One day, I will format my footnotes properly. Unfortunately, today’s not that day. Before getting to the story proper:
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As mentioned in my post for Banica, I left honorifics in the story here mostly to give direct contrast in how Kayo was brought up in Enbizaka (totally not Edo Japan), while the rest are raised in European-inspired countries.
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The first scene takes place in an お白州 (oshirasu), which is basically where court trials are held - even the translations you google that say “court of law where the parties sat on white sand” don’t do justice to this, it’s best to check the images for how it really looked. Can’t really say that those are courtrooms (or even a single room for that matter), so I just opted to call it Court Trial
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The magistrate is actually Kayo’s grandfather
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The so-called “purple dream” she gets is a result of… lots of things that I simply don’t recall (plugs Evillious wiki once more). But when she talks about it later, she mentions killing Kai because while she was infatuated with him, he didn’t know her at all (i.e. the plot in the original song itself). This actually occurred in the original timeline of the overall Evillious Chronicles. With the purple dream enabling her to be fully aware of the consequences of ratting Kai out to the authorities, this is why Kayo feigns insanity in the court to prevent the pretty-not-poggers ending of Enbizaka from happening.
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I know that Yuka’s name is written as おゆか (oyuka), but the お is not exactly part of her name persay. There’s a lot of things going on there but what I found was that (lots of copypasta of my old convo with Ylimegirl about the same thing):
- the use of o- supposedly originates from the trends in the heian court’s women of doing that o- thing (cause of the kawaii/niceness) -> in turn this trend spread to the commoner women
- it is neither a sign of formality (it can be, but it can also be a sign of affection), nor is it a part of the name persay - there are records of the same person having their name written with or without the o-. two sites (1 yahoo answer, another site named “edojidai.info” lol) said that o- is only enunciated if another person is saying the name, so one would never say something like oyuka to refer to themselves in an introduction or something. the edojidai site also says that it functions like how -chan and -san are used today. it is also only attached to names consisting of 2 hiragana characters, which oyuka fits the bill for
- another reason i see is that the o- distinguishes people from inanimate objects, and sounds gooder to the ear
Thank you Ylimegirl for reading this and correcting any misconceptions I had!
Title: The Seamstress Driven Mad By Envy
Characters: Sudou Kayo, Magistrate, Bailiff, Yuka, Townspeople, Kai, Mei
JP Proofreader: Jessica
Part 1
Court Trial
Bailiff
The magistrate has arrived!
Magistrate
…Sudou Kayo.
You have been charged with the murder of Mei, the wife of the Miroku store owner- Is that correct?
Kayo
Yes, that is correct.
Magistrate
For what reason have you born murderous intent towards Mei?
Kayo
It is because that woman had made advances towards my husband.
Magistrate
Were you also the culprit who murdered Mei's daughter, Miku, as well as Miku's younger sister, Rin?
Kayo
Yes, that is correct.
Magistrate
Why did you do so?
Kayo
It is because those women made advances towards my husband.
Magistrate
…Do you have any other defense to make?
Kayo
No, I do not.
(-No matter how many times you probe, it will all be the same. My answers will never change.)
(I shall take these unneeded truths along with me to hell-)
One year ago
Enbizaka
Kayo
Phew……
(My dreams as of late have been unpleasant. Am I fatigued, perhaps…)
…No, more importantly, I have to deliver the kimono as requested by the owner of the soba store.
Male Townsperson A
Oi, isn't that the tailor shop's…
Footsteps
Male Townsperson B
She was burnt horribly by that fire from four years ago. People were discussing where she could have been recuperating, but it seems like she's back now.
Female Townsperson
That's true. But somehow, the current Kayo-san seems quite scary…
A while ago, when I was taking my children along for a walk, she shot a terrifying glare at us, you know.
Male Townsperson A
Oi, oi, you sure you didn't do anything to deserve that?
Female Townsperson
Preposterous! We were just passing each other at the time.
Perhaps she's jealous of how happy other people looked since she lost her own family…
On top of that, I heard that she finally went mad recently. She talks about her husband and son as if they're still alive and not dead from that fire, you know.
Male Townsperson B
…I've heard of that too. Isn't she convinced that her son works at the trading company owned by that foreigner Perrié?
Female Townsperson
Yeah, yeah. She also says that her husband never comes home because he's always out seeking pleasure.
Male Townsperson
…How pitiful. If only such a terrible fire never broke out…
Kayo
Phew. Thankfully, the delivery could be made with no issues.
(However, I still have plenty of incomplete sewing requests to get back to. Once I return, I have to make even a little bit of progress-)
Yuka
Oh, if it isn't Kayo-san! Were you out to deliver a kimono, perhaps?
Kayo
Ahh, good evening, Yuka-san. Indeed, I had just delivered one to the owner of the soba store there.
