “sparrow tears”, figuratively “an insignificant amount”. Punned with 雀蜂 suzume-bachi “hornet” (see note 110).

[←112]

 The original figure of speech is 背に腹はかえられない se ni hara wa kaerarenai, figuratively meaning “a small sacrifice may be necessary to solve a more pressing problem”. Literally, it means “you can’t exchange your stomach for your back”, which Nadeko then modifies with “empty stomach”. 

[←113]

 幕府 bakufu “shogunate”, 瀑布 bakufu “waterfall”.

[←114]

 Referencing the phrase 人をのろわば穴二つ hito o norowaba ana futatsu, which means “If you curse someone, dig two graves”.

[←115]

 足首 ashikubi “ankle” is made up of the kanji for “leg” and “neck”.

[←116]

 泣きどころ nakidokoro “weak point”. Literally, it means “the part that makes one cry”, with the context being that it’s “the part of the body that makes someone even as gallant as the legendary hero Benkei cry”. It essentially has the same meaning as Achilles heel.

[←117]

 うろ uro “hollow” (as in a hole in a tree), うつろ utsuro “hollow” (as in blank eyes).

[←118]

 うろ uro “hollow”. This word can be written with the kanji 虚, which can also be pronounced kyo (which can mean “falsehood”). Nadeko then says 虚々, where the second kanji is meant as the repetition of the first, so the reading could be uro kyo, but the furigana is written as uroko (to complete the pun).

[←119]

 うろ uro “hollow”, うろうろ urouro “aimless, haphazard”.

[←120]

 這う這うの体 houhou no tei, literally “body that crawls”, figuratively “struggling to escape”.

[←121]

 血清 kessei “serum” contains the kanji for 血 “blood”. The word refers to blood serum, but is also used to refer to antivenoms because they can be made from blood serum.

[←122]

 蛇は寸にして人を呑む ja wa sun ni shite hito wo nomu. The literal meaning is as given. Figuratively, it means that outstanding people will show signs of it when they’re young.

[←123]

 A reference to the saying 弘法筆を選ばず koubou fude wo erabazu, “Kōbō is not picky about his tools”. Kōbō Daishi was a famous Buddhist monk and calligrapher. The saying is similar in meaning to the English proverb, “A bad workman blames his tools”.

[←124]

 See note 102.

[←125]

 有孔虫 yuukouchuu “foraminifera”. Originally, Yotsugi breaks down the kanji as 孔が有る虫 ana ga aru mushi “bugs that have holes”.

[←126]

 シスコン王子 shisukon ouji “Prince Ciscon” is a manga by Fujiko Fujio A. As far as I’ve found, Ace Island is an island where half of it is a dense jungle while the other half is an urbanized city.

[←127]

 Reference to the saying 犬も歩けば棒に当たる inu mo arukeba bou ni ataru “If a dog walks, they will hit a stick”. The figurative meaning is that taking action will cause some sort of reaction, while nothing will come about as a result of inaction. The similar phrase “The dog that trots about finds a bone,” which may or may not be an actual English saying, was referenced here.

[←128]

 二匹目のドジョウ futatsume no dojou “second loach”. “To aim for the second loach under the willow tree” is an expression meaning to try to imitate a person or thing that has already been successful.

[←129]

 ハブ habu, which can refer to the habu snake or the word “hub”.

[←130]

 重ねる kasaneru “to pile up”. 八重山 Yaeyama uses the same kanji, 重.

[←131]

 囮物語 otorimonogatari “decoy tale”.

[←132]

 後ろ髪を引かれる ushirogami o hikareru, literally “to have one’s hair pulled from behind”, figuratively “to do something with painful reluctance”. Contrasting with 前髪 maegami “bangs” (literally “front hair”).

[←133]

 Originally, this was a pun on 吹く fuku “to brag” and 服 fuku “clothes”.

