Unification By Force - Prologue
Apr. 3rd, 2021 10:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mizuhanome_tlThis translation is a collaboration.
Souma lines by niamh @ketsuinoyaiba
Leo lines by Sei @mizuhanome_tl (me)
---
<Early October, in front of the front entrance of the ES Building>
Leo: ~♪ ~♪
Wahaha! Good, good, very nice!
Another day of great weather! It's just right, not too hot and not too cold. Yeah, autumn definitely feels like my kinda season.
Ah, I can feel the inspiration and hunger welling up inside me! Mm, a song about the clear skies and bountiful harvests of autumn~
Souma: Excuse meee!
Leo: ...!?
Souma: Mmh! Careful!
Leo: ...!? ...!?
Souma: Phew... You would do well to mind your surroundings, Tsukinaga-dono.
You mustn’t write while standing with such a precarious foothold as that— Although fortunately I was able to catch you immediately, if I had failed to do so, you would have found yourself gravely injured.
Leo: Yeah, okay. Well, the whole reason I got surprised and fell is 'cause of you shouting so loudly all of a sudden, you know.
But I guess you do have a point. And I'm your senior, so I won't get all upset over it.
Souma: Mmh. Your behavior is perfectly befitting of a senior— I would have expected no less from a friend of Hasumi-dono.
Leo: Who's Hasumidono...? Ahh, wait, you mean Keito, right? How's he doing lately? I haven't really heard much about him or what he’s been up to recently.
Back when things were all about Yumenosaki, it seemed like everyone would always be hearing his name, whether they were trying to or not.
Souma: Mhm. Tsukinaga-dono, you have been sharing temporary residence with a boon companion of yours in a foreign country, have you not? I suppose that alone would cause you to become unfamiliar with domestic affairs.
Leo: Well that's true... But even so, I end up hearing about other units all the time, you know~
Sena always has a look that gives off "Idols? You know I'm not interested, right?" vibes, but he's always checking in on them and grumbling over this or that.
We all have to tackle the same big issues out in the real world as adults, so we should really be working together. So why are you guys always fighting amongst each other?
Souma: ...
Leo: Well, it's not really my place to talk. But Knights has been getting along pretty well lately.
...More importantly though, can you put me down? It's embarrassing to be princess-carried like this, uh, who were you again... Bunbunmaru-kun?1
Souma: Hmm. Although it is unclear to me just where that peculiar form of address came from, it does not seem to harbor any malice, and so I shall turn a deaf ear to it. I will put you down gently, Tsukinaga-dono.
Leo: I'll leave it to you~♪
...Ah, whew~ Yeah, I can't stay calm unless I keep myself grounded. You can interpret that however you want.
Souma: Mhm. Lately it appears as though you have settled down at last, Tsukinaga-dono. My roommate from the dormitory, Suou, is quite pleased by that fact.
Leo: Ah, Bun-chan and Suo~ are roommates?
Souma: Bun-chan...?
Leo: How's he doing? He's not causing ya any trouble, is he, Bun-chan?
Souma: Ah, “Bun-chan” is meant to refer to me, then? Well, Suou is a good child; quite courteous and dedicated. I have no doubt that his family raised him with proper discipline.
Although there was a period of time where he fell into quite a poor temper. He believed that you and your companions were much too selfish, and felt beside himself with anger at that.
Leo: Ah, hm... Well he's the kind of guy who even wants to have control over the lives of others. When he can't take control, he just instinctively gets all irritated about it.
Souma: Mhm. He is prone to such things. I do wonder if it is a consequence of his upbringing being centered upon his eventual fate of becoming the head of his household, that Suou.
Nevertheless, he is quite a clever child as well. Through his desperate yet careful rumination, he procured your assent.2
One would think doing as such was surely the most optimal solution, but on the other hand, it is quite a pity that he was unable to arrive at such a solution through his own means— or so I believe.
Leo: Eh~? When you say it like that, it just makes me want to refute everything you're saying, you know. Maybe I should barge into Suo~'s room and say it's because Sena and I had a fight and broke up.
