Poor Man’s Intro

Click to skip if you just don’t care.

For machines to even have a chance to translate foreign text, we need actual text input. For a very large wide majority of light novel raws, however, scans are often in the form of image files, rather than easy-to-copy pdf or epub files. That’s fine for those who know how to read Japanese, but it’s frustrating for lazy people like me. And I am not going to literally write/type out entire chapters into the machine input.

We normally require the use of Optical Character Recognition services to extract text from a page. However, a successful OCR requires good image quality, something that many scans do not have. This is especially important when scanning complex Japanese characters, as most OCR software are trained on clear Japanese text datasets/fonts. A lack of effective OCR software is a reason why I release so damn slow.

Shakugan no Shana, for instance, is a light novel I had wanted to translate for a long time, but language and technological barriers made such translations very tedious. However, dragonite_dx was able to provide me with raws of the light novel in text format. Thus, translation has started!

This chapter is a request made by the same dragonite_dx on the Shakugan no Shana subreddit. The chapter is 58 pages long and takes up about a fifth of the novel. This chapter was also used to test the speed/efficiency/accuracy of the combined forces of copy and paste, deep learning-based machine translation, and my own English interpretation/editing skills.

Do enjoy!

Chapter 3

Overconfidence and Pain

“Hey, Wilhelmina,” Shana, surrounded by steam, raised her voice. She was in the Hirai family’s bathroom. “Why don’t you come in? Isn’t bathing interesting?” Shana placed her jaw on the bathtub’s edge and looked at the frosted glass sliding door. Although the apartment bathroom wasn’t large, there was still enough space for the small Shana to relax.

This was the first time Shana used the Hirai family’s bath. Although she took on the form of Yukari Hirai to live in Misaki City, to her, the house was just a bed and a warehouse. After all, the person of interest lived in the Sakai family’s house. Naturally, she tended to use the Sakai family’s bathroom for bathing.

And in the first place, Flame Hazes didn’t need to bathe. The Unrestricted Spell “Purifying Flame” would clean the impurities on and within a Flame Haze’s body. Because Shana had used her flames for cleaning since childhood, she hadn’t discovered the enjoyable task of bathing. Thus, she wanted to invite her caretaker to experience bathing. There was no response.

Thanks to the efforts of Wilhelmina Carmel, the Manipulator of Objects, the Hirai house’s living environment had improved, at least to the point where a person could live “normally.”

Earlier in the day, after parting with Kantarō, Wilhelmina had opened the door to Shana’s house and was immediately met with a large trash can placed in front of the narrow entrance, filled with the remains of sweets. Beyond the trash can was a window whose curtains were closed and the dim corridor empty as if part of a murder scene. Dust had also accumulated.

With the disappearance of a torch, their personal belongings and any traces of their existence would disappear. From photos to written records, everything is erased. Even if there was an unexplainable situation caused by the torch, no one would care.

Any contradictions and unnatural phenomena are slowly resolved through convoluted reasoning and logic. This is the result of being “eaten” by a Crimson Denizen. As a result, the Hirai family had disappeared, and Shana took up the existence of Yukari Hirai.

Wilhelmina and Shana stood in front of the trash can and the disastrous appearance of the apartment.

“What is this?” Wilhelmina questioned.

“What?”

“…”

Evidently, this Flame Haze did not acknowledge the need for cleaning. Only the path leading from the bed to the study desk had been kept clean. Clothing and underwear were lumped together within columns of large cardboard boxes. Everything else in the apartment was untouched.

The kitchen, the hallway, the empty parent’s room, and the bath and toilet, were all covered with dust, silence, and stagnant air. It was an unbearable sight for Wilhelmina who used to maintain the vast palace Tendo-gu where Shana had been raised. Wilhelmina hadn’t taught Shana any skills other than those related to being a Flame Haze, and this was the result.

Wilhelmina was annoyed by her own failure to properly teach Shana to clean.

“I’m going to go shopping?” she declared.

“Huh?”

“There’s a shopping center nearby.”

“I still have plenty of underwear left.”

“This house needs to be at least livable.”

“But Wilhelmina, don’t you have other things to do?”

Yes, Wilhelmina did ostensibly come to Misaki City to deal with a Crimson Lord. There were traces of disappearing Torches and the manipulation of information. Really, to Shana, Wilhelmina didn’t have any time to spare. Shana thought that prioritizing the mission was common sense to Flame Hazes, but Wilhelmina strongly declared.