[←134]

 八岐大蛇 Yamata no Orochi (literally “eight-forked great snake”), 八つ当たり yatsuatari “venting one’s anger” (literally eight-way attack”).

[←135]

 From Doraemon. Shizuka was a character infamous for having many bath scenes.

[←136]

 スパ supa “spa”, スーパー suupaa “super”.

[←137]

 ギャップ萌え gyappu moe “gap moe”. “Moe” comes from 萌える moeru “to sprout”, so Nadeko contrasts it with 萎え nae from 萎える naeru “to wilt”.

[←138]

 うちなー時間 uchinaa jikan “Uchinaa time” (Uchinaa being the name for Okinawa in the Okinawan language). The unique sense of time held by Okinawan residents, suggesting that meetings and events can be later than their scheduled time due to the more relaxed lifestyle of Okinawa.

[←139]

 首を長くする kubi o nagakusuru, literally “to extend one’s neck”, but meaning “to eagerly look forward to something”.

[←140]

 鱗 uroko “scales”, 迂路子 Uroko.

[←141]

 成果 seika “accomplishment”, 正解 seikai “correct”.

[←142]

 大人物 daijinbutsu “great person”. The first two kanji can be read as 大人 otona “adult”, and the meaning of 人物 jinbutsu can be elevated, hence “personage”.

[←143]

 家庭教師 katei kyoushi “private tutor” can literally be interpreted as “a teacher within the family”.

[←144]

 家庭教師 katei kyoushi “private tutor”, 反面教師 hanmen kyoushi “bad example to learn from” (literally “reverse teacher”).

[←145]

 空母 kuubo “aircraft carrier”. Contains the kanji for 母 “mother”.

[←146]

 八百長 yaochou “fixed game”, contains 八百 happyaku “eight hundred”.

[←147]

 出来過ぎ dekisugi “too good”, 出来レース deki reesu “rigged race”.

[←148]

 修める osameru “to make amends for”, 治める osameru “to subdue”, 目覚める mezameru “to awaken”.

[←149]

 船出 funade “to set sail” or “to start anew”. Because it quite literally means the embarking of a ship, it is not quite appropriate for boarding an airplane, though the figurative meaning still holds.

[←150]

 群れ mure “pack, group”, 蒸れる mureru “to be stuffy, humid”.

[←151]

 The kanji for “human” is 人.

[←152]

 迂路子 Uroko literally means “detour child”. (See note 66.)

[←153]

 作戦 sakusen “strategy”, 作品 sakuhin “work (of art)”.

[←154]

 職掌 shokushou “official duties”, 食傷 shokushou “surfeit, overindulgence”.

[←155]

 呪い noroi “curse”, 鈍い noroi “sluggish”.

[←156]

 迂路 uro “detour”, referencing 洗人迂路子 Araundo Uroko. 雨露 uro “rain and dew”, referencing 臥煙雨露湖 Gaen Uroko. And 虚 uro for “hollow”.

[←157]

 格差 kakusa “disparity”, 格の差 kaku no sa “difference in status”.

[←158]

 The text is written as 仕事 shigoto “work” and given the furigana すき suki “like”. The double meaning becomes “Doing it for work” and “Doing it because you like it”.

[←159]

 嚙み締める kamishimeru “to chew thoroughly”. 締める shimeru “to tie, to fasten”. 締切 shimekiri “deadline”.

[←160]

 皮肉 hiniku “sarcasm”, 肉 niku “meat”.

[←161]

 納得 nattoku “to be convinced” shares the same kanji as 納税 nouzei “paying taxes”.

[←162]

 千里の道も一方通行 senri no michi mo ippou tsuukou, translation as given. A spin on the phrase 千里の道も一歩から senri no michi mo ippo kara, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

[←163]

 絞める shimeru “to strangle”, 締める shimeru “to tie off, to end”.

[←164]

 Instead of でした deshita “this was”, it was written as で死た deshita, with 死 shi for “death”.