Souma: You are quite the contrarian. The inclination to actively seek to cause as many disturbances as one possibly can is not one that is often held in high regard.
Leo: Really? I think it's best to only settle down once you can't go at it any longer. Like, sure, a peaceful day-to-day is nice and all, but if there's no stimulation at all, it just gets so boring!
Even the god of music would lose interest and ignore everything!
Souma: I am not fond of extending entreaties to the gods. I believe it is none short of crucial to overcome hardship with one’s own strength; to make unceasing progress in one’s earnest journey forward.
Leo: Ah~, that's definitely sounds like something Akatsuki would do. I was pretty surprised that even though you guys got stung by Crazy:B this summer, you stayed calm and kept moving forward.
Souma: Mhm. I am disciplining myself for that express purpose. We shall never waver, nor shall we be felled, no matter the shock inflicted upon us.
That is our pride; our honor. And thus I believe that is precisely why our “fans” can look upon us with confidence.
Leo: Mm~ Things that don't move may as well be dead, you know. Doesn't matter how pretty it is. If it doesn't move, I think I'd just get bored. Just like watching lions at the zoo.
Well that's fine! We're us, and you're you, after all. We're all good in our own way~ Wahahahaha♪
-- But you know. You might actually be the only ones who think you're stable right now.
It's kinda like how it’s hard to tell if someone in your family got any taller, since the change is so gradual.
Souma: ? Just what could you mean by that?
Leo: Figure it out yourself, kid. You seem much sharper than our Suo~ after all. That's probably why you're not constantly suspicious of those above you.
Kids who are still in their rebellious phase tend to have sudden outbursts, so I get worried ya know. I was like that too. Well it's not like I think Keito and Kuro are deceiving you or anything, but --
The stable image of Akatsuki that you see. Is that image truly a reflection of reality?
Souma: ...?
TL Notes:
1: The nickname Bunbunmaru (ブンブン丸) is derived from bunbun (ブンブン), in reference to powerful swings of his sword, and maru (丸), which is a common name ending for samurai. It has also been associated with athletes in the real world.
2: Reference to Requiem.
Souma lines by niamh @ketsuinoyaiba
Leo lines by Sei @mizuhanome_tl (me)
---
<Early October, in front of the front entrance of the ES Building>
Leo: ~♪ ~♪
Wahaha! Good, good, very nice!
Another day of great weather! It's just right, not too hot and not too cold. Yeah, autumn definitely feels like my kinda season.
Ah, I can feel the inspiration and hunger welling up inside me! Mm, a song about the clear skies and bountiful harvests of autumn~
Souma: Excuse meee!
Leo: ...!?
Souma: Mmh! Careful!
Leo: ...!? ...!?
Souma: Phew... You would do well to mind your surroundings, Tsukinaga-dono.
You mustn’t write while standing with such a precarious foothold as that— Although fortunately I was able to catch you immediately, if I had failed to do so, you would have found yourself gravely injured.
Leo: Yeah, okay. Well, the whole reason I got surprised and fell is 'cause of you shouting so loudly all of a sudden, you know.
But I guess you do have a point. And I'm your senior, so I won't get all upset over it.
Souma: Mmh. Your behavior is perfectly befitting of a senior— I would have expected no less from a friend of Hasumi-dono.
Leo: Who's Hasumidono...? Ahh, wait, you mean Keito, right? How's he doing lately? I haven't really heard much about him or what he’s been up to recently.
Back when things were all about Yumenosaki, it seemed like everyone would always be hearing his name, whether they were trying to or not.
Souma: Mhm. Tsukinaga-dono, you have been sharing temporary residence with a boon companion of yours in a foreign country, have you not? I suppose that alone would cause you to become unfamiliar with domestic affairs.
Leo: Well that's true... But even so, I end up hearing about other units all the time, you know~
Sena always has a look that gives off "Idols? You know I'm not interested, right?" vibes, but he's always checking in on them and grumbling over this or that.
We all have to tackle the same big issues out in the real world as adults, so we should really be working together. So why are you guys always fighting amongst each other?