“I need to at least be able to live in this house.”

“…?”

With a strange face, Wilhelmina made an excuse.

“This house will act as a base for our operations in Misaki City.” she said strongly, exaggerating the importance of the house for the sake of cleaning.

“…Yeah.” Shana couldn’t rebel against Wilhelmina’s will.

Thus, a major renovation of the Hirai family apartment began. Wilhelmina ordered the furniture necessary from the shopping center. She carried the furniture back to the apartment in a huge sack.

Meanwhile, Shana cleaned the apartment as instructed. Being the first time she’s ever cleaned, Shana found the task interesting and new, and was excited to be able to live with her favorite woman.

Wilhelmina’s face also showed a slight happiness. However, it was hard for her to say “I can live with you from now on.” After all, her stay would only be temporary and the apartment cleaning was just for improved comfort and training Shana. No, it wouldn’t be a long stay.

Over the course of the day, the Hirai family apartment turned into a normal living environment.

Afterwards, Shana soaked in the bathtub she had cleaned for the first time. The hot water provided satisfaction. She once again called out to Wilhelmina.

“When you come in, can you wash my back?” she happily asked. Again, there was no reply. “Wilhelmina? I’m coming out!”

As a rule, Alastor had been placed under a towel while Shana had taken a bath.

“What am I missing…?”

Under the towel, thought Alastor. Alastor knew that he wouldn’t be able to convince Shana of the reasoning for Wilhelmina’s intentions. Alastor knew that both of them were stubborn. They would show their wills over the fate of Yūji Saki through decisive action. He wondered if he should try to force the stubborn two to give up… no it would have the opposite effect.

Of course, Alastor wasn’t intending on letting Wilhelmina go through with her plan. There were still problems related to Midnight Lost Child even if Bal Masqué wasn’t involved. There was still the creators of the Midnight Lost Child, the Promised Pair.

Wilhelmina had withheld information regarding the fate of the Promised Pair, even though such information was probably important. Has she considered the information become top secret, and must never be told to any Flame Hazes? No matter how strange that Crimson Lord and Mystes were, explaining their fate wouldn’t exactly destroy the world.

I suppose I’ll have to ask about it again tomorrow and use what she tells me to make a final decision on Yūji Sakai’s fate, Alastor thought. If they do end up fighting, maybe I can vouch for his usefulness… really, what am I thinking??

Alastor’s uncharacteristic train of thought was due to influence by Shana. Perhaps he could state that Yūji was apt at spotting enemy plans and developing countermeasures similar to how Shana would act. Yūji himself just needs to be challenged more during the nightly trainings, and should be tested.

Despite Shana’s feelings for Yūji, to Alastor, the boy was simply a human-turned-Mystes. Alastor wanted to see if there was any tangible benefit for keeping Yūji alive. Yūji needed to get a better reputation. Battle experience wouldn’t enough; he needed to be more prepared. Alastor continued to think while he listened to the sounds of Shana humming and drying herself.

Yūji realized it was already past ten o’clock at night when he turned off the air conditioner. He opened the window leading to the small balcony. He let the summer night wind into the room, turning the air conditioner’s cooled air to something warm and moist. The sky was cloudy, and the stars hidden. The streetlight’s reflections lit the balcony’s canopy.

She’s late today, he thought.

Night training started roughly around 10 P.M on the roof. The focus of his current training was to practice utilizing the Power of Existence to cast an Unrestricted Spell. Shana would also use the training session to replenish her own Power of Existence. At midnight, Yūji’s treasure, the Midnight Lost Child, would activate and his own Power of Existence would be replenished.

Shana should have arrived by now.

He turned his gaze towards his house’s entrance. Light was leaking out from the living room into the garden. While Chigusa had a habit of going to bed early and waking up early, today was a special occasion. As Kantarō is usually unable to contact home while he’s working, his arrival calls for celebration. Yūji could hear happy chatting leaking out of the open window.

Well, I’ll have to leave my house soon… how long will this last? Yūji thought. Tomorrow morning, Mom, you may end up sleeping late. Shana will probably wake you up if you don’t get up in time… maybe I should keep the balcony window open just in case you oversleep… wait that’s not going to work…Yūji realized that he had gotten used to Shana visiting his home.

“…huh?”

A ribbon flying through the wind suddenly wrapped around his wrist.

