Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatte Iru - Volume 10 - Chapter Aft

Afterword

Good evening, this is Wataru Watari.

It’s fully autumn now, huh?! Autumn of reading, autumn of sports, autumn of appetite, autumn of arts, autumn of labor, autumn of work, autumn of corporate slavery—there are many sorts of autumns, but what sort of autumn are you all having? Regardless of the season, I’m always working, so actually, I want it to hurry up and be New Year’s break already!

But the long nights of fall will make it easier to read and to write. It’s quiet and cool, and the nights go on… It seems to me like a season where your time alone can be used most effectively. In that sense, winter isn’t much different, but times like these enable you to see all sorts of things.

Things like Why am I working so hard that I’m making things difficult for myself? or The nights are long, but functionally, my number of work hours hasn’t changed, so it’s not like I get more sleep time… Of course, it’s not just negative things. My eyes will turn to fun things and cheery things, but it seems more often that when I look at the bleak darkness sprawling outside my window, I discover a dark and gloomy future there. But that negativity is why I can see light.

Perhaps times like that will make someone, or no one, leave a bit of a monologue.

Maybe the answer is finally to be found in the middle of a winter night with no dawn, on a path with a strong, cold headwind. Leaving aside if his answer and her question are right or wrong… When he encounters someone similar, is what he feels a sense of affinity, or is it a sense of separation, that they’re hopelessly different? If he takes that step toward them and gains answers and questions, then what sort of choice will he make?

Anyway, this has been My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected, Vol. 10.

And below, the acknowledgments.

Holy Ponkan . Uhyou! The wicked big sister Haruno-chan is on the cover! I look forward to seeing Shirobako every week, too! Amazing! Thank you very much.

To my editor, great Hoshino. Lots of time has passed as I’ve continued to say C’mon, I can get the next one on time easy, ga-ha-ha! I’m very sorry for doing that every single time. Thank you very much. C’mon, I can get the next one on time easy, ga-ha-ha!

To all the staff and related parties of the media franchise: I’ve made so many selfish requests recently and caused trouble for everyone. I have high hopes for the series as it gains new appeal. Thank you very much.

Also, in the writing of this book, I have referenced No Longer Human and “Run, Melos!” (by Osamu Dazai / published by Shinchou Bunko).

And to all my readers: Finally, this story is in its final act, and as usual, I continue to wander off course, but I am steadily nearing the goal. I would be glad if you would please support me to the end. Thank you very much.

Well then, I’ve run out of page space about here, so I’ll lay down my pen now.

On a certain day in October, while drinking what you gotta have when it’s cold out, hooot MAX Coffee,

Wataru Watari

Translation Notes

Chapter 1 … In the end, Komachi Hikigaya looks for divine help.

1 No Longer Human (more literally, the title is Disqualified from Being Human), written by Osamu Dazai in 1948, is considered one of the greatest works of modern Japanese literature. The semiautobiographical novel is largely about alienation and suicide, and the author later went on to commit suicide himself.

2 “It’s just a corpse…” This is a standard dialogue line when investigating dead bodies in the Dragon Quest series.

3 “Wait, a cat ghost youkai? I wish they’d make it clear if he’s a cat or a spirit or a youkai, meow.” Hachiman is referring to the mascot character Jibanyan from Yo-kai Watch.

4 “I mean, there is that saying about looking to the gods when you’re in trouble.” The saying Hachiman is referring to means that people suddenly become faithful when there’s disaster, even though they normally don’t pray.

5 “If it’s pinch after pinch and another hopeless pinch. At times like that, you want something Ultra-ish, you know?” This is a slightly garbled version of the Ultraman Gaia theme song, which features the lyrics “When it’s pinch after pinch after pinch, you want Ultraman! / When things are just hopeless and helpless and hopeless, you want Ultraman!”

6 Dazaifu is in Fukuoka, quite a ways away from Chiba, and is famous for the Tenmangu Shrine there. It’s another Tenjin Shrine, like the Kameido Tenjin Shrine Hachiman mentioned, dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, a famous scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian period. He’s a major god of academics.

