Nisemonogatari 1 : 004

September 13, 2011

Here is approximately the first 2 pages of a Hachikuji-centric chapter. This is all I’ll put out of this chapter until I translate the rest properly, because this chapter is a) long and b) filled with jokes and puns.

———-

At the same time, I cannot of course speak the truth. “Actually, I became a vampire when you all weren’t looking, and, well, somehow managed to turn back into a human again, but there’s still quite a number of after-effects, so, just in case, I try to avoid arguments as much as possible, because if I get in a scuffle with you, I might get rash and kill you” — just what sort of face should I be wearing if I were to say something like this?

This was, if anything, an unnecessary worry, however.

The relationship right now between the vampire which lurked in my shadow — Oshino Shinobu — and I was easily incomprehensible. Simple in a complex way. The fact that I am family as well as servant of Shinobu remains unchanged, but without me, Shinobu would be able to neither live nor die, degraded to an ill-defined existence both as a vampire and as an abnormality.

Simply put, I could become half-vampire even now were Shinobu to provide me with blood; if Shinobu were to suck my blood, she can also regain her powers as a vampire to a certain extent. To turn it the other way round, unless immediately after Shinobu provides me with blood, the only after-effect existing in my body is a healing ability at most — which is why it should be fine for me to get in a scuffle with Karen without worry, though as I had said to Tsukihi earlier, at this level it might be normal for me to lose to someone beginning to truly master the ways of combat sports, but still, even so.

Even so, I had found out what it meant.

To fight.

To struggle.

Not to compete — but to war.

Not to trade blows, but to kill.

I knew about war, and killing.

As such — try as I might, I couldn’t get into fights with my sisters like I had before.

I tried my best not to think about it until it was pointed out today, but somewhere in my heart, thoughts had been given.

—- well, it’s like…

—- Just don’t go and become an adult by yourself, okay?

—- It’s boring.

Karen told me the opposite.

It’s because you’re like this — that you’ll never become an adult —

All told, this was more correct.

It wasn’t as though I was changed inside.

I just — know now.

Well, Tsukihi may be the way she is, but it wasn’t as though she wanted me to strangle her — though as she had said, there certainly had to be a proper way to dispute.

I continued thinking about such things.

In the meantime, I dressed up in an outfit befitting a polite visit to someone else’s home (though, like Tsukihi said, no matter how much thought I put into it, with my fashion sense I still ended up with jeans and parka) and left the house.

Sengoku’s place was quite close. So close, in fact, that I was astonished the first time I went with her back to her home. Well, seeing as we went to the same public school, I suppose one would think it obvious — I didn’t even need a bike. It was well within walking distance.

Written by CanonRap Posted in Monogatari Tagged with 004, Nisemonogatari