“Uh-oh!?” Yūji crashed into the balcony’s handrails and was pulled up above the roof. Like a fish caught on a fishing line, Yūji was raised into the air. A vivid cherry blossom flame swallowed the entire house. An Unrestricted Spell had been cast to create a Seal isolating the Sakai family house from the outside world.

Yūji was dropped onto the roof.

“Gu, ga, ha!?”

Yūji’s back had crashed onto the hard tiles and temporarily lost his breath. Standing up, he swayed in shock and blinked at the cherry-colored walls of the Seal.

“Wow…”

Yūji lost his balance and nearly rolled down the roof. He clung onto the rooftop. Although he had a special Treasure Tool, Yūji’s abilities were no different than that of ordinary people. If he carelessly fell and broke his neck, it would all be over.

“Ha, ha.” Yūji faced the form at an oblique angle, cold sweat running down his body. The cold voice of a single person resounded.

“This presence… is that of the Midnight Lost Child… Mystes.”

Worried about his posture, Yūji turned around. Wilhelmina Carmel was dressed in her maid uniform. Her choice of clothing was so bizarre, Yūji temporarily forgot the crisis he was in.

Of course, he quickly came to his senses. He tried to shout “No!” but he had lost his voice from the pain in his back. He heard the woman mutter an insult under her breath.

Even though Yūji was weak, this still hurt his pride as a man. He raised a rough voice with anger and pain.

“What are you doing!?”

Wilhelmina did not respond, instead scraping the roof with her shoe, silencing Yūji. Ignoring the boy’s confusion, the Manipulator of Objects spoke.

“He doesn’t have much physical ability.”

“Clumsy,” spoke the calm voice of Tiamat.

Yūji was now gripped by fear of this woman, the calm voice, and death. The woman and the voice whispered to each other before quieting down.

The woman looked down on the Mystes and tilted her neck. Yūji tensed when her face darkened. After a silence that seemed to last forever, she and the voice both spoke.

“Training.”

“Special lessons.”

“Does Shana know about this?” Yūji asked. The innocent question filled Wilhelmina with panic.

“-Sha… -na…” Wilhelmina slowly spoke. No, he instantly thought. After all, Yūji does have experience dancing on the fine line between life and death, though probably not as much as Flame Hazes.

She’s dangerous, he thought. Indeed, the fear an amateur like him has would probably have been already conveyed to his opponent. But Wilhelmina suddenly changed the topic. “Have you heard of the ‘Promised Pair’? A Crimson Lord and her love, a Mystes. They produced the Treasure Tool that resides within you.

Yūji had a sense of unease. “What do you mean?” he asked in fear. He still couldn’t understand Wilhelmina’s intentions.

“About two years ago, I had an encounter with a Crimson Lord in Central Asia. His name was Sabrac.” This was the first time Yūji had heard such a name. “He is an assassin who is independent of any organization, similar to the Chanter of Elegies, Margery Daw.”

The bitter voice of Tiamat spoke, surprising Yūji. “In a city in Central Asia, we encountered that assassin, and we were defeated…”

“… but we were rescued,” Wilhelmina finished.

Yūji had a terrible premonition. He understood the meaning of Wilhelmina’s story. Her saviors were the Promised Pair. But what had happened to the Promised Pair?

Wilhelmina continued to talk. “The combined powers of the Promised Pair and I were able to repulse Sabrac’s attacks. Because of the interference of the Promised Pair, Sabrac began to also target them. Thus, we three began to travel together.”

Yūji recalled what Lamies, the Corpse Collector, had told him. Flame Hazes were not necessarily hostile if their interests matched.

“However… a few months ago…” Wilhelmina’s face darkened. Yūji could tell Wilhelmina was in pain, and was afraid to ask what had happened.

“Of course, Mystes, there is a reason why you have the Midnight Lost Child now,” she continued. “We could not escape Sabrac’s ambitions, and it culminated into a fight. And that’s what happened,” Wilhelmina abruptly ended her story.

“And then Sabrac worked with Dantalion for a short while, but he doesn’t seem to be in this city any longer.”

“Wait, what?” Yūji unexpectedly blurted.

It felt as if a rather important part of the story had been omitted. That Mystes who originally had the Midnight Lost Child was killed by Sabrac, right?

“What happened to the Crimson Lord?” he asked, his face tensing up.