Souma: ...
Leo: Well, it's not really my place to talk. But Knights has been getting along pretty well lately.
...More importantly though, can you put me down? It's embarrassing to be princess-carried like this, uh, who were you again... Bunbunmaru-kun?1
Souma: Hmm. Although it is unclear to me just where that peculiar form of address came from, it does not seem to harbor any malice, and so I shall turn a deaf ear to it. I will put you down gently, Tsukinaga-dono.
Leo: I'll leave it to you~♪
...Ah, whew~ Yeah, I can't stay calm unless I keep myself grounded. You can interpret that however you want.
Souma: Mhm. Lately it appears as though you have settled down at last, Tsukinaga-dono. My roommate from the dormitory, Suou, is quite pleased by that fact.
Leo: Ah, Bun-chan and Suo~ are roommates?
Souma: Bun-chan...?
Leo: How's he doing? He's not causing ya any trouble, is he, Bun-chan?
Souma: Ah, “Bun-chan” is meant to refer to me, then? Well, Suou is a good child; quite courteous and dedicated. I have no doubt that his family raised him with proper discipline.
Although there was a period of time where he fell into quite a poor temper. He believed that you and your companions were much too selfish, and felt beside himself with anger at that.
Leo: Ah, hm... Well he's the kind of guy who even wants to have control over the lives of others. When he can't take control, he just instinctively gets all irritated about it.
Souma: Mhm. He is prone to such things. I do wonder if it is a consequence of his upbringing being centered upon his eventual fate of becoming the head of his household, that Suou.
Nevertheless, he is quite a clever child as well. Through his desperate yet careful rumination, he procured your assent.2
One would think doing as such was surely the most optimal solution, but on the other hand, it is quite a pity that he was unable to arrive at such a solution through his own means— or so I believe.
Leo: Eh~? When you say it like that, it just makes me want to refute everything you're saying, you know. Maybe I should barge into Suo~'s room and say it's because Sena and I had a fight and broke up.
Souma: You are quite the contrarian. The inclination to actively seek to cause as many disturbances as one possibly can is not one that is often held in high regard.
Leo: Really? I think it's best to only settle down once you can't go at it any longer. Like, sure, a peaceful day-to-day is nice and all, but if there's no stimulation at all, it just gets so boring!
Even the god of music would lose interest and ignore everything!
Souma: I am not fond of extending entreaties to the gods. I believe it is none short of crucial to overcome hardship with one’s own strength; to make unceasing progress in one’s earnest journey forward.
Leo: Ah~, that's definitely sounds like something Akatsuki would do. I was pretty surprised that even though you guys got stung by Crazy:B this summer, you stayed calm and kept moving forward.
Souma: Mhm. I am disciplining myself for that express purpose. We shall never waver, nor shall we be felled, no matter the shock inflicted upon us.
That is our pride; our honor. And thus I believe that is precisely why our “fans” can look upon us with confidence.
Leo: Mm~ Things that don't move may as well be dead, you know. Doesn't matter how pretty it is. If it doesn't move, I think I'd just get bored. Just like watching lions at the zoo.
Well that's fine! We're us, and you're you, after all. We're all good in our own way~ Wahahahaha♪
-- But you know. You might actually be the only ones who think you're stable right now.
It's kinda like how it’s hard to tell if someone in your family got any taller, since the change is so gradual.
Souma: ? Just what could you mean by that?
Leo: Figure it out yourself, kid. You seem much sharper than our Suo~ after all. That's probably why you're not constantly suspicious of those above you.
Kids who are still in their rebellious phase tend to have sudden outbursts, so I get worried ya know. I was like that too. Well it's not like I think Keito and Kuro are deceiving you or anything, but --
The stable image of Akatsuki that you see. Is that image truly a reflection of reality?
Souma: ...?
TL Notes:
1: The nickname Bunbunmaru (ブンブン丸) is derived from bunbun (ブンブン), in reference to powerful swings of his sword, and maru (丸), which is a common name ending for samurai. It has also been associated with athletes in the real world.
2: Reference to Requiem.