7 “I figure about the only thing cheaper…when they’re fish anyway?” This original Japanese gag here was “I figure about the only thing that cheap is the Portopia murderer. The murderer is Yasu. It’s actually really boring.” The Portopia Serial Murder Case is a 1983 PC adventure game, and Yasu is punning on yasui, which means “cheap.” The game is a bit of a meme as a well-known spoiler; saying “Yasu is the murderer” is like saying “Darth Vader is Luke’s father.”

8 “I’m even praying that you can’t take the M off mother.” This is a reference to an old ad for home tutors that says, “Remove the M from Mother and she becomes an other.” The point is to be careful about not using mistaken English.

9 “…erasing and writing and erasing and writing KESHITEEEE! RIRAITO SHITEEE! over and over.” “Eraaaase it! Rewriiiiite it!” is part of the lyrics for “Rewrite” by Asian Kung-Fu Generation, which was also an OP for Fullmetal Alchemist.

10 Chiiba-kun is the Chiba prefecture mascot, a red dog modeled after the shape of the prefecture.

11 “Maybe that’s what they call a Yo-kai Botch—I mean, my social life has been pretty thoroughly botched.” In Japanese he says, Yokai Bocchi, bocchi meaning “loner.” It’s a pun on Yo-kai Watch.

12 “…and one failed is absolutely delicious, and if on top of that, it leads to them growing distant and breaking up, then you’ll be eating like Gohan ga Susumu-kun.” In Japanese, he says, “Your rice is delicious” (meaning schadenfreude), followed up by Gohan ga Susumu-kun. Gohan ga susumu means to “have an appetite,” and it’s also a brand of packaged food products. Susumu is also a boy’s name, and there were a bunch of memorable TV ads in the early 2000s featuring the mascot Susumu-kun.

13 Miko Miko Nurse is the name of a 2003 eroge.

14 “Hachichika is going home!” “Erichika is going home!!” is a quote from a Love Live Blu-ray extra. It became something of a Twitter meme.

15 “Ohhh, it’s one of those knockoffs, huh? It does kinda look like a cheap Hatchimal…” The original pun here was on pachimon (knockoffs) and Hachiman.

16 Three for the Kill! (Sanbiki ga Kiru!) is a historical TV drama from the 1980s and 1990s about three wandering swordsmen.

17 “Thanks to Komachi’s antics, I was somewhat at a loss, but there’s no resisting the little sistering. Oh nooo, I’ve been little sistered.” In Japanese, he says, “I was feeling rather at a loss because of Komachi, so I’ve decided to name this phenomenon Komaicchingu. Oh nooo, I’m so Komaicchingu.” This is a reference to the 1980s comedy manga Maicchingu Machiko-sensei, whose trademark phrase is Maicchingu! A sort of Japanglish word that means “How embarrassing!”

18 “Chii is learning” became an Internet meme due to how often the robot girl says that line in the CLAMP manga and anime series Chobits. It’s something you say whenever you learn something new, especially new words.

Chapter 2 … As usual, Haruno Yukinoshita stirs things up.

1 “I’d definitely bawl like Nobita saying his final farewell to Doraemon.” In Japanese, Hachiman says dora-naki , a made-up word from the promotions for the Doraemon movie Stand by Me. There’s a lot of crying in it.

2 Chibatman is a Chiba resident famous for dressing up in Dark Knight –style Batman cosplay and driving around Chiba in his three-wheeled vehicle.

3 “Yuki-no-sweetness…” The Japanese pun here was on bukiccho (awkward), making Bukinoshita.

4 “The clothing I’d chosen had been reviewed harshly: ‘I’ll stomp on it!’” No, that was Piiko, wasn’t it? Or wait, was it Osugi? Well, whatever.” Piiko is an older TV personality, born in 1945, and the one who said, “I’ll stomp on it!” is his twin brother, Osugi, another TV personality.