“He… has changed. But he is alive,” Wilhelmina slowly said.

“He… he’s alive? But wouldn’t that mean Sabrac failed to kill his target?” For reasons unknown, Yūji was more impatient than usual. He felt a combination of both fear and enthusiasm. He didn’t want to waste this perfect opportunity to ask the questions he had in his mind. “Wasn’t the Mystes with the Midnight Lost Child a target?”

If the Promised Pair were able to keep the Treasure Tool, why would they transfer it to Yūji?

“What happened to the Midnight Lost Child that resulted it in being transferred to me?”

Wilhelmina did not answer the boy’s question. Yūji didn’t need her to. Using Wilhelmina’s story, he was able to clue together what had happened.

Wilhelmina remembered how favorably that girl thought of the boy. Shana would probably hate Wilhelmina for doing this. Nevertheless, Wilhelmina would need to act quickly before she changed her mind.

‘What happened in the in the fight involving the Promised Pair?” Yūji asked.

“Unknown.”

Wilhelmina forcibly ended the conversation with her sudden answer.

Surprised, Yūji tried to get her to continue the story. “Huh? But you were just getting to that part?”

“More importantly, it is almost midnight.”

The conversation ended. Yūji’s right wrist was suddenly entangled with a white ribbon.

“Wait!” he protested. He was quickly thrown into the air again.

“Be more aware of your surroundings!” Wilhelmina shouted. The ribbon was suddenly loosened and Yūji fell several meters, falling towards the roof. There was no time to react.

“Gu, ga!?” With a hard crash, Yūji felt his body bounce up and begin to roll. He clawed onto the roof but the recoil was stronger than he had thought. Luckily, both his arms managed to grab onto a tile.

Although he was bruised, Yūji only felt numbness and no pain. Instead, his heart was beating wildly, threatening to burst from his chest.

“Don’t mess with me!” Yūji raised his voice while listening to his heartbeat. Grabbing onto the edge of the roof had been pure look. Maybe if he really did fall, would that ribbon help….

Yūji was surprised by a chill running down his back. Really, would she help him?

Yūji peeled his now-wet hands off the tiles. He looked up at the statue-like woman. The red Seal illuminated the black shadows on her face. It was expressionless, a face not of laughter or anger, but of contempt.

From Wilhelmina’s ruffled apron, a white ribbon stretched out like a whip. It collided with Yūji’s shoulder. Although it looked soft, it hit harder and faster than steel rods. He was blown straight into the air and ended up rolling on the roof a couple of times.

Yūji gasped for breath.

“Can’t you get up?” Wilhelmina asked with a heartless voice.

“Laziness,” spoke the voice from her headband.

They weren’t looking for a reply. Yūji received a blow to the stomach, causing him to have the sudden urge to puke. Yūji endured the acidic taste of vomit and kept it down.

Yūji managed to get on his knees.

Oh, God!

A new blow came, and could not be avoided. The ribbon hit his shin, causing him to trip and fall onto his face. His teeth hit the tiles and his lips got cut. Although stunned, he had become terrified. This was dangerous. No doubt, she was attempting to kill him.

Yūji’s body trembled.

The Midnight Lost Child within him remained silent. That was to be expected. It wasn’t a Treasure Tool that could help during a crisis. But is there really nothing he could do? Thinking about death, Yūji thought of not only his parents, but also the names of two girls and his friends…

“!!”

Barefoot, with small and round fingers, someone stepped onto the tiles.

“What are you doing?!”

That angry voice was something he recognized. He could see that she had unsheathed her sword. A white ribbon which would have probably dealt the killing blow fell down and turned into a powder of cherry-colored fire upon touching the tiled roof.

“Sha… na…” With a trembling throat, Yūji manage to squeeze out those words. With half-closed eyes, he spotted her trench coat Yogasa and her sparkling fire-red hair.

It was Alastor who answered his voice with a “hmm…” and a sigh. Yūji could sense that it was a sigh of relief.

Shana didn’t answer as her body was shuddering with anger. “What were you doing?” she asked again.

“Suspicious,” answered both Wilhelmina and her headband, Tiamat.

Shana was horrified. “Again, I will ask: What were trying to do?”

Of course, the Manipulator of Objects could feel the girl’s anger. However, she was not concerned. These discussions have happened before. As long as she remained resolute in her actions and clarified the situation…

“I was simply teaching him a hands-on lesson of manipulating the Power of Existence.” Wilhelmina carefully chose her words so she wouldn’t be technically lying. However, Shana saw through her ruse.