Yuka
I see you're still the hard worker as before despite having just returned~. How I wish to get that Eikichi to learn from your ways~
Kayo
Eikichi-san… Ahh, the detective1. If I recall correctly, he originated from the same village as you, right?
Yuka
You could say that. Really, you probably reckon that he's using my store as a refuge from work or something.
Thanks to that, he hasn't even been able to nab the arsonist for the fire from four years ago!
Kayo
……
Yuka
Ah… I'm so sorry, Kayo-san. It must've brought back terrible memories for you.
Kayo
It's fine… You also have painful memories from losing your store to that fire, after all. Right, Yuka-san?
Yuka
I mean, that's true, but…
Kayo
Please do not worry so much about me. After all, you have continuously cared for me all along.
Yuka
…Really?
Footsteps
???
-I'm sorry that you ended up having to work with foreigners because of me.2
???
It's alright… As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't bother me anyway.
Yuka
Oh? It's the owner of the Miroku store and his wife, Mei-san.
Mei
Forget about me… Focus on getting those burns on your hands treated properly…
Kai
It's alright. My fingers can move even in this state, anyway.
Lots of people died from that horrible fire. I should be thanking the gods, on the other hand, for the fact that I could escape it with just these injuries.
Mei
Is… that so…
Footsteps
Yuka
…It seems like the Miroku store owner was also caught up in that fire.
Kayo
…Yuka-san. I will take my leave from here. Please excuse me.
Yuka's voice
Sure thing. Make sure to drop by the store sometime, okay?
Kayo
…
……
………
Kayo
-Shall I begin sewing, then?
The next day
Sweeping and footsteps
Yuka's voice
Kayo-san! Bad news, really bad news!! Now's not the time to be sweeping without a care in the world!
Kayo
What's the matter, Yuka-san? You're panicking quite a lot.
Yuka
It's so bad that "What's the matter" doesn't even cut it! Mei-san, the wife of the Miroku store owner, was killed!
Kayo
…My, that's quite terrifying.
Yuka
Rumour has it that she was the unlucky victim to a samurai who was testing his sword3, or a political opponent. Apparently, the red kimono she wore was also stolen!
Sigh… Just as I thought we could finally return to the merry days we had before.
Please be careful as well, Kayo-san. Don't go out at night when the crowds are thin just because you want to get work done, okay?
Kayo
Thank you for your concern, Yuka-san. Do take care as well.
Yuka
I will. …Omigosh, I spent too much time here and left the shop unattended! See you again, Kayo-san!
Sweeping and footsteps
Kayo
Now then, I shall get to sewing as well.
First, I'll have to mend that hole in the bust and make it as good as new.
Part 2
???
Kayo
Ughh… Ah…!!
Fire, commotion
Male Townsperson
Run! Hurry up! The fire's already reached that far!!
Female Townsperson
Ahh… Ahh…!! Does- Does anyone know where my child is?! Anyone…!!
Yuka
What are you doing?! You have to get away too!!
Female Townsperson
Let go, please…! If I lose my child, I'll…!
Yuka
You have a smart child, don't you? I'm sure he would have run away already, so-
Male Townsperson
Oi, you there! The roof is collapsing!! Run!!
Yuka
Huh… Ah…! AHHHHH!!!
Things fall, Kayo wakes up
Kayo
AAHHH!!
Huff… huff…
Th-The… The same dream… Again…
……
Enbizaka
Yuka
Haah, the tuna takoyaki at Gonkichi's teahouse is truly second to none~
Kayo
…Indeed, it is.
Yuka
…Kayo-san. I get the sense that you've been feeling down lately. Did something happen?
Kayo
It's nothing, I've had a few nightmares… It's just me being sleep deprived.
Yuka
Is that so? …Well, there have been disturbing cases cropping up one after another for a while here.
To think that not only the wife, but both Miroku daughters were also murdered.
Seriously, what are the detective and police doing?
Kayo
If I recall correctly, they are now serving as bodyguards for the widower who was left behind.
Yuka
Sounds about right. If the Miroku shop owner can get murdered even with all this in place, the magistrate's office's reputation will also be ruined entirely.
…When did this town start to become so unsettling, I wonder.
Kayo
……
Yuka
The Crimson Robed Masses… was it? I haven't even heard any rumours of that dangerous anti-foreigner group lately-
With everyone's return to Enbizaka, we were supposed to move forward, and yet…
Kayo
……
Yuka-san, do you like Enbizaka?
Yuka
Hm? Well…
When I got married and moved here, I was indeed shocked since there were foreigners with vivid hair colours everywhere.
But after living here with them, I learnt that we aren't all that different after all. We break into smiles if we eat delicious food, we make a ruckus when we drink alcohol…
So… If you were to ask whether I like or dislike it, I'd say I love Enbizaka.
Kayo
Is that so?