5 “And instead of hangaa, you can just call clothes hangers emongake.” The joke is that literally nobody does this. The Japanese language has had a very aggressive influx of English loanwords that increases every year. Hachiman jokes about this being higher consciousness, but it’s becoming the new norm.

6 “Per…sona…! By the way, I prefer 3 over 4. I would absolutely prefer to summon my persona with a gun to my head!” Here, Hachiman ends his sentence with de arimasu, which is how Aigis from Persona 3 speaks in Japanese. (In English, she tends to omit contractions.)

7 “Why am I here?! Why am I here?! Dowa-ha-ha-ha! It’s because of youkai. It’s not my fault. It’s because of youkai.” These are the lyrics for a song from Yo-kai Watch, “Youkai Taisou Daiichi,” which goes, “Why am I sleepy in the mornings? Why am I sleepy in the mornings? Dowa-ha-ha! It’s because of youkai. Yeah, that’s right.”

8 “Run, Melos!” is a short story also by Osamu Dazai (the author of No Longer Human mentioned above), a classic that’s often read in Japanese schools. It was also the subject of an Internet post that became a meme and coined the term zuttomo, meaning basically “best friends,” which Hachiman quotes here.

9 “I decided to commit to being a behind-the-scenes support, like one of those stagehands dressed in all black. No, I will be even darker than black…” The original Japanese gag here was “I decided to commit myself to covert support [kuroko ni tessuru, literally, commit to being a stagehand]. But anyway, the phrase kuroko ni tessuru had this unusual Kuroyanagi Tetsuko feel to it.” Tetsuko Kuroyanagi is an old-school TV personality and actress (born 1933).

Chapter 3 … At some point, Iroha Isshiki started hanging around.

1 QED: Shoumei Shuuryou (localized as just QED) is a mystery manga, as is Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning.

2 “Okay… I’ll make it through today, too.” Kyou mo ichinichi ganbaru zoi, which includes a cutesy, meaningless sentence ending in Japanese, is a quote from the protagonist of the manga New Game! that became memeified.

3 “But time has begun to move again” is a quote from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders.

4 “Her adaptational ability is so high. Is she a member of Tokio? Bet she could survive on a desert island…” Tokio is a band under Johnny & Associates, a prominent talent agency for many boy bands and male idols, that also had a long-running variety show called Za Tetsuwan Dash! (The strong arm dash), which involved the members and guests taking on various challenges.

5 “Iroha ga Kill! Cut down in one neat stroke… The only ones I can think of who will end things so clearly are anime viewers or the hitokiri battousai.” Hachiman is riffing off the Akame ga Kill! anime, followed by the title of the titular character in Rurouni Kenshin, which is sometimes translated as “manslayer.”

6 “Wow, I hope she didn’t pull a muscle with that reach.” The original pun here was on tottetsuke (forced) and totte (handle). “Her reason was so forced, it seemed convenient for carrying (the boxes).”

7 “Good grief, Irohasu…one of those Keroyon frog statues they stand up in front of pharmacies.” The original Japanese gag here is “We were all so exasperated (akire), it was like Agiire Japan [referencing Javier Aguirre’s time as the manager of Japan’s World Cup soccer team]. Isshiki seemed nonchalant [kerori]. She was so nonchalant, I wanted to make her a doll like Keroyon and stand her up in front of pharmacies.” Kero is an onomatopoeia that means “ribbit.”

8 The Hurt Locker is a Hollywood movie about a bomb disposal team in the Iraq War.

9 “About the only other thing I could do is consult a Ouija board.” In Japanese, he says kokkuri-san, which is basically the same thing as a Ouija board but with a slightly different history. He literally says kokkuri-san ni guguru (consult a kokkuri-san), referencing the title of the manga Gugure! Kokkuri-san! The title is a wordplay that’s not immediately clear and is also a spoiler for the ending.

10 “Did someone die? Has there been a funeral service recently?” Traditional Buddhist service for the dead involves rituals a certain number of days after death, the most important of which in the first year is the forty-ninth day after death.

11 How beautiful it is to have good friends is the name of a famous 1951 painting of vegetables by Saneatsu Mushanokoji, artist and writer of the Taisho and Showa eras.