“Wilhelmina…” Shana was saddened. Her sadness turned into anger.

“Wilhelmina, I hate you!!”

Shocked by her outburst, the Manipulator of Objects could only sputter. Her face hardened and her body leaned slightly backwards. Ignoring her and Tiamat, Shana sheathed her sword back into her Yogasa. Then, she lightly hugged Yūji who was still lying on the tiles. She noticed the bruised cheats, bloodied nose, and cut lips.

“… that hurts Shana,” Yūji complained.

“Patience.” With that word, her Crimson Wings formed. While holding onto the boy, the girl flew away from the Seal into the cloudy night sky. Several minutes passed.

“Long time, no see, Manipulator of Objects.”

“!”

Another Flame Haze, detecting the signs of a Seal and combat, had discovered Wilhelmina.

The Crimson Wings lifted Shana into the sky as she aimed for a cloud. A painfully violent wind struck Yūji.

“Shana…”

“What?”

Yūji placed his cheeks on Shana’s shoulders. Tasting blood in his mouth, he spoke.

“It smells good.”

“What… are you saying this time?” Shana was embarrassed. “I took a bath…” she said in a quiet voice.

“Warm…” Yūji muttered, finally relieved his tension from fear. He would trust Shana.

Shana firmly hugged Yūji, though not to an extent as to damage his wounds further.

“…What?” Yūji muttered.

Their voices mixed with the sound of the wind.

“… Nothing,” Shana responded

“I know… it’s only because I’m… very weak… I-” Yūji spoke choppily.

“Of course, you’ve only been training for a few months and-“

“Shana,” Alastor cut in.

“…?” Shana noticed that Yūji was trembling.

“Damn… why am I… this weak…”

A few tears fell from Yūji’s face towards the ground. He strongly grasped Shana’s black coat.

“Gu-… whoa,” Shana said, surprised by the tears and the boy’s grip.

Shana’s wings grew in response to her emotions, and they flew into the sky. The moonlight created shadows of the two on the surface of the clouds.

“Yūji, is it cold?”

“Yes…” Yūji replied with a clear voice. He seemed embarrassed now the he had calmed down, and avoided looking at Shana’s face.

“Well, I’m fine. Because I’m a Flame Haze,” Shana made an awkward reply.

“That’s convenient…” Yūji tried to ignore the sudden change in mood. He rested his cheek on Shana’s shoulders and watched the sparkling flames with admiration.

“… what are you looking at?”

“Oh, sorry,” Yūji responded.

“Good.”

“Hmph!” grunted Alastor, who was sandwiched between the two. His color had changed to one of grumpiness.

“There must be a misunderstanding. There’s no way the Manipulator of Objects and Tiamat would…”

“… I hate Wilhelmina,” Shana repeated with a voice of grief.

Yūji chose not to continue.

Those two that are close to Shana… is keeping people like me away from her their only goal? he thought. He let out a sigh and recalled their conversation.

After all, you never told me what happened to the Promised Pair… should I continue to be silent about this? Even if they tried to kill me, I have a strange feeling…

He decided to remain silent. “Sorry about getting you involved in this…”

“Does it hurt?” Shana asked.

Yūji turned to the caring Shana, and realized that their faces were extremely close. Shana also noticed this, and she quickly turned her face away. The gesture was so cute that Yūji couldn’t help but laugh despite the pain.

“Oh, yeah… this injury, will it heal at midnight?”

After glancing at Alastor, Shana responded in the affirmative. She suddenly lifted up Yūji, who shouted in surprise.

Shana laughed at Yūji’s response. Their faces were now not so close and it became easier to talk. “Huh? What’s wrong, Yūji?”

This time it was Yūji who was looking away in embarrassment. “Well… you did say that you had been taking a bath…” The moonlight lit up his bright red upturned cheek. Shana immediately realized what Yūji was trying to convey.

“Ack! Did you see anything? Tell me!” Shana tightened her grip on Yūji as her face became bright red as well.

“Nothing! I didn’t see anything! I didn’t see anything!”

After detection the Seal’s creation, Shana came flying -literally- with her black coat. In her haste, she hadn’t put on any clothes other than the coat. When she lifted up Yūji, he noticed this.