Indeed, that makes sense.
-Yuka-san.
Yuka
Hm?
Kayo
Thank you… I'm truly thankful for all you've done for me up to this point.
Yuka
Haha! Oh please, no need to be so formal.
A few weeks later
Mount Inasa4 - Near Enbizaka
Kai
Huff…huff… I suppose I can take a short break here.
Footsteps
Kayo
You appear exhausted.
Kai
…?!
Uh, yeah. Thanks for the concern. I didn't think there would be other people in such a place.
Good afternoon, it is nice to meet you.
Kayo
…And you as well, good afternoon.
Kai
But I have to ask, why have you come to such a-
Ah- Ahh…
That red kimono you're wearing…! I'd made it for Mei… my wife!!
On top of that, the sash and hairpin are also…! My daughters'…!!
Kayo
It is exactly as you think, Kai-san.
I killed them. All of them.
Kai
Eek…!
Thud
Kayo
Oh my… Could it be due to your substantial weight loss, I wonder? It seems that making the journey all the way here truly exhausted you.
Kai
Why… Why did you…do such a thing-
Kayo
-I have been able to see a mysterious purple dream for some time.
In those dreams, I'd been convinced that you were my husband and took out the women around you one after another…
From there, I flew into a rage after you said "Good afternoon, it is nice to meet you", and used these same scissors to slice you up in the end.
However… Let it be clear that I currently do not think of you as my husband.
Kai
Eek… D-Don't come here…
Kayo
I know why you have decided to come here.
You were planning to go to the headquarters in this mountain. Am I correct, Kai-san of the extremist Crimson Robed Masses anti-foreigner group?
Kai
…?! Wh-Why do you know that…?!
Kayo
You told me so with your dying breath in my dream.
-Including the fact that you were the arsonist who took my husband and son away from me four years ago.
Kai
Ah! So you're here for revenge?! If you were to announce the truth, then there's no way I can escape punishment!
Wouldn't the worst possible scenario break out instead?! We're talking about total war between the magistrate's office and us Crimson Robed Masses here!
If that happens, the restored Enbizaka would also be dragged into it…!
Kayo
Yes, I am aware of that. Along with the fact that the Crimson Robed Masses wields such immense strength that you can even revolt against the magistrate's office.
As well as the fact that the magistrate's office cannot do anything even as they figured out eventually that the Crimson Robed Masses was behind the fire precisely because they are aware of that fact.
Kai
Th-Then…
Kayo
No. There's no way I could forgive you,
-This is vengeance… No, perhaps it is envy.
How could you, the culprit, laugh with your family without a care in the world even though many people, including myself, lost our loved ones.
It drives me so, so, so, so mad-
Kai
Eek! …Ah… S-Stop…
Kayo
There is no need to worry about Enbizaka, by the way. Because I will carry the truth to hell with me.
Now, I shall begin sewing - my final task.
Kai
Ah!! AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
Enbizaka
Male Townsperson A
The culprit who murdered the Miroku family has been caught?!
Male Townsperson B
Yeah… It was Kayo-san from the tailor shop… She seems to be convinced that the Miroku store's husband is her own.
Male Townsperson B
What?! Was she that off her rocker…?
Yuka
N-No way… This can't be true. There must have been some mistake!
…Eikichi! Where are you?! There's no way I can be convinced with this!
Footsteps
Court Trial
Magistrate
-Are you certain that you have no other defense to make?
Kayo
Yes, I have none.
Magistrate
I shall pass my judgment.
You acted upon your selfish assumptions to murder the Miroku store's family of four, and throw the residents of Enbizaka into chaos and fear.
That is an unforgiveable crime on all accounts. Therefore, I sentence Sudou Kayo to be executed by beheading.
Kayo
……
(I will take the future shown by the purple dream with me to hell.)
(To Yuka-san and everyone else from Enbizaka. Please take care-)
Notes
- 岡っ引き (okappiki) - a civilian who serves (kind of) like a private detective. They were paid for their help by the Edo “police” (同心 doushin). In terms of the police force hierarchy, it goes: Minister > 町奉行 (Town Magistrate) > 与力 (members of the samurai class who provide admin assistance) > 同心 > 岡っ引き . Thanks to Jessica and her friend for helping me with this term! (Return to text)
- Yes Kai is a canon racist. (Return to text)
- Tsujigiri (辻斬り) are samurai who kill random passers-by to test his sword. The word refers to both the act of doing so, and the actor himself. (Return to text)
- So I didn’t know this was the name of a real mountain, but just based off the kanji the 2nd character is actually typically read as “za” (耶) and I thought this was a mistake. Thanks Ylimegirl who showed that it turns out it’s really called Inasa even with the furigana in the light novel. As an additional fun fact, there’s a very similar looking kanji (那) that’s really read as “na”. (Return to text)