12 “Miura in particular is less girlish and more like the leader of a gang of juvenile delinquents, one in Yokohama. Maybe because of her name?” Hachiman is referencing the baseball player Daisuke Miura, who is also nicknamed Hama no Banchou (Yokohama Juvenile Gang Boss).

Chapter 4 … Yumiko Miura still wants to know anyway.

1 “Can’t I avoid asking him directly and get this done by just interviewing his guardian spirit or something?” The Interview with XXX’s Guardian Spirit are books about famous figures published without their authorization by the Japanese cult Happy Science.

2 “Nobody was coming, and I was so alone, it kind of made me think a Reality Marble had activated…” Reality Marble are the barriers characters have fights inside in the Fate series.

3 “Well, seventeen-year-old girls are chatty melons who love to talk…” This is referencing the Internet radio show Kikuko Inoue charming chatty melon, which invited anime-related guests for interviews and discussion.

4 “I mean, this is you we’re talking about… Is it me you’re talking about? You never call me by my name; I get so unsure…” In Japanese, she says Senpai desu shi nee (“This is you we’re talking about”), and he responds, “Senpai death shine [die]? I’m gonna die two times?”

5 “The opposite of opposition is approval? You’re not Bakabon’s dad…” Hachiman is referencing the gag manga Tensai Bakabon (Genius Bakabon) by Fujio Akatsuka. He’s always saying things like “The opposite of approval is disapproval” or “The opposite of approval! An approval of opposition!” It’s all slightly nonsensical and generally just means “Whatever, that’s fine.”

Chapter 5 … Saika Totsuka is waiting until that someday comes.

1 “Uh, you don’t have to say it like, C’mon and let’s play baseball…” This is a reference to the long-running newspaper comic Sazae-san. Sazae’s younger brother Katsuo is often pestered by his best friend Nakajima to go play baseball.

2 “I shall not fail my exams to become a rurouni, nin nin.” Usually someone who fails their exams and spends another year studying is called a ronin, but Zaimokuza takes this opportunity to make a Rurouni Kenshin reference (the words use the same characters:   versus   ). Nin nin is what they say in the kids’ show Ninja Hattori-kun. Zaimokuza is also going further in his cringe-talk than usual, using sessha and de gozaru, which are associated with ninja and samurai and used by Kenshin and characters in Ninja Hattori-kun. Zaimokuza usually uses ware and de aru, which sounds more like a dramatic anime villain.

3 “N-ngh… The heavy acceleration phenomenon… The Heaviness…” This is a sort of time distortion field caused by the antagonists in Kamen Rider Drive.

4 “I got through half of the distance of the run, rotting along by myself and warming up my hamstrings. Heke! No wait, that’s Hamtaro…” The Japanese pun here is on tattaka and tottoko, both onomatopoeia for running, the latter of which is part of the Japanese title for Hamtaro (Tottoko Hamutaro). Heke is part of the ham-ham language in Hamtaro.

5 “…these three clowns—Three for the Landfill, if you will—…” The original pun here was sanbaka (three idiots) samba carnival.

6 “I was like a Rockbomb, wasting my turns doing nothing…” The Rockbomb is a recurring enemy in the Dragon Quest games. Typically, it will waste turns (yousu wo ukagau, “wait and see,” though it’s translated differently in every game) before eventually exploding in the player’s face.

7 “At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before we arrive at the Love Stage…” Love Stage!! is the name of a BL manga with an anime adaptation.

8 “…a heart-dancing encore began bubbling up within me…” Kokoro odoru ankooru wakasu is a lyric from the song “Kokoro Odoru” by nobodyknows+.

9 Juumangoku manjuu are a type of sweets local to Saitama, and “The wind speaks to you” is part of their ad slogan.

10 “I think if you win at that card game, then your wishes come true, and you become an unlimited girl… Wait, no, wrong English word, that’s selector.” Selector is a series of anime works based on the WIXOSS TCG.