“Don’t turn around!”

“I didn’t see it, maybe just your foot!”

“Do you want to die?”

“Okay, maybe just the top of your chest, just a little-“

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”

“Enough already, Shana,” Alastor spoke, deciding that Yūji had been punished enough.

Shana sighed, and loosened her grip.

Yūji exhaled a rough breath.

“Your injury will probably heal at midnight,” Alastor confirmed Shana’s earlier assertion. The pendant glinted in the moonlight. “But that’s it. Whether or not you will die during the day depends on your own strength. Do be careful. Currently, Shana doesn’t mind but…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Shana reassured.

“Thanks,” Yūji responded with a smile. Yūji answered as lighthearted as he could, but he secretly felt terribly sorry and useless.

An alarm rang from his pocket. It always signaled the end of training.

“It’s midnight…”

How many times can I survive nights like this Yūji wondered when he suddenly felt his body replenish its Power of Existence.

“Are you fine?” Shana asked.

“Yeah.”

Yūji nodded strongly to avoid worrying Shana. As Alastor had said, his body had been healed. For the first time, he realized one of the strengths of his Treasure Tool.

“I’ve healed.”

“I’m sure you have,” Alastor curtly replied.

Shana laughed a little. “I won’t leave you alone anymore starting from tomorrow until Wilhelmina changes her mind.”

Tomorrow? Yūji thought.

“What’s wrong?” Shana and Alastor both asked.

Suddenly finding himself questioned by two people, Yūji began to sweat. “Oh, no, it’s just that…”

“What?” Shana asked smiling, still happy at his recovery.

“Don’t be angry, but I want you to hear this…” Yūji spoke.

“Yeah?”

“I’ll be going out with Yoshida tomorrow so…”

Shana continued to smile as she dropped Yūji.

While Yūji was falling through the clouds, Kazumi Yoshida was in the kitchen of her house preparing for the next day. On the table were ingredients and containers.

Someone opened the kitchen door. “Hey, sis. Are you making a lunch? Even though it’s summer vacation?”

A middle school boy walked in wearing pajamas. His face was similar to Yoshida’s, but his eyes were fish-like and his gestures were quick.

Yoshida smacked the hand that quickly shot out. “Ken! No touching!” she scolded.

“Don’t be mean, if it’s good, it’s good!” Ken drooled, ready to sneak a taste of his dull sister’s delicious cooking.

“You’re going to get him fat,” he continued. “His belly will become as big as your chest!” Yoshida turned red. “Good night!” Ken grabbed the last piece and ran away, leaving behind a photo.

Of course, the person in the photo is Yūji Sakai.

Once, she had borrowed a dictionary from her brother and saw Yūji’s photo in it. Since then, her younger brother had been sending her photographs of Yūji.

Ken considered Yūji to be “sister’s boyfriend,” so Yoshida forgave his transgressions. As a girl in love, she happily hummed a song. “I hope it’s a clear day tomorrow…”

At the Satō family mansion in the corner of the former residential area in easter Misaki City, a visitor was greeted.

“Margery, who is that?” Keisaku Satō exclaimed, having been woken up. The tall woman who wore a simple shirt dress was Margery Daw, one of the best assassins.

“She’s a Flame Haze. I told you, I’m here to clean up,” she answered unaffectionately. Characterized by long chestnut hair and a pair of glasses, Margery lived with the Satō family.

Instead of heading to the living room, she made her way to the bar. “A toast of reunion…”

Satō understood what she was implying. He was used to arrogant people, having met various people of power. He also began to head to the bar when Margery turned around.

“Hold it.”

“Wait, what?” Satō, who naturally thought he could join, was surprised.

“Children aren’t allowed. A bar is a heaven only for adults with accumulated stress,” she said seriously.

“Yeah, she has one hell of a belly… ow!” cried out the big book hanging from Margery’s right shoulder. It was the Grimoire used to express the will of the Crimson Lord Marchosias.

“You should go to bed,” Margery instructed the frustrated Satō. “The Manipulator of Objects should be here, remember that.”

Although they were just classmates during normal days, Satō and Yūji were pretty close friends during extraordinary days. Because he didn’t know the Hirai family’s phone number, he also had no way to contact Shana about Wilhelmina.

“I understand…”

“I don’t like seeing a disappointed boy,” the passionate Crimson Lord said. “Don’t be sad, she’s not that old. Just, I really don’t want you to see what Margery’s like when she’s drinking…Ow!”

Margery elbowed the Grimoire. She turned her back to Satō. “Well, good night.”

“Good night.”

The bar of the Satō family was luxurious, with a counter and a liquor shelf in the corner of the large room. There were glasses, bar tools, refrigerators, etc. The only thing missing was a bartender.

Under the light lantern light, a woman was drinking at the counter.

Her clothes were unmistakable. She was the Flame Haze Wilhelmina Carmel, the Manipulator of Objects.

Margery exhaled in protest of her intended role. This time, instead of heading to her usual counter seat, she took up the role of the missing bartender.

“Look, I brought a corkscrew…” Margery looked at the scene.

A bottle of wine was in front of her. It was empty, with the bottle’s neck sharply cut off. There were three of these, all empty.

A hand was on the counter holding a wine glass by the bowl rather than the stem. Margery scratched her head and took a peek at the face of her colleague.

“Hey, talk to me.”

Wilhelmina didn’t answer. Regardless, Margery continued.

“I don’t have much experience with children. You have to tell me what’s wrong yourself.”

“… It… in.”

The two remained silent and waited for the voice to continue. Wilhelmina’s palms lost power and the wine glass shifted down. She stared at the red, crimson liquid surface in the wine glass.

“I… very… unwillingly…” The mumbling that occurs when drunk, was even more incoherent than usual. “I know… I do… so… I want…”

Marchosias decided to ask Wilhelmina’s contracted Crimson Lord instead of the Manipulator of Objects. “Tiamat, can you explain what happened?”

“Rebellious,” Tiamat spoke a single word.

“Hmmm…” Margery thought. There’s a possibility it was that Shana girl… “I mean, you arrived only yesterday, right?”

Wilhelmina suddenly spilled her wine. It oozed through her fingers like blood. Margery took out a piece of cloth and gave it to her. She crumpled it and hid her face. “… but I hate… I hate it… what should I do?” Her shoulders began to tremble.

“Why don’t you uncork a bottle and cry for now?”

“…”

As she said this, Margery took a bottle of whiskey from the back of the liquor shelf. Grasping the neck with one hand, she uncorked the bottle with a twist. “Anyway, even I have to release my stress sometimes. A good idea usually comes to mind afterwards.”

“Ah, I finally hear a lesson from my mythical philosopher, Margery Do-buk!?” the Crimson Lord was silenced by a strike from Margery.

Wilhelmina started to slowly wipe her hands wet from the wine with the cloth she was given.

As she continued to wipe her hands, a teardrop fell. Then a second one. She put the cloth to her face to hide it. She began to sob, having reached her limit.

“A toast.”

Margery raised the small glass.

“To the tears of the beauty, and the anger of the girl.”

Under the dim light, Wilhelmina continued to tremble and cry.

Poor Man’s Outro

This chapter took about 22 hours total to translate and edit. With an hourly wage of $10 per hour (half of the average hourly wage for translators), this chapter had an opportunity cost of $220. Wow.

We get introduced to the existence of the Promised Pair (also called the Engaged Link, but I like the original due to the alliteration). This doesn’t happen in the anime until the second season (if my memory serves right). Also, I used the term “Manipulator of Objects” instead of “Specialist of Everything” because it’s more realistic to what Wilhelmina can actually do.

We also see that Yuji gets beat up a lot more badly in the light novel when compared to the anime. And he doesn’t have that awesome fighting-back moment we saw in the anime. Shana also airlifts him away, so that’s another thing that wasn’t animated.

Also, Wilhelmina cries. And drinks. And we actually get a picture of it! It’s pretty clear how much she cares about Shana, though it isn’t shown this early in the anime.

I actually had to look up how to hold a wine glass for that last scene. I wasn’t sure if the machine translator got it right, but it turns out it did! For those who don’t realize it, Wilhelmina holding the glass by the bowl is specifically mentioned, as that’s a “social taboo.” You can look this up if you want to know why.

From now on, I’ll use terms like Kantaro instead of Kantarō, as for some reason WordPress makes the special “ō” bold, at least for me. Furthermore, I’ll be replacing the parent’s names with “Yuji’s father” and “Mr. Sakai” except in specific cases.

Once again, this was a long chapter to translate. If I’m going to translate Chapter 4, I’ll have to break it up into parts so your page loading doesn’t take so long.