11 “Self-recommendation. The so-called AO entrance, huh…? I think the official name for that was Ability Optional, right?” AO here actually stands for Admissions Office, and this style of entrance exam is actually closer to the Western standard, and rather than taking the Asian-style entrance exam, you do stuff like writing an essay, you’re evaluated on overall high school grades, and you might have an interview. (Also, the original Japanese pun was aho demo OK, “Okay even if you’re an idiot.”)

Chapter 6 … Gallantly, Haruno Yukinoshita departs into the darkness.

1 “Is the order a Hachibun? But hearing the word work does not make my heart hop-hop.” This is a reference to the gag manga Is the Order a Rabbit?

2 “Life is hard!! Or I think that’s what they said in an ad for the anime Jinsei.” Jinsei (life) is an anime based off a light novel written by a writer friend of Watari’s.

3 “Is she a wannabe Newtype or something? That woman! Step on her ships with a Gelgoog!” In the Gundam franchise, Newtypes are human beings with special abilities, almost like space psychics. In Japanese, Hachiman actually says, “That woman! Stop being a fujoshi!” But the particular way it’s worded is referencing the Gundam: Stardust Memory Internet meme, “That woman! Step on her with a Gelgoog!” referring to Nina, who is basically the most loathed female character in the entire Gundam franchise, a series already infamous for loathed female characters.

4 “Invisible beings and stuff—if this were Another, someone’d be dead.” This line is a meme that originated with the series of mystery horror novels and their anime adaptation. The series involves a lot of gruesome deaths.

5 “Well, there’s marriage blues, there’s maternity blues, and Tail Blue.” Tail Blue is a character from the light novels Gonna Be the Twin-Tail!!

6 “I nodded, mentally doing a sideways peace sign and going Capisce!” This is the habit of the protagonist of PriPara. It’s a Pretty Rhythm sequel, originally an idol-themed rhythm game for little girls (that of course got a side audience of older male otaku, as you do).

7 “It’s not like Nyanta or Hamuzou or Ebizou or Kikuzou.” Chuu is a mouse squeak, so it’s quite reasonable Yui would assume Chuuta (the Japanese pronunciation of “tutor”) is a mouse. Nyanta would be a cat’s name, and Hamuzou would be a hamster. The pattern here is taking a male suffix (ta and zou are name endings for boys) and putting a pet word ahead of it (Hamtaro would be a popular example of this). Ebizou and Kikuzou, on the other hand, are inherited stage names for performers in traditional arts like Kabuki and rakugo.

8 “No problems here, no punks here, no monks here. Please dial back that real-life Monk-class aura. Bet she could fire off Multifists.” Multifists is a recurring skill for the Monk job class in Dragon Quest. The original Japanese pun here is on monku (complaint) and Monk.

9 “Quit with the noises. Are you T, born in a temple?” T, born in a temple, is a recurring character in Japanese creepypastas of the 2000s. He’s a regular guy with a strong spiritual sense.

10 “Unlike Isshiki or Komachi, her devilishness was Demon Lord levels. And as you know, you can’t escape the Demon Lord.” “You can’t escape the Demon Lord” is a quote from the Demon Lord Vearn in the manga Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai.

Chapter 7 … Hayato Hayama always meets expectations.

1 “Is it because I’m invisibeel after all?” The Japanese pun here was on nuru (slimy, slippery) and null.

2 “Ickygaya…” The nickname here in Japanese is Hikigaeru (where kaeru means “frog”).

3 “…As if it was the climax right from the beginning.” This is a reference to the catchphrase of the protagonist of Kamen Rider Den-O, Ryotaro Nogami: “From start to finish, I’m always at a climax!”

4 “By the time I finished running, my knees were shaking like tambourines at karaoke. It was almost funny. Ha. Fun-knee.” The Japanese pun here is a play on hiza ga warau, which literally means “laughing/smiling knees” but as an idiom means “shaking knees.” Then he says, “This is really nikko nikko nii…” Nikko nikko nii is like “smiley smiley smile” and is a cutesy thing Nico Yazawa from Love Live! does.